Director's Message
Amy Weeks
As spring approaches we begin to delight in warmer weather, new plant growth, and the beginning of bird nesting season. This undoubtedly is a very exciting time for backyard bird enthusiasts.
With more time being spent outdoors, and better visibility from leafless trees, it's a great time to start looking for bird nests, old ones and new ones under construction. (Some birds build nests in close proximity to their old nests, that's why you might want to scope out old nests.) Keep your eyes to the sky and you might spot a bird carrying a twig or other plant material, which is a good indicator that it's building a nest nearby.
As a matter of fact, nest watching is pretty important. We've learned over the last few years how beneficial bird watching is for our health (click on the link to see the Time Magazine article featuring SLAS Board Member, Joan Strassmann). You can also make valuable contributions to science by monitoring nests and recording your observations through NestWatch.
NestWatch is a citizen science program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds. The information collected includes when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. This vast database allows scientists to study breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time.
You don't need a scientific background to participate. NestWatch has many resources to get you started and to build your confidence about the nesting habits of the birds in your backyard, including when the nesting season of different species begins and ends. And, importantly, NestWatch will provide you with directions on how to find and monitor nests without disturbing the birds.
Not ready to go it alone? No problem! We have a dedicated team of volunteers who monitor Eastern Bluebirds and Purple Martins at Little Creve Coeur Ecological Area. You can read about this opportunity here from the September 2023 issue of Tale Feathers. If you'd like to join in the fun please fill out the volunteer application here. This effort is led by Karen Meyer and includes team members Mary Dueren, Cathy Wilhelmi, Anne Kirkpatrick, Mary Mierkowski, Jerry Castillon and Glenn Meyer.
There are many ways you can help, appreciate, and enjoy birds and nature. No matter your path, we're glad you chose St. Louis Audubon Society as an ally.
Photo: Eastern Bluebird with nesting material
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Ornithological forecast, March 2024
Bill Rowe
March is a month of transition for birds, starting with many lingerers from winter and moving into a vanguard of early spring arrivals that accelerates through the month. Among the early arrivals are some shorebirds that are typically around in at least small numbers before the main migration in April-May. These may include Least, Pectoral, and Baird’s Sandpipers, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitchers, both yellowlegs, and (especially) American Golden-Plovers, which can sometimes be seen in scores or even hundreds, still in their nonbreeding plumage at this point. The migration of waterfowl, by contrast, is strong throughout March, with the passage of northbound geese already winding down but that of many ducks at its peak right now. Among the migrant passerines, this is a fine month to see sparrows, some of them wintering species like White-throated, White-crowned, and Swamp, others more common on migration, like Fox, Vesper, and LeConte’s, and still others arriving later in the month, the first of the summer breeding
population, like Field and Chipping. Other early passerines include swallows like Tree and Barn, American Pipits, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, and even a few warblers, notably the Louisiana Waterthrush along our creeks. And all of the nesting birds that do show up in March will be singing, and will be easier to observe than later when the foliage is full.
Photo: American Golden Plover in nonbreeding plumage
Photo Credit: Al Smith
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At Home Ecology, Curated Conservation
March 2024
Shannon Callahan
If your garden is anything like mine, you’re starting to see little signs of life! Things like cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum), coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.), and columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) are slowly letting new growth peek through. Our native maples, like red and silver (Acer rubrum & Acer saccharinum), are in full bloom, putting on a reserved but beautiful show if you look closely.
With all these glimmers of green, spring feels upon us, but again, I say…don’t be fooled! While daytime temperatures are open-window weather for us, night-time lows are still a bit chilly for our insect friends. I urge you to hold off on the spring clean-up until temperatures are reliably above the 50s. Now is the perfect time to plan out spring additions to your garden, gather hardscaping materials, and make plans to attend local plant sales.
Photo: Columbine
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BirdSafeSTL needs your help! |
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During spring and fall migration, teams of volunteers collect data about bird mortalities via window collisions. These data are used to identify which buildings are the biggest dangers to birds and to try and encourage building managers to put in mitigation techniques such as bird-safe glass. This spring we will be surveying Downtown Clayton. Volunteering consists of doing walking surveys in the morning and photographing and collecting basic data about dead birds. Volunteers do not need to be able to identify birds. If you are interested in participating, please fill out this survey and we will contact you about training.
