By Georgann Schmalz It was a Northern Parula. Definitely a Northern Parula. I knew some birds’ voices pretty well in 1960's and '70s, the songs and chip notes of robins, crows, blue jays, cardinals. But what I didn’t realize was how important, if not magical and awesome, those songs were. This little warbler, just him, caught my ear in the midst of a cacophony of other spring migrants that were singing loudly. Wow, I thought, these birds are all yelling their IDs to me without my seeing them. I tuned in to another song and the next and the next. Over time it became my compelling behavior, enough to enable me to share the birding by ear process for more than 45 years. I began to understand that 90% of birding is half listening (sorry, Yogi Berra). Historically, in the field techniques have changed, albeit slowly in those 45 years. How often have we imagined a convenient way to isolate songs, play them back for study, dissect them with their song characteristics. I remember returning home after many field trips and immediately listening to the LP records by Donald J. Borror, searching for the songs I had heard hours before. The vinyl evolved into plastic reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes. As cumbersome as they were, at least we could take cassettes players into the field with us! And then, came the holy CDs. Digital recordings at our fingertips, no rewinding tapes, no waste of time. In 1999, we had the Blackberry 10 devices, which then begat iOS and Android platforms. By this time, we were all thinking that what we really needed was a handheld device that had not only songs, but also photos, range maps, descriptions — in other words, an app field guide with instant information and gratification on a handheld device with speakers and microphones and just throw in a camera and phone for the heck of it. Enter the new kid in town: the Merlin app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Originally known for its visual identification of birds, it became an audio recognition of songs and chips in 2022. Merlin identifies bird sounds using computer learning technology to recognize species based on spectrograms or sonograms — visual representations of sounds. For Merlin to learn to recognize a species by sound, it uses audio recordings from the Macaulay Library that include a variety of sounds for each species to “train” Merlin’s "ears." Sound ID is currently available for more than 1,000 species and will be expanded in the future to include species world wide. To do that, the Cornell Lab team needs a minimum of 150 sound recordings for each species. You can help to add new species to Merlin by recording the birds and uploading them with your eBird checklists. The other day, I wanted to see just how Merlin was doing, ear to ear. I chose an early morning location with many birds singing. During the three-minute test, I identified every bird that Merlin did, but I heard a few more birds than it did. I’m not saying that I’m better than Merlin, but there are a few things to be cautious about:
For many years I’ve helped (I hope) beginning birders to learn bird songs. Yet, I’m constantly incorporating new methods, ideas, and skills into my latest recommended techniques. And now, I find myself telling friends and even complete strangers about Merlin. Their world will never be the same again! For more information on using Merlin, visit http://support.ebird.org, Help Center, Merlin Bird ID.( https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/)
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Red-headed Woodpecker, White Ibis, Swallow-tailed Kite. Photos by Stephen Ramsden. Submitted via electronic mail on 6/28/23
June 28 2023 Jonathan Putnam Office of International Affairs National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Room 2415 Washington, DC 20240 jonathan_putnam@nps.gov Re: U.S. Nominations to the World Heritage List; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge [88 Fed. Reg. 37,270 (June 7, 2023); NPS-WASO-OIA-DTS-35557] Dear Mr. Putnam, On behalf of Georgia Audubon members across the state, we are writing today to encourage you to nominate the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. At a time when the Nation’s wetlands are more at risk than they have been in decades, nominating the Okefenokee—the largest blackwater wetland ecosystem in North America—would send a strong signal of the Biden Administration’s commitment to protecting and honoring these critical ecosystems. As outlined in this letter, the Okefenokee is a world-renowned wetland that unquestionably deserves to be the next U.S. nomination to the World Heritage List. The Okefenokee Swamp’s 438,000 acres are a diverse ecosystem that provides critical habitat for both resident and migratory bird populations, as well as many other plant and animal species. A recent study published in the journal Science revealed that we have lost more than three billion birds since 1970. Georgia Audubon’s mission is to build places where birds and people thrive. We fulfill our mission