The Audubon Observer, May 2024
CROSBY SANCTUARY NATIVE GARDEN EXPANSION PROJECT We’re proud to announce that the Carolyn Antman Native Plant Garden at our Crosby Sanctuary conservation property in Orange Park, FL has recently been expanded and planted with a variety of bird and pollinator friendly native plants. The expansion adds approximately 1,200 square feet of area to our previously established garden. Our goal was to add more herbaceous flowering plants to the garden to attract beneficial pollinators such as butterflies and bees. We also added a pathway through the garden to allow visitors to wander through without worrying about stepping on the plants. The capstone to the expansion was a new arbor over the front entrance to the garden, which we planted with coral honeysuckle to attract hummingbirds! In total we planted approximately 65 individual plants including the following species, fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), pineland lantana (Lantana depressa), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Leavenworth’s tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii), seaside goldenrod (Solidago maritima), downy ragged goldenrod (Solidago petiolaris), slender goldenrod (Solidago stricta), horsemint (Monarda punctata), Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens),coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), sand cordgrass (Spartina bakerii), climbing aster (Symphyotrichum carolinianum), eastern smooth beardtongue (Penstemon laevigatus), woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), tall ironweed (Vernonia angustifolia), and Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa). They were mostly planted in groups of four or five plants to enhance the show upon bloom. Vines such as Carolina jessamine, coral honeysuckle and climbing aster were planted along the fence line to entwine and climb. Plant labels are currently being made that will help visitors recognize each species. Our chapter was lucky enough to receive a Collaborative Grant award from National Audubon for $1000 to help us fund most of this project. Duval Audubon also contributed additional funding support from our operating budget supported by memberships and donations from our generous supporters. Finally, the real work of installing new fencing, entrance gate and arbor, site prep, mulching, plant installation and plant labels came from the help of all our dedicated volunteers, especially Dave Wiinikainen, Louis Buzzell, Thomas Mateo, Rebecca Thayer, Xavier Greene, Sammuel Michel, Matthew Nguyen, Sally Wong, Sharon Wong, Aaron Jackson, Angel Zheng, Sophia Zou, Sharon Wendy, Chris Berlin, Heidi Basil, Brice Bursey, Stephanie Schmidt, Jennifer Bright, Donna Foley, Jay Kauffman, Debi Briggs, Kathy Skirbst, and more who came out in February, March and April to help. The total volunteer hours spent on the garden project was 156 hours!! We hope to see you at Crosby in May on the third and fourth Saturdays from 8 am until 12 pm. The Prothonotary Warblers are back and can be seen (and/or at least heard) along the swamp trail! KIWI: FRUIT, BIRD, OR HUMAN? Actually, all of the above! If you travel to New Zealand (as I did this past January), you will discover that New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis, enjoy the juicy kiwi fruit, and cherish the elusive nocturnal Kiwi bird. However, that’s not the only charming bird name you will come across in this island nation. Native bird species include the Kākāpō, Kōkako, Morepork/ruru, Takahē and Tūī, among others. The islands that comprise Aotearoa/New Zealand were the last habitable land mass to be settled by humans. Prior to the arrival of the Māori between 1250–1300 A.D. (to be followed by Europeans starting in the 17th century), the only native mammals were several species of bats and marine mammals. But birds abounded - particularly ground-nesting flightless birds. Unfortunately, with the arrival of introduced mammal predators (such as rats, possums and mustelids), it is estimated that New Zealand lost 40-50% of its bird species over the past 1,000 years. Nevertheless, modern-day New Zealanders place great value on restoring their native flora and fauna. Due to flightless birds’ particular vulnerability to predation, conservation efforts in New Zealand focus on creating bird sanctuaries free of invasive species such as stoats (aka Eurasian ermines), allowing native birds to regain a foothold. Key to these efforts is the conservation breeding of endangered native bird species to help rebuild populations in the wild. During my trip I had the opportunity to visit the Te Puia Kiwi Conservation Centre in Rotorua (North Island), which is also home to the National Kiwi Hatchery. Because these shy birds are nocturnal, we had to enter their darkened enclosure very quietly, silencing our phones and refraining from taking photos or videos. While the female stayed well hidden behind vegetation, we did get to see the male foraging quite close to the glass panel. If you can’t get enough of these unique birds, you can also visit Queenstown’s Kiwi Park (South Island), a privately owned sanctuary where you can get up close and personal with other native wildlife as well. Throughout my stay I had the privilege of spotting a number of local birds, including the Australasian Crested Grebe, Australasian Swamphen, Black Swan, Eurasian Coot, Kea, Paradise Shelduck, Pied Cormorant, Silver Gull, Welcome Swallow, White-faced Heron and White-fronted Tern. My all-time favorite has to be the Kea, the world’s only alpine parrot, known for its sense of curiosity and credited with high intelligence. Our group encountered two keas on our way to and from Milford Sound Piopiotahi (South Island). Keas have a habit of perching on or near vehicles waiting to drive through the narrow Homer Tunnel. As we waited, our bus driver proceeded to tell us hilarious stories of kea antics that he had personally witnessed over the course of his travels. In short, Aotearoa/New Zealand is a superb place to visit! Its unique natural history, multi-cultural heritage, stunning landscapes and welcoming spirit make it truly a world traveler’s delight. MERLIN BIRD ID: A REVOLUTION IN BIRDING It may be hard to believe, but Cornell Lab of Ornithology's free Merlin Bird ID app is ten years old this year! It was initially released in 2014 as a step-by-step question-and-answer guide, asking where and when you saw the bird, the size of the bird, what colors you noticed, and what it was doing when you saw it. The app would then suggest birds that best matched the parameters you entered. The step-by-step wizard is still available on the app, but additional features have been added that allow users to even more quickly identify birds. The Photo ID feature, added in 2017, allows users to upload their own photos to the app, which then displays likely matches. I haven’t used this feature much because my cell phone doesn’t do a great job of capturing tiny, fast-moving birds, but those who have zoom cameras that are linked to their phones (mine is not) might find this feature useful. The feature that I (and probably most Merlin users) use the most is the Sound ID feature, which was introduced in 2021 and has exploded in popularity to the point where it is now the top selection on the home screen. Sound ID uses your phone’s microphone to listen to the birds around you and suggests which birds are singing. It's fun to just turn it on and watch as different birds are highlighted on the screen in real time as they are singing or calling. This amazing app has made bird identification accessible to more bird enthusiasts than ever before, but users need to realize that Merlin is not infallible and sometimes gets it wrong. I recommend never relying solely on the Merlin app for an identification, but once you know what Merlin thinks it is, try hard to find the bird and confirm it for yourself before reporting that sighting on your eBird list (if you use eBird). Here are a few tips to get the most accurate results from Merlin:
The Merlin Bird ID app (especially the Sound ID feature) has had an incredible impact on the popularity of birding since its inception in 2014, and now more than 15 million people around the world use the app. It can truly enhance your birding experience if you use it wisely. Enjoy! UPCOMING ACTIVITIES Here's what's coming up this month:
Hope to see you soon! Duval Audubon Society, Inc.
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