Summer 2006 - Braddock Bay Bird Observatory

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BBBO Educational Outreach Bander training course and more! Braddock Bay Bird Observatory has had many individuals from all walks of life participate in the Bander Training Course (BTC) at the Kaiser Manitou Beach Banding Station. During spring 2006, Omar Gordillo (Chiapas, Mexico), Ember Jandebeur (Newport, PA) , Adam Kneis (North Java, NY), David Mathiason (Webster, NY), Leanna Twohig (North Chili, NY), and Karen Velas (Woodland Hills, CA) successfully completed the BTC. In addition to this course, BBBO is involved in a number of educational programs including special programs for visiting groups and traveling exhibits and presentations. Visitors came from near and far during spring 2006 to see the birds and the banding procedures. Rodney Olsen of the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury, VT brought a group of his students to observe and participate in our spring banding. One student, Zach Stone, stayed for a two-week internship. Other visitors to the banding station in May were students from the Calvary Chapel Christian School of Farmington, NY, Cub Scout pack #165 led by Ray Huff, students from Dr. Richard Sherman’s Environmental Science class at Monroe Community College, the Adirondack Hiking Club, the Allen’s Creek Garden Club, and a small group of neurobiologists from the University of Rochester. Fortunately, the weather was fair and the the birds made showy appearances right on schedule for these tours. BBBO also hosted a tour of the banding station as part of the International Migratory Bird Day/Earth Day celebration on 22 April. BBBO’s educational programs are not just limited to the events at the station as education committee member Patricia Lovallo organized a number of off-site presentations and displays. Pat brought a large display and an interactive presentation to the first through fifth grade students at Spencerport’s Terry A. Taylor Elementary School Science Day. Pat also gave five presentations on birds, bird migration, and banding to first grade classes from Rochester’s School #39. The presentations focussed on raising awareness of birds in our environment and the importance of habitat conservation. The students were eager to have their arms and feet measured as if they were being banded. At the “Blues for the Birds” concert last November, BBBO volunteers maintained the raffle table and provided educational materials. BBBO volunteers also helped at the BirdCOR booth at Fairport Canal Days and again lent a hand at the Duck Race held on 10 June at the Fairport Lift Bridge. These events were good opportunities to distribute our literature and to talk with the public about the importance of birds and bird banding. Another such opportunity presented itself as BBBO was invited by Braddock Bay Raptor Research to participate in the final weekend of Bird of Prey Week in April. In addition to the BBBO educational display, board member David Bonter presented an entertaining and informative talk on Songbird Migration to an overflowing crowd. A most sincere “thank you” goes to all the BBBO volunteers who came to help during the International Migratory Bird Day events and with visiting groups during the entire season. Because of our volunteers’ generous donation of time and energy, we were able to provide a unique experience for those visitors and classes who participated in our guided tours and our education programs. - Patricia Lovallo Below: Students from in the spring 2006 bander training course gain experience (left to right: Ember Jandebeur, Leanna Twohig, and Karen Velas). Photo by Ryan Kayhart. 2
BBBO Updates Garden blooms for birds The BBBO Memorial Garden was established in 2001 as a place to remember friends of the Observatory and to promote land stewardship for the benefit of migratory birds. The garden is designed and maintained by a volunteer committee that currently includes Nancy Chevalier, Kelly Dockery, Virginia Duffy, Chris Gates, Donna Hilborn, and Carol Southby. The committee has developed and continues to create a beautiful landscape using native plants that are favored by birds. The committee has also tackled the task of designing a landscape plan for BBBO’s new house located on Braddocks Avenue near the banding station. The memorial garden committee held a workday in May and was pleased to report that all plants and shrubs planted during fall 2005 survived the winter. They were pleased to see the Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans) and Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) were in bloom. The committee also reports that plant markers have been chosen and will be funded by donations from the committee. Upcoming gardening plans include the installation of a hummingbird garden at the house and the possible addition of a rock garden within the memorial garden for visual interest and to provide a warm zone for plants. The committee extends a big “thank you” to Ryan Kayhart for mowing paths around the Memorial Garden, to Doug Smith for mowing the lawn at the house, and to Rob van der Stricht for pruning the shrubs. The BBBO board of directors also extends its appreciation for the fantastic work of the garden committee. Former interns & students Julie Eberhart, graduate of the May 1999 Bander Training Course (BTC), has since graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Buffalo, interned at the USFWS in Amherst, NY, and is currently working at the New York Department of Environmental Conservation in Buffalo as a seasonal wildlife technician. She is pursuing a graduate degree at Buffalo State College. Coby Klein, graduate of the May 2003 BTC, has just started working on a West Nile Virus project at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. He’s banding birds and learning how to take blood samples. Renee Solick-Mensing (Spring 2000 Intern) and her husband Donal spent their summer vacation working for Marja Bakermans and Andrew Vitz (Fall 2000 Intern), wifeand-husband Ph.D. students at Ohio State University. Also working on the project was Suzanne Cardinal (Fall 2000 Intern). Marja is studying the habitat needs of Cerulean Warblers, a gorgeous songbird that has suffered population declines, and Andrew is studying the dispersal of Ovenbird and Worm-eating Warbler nestlings after they leave the nest. Their research took place in and around the Zaleski Forest, nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Ready for autumn banding Excerpt from an email written by Betsy Brooks, August 2006: “We had a fantastic crew today and got the station completely set up and ready to go—even the aerial nets! Can you believe that our first chore was to drag the porto-john from the road into the parking lot FUN! THANK YOU to the set-up crew of Jon Dombrowski, Chris Gates, Marilyn Guenther, Donna Hilborn, John Lehr, Cindy Marino, David Mathiason, Doug Smith, Ruth Stork, Glenn Wagner, and John Waud!” BBBO birds travel far Since Autumn, 2005 the U.S. Bird Banding Laboratory in Patuxent, MD has sent word of some interesting recoveries of birds banded at Braddock Bay. A Gray Catbird banded on 16 September 2002 was found dead in Cheektowaga, NY on 12 May 2006. A Magnolia Warbler banded at K-MB on 2 June 2003 was recaptured and released alive by David Okines at Prince Edward Point, near Kingston, Ontario on 27 May 2005. A Song Sparrow banded during a MAPS session at Braddock Bay on 16 July 2005 was found dead sometime in January 2006 in Duncannon, PA. A Whitethroated Sparrow banded on 29 September 2004 was found dead in Lac Dumau, Province of Quebec, on 18 May 2005. A Dark-eyed Junco banded at K-MB on 8 October 2005 was found dead in Baltimore, MD on 4 February 2006. And a Common Grackle banded on 18 May 2005 was found dead in Charlotte Hall, MD on 18 February 2006. All of these recoveries help researchers learn more about the movements of migratory birds. Photo of a butterfly on Joe Pye weed in the Memorial Garden by Ruth Stork. 3
Page 1: Summer 2006 www.bbbo.org The Marsh
Page 5 and 6: Top 10 species banded during spring
Page 7 and 8: Volunteer Spotlight Ruth Stork Our

Summer 2006 - Braddock Bay Bird Observatory

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