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What's up With Audubon?
Who: Heather Hahn, Audubon North Carolina Executive Director
What: October Program
When: 7 p.m., Thursday Oct 13
Where: Kathleen Clay Edwards Family (KCEF) Branch Library, in Price Park, 1420 Price Park Drive, Greensboro,
Find out about Audubon’s “New Directions” when Heather Hahn, Audubon North Carolina Executive Director, joins TGPAS at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at the KCE Family Library in Greensboro.
With more than 15,000 Facebook fans, 10,000 members, 10 chapters and 10,000 online advocates, Heather oversees one of the most connected conservation organizations in North Carolina.
Based in Chapel Hill, Audubon NC owns and manages the Donal O’Brien Jr. Sanctuary and Audubon Center on the Outer Banks, which includes 5,000 acres of diverse habitat near Corolla.
Heather and the staff understand about saving Important Bird Areas – 96 are in North Carolina with 4.9 million acres. Coordinating Bird Friendly Communities as well as working with private landowners on forest management are just a few of programs highlighted in her presentation.
You will also hear about the new National Audubon strategic plan, to which Heather contributed.
Bring your questions and enjoy an evening with one of our favorite bird advocates!
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Join Us on a Trip to Guilford County's Cascades Preserve
What: Second Sunday Nature Walk
When: 2-5 p.m., Oct. 9
Where: Cascades Preserve, northwest Guilford County
Carpooling: Meet at 1:30 p.m. in front of Whole Foods at Friendly Center beneath the Sears sign facing Friendly Avenue
Enjoy our Second Sunday Nature Walk on Oct. 9 at one of Guilford County's special places.
The Cascades Preserve Preserve is one of 14 that Guilford County has bought with bond funds, totaling about 1,700 acres. One of the most spectacular, the Cascades Preserve includes about 120 acres in the northwest corner of the county.
This natural area features steep wooded bluffs, a great diversity of flora, and, of course, a cascading stream that drops perhaps 100 feet or more over wonderful rock outcroppings. A scenic loop trail samples all of these features of the preserve.
Interestingly, the streams in the Cascades Preserve are not in the Cape Fear River basin, but rather in the Roanoke River drainage, flowing north into a tributary of the Dan River. Want to see this special place yourself, and check out the early fall fare? Then come along on this month's Second Sunday Nature Walk, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9.
Meet at 1:45 p.m. between the Chick-Fil-A and the BB&T Building under the Sears Plaza sign in the Whole Foods parking lot near Friendly Avenue at Friendly Center for car pooling to the site. As always, if it is raining hard we cancel. If it is just cloudy or misting, we go. We will be back around 5:00. Call or e-mail Jack Jezorek 272-6664 (suejackj@bellsouth.net) for more information.
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A Little Fixing Up Planned for Audubon Natural Area
By Jim Eldrett, Audubon Natural Area Steward
Please join us at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. as we do a little fixing up at the Audubon Natural Area.
The To-Do list includes nest-box maintenance, trail maintenance (clear debris, line trail with sticks, prune encroaching vegetation), and possibly see if any of the imbedded granite rocks on the back stretch of the Hillmer trail can be dislodged (I am personally looking forward to that challenge).
Our new benches have plaques that need final affixing with tiny brass screws. Invasive plant removal is always an option, though we'll be devoting a day just for that in November. So, light-duty tasks, as well as projects to really sink your teeth into. Stay for 15 minutes or two hours. No matter what, your contribution will make a difference.
As always, sturdy shoes and work gloves are recommended, along with tick repellent. Bring whatever tools you think might come in handy. It might be nice to bring a cold beverage. Being distracted from your work by birds or other critters is encouraged.
The Audubon Natural Area is located along Tankersley Drive between Elm and Church streets, behind Moses Cone Hospital. Parking is available at the area by bumping over the curb onto the grassy entrance area, or at the bank at the corner of Tankersley Drive and Church Street.
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Northern Mockingbird at Price Park/Dennis Burnette
Beginning Birder Workshop Series Set for 2016-2017
TGPAS again will present a series of three separate workshops for beginning birders presented by Dennis Burnette, a retired college professor, a nature educator, and an amateur wildlife photographer.
Dennis is past president of T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society and a current member of the TGPAS board, past president of Piedmont Bird Club, and a past vice president of the Carolina Bird Club. These workshops are co-sponsored with Piedmont Bird Club.
The topic of each of these workshops will be different. A participant may attend one, two or all three and receive different material each time. Each workshop will involve a 45-minute classroom presentation and discussion followed by 45 minutes of practicing skills outdoors. Members of TGPAS, Piedmont Bird Club, and the general public are invited to attend. Plan to bring your friends!
Here are the dates and topics of each workshop:
- Oct. 30, Sunday, 2:30-4:30, KCE Family Branch Library, “Introduction to Birds and Birding.” This workshop will focus on how to get started watching and identifying birds. We will follow the classroom portion by watching and identifying birds around the library and adjacent lake.
