ARBIRD-L for Thursday, May 29, 2008

Messages are displayed in the order they were received.  Subject  From  Time   The Snipe   Dottie Boyles    1:25pm   Re: Bachman's Sparrow and fire   Bill Shepherd    5:19pm   Just a few openings left for June AAS Halberg Ecology Camp for 11 & 12 year old youth   Barry Haas    5:22pm   Arkansas Birder Audio   Dennis Braddy    8:59pm   Re: Arkansas Birder Audio   J. O. and Sally Jo G   9:37pm

To use email addresses replace '(AT)' with '@'. This is done to confuse the spam 'bots.

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Subject: The Snipe
From: Dottie Boyles <ctboyles(AT)aristotle.net>
Date: 29 May 2008 1:25pm

The latest version of The Snipe newsletter has now been posted on ASCA's web
page at:
http://www.ascabird.org/Snipe.pdf 

Information for Upcoming Programs and Field Trips can also be found at:
http://www.ascabird.org/

Dottie Boyles
Little Rock


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Subject: Re: Bachman's Sparrow and fire
From: Bill Shepherd <stoneax63(AT)HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: 29 May 2008 5:19pm

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Thank you, Joe.  As far as I know, IP still owns most of the timber land in=
 southern Arkansas that they owned 25 years ago (unlike Ga. Pacific).  I do=
n't know whether IP still uses fire in site preparation or not.
=20
The thing is, 25 years ago I could stop at just about any Coastal Plain tra=
ct that looked right and find Bachman's there whereas it doesn't seem to wo=
rk that way anymore.
=20
As Aaron Gwin pointed out correctly, we can't really expect IP to manage th=
eir land for birds.  However, if we knew that IP's management is no longer =
serving the needs of Bachman's Sparrow, we could increase the pressure on s=
tate and federal agencies to take up some of the slack.  The big problem is=
 that we just don't know whether the threats to that species have increased=
 or not.
=20
I hope you won't mind my posting my reply to Arbird-L.
=20
BillBill Shepherd2805 Linden, Apt. 3 Little Rock, Arkansas 72205-5964 Stone=
ax63(AT)hotmail.com (501) 375-3918> Subject: RE: Bachman's Sparrow and fire> T=
o: stoneax63(AT)hotmail.com> From: jneal(AT)fs.fed.us> Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 08:=
13:10 -0500> > Hi Bill,> Unfortunately, I can't say how many Bachman's we h=
ave on the ONF or> even make comparisons to previous years. What I can say,=
 and meant to put> across in my ARBIRD posting, is that they don't just occ=
ur by accident. It> has to do with suitable habitat, as you know. The rough=
ly 25,000 acres> burned winter 2006-2007 within RCW habitat will be the bes=
t place to look> for Bachman's here this year, but less so next year, and a=
 lot less the> following year.> As for the general situation of Bachman's o=
n IP lands, I assume part> of the problem is that we do not have a much you=
nger and highly> knowledgeable Max & Helen roaming a relatively expansive c=
learcut> landscape, like we did 25 years ago. Max, as you know, had an exte=
nsive> knowledge of IP forestry practices as a result of his career with th=
em as a> forester. Helen's expertise is a HUGE asset. It must have made a d=
ifference> in knowing where to look. I assume no one paid you to look, whic=
h limited> what you could realistically look at.> I hope to live to see the=
 day when we stop exhausting our national> wealth with ultimately self-defe=
ating energy policies and invasions of> foreign countries, find positive wa=
ys to resolve our energy crisis and our> relationships with other countries=
, and start using our national wealth to> extend the works of peace, includ=
ing extensive bird, plant, herp, etc and> habitat surveys that can answer s=
ome of these nagging questions, including> the one you raised about Bachman=
's, and expand habitat restoration on> public lands & assist private landow=
ners who want to improve habitat for> imperilled species.> Another part of =
what you raised about Bachman's may be a real> decline, and if so, some cha=
nge in IP land management practice that creates> unsuitable habitat as oppo=
sed to 25 years ago. It would be an interesting> thing to know. Did current=
 IP harvest practice (or whoever came after IP)> look different than 25 yea=
rs ago? Do they still burn as part of their site> preparation before replan=
ting?> > > JOSEPH C. NEAL, biologist> Poteau Ranger District, Ouachita NF> =
P.O. Box 2255 (1541 Highway 248 W)> Waldron, AR 72958> jneal(AT)fs.fed.us 479-=
637-4174> =

