calling all frogs! an evening with...
TRANSCRIPT
May-June 2014 All programs and activities are open to the public Vol. 35, No. 1
P.O. Box 184, Oshkosh, WI 54903 � Published eight times a year Editor: Janet Wissink, 7035 Mountain Rd., Pickett, WI 54964 � 920-589-2602 � [email protected]
Check our website for up-to-date information: www.winaudubon.org
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Calendar of Events
Visit our website or see updates in future newsletters.
May Birdathon Month (See page 2)
May 3 Oshkosh Bird Fest (See page 2)
May 10 Frog Night Hike with Randy Korb (See above)
May 17 We’ll be at Sheldon Nature Day
June 23 An Evening with Bluebirds (See above)
July 23 It’s all about Chimney Swifts, Details to come Quiz Answer: Quiz Answer: Quiz Answer: Quiz Answer: Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula
Spring Bird Watching Sessions
Oshkosh is a wonderful area for bird watching with its abundant water, marshes, woods, and grasslands. Winnebago Audubon has been pleased to offer beginning bird watching sessions under the leadership of naturalist, Anita Carpenter. They have been held on first Saturdays and second Tuesdays in March and April. There are two more left: May 3 at Oshkosh Bird Fest and May 13. Rain or shine. The emphasis will be on beginning bird watching but any skill level is welcome to attend. On May 13 we will meet at Shelter 1 in Menominee Park at 9:00 a.m. and either bird watch there or carpool to active areas within the city. The preferred field guide is National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America. Please bring binoculars if you have them. We will have some available to use.
An Evening with Bluebirds Monday, June 23
6:00 pm at Utica Golf Course
Dave Misterek will lead a short tour of a fraction of the 25 bluebird houses that make up this bluebird nest box trail. We will meet at 6:00 pm at Utica Golf Club, 2330 Knott Road, SW of Oshkosh, and enjoy a light supper of pizza and beverages (Dutch treat) with a brief introduction by Dave. Then we will walk out onto the beautiful course to visit some of the bird houses to see what is involved in monitoring a bluebird trail and hopefully see some adult bluebi rds, eggs or ev en young. F i rst seasonal observations have resulted in many tree swallows and some bluebirds arriving to begin setting up territories, selecting nest sites and building nests. Egg laying should begin any day now. Remember to dress for the weather and wear walking shoes as the tour will be foot powered. See you then.
It would be helpful, but is not necessary, to let us know if you plan to attend by e-mailing Janet at [email protected] or calling 920-589-2602.
"Cal l ing Al l Frogs ! " A Night Hike
Saturday, May 10
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Rain or Moonshine
Indoor Presentation: Pickett Community Center 6687 State Road 44, Pickett
Followed by a Night Hike to a local wetland with naturalist Randy Korb
Indoor orientation to Wisconsin Frogs begins at 7:30 pm. Participants will get to know the 10 Wisconsin frogs. Children may hold and feed frogs, toads and salamanders during the orientation. Once we're familiar with frogs we'll venture out at night to hear them. The eastern gray tree frog is in peak breeding in late May and we hope to hear chorus and gray tree frogs and maybe American toads, spring peepers, and green frogs.
Bring flashlights and wear old tennis shoes or boots. There are ponds and the fields could be wet and muddy.
Open to the public. No pre-registration.
Audubon members: Free
Non-members: $5/adult
$3/child under 17
Non-members may join at the door: $20/family
Well-deserved Recognition
Winnebago Audubon presented a Meritorious Service Award to Carla Hansen at the Spring Banquet for years of dedication to our chapter. Carla has been Treasurer for the past 4 years, and also served in this position from 2000-2003 and again from1989-1991. She was VP from 1996-1999; President from 1991-1993; and a Director from 2007-2010. Not only that, but she has been chair of Membership and Audubon Adventures. She is currently chairperson of the Birdathon and the Amphibians in School Program, and volunteers at Sullivan’s Woods, which she plans to continue doing even though she is stepping down from the board. I have known her since she first joined Winnebago Audubon in 1984. She has truly been dedicated to our organization and its mission. I have often used her as a sounding board and have always appreciated her practical advice. She says it is time for new and younger people to get involved with our chapter. Besides, she wants more time to spend with her grandkids and to take more birding trips with her sister. Thank you Carla for all you have contributed to our chapter and I look forward to continuing to work with you on Birdathon and the Amphibians program. - Janet Wissink
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From the Quiz From the Quiz From the Quiz From the Quiz Master:Master:Master:Master:
I’m a bright orange, 8-1/4 inch bird with black back and hood. I return in May and love to find grape jelly in a feeder. I share my name with a professional baseball team. Whoooo am I? (Look closely to find the answer in this newsletter.)
Saturday, May 3
MENOMINEE PARK, 6am-2pm Big Sit, 6am-12pm
Bird Banding, 7am-10:30pm
Bird Walks, beginning at 8am
Children’s Ac&vi&es, 10am-2pm
Purple Mar&n Program, 11:30am
Live Birds of Prey, 10am-2pm
with presenta�ons at 10:30 & 12:30
Educa&onal Exhibits, 8am-2pm
Concessions, 8am-2pm
OSHKOSH GALLERY WALK, 6pm-9pm
Bird Fest HQ at Oshkosh Masonic Center
Student Bird Art Exhibit, Live Birds of
Prey, Educa&onal Exhibits, and more!
