Shorelines
The newsletter of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society
Calendar of Events
MONTHLY MEETINGS:
Audubon meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the
OWC Niceville campus, Student Union,
Building K, Room K-151.
March 3: Paul Thorpe with the Northwest
Florida Water Management District will talk
about timely water issues in Northwest Florida
and alternative drinking water sources.
April 7: Mr. M.C. Davis will give an update
on the environmental restoration work done on
Nokuse Plantation and Mallory Swamp in
Walton County.
May 5: Laurie Blanc of Jackson Guard will
return to update and share more information
about the Red Cockaded Woodpecker project
on Eglin Reservation.
CHAPTER WALK:
March Bird Walk: for information, please call
Charlie Parkel at 678-4728.
AUDUBON EVENTURE’S NIGHT WALKS:
March 25: Nonie's Ark Animal Encounters will
lead a Discover Nature Night Walk at 6pm at
Rocky Bayou State Park in Niceville. Program
lasts about one hour and lanterns are provided.
Families are encouraged to join - the focus will
be on ages 5-10. Explore for elusive creatures
such as fox, owls, frogs and even bats! For addi-
tional inforatmation, please call Nonie at 862-
9588 or www.noniesark.com.
April 29: Nonie’s Ark takes the Audubon
Eventure to the Oak Tree Nature Park in Mary
Ester at 7pm. Contact information listed above.
Dedicated to the protection of bird and wildlife habitat and a greater appreciation of Northwest Florida’s natural beauty.
Volume XXXIV Number 2
March 2005
55 Reasons You Don’t Want to
Miss the Monthly Chapter
Birdwalks
February Bird Walk Report by Thelma Phillips
Eight birders gathered on Saturday February 5 for a
bird walk led by Thelma Phillips. This was the first bird
walk ever for Jean, a lady from Indiana. The weather
was perfect as we headed first to Roberts Road where
we were greeted with a fly-by of Cedar Waxwings. The
fences, weeds and trees yielded Bluebirds, Phoebes, a
Blue-Headed Vireo, and Savannah Sparrows. The
ponds were full of Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Blue-
winged Teal and Green-winged Teal. One Shoveler
was sitting on the shore. Lesser Yellowlegs, Kildeer
and Least Sandpipers were flying from pond to pond.
Two Red-tailed hawks obliged us by showing front and
back views at the same time. We soon moved on to the
Fort Walton Beach Spray Fields where we walked the
sparrow trail. Bluebirds were everywhere! Lenny
Fenimore spotted a single Purple Martin - possibly the
first scout of the season. There were large flocks of
Robins, Eastern Meadowlarks, Starlings and Brown-
headed cowbirds. We saw a few Warblers and
Sparrows. Charlie Parkel flushed House and Marsh
Wrens from their hiding places for all to see. At the
holding ponds we observed a pair of Eared Grebes and
a small flock of Greater White-fronted Geese. We had
good views of both mature and immature Red-shoul-
dered Hawks. We ended our walk with a Loggerhead
Shrike observing us as we marked our check lists with
a total of 55 species.
Blue Winged Teal
Courtesty of: http://www.images.fws.gov/
 Audubon Academy 2005

March 18 - 20, 2005 - Eckerd College, St. Petersburg off of I-275

A selection of 11 participatory workshops plus field trips and social events
$25 for all three days (plus travel and accommodations)
Registration information and forms are posted on http://www.audubonofflorida.org

So You Like to Watch Birds...Could You Dedicate Your Life To Helping Them?
A Day In the Life of a Wildlife Rehaber

