sep 2009 caws newsletter madison audubon society

8/9/2019 Sep 2009 CAWS Newsletter Madison Audubon Society

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 1/8Madison Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society

222 S. Hamilton St. / Madison, WI 53703 / 255-2473/ www.madisonaudubon.org September 2009

Free Public ProgramWho: David Shealer

What: Black Terns in WisconsinWhen: Tuesday, September 15, 20097:30 p.m. – Program

Where: New Location!Capitol Lakes Retirement Community333 West Main St., Madison (see map)Parking: Free – ramp across the street.Park in lower levels only– must useunmarked spaces or those labeled “DNR”

Have Black Terns continued theirspiraling decline in Wisconsin, or is

there hope for recovery?

The Black Tern is a nomadic, enigmatic—though certainly not secretive—summerinhabitant of Wisconsin’s marshes.Historical records and anecdotal accountssuggest that Black Terns once were muchmore abundant in our state than they

are now. The decline may have been as great as 64% between the

early 1980s and the late 1990s.Additionally, the number of wet-lands that Black Terns use fornesting has apparently declinedprecipitously.Since 1999, Dr. Dave Shealer and

his students have been studyingBlack Terns in Wisconsin. Throughintensive banding efforts, frequent nestmonitoring at several colonies in south-eastern Wisconsin, and genotyping analy-sis, Dave has sought to answer some of the basic questions to aid in the recovery

of Black Terns.Dr. Shealer will summarize a decade of

work on Black Terns. He also will unveilthe results of the 2009 Roadside TransectSurvey he coordinated this summerfor the Wisconsin DNR. Dr. Shealer isAssociate Professor of Biology at Loras

College, Dubuque, Iowa and the cur-rent president of the Waterbird Society,an international organization devoted tothe scientific study and conservation of aquatic birds.You are invited to join our speaker, MAS

board members and friends at the pre-program dinner at Paisan’s Restaurant(131 W. Wilson St.) beginning at 5 p.m.Please call the office at (608) 255-BIRD(255-2473) if you have questions.

Next meeting: October 20, 2009

Black Terns in Wisconsin:Is There Hope for Recovery?

MadisonAudubonSocietyServing Columbia,Dane, Dodge, Iowa,

Jefferson, Richlandand Sauk Counties

Inside This IssueTurtle Project ............. .............. ......... 2

"Wings" Rafe Winners ...................2Birds in Art. ......................................2

Faville Grove News ........................ 3

Sanctuary's New Trail ............. ......... 4

Seed Collecting ................................. 4

Black Tern Study at GP ............. ...... 5

Fall Field Trips ...............................5-6

Donations .......................................... 6

Adventure Days ............................... 8

The new location for this year's program/meetings is the

Capitol Lakes Retirement Community building on W. Main St.


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 2/8September 20092The Audubon CAWS

“Wings Over Madison”Banquet Raffle Winners

Lady’s 14 karat yellow gold sapphire and diamond•

ring donated by John & Judith Hutchinson of FontanaSports Specialties. Won by Lynne Clark of Poynette.Vortex Fury binoculars 8x32 donated by Eagle Optics.•

Won by Linda Leggett of Sun Prairie.Framed Owen Gromme print donated by Marci Hess•

with framing donated by Meuer Art & Picture FrameCo. Won by Amy Ahrens of Madison.Framed eagle photo with framing donated by Meuer•

Art & Picture Frame Co. Won by Mare Batchelor of Madison.Gift certificate donated by Wild Birds Unlimited. Won•

by Barb Unger of Madison.Gift certificate donated by Wild Birds Unlimited. Won•

by Judy Houck of Madison.Gift certificate donated by REI. Won by Sylvia Marek •

of Madison.Autographed copy of • The Land Remembers by BenLogan donated by David Billing of Solheim Billing

& Grimmer law firm. Won by Dietrich Schaaf of Middleton.Birdscaping in the Midwest• by Mariette Nowak donated

by Itchy Cat Press. Won by Rich Lampe of Madison.Gift certificate donated by Orange Tree Imports. Won•

by Sandra Kaul of Beaver Dam.Hungry for Wisconsin: A Tasty Guide for Travelers• byMary Bergin donated by Itchy Cat Press. Won by SueFoote-Martin of Arlington.

