Welcome to World Shorebird Day

If you cannot join us, choose a day between September 6 and September 10 and count shorebirds where you are. These birds are coming from the Arctic and heading to their winter home. They travel long distances. When they land on the beach or a sandbar, they need to feed and rest. We can help these amazing globe-trotting shorebirds by letting them rest.  Education is the key.  World Shorebird Day is an excellent way to start.

Butterfly surveys 2018

August and September are hot and humid months. Some things still get us to go outdoors. Early bird migration is going by us. Barn Swallows are streaming south. Prairie Warblers are bouncing through the wax myrtles heading south. There are always a few surprises to be on the lookout for outside.

We know about birds. But, what about butterflies? Did you know that Gulf Fritillaries, the orange spangled winged butterfly migrates? Christa Hayes is our coastal butterfly guru. She wants to find out more about these butterflies. This year I have joined a group of volunteers to monitor butterfly migration. Yes, butterflies migrate. I am still learning.

We are watching for three butterfly species: Gulf Fritillary,

Gulf Fritillary flying to fleabane

 Monarch,

monarch on fleabane

and Cloudless Sulfur.  Jekyll Island Authority’s Wildlife Manager, Joseph Colbert has assigned me to the marsh. No, don’t worry! I am not slogging through mud. 

Butterfly survey plot

Latham hammock is a marsh island near Jekyll Island. In fact, it is part of the Jekyll Island Causeway. This hammock is where my survey points are located. The survey is relatively simple. At my survey point, I face east for ten minutes and count the number of the three species that are fluttering south, then I face west and count butterflies for 10 minutes.

There are other butterflies to learn. Here is a Palamedes swallowtail  not on the survey list but isn't it beautiful

 In 2000 and 2001, I helped with a marsh project for the Savannah Wildlife Refuge. I learned so much about the different kinds of marshes. The marsh is always surprising me, so I look forward to learning even more about this salt marsh and the creatures that make it their home. 

Kites and shorebirds counting

This week has been hot, but the birds are not stopped by the heat. There is a family of Mississippi Kites flying around the south end of St. Simons Island. They rested in my neighbor's tree two days ago. There were six sitting in the tree and one flying around.

Here they are. 

Yesterday, there were five of them near the St. Simons Elementary School. Today, when I was running a survey, I found 3 Mississippi Kites flying over Massengale Park. They are chowing down on the abundance of dragonflies. Anyone know dragonflies? They are most orange-red about two and a half inches long. They are everywhere around the island.

Yesterday, was the day we did our International Shorebird Survey. I invited Mary Jo Townsend and Abby Sterling along to help.  Abby and I are setting up a route to begin a disturbance survey.  It will have six stops from Massengale Park to Gould's Inlet. More to come on that survey.

in photo left to right Bob Sattelmeyer, Abby Sterling, and Mary Jo Townsend on Coast Guard Beach St. Simons Island, Georgia

Bird Class for Scouts

It has been a busy week for me here on the Georgia Coast. I was talking to Margaret Evans or  http://memargaret.com/odd-birds/ this week. She was assigned to write about migrating birds on Jekyll for Jekyll's magazine "3181." We hit off right from the start because she and I have a lot in common. Birds were the topic, and she likes to look at birds the same way I do. She reminded me that I have been neglecting my blog. On my, it has been a long time. Let's see if I will keep on posting. There is a lot of birding going on here on our coast.  Thanks Margaret!  I will try to be better about keeping it up to date.
Today, Gene Keferl and I lead a birding Merit badge class for a Cummings, Georgia Scout Troup. We had  10 teenage boys and their leaders. I did my "Draw a Bird" talk. Adding that drawing in the field helps reinforce your sighting of birds and give you memories of your day in the field. Gene talked about using binoculars.

After the introduction to the birds. We went out to find some birds. The group was fascinated by the Ibird Pro app I used. They liked that they could carry it in the field. We spotted Pileated Woodpeckers, Nothern Parulas, Great-crested Flycatchers. A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird sat on a wire for everyone to see. The guys could not believe that hummingbirds could just sit on a wire.

