Great Horned Owl Is Early Nester

The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), one of America’s most powerful raptors, ranges across the Western Hemisphere, from the northernmost forests of Canada and Alaska to the tip of Tierra del Fuego. It is a year-round resident in our area. This imposing bird is the largest of our local owls, standing eighteen to twenty-five inches tall. Its “horns” are actually tufts of feathers that stand atop its head. Some people call them “ear tufts,” but they have nothing to do with the owl’s ears, which are situated on the sides of its face. Those bright yellow eyes, encircled by facial disks and hooded by a v-shaped feathered brow, seem to stare right through you. There is no doubt about it – this bird means business. 

Roosting by day in white pines and other dense cover, the great horned owl avoids detection and harassment from mobbing crows. By night it is the consummate hunter, preying on birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. Rabbits are a favorite food, but the great horned often will kill larger prey species such as geese, swans, woodchucks, hawks, and even other owls. Historical and first-hand accounts have documented that skunk is another favorite food. Come into contact with a great horned owl or its nest and invariably you will detect the pungent scent of skunk.

Great horned owls are the earliest breeding raptors in our area and nesting begins in late winter, often while there is still snow on the ground. A mated pair will hunt, roost and breed in the same area year after year, defending their territory from other great horned owls. The pair will use the abandoned nest of a hawk, crow or even a squirrel. If you happen upon an owl nest in early February, leave it be. The adults are incubating eggs, protecting their future offspring from the vestiges of winter.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Images: Wikimedia

The Atlantic Flyway

On the Wing From Labrador to Tierra del Fuego the Atlantic Flyway encompasses some of the hemisphere’s most productive ecosystems, including forests, beaches, and coastal wetlands. From the northern Atlantic coast and through the Caribbean to South America, Audubon is working to support this avian superhighway’s 500-plus bird species and millions of individual birds.

Forty percent of the Atlantic Flyway’s bird species are species of conservation need. These include the wood thrush, the most widespread of our eastern forest neotropical migratory species, whose population has been reduced by half in the past 40 years. With only one-tenth of the U.S. landmass, this flyway is home to one-third of the nation’s people. And dense population carries with it many challenges for birds and habitat: development and sprawl, incompatible agriculture, overfishing, and climate change.

Film Screenings: The Last Mountain and Facing the Storm

The Last Mountain

Sunday, January 27, 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford

In the valleys of Appalachia, a battle is being fought over a mountain. It is a battle with severe consequences that affect every American, regardless of their social status, economic background or where they live. It is a battle that has taken many lives and continues to do so the longer it is waged. It is a battle over protecting our health and environment from the destructive power of Big Coal.

The mining and burning of coal is at the epicenter of America’s struggle to balance its energy needs with environmental concerns. Nowhere is that concern greater than in Coal River Valley, West Virginia, where a small but passionate group of ordinary citizens is trying to stop Big Coal corporations, like Massey Energy, from continuing the devastating practice of Mountain Top Removal.

The Last Mountain tells this story.

Facing the Storm

Sunday, February 24, 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford

Facing the Storm is the epic account of our tempestuous relationship with the iconic symbol of wild America. The American bison once dominated the plains of North America, numbering in the tens of millions. Native Plains Indians shared a sacred relationship with the species that went far beyond survival and sustenance. Then, in the nineteenth century, they were nearly eradicated from the continent, and an entire Plains culture was forever changed.

Facing the Storm recounts this harrowing history, and thoroughly explores the future of bison in the twenty-first century showing us that the American bison is not just an icon of a lost world, but may very well show us the path to a more sustainable future.

The film series is cosponsored by Audubon Connecticut.

Menunkatuck Supports ‘Adopt A Book’ In Guilford

The Guilford Library continues seeking donations toward the purchase of new books for their children’s room. Menunkatuck Audubon again answered that call to ‘Adopt a Book’ by donating biographies of two of our most influential naturalists: by Peggy Thomas, with wonderful illustrations by Laura Jacques, and Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor and illustrated by Laura Beingessner. And we couldn’t resist donating As the Crow Flies by Sheila Keenan, a whimsical, rhyming, spot-on portrayal of these intelligent birds appropriate for younger kids.

Book plates have been placed in each of these books with the Menunkatuck Audubon Society named as donor. Be sure to share them with a favorite kid this coming year when you visit the Guilford Library.

Thank you to our members, whose support made this donation possible.

Menunkatuck Audubon Society Annual Report 2012

Suzanne Botta Sullivan reports on the past year’s activities

I am pleased to report that 2012 was another outstanding year for Menunkatuck Audubon Society. With your financial support and the hard work of the Chapter Board members and many volunteers we have conducted a vast array of programs, field walks, and conservation studies, worked on habitat restoration, increased our schoolyard habitat programs, and much more. With great pride, we list here for your review the significant accomplishments achieved in 2012.

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“What struck me is that it is the individual people and the group as a whole that make what you are doing so extra special. The depth and enthusiasm of your Menunkatuck Audubon board is truly amazing. Your board has diversity of age and experience, strong ties to the community, and the expertise of professional educators.“

-Diane Lewis, Special Consultant to David Yarnold, President, National Audubon Society

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Conservation

The Hammonasset Beach State Park Purple Martin and Tree Swallow Project, begun in 2005, continues to produce outstanding results. Nesting attempts by European starlings and house sparrows have been reduced and astonishingly high success rates for both the purple martin colonies and the tree swallows has followed (180 purple martin fledged and 151 tree swallows fledged).

