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SPRING 2009
Loon with Twin Chicks ~ photo by John Rockwood On June 16th the YCAS ANNUAL MEETING will be held at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. The Program: "Everything You Wanted to Know About Loons" will be presented by birder and award winning photographer John Rockwood. This spectacular photo essay will explore the mysterious lore of the loon. You will see and learn intimate details of the loon life cycle. Formerly, John Rockwood was a systems analyst. Now his office is on the water in a kayak where he can focus his passion and camera on the loon and other wildlife. This program will be preceded by the annual meeting at 6:45; social time with scrumptious finger foods and desserts at 7:00; and the show at 7:30. This special program is our way of thanking our York County communities for their support of the Birding Challenge. There is no charge but reservations are appreciated. Please call 207-967-4486 or email davidd@roadrunner.com for reservations.
The Executive Board is looking for new ways to extend YCAS’s community outreach activities in York County. We have been fulfilling our mission in a variety of ways over the past years. The following is a small sampling of some activities we sponsor. We bring in interesting speakers for our evening programs. They include a variety of experts who share information about current conservation and environmental issues, and travelers who share their exciting adventures with us. We sponsor The Center for Wildlife Programs at day care centers, head start programs, and libraries. We also fund Audubon Adventure Kits for classrooms. We help support citizen science projects such as bird banding at Wells Reserve, bluebird trails, and Christmas Bird Counts. We work closely with the local lands trusts on a variety of projects. Our members lead birding and other nature field trips in the county.
BIRDING CHALLENGE 2009, an INVITATION When is the last time you had a chance to do something you love while also giving back to the community? Well, here is your chance! The Birding Challenge is such an opportunity and it is just around the corner. Can you help us? There are many ways we could use your help. The Birding Challenge is a twenty-four hour period, scheduled this year from May 15 at 6:00pm to May 16 at 6:00pm. During the Challenge we challenge ourselves to see as many bird species as we can in York County. It is scheduled to take advantage of all the migrants passing our way. Who knows what unusual or rare bird might be out there? Come and see. Afterwards we gather for pizza at the species countdown at the Laudholm Reserve in Wells. It is also a time to share highlights of what could be one of the best days of the year for birding in Maine. Besides having a fun day in the field doing something we love, the Birding Challenge is one of two major fund-raisers that York County Audubon does each year. We ask friends, relatives and businesses that we patronize for contributions. They can be either a flat rate or a rate based on the total species that are seen. The funds raised are used to support environmental education, conservation, research, and this year our annual June meeting speaker and refreshments. The money we raise here stays here and supports projects that would otherwise not be done. So how can you be a part of this fun and rewarding effort? Please consider joining us. We need you – to bird, to make a contribution, to ask others to support this initiative, to help out with the many logistical aspects to run a successful Birding Challenge. For more information, call Pat Moynahan at 207-284-5487.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS . . . AND OTHERS! Southern Maine has had an unusual irruption of White-winged Crossbills this winter. In the York County Christmas Count in December of 2008, 142 individuals were seen, while none had been recorded in the county Christmas counts for the pre vious ten years. The White-winged Crossbill is a medium sized finch of the boreal forest. The male is rosy pink with black wings and two bold white wing-bars. The female has yellowish-green replacing the rosy color of the males. This large an irruption suggests that food supplies in the north have become limited. When these birds arrive in the numbers we have been seeing, they are looking for food -- in particular, seeds from the cones of conifers. They will start at the bottom on the cone, most often the cones of spruce, fir, and larches. They pry open each scale, and remove the seed with their tongues. Their bills are adapted for the extraction of such seeds, and a close look will reveal the crossed bills of their name. A single crossbill can eat as many as three thousand seeds in a day.
