Schuy-Rush Audubon

07/25/2016

Since Schuy-Rush Audubon has dissolved their chapter, some of us are starting a birding club. Our first get-together will be at Bob & Becky Jones’s home on Wed Aug 3 at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in birding, small field trips and swapping stories, please join us. Let Lynda Freehill McLaughlin know via Facebook if you might join us. Just send me a message. You don’t have to be a “friend” to send a message to me. Hope to see some of you there. Lynda

04/27/2016

Lynda McLaughlin saw her first hummingbird on Monday April 25. When did you see your first hummer?

03/28/2016

Hello to all.

It has been a long path, but after hearing from most of our members, we will be disbanding the Schuy-Rush Audubon Chapter, effective April 15, 2016. The chapter received its charter in April 1974, 42 years ago. I will be sending Tom Clay the Director at IAS a letter this week.

I do hope that all of our chapter members will find it in their hearts to continue to support IAS. I can tell you that I have seen first-hand how hard the folks at IAS work to help preserve Illinois habitat for all wildlife. The organization often stepped in when no one else would. IAS currently publishes the ONLY Illinois magazine related to the natural resources of Illinois.

The issues with dissolving the chapter mainly deal with our treasury. I have heard from most of you what your wishes are, but certainly would be happy to hear any other ideas. (Refunds gladly given.) I can tell you that several of us are going to join forces with another chapter….most likely Western Prairie in Macomb. We can take money from our treasury to pay dues to another chapter. We also want to continue the reading program and the feeding station and there is enough money in the treasury to do so for quite awhile. Some of you expressed the opinion that we donate more books to the schools or library. That is also doable. Our balance is around $700.

Some of our members want to form a birding club. Those of you who enjoy participating in the various bird counts will be glad to know that there is no reason we can’t continue to do so. None of the bird counts require chapter membership in IAS.

The next step is to form this birding group. Let me hear from you if you are interested and I will plan an organizational get together.
One door closes and another opens!!

All for now,
Carolynn

03/12/2016

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/?__hstc=75100365.30642ef209f2882fe0a96859abf2dbf4.1457790025200.1457790025200.1457790025200.1&__hssc=75100365.2.1457790025200&__hsfp=3143506325 =1.27952633.472144441.1457790019

One hundred years after the extinction of the Passenger Pigeon, the nation’s top bird scientists from conservation groups and agencies have come together again to publish the fifth State of the Birds report.

10/17/2015

A pileated came to say happy birthday to Tom this morning!

09/27/2015

08/09/2015

01/04/2015

So, who's headed to Quincy today? http://www.wgem.com/story/27753897/2015/01/03/once-in-a-lifetime-gull-spotted-in-quincy

Bird enthusiasts from all over the Midwest descended upon Quincy Saturday to get a glimpse of the extremely rare Ivory Gull.

12/30/2014

Schuy-Rush Audubon Meeting Minutes
Saturday Nov 8, 2014

Our fall luncheon was held at Deb & Di’s last Saturday afternoon. Members present were Carolynn Benninghoff, Christa Hall, Bob & Becky Jones, Lynda McLaughlin, Mary McMahon, Don & Janis Wade, and Glen Wuestenfeld. Joyce Williams joined us for our meeting and lunch.

After we ate we shared bird and nature stories and pictures. Becky Jones brought pictures she had taken at Schuy-Rush Lake. Her pictures included an eagle, green heron, pelican, paper wasp and a flying squirrel.

Christa Hall brought pictures of her nature adventures at Mt. Sterling Lake. Besides birds, Christa had turtles, fox, and otters.

Don Wade shared with us his college paper on house wrens. He noted how interesting it was to see the population increases on the part of the wrens. We are very thankful to him for digging up a college document to share with us.

President’s Report
Christmas Bird Count
Carolynn suggested the dates of Saturday Dec 20 or Saturday Jan 3 for the Christmas Bird Count. We decided on Dec 20 and will compile a list of all members who will participate so we can make calls in case bad weather requires us to move the date to January. Please let Lynda (322-2145) know if you are going to count.

2015 Annual Meeting
Saturday Jan 10 we will have our annual meeting which will include a pot luck and election of officers at Benninghoffs. Our meeting will start at 10:00 and lunch will be served at noon.

Illinois Audubon Society (IAS)
We discussed the IAS’ new position that all members of a chapter must also belong to the IAS. We are not sure when it will become effective and will discuss the ramifications, if any, to our chapter as the time approaches. Most of our members already are members of the IAS.

