Just A Chirp

FALL 2017

Hurricane Harvey
From the president:
Many bird species have excellent hearing and can hear
To the names Andrew, Katrina and Sandy, we can now much lower frequencies than humans. According to a 2014
. Harvey.
add article in Current Biology, Golden-winged Warblers in the
Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee detected a spring
Of course I am talking about notorious major storms storm more than 24 hours in advance and flew more than 600
that have brought four different regions in the United States to miles to avoid getting caught. That storm produced 84 torna-
their knees over the past three decades. does and killed 35 people across the mid-South.

The images from Texas in late Au- Two issues to vote on during I havent yet been able to find any documen-
gust were heartbreaking as people and their first fall meeting. An tation of birds fleeing eastern Texas prior to
pets fled their flooded homes. The hurri- the hurricanes arrival but its likely many of
opportunity to
cane dumped more than 40 inches of rain them knew something was just over the hori-
in an area thats a rough triangle that uses serve the Club in a zon and they need to clear out.
Corpus Christi, Austin and Houston, Tex- small but im-
as, as corners. Some areas in that triangle portant way. Also... Not all birds seem to have the same range of
received 50 inches of rain! Bill is back at it again. hearingor perhaps demonstrate the same
good judgment shown by those Golden-
And farther to the east, the area See inside! winged Warblers. Dr. David Ewert, who has
around Beaumont, Texas, received 26 inch- been conducting research on the winter range
es of rain in a 24-hour period. of the Kirtlands Warbler in the Bahamas, told me that he and
his colleagues found dozens of dead Gray Catbirds on one of
The toll on humans and livestock in the area has been their study sites on Eleuthera Island following a hurricane
enormous. But what about the impact on wildlife, particularly there three years ago. (Kirtlands Warblers were unaffected by
on what is likely the most important migration corridor in the storm since the storm hit prior to their fall arrival on the
North America? island.)

Well, it has yet to be determined but it doesnt appear For the birds, the biggest potential impact of Harvey
to be terrible. One reason why: The birds probably knew it will probably be found in the vegetation. Of course trees were
was coming. downed by the strong winds and coastal vegetation was killed
More on Page 2

Fall Schedule
Cut out this schedule and put it on your refrigerator to help you remember these important dates.

