Director's Message
Amy Weeks
As a newsletter subscriber, you've experienced firsthand how our organization is striving to protect local birds and their habitats. Each year, funds raised from the St. Louis Birdathon provide essential resources that directly benefit our most impactful conservation activities ( you can see those priorities and activities here).
Our 7th annual St. Louis Birdathon has come to a close, at least in terms of counting, but it is far from over! Teams are submitting their reports, pledges are being fulfilled, and the Golden Ticket Scope and Tripod opportunity is once again available (see below).
One of the best parts about organizing an event like this is that every Birdathon team has a story to tell! And, it's unfortunate that only a small handful of people get to enjoy the retelling of participant's experiences and adventures. So, I've been given permission to share one of those stories from Diane Bricmont, SLAS Board Member and Birdathon participant extraordinaire (wait until you see how many species she counted)!
At the time she wrote this to her supporters, she didn't know I'd be asking to publish it in the newsletter for all to see. However, Diane's story is a great testament to the joys of birding and the benefits of giving back.
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Good evening friends!
I write this on a relatively cool June night, with the windows open and the song of the Gray Catbird finally drowning out the song of the cicadas!
It's always hard to transition from May into June, but now that I've caught my breath, I want to share some highlights from Birdathon 2024.
If I had to predict the bird that I would see the most during Birdathon, I never would have guessed that it would be the Cedar Waxwing. OK, it wasn't. Canada Goose took the top honors (600 individuals encountered in May), but who would click on a link for the much-maligned Canada Goose?
The Cedar Waxwing made a strong showing for second place (253 individuals, mainly encountered in small foraging flocks). The Waxwing is simply one of the most striking birds in North America.
They have a high-pitched call, and I had a flock visiting my bird bath on the first day of May. They're a fruit eater, and can be attracted to your yard if you plant native, fruit-producing trees and shrubs.
Speaking of yards, I got lucky this year with three great birds turning up in my friend's yards. These were uncommon to rare, and birds that I certainly didn't expect to see during Birdathon. Special shout-out to Randy (Pine Siskin), Luke (Harris's Sparrow) and Josh (White-winged Dove) for allowing me to camp out at their feeders to get a chance to add these three birds to my Birdathon efforts! I'm not playing favorites here, but the Harris's Sparrow IS one of my favorites!
If you're still reading along, you know by now how important birds are to me, and how much joy they have brought into my life. The money I raise during Birdathon helps St. Louis Audubon fulfill its mission to create a community connection to nature through education and conservation. If you've already supported my Birdathon effort, THANK YOU! And a special thanks to all of my friends who birded alongside me - especially while I was on crutches, recovering from a broken foot.
If you wanted to support my efforts, but got distracted (by birds?) along the way, there is still time to help! Just go to stlouisaudubon.org/stlbirdathon/ and click on the Donate Now button. I ended Birdathon 2024 with 194 species. The final bird was a distant Eastern Whip-poor-will, calling from the woods in rural St. Charles County just after dark on May 30th.
I'm already looking forward to next year. Life is too short to not enjoy every bird!
Thanks again for your support.
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We are very grateful for all of the participants who choose to spend some time in May birding, celebrating nature, and raising funds that provide critical support for St. Louis Audubon Society.
21 teams signed up for this year's event, and they include: Team TMJDB, Team Bricmont, Team Lady Bluebirds, Team Favara, Team Eucalyptus Haven, Team Lamonica, Team Bielecki, Team New Town Garden Club, Team Nolting, Team Leemann, Team Dwyer, Team Cormorants, Team Allison, Team Pfaff, Team No R-egrets, Team Working Gulls, Team Weeks, Team Crank, Team Todd, Team Ohmer, Team Shearman. If you are interested in supporting a team, or simply supporting the Birdathon in general, you can do so here.
We would also like to express immense gratitude for our event sponsors:
We truly appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at next year's Birdathon!
Photo: Harris's Sparrow
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DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY |
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PURCHASE YOUR GOLDEN TICKET HERE.
Prize Includes...