Kendra Addington, Shorelines editor

The alarm clock rings before the sun rises. Lisa gets out of
bed and gets ready for her day. She does not put on a busi-
ness suit, nor does she grab a briefcase on her way out the
door... instead, she dresses in an old tshirt and shorts and
heads out to the “fish freezer” to get breakfast ready for the
flock of assorted birds who are in her care.
Lisa is a Wildlife Rehabilitator. She and others like her,
choose to dedicate their lives to helping sick and injured
wildlife. They don’t get paid, and very often, don’t even
receive enough donations to buy food for those in their care.
However, because they love animals and want to help them,
this is the path they choose.
As she’s up to her elbows in raw fish (a perfect breakfast for
pelicans and herons!), Lisa’s phone rings - it’s a panicked
woman calling about an injured duck:
“Oh, you’ve just got to help me! There’s an injured duck in my
backyard and she’s a mother with eight babies!!” the caller
explains
In a calm and reassuring voice, Lisa asks exactly what
injuries the duck has. The woman responds that the duck
has hurt her leg and cannot even stand on it, but that there
are no open wounds and the leg doesnot look to be broken.
When asked why does she risk injury and dedicate so much
time and effort to helping wild birds, Lisa gives a humble
reply:
“If I can help an injured bird recover and live, then I’ve
made a difference. Even when I have a bad week and
several do not make it, I keep going because it matters
to those who are still fighting to live and need my help.”
So what happened to the rude heron that gave Lisa a black
eye? She named it “Ungrateful Wretch” and was eventually
able to release it back into the wild. A paradoxical success
story when you learn that it is still a frequent visitor to her
yard!
And, what of the mother duck with the injured leg? She slow-
ly got better and made an admirable recovery - all while
being a dedicated mother to her ducklings.
What is Lisa’s best advice if you find injured wildlife or a baby
bird? “Leave them alone and watch them - if their life is real-
ly at risk or they have a visibly broken bone, then call for
assistance. Otherwise, just observe and you might be
amazed at how remarkably strong wildlife can be!”

Using her experience and logic, Lisa advises the frantic

caller to “just leave the mother duck alone with her babies,
but continue to feed and watch her.” She then explains how
“amazingly resiliant ducks really are” and that it is best not to
separate a mother from her babies unless her life seems in
danger.

Reluctantly, the caller hangs up after agreeing to provide

updates on the duck’s condition. Lisa returns to her flock of
patients and prepares an i.v. to give fluids to a seriously ill
and dehydrated heron who she fears may not live.

The following week, while cleaning the cage of the very sick
heron, Lisa painfully learned that it had indeed decided to live
and showed no appreciation for her efforts. It lunged at her
face and hit her eye with it’s strong beak! She received a cut
and a black eye that would make a prize fighter proud.
Lisa(left) and a “helper” put a cast on a
pelican with a broken foot
 Preventing Window Strikes
Submitted by Bill Burke, Vice President

Thump! It's that sickening sound that can only mean another bird has flown into one of your
windows. Birds cannot see glass, especially if it is reflecting the nearby habitat or sky. These
reflections do not register as such to a bird. This is why millions of birds die or are injured each
year in collisions with glass windows in homes and office buildings. Here are a few suggestions
for making your windows less deadly for birds:
Move your feeders. Many window-killed birds are familiar feeder birds that use our backyards every day. Move the feeders
farther away from your windows or move them closer to your windows. The idea here is that you'll disrupt the birds' usual flight
path to and from the feeders.

Commercial stickers. There are a few products available commercially that are designed to reduce or prevent window strikes.
One of these is a static-adhering sticker that looks like a spider web; others are various designs meant to scare birds away
with predator faces or with bright metallic reflective surfaces.

Feather Guard. Stiles Thomas of New Jersey created FeatherGuard. Tests have proven it highly effective. It consists of bird
feathers strung about 8 inches apart on fishing line. These lines of feathers are then strung vertically across regularly struck
windows. Birds see the feathers and do not continue to fly into the windows. Materials required are feathers and monofilament
fishing line. You can buy a bag of feathers at a local crafts store (medium-sized feathers, about six to eight inches long, work
best).
1. Measure the window from top to bottom. Add two feet to the measurement to allow for fastening to the house and to
allow FeatherGuard to blow in the wind.
2. Using a large needle, poke a hole in the feather shaft at the balance point.
3. Thread the needle with the monofilament, pull it thru the feather and slide it to the middle of the line. Then tie a simple
knot to keep it in place. Next, slide on another two feathers about seven inches on each side of the first and tie in place.
Attach the remaining feathers until you've got a feather every seven inches or so. Don't forget to leave a foot or so at
each end to fasten the rig to the top and bottom of your window. All measurements are approximate.
4. Tap a long flathead nail into the window frame above and below the window so the nail protrudes two or three inches
from the frame. This will keep the feathers away from the glass. The nail should be perpendicular to the frame so the
line doesn't slide. Then secure the line at the nail head. There should only be enough slack to permit the FeatherGuard
to sway from one side of the glass to the other. That's all there is to it.