Browse downtown shops and par�cipate in
the Bird Scavenger Hunt for your chance
to win a baske&ul of surprises.
www.oshkoshbirdfest.com
Audubon Adventures Classrooms
The Boys and Girls Club in Oshkosh is using the Audubon Adventures Program to introduce kids to the great and wondrous outdoors. Sponsored by Bill Zimar, the program presents the information in four newsletters and a lesson plan for educators. This is an award winning program for teachers and students in grades 3 – 5. Audubon Adventures offers top-quality nonfiction material from environmental experts at the National Audubon Society. With captivating hands-on activities, students learn that we all have a personal stake in the health of the environment and play an important role in its preservation and improvement. Are you a teacher? We have sponsors willing to provide your classroom with this program next school year. Just contact Carla Hansen at [email protected] to get more information or visit: http://education.audubon.org/audubon-adventures
Winnebago Audubon’s Jan Moldenhauer Birdathon 2014 Sponsor a team, join a team, create a team!
This year our birdathon is dedicated to Jan Moldenhauer. Jan was a member of our birding team from the beginning. Her enthusiasm, her drive, her remarkable ability to gather pledges made our efforts a success year after year. Many of you know that Jan died last year and we all miss her and will miss her even more as we head out to count birds in this year’s Birdathon. Her strong opinions, her sense of humor, her willingness to keep on going kept us going. We’ll be sharing a lot of stories about her as we go birding this year. Would you like to commemorate Jan’s memory by supporting our Birdathon? Join a team and go out in May to see how many different species you can find. Carry on Jan’s tradition of giving herself to causes that supported the environment. Or make a pledge per bird (a nickel, a dime, a quarter, a dollar) or pledge a flat amount to encourage the birders to do their best. Last year the team saw 101 different species. All contributors will receive a list of the birds seen. For more info contact Carla Hansen at 233-1129 or [email protected] with Birdathon in the subject line. Will you help? Fill out the form below and send to Winnebago Audubon, P.O. Box 184, Oshkosh WI 54903.
Winnebago Audubon’s Jan Moldenhauer Birdathon — 2014 Pledge Form Name____________________________________________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________________________________________________ Email _____________________________________________Phone ____________________________
I want to contribute $_________ per bird or $___________ flat amount. � Contact me, I’d like to be a team member.
� My check made payable to Winnebago Audubon is enclosed OR � Bill me when you send me the list of birds.
Carla Hansen (L) receives award from Janet Wissink.
Do you enjoy children and being outdoors? Friends of Sullivan’s Woods is looking for volunteers to assist teachers and guide 4th grade students this spring. Choose what works for you: volunteer for one day, once a week, or every day. The hours are from 9:00 am-2:00 pm. And the program runs from early May to early June. You are
welcome to shadow another volunteer to learn what it is all about. This is a great opportunity to share your love of nature with young people. Call Zaiga Freivalds at 920-233-5914 for details about how you can become involved with the Oshkosh Area School District outdoor environmental education program.
Badger Tracks Badger Tracks Badger Tracks Badger Tracks by Anita Carpenter
Spiders are found everywhere: forests, deserts, alpine meadows, prairies, beaches, marshes, canyons, ponds, and, yes, even in our garages and basements. Taxonomically listed in the class Arachnids, spiders are a fascinating and diverse group of organisms to observe and study. Unlike insects which have three body parts (head, thorax, and abdomen) and six legs, spiders have two body parts and eight legs. A spider’s head and thorax are fused to form the cephalothorax which is connected to the abdomen. At tached to the cephalothorax are four pairs of legs plus two other pairs of appendages located near the mouth. Adjacent to the mouth are the chelicerae or jaws with each one tipped with a terminal fang. Between the chelicerae and the first leg pair is a pair of pedipalps. In females, each pedipalp is leg like. In mature males, the pedipalp is enlarged resembling a “boxing glove” and is used in sperm transfer. Spiders have eight simple eyes arranged in two horizontal rows that curve around the front, side and top of the head. Females are generally larger than males. Spiders go about their daily lives in one of two ways with many variations on the theme. Some spiders are sedentary. After spinning a web, they wait patiently for prey to arrive and become entangled in their web. Other spiders are active. They forego web spinning in favor of chasing down their food. One such group are the wolf spiders, family Lycosidae. Sixty of the 300 wolf spider species found in North America call Wisconsin home. These common spiders are probably best known as the big, hairy brown spiders that run across the ground. If you encounter one, stop and take a closer look, for wolf spiders have interesting adaptations for their active lifestyle. If a wolf spider must pursue and capture its food, it needs good eyesight to detect its food. With eight tiny simple eyes wrapped around the front, top and side of its head, that just won’t do. An adaptation for better vision is that active (not sedentary) spiders have all eyes facing forward just like the big predators, such as wolves and lions do. In addition, wolf spider eyes are not all the same size.