through education, conservation, and community engagement. With more than 2,300 members and more than 5,000 National Audubon Society members from across the state, Georgia Audubon represents a broad constituency united by a desire to protect birds and other wildlife. Our constituents include Georgia residents, frequent visitors, and concerned citizens who understand the significance of the Okefenokee Swamp to the more than 200 bird species, including Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Wood Storks, Bachman’s Sparrows, and many other bird species that winter, breed, migrate through, or live year-round in the Okefenokee Swamp. Georgia Audubon is also a proud member of the Okefenokee Protection Alliance. As the Alliance explained in comments submitted in January 2021, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge should be the United States’ next nomination because it demonstrates Outstanding Universal Value that deserves international acclaim and protection. Okefenokee is one of the world’s largest naturally driven freshwater systems and is also the source of two rivers. It is world-renowned for its wildlife diversity, which is supported by a mosaic of habitats ranging from diverse wetlands to stately longleaf pine uplands. The Refuge offers essential habitat to thousands of species, including 48 species of mammals, 200 species of birds, 33 species of fish, 101 species of reptiles and amphibians, and as many as 1,000 species of moths. Some of these species, like the red-cockaded woodpecker, eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, and alligator snapping turtle, are rare and endangered. Beneath the Okefenokee’s dark waters lie deep, undisturbed peat formations that preserve critically valuable information about environmental conditions over the past 5,000 years. The Okefenokee Swamp is also part of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation ancestral homeland with great cultural significance. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s Outstanding Universal Values are in an exceptionally good state of conservation and adequately protected as part of a National Wildlife Refuge and Congressionally designated Wilderness Area. Thus the Okefenokee clearly meets the World Heritage Committee’s requirements for Integrity and Protection. Furthermore, the Refuge and a nonprofit private partner, Okefenokee Swamp Park, are ready to prepare a nomination, and the Alliance and its organizational members, including Georgia Audubon, remain prepared to offer our collective knowledge, expertise, and resources in furtherance of those efforts. The Alliance is also dedicated to continued advocacy for conservation and protection of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Indeed support for protecting the Okefenokee has only grown over the last few years. From the local gateway communities around the Refuge to visitors from around the world, more than 150,000 comments have been sent to government officials at the local, state, and federal level in support of protecting the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Likewise, the United States is in a stronger position to improve relations with the World Heritage Committee by paying dues and arrearages. Late last year Congress passed the Fiscal Year 2023 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, which provided robust funding for the State Department’s Contributions to International Organizations budget, which may be used to fund UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee. Congress also authorized the President to waive longstanding restrictions on contributions to UNESCO. In early June, a delegation of U.S. diplomats delivered a letter to UNESCO seeking readmission in July and committing to repay membership arrearages over the ensuing years. Given Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge’s qualifications—and the Refuge’s readiness to prepare a nomination—we urge the National Park Service Office of International Affairs to promptly authorize the preparation of a World Heritage nomination for the Refuge. Thank you for your consideration. Should you require any additional information, please reach out to me via email at Jared.Teutsch@georgiaaudubon.org. Sincerely, Jared Teutsch Executive Director by Gabe Andrle, Habitat Program Manager