An 65 mm scope in the Vortex Viper series, with a very clear, sharp view and a 15-45 power zoom eyepiece. A fabric cover is included to protect the scope surface. Vortex Optics has made a donation of this scope to the Birdathon along with a sturdy aluminum High Country II tripod. Together, the scope and tripod form a smoothly functioning system that will provide you with superb close views of ducks, hawks, shorebirds, or anything else that isn't moving too fast for a scope to stay on it.
The retail value of the system is approximately $1400, and we would like to ensure that this gift from Vortex yields its full value when applied to the Birdathon.
Proceeds will help us focus on these priorities:
- creation of habitats for native birds and wildlife
- conservation activities that make St. Louis safer for migrating birds
- nature education for kids and adults
- study and observation of birds and other living things, and
- advocacy for wildlife and the environment.
The drawing will take place on Friday, June 28, or sooner if tickets sell out. One name will be chosen using an online Random Name Generator.
Only 60 tickets being sold! The odds are in your favor!
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Terms and Conditions:
Prizes are not convertible to cash or to any other products of Vortex.
Prizes must be claimed physically by the winner at a designated location (TBD) in the St. Louis metropolitan area. We will coordinate with the winner to determine that location.
A minimum of 40 tickets must be sold for the drawing to be held. If the minimum sales are not reached, each ticket purchaser can decide to donate the ticket price in support of the Birdathon or request a refund. If a refund is preferred, the ticket purchaser is responsible for requesting the refund by emailing amy@stlouisaudubon.org.
You may purchase as many tickets as you like until all 60 tickets are sold.
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Ornithological forecast, June 2024
Bill Rowe
June is one of two months in the year with the least amount of discernible bird movement, when “summer residents” make up nearly the whole population of birds we can find. They continue their nesting activities, raise their broods as the eggs hatch, and (in the case of passerines, or songbirds) keep up at least a fair level of singing, which nonetheless can be noticeably less regular and persistent toward the end of the month. So it is a good time to deepen your acquaintance with our own breeding birds, practice learning their songs, and see what the juveniles look like. Even so, there are also traces of migration, mainly at the beginning and end of the month. In early June, up to, say, the 10th or 12th, some shorebirds are often still around, notably the Semipalmated and White-rumped Sandpipers and occasionally other species; the same is true of some terns and once in a while a late passerine like a warbler or flycatcher. Then, in the final few days of the month, we can sometimes see a scattered few shorebirds, presumably heading back south already and presaging the return migration from the Arctic that will accelerate through July.
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At Home Ecology, Curated Conservation
June 2024
Shannon Callahan
This spring has been a delightful change of pace with pleasant temperatures and enough rainfall to finally bring the region out of drought! If your garden is anything like mine, the rains have been well-received.
As we head into the start of summer, you can look forward to garden staples such as Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.), Coneflowers (Echinacea spp. & Ratibida spp.), and Poppy Mallows (Callirhoe spp.) putting on quite the show! Despite the ample rain, be sure to keep an eye on native container gardens. No matter how drought-hardy something is, growing in a pot is more challenging than in the ground. Plants can bounce back from light wilting, but crispy leaves are a cue that it may be time for some extra help. I also encourage you to stay on top of fast-growing invasive vines, such as Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora) and Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), which can quickly smother a garden if left unchecked.
Photo: Prairie Blazing Star and Rudebekia
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2024 Native Plant Garden Tour |
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The 2024 Native Plant Garden Tour, presented in partnership with St. Louis Wild Ones, was a shining success. The May 18th tour comprised eleven Maplewood and Southwest St. Louis City home gardens and a rest stop at Schlafly Bottleworks. All 350 tickets were sold, and a total of 2,446 garden visits were recorded at the various locations.
Thank you to all of the tour sponsors, especially to Pure Air Natives who generously came out to give away many dozens of free, quart-sized native plants, and to Schlafly Bottleworks for the space and for the free beverages for tour attendees. And, the biggest thank you goes to the hosts and the forty-nine volunteer greeters, docents, and steering committee members who helped things go smoothly.
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Photo Credit (Left Column)
Shannon Bucklin
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Photo Credit (Right Column)
Elisabeth Spratt
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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, August 13
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Please Note: Some Board meetings will be held in person and some by Zoom. 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
Ellen Harmon, 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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