Birds in ArtThe 34th annual “Birds in Art” show, which will be

held from Sept. 12 - Nov. 15, 2009 at the Leigh YawkeyWoodson Art Museum in Wausau, is another soaringachievement. At center stage will be 19 works by MasterArtist John Busby of Scotland, a painter revered amonghis peers for his exceptional drawings and loosely paintedwatercolors, most often drawn en plein air to best capturethe essence of his bird subjects. He will be talking on “TheSubtleties of Drawing” on opening day, Saturday, Sept. 12from 10-11 a.m.There will also be a smaller complementary exhibition

of watercolors by Julie Zickefoose, a regular contribu-tor to Bird Watcher’s Digest and National Public Radio’sAll Things Considered. An artist, naturalist, and writer,

she will give a talk on Sunday, Sept. 13 from 1-2 p.m. based on her book Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in theWoods , about life on her 80-acre Appalachian sanctuary insoutheastern Ohio. Julie’s program is sponsored in part

by the Wausau Bird Club and the Wisconsin Society forOrnithology.The museum is always free. Hours are Tuesday thru

Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Thursday until 7:30 p.m. duringBirds in Art); Saturday and Sunday, Noon – 5 p.m.; closedMonday and holidays.For more information, visit www.lywam.org

Musk turtles (Sternotherus odoratus), run the same gauntlet of risks

faced by other turtle species in Wisconsin. Seldom encountered away

from their wetland haunts except on their overland journeys for laying

eggs, musk turtle females are threatened by predators and road traffic.

This breeding female, about four inches long, represents tens of eggs

laid in her generation. Sadly, she was found crushed by a vehicle soon

after this photo was taken. Future conservation success for our turtlefauna will require increased public awareness and more widespread

concern for these vulnerable animals.

Turtle Project’s Fences Are WorkingBy Greg Geller The Turtle Nest Protection Project seeks to increase the nesting suc-cess of freshwater turtles by reducing mammalian predation via non-lethal means. In the May 2009 CAWS , I reported on 2008 results whichsuffered from turtle-nest-destroying floods last June.So far in 2009, the nesting beaches I surveyed along the Lower

Wisconsin River have shown a substantial increase in nesting

Ouachita map turtles over last year (31 vs. 8 nests). Important inno-vations in the fencing scheme have also helped improve nesting suc-cess. The new design is simpler and much more turtle-safe.The current tally for nests surviving inside the protection fences is

100% (0 out of 13 predated), while for the unprotected nests nearby just 28% survived (13 out of 18 predated). Some surviving nests mayyet be lost to predators during hatching time in September. To coverthis vulnerable period, the fences remain enabled until October.This project proceeds due to the generosity of many benefactors,

including Madison Audubon Society, which has allowed me the useof two of the eight sophisticated digital game cameras dedicated tothis effort. Each week the cameras yield 80,000 photos. When project-ed over the 5- month field season, the photos allow a comprehensive

dataset to be assembled and related to the effectiveness of the fencesand details of turtle nesting ecology. Ultimately this informationmay be used to supplement current conservation initiatives for theseancient creatures.Visit Madison Audubon’s website (www.madisonaudubon.org)

for more details and photos.

Rental Space for Boats Available at Goose PondLooking for space to store your boat for the winter? ContactMark or Sue at (608) 635-4160 or [email protected] formore information.


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Faville Grove VolunteerDays Grant RenewedFaville Grove Sanctuary is among 21 sites

nationwide selected to participate for a secondyear in National Audubon’s TogetherGreenVolunteer Days program, with funding fromToyota. The award is based on our record of attracting volunteer support during the first

year of the program, and on our plans for thecoming year.Looking back on the first year as we prepared

our annual report to Audubon, we impressedeven ourselves with the strong showing of support from our volunteers: 246 individualsvolunteered in the sanctuary on 75 differentdays for a total of 2,155 hours. Of these volun-teers, 200 had not volunteered previously atFaville Grove, and of these 200, 40 returned tohelp out one or more additional times duringthe year. Volunteer accomplishments includedseed collecting, seed cleaning and mixing,

planting 40 acres of prairie (our biggest singleevent, with 85 volunteers) as well as seedingadditional acres of savanna, brush clearing,controlled burning, weed control, plant andanimal monitoring, web site development and various otheraspects of sanctuary management.The few large volunteer events that we held were fun, brought

in new volunteers and engaged school groups and others new tothe sanctuary, and we are planning several large events again inthe coming year, including prairie planting in early November.But the real bread-and-butter of sanctuary management is inthe many small-group work parties held most Wednesdays andSaturdays and on the spur-of-the-moment. These events arewhere we really get to know each other and build community,and where volunteers really get to know the sanctuary and itsinhabitants and what’s involved in its management.Our primary goal for the coming year is to increase involve-

ment in these smaller work parties. Every additional set of handsmakes a big difference in what we can accomplish for wildlifein the sanctuary. Volunteering is a great way to learn about theplant and animal communities in the area and strengthen yourties to the land; it’s a great way to get to know like-minded mem-

bers of the human community; and it’s good exercise for bodyand mind alike. So come on out and give it a try!