Recently, Georgia Audubon’s habitat team loaded up tools, supplies, and food onto a local fishing guide’s boat for a trip up the Chattahoochee River to Buzzard Roost Island in Fulton County. The team set out to begin work on one of five sites the team will be working on as part of the greater Chattahoochee RiverLands, an initiative of the Trust for Public Land connecting greenspaces from Lake Lanier to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. The trip up the river included sightings of Wood Ducks, cormorants, and migrants like Northern Parula and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, along with the elusive American mink. The five sites the team will be working on will be part of a camp and paddle trail that will allow folks to paddle from Standing Peachtree Park in Atlanta to McIntosh Reserve in Carroll County and camp along the way. With the Chattahoochee being an incredibly valuable resource for migratory birds, Georgia Audubon is excited to be able to provide habitat restoration and improvement services to this initiative. In addition to the work at Buzzard Roost, the team has begun woody-invasive plant management at Campbellton Park, in Chattahoochee Hills. The park is a great place for migratory warblers and a favorite Bird Fest event locale. The Campbellton Park project, combined with an additional project at RiverLands Park, will allow more public access to the river. To help with this new and exciting work, the team has welcomed a new Habitat Program Coordinator, Sebastian Hagan, and Logan Jones, habitat program specialist. Both team members have hit the ground running, helping out with field work and volunteer workdays at other restoration sites. At the Island Ford Unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) the team has been enjoying the spectacle of more than 500 recently-installed native plants coming to life. In recent weeks, the team has transitioned from planting into management of the space with the help of many volunteers. This wonderful, small Georgia Audubon-certified pollinator garden outside of the visitor center is the perfect place to connect with pollinators and native plants. We hope that folks will be able to emulate some of what they see in this garden in their own yards, gardens, or greenspaces and get certified through our Wildlife Sanctuary Program. Flying south, the team is gearing up for more site preparation and invasive plant management on Jekyll Island to build on the maritime grassland work the team has already started in partnership with the Jekyll Island Authority, Coastal Georgia Audubon, and others. During a January 2023 volunteer workday, staff and dozens of volunteers installed more than 30,000 native muhly grass plugs to jumpstart the valuable grassland and pollinator habitat. With the support of the Georgia Ornithological Society, Georgia Audubon is working on a few more acres of connected habitat to strengthen the connectivity and quality of the unique coastal grassland that hosts Loggerhead Shrikes, American Kestrels, Painted Buntings, and a variety of other migratory species. In addition, the habitat team continues to work on sites such as Panola Mountain State Park’s native meadows and riparian forests, the Little Creek Horse Farm’s pollinator meadow, and others. Be on the lookout for more volunteer opportunities in the coming months to get connected with our new sites and revisit and learn about our current sites. To learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities and habitat restoration workdays, please visit our volunteer page. Happy Birding! By Steve Phenicie Whip-poor-wills aren’t always terribly popular with the sleeping bag crowd at campgrounds. Sure, their bucolic calls are a pleasure to hear while sitting around the campfire, but when they are still “whip-poor-willing” long after it’s time for some shuteye, well … A patient observer once counted 1,088 “whip-poor-wills” in rapid succession. After a night of delivering its trademark call, the bird sleeps on the forest floor or on a horizontal log or branch during the day. You’re unlikely to detect one, however, because they prefer to sit motionless. Whip-poor-wills are a mottled brown-gray overall with black flecking, a reddish tinge on rounded wings, a black throat, and a long, rounded tail. They measure nine or 10 inches long and prefer open deciduous and pine woodlands, often along forest edges. They don’t build nests but often lay their eggs, typically a clutch of two, in leaf or pine litter along the edge of a clearing under herbaceous plan growth. For food, they catch large, night-flying insects in flight – mostly moths, beetles, and mosquitoes. The bird is a common summer breeding resident in the northern part of Georgia, although it can also be found farther south. Overall, they breed throughout the eastern half of the U.S. north of the Peach State as well as in southern Canada. Many spend the winter in the Southeast, in areas where Chuck-will's-widows are resident in summer. Others migrate to Central America and Mexico; a few show up in the Caribbean. Their numbers appear to have decreased over much of their range in recent decades. The reasons are not well understood, but one possibility is a general reduction in the numbers of large moths and beetles. Open-understory forests, which they like, are also being lost as forest is converted to crops, pasture, or urbanization, and fire suppression leads to dense understories. Also, because whip-poor-wills often fly over roads or sit on roadways while foraging, they are vulnerable to collisions with cars. Some cool facts about whip-poor-wills:
Community Science Alert: Help Georgia Audubon Survey for Chuck-will’s-widows This Summer4/13/2023 By Lauren Bowman Clontz, Coastal Conservation Coordinator
