Manatee County Audubon Society

We are committed to protecting the environment in our community, our state and our country.

New Felts brochure has self-guided tour page 3

Ron Mayberry to speak at November 19 meeting

Here’s a special email At our monthly meeting, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday No-
vember 19, we will have our own renowned wild-
from Matthew Israel life photographer Ron Mayberry show pictures of
By Barbara Singer, president his favorite bird, the Sandhill Crane. Ron is always
I would like to share with you an able to catch birds in motion with his camera and
these pictures are not to be missed. The meeting
email I received recently:
will be at the First United Methodist Church, 330
11th Avenue West, Palmetto.
Dear Ms. Singer:
Photo by Ron Mayberry
Last weekend I had my 12th
birthday party and instead of
President’s letter from Barbara Singer
gifts I encouraged my friends to
bring an optional donation for Nearshore oil drilling would be damaging
the Manatee County Audubon
As your president, I was honored to represent the Manatee Audubon Society at the 2009 Audubon
Society - specifically for Felts
Preserve. I have some checks
Assembly in St. Petersburg, October23-24. It was a thought provoking and inspiring weekend.
and cash for the Society. Where And I found it very rewarding to experience the passion of approximately 400 individuals coming
may I mail these contributions together for the benefit of the environment.
and to whose attention?
Thanks, The main focus of the event was Coastal Conservation and Climate Change. Though each of the
Matthew Israel nine sessions dealt with an individual facet of these topics, I found the most urgent topic to be Oil
Drilling off the Florida coast. It is this topic that I hope to engage your sense of coastal conservation
What a wonderful email not and fiscal survival.
for the sake of the money but
knowing he has the wisdom and In the final weeks of the 2009 legislative session, an unknown group of oilmen tried to rush a
unselfishness to support the pre- sweetheart deal through the Florida Legislature reversing the state’s decade-old ban on oil and gas
serve in an effort to make the drilling in nearshore waters. While the Senate refused to take up the bill at that time, the oilmen and
environment a better place for their supporters are still at it -- spending millions on campaign contributions, public relations and
all. lobbying - all in the hopes of setting drilling rigs in state waters three miles off Florida’s Atlantic
coast and within ten miles of its Gulf beaches. Nearshore drilling is emerging as the defining issue
Some of you of the spring legislative session.
may remember
Matthew. He
Drilling no doubt would damage our economy at
is the young
some point. Unlike most other states, the backbone of
man who pre-
sented his his-
our economy is tourism. We draw millions of people
tory project at each year, thanks to Florida’s clear waters, world-
our December class beaches and coral reefs. All those visitors sup-
meeting cov- port a $53 billion tourism industry, a $14 billion marine industry and a fishing industry that injects
ering the his- more than $6 billion a year into Florida communities.1 Florida’s tourism industry generated $65
tory of Felts billion in 2006, with $16.3 billion generated in payroll to the 964,700 Floridians directly employed
Preserve. The in tourism.2 State sales tax related to Florida tourism was $3.9 billion in 2006 (18 percent of taxes
project won collected).3 Without such tourist-related revenues, how would we fund our already strapped govern-
him top honors mental agencies, schools and infrastructure? Continued on page 3
at the Manatee
County History
Fair.
Upcoming events on page 4
Page 2
Junior Auduboners
Study butterflies
By Steve Black, vice president
At the second meeting of the Junior
Audubon group at Felts Audubon
Preserve on October 3, we used
the “Audubon Adventures” maga-
zine article on butterflies to study
the eight states of their develop-
ment. We then went to the Butterfly
Garden to see the actual stages. On
our tour around the property, Lu-
cette Wombacher spotted the Great
Horned Owl and everyone eventu-
ally got to see the owl in their bin-
oculars. Three adults accompanied
their children. We have added a new
member, Nicole, Mary Sheppard’s
granddaughter.
Thanks to hosts
at Open Houses
By Carol Webster, Open House chair
On September 5, Bob and Lucette
Wombacher welcomed 11 visi-
tors to an extremely hot and humid
morning. Since the Junior Audubon
group was meeting, the preserve