Sept. 18Do Sapsuckers Really Suck Sap? Don Chafant returns with a humorous pgram about how
birds got their names.
Oct. 16MNA Sanctuaries: Great little-known birding destinations close to home. Guest speaker is
Michigan Nature Association sanctuary manager Rachel Maranto.
Nov. 20What have we learned from the Anchor Bay CBC over the past 40 years. Michael Florian,
Bird Count Coordinator.
by saltwater storm surge. That shouldnt have too much impact
on the birds since southbound fall migration is not very intense.
Although there are more birds in the fall than the spring, migra-
tion is spread out over both a wider area and time period.
Spring, however, is when the largest number of birds
funnel up the Gulf Coast into Texas near Brownsville. As the
Gulf of Mexicos coastline curves east, some birds angle off to
the northeast but most continue to fly north. Meanwhile, other
birds choose to jump across the Gulf of Mexico, and for many
of them their first contact with land on the north side of the Gulf
will be High Island just to the east of Houston and Galveston.
That location is so important to migrants that Houston Audubon
owns four bird observatories on
the island.
These migrants, of
course, benefit from a string of
federal wildlife refuges and
state parks along the Gulf
coast. From Galveston south,
theres critically important hab-
itat for both migrants and
shorebirds at Brazoria National
Wildlife Refuge, San Bernard
NWR, Mad Island Wildlife
Management Area (a NOAA
Marine Protected Area) and
Aransas NWR, which is the
winter home to the western
population of the endangered
Whooping Crane. (The cranes
were unaffected by the storm
because they are still on their
summer grounds in Montana
and Alberta, Canada.
To the east of Houston the coastal chain includes
McFaddin NWR and Texas Point NWR on High Island, Ana-
huac National Wildlife Refuge. Many of those refuges remained
closed in the days following the storm as crews tried to clear
roads, rebuild structures and restore power to U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service offices.
The storms long-term impact on these refuges is still
unclear, but surprisingly it may be beneficial. Once the water
recedes, areas not affected by storm surge will burst with new
plant growth and the refuges will likely be thick with fresh in-
sects that will provide food for migrants.
(Speaking of insects, the massive flooding caused fire
ants to abandon their underground colonies and float together on
the surface of the floodwaters in rafts. A colony will stay togeth-
er by hooking their legs and feet together. Ingenious!)
Larry McKinney, director of the Harte Research Institute
for Gulf of Mexico Studies, told the Corpus Christi Caller
Times that the enormous amount of rain would be good for
wildlife in the long run because it would flush sediments from
streams, rivers and bays and renew their systems. In the long
run, that would benefit aquatic life and provide benefits for
mammals and wading birds.
McKinney was not alone in his assessments of the im-
pacts. Clayton Wolf, Wildlife Division director for Texas Parks
and Wildlife also told the Corpus Christi newspaper that he
thought most bird species would come through the storm and its
aftermath pretty well.
I think the overall message is that wildlife is typically
resilient to storm events and flood-
ing, Wolf said. They've dealt
with these challenges long before
we got here.
Indeed wildlife is resilient and
they often find ingenious ways to
ride out a storm, as demonstrated
by a Coopers Hawk that flew into
the open window of a parked taxi
cab in Houston just hours before
the storm struck.
According to the Huffington Post,
the cabbie left his window open as
he went into a store to stock up on
food and other necessities. When
he came back the hawk was
perched on the cabs front seat.
The cab driver attempted to shoo
the hawk from his vehicle but
hawk refused to leave and spent
the rest of the day making rounds
with the cab driver. The cabbie ended up taking the hawk to his
home and fed it a dinner of chicken hearts. The following day,
an employee of the Texas Wildlife Rehab Coalition took the
bird to a shelter for professional care. The hawk was released
after the storm, and the good-hearted cabbie was kind enough
not to charge the hawk for the ride.
Amendment to the Bylaws - we need to vote on
I hope you will be able to attend our Sept. 18 meeting
because we have an important issue to discuss that should be
simple to resolve. If you recall at our April Annual Meeting, I
mentioned this issue, but decided at the time not to try to tackle
it during that meeting because members simply would not have
time to consider the ramifications on such short notice.
Heres the issue: Back when GP Audubon became a 501
(c)(3) nonprofit, in the filing papers, I indicated to the IRS that
we would filing our taxes on a calendar year, and not a fiscal
year. When I checked that box on the IRS registration form, I
did so not realizing that our bylaws say that we operate on a
PAGE 2
Sept. 1-Aug. 31 fiscal year.
Oops.
After our treasurer, Trina Bresser-Matous pointed out the
discrepancy in early April, I called the IRS and was told that it
wasnt a big deal but its best to be consistent to prevent issues
from arising in the future. The IRS gives non-profits five months
and 15 days from the end of the organizations calendar year/
fiscal year to file a return with the IRS. Even if GP Audubon