FeatherGuard is also available commercially at several on-line retailers or through http://www.featherguard.com

Bird Watching:

A Little Bird Told Me...

By Gee Oakman

If you plan to watch birds in your yard eating berries

or fruit from your trees and bushes, now is the time
to plant them! Study any tree or bush infomation you
find… Watch what birds are eating… Consult your
friends and nurseries for ideas!
New Book Published
The winter birds will soon be leaving. Robins may
already have gone north. But soon migrant and This month, another one of our CAS members has a
summer birds will be appearing so keep a sharp book being released. April Newlin has written a book
lookout!
about Horn Island, a barrier island off the coast of
Find these articles helpful? Have a question or idea Mississippi. The book is entitled Horn of Plenty:
you'd like me to write about? Please contact Seasons in an Island Wilderness, and is published
Gertrude at 729-2656. by University Press of Mississippi.
Email for more information: ANRieveschl@aol.com
 CHAPTER
REPRESENTATIVES
President: vacant
Vice president: Bill Burke: 678-0440, manateeadvocate@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Pat Gross: 609-0059, dachsie@cox.net
Recording secretary: Carole Goodyear: 897-2666, carolegoodyear@msn.com
Corresponding secretary: Pat Baker: 678-2953, flabirder@cox.net
Bird count coordinator: Donald M. Ware: 862-6582, donware@earthlink.net
Conservation committee chair: Mathilda Ravine: 243-2298, mathilda@cox.net
Choctawhatchee Audubon Society
Shorelines, December 2004
P.O. Box 1014
Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32549
Printed on recycled paper
Member Exchange
Binoculars for Sale
Swarovski EL 10X42
Including: case, strap, etc.
Excellent Condition. $1000.
Please call: Hud at 862-2566
National Audubon News
The National Audubon Society has launched "Birding
Basics", a new feature on their website, Audubon.org,
this week. It provides useful tips for beginning birders,
including information on: buying binoculars, how to
select and use bird guides, where to look and how to
listen for birds, opportunities to get involved with bird-
ing and more through Audubon Chapters, Centers, and
Citizen Science projects. Visit "Birding Basics" at:
www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/bird_watching
Education: Nonie Maines: 862-9588, nonie@noniesark.com
Field trips: Charlie Parkel: 678-4728
Hospitality: Gertrude Oakman: 729-2656
Membership & newsletter circulation: Bob Miller: 678-4278, bmiller@gnt.net
Publicity: Scott Addington: 862-1282, 2shorelines@earthlink.net
Programs: Lois Gilman: 651-5408, lgilman22@cox.net
Shorelines editor: Kendra Addington: 862-1282, 2shorelines@earthlink.net
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage PAID
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Permit No. 110
Shorelines is published 10 times a year by Choctawhatchee
Audubon Society, Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It is sent to 500
members and community leaders. To become a sponsor, call
Kendra Addington at 862-1282. Your contributions will be tax-
deductible.
Newsletter sponsors:
Charlie Parkel, Niceville
In memory of Ken Proteau, Hamiliton and Renee Williams
Pam McKenzie, Los Lunas, NM
Julia Sublett, Shalimar
Business World, Fort Walton Beach
Elizabeth Milum, M.D., Dermatologist, Destin/Niceville
Wild Birds Unlimited, Destin
Make sure you renew your local CAS membership when you
renew your national Audubon membership. Please indicate that
you’re affiliated with Choctawhatchee Audubon Society when you
renew to ensure your subscription to Shorelines.
Introductory Audubon Society Membership (E-11):
Current members: Please do not use this form for membership renewals.
Name:__________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________
City:__________________ State:__________ Zip:_____________
Phone: ________________ E-mail: _________________________
Introductory membership is $20/individual or $15/student or senior
citizen to join national, state, and local Audubon groups and receive
Audubon magazine and the Shorelines newsletter. To join, mail this
form and a check, payable to National Audubon Society, to NAS
Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 51005, Boulder, CO 80323-1005.
Chapter Code: E-11 7XCH
© 2005 by Choctawhatchee Audubon Society. All rights reserved.