KCT FEEDER PROJECT REPORT For several years some 30 volunteers have helped keep the feeders at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust filled with seed. We have been unable to accommodate all the volunteers that were interested this year but that will change in the near future as outlined below. The addition of larger capacity feeders has simplified the volunteer job somewhat because they need only be filled once a week or so. It is noteworthy that the feeding station has been very active with woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, finches and sparrows. Highlights this winter include the presence of both Pileated and Red-bellied woodpeckers around the trust headquarters! This spring, volunteers will be helping renovate the wing of the barn that was its tool shed. Thanks to generous donors and friends of the late James Finnegan, this space will be renovated to give YCAS a more visible and diverse presence at the trust. If you would like to help with visioning, materials, landscaping, labor, decorating, or whatever, send David Doubleday an email davidd@roadrunner.com or call him at (207) 967-4486.
WEDNESDAY MORNING BIRD & NATURE WALKS
May 13 is the first date. Each walk is approximately 1-2 miles on relatively even terrain. These walks are for adults. The walks are free and open to the public. The meeting time will be 7:30am for each location. Each week we hope to visit a different habitat. Walks will end by 10:30am but you may break away at any time. Binoculars and field guides are helpful. Dress for the weather. To find out the meeting place for a given date, contact trip coordinator David Doubleday by e-mail davidd@roadrunner.com or call him at (207) 967-4486 or mobile (207) 205-4041. YORK COUNTY AUDUBON COASTAL BIRDING
Bald Eagle ~ photo by Marie Jordan Thirteen hardy souls joined Eric Hynes, Staff Naturalist for Maine Audubon, early in the morning of January 24, at the Cliff House for some coastal birding. At the Cliff House, we spotted seventeen species that included Harlequin Ducks and all three Scoters (Black, Surf and White-winged) as well as Common Loons, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Black Guillemots, Horned Grebes and the ever-present army of Common Eiders. Purple Sandpipers ~ photo by Marie Jordan We moved on to Perkins Cove, enjoying Dark-eyed Juncos and Cedar Waxwings along the way. At the cove from Marginal Way we spotted Purple Sandpipers, White-winged Crossbills, Common Goldeneyes, etc. for a total of 17 more species. This included, on our way back to the parking lot, a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk that confronted us within feet. We brought this to the attention of passers-by who were enthralled . . . a little seed planting for YCAS. Then, seven of the survivors continued on with Eric to Parson’s Beach as a wrap-up. It was quite windy by then with the wind-chill taking a nosedive but we were compensated by seeing 6 more new species, including a Snow Goose, Horned Lark and Sanderlings. Then the morning was crowned when an adult Bald Eagle soared over the river. We ended the day spotting 40 species. NO GULLS BUT 52 SPECIES FOR THE YCAS FEBRUARY FIELD TRIP The YCAS February Field trip was scheduled to go to the Rochester, NH Water Treatment Plant to study gulls, but a scouting trip early in the week found only one Iceland Gull. Because Iceland Gull is easily seen at the waterfront in Portland this winter, we put our heads together to determine the best use of our time and gas. I had not seen the King Eider at Dyer Point, so we began our trip searching the waves for it. No luck, but Becky Marvel discovered two Razorbills in flight - a bum look – but welcome, none-the-less. We also enjoyed a variety of seabirds and Purple Sandpipers that often occur there this time of year. At Kettle Cove Brant Geese were added. We then traveled the short distance to the Village Crossing where numerous Robins, Common Redpolls, and Pine Siskins enjoyed fruit remaining on the trees.
Boreal Chickadee ~ photo by Lloyd Alexander Our next stop was to West Baldwin to see the Boreal Chickadee where we were welcomed into the home of Vin and Betty Lawrence for front row seats and cozy viewing. The bird was waiting for us as we arrived and put on a great show for us as we learned of Vin’s experiences in Africa. Lloyd Alexander has provided his magnificent photograph of the Boreal Chickadee from an earlier visit to see it. Check out his artwork at Lloyd@lloydsjourney.com.
YCAS OFFICERS & DIRECTORS SLATE ANNOUNCED In accordance with the constitution of the York County Audubon Society, the 2009 nominating committee is posting the following slate of officers and directors for YCAS to serve for a one year term if elected at the annual meeting on June 16th, 2009. Officers: At the June 16th annual meeting, the chair of the Nominating Committee will present the slate, ask for any nominations from the floor, and request a vote of the membership. For any information on this process, please contact any member of the nominating committee:
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