Upcoming Events
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Jackson Park Birdwalk
Sat, Dec 19, 9am
Black Mountain Birdwalk
Fletcher Park Birdwalk
Sat, Jan 2, 9am
Beaver Lake Birdwalk,
Sat, Jan 2
Christmas Bird Count.
Sat, Jan 9, 9am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
Sat, Jan 16, 9am
Black Mountain Birdwalk
Fletcher Park Birdwalk
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EMAS Board Meeting.
The next EMAS board meeting will be 7 pm February 2, 2016 at the Reuter Center.
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Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary
Many thanks to the folks who pitched in at the November 21 Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary workday.
Joyce Birkenholz
Jarvis Hudson
Doug Johnston
Terry Lee
Pat Mckee
Christine Melvin
Len Pardue
Esther Pardue
Liz Payne
Ann Perry
Mary Anne Richards
Tim Richards
Tom Tribble
Steve Yurkovich
A special thanks goes out to Professor Margee Husemann and 8 of her Warren Wilson College students who also helped out at the workday.
Kerensa Bartlett
Aidan Farrell
Tyranny Gallimore
Maddie Harris
Evan Herrin
Alex Lines
Lorelei Jacobson
Alli Schneider
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For the latest schedule and any changes:
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Adopt-A-Plot!
The Beaver Lake Bird
 Sanctuary is a haven for birds. Unfortunately, over the years it has become a haven for exotic invasive plants. We are declaring a "War on Invasives" in 2016.
Doug Johnston, the Co-Coordinator of the Sanctuary, has suggested an Adopt-A-Plot program. An individual can select a small plot - perhaps 20 feet along the boardwalk - and cut back the invasives. The program is already underway - 12 individuals have already chosen a plot. In one case, 2 people are sharing a plot.
How Does the Program Work?
- Once you volunteer, Doug or I will provide training and help identify the invasive plants.
- Participants can work on their own schedule - an hour or two or more, any time of day, weekend or weekday.
- The initial work of clearing your plot may require several days but can take place over a few months. Subsequent maintenance of your plot will be minimal.
- The goal is not to achieve "neat and tidy", but rather "natural and indigenous." We simply want to eliminate the invasives and allow native plants to take over (in some cases we may need to do so planting).
The roots of many of the invasive plants are well established so we do plan to use some herbicides. We met a few weeks ago with Bob Gale of Mountain True. Bob is their invasive plants specialist and recommends the use of selected herbicides that quickly break down and do not cause a threat to the environment. Bob assures us that if we kill the invasives, native plants will come back. At least initially, we will not ask volunteers to use the herbicides. I hope to find a certified herbicide applicator to manage or oversee the use of herbicides.
Help us keep the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary a haven for birds by volunteering to "Adopt-A-Plot." Contact me (
tntribble@gmail.com; 828-253-7994) or Doug Johnston (
wellstedwest@gmail.com; 828-77950).
Thanks and Good Birding!
Tom Tribble
President, Board of Directors
Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society
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 Basic Editing To Improve Bird Photos
Text and Photos by Alan Lenk
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 Bird photographers have the ability to greatly improve their images with just a few clicks of the mouse. Photos that come out of the camera appearing average can in many cases be improved to become good or even excellent images with the use of editing software. A variety of editing programs are available on the market today, often already loaded on a computer when purchased, or as an accessory when buying a new camera. Beyond these sources, there are many more sold separately, ranging in price from several hundred dollars (Adobe Photo CS6, $499) to under $100 (Adobe Photo Elements 13, $70). Even inexpensive programs have the ability to greatly enhance the image. Features such as cropping, increasing or decreasing light, enhancing color, sharpening focus, reducing noise, cloning to eliminate or alter elements within the photo, layering, and the ability to type words on the photo, are just a few of the myriad options available.
To read more and see before and after photo examples, click here.
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Beaver Bits
Text by Vin Stanton
Photos by Doug Johnston
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The
Pileated  Woodpecker is about 16.5 inches long and is a hard bird to miss!! Pictured is a male with its crest flared. The female's red cap is less extensive and they don't sport a red mustache stripe.
 Lincoln's Sparrow is a rare migrant at BLBS during the fall. Look for the buffy wash and fine streaks on the breast of this shy, secretive sparrow.
The Song Sparrow is a  very common sparrow at BLBS and can be seen year-round. An easy way to identify the Song Sparrow, at least for me, is to see the heavily streaked chest with the streaks converging into a central spot. The streaking and brownish color of the Song Sparrow can be variable.
 The
White-breasted Nuthatch is a common year round resident at BLBS. Nuthatches use their bills to snatch bugs from below the bark of trees. A great day of birding can be had in the winter months when all three nuthatches and a Brown Creeper can be seen in a day.
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