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The Night-Heron The Night-Heron Volume S, Number 8
April 2015
Photo by Mark Renz
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A Bird’s-Eye View… from outgoing President Jim Blink once and this Audubon year is history! Blink twice more and the last 3 years of Audubon are history!
Amazing isn't it, how time flies when you're having fun? In a couple of short weeks we'll be having our an-
nual potluck and installing the new slate of officers. You will find the complete slate elsewhere in this
newsletter, but I would like to welcome personally the following individuals, new to leadership positions in
our group.
Welcome Nick Ziemba, our new President, Board members Terri Wonder, Kim Jones and
Ed Francis and hospitality chair Amy Francis. I'd be
remiss to not offer a huge thank you to outgoing Secre-
tary, Patty Petruff and board member Jack Schneider.
At the risk of being repetitive, I'd like to reiterate some of
the highlights of the year 2014–2015 that I presented
at the March meeting.
1. Our financial position is excellent with growth both in the savings funds
and the Barbara Singer Felts Preserve Memorial Endowment.
2. Both meeting and event attendance have been great all year.
3. We have highlighted environmental concerns and stood up for conser-
vation both locally and in the State of Florida throughout the year.
4. We've given more than 2400 children from 19 Manatee County
Schools a "Ride to the Wild" to Felts Preserve.
5. Once again, we helped a bunch of Boy Scouts get Merit Badges and participated in Girl Scout events.
As you can see, MCAS is very healthy and well positioned going into the new year. I think you all should
pat yourselves on the back. After you've done that give one of the many volunteers that stand up at our
meetings a pat on their back.
So, you may well ask, what can we look forward to in the coming year? Certainly, another great array of local and overnight birding trips. We'll probably try to hold a mid
week over night this year.
We're contacting more great speakers for next year’s meetings.
Keep in mind that The Giving Partner fundraising campaign will be in September this year. We'll
share more details on this as we get them.
We will be applying for grants so we can take more children on a wild ride to Felts Preserve. (It must
be pretty wild since one young man described the outing as "Better than a day at Busch Gardens!").
Many thanks to The Mosaic Company and The Manatee Community Foundation for their
generous support of this initiative.
We also look forward to standing up for conservation in Manatee County and around the state.
Of course, we'll have our table up at community events and are planning on helping even more Boy
Scouts get Merit Badges in Environmental Science, Bird Study and Photography.
And, oh yeah, any great ideas you have, let us know, and we'll take them on too!
Happy Birding and Have a Great Summer!
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Audubon Adventures – March 14, 2015 Our 3rd month of Audubon Adventures was a lovely day with 4 families – 2
new and 2 returning with a total of 9 students and 4 adults. Pollinators
were the theme of the day and we began with a discussion of butterflies,
honeybees and solitary native bees. Did you know there are 4000 species of
bees native to North America?
Each adventurer made their own solitary bee bundle out of pre-cut bamboo
tied together. We learned that the bees like to have their brood chambers
face the rising sun in the East and have their nest parallel to the ground.
Compasses were handed out so that the kids could determine the East di-
rection for their bee bundle. Here are a few of the students placing their
bundles (top left photo).
Join us next month on April
11 from 9am – 11:30 as we
discover the secret life in the
bottom of the pond.
We will dip net for macro-
invertebrates that the
wading birds forage.
COOL!
For more information and to
register click here: http://
www.aroundbend.com/
audubon-adventures.html or
call Karen at 941-794-8773
or email her at
Bring a buddy and enjoy this
extra fun experience!! See
you there!
Annual Awards Banquet & Installation of Officers VIPs: Manatee Audubon Award Winners & New 2015-2016 Officer Team
Location: Hope Lutheran Church, 4635 26th St. West, Bradenton
Date: April 16th Time: 6:15pm Fellowship Program Starts: 7pm
Bring a covered dish with serving utensils and join us at 6:15pm for a potluck din-
ner before the meeting. (Please bring your own plate, napkin & utensils so
we don’t have to wash dishes.)
Then celebrate the accomplishments from this past year including recognition for
the Best Photo Contest winners, and others with significant contributions to Mana-
tee Audubon. New 2015-2016 season officers will also be installed. Have fun!