Fall Events Faville GroveRegular seed collecting events at Faville Grove begin Sept. 5

and continue every Saturday morning and afternoon and everyWednesday morning through October. We’ll meet each morn-ing at 9:30 and work until noon. Saturday afternoons, we willmeet at 1:30 and work until 4 p.m. Meet at the sanctuary sign onPrairie Lane and travel from there a short distance to our collect-ing spot for the day. We will post work locations for anyone whoarrives late (we hope to have an informational kiosk installednear the machine shed across the road from the sanctuary sign

by September). Bring gloves, sunscreen and insect repellant, and

hand clippers if you have them.Besides collecting and the big planting event, we also hope to

conduct some controlled burns this fall (always on short notice),and we will need help with other activities in preparation forplanting. Please send e-mail to [email protected] if youwould like to be notified of these other activities. Also, let usknow if you would like to receive periodic electronic newslettersfrom Faville Grove Sanctuary, or if you have any questions. Directions: From Madison, take I-94 east to the Lake Mills/

Waterloo exit (Highway 89), go north approximately 1.75 milesand turn right onto County G. Travel north on G about 1.5 milesand turn right onto Prairie Lane. Work parties will meet near theFaville Grove Sanctuary sign.

Jill Martin Endowment FundEstablishedAs reported in the June CAWS, Madison Audubon supporter

Jill Martin died in April after a long illness. She made a bequestto Madison Audubon with the request that half the amount be

used to establish an endowment for wildlife management.The MAS board of directors has accepted the gift, and estab-lished the Jill Martin Wildlife Management Endowment Fund.

Jill’s gift and all subsequent donations to the fund will be held inperpetuity. Income from the fund will support wildlife manage-ment activities at MAS sanctuaries, including bird nest box andplatform construction, planting of wildlife food plots, purchaseof food for wildlife, and planting of trees and shrubs. Jill’s bequest will benefit birds and wildlife for years to come.We thank Jill and Jerry Martin for their donation of volunteertime and for their generous support.

3 September 2009The Audubon CAWS

We’re looking forward to another bountiful harvest of prairie and savanna seed at

Faville Grove Sanctuary this fall. Come lend a hand!


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 4/84 September 2009The Audubon Caws

The Sanctuary’s NewTrail BeckonsBy Dorothy Haines“Come on along, Come on along, let

me take you by the hand,” leaders could

have been singing in July as they openedthe new prairie hiking trail in the GoosePond Sanctuary restoration known as theBrowne Prairie. The non-event was trum-peted by fanfares of bird songs, buzzinginsects and prairie planners/planters’deep sighs of pleasure and pride.The public is invited to imagine the best

band in the land leading the way alongthe carefully mowed trail up and downand around the rolling hills; to enjoy theshades of purple and yellow blossoms,the expansive view over the Empire

Prairie as well as details of such sightsas a butterfly sipping nectar or a groundsquirrel scurrying into its undergroundcity in the middle of this 60-acre restora-tion.Starting at the Browne Prairie parking lot

— just “up the road a piece” to the westof the residence at W7503 W. KampenRoad — the mowed trail beckons thestrollers deep into the distinguishedprairie ecology that developed over aninestimable time. The circular trail takesyou up a rise to a resting bench overlook-

ing the swells and swales of the EmpirePrairie. If you continue on this trail youwill find more of Nature’s arrangementsof varying shades and shapes as youcircle around to the fork in the trail nearthe parking lot.The sanctuary’s “princess prairie” has

begun to show off her pre-teen attire,as this is her first year on her own in adress; she will wait about two more yearsto complete her debutante’s prom dress

because some native perennials don’t bloom until about four years old. We are

awaiting the sky-reaching blooms of thecompass plant, whose deeply indentedlarge leaves seen now continue to feedthe roots reaching deeply into the richprairie soil. In the meantime this fall wecan already enjoy the soft lavenders andyellows of the varieties of golden rods

and asters that replace the monardas andconeflowers we enjoyed in July.The “princess prairie” will lose her rag-

gedy look in a few years because some of the weedy species that sprouted up fromseeds left in the soil bank will be crowdedout as the natives get stronger. Likewise,the native perennials will squeeze out thewild rye that was included in the plantingmix to act as a nurse crop for the prairieseedlings and now arches its seed headsover all.“Dedicated to wildlife”, the marker