After a walk around the Jekyll Island Campground, we went up to Clam Creek Picnic Area. We watched as hundreds of Royal Terns flew back and forth to the bird island.  Here is the whole group with Gene.  Go birding!

Ducky Day

Tuesday, we went to Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. It is a charming small refuge on the Blackbeard's Creek. It has a lot of interesting history. I was an airforce base then it went to the McIntosh County, and finally, it became a Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge.
The first birds we saw was a large flock of grackles. There is a rhythm to large flocks of blackbirds.

But we came for the ducks, so we went on to Bluebill Pond. There we found ducks, lots of ducks.

There were lots of Blue-winged Teal. There were a few Gadwalls.

But we were there to see another duck. There he was swimming with the Blue-winged Teal.

It was a young Cinnamon Teal. He gave a few look looks and flew to the middle of the pond.

Here he is on the right with his head tucked under his wing. We watched the other ducks
                                                       Here they are feeding.

The Ducks were not the only birds as we walked around Billbill Pond up to Woody Pond; I spotted this Little Blue Heron. It was an excellent end to a Ducky Day.

My Lifer Red-footed Booby

Tuesday morning October 6, Tim Keyes called and said, "I have a booby sitting on the St. Simons Pier." Well, I am only 2 miles from that pier. When I walked up Tim and Bob were there watching this large fawn colored booby with dull orange feet sitting right in front of us. My goodness! It has been a while since I had a life bird, but this Red-footed Booby was going to be added to my list.
It was a strangely beautiful colored bird.  It was pretty beaten up from flying in the storm Joaquin. Here a few pictures of this amazing bird.

It was a big bird.

I was out two times this week to look for birds.

Friday September 25, Breanna and I conducted an International Shorebird survey. There were lots of shorebirds gathered up in the wrack. We were fortunate to see two Piping Plovers. One was banded with color bands. On the left leg there was one orange band. On the right leg there was a metal band above the knee and a green band below the knee. I am excited to learn more about this little banded bird.

We also found one Common Tern among the Royal Terns.



On Sunday September 27, I joined a group of women who have known each other since the grade school.












We were going out to the beach but the tide was extremely high. We did find a Reddish Egret enjoying the surf. Then we walked up to 4th street to see the egrets and ibis.

 We also discovered some tiny frogs. You never know what you are going to discover when you get outside. To quote Bilbo Baggins, "It is a danger business stepping out your door. Step out on the road you don't know where you'll be sweep off  to."

 Katherine, my Grandniece is working on an school assignment called "concentrating." This was a perfect walk for her to spend some time discovering nature.

A Kite Day

The kites that are right the end of the street inspired me to go see the congregation of kites at the Skeen Farm in Long County. That is about an hour and half northwest of the Golden Isles. There can be 100's of kites at the location a little later in the month. However Priscilla Fleshman is here for a week.  She wanted to see this show.

  On Tuesday July 21 we got to the farm around 10 am.  There were a few Swallow-tailed Kites flying over the fields.

 As the morning warms up, the kite numbers grew. It is a typical summer day, hot and very humid.

The kites keep come finally a few Mississippi Kites join the gathering. What a show! These birds are poetry in motion.











Beautiful Swallow-tailed Kites flying over the fields. They are swooping and catching the June bugs.








Then they eat them on the wing. It is fascinating watching them doing this graceful dance.













As noon approached, the birds began to disappear over the trees.

As we left the farm, we discovered we weren't along watching the show. These cows were enjoying it from the shade of a few trees. Not to be left out a Cattle Egrets had found its own perch.

These kites help make being here in the hot and humid well worth it.