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Subject: Just a few openings left for June AAS Halberg Ecology Camp
         for 11 & 12 year old youth
From: Barry Haas <bhaas(AT)SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Date: 29 May 2008 5:22pm

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Dear ARBIRDers,

We have very few openings (3 or 4 each session) left for this June's  
Arkansas Audubon Society Halberg Ecology Camp sessions.  Don't be left  
out!

We are actively recruiting 11- and 12-year old boys and girls to  
completely fill the two June sessions of the Halberg Ecology Camp.   
The 1st session will begin Sunday June 15 and end Friday June 20.  The  
2nd session will begin on Sunday June 22 and end Friday June 27.

This is the 29th year for this superb, hands-on Ecology Camp.  We have  
capacity for a total of 48 new students each session, and a number of  
those available spaces have already been filled.  But if you know of  
one or more youth that age who are interested in the natural sciences-  
ornithology, herpetology, mammalogy, aquatic biology, entomology,  
geology and botany- please make sure their families are aware of this  
terrific educational opportunity.

The staff consists of 16 instructors, most of whom teach in pairs (for  
example, two ornithology instructors with a class of about 10  
students), co-directors to oversee and coordinate camp activities, an  
activitities director, a full-time registered nurse and an excellent  
kitchen staff that serves meals that are both tasty and nourishing.   
The instructors are mostly high school science teachers and college  
professors.  Can you imagine having the opportunity as an 11- or 12- 
year old of getting to work with college professors and high school  
teachers?

Rather than trying to describe everything about the camp to you, I  
suggest you visit the Arkansas Audubon Society web site at:

http://www.arbirds.org/halberg_ecology_camp.html

where you will find links to the Ecology Camp, a downloadable  
application form and camp brochure, both PDFs.  If you still have  
questions, you can contact me at:

bhaas(AT)sbcglobal.net or 501-821-4097 in Little Rock

or

efulton114(AT)sbcglobal.net or 501-663-9380 in Little Rock (this is  
executive director Liz Fulton's contact info).

Liz receives all the camper applications and matches up any available  
scholarships and tuition assistance with students from families that  
can show true financial need.  The Ecology Camp charges $275 tuition,  
but it actually costs about $425 per student to hold the camp.  Our  
great supporters help fund the balance of the camp's costs.

Remember this can be your child, grandchild or some other 11- or 12- 
year old girl or boy that you know or know of.  They will need a  
recommendation from their teacher and must have an interest in the  
study of nature.  Please help us find some good kids that will benefit  
from this terrific experience.

And please help spread the word by forwarding this e-mail to others.

Thanks,
Barry H. Haas
AAS Halberg Ecology Camp Treasurer
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Subject: Arkansas Birder Audio
From: Dennis Braddy <dmbraddy(AT)MAC.COM>
Date: 29 May 2008 8:59pm

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Do you wish you could identify more birds by their song or call? Want  
to pad your trip lists with heard-only birds or be able to distinguish  
between those pesky Empidonax flycatchers without even looking? If so,  
go directly to the new Arkansas Birder Audio page. Go ahead. We'll  
wait here. On second thought, unless you are a techno-geek, a  
copyright attorney, or want more of an Audio page sales job, don't  
bother coming back.

In case anyone is still here, we've added a new Audio section to the  
Arkansas Birder website which has links to sound recordings for almost  
all Arkansas birds. Clicking on a bird name causes a Cornell Lab of  
Ornithology Macaulay Library web page controller for a recording of  
that bird to appear embedded in a rectangle on the Audio page. (When  
you browse the Macaulay Library, search for a particular bird, and  
click on one of the freely available recordings, a small new window  
appears with various controls. It is that window that gets embedded in  
the Arkansas Birder Audio page. The process may sound a bit  
roundabout, but it avoids copying the sound files which might raise  
copyright issues.)