was quite busy. Visitors saw two
Great Horned Owls and, on the
north pond, Black-bellied Whis-
tling Ducks with five tiny striped
ducklings. The butterfly garden
was full of many different butterfly
species. In fact, the butterflies were
everywhere. There were more but-
terflies than birds.
On October 3, hostess Connie Zack
greeted 13 guests. Steve Black
and Lucette Wombacher were on
site with the Junior Auduboners.
It was a warm morning (high 80s)
with a lovely breeze. Among the
22 bird species sighted were the
Great Horned Owl and the Blue-
birds. There was much calling from
the Sandhill Cranes. Butterflies
were everywhere. There was a new
hatching of frogs and it was a chal-
lenge for folks to tiptoe through but
exciting for the children. Connie
registered two new members.
Felts welcomes rain, award and feeders
Photo by Tom Heitzman
By Tom Heitzman
The recent heavy rains in the Palmetto area have had a big impact on the Felts Audubon Pre-
serve. The ponds that were low and dry are now brimming with water. Recent plantings on the
south end of the preserve are flourishing, as is the butterfly garden, also due to the rain. Lots of
fall blooming grasses and wildflowers have been, and are now
in full display. Look for the low clumps of purple love-grass
and the tall bushy broomsedge in the wildflower meadow. The
goldenrod and the swamp sunflower are very showy at the
south end of the pond. Check out the one and two year old pine
trees that are growing by leaps and bounds on the west and
south sides of the pond.
We recently received a Public Service award from Keep Manatee Beautiful for our commit-
ment to improving the environment through all the improvements we have made at the Felts
Audubon Preserve. This truly shows the dedica-
tion of all the members of MCAS. It’s with your
support that makes the Felts Audubon Preserve
what it is today. And now that the days are cooler
and many winter birds are coming through, it is a
great time to come out and enjoy the preserve. The
paths have been kept passable all summer, thanks
to Fred Allen, who on weekly basis spends time
keeping them mowed. Come for a visit, either
to help on a workday or special project or to just
stroll the paths.
Several new bird feeders were recently installed at the bird blind with the help of Matt and Kar-
en Holman from the Wild Bird Center. The old feeders were showing signs of wear and needed
replacing. The new, larger feeders are already attracting lots of birds. A
new wildflower meadow is being installed at the north end of the property
along 24th Avenue. You may have noticed some mowing and dead grass
as the old pasture sod is being removed. The wildflower seed has been or-
dered and the seeding will be completed in late winter. Watch for progress
as we head into spring. Photos from Fred Allen, Tom Heitzman, Lucette Wombacher
 Page 3
Thanks to Evan Neal
Brochure with self-guided tour of Felts available
By Barbara Singer, president Look back
Visitors to Felts Audubon Preserve will now be treated to
an informative self-guided tour brochure developed by
at our history
Evan Neal, pictured right, a thesis student at New Col- By Don Bansen, MCAS historian
lege. Evan’s thesis covers human-wildlife conflict with a
focus on raptors, pelicans and Sandhill Cranes. Charlie Pead took over Robert
McNesky’s unexpired term as presi-
The original idea was that Evan would create the bro- dent sometime in 1986 and served
chure as part of his thesis. After preliminary discussions until 1988. Pead reported that birds
and much thought, Evan decided that it did not actually were returning to the Perico Bay
Club property. Birders on a field trip
fit into his thesis work but he was so excited about the
to Perico in April 1986 reported 39
project he agreed to go ahead and create a brochure.
species.
Under the direction of Manatee Audubon Society’s Land In 1986, many wild exotic birds
Use Committee, Evan has spent six months developing, were seen in Manatee and Sarasota
researching various points of interest at Felts and ac- counties. Some were believed to
tually creating the illustrations that appear in the bro- have escaped from the Sarasota Jun-
chure. The brochure contains a map showing specific gle Gardens; others were released
sites and provides an explanation of what you see at the or escaped from private homes. The
sites. The site areas will be marked with numbers that most common birds seen were the
correspond to the brochure. Brochures will be available so-called Quaker Parrots and Monk
in the Bird Blind. Parakeets.