reads. So, unless you consider yourselvespart of the wildlife, you realize that thisrestoration is really for the “wild” crea-tures that have wings or more than twolegs. The “restored prairie” will evolveto re-create a suitable homeland for themto live and raise their young among theplants that attract the insects that attractthe birds. Already grassland birds – somesparrow species, meadowlarks, Bobolinksand Dickcissels — are visiting here andsome have nested. Loose sandy soil indi-

cates that a badger has been digging fora ground squirrel, though never seen indaylight. Two Sandhill Cranes are teach-ing the colt to catch young frogs and flapits wings. And so life goes on. ...in manyforms.Bring some kids and see what you-all

can find. Leave your cars and get into theprairie. It looks different when you getright down to it.(See "Nature News" on our web site formore color photos)

Calling all wildlifehabitat-loversNOW IS THE TIME!Every Saturday, Sept. 12 to Oct. 319:30 a.m. to noonGoose Pond Sanctuary Help gather seed for planting 9 acres of dry-mesic prairie at Erstad Prairie this

fall, and for 45 acres to be planted in 2010at Lapinski-Kitzke Prairie.

JUST THE FACTS:• The 2009 crop of pricey prairie seeds

will soon ripen and drop to the ground–never to be captured again. But we needthem to spread on the land that is beingprepared for prairie restoration. Beforeit is lost, we must reap this precious

bounty by hand, species by species.Volunteers are also needed to processthe seed.

• No experience is required. Tools andcontainers are furnished. Youth groups,clubs, and classes are encouraged tocome and bring others.

• Your time will result in additional prai-rie habitat and benefit hundreds of spe-cies of plants, birds, and invertebrates.The seed collected has an estimatedvalue of $1,000 per acre.

Meet at the manager’s residence (W7503Kampen Rd.) by the farm buildings north-west of the west pond. Contact Mark orSue at (608) 635-4160 or at [email protected] for more information. You can alsoreach us on Saturdays at (608) 333-9645.For more information visit www.madi-sonaudubon.org.

Share birding with seniorgroups or school classes! It’s easy to do with a PowerPointprogram and your love of birds.

Join us to learn or refresh your skills.Bird Training WorkshopWednesday, Oct. 7, 9:00 a.m.Sequoya Library, at Midvale & TokayBlvd. in Madison


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 5/85The Audubon Caws September 2009

Black Tern Survey inSouthern ColumbiaCountyBy Mark and Sue Foote-MartinBlack tern surveys have been conducted

in the Columbia County in 1980-1982and 1995-1997. This year we were ask by

Dave Shealer to conduct the two surveysroutes in Columbia County. What a dif-ference in 30 years in regard to habitatand wildlife! This is a report on the firstsurvey conducted in southern ColumbiaCounty on June 4th. We were also toreport other marsh birds.We began at Goose Pond and found a

Red-necked Grebe (state-endangered) inthe middle of the pond. This was the onlysighting of a Red-necked Grebe we hadthis spring. The second stop was to be atholding ponds at the former Del Monte

Canning factory in Arlington. However,we did not stop there since those pondswere filled in when the plant closed in theabout 1997.Next we headed to survey 4 locations at

Schoeneberg’s Marsh. At the first loca-tion there were 3 Whooping Cranes in afield, 1 Sandhill Crane on a nest, and 1Red-necked Grebe. The next stop was atMadison Audubon’s Erstad Prairie andfrom the overlook of the prairie potholewe found 1 Black Tern, 1 Great Egret(state-threatened), 1 American Bittern, 3

Double-crested Cormorants, 10 Great BlueHerons, and 6 broods of giant CanadaGeese.The next stop was at the curve on

Harvey Road north of highway 60. Theroad was closed due to high water andwill probably be permanently closed inthe near future. We surveyed that spot bygoing through Erstad Prairie and found22 Black Terns. Other wildlife foundincluded 1 pair of Sandhill Cranes withone young, 1 drake Redhead, and 1 GreenHeron. Audubon volunteers monitorWood Duck boxes at this location, but wedid not see any Wood Ducks that day. Atthe east end of Schoenberg’s Marsh therewere a many Turkey Vultures in the air.Then we headed to Keyeser Marsh on

Highway K were we found one GreatEgret. Later in June the marsh was fullof White Pelicans and Great Egrets. Atthe next marsh we found Yellow-headedBlackbirds, one Marsh Wren and one

brood of Pied-Billed Grebes. The nextmarshes were hard to observe due to tree

growth in the past 25 years, blocking ourview.At Otsego Marsh we found 3 Black Terns

and one brood of Canada Geese. Wetraveled up the road to the next stop wenamed the “Junkpile Ponds”, the formersited of a car junk yard. Over 10 years agoall the old cars were removed and no signremains of the large “junkyard”. There

we found 2 Wild Turkeys and 1 Cooper’sHawk.The last two stops yielded 7 broods of

