Big Bluestem Flyer

Newsletter of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society

Volume 43, Number 5 May-June 2008

Programs Field Trips

Meeting Place
Extension & 4-H Building, I S U, Ames All field trips are free and open to the public.

May 15, 2008 Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the public parking lot west of
African Adventures (behind) the Ames Wild Birds Unlimited, located south of
Safari to Botswana the railroad tracks at 213 Duff Ave. Please arrive before
the departure time to arrange carpooling. Contact Jeff
Ty Smedes Nichols (515-795-4176, or
A photo-safari to the well-known Okavango ozarksbirder@hotmail.com) for more information.
Delta, and Chobe National Park, in the southern
part of the African continent. May 10, 2008
“My first two African safaris led me to the East Birdathon
African countries of Kenya & Tanzania. But this Details on Back Page
time I organized a photo-safari to the well-known and the inserted flyer and sign-up sheet.
Okavango Delta, and Chobe National Park, in the
southern part of the continent. The Okavango May 31, 2008
Delta is fed by a huge river that originates in Birders’ Brunch at McFarland Park
Angola and flows into Botswana. Once it enters (Story Co.)
Botswana, the mid-continent rift flattens the Note: This is a new location for the Birders’ Brunch
landscape and causes the river to slow and First a birding walk
spread into an enormous delta that disappears and then a pot-luck brunch.
into the edge of the Kalahari Desert...far from Meet at the Parking lot at 8:00 AM.
the sea. Consequently, the area is uniquely McFarland Park (Northeast of Ames) is about a
famous for both wet-land and dry-land species mile east of the north end of Dayton Rd.
that live in close proximity...and we'll see many
of these birds and mammals. As you might
imagine, we spent quite a lot of time plying the
delta waterways by boat, as well as the Chobe
River. Chobe National Park is famous for its
huge lion population, which may be the most
dense population in all of Africa. My show (and
narration) will lead the audience through this
safari, where travel by light plane, boat, and
land-rover allowed us to enjoy this stunning country
and its wildlife.” Dowitchers by Kirsten Munson

Dave’s Short Lesson: Comparison Birds

Dinner: The Mandarin, 415 Lincoln Way, Ames

The mission of the Big Bluestem Audubon Society is to enjoy the observation and study of birds and natural ecosystems,
contribute to their conservation and restoration, engage in educational activities to benefit humanity,
and gain a broader understanding and deeper appreciation of the world in which we live.
Visit us online at http://bigbluestemaudubon.org
Page 2
Officers and Committees Page 4 Page 6
President’s Corner BBAS Elections Birdathon
Butterfly Migration Project
Page 3 Inserts
Field Trip Report Page 5 Birdathon 2008
Nest and ookery Reporting Applications and Coupons BBAS logo shirts and more
Teacher Treasure Collections
 Big Bluestem Audubon President’s Corner
Society of Central Iowa We have finally made it to SPRING! A spring we all "earned" this year. And,
Officers along with the new plumage and migration this season brings, Big Bluestem Audubon
President: Lynne Brookes has some changes afoot too. Annual elections for several board members and officers
515-434-2028 will be held during the May 14th meeting and program. Further information regarding
rppsolar@yahoo.com
Vice-President: Royce Bitzer
this important activity and the slate of nominees will be found below.
515-233-6741 As mentioned in the past, "participation is the key to success," especially for the
mariposa@iastate.edu success of the birds and other creatures we care about. If you appreciate all that Big
Secretary: Shane Patterson
515- 232-4682
Bluestem is accomplishing— donation of funds towards habitat land purchases
shane7896@yahoo.com (mostly raised through the annual "Birdathon"), education through field trips and e-
Treasurer: Michael Meetz mail exchanges, assistance with youth bird-education programs, sociable general
515-382-2534 meetings with excellent programs and speakers, a fine newsletter and an informative
mmeetz@iastate.edu website— come and get familiar with a welcoming group of interesting folks. YOU
Board Members are invited! Enjoy the activities, donate time or/and money, and bring family and
Mary Doud friends for the fun. I would especially like invite the “silent members out there” to
515-795-4176 come to our monthly meetings—the next is May 15th — then come again next
BorealBirders@hotmail.com September 18th when our 2008-09 new program year begins. Participate- you’ll love
Kelly Weichers it! For those who have been coming for a while and would be interested in attending
319-231-6999 "action-packed" board meetings or new folks who want to take a plunge into this
goinfishin@hotmail.com
Larry Dau
good group—we are still looking for good candidates for the positions of president
515-275-4963, and for treasurer. Don't be shy! Look below for the positions opening up and contact
gdau@netins.net any of the three members of the nominations committee.
Tim Grotheer
515-233-9873
Regarding the changes afoot—June marks the end of my second (and maximum)
tgrotheer1@msn.com enjoyable term as President of BBAS. I will cherish these years of serving Big
Lloyd Crim Bluestem and will always appreciate the wonderful people on the boards and
515-5026 committees and in our organization with whom I've had the pleasure to work these
lcrim@opencominc.com four years (two as VP). One thing I learned early on was that BBAS is regarded
Committees seriously and with respect in our community. The respect is a reflection of the regard
Archivist for both what our organization has contributed and helped preserve over the years,
Hank Zaletel and for the many fine individuals within our number. Internally, many Big Bluestem
515-382-427 activities take place pretty seamlessly due to the experience and long-term dedication
madowl@midiowa.net of members—some of whom will jump to mind as you read this. On a personal level,
Bird-a-thon my life has been enriched by involvement with our organization and by the many
Karl and Carmen Jungbluth
515-432-5057
friendships that have been made.
weatherbird.opencominc.com Challenges face us as we migrate on. There is strength in numbers and it is good to
Conservation know that the members of Big Bluestem Audubon will continue contributing toward
Bruce Ehresman
515-296-2995
progress.
Bruce.ehresman@dnr.iowa.gov
Lynne Brookes
Education
Amy Yoakum, 515-232-2516
ayoakum@storycounty.com
Field Trip
Jeff Nichols
515-795-4176
ozarksbirder@hotmail.com
Membership
Katy Patterson
515-232-4682
birdgirl80@hotmail.com
Program
Royce Bitzer (See Officers)
Publicity
Mary Doud (See Board Members)
Publications & Electronic Media
David Edwards
515-292-3790 Virginia Rail by Steven D’Amato
dcejce@dandje.org

