Editor's Corner - Fort Worth Audubon Society
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January 2021
Newsletter of the Fort Worth Audubon Society (FWAS)
Editor’s Corner
Happy New Year dear Fort Worth Audubon members and followers! Along with every other
conservation organization, we have certainly had our challenges to meet. However, I’m proud to
say that we’ve adjusted very well. Starting off, we’ve had some outstanding speakers with
diverse and compelling subjects to provide you (and the world at large) using an online video
forum. Now, we’ve restarted our local birding walks, which, of course, mandate masks and
social distancing. For details on how you can join in, please see the “Field Trips” section which
begins on page 3 of this newsletter.
Though we feel good about our organization, there has been some disappointing news of late.
This has to do with the rollback of rules protecting birds on the federal level as spelled out in the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. We urge you to read about this in the “Conservation” section on
page 6 of this newsletter so you know how to take action to get those rules reinstated.
Of course, I cannot finish without couple of reminders. First reminder is to all our members that
it’s time to renew your annual membership, which runs January 1 through December 31 of each
year. During these times, we understand that the hardships of the pandemic keep some from
being able to renew. If you are among the lucky ones to be able to renew and have not already
done so, please read about all the ways you can renew in the “Supporting FWAS” section at the
end of this newsletter (see page 6). The second reminder is that FWAS is still looking to give
away generous grants to local organizations that have projects that fit our mission statement.
Please check out the “Grants” section of this newsletter on page 6.
As always, I’ll be happy to continue visiting with you in person, at our meetings, or ‘online’ at
take5birder@charter.net – you can even call/text me at 817-965-7284. Please believe me when I
say that I’d really love to have you submit personal stories and pictures that you wouldn’t mind
having published in this humble newsletter.
FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 1Programs Due to safety concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, FWAS has shifted its meetings for 2021 online via the Zoom video conferencing software platform. January Member Meeting, Thursday, 1/14/2021 Subject: Winter Bird Survival Speaker: Laura Erickson Join FWAS on Thursday, January 14, 2021, starting at 7.00 p.m. as we host another Zoom meeting. This time, we’ll have a presentation from Laura Erickson who will be speaking to us live (not recorded) about winter bird survival. Laura lives in northern Minnesota, where winter night temperatures frequently drop to below zero, occasionally reach 20 or 30 below, and once even dropped to 60 below. What adaptations do northern birds have that allow them to survive and even thrive in those harsh conditions? And how are milder winters already hurting such species as Gray Jays and Great Gray Owls? Here is the link to join this meeting via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8174964437?pwd=MmhabFFsQXpQb1d1THA4Y2N2OGtVUT09 If you need it, the Meeting ID is 817 496 4437 and the Passcode is 941033 Laura is the 2014 recipient of the American Birding Association’s prestigious Roger Tory Peterson Award. She has been a scientist, teacher, writer, wildlife rehabilitator, professional blogger, public speaker, photographer, American Robin and Whooping Crane Expert for the popular Journey North educational website, and Science Editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She’s written twelve books about birds, including the ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Minnesota; National Geographic’s Pocket Guide to Birds of North America; the best- selling Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting and Family Lives of Birds (co- authored by photographer Marie Read); the National Outdoor Book Award-winning Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids; 101 Ways to Help Birds; and The Bird Watching Answer Book for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She’s currently a columnist and contributing editor for Bird Watching magazine. Since 1986 she has been producing the long-running For the Birds radio program for many public radio stations, and this program is currently podcast on iTunes. Please stick around so you can ask Laura questions! Our FWAS virtual meetings starts at 7:00 p.m. with social time starting at 6:45 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend, and you do not need to have a Zoom account. If you use a phone or a tablet, you will need to download the Zoom app ahead of time, but we recommend you use a laptop or desktop computer for greatest ease of use (especially for voting). You will not need to have a camera or microphone, and we will keep the microphones set to mute. Conversations and questions during the meeting will be done by the chat function in Zoom. To bring up a chat window, you will need to put your cursor at the bottom of the Zoom screen to view the options and then click on the chat icon. When using an iPad or other device type the chat window can be brought up by touching the top-right corner. For this meeting, Karen Rice (kl.rice@verizon.net) will be monitoring the chat session. FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 2
If you have not used Zoom before, it is highly recommended that you click the Zoom link well
ahead of time. We will begin letting people in early for social time starting about 6:45, but you
can click on the link as early as 6:30 to get into the virtual waiting room.
February Member Meeting, Thursday, 2/11/2021
Subject: Hawk Watch International's Migration Network, with a focus on the Corpus Christi
Hawk Watch
Speaker: Jesse Watson of Hawk Watch International
Join FWAS on Thursday, February 11, 2020, starting at 7.00 p.m. as we host another Zoom
meeting. This time, we’ll have a presentation from Jesse Watson, who will be with us live so we
can ask questions.