Canada Geese, 2 Great Blue Herons, and 1Sandhill Crane.We found 26 Black Terns compared to

an average of 40 in 1980-1982 and 17 in1995-1997. Hopefully Black Tern numberswould keep increasing in the long term.The most interesting part of this surveywas finding many bird species that wereuncommon in the 1970s and 1980s pres-ent that day. Older bird watchers really

appreciate increases in some bird speciesin southern Wisconsin. We thought itwould be nice to summarize some speciesthat greatly increased in numbers.

- Canada Geese (giant variety) were rein-troduced into Wisconsin. The BreedingBird Atlas (BBA) reported an estimated1,600 giant Canada Geese were presentin Wisconsin in 1970 and by 2000 an esti-mated 100,000 were found;

- Wood Ducks were not seen on the Black Tern survey, however many Wood Ducks

use nest boxes erected by Audubon vol-unteers in the local marshes. It is hard to believe that the Wood Duck faced extinc-tion in the early decades of the twentiethcentury;

- Wild Turkeys were extripated fromWisconsin in the late 1800s. Birds fromMissouri were reintroduced in 1976. TheBBA reported Wild Turkeys expandedin Wisconsin by more than 32% per yearfrom 1980 to 2002;

- American White Pelicans were listed

in the BBA in the “Seldom ReportedSpecies”. Prior to 2000 they nested onlyin Green Bay and in 2000 began nestingin Horicon Marsh. Numbers have greatlyincreased and pelicans were seen earlierthe day of the tern survey circling highover Schoenberg’s Marsh;

- Double-crested Cormorants were statethreatened due to DDT in the 1970’s andonly nested at the Mead State WildlifeArea. The BBA reported an estimated10,500 pairs at 23 colonies in 1997.

Numbers are now being reduced due toconcerns with their impact on sport fish;

- Turkey Vultures were uncommon to rarein the early 1900s. Mike Mossman report-ed in the BBA “Significant, mean annualpopulation increases were calculated at15% for Wisconsin as shown by the 1966to 2002 breeding bird survey;

- Cooper’s Hawks were impacted by DDT

and were listed as a threatened species in1989. They are now probably one of thecommonest diurnal raptors in Wisconsinaccording to Robert Rosenfield and JohnBielefeldt who summarized this speciesin the BBA. Madison Audubon fundedRosenfield’s Cooper’s Hawk research inthe 1980’s;

- Sandhill Cranes were estimated by AldoLeopold in the mid 1930s at about 25 pairsstatewide. Karen Etter Hale summarizedthe Sandhill Crane in the BBA and it was

estimated that 850 cranes were found in31 counties in 1973. .Atlas data estimated3,000 – 4,000 pairs in Wisconsin in early2000;

- Whooping Cranes were introduced toWisconsin in the late 1990s and the threewe found are part of the 70-80 birds in theWisconsin population.

Field Trips for FallMonday, Sept. 7: Pleasant ValleyConservancy Tour

On Labor Day, Kathie and Tom Brock willlead an afternoon trip, co-sponsored withThe Prairie Enthusiasts, at Pleasant ValleyConservancy State Natural Area. The site is inthe Town of Vermont, south of Black Earth, inthe driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin.The property contains prairie remnants, wet-lands, and extensive oak savannas and has

been under intensive management for thepast eleven years. An extensive prescribed

burn program and judicious use of herbicideshave resulted in excellent control of invasive

brush. Hiking will be partly across steep bluffslong pants and good hiking shoes are recom-

mended.Meet at the property at 1 p.m. The trip will

last three hours. From Black Earth take CTH Fto the west and then south for 5 miles. Turn lefton Pleasant Valley Rd. Park along the southside by the driveway at Fire Number 4609. If you have questions about the trip call Kathieor Tom at (608) 238-5050, or [email protected].

Saturday, Sept. 12: Birding MadisonSchool ForestEnjoy a fall walk through this mature hard-

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http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 6/8The Audubon Caws 6 September 2009

wood forest on well-maintained trails. Wehope to see a variety of sparrows, thrushes,warblers and other fall migrants. This trip willlast 2-3 hours.Meet at the School Forest parking lot at 8 a.m.