There are several advantages to using the links on the Audio page.  
First, you don't have to type the bird name. This avoids Macaulay  
Library searches that return no recordings, because of typos. For  
example, "LeConte's Sparrow" returns nothing; "Le Conte's Sparrow"  
returns a list of recordings. Also, some birds are indexed in the  
Macaulay Library only by their scientific name. "Indigo Bunting"  
returns nothing; "Passerina cyanea" returns 110 recordings. Many of  
the links returned in Macaulay Library searches are dead, requiring an  
alternate procedure to listen to the corresponding catalog entry. The  
Audio page links take care of this automatically. One last thing. The  
Macaulay Library often contains many recordings for a particular  
species. Some aren't of the highest quality. We've already listened to  
the recordings and picked what we consider the best one for each bird.  
(That was a lot of work!)

We hope our effort will save you some time and frustration.

Dennis and Patricia Braddy and Skip
Little Rock, AR

http://www.arkansasbirder.net

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's  
too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

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Subject: Re: Arkansas Birder Audio
From: "J. O. and Sally Jo Gibson" <sjogibson(AT)ALLTEL.NET>
Date: 29 May 2008 9:37pm

This is a multipart message in MIME format.

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Many thanks for the contributions you're making to Arkansas Birds and
Birding.  Give Skip a pat on the head for me.

Sally Jo Gibson

Harrison, AR

PS:  An update on Martha Milburn.  She is still in the Hilltop Nursing
Center at Harrison undergoing physical therapy and slowly getting better.
The old spark in her eye has never left her!

 

From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List
[mailto:ARBIRD-L(AT)LISTSERV.UARK.EDU] On Behalf Of Dennis Braddy
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:59 PM
To: ARBIRD-L(AT)LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
Subject: Arkansas Birder Audio

 

Do you wish you could identify more birds by their song or call? Want to pad
your trip lists with heard-only birds or be able to distinguish between
those pesky Empidonax flycatchers without even looking? If so, go directly
to the new Arkansas Birder Audio
<http://www.arkansasbirder.net/Arkansas_Birder/Audio.html>  page. Go ahead.
We'll wait here. On second thought, unless you are a techno-geek, a
copyright attorney, or want more of an Audio page sales job, don't bother
coming back.

 

In case anyone is still here, we've added a new Audio
<http://www.arkansasbirder.net/Arkansas_Birder/Audio.html>  section to the
Arkansas Birder website which has links to sound recordings for almost all
Arkansas birds. Clicking on a bird name causes a Cornell Lab of Ornithology
<http://www.birds.cornell.edu/macaulaylibrary/>  Macaulay Library web page
controller for a recording of that bird to appear embedded in a rectangle on
the Audio page. (When you browse the Macaulay Library, search for a
particular bird, and click on one of the freely available recordings, a
small new window appears with various controls. It is that window that gets
embedded in the Arkansas Birder Audio
<http://www.arkansasbirder.net/Arkansas_Birder/Audio.html>  page. The
process may sound a bit roundabout, but it avoids copying the sound files
which might raise copyright issues.)

 

There are several advantages to using the links on the Audio
<http://www.arkansasbirder.net/Arkansas_Birder/Audio.html>  page. First, you
don't have to type the bird name. This avoids Macaulay Library searches that
return no recordings, because of typos. For example, "LeConte's Sparrow"
returns nothing; "Le Conte's Sparrow" returns a list of recordings. Also,
some birds are indexed in the Macaulay Library only by their scientific
name. "Indigo Bunting" returns nothing; "Passerina cyanea" returns 110
recordings. Many of the links returned in Macaulay Library searches are
dead, requiring an alternate procedure to listen to the corresponding
catalog entry. The Audio
<http://www.arkansasbirder.net/Arkansas_Birder/Audio.html>  page links take
care of this automatically. One last thing. The Macaulay Library often
contains many recordings for a particular species. Some aren't of the
highest quality. We've already listened to the recordings and picked what we
consider the best one for each bird. (That was a lot of work!)

 

We hope our effort will save you some time and frustration.

 

Dennis and Patricia Braddy and Skip

Little Rock, AR

 

http://www.arkansasbirder.net

 

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too
dark to read." - Groucho Marx

 

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