For a list of upcoming FWAS meetings, click on the following link to our FWAS Website:
https://www.fwas.org/showthread.php?3392-PROGRAM-SCHEDULE-for-2020
Field Trips
We at FWAS are immensely proud of the local birding walks we offer to our members and the
general public at large. Furthermore, they are almost always open to anyone of any age, and we
love having families along.
Village Creek Drying Beds, 1/13/2021 & 2/10/2021
Join Jim Sipiora for his monthly outing to the Village Creek Drying Beds (VCDB) in Arlington.
Timing: 7:15 - 8:30 a.m. we’ll bird Dunlop Park, then 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. we’ll bird VCDB.
Come to one or both.
Location: Meet in the parking lot of the Dunlop Sports Center (1500 NW Green Oaks Blvd,
Arlington, TX 76012) on the south side of Green Oaks Blvd. between Davis Dr. and Fielder Rd.
in Arlington (Dunlop is directly across the street from the entrance to the Drying Beds).
Trinity Bird Walk & Count, Sunday, 1/17/2021
The Trinity Bird Count (TBC) walk along the Trinity River, taking place on Sunday, January 17,
2021, will be led by Tom Haase in conjunction with Audubon Texas. We will meet at 8:00 a.m.
at the Starbucks located at the Trinity Commons Shopping Center at 3000 S. Hulen Street. #143,
Fort Worth, TX 76109. The walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Bellaire Drive on/near the bridge
crossing the tributary/path leading to the Trinity River. Parking is available all along the street
leading up to the bridge. The walk will begin on the paved path/trail (Fort Worth Trinity Trails)
and will continue along the river to just under the Chisholm Trail Parkway bridge and return
from there. This is an easy walk physically and a great walk for those new to the Fort Worth area
as well as for beginners. We expect the walk will last until no later than 10:30 a.m., but you can
leave earlier if needed. TBC walks will be repeated once every quarter, so look for the
announcements to future walks in our newsletters and online.
FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 3Friday Feathers at Kelly Park, Friday, 2/5/2021
For all the retirees and those off on Friday, please join Chuck Baskin and others as they search
for birds at Kelly Park in Arlington.
Timing: The first Friday of most months, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Location: Kelly Park, 4195 W. Arkansas Lane, Arlington, TX 76013
Directions: Meet in parking lot at the dead end of Creekside. From Arkansas, turn north onto
Woodside, then east on Creekside and drive to the dead end and park.
Foster Park, 2/13/2021
Join Tom Haase (taking over for Jean Ferguson) for a monthly outing at Foster Park in southwest
Fort Worth.
Timing: The second Saturday of each month. Meeting times for October through May will be at
8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. while the June through September walks will begin at 7:30 a.m.
Location: Foster Park (4398 Trail Lake Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76109) on Trail Lake Dr. at South
Dr., just 1 mile north of I-20 in Fort Worth.
Education
Fort Worth Regional Science & Engineering Fair
For several years, FWAS has been an Assistant Level Sponsor at the Fort Worth Regional
Science and Engineering Fair. Along with our sponsorship, we are asked to judge student’s
projects for a Special Award Conservation category. We have learned that showing interest in a
young person’s work is a great way to inspire them to continue their studies in scientific fields.
Many of the students have exceeded my expectations in the quality of their work. However,
there are many projects to evaluate and having a small team of volunteers really helps.
This year’s science fair will be held virtually, starting January 31 and ending February 22.
Judging will be the last two days (2/21 & 2/22) to select a winner from the Middle and High
School levels. We fully expect to have the same volunteers as last year, which should be
enough. There will be some challenges, but plans are in place for sharing photos and text about
each fair entry with judges, and Jim Jones will be coordinating FWAS judges. If you’d like to
volunteer with us, please call/text (cell # 817- 915-6089) or E-mail Jim at jim_jones@fwas.org to
get full details.
Rio Diablo Birding Camp for young birders
FWAS will be sponsoring a person, age 14 – 18, to attend the May 29 – June 5, 2021 bird
watching camp known as the Rio Diablo Birding Camp. For specific information on this camp,
its location and activities, go to https://wildlife.tamu.edu/birding/rdbc/. If you are interested in
attending this camp, we need to hear back from you by February 15th. Simply send an E-mail to
FWAS President Chuck Baskin (chuckbaskin@sbcglobal.net) with the following details: Name;
Age; List of activities and contributions to birding; How best to get in touch with you. You will
be notified no later than March 15 if selected by the FWAS committee tasked with choosing a
winner. If you are selected, your fee for the camp will be paid by FWAS and your only
FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 4obligation will be to give a short presentation explaining your experiences at the Rio Diablo
Birding Camp, most likely at our September 2021 general meeting.