Visit our website at http://bigbluestemaudubon.org

2 Big Bluestem Flyer May-June 2008

 Field Trip Report
Ada Hayden Heritage Park
and Little Wall Lake
March 29, 2008
Our first field trip of Spring was slightly cold early,
becoming milder (40s) later in the morning and quite windy
throughout. We spent several hours walking the trails at Ada
Hayden. Waterfowl numbers and viewing were excellent.
We observed most of the expected waterfowl, including a
Nest and Rookery Reporting
Just a quick reminder, folks, that the IA DNR Wildlife
Diversity Program is always looking for reports of Bald Eagle
Nests and Colonial Waterbird Rookeries. For Bald Eagle nests
we would be particularly interested in the following:
1) Reports of nests in the following counties, because we
have no records of nests in these counties: Audubon, Cerro
Gordo,Clark, Crawford, Emmet, Grundy, Hardin, Harrison,
Ida, Madison, Monroe, Osceola, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie,
Shelby, Union, Winnebago, Wright. 2)Productivity
information: how many young fledge from a nest.

For Colonial Waterbird Rookeries, we would particularly be

interested in reports of rookeries for any species other than
Great Blue Herons.

lone Ross's Goose, two Greater White-fronted Geese, and an

unusual Blue-winged Teal x Cinnamon Teal hybrid. Also
notable at the park were two flyover American Pipits and a
Rusty Blackbird. After a break at Casey's in Gilbert, we
spent the rest of the morning walking through the woods at
the northern end of Little Wall Lake. A group of 25 Rusty
Blackbirds, a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets, and
singing Fox Sparrows were the highlights. On the lake were
two Common Loons. We finished up around noon after
seeing 61 species. There were 10 participants
Jeff Nichols
American Egret
by Kirsten Munson
You can report nests and nesting activity by going to the
Wildlife Diversity Webpage (www.iowadnr.gov/wildlife/
diversity/index.html) and you will see on the left menu links to
"Reporting Bald Eagles" and "Colonial Waterbird". From there
you can download a report form and get more info on how to
report. You can also e-mail or call me at any time:
stephanie.shepherd@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-432-2823 ext.
102.
Thanks for any reports you might have - We definitely
appreciate your eyes covering the state in a way we cannot!
With many thanks, Stephanie Shepherd, DNR Wildlife Program