Treasurer's Report
We have $1,092.28 in our checking account.
Expenses:
-We spent $38.53 for books for the 3rd grade reading program.
-Prizes for the children in the reading program were the Natures Yucky books which cost 53.52.
-The taxidermy of the woodcock was $165
-We spent $100 on the Mildred Croxton memorial for the local library.

Dues and donations
Dues brought in last year were $192 and donations were $258. An additional donation was made by Rosemary Unger - $100 for birdseed at the feeding station at Washington School. We also had several donations for the woodcock.

We received a gift of $50 from Judy Robbins in honor of Virginia Benninghoff and Joel Wiseman’s wedding last Sept.

Technologies
Mary talked about January North which is part of www.learner.org. January North is a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. This month they are focusing on the monarch butterfly, reporting the first monarchs of the season have reached Mexico. Get into the site and you can track the migration of birds and animals and report observations.

Carolynn talked about www.ebird.org which is a site where you can record the birds you see, explore maps and share you sightings with the eBird community. The data is gathered and shared with educators and conservation biologists for a better understanding of bird locations across the western hemisphere.

Carolynn also talked about Larkwire, a game-based learning tool for mastering bird sounds. You can get it as an app on your cell phone or log on to www.larkwire.com. This tool is for both beginners and advanced birders. Knowing bird sounds will help you identify birds even when you can’t see them.


Our next meeting will be Saturday, Jan 10 at 10:00 at Benninghoffs, with a potluck at noon.

The Annenberg Space for Photography is a cultural destination dedicated to exhibiting photography in an intimate environment.

04/26/2014

Spring 2014 hummingbird arrival
Let us know when you first see one!

April 22 Marilyn Walters
April 24 Becky Jones
April 25 Joan Sullivan
April 26 Lynda McLaughlin

01/23/2014

Schuy-Rush Audubon Meeting Minutes
Saturday Jan 18, 2014

Our January business meeting was held at Joan Sullivan's last Saturday afternoon. Members present were Carolynn Benninghoff, Mac & Barb Cooper, Christa Hall, Bob & Becky Jones, Lynda McLaughlin, Mary McMahon, Joan Sullivan and Don & Janis Wade. We finished up the meeting with a pot-luck of soups and stews, fruits and veges, crackers, breads, dips and spreads, and finally two scrumptious angel food cakes, one with strawberries & whip cream. It's a good thing we had our business meeting first!

Presidents report for 2013
January - Business meeting at Peace of Earth, Tim & Pat Sullivan
March/April Third grade reading program continues We had 3 winners for most books read.
May: Spring Bird Count
June: Sparrow ID program presented by Dan Moorehouse at the Phoenix Opera House
August: Field trip to the State Museum research Center
September: Bird feeding program for first graders at Washington School
October: Birding at Bob & Becky Jones
November: Fall luncheon at Deb & Di's. Grassland birds program presented by Angella Moorehouse
December: Christmas Bird Count on Dec 14

Treasurer's Report
As of January 23, 2014 we have $1,156.80 in our checking program. Recent expenses were $38.53 for books for the 3rd grade reading program. Upcoming expenses are the taxidermy of the woodcock and the Mildred Croxton memorial for the local library.

Treasurer's Report for 2013
Expenses:
Feb. Book - Natures Vultures $ 9.28
Apr. Indigo Bunting taxitermy $125.00
Apr. Books for reading program $ 40.32
June Sparrow program $ 25.00
July Checks for our account at $ 22.25
Rushville State Bank
Nov. Grassland Birds program $ 30.00
Aug. museum display supplies $ 10.72

Dues - $279 Note: a lot of members round up when they pay their dues and also there is an overlap with 2012 and 2013 depending on when dues were paid. So this number includes more than just dues for 2013.

Donations - $297
We have some very generous supporters. Also donated was a lot of time and energy, suet cakes, bird seed and miscellaneous supplies. We couldn't do this without volunteers.

Membership Report
We have 29 memberships (individual and family). There are usually 3 or 4 more members, but they haven't paid their dues yet. So I'm expecting an increase in the membership number by spring-cleaning time when they find the self-addressed stamped envelope in that pile of papers on their desk!

We want to encourage membership to the Illinois Audubon Society IAS). Not all our chapter members are members of the IAS. The IAS is our parent organization and supply some of our education and resource needs, along with liability insurance. They also have two great publications, the Illinois Audubon Magazine and the Cardinal News that members receive. So we're hoping those Schuy-Rush members that are not members of the IAS will join soon. There is a quota for a chapter's membership to the IAS and so far we have met that number. The long range plan of the IAS is to make membership mandatory.