From the intersection of Hwys. 151 & 69 southof Verona, go south on Hwy. 69 about one mileand turn right on Riverside Rd. Go west about

two miles and turn left on Fritz Rd., then southabout one mile to the curve and turn left intothe parking lot. Leaders are Peter Gorman andPeter Fissel. Contact Peter at (608) 226-0260(before 10 p.m.) or [email protected] if you have a question about the trip.

Saturday, Sept. 12: Bird Banding atBiocore Prairie Bird ObservatoryThis easy fall field trip near Picnic Point runsfrom 8 a.m. until noon. Come early or later inthe morning, stay the full time or just a fewminutes. See how birds are netted, banded,measured and released, and discuss howimportant information is gathered for man-

agement and conservation purposes. You canexpect to see resident songbirds and a varietyof other migrating birds in the hand. Youcan accompany bird banders to the nets andobserve how they remove birds, band them,and measure the birds at the mobile station.Bring insect repellent. To get to the band-ing station, take Lake Mendota Dr. and park at Frautschi Point. Walk south through thewoods, keeping Lake Mendota on your left,onto the Biocore Prairie. At the prairie, followthe trail to your right, then left. The bandingstation (aka picnic table) is at the top of theprairie. Visitors not able to walk are asked to

contact the trip leader ahead of time for per-mission to drive you to the site. Contact: MaraMcDonald, [email protected] or (608) 274-2534 before 8:30 p.m., please.

Saturday, Sept. 12: Monarchs & Fall Flowersat Pheasant Branch Conservancy – NEW!

Join us on a walk through the lovely PheasantBranch Conservancy in Middleton. The many

beautiful asters should be in bloom, and wehope lots of butterflies will be nectaring onthese flowers. We can expect several spe-cies, including Monarchs, sulfurs, blues, andpossibly some southern immigrants, suchas Common Buckeye and Painted Lady. Younever know what you may find! We will alsolearn more about restoration efforts at theconservancy. Long pants, a hat, water, andsturdy hiking shoes are recommended. Close-focusing binoculars are also useful. We willhike 2 or 3 miles. Leaders are Ann Theringand Dreux Watermolen. Co-sponsors areFriends of the Pheasant Branch Conservancyand the Southern Wis. Butterfly Assn. Contactthe trip leaders only if you have questions:Dreux Watermolen: (608) 266-8931, [email protected], or Ann Thering,[email protected], (608) 836-1097.

Meet in Middleton at noon. At the west endof Lake Mendota take Allen Blvd. north, thenturn left on Century Ave. (CTH M). Track yourmileage as you turn right onto Old Creek Rd.and then right on Pheasant Branch Rd. goingnorth 1.2 miles to the small county parkinglot at the beginning of the gated road. The tripwill last until 3 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 20: Birding Zeloski MarshZeloski Marsh has become a major stopover

for shorebirds—23 species were seen here dur-ing spring migration—and is also frequented

by waterfowl and wading birds. This tour,scheduled during fall migration, includesabout 1.5 miles of walking to get good viewsof these birds. For a description of ZeloskiMarsh, check out the sanctuaries page on theMAS website. Meet at the DNR parking lot atthe end of Alley Rd. at 9 a.m. Alley Rd. is off CTH S, west of Lake Mills, south of CTH Band north of CTH A. Bring lunch and a scopeif you have one. Contact Nolan Kollath at (920)648-3842 or [email protected] with ques-tions.

Saturday, Sept. 26: Lodi MarshIce Age Trail TourCome visit a variety of plant communities and

bird habitats in the Lodi Marsh State WildlifeArea. We will walk about a 5-mile segmentof the Ice Age National Scenic Trail from themargin of the marsh, through wet meadows,oak woodlands and savannas to hilltop prai-ries. We will look for Sandhill Cranes, GreatBlue Herons and other birds, and enjoy theautumn flowers and glacial rocks. We willinspect wetland, prairie, and savanna restora-tions and talk about the impact of glacial icesheets with trip leader and Ice Age Trail expert

Gary Werner. This is a joint trip with the IceAge Trail Alliance.

Bring lunch, water, binoculars and sturdyshoes. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Copps parking lot(6800 Century Ave.) in Middleton (MiddletonHeights) to carpool from the Madison area. Oryou may join the trip at 8:45 a.m. at the Ice AgeTrail parking lot about 0.75 miles north of theintersection of Lee and Lodi-Springfield roadsin the Town of Dane. The trip includes about5 miles of walking on rough trails for 3 to 4hours. Contact Gary Werner at (608) 249-2421or [email protected] with questions.

