May 21, Tue. Society Meeting.
“Adventures in Wildlife Rehabbing”,
with Kim Doner. Kim got
snookered into rehabilitating wildlife fourteen seasons ago, and is
amazed to realize she's still at it. When asked why she continues to
shoulder juggling worm feedings, gooey mixes, parasites, odors, nips,
snarls, and the constant threat of a beautiful wild baby dying in her
hand, she still isn't sure - but it has something to do with curiosity.
You just never know what the next phone call will bring. When not being
driven crazy with cheeps, whines, grunts and trills, Kim is an artist
here in Tulsa - and her "critter experiences" have certainly leaked in
to that, too. Come enjoy her "Adventures in Wildlife Rehabbing" chat
with TAS, complete with anecdotes, slides, and plenty of enthusiasm as
she shares her experiences walking on the wild side.
WING-IT's Mission: We at SING-IT strive
to rehabilitate songbirds that have been found orphaned, sick, injured
or otherwise displaced, with the ultimate goal of releasing them as
healthy birds back into the wild. We desire to train a large base of
dedicated volunteers in the various stages of songbird care, to support
a centrally located Song Bird Center that a thriving city like Tulsa
deserves to have. Finally, it is the wishes of SING-IT to educate the
public about the joys and importance of birds to the health of the
world, in an effort to encourage us all to be better stewards of our
environment.
Long-time
Tulsa Audubon member Aline Romero passed away on October 21, 2012. Aline and her
late husband Forrest were for many decades the face of Tulsa Audubon.
Purple Martins in downtown Tulsa August
2012. Photo by Wayne Suns
Weather Update
Who would have thought we would need to
worry about rain?!The roost watch scheduled for this evening (Aug 18)
will still be held whatever the weather. If it is raining we will just
watch the birds from next to the top level of the Doubletree parking
garage, where we will be protected from the rain, and an have eye-level
view of the birds.
However, since it may be overcast it may get dark at bit earlier than
normal, so we are moving the start times up 15 minutes. We'll start the
watch at 8:00 p.m. And everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner at
the Doubletree Hotel Seven West Cafe, and we'll now meet there about
6:15 p.m.
Every summer downtown Tulsa hosts a Purple
Martin roost, and this year between 100,000-250,000 birds are present.
Purple Martins are highly social birds, and after leaving their nesting
colonies form large, communal roosts where they sleep at night prior to
and during migration. Downtown Tulsa has had a roost since the early
1980’s.
While the birds return
to downtown Tulsa every summer, each year they may choose a different
location. For
the last two years the martins have roosted in the courtyards of the
Tulsa Jail! But
this year they have returned to a previously used location, along 7th Street, south of the Convention
Center. The best vantage point to
view the Martins is the top of the downtown Doubletree Hotel parking
garage.
Tulsa Audubon is hosting a Purple Martin Roost Watch on Saturday, August 18
at 8:15 8:00 p.m. to learn
about Purple Martins and observe this wildlife spectacle taking place in
downtown Tulsa. We will meet on the top level of the Doubletree
Hotel parking garage, 616 W. Seventh St., which provides a perfect
overview of downtown Tulsa. You may park on the street and take the
elevator to the top level, or park in the garage itself. Please check if
an attendant is on duty that night, in which case there may be a parking
charge.
Everyone is also invited to join TAS
members to talk about Purple Martins and have dinner/drinks/snacks at
6:30 6:15 p.m. at the Seven West Cafe in the Doubletree Hotel.
We again want to say thank you to the
Doubletree Hotel for allowing us to use their parking garage, and being
tolerant of the birds, which do leave behind a big mess every morning.
We have a big announcement to make! The
Tulsa Audubon Board has voted to take on a new project called SING-IT,
Songbirds In Ned Group - In Tulsa. Recently the wildlife rehabbers in
the Tulsa area decided they needed to form an organization to help them
work together, educate the public and recruit many more volunteers.
Rehabbing a baby bird is a huge commitment, and in the Spring and Summer
people call every day looking for help. The board decided to make
SING-IT a project of Tulsa Audubon, to so they can focus on their work
of rehabbing wildlife, freeing them from the administrative work of
starting their own separate non-profit. And of course, it is a natural
and perfect fit for the mission of Tulsa Audubon.
SING-IT's Mission: We at SING-IT strive
to rehabilitate songbirds that have been found orphaned, sick, injured
or otherwise displaced, with the ultimate goal of releasing them as
healthy birds back into the wild. We desire to train a large base of
dedicated volunteers in the various stages of songbird care, to support
a centrally located Song Bird Center that a thriving city like Tulsa
deserves to have. Finally, it is the wishes of SING-IT to educate the
public about the joys and importance of birds to the health of the
world, in an effort to encourage us all to be better stewards of our
environment.
Thanks to our very generous
donor, Tulsa Audubon is also able to offer three scholarships
for young persons interested in birds or nature to attend the
Lesser Prairie-Chicken Festival in Woodward, OK on April 27-29,
2012. The scholarships will be for $500 each, which will pay for
most of the student's and chaperone/parent’s 2 day hotel stay in
Woodward and entry into various events and field trips. Two
scholarships will be given to students 12-18 years of age.
Applicants should submit an essay of approximately 250-500 words
explaining why they would like to attend and why they enjoy
nature.
Essays should be submitted by March 31st. Essays should be
submitted to John Kennington at
johnkennington@gmail.com. The TAS Board will review the
applications and the winners will be announced on April 4th.
For information on the festival, see
www.lektreks.org. If you have any
questions about the festival fell free to call John at 918-809-6325.