- March 26, Sunday, 2:30-4:30, KCE Family Branch Library, “Familiar Birds of our Lawns and Parks.” This workshop will focus on building bird identification skills followed by a bird walk in Price Park to practice seeing typical identification field marks on common birds.
- April 23, Sunday, 2:30-4:30, KCE Family Branch Library, “Attracting Birds to Your back Yard.” This will be a workshop about styles of bird feeders and types of bird food, including a variety of seeds, suet cakes and balls, and fruit. It will be followed by observation of nearby bird feeders.
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Gathered Group/Fiona Meisner
Swifts Provide Spectacle
in Dowtown Greensboro
By Stella Wear
Stupendous, Wonderific, Awe-inspiring, Epic!! Well, OK, we witnessed a fantastic natural spectacle Sept. 15 at the Carolina Theater in Greensboro.
The Chimney Swifts came by the tens of thousands – we estimated about 10,000 to 30,000. This exciting event was attended by 30 participants who were totally amazed by what we saw. It could not have been better. About sundown the swifts begin to gather, swirling and twittering. A hawk sat on the chimney for several minutes, hoping for an opportune snack, but several swifts eventually chased it away.
As darkness descended on us, the birds came from everywhere, got themselves organized into what looked like a swirling tornado and dove into the chimney at the back of the theater, chirping all the while.
The flock was so large that birds were still trying to get in the chimney well after dark and we could no longer see them. We heard later that some folk had tried to see the swifts as they left the chimney watching from 8:30 to 11 a.m., but the swifts apparently slept in.
Our observers had first met for some social time at Joymongers Brewing Company (at left; photo by Lynn Allison) before driving to the theater.
We have logged this chimney swift roosting site for Audubon North Carolina using the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WTQ9H6V. We have also logged the other roosting sites we found while scouting for the Night Out. This is one of the ways that we citizens can help these threatened birds. Knowing where the swifts roost and nest is the first step toward preserving these sites.
Other ways we can help these birds are explained at swift@audubon.org and nc.audubon.org. Keeping your chimney open provides nesting and roosting sites. Hire a chimney sweep to cap your chimney in November and uncap it in the spring. Another way to help swifts is to build a dedicated roosting/nesting tower. Paul and Georgean Kyle at chimneyswifts.org offer a book of instructions for a tower and other information on swifts.
These are fascinating little birds which we have enjoyed learning about and watching. TGPAS will be assisting chimney swifts by building a tower (or towers) and conducting citizen science. You are invited to join in the fun.
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Stella and Tom Wear for organizing the event and scouting the area before the big night. It couldn't have been any better!
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September Sunday Walk Brings Out Butterflies, Birds, and People, Too
By Mariet Poteat
There are tall tales, and then there are tall tales based on facts.
At the Sept. 11 Second Sunday Nature Walk in Jamestown, everyone had to sign up to go on the walk. We meant people, but this request was taken very seriously by one Hackberry Emperor butterfly which landed on the T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society membership application. We will be waiting on that application to find out what areas of interest are marked, most likely asking for more flowering plants.
Along with many butterflies showing up, 35 people went on the walk led by three different group leaders based on interest. This was a joint field trip with Piedmont Bird Club with special invitation to the NC Native Plant Society and Carolina Butterfly Society, and so participants had plenty of knowledge to share with others. Even with the warm temperatures, the groups were able to see butterflies and birds using the newly established native plant habitats on the old farm.
The property has been certified this year by the NC Forest Service as the only Stewardship Forest in Guilford County and certified as a Monarch Waystation in a continuing effort to create diverse habitat for all wildlife. Walkers had a wonderful day exploring tall grass prairies, newly established short grass prairies, pollinator plantings, a walk along the river, and various woodlands.
(Photo of Hackberry Emperor on brochures by Marie Poteat; all others at Poteat walk by Fiona Meisner)
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Parkway group/Dennis Burnette
Blue Ridge Parkway Field Trip for Naturalists
On Saturday, Sept. 24, twenty folks gathered at the Blue Ridge Music Center on the Parkway for a nature field trip. This was a joint trip with Carolina Butterfly Society, NC Native Plant Society, and Piedmont Bird Club. In addition, members of Forsyth Audubon joined us, so we had many knowledgeable people to help identify critters and wildflowers.
This has been an annual field trip for naturalists, held near the peak of migration for hawks. Although no kettles of hawks arrived, we saw several Broad-winged Hawks and a number of warblers and other migrants.
Meadow Fritillary/Dennis Burnette
This date also is prime time for Monarch Butterfly migration. These butterflies tend to follow the Parkway on their journey south to Mexico. We didn’t see a huge number this time, but we did see two adults and four caterpillars. We saw about 16 species of butterflies in all. Several people got to watch as Meadow Fritillaries, a higher elevation specie that we don’t have in the Piedmont, were laying eggs near their caterpillar host plant, violets.
After exploring the music center, we had a picnic in a nearby meadow and then proceeded south of the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles. The early autumn wildflowers were blooming in profusion. As hoped, there was something to see for just about everyone on this beautiful, sunny, cool fall day.
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