Sunday, Sept. 27: Mushrooms & Lichensof Indian Lake County ParkNOTE: Date and time changes Join trip leaders Dan Lindner, Marie Trestand Tom Volk in an exploration of themushrooms and lichens of Indian LakeCounty Park west of Waunakee. Bring ahand lens, if you have one, and all thosemushroom and lichen questions that have

been puzzling you. If fungi are abundant,we may continue into the afternoon, soyou might like to bring a snack. You canlearn more about lichens at www.botany.wisc.edu/wislichens/ and mushrooms

at <tomvolkfungi.net>. Meet at 12 noonin the Indian Lake parking lot (www.co.dane.wi.us/lwrd/parks/indian_lake.aspx). From Madison take Hwy. 12northwest; turn left (west) on Hwy. 19;go about 2 miles and turn left to enterthe park. This eld trip is co-sponsored

by Madison Audubon Society and theWisconsin Mycological Society, (www.wisconsinmycologicalsociety.org/index.

htm). Questions: Marie at [email protected].

Saturday, Oct. 10: Migrant Songbirdsof Pheasant Branch ConservancyThe focus of this field trip will be sparrow

species, including White-throated, Lincoln’sand many others. We will also look for latewarblers, flycatchers, thrushes and other fallmigrants.Meet at the Dane County Unit of Pheasant

Branch Conservancy, about 1-1/2 miles northof Century Ave. in Middleton on PheasantBranch Rd. This is the third parking lot forthe conservancy on the right as you drive

north out of Middleton. The field trip beginsat 7:15 a.m. Bring warm clothes for cool earlymorning fall weather. Call trip leader MikeMcDowell at (608) 850-4122 with any ques-tions.

Donations: May, June & JulyACRE MAKERThe estate of Jill Martin

HALF-ACRE MAKERIn Memory of Amy WoodKen WoodLevi and Janet Wood

MY OWN VISIONLouis and Frances LockeDavid and Nancy LudwigBarbara MinzGinny NelsonRichard and Andrea Zietko

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF A PERSONIn Memory of Jill Martin

Amy and Billy ChapinMark Martin and Sue Foote-MartinJon and Marilyn Peterson

In Memory of Mildred Martin andClifford WoerpelMarcella MartinMark Martin and Sue Foote-Martin

GIFTS IN HONOR OF A PERSONIn Honor of OwlAnonymous

In Honor of Brand SmithDavid and Linda Voelz

Field Trips . . .continued from page 5


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 7/87The Audubon Caws September 2009

THE AUDUBON CAWS is published

September through June by:

Madison Audubon Society,

222 S. Hamilton St., Madison, WI 53703,

(608) 255-2473.

Birding hotline, 255-2476.

[email protected]

E-mail services donated by Berbee

The mission of the Madison Audubon

Society is to educate our members and

the public about the natural world and the

threats that natural systems are facing,

to engage in advocacy to preserve and

protect these systems, and to develop and

maintain sanctuaries to save and restore

natural habitat.

MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY

President: Brand Smith

Vice-president: Debra Weitzel

Goose Pond resident managers:

Mark and Sue Martin

Faville Grove Sanctuary managers:David Musolf, Roger Packard

Editor: Patrick Ready

[email protected]

Graphic design: Patrick Ready

[email protected]

CAWS printer: Roemer Printing

Submissions for the October CAWSare due September 1.

Madison Audubon Wishlist

We greatly appreciate anydonations, or contributions, for thefollowing items.

• Quality binoculars• Digital (LCD) projector

• Mule utility vehicle

• Rider mower/snow blower inworking condition

• Energy efcient washingmachine

• Household/deck furniture

• Small, custom-routed, wood signs

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME!

Join Madison Audubon Society, or give agift membership.

TIME TO RENEW?

Check your Madison Audubon CAWS ad-dress label to determine your renewal date.

Please renew two months before that dateto keep your membership current and avoidmissing any issues of the CAWS.Tip: Renewing through the MAS office

directs more of your donation to local

activities and conservation projects.

Update: We now send an annual renewalnotice. In the future we plan to offer a re-newal option via the MAS website.

MAKE A DONATION

Help make Madison Audubon’s vision areality. We offer education about the natural

world, opportunities to advocate for the en-vironment, and two wildlife sanctuaries withnatural habitat where you can learn aboutthe beauty and value of nature.

MAIL TO:MADISON AUDUBON SOCIETY222 S. Hamilton St., Suite #1Madison, WI 53703

Madison Audubon Society, Inc. is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue

Code. Donations are tax deductible to theextent allowed by law. Madison Audubon’sfinancial statement is available uponrequest.