Article & photos by Karen Willey
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Once again
the weather
was perfect
and we had a
great turn-
out. About
3/4 of the 25
participants
were from out
of state!
We had some
very good
spotters in the
group and
were able to
identify 31 dif-
ferent bird species. The Zebra Long-wing Butterflies were
everywhere. Unfortunately, we did not see any Roseate
Spoonbills, but we did get a terrific look at a Yellow-crowned
Night Heron and a couple
of views of the elusive
Wood Ducks. Also a
Common Loon was feed-
ing very close to the dock
we were standing on, so
everyone got a
nice close-up
view. The
Redheads
rocked! (Photos above & at
right by Bob Wom-bacher; photos below by
Deb Yodock.)
Article by Lucette Wom-bacher.
Lucette Leads Another Great Bird Walk at Emerson Point (March 10)
THANK YOU to Lucette Wombacher for volunteering to lead
monthly bird walks at Emerson Point each year from December
through April. You can catch her last bird walk for this season on
Tuesday, April 14th. Meet in the parking lot by the Visitor’s Wel-
come Center at 8:30am. Bring your binoculars, water & sunscreen.
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Beach-Nesting Shorebird Season Starts Soon
March Photo Contest Winners
Spring nesting season has begun in Florida with Snowy Plovers, American Oystercatchers preparing
nest sites for eggs. The squeaky, boisterous calls of Least Terns once again will grace the airspace over
our beaches as they return from wintering grounds in South America during the first week of April. Black
Skimmers and many other seabirds and shorebirds will follow suit with eggs laid in May.
Protecting these priceless nests from the time adults lay eggs to the time that their chicks take flight is a
responsibility of bird stewards around the state. We need you to join the dedicated ranks of Manatee
Audubon bird stewards on the beaches of Anna Maria Island where we live and play.
We provide the training and the equipment while you are stationed at an active beach nesting site. Enjoy
the sunshine and the waves and watch baby birds emerge from tiny eggs, be fed by their parents, play with
their neighbors, and finally take flight into tomorrow. Share that joy with others unaware of these nests.
The stewards are needed for these dates: May 23,24,25 (Sat-Mon) and July 3,4,5 (Fri, Sat, Sun). There
are four shifts per day: 8-11A, 11A-2P, 2-5P, 5-8P with a minimum of 2 Stewards per shift (max of 6).
The Stewards need to bring their own drinks, snacks, sunscreen, bug repellant and if appropriate, lunch.
Three beach chairs will be provided as well as a cooler bag with
freezepacs to keep items cool.
Once the birds have settled on a nesting site, Dee will send an email
to all volunteers the location, parking info, ect.
Contact Dee Hanny (ph: 745-1553; email: [email protected] )
to volunteer. Provide the dates & times you will work as a steward.
Article by Dee Hanny
Such wonderful
photos were
shared again at
our March
monthly meeting. .
The March photo
contest winners
were:
1st Place -
Egret Family
by Kathy
Doddridge
2nd Place - Pie Billed Grebe by Deb Yodock (at lower left)
3rd Place - Red Bellied Woodpecker by Kathy Doddridge.
Thanks to everyone who sent in their images for the enjoyment of
everyone attending our monthly meetings! Article by Scott Niblick
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Celebrate Earth Day Birding
at Ft. DeSoto — April 22
Join Billie & Jerry Knight on a field trip to Ft. DeSoto this Earth
Day!Meet at the south end rest stop of the Skyway Bridge (Mile
marker 7) with departure to Ft. DeSoto by 7:30am.
Did you know Earth
Day was first cele-
brated in 1970 and
brought 20 million
Americans together
for a peaceful demon-
stration in favor of en-
vironmental reform.
Today Earth Day is
celebrated in more
than 190 countries
worldwide.
Call your Senators and urge them
to Use Amendment 1 Funds for
Florida Forever. Click here to find
the contact information for your
State Senator.
Call their Tallahassee office &
say,
“I am one of 4.2 million
voters who voted YES for
Amendment 1. I believed when voting for the amendment that it would increase funding for Florida For-
ever, land conservation, springs, and the Everglades. Please support amendments on the Senate floor to use
Amendment 1 funds for land conservation.”