Teacher “Treasure’ Collections

We receive some feed back on items they no longer need at this time. Unless new requests are made, please discontinue collection of: coffee
cans, medicine/pill containers, egg cartons, and paper board (like cereal boxes, etc.). Please limit your collection of plastic containers with lids and
paper tubing (both of these items must be clean, no milk containers, no paper on the tubing please).
Items still much in demand are: paper (clean and unused; white, colored, prints and stationary), yarn, felt, ribbon, fabric, wood cut-outs, cotton
balls, wrapping and tissue paper, colored pencils and other art supplies, calendars (any year, with appropriate pictures for re-use such as nature
scenes, landscapes, people, animals, plants, etc.), and other craft supplies. All must be clean and in good condition. I will continue to pick items up
at our monthly meetings. Thanks again!
Mary Doud

May-June 2008 Big Bluestem Flyer 3

 BBAS GENERAL ELECTIONS COMING UP—MAY 15th

The Nominations Committee consisting of Mike Meetz, Shane Patterson, and Lynne Brookes have worked to identify candidates
for the following positions to be filled for the new 2008-2009 program year beginning July 1st.

Please contact a member of the Nominations Committee (see page 2 for contact information) with suggestions for the committee
to consider.
Board and officer positions opening up Nominees for opening positions
President (Lynne B.) To be identified
Vice President (Royce B.) Larry Dau
Secretary (Shane P.) Shane Patterson
Treasurer To be identified
Board member (2 years) Mary Doud*
Board member (2 years) Kelly Weichers*
Board member (2 years) Lloyd Crimm*
Board member (1 year) Royce Bitzer
John Pohlman (1 year)
* incumbent
Continuing Board Member Tim Grotheer
Butterfly Migration Research
Announcing the ongoing 2008 season of the Vanessa Migration Project. In a way similar to Journey North's Monarch
tracking, we are mapping seasonal distribution and migration of four Vanessa butterflies in North America:
Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella)
1. Please report the first date when you see (or have seen) any of these butterflies in your area, and the numbers seen
that day.
2. Please report any directional migrations of these species that you see this year.
3. Please report the presence or abundance of these butterflies later in the season.
We encourage multiple observations from the same location.
When sending reports, include your full name, e-mail address, the location from which you observed, and the date or
dates when you see these butterflies. For evident directional migrations, please include also the direction toward which
they seem to be moving. A rough estimate of how frequently they are passing through (for example, 10 butterflies over
20 minutes) would also be helpful, as would notes on temperature, wind speed and direction, and type and extent of
cloud cover.
For more information about this project and how to report your observations, see the Red Admiral and Painted Lady
Research Site
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mariposa/homepage.html
Once there, select the links, "Help Track the 2008 North American Migration" and "How to Report Your
Observations." We are now taking observations either directly via e-mail or through our reporting form and database.
We also have an interactive map that opens from the map images on our home page, as well as complete instructions
for viewing and working with the map ("How to Use Our Interactive Map").
If you have observations from previous years that you would like to share, please feel free to send these to us also. We
will add them to our database and interactive map.
Royce J. Bitzer

Newsletter Material Deadlines

Because we would like to have the newsletter to each member before the first day of its coverage, the editor needs to have material at least two
weeks before that. Hence the deadline for the next issue will be the 15th of August.
Please be aware that editing your offering for length and style is sometimes necessary.
David Edwards, Editor

4 Big Bluestem Flyer May-June 2008

 We Welcome New members Clip and Join
Big Bluestem Audubon Society (BBAS) chapter Don’t forget gift memberships!
meetings are held monthly, September through May,
usually on the third Thursday of the month. We
currently meet at 7:30 p.m. in the Extension and 4-H Membership Application forms
Building on the Iowa State University Campus. A
short business meeting precedes a presentation about
birding or some aspect of the natural world.
Our field trips take us to marshes, lakes, New member of the National Audubon Society. You will
woodlands, parks, and prairies around central Iowa. receive the Audubon magazine, the Big Bluestem Flyer,
Held on Saturdays about once a month, each trip often
focuses on the currently most active bird populations. membership card. — $20
Birders of all levels, from beginner to advanced, are Please make your check payable to National Audubon
welcome. If you are new to birding, these are among Society and include “Chapter Code H-57” on the check
the best ways to build skills and experience.
The BBAS publishes five issues per year of this OR
newsletter which lists future programs and other
content of interest. Past issues and much more is Subscribe to the Big Bluestem Flyer for one year and
available on our website.
An annual all-day bird-species-counting event
participate in some Big Bluestem Society Activities — $10
(Birdathon) is held in early May each year. Teams Restrictions are that you will not be a National Audubon Society
compete to locate as many bird species as they can, member or have voting privileges, and you cannot be an officer or
and raise pledges to fund education and conservation committee chair. Please make your check payable to Big Bluestem
projects. Audubon Society.
One use of our funds is sponsoring grade school
classrooms in our membership area, providing them Send your check and this coupon to
with the award-winning Audubon Adventures Katy Patterson, Membership Chair
learning series. The series, for children in fourth
201 E Oneil Dr, Ames, IA 50010
through sixth grades, contains fun and educational
information on birds, wildlife, and ecology.
Name _______________________________________________
Receiving this newsletter, you are already a
member of BBAS, usually as a benefit in your Address _____________________________________________
National Audubon Society Subscription/Dues. City_____________________ State____ ZIP_______________
Please encourage others with similar interests to Phone ________________ E-mail _______________________
join us by showing them the form at the right.
Please do not use this form for renewals
As to yourself, come to a meeting or field trip soon.
to the National Audubon Society.