Georgia’s birds face a number of challenges, ranging from habitat loss and degradation, collisions with structures, pesticide use, climate change, and more. Some of the most unique, secretive, and compelling of Georgia’s birds facing these threats are the nightjars. There are three species of nightjars in Georgia: The Chuck-will’s-widow, or “Chucks”, Eastern Whip-poor-will, and the Common Nighthawk. While all three of these species are worthy of conservation action and increased engagement, Georgia Audubon has chosen the Chuck-will’s-widow as our focal species for 2023-2025. A bird that is heard far more often than seen, the Chuck-will’s-widow sings out its namesake song across the Georgia landscape on late spring and summer nights. Very little is known about this elusive, nocturnal species, in part, because they are notoriously difficult to locate. Their mottled brown plumage provides perfect camouflage as they roost during daylight hours among dried leaves and tree branches. Despite their widespread nature across the state, little is known about what attracts them to various habitats. Learning the habitat preferences of Chucks will be key to figuring out how to make Georgia more hospitable for them in addition to lesseing well-known threats. Over the next few years, Georgia Audubon, in collaboration with multiple partners including the University of Georgia, hopes to help fill in some of the gaps about this species and create more suitable habitat to help these birds thrive. We will accomplish this by investing resources and expertise into restoring native habitat, assisting with Chuck-will’s-widow focused research projects, and engaging the public in order to gain a better understanding of statewide population numbers and migratory behavior. To encourage Audubon members and the public to become involved with community science and Chuck conservation, we are promoting the Nightjar Survey Network program run by the Center for Conservation Biology. While a robust nationwide program, there is currently little data being reported across Georgia. It is time we change this and do our part to help our secretive summer singer! Nightjar Surveys This spring, Georgia Audubon will begin coordinating nightjar surveys across Georgia. We are recruiting volunteers to conduct survey routes with the Nightjar Survey Network. These routes are conducted roadside by a personal vehicle and involve point-counts. Point count surveys are when an observer counts all birds detected by sight and sound while stationary at location during a specified amount of time. Nightjar Survey routes are standardized population counts consisting of 10 roadside stops/point counts. Each of the 10 roadside stops along a route are spaced approximately one-mile apart. When: Routes should be conducted on a clear, full-moon night during either of the following windows:
For additional information or to sign-up, please contact Lauren Clontz: Lauren.clontz@georgiaaudubon.org. Learn more about our species of concern on our website! Reporting Incidental Sightings is valuable, too Can’t quite find the time to commit to a formal survey but want to help? Do you occasionally encounter Chuck-will's-widow or one of the other nightjar species? You can still contribute valuable data on their abundance and distribution by adding your sightings of chucks and other birds to eBird. eBird volunteers If you are an eBird user, we would appreciate any effort you can put towards detecting Chuck-will’s-widows and their nightjar brethren. All you are asked to do as a volunteer is to go outside approximately 20 minutes after sunset and listen for the species distinctive calls. Birds generally begin calling about 30 minutes after sunset and continue until it gets too dark to see their prey but can call throughout the entire night. At the beginning of your search, either start a new mobile eBird checklist or take notes on date, time, and location so that your sightings can be submitted at a later time. Traveling, stationary, and incidental checklists all are valuable as is noting any and all species seen or heard. If you hear any nightjars and feel comfortable doing so, adding an audio recording to your list would provide extra value. During the breeding season, Chuck-wills-widows tend to favor open areas with sandy soils, open pine forest, oak woodlands, and the edges of swamps. However we lack robust data on this and they could be just about anywhere. You never know what you may find until you get out to look and listen! If you are new to eBird or need a refresher, visit their introduction webpage or email Lauren Clontz at Lauren.clontz@georgiaaudubon.org. The eighth annual Georgia Bird Fest will return this spring with more than 40 events between April 22 and May 21. Join fellow nature and bird enthusiasts for exciting field trips, workshops, and other events to celebrate and enjoy Georgia’s exciting spring migration period. Participation in Georgia Bird Fest provides critical support for Georgia Audubon’s conservation, education, and community engagement programs.