David's Garden

This is a little bit of an departure for me but here goes.
During my battle with Breast Cancer, the chemo did it number on the cancer but it made me weak. Still almost everyday, I would try to walk down a few houses to visit David's garden.  It just inspired me to get up and get out.  So I want to share his garden with you.  I am also working on my yard to look kind of like his garden.  I really love the Dune Sunflowers that will bloom all summer.  See

Here is another view

Wish me luck.
Also I want to share a blog with you.  My friend Debbie is also showing off the beauty of our Wild Georgia Coast. Here is the link: http://wildlifepersonalities.blogspot.com/

Enjoy, I am off to meet the TALON group. Talon stands for Teen Adventures Learning Ornithology and Nature.  They are going to looking for the Wilson's Plovers.  That is always fun.

New Wilson Plovers chick May 26 Yea!

Yesterday, May 26, 2015, Yank Moore, Jekyll Island Authority's wildlife coordinator, found a new Wilson Plover's nest with 2 hatchlings.  I was invited to go along to watch these Wilson's Plover chicks get their color bands.  Thanks to Elizabeth Hunter for banding them.

We now have 7 Wilson's Plover chicks with color band so far this  years.  These bands will help us to follow these special birds though the years.








Aren't they cute.  Meet Blue/Green BLG and Blue/yellow or BLY hatched 5-26-2015















And here is a chick that was hatched Mother's Day
May 10, 2015 This one is Light Blue/Orange or LBLO



Here one chick ready to get back to its mom.

What a Surprise!

February 21 was the evening for the third year for Jekyll Island's Green Screen. Ben Carswell created this wonderful event.  Each year, I bring a poster for my Operation Plover Patrol.   This year the Plover Patrol keep me excited through the worst of the nasty chemo.  Even when I was so weak I could barely move, one of my volunteers would send me a report and I could keep going.  Giving the birds a voice was more important than any treatment.  Also, there were lots of friends sending me notes.  These notes helped me.

      Abby Sterling is studying Wilson's Plovers on the Georgia Coast.  She spent the summer near Barrow, Alaska.  This is one place I really would love to visit.  She sent me pictures from Barrow.  It lifted my mood. 

Here is Abbey Sterling with me at the poster.  This year's poster was put together by Katie Higgins.  It was peach so it popped!   It was so much fun to see all the conservation work going on here on the Georgia Coast. There was one poster that showed how much the south end of Jekyll has grown and change.  The work used a shrimp boat that went down in June of 1996.  Fascinating, I wish I could have looked at it a little longer but there was so much to see and people to talk to around the room.  

    Of course, there was the main event the movie.  Angel Azul is a beautifully filmed story of the coral reef and the people who are working to save it.  But before the film began I got a huge surprise.  I was honored with a Certificate of Appreciation. 

I was floored & humbled. I had no idea that they were going to do that.  Abby told me that they wanted to thank me for the bird conservation work I am trying to do.  It is hard work getting people to listen to these creatures who live with us on this planet and I love giving the birds a voice.   Britt Brown donated her photo of 3 Wilson's Plover chicks.  Hatched then color banded in June 2013.  These chicks were resighted as fledglings.  

Most of the time you will find Great Egrets all by themselves.  They seem content to be quiet and concentrate on the task at hand, fishing. 

 

BUT after a high tide when the marsh pools are filled with tiny trapped fish, it is a free-for-all.  That is what happened this morning.  I was lucky enough to be there. 

 

                                                Some Roseate Spoonbills gather as well. 

                                                   Some fly in, while others fly out.

 

 

Wow! What a treat.

On May the 11th I joined a group from Atlanta Audubon to go out into the mouth of the Altamaha River.  It was a great day of exploring this naturally rich area.  Shorebirds were feasting on horseshoe crab eggs and surf clams. Here is a mixed group Semipalmated Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Dunlins and Short-billed Dowitchers

 Moving on to the north end of Little St. Simons Island, we encountered Dunlins, Dowitchers, Ruddy Turnstones and a Red Knot.

 Here is part of the group enjoying the shorebirds.

 The tide was high so we were able to explore more the area up close.

 For me, the find of the day were 50+ American Avocet in breeding plumage.  Wow!

It is always fair weather when good folks get together.  Go explore!