Below is a list of some of the Florida Forever projects that could be completed with Amendment 1
dollars. If a project is in your Senator's district, please mention the
project by
name and
tell the
person on
the phone
that you
want to see
this land
protected.
Welcome to the latest new Mana-
tee Audubon members and kind
donors who financially support
our organization.
New Members
Susan Goch
Roger & Emily Vasquez
John & Susan Curtis
Sylvia & Don Luke
Les McCain
Patricia Frost
Nick Ziemba
Donors
Robert C Aaron
Mary Lane
Take Action NOW… Call Your Legislators
By Lou Newman
May 5 - October 3, 2015
Plymouth Harbor Mezzanine Art Gallery
Plymouth Harbor on Sarasota Bay
700 John Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota
Reception: 5:00–7:30, Tues, May 5th
Plymouth Harbor is the tall building
between Bird Key & St. Armand’s Circle
(next door to Sarasota Yacht Club).
Valet Parking Available
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Robust Results at Robinson Preserve
On Saturday, March 14, Jerry Knight led an
informative and fun field trip to Robinson
Preserve.
There were 11 birders from Manatee and
Sarasota Audubon including two recent
graduates from the 2015 Bird ID
Course. We saw 36 species including a
Spotted Sandpiper, Roseate Spoon-
bills, American Kestral and Reddish
Egret. It was a great morning!!
Article & photos by Kathy Doddridge
Cockroach Bay Trip Report The field trip to Cock-
roach Bay on March 21
provided some excellent
photo opportunities.
In addition to the herons
and Black-necked stilts
which virtually posed for
our cameras, even this
dragonfly cooperated.
Photos by Scott Niblick
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Manatee County Audubon Society
P.O. Box 14550, Bradenton, FL 34280
Ph: 941-729-2222 www.ManateeAudubon.org
Manatee County Audubon Society is a chapter of National Audubon Society Inc.
CONTACTS — Manatee Chapter Board meetings
are on the 2nd Wed of the month at 5:30pm in the
main Manatee County Library. During library renova-
tions, our temporary Board meeting location is: Beau-
tiful Savior Church at 7461 Prospect Rd, Sarasota.
CHAPTER OFFICERS 2014-2015
President — Jim Stephenson 301-466-1973
Vice Pres — Deb Comeau 752-1835
Secretary — Patty Petruff 747-1789
Treasurer — Lucette Wombacher 776-8424
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steve Black 376-0110 Dick Comeau 752-1835
Dee Hanny 745-1553 Amy Miller 758-7478
Scott Niblick 757-613-3948
Lori Roberts 404-941-4365
Jack Schneider 792-1794 Deb Yodock 228-1269
Connie Zack 758-2929
2014-2015 STANDING COMMITTEES
Beach Nesting Bird Stewardship …….. Dee Hanny 745-1553
Christmas Bird Count ……………….. Dick Comeau 752-1835
Conservation ………………………… Open 729-2222
Education …………………………….. Deb Comeau 752-1835
Field Trips ……………………………. Connie Zack 758-2929
Felts Audubon Preserve …………….. Tom Heitzman 737-3169
Felts Open House …………………… Amy Miller 758-7478
Hospitality ………………………….. Betty Sartin 747-0908
Junior Audubon ……………………. Steve Black 376-0110
Membership …………………………. Lucette Wombacher 776-8424
Newsletter Editor …………………… Lori Roberts 404-941-4365
Newsletter Mailings …………………. Betty Benishek 254-7662
Programs …………………………….. Jim Stephenson 301-466-1973
Photo Contests………………………. Scott Niblick 757-613-3948
Photo Displays……………………….. Deb Yodock 794-1269
Publicity ……………………………… Lori Roberts 404-941-4365
Webmaster ………………………….. Jim Stephenson 301-466-1973
INJURED BIRD HELP:
Call our friends at Wildlife, Inc., ph: 941-778-
6324 for what to do. Someone will call you back.
For more tips, or to make a donation, visit
http://wildlifeinc.org
Special thanks to Mark Renz for use of the cover photo featuring Painted
Buntings. See other fabulous images captured by Mark at: http://
floridatimeforgot.com