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The Cathleen Creley Memorial Conservation Grant Is Open -
Apply Soon!
The St. Louis Audubon Society has worked to have a positive impact on birds and their habitats for over 100 years. The establishment of the Cathleen Creley Memorial Conservation Grant was made possible by a generous gift of the Creley family and is used to annually award grants that support bird conservation and education projects throughout the St. Louis region.
These grants have allowed SLAS to financially support organizations and projects that further bird conservation and education, strengthen current collaborations, and establish new partnerships that magnify our influence on bird conservation in St. Louis.
The total amount available for the 2024 grant cycle is estimated to be $8,000. One or more grants will be awarded depending on the income of the fund for a given fiscal year, the quality of the grant proposals received, and the results of the grant evaluation system.
Review and download the 2024 grant application here. Questions? Contact Amy here.
Completed grant applications should be submitted no later than 5pm on Friday, March 29, 2024.
Photo: Cerulean Warbler
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2023 Conservation Organization of the Year
by the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
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This award reflects the endless hours Dan, Shannon, and the volunteers
have spent educating and inspiring people to create high-quality
natural spaces for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people.
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2024 Partners for Native Landscaping Spring Series |
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The 2024 Series has three parts:
Part 1: From February 20 to March 20 there is a series of ten webinars in collaboration with St. Louis County Library. Registration is now open and filling up fast. See the full listing and links to register here: bit.ly/PNL2024Webinars
Part 2: On March 23 there is an In-Person Workshop and Native Plant Sale at Maryland Heights Community Center. Stay tuned for registration.
Part 3: The spring series wraps up on April 28 with a Native Plant Fair at Beyond Housing.
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Join St. Louis Audubon Society and the Sierra Club
Eastern Missouri Group for a presentation by DarkSky Missouri.
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When: Tuesday, March 26
When: 7 PM
Where: Great Rivers Greenway- 3745 Foundry Way, St. Louis, MO 63110
Today, more than 80% of the world's population, and 99% of North Americans, live under light-polluted skies. Excessive and misdirected outdoor lighting disturbs the ecological balance in the environment by adversely affecting insects, and by disrupting the migratory patterns of birds. In this presentation Vayujeet Gokhale, professor of physics and astronomy at Truman State University and Chair of DarkSky Missouri, will outline the environmental impacts of light pollution on all living things, particularly on migratory birds. He will also discuss resources for creating awareness and for taking actions to help decrease light pollution in your community.
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Congratulations to Michael Meredith, VP of Conservation for St. Louis Audubon!
Michael was awarded with a David Risberg Grant from the Conservation Federation of Missouri at the CFM Convention. Michael and a team of volunteers will be constructing a wildlife and bird viewing platform at Little Creve Coeur Ecological Area. The project partners include the Missouri Master Naturalists, Community Service Alliance, and Forest ReLeaf.
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Join others who share your interests in nature, birds and wildlife!
Click on the link to register.
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A beginner bird walk is a short (two hours or less) walk along a path or trail, either around a loop or out-and-back. It is designed, broadly, to help participants see as many birds as possible, and in particular to become familiar with a good variety of our commoner birds.
A field trip is an excursion to a natural area around St. Louis that is promising for finding birds and other wildlife. Generally it involves taking a walk at several points, noticing and recording as many birds as possible, and (as a goal for the leaders) helping all participants get a good look at each bird and learn something about it, such as its field marks, its song, its behavior. Some areas may be covered entirely by walking, while others may involve many short drives with stops in between to check fields, lakes, etc., often with the use of a scope. Field trips typically last a full morning, sometimes into the afternoon; the pre-trip announcement will let you know what length to expect and whether to bring a lunch along.
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ST. LOUIS AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD MEETINGS
Next meeting: Tuesday, April 9
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Please Note: Board meetings will be held by Zoom and will not meet in person until further notice. If you have an interest in joining our volunteer Board, please contact one of the officers or staff members. |
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Officers & Staff
Bill Rowe, President
Michael Meredith, VP Conservation
Stephanie Schroeder, VP Education
Gail Saxton, Secretary
Nick Eaton, Treasurer
Amy Weeks, Executive Director
Dan Pearson, Director, BCH
dan@stlouisaudubon.org
Shannon Callahan, Outreach Specialist, BCH
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