Here's a link to the IAS membership form --> http://www.illinoisaudubon.org/JOIN/Join.html

Conservation Report
In December Christa found some interesting articles on snowy owls. Read on . . . .
It looks like the the U.S., particularly the Northeast is having a "Snowy Owl Invasion". They have unexpectedly been occurring in high numbers. It seems reasonable to think that some might make it this far.

Here is an interesting article:
http://mag.audubon.org/articles/birds/notes-snowy-owl-invasion

This is an ebird map showing the occurrences this year:
http://ebird.org/ebird/map/snoowl1?neg=true&env.minX&env.minY&env.maxX&env.maxY&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=on&bmo=11&emo=12&yr=cur

Old Business
General Announcements
- Eagle Days at Starved Rock Saturday and Sunday, Jan 25-26 See link for scheduled events --> http://illinoisaudubon.org/PROGRAMSEVENTS/BaldEagleWatchWeekend.html

- The Great Backyard Bird Count Friday, Feb 14 thru Monday, Feb 17. Here's a link to the website with instructions --> http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html

- IAS Spring Gathering will be held in Cook Cointy Fri thru Sunday, April 25-27 See link for more info --> http://illinoisaudubon.org/PROGRAMSEVENTS/SpringGathering.html

First grade bird feeding station - Carolynn donated a supply of suet for our feathered friends winter dining pleasure

Jail Museum project - Last Feb. volunteers dismantled the Audubon display in Jail Museum. It took the rest of 2013 to clean the display area, dust and groom existing specimens, gather and dry native grasses & flowers, install new lighting, redo signage and put everything back together again. We will finish up this Feb. and will have a dedication ceremony sometime in the future.

Christmas Bird Count - The Dec 14, 2013 Christmas Bird Count was a success despite the cold weather. We saw 35 different species for at total of 1,514 birds. A leucistic red-tail hawk was spotted around Schuy-Rush Lake by Bob & Becky Jones. We have a nice bald eagle population in the area as well. A donation of $25 to the CBC program was made in the Schuy-Rush chapter's name.

Woodcock - Last June Mary Jane Busby got the permit and the bird is at the taxidermist. We don't expect to get him back for a while. He will be on display at the Jail Museum when he does come home.

Books for Library - As mentioned above, we will be buying books in Mildred Croxton's memory. At our Nov. meeting, members voted to donate $100 towards books in her name to the Rushville Public Library.

New Business
IBET and eBird -
IBET is an acronym for Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts (a blog). It's fun to get into and read even if you don't participate in blogging.
eBird is part of Cornell Ornithological Lab. and is a place to enter data. Lynda used it a couple of week ago to enter the Eastern Towhee that was in her yard feeding with juncos and goldfinch.

Spring Bird Count
The spring count is Saturday, May 10 this year and Carolynn will be the compiler. We're planning on having a "pre-getting ready" activity in the form of a progressive bird count on Saturday, May 3. We will start at Benninghoff's around 7:30 in the morning (yawn!) that Saturday, then move on to Jones', McLaughlin's and anyone else that wants to show off their birds. If you have trouble id'ing some of the birds in your yard, it's fun to learn from other observers. More info will follow closer to the date.

Third Grade Reading Program
We need volunteers to help with the program; reading to the children, cataloging books, checking books in/out to the children. Please let Carolynn know if you can help. We'll probably purchase more books for the program. Currently we have about 80 books and would like to update our reading library for the children.

Hummingbird Festival
After some chit-chat, we decided to incorporate a wine and cheese fund raiser into our hummingbird festival. The wine and cheese is for the humans, not the hummers. We will most likely have a late afternoon hummingbird festival at the Sullivan's in late July or early August, munching on cheese and crackers, sipping on teas and wines, while keeping a keen eye on the hummingbird feeders. Still very kid-friendly; counting hummingbirds, petting dogs and donkeys, drawing and coloring, and exploring the outdoors.

Events
Field Trip with Western Prairie
Saturday, March 22 the Western Prairie chapter of the IAS will have a field trip along the Mississippi and finish with dinner at Nauvoo. Just let us know if there is an interest in going.

In April there will be a presentation of the life of John James Audubon. We'll give more details as we get them.