Georgia Bird Fest includes events across Georgia, from the mountains to the coast, including both in-person and virtual events and workshops. Some of the event highlights for Georgia Bird Fest 2023 include past favorites such as a behind-the-scenes tour of Zoo Atlanta’s bird collection; beginning and advanced nature photography workshops; a Shorebird Weekend on the Georgia coast; a Warbler Weekend in North Georgia; a trip to Phinizy Swamp near Augusta; an overnight stay at the Len Foote Hike Inn in Dawsonville; and trips to other birding hot spots across the state. We’ll also be debuting new events this year, including an accessible canoe trip at the Chattahoochee Nature Center and a Nightjars after Dark experience in Glynn County. Some of this year’s virtual offerings include Birding 101, Warbler ID, Raptor ID, and a Building Your Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary webinar. The 2023 Georgia Bird Fest will wrap up with a special event on Sunday, May 21, at Round Trip Brewing Company, featuring David Lindo, “The Urban Birder.” Mr. Lindo, inspires people to re-look at their urban environments, where over 20% of the globe’s bird species have been recorded, sometimes without us noticing. His keynote address will challenge us to appreciate and conserve the birds that share our city lives. Mr. Lindo is the author of The Urban Birder, Tales From Concrete Jungles, #Urban Birding, How To Be An Urban Birder, and The Extraordinary World of Birds. He was recently named as the 7th most influential person in wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine. Registration for Georgia Bird Fest events is now open. For more information or to view a full schedule of events, please visit https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/birdfest.html. Georgia Audubon would like to thank the following event sponsors: Georgia Forestry Foundation, Bonsai Leadership Group, Southwire, HGOR, and Jekyll Island Authority. About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement. Georgia Audubon has been awarded a Bill Terrell Avian Conservation Grant from the Georgia Ornithological Society in the amount of $42,049.25 for a bird-friendly maritime grassland restoration project on Jekyll Island. This grant will enable Georgia Audubon to restore a minimum of three acres of maritime grassland habitat with native grasses and perennials to support migratory and resident birds.
Georgia Audubon is partnering with the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA), UGA Marine Extension & Sea Grant Program, and Coastal Georgia Audubon Society on this project. The JIA is providing guidance on restoration site selection, ground reconnaissance, restoration/long-term site maintenance services, and assistance with work permitting. Coastal Georgia Audubon will assist in recruiting volunteers for the habitat restoration work and lead community bird walks at the project site. Georgia Audubon is also partnering with the UGA Marine Extension & Sea Grant Program via a coastal fellow who will oversee all community engagement and outreach activities at this site. These three acres are in addition to nine acres of restoration currently underway or already complete thanks to funding from other sources, bringing the total project area to more than 10 acres. The project goals are to improve habitat currently overrun by non-native plants and protect dune areas of Jekyll Island to make them more resilient and ecologically rich. As part of the project, Georgia Audubon’s habitat restoration crew and volunteers will remove non-native invasive plant species from the project site, primarily Bahia Grass (Paspalum notatum) and Bermuda Grass (Cynodon dactylon). This will be followed by an installation of new native plant vegetation, including approximately 15,000 native coastal grasses, primarily Muhlenbergia sericea. This species is not only an ecological anchor for this rare habitat, but it is also a culturally significant plant used by the Gullah and Geechee people for basket weaving. Maritime grassland restoration is a globally rare endeavor, and most published dune restoration projects to date have occurred outside of the United States. This project will serve multiple functions: (1) conservation of a rare and declining habitat; (2) stabilization from wind and storm events just beyond the embryo dunes; (3) promotion of vegetated grassland habitat with enhanced ecological function such as refugia, forage, pollination, etc.; (4) sustainability of the habitat; and, finally (5) public education, to promote awareness of threats facing dune habitats and the wildlife and flora that inhabit grassland dunes. Finally, Georgia Audubon’s efforts to monitor bird populations along the coast will help us gain a better understanding of where future conservation efforts are most critically needed and how we can create stronger partnerships to ensure long-term conservation success. “Georgia Audubon is excited to expand our habitat restoration work on Jekyll Island thanks to this grant from the Georgia Ornithological Society,” says Adam Betuel, director of conservation for Georgia Audubon. “This project builds on successful past and ongoing restoration work with the Jekyll Island Authority and deepens our ongoing partnership enabling us to build more ecologically productive space in a threatened habitat that experiences high levels of public visitation." One