A fifth osprey platform was installed in the Park. Nesting ospreys used all of the new platforms. 

Two kestrel nest boxes were installed at the Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary with additional boxes planned for other sites in Guilford.

Terry Shaw completes the installation of a kestrel nest box at the Guilford Salt Meadows Sanctuary.

Grants from the Audubon Collaborative Grant and the Environmental Professionals’ Organization of Connecticut program provided funds for supporting our partner Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project with nest box predator guards and radio tracking equipment.

In partnership with the Madison Conservation Commission Menunkatuck continued the Dune Restoration Project at West Wharf in Madison. Additional beach grass plugs were planted. 

Dune grass plugs are planted at the West Wharf dune in Madison.

Additional fishing line recycling bins were installed at boat launches and fishing spots.

Citizen Science

Menunkatuck concluded its partnership with the Connecticut Amphibian Monitoring Project (C.A.M.P.) monitoring a 2.5 square mile area for amphibians. The statewide study sponsored by the Connecticut DEEP and Connecticut Science Center ended its 15-year data collection.

Our partnership with the Project Limulus horseshoe crab tagging surveys had more than 60 volunteers conduct 21 surveys.

Menunkatuck members participated in Audubon Connecticut’s spring and fall bird migration surveys to identify critical stopover habitat.

A partnership with the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network was initiated. SEANET recruits volunteers to survey beaches for sick and dead seabirds.

Advocacy

Menunkatuck partnered with Audubon Connecticut, Quinnipiac Valley Audubon Society, and other conservation organizations in Improving Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat in the Quinnipiac River Watershed. A series of films were shown at the Yale Peabody Museum and at venues in the Wallingford area. A public forum with area legislators was also held. The project is supported by a grant to Audubon Connecticut from the Quinnipiac River Fund.

Another new partnership is with Balloons Blow, an organization that publicizes the harmful effects of balloons on wildlife and the environment.

A rusty blackbird got entangled in balloon string.

Education and Outreach

The Birdathon was held in May. The day was a great success. Menunkatuck and The Audubon Shop participated together and a total of more than 100 species were counted. 

Menunkatuck continued to support King-Robinson Magnet School in New Haven. In June we sponsored two programs by A Place Called Hope live birds of prey program. 

The Audubon at Home Schoolyard Habitat Program included construction of a large courtyard planter for a hummingbird/butterfly garden at King-Robinson. Audubon Connecticut was awarded a grant by the Carolyn Foundation to partner with Menunkatuck on expanding the program by establishing a wildlife meadow, equipment purchases, and teacher training.

The planter at King-Robinson is constructed with Timbersil, a non-toxic treated wood, and cedar.

Melissa Jones Elementary School in Guilford was given an AAH Healthy Habitat award for its schoolyard gardens and environmentally friendly school culture. 

Melissa Jone Elementary School students pose with the Audubon at Home Healthy Habitat sign.

Abraham Baldwin Middle School in Guilford had an AAH habitat assessment in May and during the summer implemented many of its recommendations. Sue Kennedy obtained grants from the Guilford Fund for Education and the Guilford Foundation. With the assistance of students from the Guilford High School Environmental Club a courtyard was converted from an area overgrown with day lilies to a garden with diverse bird and butterfly attracting plants. Art and science teachers used the garden during the fall for curriculum-related studies. 

A Baldwin student sketches in the new school garden.

Film Series

Film screenings continued in partnership with Audubon Connecticut and the Blackstone Library. Eight independent documentaries on environmental issues were shown to excellent reviews.

Among the films shown was Mad City Chickens.

General Public Meeting

Public programs are held monthly on the second Wednesday of each month (except July and August). Last year the meetings featured a variety of topics and speakers, including programs on birding in Colombia, ticks, a trip to the Galapagos Islands, and the Connecticut River watershed. Our meetings are free and open to the public.

Field Programs

This year Menunkatuck provided four exciting field programs, including a woodcock search at Durham Meadows, a spring trip to the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield, and a fall walk at Hammonasset.

Newsletter 

The newsletter is printed six times per year. In addition to informing our members and friends about Menunkatuck’s activities and events we include Cindi Kobak’s “Bio-bits” natural history essays. The Newsletter also includes tips on going green and information about upcoming events in our chapter area. Citizen Science highlighted six opportunities for helping scientists with their research.

Web Site

Menunkatuck maintains a web site that features a blog, a photo gallery, and a variety of educational information and links. We are also on Facebook with frequent posts with photos, event notices, and links to bird and environmental articles on the Internet. 

Volunteers

Menunkatuck volunteers contributed more than 700 man-hours to conservation, advocacy, education, and outreach activities.

Conclusion

Menunkatuck continues to be a leader in environmental education, conservation, and advocacy. Please join the Menunkatuck Board in making 2013 an even better year. If you can become more involved please e-mail me at president@menunkatuck.org or speak to any Board member at any event.

~Suzanne Botta Sullivan