Membership
We discussed how much we enjoy the birding and camaraderie in the IAS and our local chapter. We talked about how the ILL Audubon magazine could be improved. Bob Jones suggested snippets about things happening in the state - - along the Mississippi, in our grasslands, and maybe a small touring map identifying areas of interest. Also liked the idea of the magazine featuring different chapters. We'd also like to see an IAS app for smartphones.

Our Nov fall luncheon will be on the second Saturday, Nov 8 2014,

Election of Officers
It was uncontested and unanimous.
President - Carolynn Benninghoff
Vice-President - Mary McMahon
Secretary/Treasurer - Lynda McLaughlin
Conservation Officer - Christa Hall.

01/21/2014

Audubon notes for January 15, 2014
(as seen in the Rushville Times)
The Christmas Bird Count, held on Saturday, December 14th, came the day after a very snowy weather event. As it turned out the birds were plentiful at the feeders and along the roadsides, but the woods were pretty quiet. Owls did not seem to be calling.
The results were as follows: Blue jay 35, Red-bellied Woodpe**er 16, Downy Wood pe**er 18, Hairy Woodpe**er 2, Red-headed Woodpe**er 1, Northern Flicker 1, Dark-eyed Junco 84, Goldfinch 208, House Sparrow 78, Mourning Dove 61, Black-capped Chickadee 19, Tufted Titmouse 23, Northern Cardinal 27, Canada Goose 700, Snow Goose 1, Bald Eagle 6, Red-tailed Hawk 5, Horned Lark 34, White-breasted Nuthatch 10, Bluebird 2, Robin 1, Starling 23, Cedar Waxwing 40, American Tree Sparrow 11, Fox Sparrow 3, White-crowned Sparrow 3, Purple Finch 5, House Finch 10, Brown-headed Cowbird 2, Eurasian Tree Sparrow 5, Field Sparrow 1, American Crow 7, Northern Harrier 2, Common Grackle 20, and Mallard Duck 50. Total species was 35 and the total number of birds was 1514. Considering the deep snow and cold, this was not a bad count.
Unusual sightings included a leucistic (mostly white) red-tailed hawk. This was seen and photographed by Becky Jones. Also of note was that cardinal numbers were down. Usually the snowy weather brings them in to the feeders in good numbers. However, goldfinches 208 flash-mobbed the feeders and Canada geese (700 or so) did not fail to honk the skies and lakes.
Participants in the bird count were Carolynn Benninghoff, Bob and Becky Jones, Tom and Lynda McLaughlin, Joan and John Sullivan, Gene and Sue Strode, Carol Walker, and Joyce Williams. Time for a little “Bird Yolk.” What bird engages in short conversation? Answer at the end of this article.
The Chapter will be meeting on Saturday, January 18th at the home of John and Joan Sullivan. A meeting is scheduled for 9:30 with a pot-luck to follow at 11:30. This will be the annual planning meeting. Please give Joan Sullivan a call at 322-4107 if you plan to attend. The bird engaging in short conversation is the yellow-breasted chat.

12/05/2013

Audubon Notes - Nov 11, 2013
Grassland birds are in trouble. Angella Moorehouse, our guest speaker for the Schuy-Rush Chapter of IAS luncheon, related in her presentation that they are considered a group which falls into the Species in Greatest Need of Conservation (SGNC) category. The Fish and Wildlife Service has required states to set priorities with regard wildlife and habitat. The SGNC is part of setting these priorities.
Obviously, grassland birds have suffered with the loss of their habitat to crop farming, but adding to the problem is the recent loss of fence rows. Fence rows provide a critical habitat area where birds can find shelter and food. One species in particular need of fence rows is the Bobwhite quail. Quail have been on the decline for quite some time.
The main focus of Angella’s presentation was finding and identifying grass land birds. A seemingly quiet field area may, with careful observation, yield some birds. They may be perched on barbwire fencing, high in the top of a solitary tree, the tops of tall but sturdy flowers stalks or along the roadsides, especially in winter when fields are snow-covered.
Some of our more common grassland birds are American goldfinch, Eastern kingbird, Eastern bluebird, mourning dove, horned larks, indigo bunting and killdeer. Some of our less common ones, due to decline include field sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, Henslow’s sparrow, dickcissel, snipe, and upland sandpiper.
Time for a little “Bird Yolk.” What bird is a famous magician? Answer at the end of this article.
The Christmas Bird Count date was set for Saturday, December 14th. Birds must be counted within a 15 mile diameter with the center of the count circle being the junction of 67 and the Camden blacktop. Lynda McLaughlin is again our compiler this year. For more information please call Lynda McLaughlin at 322-2145 or Carolynn Benninghoff at 322-3756.
Our annual planning meeting will be held at the home of Joan and John Sullivan on Saturday, January 18th at 9:30. A potluck luncheon will follow at 11:30.
A bird which is a famous magician is a “merlin.” A merlin is a small, dark falcon.