Diane Simmons-Smith, with help

Oil drilling can be damaging from Mary Norman, opened the
Continued from page 1 Birds of Prey Rehab Center behind
We also need to address our conservation concerns. Even if there was never a human error the Smith home on Lena Road in
or material malfunction that caused a spill, we have Mother Nature to contend with. Hurri- September 1987 with support from
canes destroy rigs and create spills. The Gulf Manatee County Audubon Society.
of Mexico is an especially hazardous location
MCAS meetings, which had been
for new drilling rigs, given the frequency of
held at the Manatee River Garden
hurricanes. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita re-
Club since its inception, moved to
sulted in 125 spills from platforms, rigs, and the Emmanuel United Methodist
pipelines, totaling 685,000 gallons of oil lost Church in October 1987.
into the sea.4 Hurricane Andrew damaged or
destroyed nearly 300 manned and unmanned Don Bansen, treasurer, gave the
platforms due to the combined effects of wind financial report for June 1987 when
and waves.­5 Where is this oil to go other than the club’s balance was $1,817.25.
our beaches and wildlife. We’ve come a long way since then!

A current example is Australia’s West Atlas oil spill, which has been spewing 400 barrels of oil The first field trip to Wakulla Springs
per day into the sea since August 21, despite three failed attempts to cap the well. Though this was arranged by Meric Woodward
oil spill is half a world away, its meaning can still be felt close to home. in January 1987. The cost for three
days and two nights was $150 per
What can you do: person, double.
• Go to the website http://protectfloridasbeaches.org and get informed.
• Write to your state senator and representative. For a number of years, MCAS pro-
• Write a letter to the editor of your newspaper. Lawmakers read what you say about vided the “Audubon Adventures”
magazine to fifth grade classes in
them in the papers.
Manatee County elementary schools.
• Share this information with friends and family.
The four-page publication was used
Sources: for classroom instruction in wild-
1 Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, Press Release, April 21, 2004. http://dep.state.fl.us/secretary/news/2004/april/0421.htm. life and conservation issues. Ruth
2 Tourism Fast Facts” www.visitflorida.org Brown, education chair, worked hard
3 Florida Attractions Association. FAA News Article, August 6, 2008.
4 U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Estimated Petroleum Spillage from Facilities Associated with Federal Outer to see that as many schools received
Continental Shelf (OCS), Oil and Gas Activities Resulting from Damages Caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. August 8, 2006. the program as we could afford at
5 Analysis and Performance of Offshore Platforms in Hurricanes. 7th US National Conference on Wind Engineering. Los Angeles.
$25 per classroom.
 November 2009 Newsletter
Manatee County Audubon Society, P. O. Box 14550, Bradenton FL 34280-4550

Upcoming Events The membership fee to join MCAS is $15 per year for a household. You can mail your check to the address listed
above or you can pay in person at one of our monthly meetings. You can also buy a $15 membership for a friend or
relative as a gift -- or just because you want to do something nice for a special person.
Saturday 11/7
Open House Felts Preserve
8 a.m. to noon

David Williamson leads field trip

to Robinson Preserve, Manatee County’s
newest preserve in West Bradenton.
Depart Main Post Office at 8 a.m.

Wednesday 11/18
Dee Hanny leads field trip
to Carlton Reserve, Venice
Meet at Bealls parking lot,
State Road 70 and 72nd Blvd. East
behind the BP gas station.
Depart 7 a.m. Expect a 30-minute drive to
the reserve, down I-75 south. The address
for the reserve is 7251 52 Place East.

Thursday 11/19
Monthly Meeting at 7:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
330 11th Avenue West, Palmetto

Saturday 11/28
Workday Felts Preserve Fred Allen provided these photos of the new bird feeders at Felts Audubon Preserve. Karen and Matt Holman
8 a.m. to noon of the Wild Bird Center sold the feeders, poles, baffles and connectors at a nice discount to Manatee Audubon.
Thank you Matt and Karen. See a visitor to one feeder in Tom Heitzman’s report on page 2.
Saturday 12/5 Send your items for the newsletter to Molly McCartney
Open House Felts Preserve at msmccartney@sprintmail.com or call 778-3228

Test email for newsletter headed your way

As part of our effort to deliver the newsletter electronically, we will be sending a test email to
many of you during the first week of November. The email will be from the Manatee County
Audubon Society and it will go to those for whom we have email addresses. If you have
not received our test email by Saturday November 7 and you want to receive our electronic
newsletter, go to our website www.manateeaudubon.org and complete your registration.

Field trip notes

Julie Schneider, daughter of Bunny and
Jack Schneider, holds two of the baby
Screech Owls released at Felts Audubon
Preserve in August. The babies were
about two weeks old when the tree hold-
ing their nest was cut down. The owlets
were turned over to Julie’s neighbor, St.
Petersburg veterinarian and wildlife spe-
cialist Dr. Janine Cianciolo, to raise. She
fed the young owls mice and insects. “At
first you cut up the mice yourself and
give them tiny pieces,” she said. Eventu-
ally, the owls were big enough and wise
enough to hunt for live mice. They were
about five months old when they were re-
leased at Felts.
By Connie Zack, field trip chair
On the Clewiston Station 5 trip, February 13-14, we will stay at the historic Clewiston Inn.
Meals are included. Reservations are necessary. If you are interested, send your $50 deposit
by November 19 to guarantee your room. Also send your name, mailing address, phone,
email address and whether you want a private room ($170) or a shared room ($103). Let me
know if you can drive and how many your car will hold. Mail information and deposit to to
Connie Zack, P.O. Box 5512, Bradenton FL 34281. If you have questions call 758-2929. You
will receive more information after your deposit.
By Steve Black, vice president
Ten birders joined us for our first trip of the season, on September 19, to Fort De Soto Park
for the fall migration. The weather was too nice to bring down many migrants, but we did see
four American Oystercatchers as well as a Reddish Egret on the North Beach.
Our second field trip was on October 10. We started at Dunedin Hammock City Park, a
70-acre park with nature trails and an observation deck. We saw a Tennessee Warbler there
as well as a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Our next stop was Honeymoon Island, a barrier
island, where we were able to see what was a first for me -- Common Terns who were in their
migration to South America. On the nature trail, we saw four Common Ground Doves.
Welcome new members
Mary Jane Tenny, Jan Joudon, Janet E. Snyder, Rick Meyers, Amy Miller, Tony and Paula Brown