maintained our fiscal year, we would still have enough time to
file early in the following year. And filing is no big deal. Its a
simple electronic post card that asks only five questions and
only one of those asks about income.
So, I went back to the clubs officers looking for their
ideas and advice. A poll of the clubs officers showed that they
thought the easiest thing to do would be to change our bylaws
from a fiscal year to a calendar year.
So I think you can see that this looks like nothing more
than a pro forma change. If someone has a better idea, we will
all be happy to listen and discuss. Otherwise, I hope you will
vote in favor of this amendment to our bylaws.
Shoes to Fill - opportunity & need to vote on
Unfortunately, we must say good-bye and thank you to
board of directors member Annie Crary, who has left us to pur-
sue a doctorate at the University of Toledo. Annie is a master
bird bander and for the past couple of springs she has been com-
muting from her home in Grosse Pointe Woods to the Black
Swamp Bird Observatory east of Toledo to band migrating birds
in the spring.
And, unfortunately, Annies departure means we need
one new director. Our bylaws require us to have a minimum of
three directors; currently we have only two. If anybody is inter-
ested in serving as a director, please, please, please let me know
ASAP. We would like to hold an election at our September
meeting so we can get this important position filled and get our
2017-18 budget approved.
Fall Schedule
On Sept. 18th, we will find out if Sapsuckers Really Do
Suck Sap. Bird species got their names for a variety of reasons.
It could have been for their overall color, a field mark, their call,
their habitat, their behavior, or they may be named to honor a
person. Don Chafant returns with a humorous program about
how birds got their names.
Then, on Oct. 16th, Rachel Maranto, a Michigan Nature
Association sanctuary manager, will highlight several MNA
sanctuaries in southeast Michigan that provide excellent birding
opportunities across a variety of habitats in her talk, MNA
Sanctuaries: Great Little-known Birding Destinations Close to
Home. You will also discover how you can help MNA with
bird survey efforts at these sanctuaries and our other properties
statewide.
And on Nov. 20 we will uncover what was learned from
the Anchor Bay CBC over the past 40 years. Anchor Bay Christ-
mas Bird Count circle has become famous for its rarities and he
huge numbers of species and individuals. But a deeper look at
the data from the annual count also tells a deeper, more im-
portant story.
Bird Walks at the Ford House
Even though the Ford House is undergoing considerable
construction for the next year, the bird walks will continue! Join
Rosann Kovalcik on Sept. 23, Oct. 28, and Nov. 18. All walks
start at 8 a.m. Reservations are a must and there is a fee. Call the
Ford House at 313-884-4222 or make a reservation online at
https://www.fordhouse.org/events.
Bird Walks at Elmwood Cemetery
Rosann is also sponsoring bird walks at Detroits historic
Elmwood Cemetery at 5 p.m. on Sept. 20, and 8 a.m. on Sept.
28. I know the Elmwood walks are not right down the street
compared to the Ford House, but these walks are still worth-
while. First, this Detroit gem is full of amazing history. Second,
theyre free!
An Evening with Bill and the Invaders
No, I dont think Bill will sing. If you missed it last year,
Club President and published author Bill Rapai will again be
talking about his book, Lake Invaders: Invasive Species and the
Battle for the Future of the Great Lakes. He will appear at the
Ewald Branch Library on Sept. 26th at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to reg-
ister at www.gp.lib.us. Seating is limited.
Bring out your dead phones!
They are dead. You dont want them anymore so give
them to us. Along with your old print cartridges. We can recycle
them for cash.
Pay your dues!
If you are like me, you probably broke your new years
resolution sometime early on New Years Day. A new season of
Grosse Pointe Audubon is just like a second New Years Day.
So, heres your chance to make a resolution you can keep. If you
havent paid your dues yet, get out your checkbook, fill in that
dues form you got in the mail last month, and put it in the mail
today. This is one resolution thats easy to keep!
PAGE 3
JUST A CHIRP FALL 2017

About Grosse Pointe Audubon

Bill Rapai, president, (313)-885-6502 or BRapai@aol.com
Mark OKeefe, vice president, (313) 884-7472 or imokruok2@aol.com
Trina Bresser-Matous, treasurer, tbresser@aol.com
Anna Wuerfel, secretary, anna.wuerfel@att.net
Joanna Pease, board member, and representative to Seven Ponds Nature Center,
strixvaria@sbcglobal.net

Michael Florian, board member, mflorian@comcast.net

Ed McHale, Facebook chief

Keep up with other Grosse Pointe birders (and like us) on Facebook!. Go to www.gpaudubon.
blogspot.com for an online copy of Just A Chirp newsletter, a membership form, rules for
the G.P. Birding Challenge in the spring, and more.
Grosse Pointe Audubon meets in the Annex of Grosse Pointe Unitarian Church at 17150
Maumee, between St. Clair and Neff in Grosse Pointe. Social hour starts at 7 p.m. and the
meeting starts at 7:30. Our meetings are free and open to all, so bring a friend!
Grosse Pointe Audubon is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Grosse Pointe Audubon

443 St. Clair

Grosse Pointe, MI 48230