Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis

A quiz on flycatcher calls was in the latest issue of the Kingfisher.  Follow this link to see this quiz and others like it.

A recent Seattle Times article titled “Naturalists fear overuse of birdcall apps” mentions the reasons people choose to use birdcall apps but it also discusses the possibility that using the apps may have negative consequences for birds. Read the article here.

Attend a board meeting to find out more about the Board and to meet its members. The Board meets every fourth Tuesday from 7 to 8:45 pm. We are currently trying to find a centrally located meeting site. The next meeting is May 24. All board meetings are open to everyone. For more information, contact Susan Anderson at susan331@mac.com or 612.331.1117.

The Conservation Committee is looking for new members and a new chair. Joining this committee is a great way to contribute your talents and time on behalf of birds and the environment. Members are welcome to join at any time. If you’re interested in chairing the committee, click here to read more about the position and how to apply.

On Saturday, December 18, 2010 our chapter took part in National Audubon Society’s 111^th Annual Christmas Bird Count at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley. There were 2160 Christmas Bird Counts conducted in 2009 with a total of 55,950,667 birds counted.  Thanks to everyone who participated in what’s become one of the largest Citizen Science Projects in the world. Check the March/April edition of the Kingfisher here for an update on the 2010 numbers.

The November 16 meeting with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) about Roberts Bird Sanctuary (RBS) went well. The MPRB appreciated the public input and the recommendations and is now working on writing the draft of the long-term mangement plan for RBS. In the meantime, there are several aspects of the Roberts Revitalization Project that we can work on right now. Click on the Roberts Bird Sanctuary page for more information.

Ben Wilson will talk about the connections between birding and technology at the December Program Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 pm at Mayflower Church, 106 East Diamond Lake Road, Minneapolis. Free and open to the public.

With a new Editor there were bound to be a few errors.  The 1st comment is there was no explanation for the envelope in the Kingfisher.  The envelope was for members to contribute to Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis during its Fall Appeal.  Please send your contribution to us using the enclosed envelope.

The 2nd comment is there was no mention of the place, date and time for the November program, “Antartica and the Falkland Islands”.  Please note that the November Program will be on November 9th (Not the November 2nd, that’s Election Day.  Please vote!)  The program meeting will be at 7:00 at the Mayflower Church just off 35W at Diamond Lake Road.

Finally there was no mention of the Christmas Bird Count.  We will again meet at Springbrook Nature, probably on Dec. 18th.

Click to view the November/December newsletter.

Jerry and Donna Bahls will talk about the birds of Antarctica at the next ACM program meeting on Tuesday, November 9 (note date change) at 7 pm at Mayflower Church in Minneapolis (106 East Diamond Lake Road). They visited Antarctica in December 2009 and took photos and did research on the interesting birds that can be found in this remote location. Free and open to the public.

Thank you to everyone who helped pull buckthorn at Roberts Bird Sanctuary (RBS) and William Berry Woods (WBW) this past fall. Please join us next year for more pulls. We can count on the buckthorn being back; we hope you will be, too.

The Friday, November 19 pull at RBS was moved to WBW. We had a good group of pullers and great weather.

The Oct. 16 pull at RBS was a great success – beautiful weather and a great group of pullers.

The pull at WBW on Saturday, October 30 went well, too. More beautiful weather and another great group of pullers.

Thank you to People for Parks for the donation of six weed wrenches; the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for the use of a shed to store the wrenches, and the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis for the donation of a garden cart to haul the wrenches. These donations helped cut down on the work involved with setting up and holding the buckthorn pulls. Much appreciated!