Membership, Renewal and Donation Form

MY NAME _________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

State_____ ZIP _________________________

Day phone: ( ) ______________________

E-mail ________________________________

YES! I want to___ Join Madison Audubon

Society

___ Give a gift membership to:

Name ________________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

State_____ ZIP _________________________

Day phone: ( ) ______________________

E-mail ________________________________

___ Renew/upgrade my membership

___ Make a donation

[ ] In memory of _______________________

[ ] In honor of _________________________

Please send notification of this gift to:

Name ________________________________

Address ______________________________

City __________________________________

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Day phone: ( ) ______________________ E-mail ________________________________

[ ] Please do not acknowledge my

Gift in Madison Audubon CAWS.

PAYMENT INFORMATIONNew membership

[ ] $25 New or Gift $_________ Renewal _________

[ ] $25 Student/senior [ ] $60 Family[ ] $40 Renewal

[ ] $20 CAWS newsletter Only(non-member)

Over and Above Member _________

[ ] Patron $1,000[ ] Benefactor $500[ ] Partner $250[ ] Contributor $100Donation _________

[ ] Acre-Maker, $2,500 or morecan purchase and restoreone acre of land

[ ] Half-Acre-Maker, $1,250-$2,499[ ] Quarter-Acre-Maker, $625-$1,249

[ ] Adopt-an-Acre, $100 a year for three years ($300 total). Here ismy first installment.

[ ] Nest Egg, $50 a year for threeyears ($150 total). Here is myfirst installment.

[ ] My Own VisionTotal enclosed/charged $_________Please make check payable toMadison Audubon Society,OR please charge my

[ ] VISA [ ] Master Card

Name on card _______________________________

Card # _____________________________________

Expiration date _______/ _________

Signature __________________________________


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sep-2009-caws-newsletter-madison-audubon-society 8/8The Audubon Caws 8

9/09Madison Audubon Society, Inc.

Brand Smith, President

222 S. Hamilton St. Suite #1

Madison, WI 53703

Is it time to renew your membership?

See form on page 7 and help MAS.

Black Terns in Wisconsinsee page 1

Audubon AdventureDays at Goose Pond

SanctuaryThis fall, Madison Audubon’s educa-tion committee will once again hostelementary school classes and homeschool groups for a half-day of funenvironmental science-based learningactivities at Goose Pond Sanctuary.Date: You choose your day and time,

between September 15 and October 20.Time: You choose morning or after-noon. Sample times: 9:00-11:30 a.m., or12:00-2:30 p.m.Location: Goose Pond Sanctuary, near

ArlingtonFree bus transportation for the firstthree school groups to sign up this fall;some restrictions apply.Kids and families can expect to experi-

ence the natural magic of the prairieduring fall migration! We know thatkids learn best when they are engagedand having fun. Every AudubonAdventure Day will include:• Bird watching at Goose Pond• Prairie seed collecting tours• Kid-friendly, science-based environ-

mental activities and games, includingSleeping Badger, a simulation game,and Critter Quest, which is all aboutinsects.When children engage in the real

work of preserving and protecting thenatural world around them, they gaina sense of ownership and satisfaction,and the reassuring realization that theyare a part of the larger whole. All of ouractivities are kid-tested, safe and fun.Kids leave with a new first-hand expe-riential understanding of the prairieecosystem.Last fall, we viewed and identified

hundreds of birds representing 18species, including numerous ducks,Canada Geese, hawks, pheasants,cranes, and Tundra Swans. We willprovide both scopes and a kit equippedwith child-size binoculars, and our birdexperts will ensure that every child willhave an inspiring and successful birdwatching experience.To reserve an Audubon Adventure

Day for your school or home schoolgroup, please email Nancy Hylbert,at [email protected], or call(608) 271-0956.

Goose Pond SanctuaryBackground Info: Currently 664 acres are owned by MadisonAudubon at Goose Pond. Over 250 species

of birds have been sighted at this prairiepothole, located 15 miles north of Madison.During spring (mid-March to mid-April) andfall (October to mid-November) migration,thousands of waterfowl can be observed.

Goose Pond is one of Wisconsin’sWatchable Wildlife Areas and a designatedState Natural Area. The major focus atGoose Pond is wetland preservationand restoration and tall grass prairierestoration. Seven endangered andthreatened plant species are currently being restored. Grassland birds such

as Sedge Wrens and Dickcissels havegreatly increased. An information kiosk along Prairie Lane (south of Goose Pond)provides information on prairie trails thatare open for public use.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GIVE TIME:

HELP REAP PRAIRIE SEED!

SEE INFO ON PAGE 4

sep 2009 caws newsletter madison audubon society

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