of Georgia’s barrier islands, Jekyll Island is notable for its pristine beaches, tidal salt marshes, and dense coastal forests. The natural features include quiet beaches where endangered sea turtles nest, critical "stopover" habitat for migrating shorebirds, and an abundance of maritime forest for millions of migrating birds, butterflies, and dragonflies. Tidal creeks and salt marshes border the island on its western side, while a rim of dynamic dunes, beaches, and the Atlantic Ocean border the eastern side. Jekyll Island, along with Georgia's twelve other barrier islands, protect valuable salt marshes, which represent 28 percent of all salt marsh habitat along the U.S. eastern seaboard. About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement. (www.georgiaaudubon.org) About the Jekyll Island Authority: The Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) is a self-supporting state entity responsible for the overall management and stewardship of Jekyll Island. The JIA oversees the conservation and management of Jekyll Island and has set up parameters to protect the island’s ecosystem while ensuring it remains an inviting destination for visitors. As stewards of Jekyll Island’s past, present, and future, the JIA is dedicated to maintaining the delicate balance between nature and humankind. (www.jekyllisland.com) Guest column, by Marlene Koslowsky (Marlene is a Georgia Audubon member, birder, and amateur photographer who lives in Fayette County) Today is the day after the annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) for 2023. It’s my 11th time participating, my first was in 2013. Way back then, when I saw something somewhere about the GBBC, I said, "Hmm. I could do that." I’d never used eBird before. Ha! I’d never seriously looked at the birds in my own backyard before. But I had the time, and thought, "What do I have to lose? Maybe I’ll learn something." Eleven years later, bird by bird, I’ve grown to totally love something so simple as watching birds, and all they are, and all they do. I am an amateur photographer and have honed those skills with birds in mind, enough that I’ve had a few photos published. I am quite proud of that. But more than that, I now have a relationship with nature I never had before. It’s like my eyes are suddenly open. It’s not that I never noticed, but I totally took my natural surroundings for granted. Each birding experience is a treasure. Because of my photos, I have a souvenir – several – from each outing. Better still, I have personal experiences with each bird I see. I don’t remember every encounter, but I do remember a lot of them. These are buried inside my head and heart and have touched my soul in a way never expected. The GBBC may not offer prestige or fame. But it may open a door, a door a person may not know was never closed in the first place. I hope to be around for a few more of these. I am grateful. Thank you, Cornell Labs, who came up with this fabulous event for every single one of us. by Steve Phenicie
If you’ve ever watched the old TV program M*A*S*H, you probably remember that Corporal Max Klinger’s favorite baseball team was the Toledo Mud Hens. Mud Hen is another name for the American Coot, but calling your team the Toledo American Coots wouldn’t sound very catchy, would it? These plentiful birds are found throughout much of North America, including the marshes along Lake Erie near Toledo, Ohio, and sportswriters are thought to have assigned the nickname to the baseball team. In much of the Southeast, they are present only in the winter. To the casual observer, they might appear to be ducks, but their chicken-like bills are not like those of ducks, and their feet are not webbed, having lobes at the ends of the toes. These plump, dark gray water birds have round black heads, very short tails, and a sloping bill. They’re found in ponds, lakes, and marshes; in winter, they also show up in fields and salt bays. For breeding season they require fairly shallow fresh water with much marsh vegetation. At other seasons they may be in almost any aquatic habitat. Migrants sometimes are seen out at sea some distance from land. Coots sometimes gather in winter flocks of several thousand and mix with other waterfowl. They eat mainly plant material as well as algae, insects, tadpoles, fish, worms, snails, crayfish, prawns, and eggs of other birds. Sometimes they steal food from other birds, including ducks. Their nest site is among tall marsh vegetation in shallow water. The nest, built by both sexes, is a floating platform of dead cattails, bulrushes, and sedges, lined with finer material and anchored to standing plants. Several similar platforms may be built, with only one or two used for nesting. Coots very aggressively defend their nesting territory, and the female typically lays from six to 11 eggs. Incubation of 21 to 25 days is by both sexes. The young can swim well soon after hatching; at night, they are brooded on a nest-like platform built by the male. The young are able to fly when about seven to eight weeks old. Some places in Georgia you might see them are Harris Neck and Savannah national wildlife refuges, both near Savannah; Phinizy Swamp in Augusta; E.L. Huie in Clayton County; Lake Seminole WMA near Bainbridge; Altamaha WMA in Darien (Butler Island specifically); Paradise Public Fishing Area east of Tifton; Reed Bingham State Park at Adel in Cook County; and West Point Lake Dam. Some cool facts about the American Coot:
by Dottie Head, Director of Communications
Georgia Audubon was recently awarded a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to increase public awareness of the importance of bird-friendly native plants and to promote voluntary actions to reduce the spread of invasive plants through statewide expansion of the Plants for Birds Program and increasing invasive plant species monitoring throughout the state. “Georgia Audubon is delighted to receive this grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to expand our efforts to educate Georgians about the interconnectedness of healthy native plant habitat and overall environmental health,” says Jared Teutsch, Georgia Audubon executive director. “Our ecosystems depend on birds, and birds depend on the resources provided by native plants. When an ecosystem is not functioning for birds, it is or soon will be detrimental to people, too.” As part of this project, Georgia Audubon will promote voluntary actions to reduce the spread of invasive plants through targeted education, outreach, and monitoring campaigns through the statewide expansion of our Native Plants for Birds Program. With a history of building public support for bird-friendly native plants, Georgia Audubon is a leading partner for the nationwide Plants for Birds initiative, spearheaded by the National Audubon Society, which has a goal of adding one million native plants to our greenspaces through native plant sales, habitat restoration, and public education. To date, Georgia Audubon has distributed or planted 57,876 native plants in Georgia. The spread of non-native invasive plant species greatly contributes to native habitat degradation. Despite this, invasive plants are readily sold at large nurseries throughout Georgia, which further exacerbates the problem. Implementing efforts to limit the transport, propagation, and sale of invasive plant species would be hugely beneficial, but in order to do so, the list of recognized invasive species in the state of Georgia needs updating. The Georgia Exotic Plant Pest Council is the body in charge of officially listing invasive plants threatening native habitat in Georgia. The purpose of the Georgia EPPC Invasive Plant List is to identify and categorize plants that pose threats to natural areas in Georgia. The invasive plant list is divided into four categories, with one (1) being the most invasive and four (4) being the least invasive. Unfortunately, detailed distribution information does not exist for many species, making it difficult to rank plants adequately. As part of this grant, Georgia Audubon volunteers will be leveraged to help fill in data gaps of the Georgia EPPC Invasive Species List to make the list more robust and provide better guidance for plant growers and retailers. In addition, Georgia Audubon will utilize its Wildlife Sanctuary Program as a way to encourage property owners to fill their landscapes with native plants and remove or control non-native invasive species. The Wildlife Sanctuary Program recognizes individuals who are providing critical wildlife habitat and creating healthy habitats for wildlife and people. To date, Georgia Audubon has certified more than 700 properties as Wildlife Sanctuaries. Finally, Georgia Audubon will continue to increase native plantings through the management of large-scale ecological restoration projects across the state with partners like the Georgia State Parks system, land trusts, city parks, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other nonprofit organizations. These projects remove invasive plant species, engage the public in monitoring birds and other wildlife on the project sites, and restore the areas with native plants. Each property—whether one of our managed restoration projects or a certified Wildlife Sanctuary—is a patch of restored habitat in the frayed fabric of the ecosystem in which it lies. By educating about and landscaping with native plants, Georgia Audubon is working to turn a patchwork of green spaces into a quilt of restored habitat across the state. “Georgia is facing a significant loss of our favorite bird species due to habitat loss and degradation, climate change, pesticide use, and other factors. Statewide, 23 percent—or 58 of Georgia’s 254 bird species—are vulnerable,” says Teutsch. “As the largest statewide organization connecting people with birds and healthy habitats, Georgia Audubon can play a critical role in promoting responsible, voluntary behaviors that can slow the spread of invasive plants...all through the lens of birds.” For more information about the Richard King Mellon Foundation, visit https://www.rkmf.org/. For more information on Georgia Audubon, visit https://www.georgiaaudubon.org/. About the Richard King Mellon Foundation: Founded in 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation is the largest foundation in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and one of the 50 largest in the world. The Foundation’s 2021 year-end net assets were $3.4 billion, and its Trustees in 2021 disbursed $152 million in grants and program-related investments. The Foundation focuses its funding on six primary program areas, delineated in its 2021-2030 Strategic Plan. About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement. |
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