Present the coupons below at the time of your purchase and a donation will be given to BBAS.
Donations will fund the various habitat restoration and educational projects undertaken by BBAS.

Brekke's Town & Country Store, Inc.

Donate $5 of Your Next Purchase to 1 1/2 miles east of I-35 on new U.S. 30 and 1/4 mile north
Big Bluestem Audubon Society Hours: 8-6 M-F, 8-4 Sat. (515) 232-7906
May 2008 June 2008
Purchase Donation
Donate $5 from your Donate $5 from your
Up tp $15 $1.50
purchase of purchase of
$15 and over $3.00

5 5
$25 or more $25 or more
$ Specially-priced $ Specially-priced
$35 and over
Over $70
$5.00
$7.50
merchandise merchandise
BIRD excluded BIRD excluded
BUCK BUCK Brekke’s offers Big Bluestem Audubon Society a
Valid 5/1 - 5/31/08 Valid 6/1 - 6/30/08
donation when bird seed or other bird products are
purchased.
Present this coupon with your purchase and a
donation will be given to BBAS.
213 Duff Ave Ames, IA 50010
(515) 956-3145 www.wbu.com/ames Offer good until June 30, 2008
BIRDSEED • FEEDERS • BIRDBATHS • OPTICS • NATURE GIFTS

May-June 2008 Big Bluestem Flyer 5

 Birdathon 2008

Big Bluestem's BIRDATHON is an all-day birdwatching and

Birdathon is very important to Big Bluestem Audubon Society. It
fundraising event.
provides the finances to print newsletters, thank our speakers with a
Big Bluestem members of all skill levels count birds and gather
small donation, and most importantly, it funds our conservation and
pledges to fund our chapter's conservation and education projects. This
education work.
year's 11th Annual BIRDATHON will be on May 10th.
Birdathon donations over the past 10 years have topped $40,000!!!
Here's How It Works This allows us to contribute thousands of dollars toward purchasing
1. Anyone can collect pledges from donors to support our Audubon wildlife habitat locally and throughout Iowa. An example is the recent
efforts. $1000 donation to the Colo Bogs project in Story County. We've
Ask relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers to pledge a fixed sponsored Osprey reintroduction in Boone and Polk Counties, Red-
amount, or ask them to pledge an amount per species identified. We Shouldered Hawks in northeast Iowa, educational materials and
usually see 75 to 100+ species. scholarships for teachers and students, and sent our chapter leaders to
2. Sign up by contacting the Birdathon Coordinators, Karl & Carmen Audubon workshops.
Jungbluth, weatherbird@opencominc.com 3. Join some friends on
The sky is the limit. Please help us to make Birdathon a success this
Birdathon Day, May 10th, and see how many species you can identify.
year!
4. Turn in donations by May 31st, payable to Big Bluestem Audubon Karl & Carmen Jungbluth
to:
Mike Meetz, BBAS Treasurer
20267 580th Ave
Nevada, IA 50201

Volume 43 No. 5 May-June 2008

unless you renew.

issue of the Flyer
this will be your last
your mailing label,
after your name on
If you have an “X”

We welcome new members!

Ames, IA 50010-0543
PO Box 543
Ames, Iowa Big Bluestem Audubon Society
Permit No. 131 David C. Edwards, Editor
U. S. Postage Paid Big Bluestem Flyer
Non-Profit Org.