Congratulations to Alex James and
Dillon Cole!! They were chosen for Tulsa Audubon's full scholarships to
National birding camps this summer. Alex is going to Camp Chiricahua in
Southeast Arizona, put on by Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours. Dillon Cole
is attending Camp Colorado in Estes Park Colorado, put on by the
American Birding Association. I expect these will be two life changing
events for these two students.
Please note
that sunflower seed wholesale prices have
almost tripled compared to 2010.
This has also impacted the prices
of quality mixed seed. 50 lb bags of sunflower hearts are not
even available, but I am able to offer 60 lb cases of hearts at
reasonable price
Click here to view
Jim's Jan. 2001 presentation to Tulsa Audubon. His complete
PowerPoint file is available (as a PDF file), as well as his
identification tips, his complete migration chart, references, location
information, and annotated maps of the sod farms,
Keystone Lake & Oologah Lake.
Next Event
is Sunday Nov. 6
Ray Harral Nature Center
Our next event will be more habitat improvement
at Redbud Valley Nature Preserve, a unit of
Oxley Nature Center, on Saturday,
Feb. 28 from 9:00 - 1:00. We will be removing invasive species encroaching on
native habitats, and maintaining Bluebird boxes. As always, new volunteers will
receive a Tulsa Audubon/TogetherGreen t-shirt and lunch will be provided by the
Friends of Oxley.
Thank you to the 97 105 volunteers who made our
Oxley Nature Center Bluebird Trail and Habitat Improvement Day our biggest yet!
Click here for photos
Landfill
methane burners and other smokestacks are a little recognized threat to raptors.
Click here to read a report on this threat to our
hawks, owls and eagles written by Raptor Rehabber and TAS member Gary Siftar.
The
TAS Field Checklist of Birds of Tulsa County, Oklahoma has just been updated by
a committee of Paul Ribitzki, John Kennington, Jo Loyd & Jim Arterburn. It is
based on the records collected by Amy Lambert from 2000 to 2007 and the expert
insight of Jo and Jim. It is
available here as a PDF File formatted for easy printing, and printed field
cards are for sale.
Jim Mitchell has assembled a guide on how to
contact all of your elected officials - federal, state, county (Tulsa and
Rogers) and city (Tulsa) with addresses, phone numbers, emails and web sites.
Click here to view the list.
Tulsa Audubon's A Guide to
Birding in Oklahoma, first published in 1973, with a
second edition in 1986 has been out
of print for many years. Rather than publish
a revised edition, TAS decided to make the information
available here on our web site, updating and adding accounts
as needed. I also have created custom maps in Google Maps
and Google Earth, allowing you to zoom in on your favorite
area. Click here to visit.
No, you simply have a bald
Cardinal. They are normal Cardinals, and spotting a bald one is
not that unusual. Click here for
more details about bald Cardinals.
THEIR
STATUS, MIGRATION TIMING, HABITAT REQUIREMENTS & IDENTIFICATION
im Arterburn presented a program to Tulsa Audubon on the
shorebirds of northeastern Oklahoma, and he has graciously
shared his
presentation, notes maps
and other information for those not able to attend the
meeting.
Tulsa Audubon was founded in April, 1935 and at our December 2005 meeting we
celebrated our 70th anniversary with a party and short presentation about our
history, and recognized long-time member Aline Romero.
Click here for some
resources on caring for lost pigeons and how to read their bands.
Member's
Gallery A new feature has been
added to our web site, a Member's
Gallery, where you can share photos, writings, etc. of
interest to other TAS members. We currently have contributions
from Charlotte Clark of Glenpool, with photos of her backyard
habitat, photos of a Snowy Owl found in Inola, and the photos of
Eagles rescued form a fallen nest.
Become a friend of
TAS on Facebook
and keep up with the latest TAS news. Please feel free to post info
of interest to Audubon members, and if you are at any of our TAS
events share your own photos, notes, observations, etc.
May 4, Sat.
Big Day Count. Tulsa
Audubon Society annual day-long, county-wide census of migrant and
resident species. For information contact Jo Loyd, jo.loyd@sbcglobal.net,
918-835-2946.
“Adventures in Wildlife Rehabbing”,
with Kim Doner. Kim got
snookered into rehabilitating wildlife fourteen seasons ago, and is
amazed to realize she's still at it. Kim is an artist here in
Tulsa - and her "critter experiences" have certainly leaked in to that,
too.
May
18-19 Sat.-Sun. Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour and
Plant Sale. This event is also part of Tulsa
Audubon's Together Green program. Volunteers helping present
this event will receive a Together Green/TAS water bottle. Contact
Alyne Eiland at 918 521-8894 for
more information
Jun. 16, Sun. Summer Potluck Picnic.
Bring the family for some summertime fellowship and relaxation. Meet at
6:30 p.m. at Washington Irving Park, located in Bixby on Memorial Drive,
just before crossing the River. TAS will provide beverages, cups,
plates, and eating utensils. Contact John Kennington,
johnkennington@gmail.com,
918-809-6325.
Thank Scholastic for Helping Harry Potter Go Green
After
hearing from outraged citizens when they didn't publish book six of
Harry Potter on recycled paper, Scholastic has changed its ways.
For book seven, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 65
percent of the paper used will be certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council.
Help send Scholastic a big thank you!
The Tulsa Audubon Society can be reached
by phone, mail or e-mail. We encourage you to contact us with your
comments, suggestions or stories.
Tulsa Audubon Society
P.O. Box 330140
Tulsa, OK 74133
For general questions contact President John
Kennington, 809-6325
For bird reports contact Recorder
Paul Ribitzki 243-5515
Comments about this Web site contact John
Kennington
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