Bird Counts
Fort Worth 2020 Christmas Bird Count Results
The following report is brought to you by Michael Perez, Bird Counts Chair of the FWAS Board
of Directors: The Chapter’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on Saturday, December 19,
2020. The CBC covered 17 count areas primarily in Tarrant County and some of Parker County.
A total of 119 species were spotted with a total of 19,774 individuals documented. The most
numerous bird species was the Great-tailed Grackle totaling 2,344 individuals followed by
Double-crested Cormorant (2,377), Red-winged Blackbird (1,757), American Coot (1,631), and
Cedar Waxwing (1,153) to round out the top 5. Of the 17 areas that were counted, the Carolina
Chickadee and Blue Jay were the only birds spotted in all areas. The most species found in one
area was 82, which is in the Southwest part of our count area along I-20 between I-30 and the I-
820 loop. There were a few birds that were not on our checklist (not expected to be found at this
time of year) that we documented such as White-faced Ibis, Crested Caracara, and Neotropic
Cormorant. The leaders for each of the areas within in the FWAS CBC count circle include:
Sherri Robinson; Brynne Turnage; Jim Sipiora; Joy & Grey Havner; Ed Lane; Vicki & Bob
Moore; Jim Jones; Chuck Baskin; Jessica Bowman; Michael Francis; Tom Haase; Mary Lee
Johnson; Charley Amos; Ted Drozdowski; and John Bartell. These leaders were assisted by a
total of 17 volunteers.
The complete CBC bird census in spreadsheet format (a PDF file) can be found in the following
link to the FWAS Website: https://www.fwas.org/pdfs/CBC2020Results.pdf
Great Backyard Bird Count February 12 – 15, 2021
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, easy, family friendly, and SAFE event
that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird
populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they
wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at
www.birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning
bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.
The 24th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2021.
Please click on the following link to National Audubon’s Website to see how you can participate
in the safety of your own back yard: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/about-great-
backyard-bird-count
FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 5Grants
FWAS Community Civic Grant – Resources to help a project grow
Do you know of a civic organization (or school) birding or bird habitat conservation related
project needing money for materials and supplies? Or are you an Educator going for training
about birding or bird habitat conservation? If so, FWAS can help with grants of $1000.00 each,
and the requirements are simple: the organization or group must be civic, non-profit, or school-
based; the project must be based in FWAS region (specifically Denton, Johnson, Parker or
Tarrant counties); and the project must support the intent of the FWAS mission statement (to
promote awareness, appreciation and understanding of birds and other wildlife while preserving
and protecting their natural habitats). Application deadline for these grants is February 15, 2021,
and grant awards will be made March 15, 2021, so don’t wait to download the grant application
off the FWAS Website as follows: https://www.fwas.org/pdfs/GrantApp2020-21.pdf
Conservation
U. S. Department of Interior removes federal protections for birds
Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior released its Final Record of Decision which
officially strips away critical protections in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), giving
industries a free pass to kill birds. The finalized rule change overturns decades of bipartisan
precedent and eliminates bird protections at a time when populations are at serious risk from
long-term declines and climate change. Now is the time to show your support for the MBTA by
calling on the new Congress and Interior Department leadership to reinstate bird protections. To
voice your support to reinstate the MBTA, the National Audubon Society has provided a fast,
easy, and convenient form on their Website you can fill in and submit, and it will automatically
be E-mailed to elected U. S. Representatives based upon the mailing address you specify. To go
online and fill out that form, click on the following link: https://act.audubon.org/a/reinstate-mbta
Supporting FWAS
How to become a FWAS Member or simply renew your membership
FWAS memberships run January 1 through December 31. The amount is $25.00 for a single
membership and $35.00 for a family membership. To use a credit card, you’ll need to do that
online as we do not have a way to process credit transactions otherwise. Simply go to
www.fwas.org and look for the “Join FWAS/Membership Options” section on the left side of our
Homepage and click on the Pay Now button to get started. If you wish to renew the old-
fashioned way, please make a check payable to FWAS and send it to our treasurer Vickie Moore
in care of FWAS at 3023 S. University Dr. #206, Fort Worth, TX 76109.
FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 6Miscellaneous Just exactly where do migrants go in the winter? That wonderful resource of all things bird related, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, has put together a page on their allaboutbirds.org Website devoted to a question that gets asked over and over. When we say that a bird flies south for the winter, just exactly where does a particular species go? Most warblers, tanagers, thrushes, and other Neotropical migrants disappear from northern North America when winter rolls around. Now Cornell (in the form of eBird Science) is now able to detail – with beautiful maps and animations – precisely where different species migrate and overwinter. So, wonder no more and click on the following link to Cornell’s Website to find out: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/where-do-migrants-go-in-winter-new- models-provide-exquisite-detail/ FWAS January 2021 Southwestern Flyer 7
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