The middle two eyes on the top row (posterior median eyes) are greatly enlarged plus they have a specialized layer of cells called the tapetum layer, similar to that which raccoons and deer possess. This cell layer, found in the back of the eyes, functions to increase the amount of light hitting the retina. This enhances the spider’s ability to see and hunt at night. The tapetum layer also reflects light and, just like raccoon and deer whose eyes shine in car headlights, wolf spider eyes will reflect light from a flashlight. An interesting nighttime activity is to hold a flashlight against your forehead and slowly sweep the ground about 10 feet in front of you. Look for a pinpoint of green light sparkling like a diamond. Slowly walk to the light source and there you’ll find the wolf spider. The real joy is discovering a female. Wolf spiders provide more parental care than most spiders. After mating, the female produces a large, spherical, tannish egg sac about the size of a raspberry. Instead of attaching the egg sac to a plant stem or placing it under a log and leaving it unattended, she attaches the sac to her spinnerets which are located just under the tip of her abdomen. She carries the sac around with her for a couple of weeks until the spiderlings hatch. Then the spiderlings climb up on top of her abdomen where they grasp specialized hairs which are adorned with tiny knobs f or easier gripping. The babies ride on her “back” for another 10-14 days, each relying on its stored yolk sac for food. When the yolk is consumed, they leave the safety and security of their mother and venture out on their own. This past March while shining for wolf spiders in the Florida Everglades, I chanced upon several females carrying their spiderlings. Besides receiving the reflected eyeshine from the female, the pin-point-sized spiderlings also reflected green light. From a distance, the light looked like miniature, green-glowing exploding fireworks. It was really cool! So put aside your arachniphobia. Venture outside to look and shine for wolf spiders. Appreciate their specialized adaptations for nocturnal hunting. Please don’t step on them. Spiders are an important member of the “web” of life.
Cool Critters
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Female wolf spider with her spiderlings.
Wolf spider carrying her egg sac.
Volunteer this Spring at Sullivan’s Woods
NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE
PAID OSHKOSH WI PERMIT NO 90
Winnebago Audubon Society Mission Statement: Advance the mission of the National Audubon Society to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity through grassroots efforts of community outreach and advocacy.
AUDUBON SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
���� Chapter Only Membership: Your $20.00 stays in our chapter and you receive the Winnebago Audubon chapter newsletter and all chapter benefits. Make $20.00 check payable to Winnebago Audubon.
OR
� National Audubon Membership: Your $20.00 includes chapter membership and all chapter benefits, PLUS Audubon magazine and all national benefits. Make $20.00 check payable to National Audubon Society.
� I do not wish to receive solicitations from National Audubon Society.
Name: ____________________________________
Address: __________________________________
City/State/Zip: ______________________________ Chapter Code: C4ZZ12OZ
Mail this form with payment to: Pat Nichols, Membership, PO Box 184, Oshkosh, WI 54903
OFFICERS President (Acting): Janet Wissink 920-589-2602 / [email protected]
Vice President: OPEN Secretary: Chris Binder [email protected]
Treasurer: Evelyn Meuret 920-573-7828 / [email protected] DIRECTORS Anita Carpenter, 920-233-6677 Zaiga Freivalds 920-233-5914 / [email protected] Dave Hanke 920-688-2907 Dave Moon 920-235-4429 / [email protected] Pat Nichols 920-426-0261 / [email protected]
Important Note: TEMPORARILY AWAY? Please notify us if you will be temporarily away. The post office will not forward your newsletter. If your newsletter is returned to us, we remove you from our mailing list. Please contact Pat Nichols at [email protected] or 920-426-0261 with any questions.
RENEWALS: Your mailing label includes your membership expiration date above your name. If you are a “Chapter Only” member the word CHAPTER will appear after the expiration date. Please renew your chapter membership by filling out the application form below. Thank you for helping us save on the cost of renewal reminders. If you are a member of National Audubon, NATL will appear after the expiration date. You will receive renewal notices from National or you may renew by using the form below. If you are receiving a complimentary newsletter, COMP will appear with an expiration date. Please consider joining our chapter by using the application below.
GO GREEN by opting to receive your newsletter via e-mail. Contact Pat Nichols at [email protected]
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Welcome to Winnebago AudubonWelcome to Winnebago AudubonWelcome to Winnebago AudubonWelcome to Winnebago Audubon
A special thank you to all those who are renewing again this year as well. You are invited to participate in
activities of your local Winnebago Audubon chapter. It's a great way to meet like-minded people and to enjoy
what nature has to offer.
If you are a new member of National or the Chapter and haven’t seen your name here in the last couple of issues, please contact
Pat Nichols, Membership Chair (email me at: [email protected])
Janet Blazer Don Conger
Susan Farmer Holly Fillmore
Constance Friedel Gene Jeske Lois Hoeft
Art Merry Nancie Potratz Mary Reynolds Lee Ruehmling
Susan Schneider Randy Walsh
Dolly Wicklund
Word of the Day:
Stab i l imentus
A heavy band of silk, often in a zig-zag pattern, usually placed in a web’s center by some orb-weaving spiders.