11/18/2013

Saturday Nov 9, 2013
Schuy-Rush Audubon Meeting Minutes

Our fall luncheon was held at Deb & Di's on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. Members present were Carolynn Benninghoff, Barb & Mac Cooper, Christa Hall, Bob & Becky Jones, Tom & Lynda McLaughlin, Mary McMahon, Nikki Robertson, Joan Sullivan, Don & Janis Wade and Glen & Barb Wuestenfeld. Angella Moorehouse, a botanist and "birder" who works for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, gave a presentation on identifying grassland birds and how to find them. We learned these birds are dependent on grasslands and they are the species in greatest need of conservation.

Sec/Treas. Report
We have $919.33 in our checking account. After depositing dues and donations given at our meeting, we will have $1,110.33.

Membership dues are being collected for the upcoming year. Annual dues are $5 for an individual and $8 for a family. Lynda will get letters out to members who have not yet paid.

Old Business
Our Woodcock is at the taxidermist, waiting to get stuffed! We probably won't get him back for quite a few weeks.

Finishing touches are being put on the Audubon display at the jail museum. This includes Yvette Seal doing the numbers on the picture to key in with species in the display. And David Behymer is hand printing the signage which will connect with the picture key so viewers can determine the names of the plants and animals in the display. We hope to have it done before Christmas. We will have a "ribbon-cutting" ceremony when this is all completed.

New Business
We discussed a way to memorialize one of our charter members, Mildred Croxton, who passed in late September. Members present voted to donate $100 towards books in her name to the Rushville Public Library.

Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
Our chapter will do a count on Saturday Dec 14. Counting should occur in a 7 1/2 mile radius (as the crow flies) of the US67/Camden Blacktop intersection, Rushville. Just 10 to 15 minutes of watching your bird feeders or counting birds as you drive to work can help greatly. If you have any questions about the count, please call Carolynn Benninghoff, 322-3756 or Lynda McLaughlin, 322-2145. And call Lynda, 322-2145, with your count numbers and she'll submit the totals for our group. Please participate, the birds need citizen scientists!
Additional info - - > http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count

The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place Feb 14 thru Feb 17. We encourage everyone of all ages, beginners to experts, to count birds to create a snapshot of where birds are across the continent. You can count for as little as 15 minutes or as long as you like each day of the event.
You can enter your count numbers online - - > http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html

General Discussion and announcements
On Wednesday, November 13, Dr. Thomas Dunstan will present "Our Bald Eagle:Freedom's Symbol Survives" at the La Moine River Ecosystem Partnership Annual meeting. This event will be held at the Phoenix Opera House and is free and open to the public.
Additional info - - > http://events.publicbroadcasting.net/wium/events.eventsmain?action=showEvent&eventID=1445868

Future meetings
We will have a business meeting and a pot-luck at Joan Sullivan's on Saturday, January 18, 2014. Our meeting will start at 9:30 and the lunch at 11:30. If you can't come for the business meeting, please join us for the lunch. We will have an election of officers at this meeting, but no worries . . . . current officers are all running for re-election! (though change is always good)

11/06/2013

Audubon Notes for October 9th issue of the Times
As it turns out, you can have it all….birds, a boat trip, a birthday celebration, great food, camaraderie and weather which, though not perfect, cooperated for the most part. Last Saturday Schuy-Rush Chapter members gathered for a morning of birding at the home of Bob and Becky Jones. We began birding along the shore and in the yard, where we heard and/or saw bluebirds, Carolina wrens, titmice, robins, chickadees, goldfinches, red-bellied woodpe**ers, blue jays, cardinals, mourning doves, phoebes, and a northern flicker. Birding by boat was next. As we cruised the lake our list grew with the addition of a red-headed woodpe**er, Canada geese, great-blue herons, an egret, rough-winged swallows, tree swallows, turkey vultures, several blue-winged teal, a belted kingfisher and an osprey.
Sometimes birding thrills come of just being in the right place at the right time and so it was with one particular species which literally popped up just as we were heading back to shore. Its presence was quite a finale and brings us to a time for a little bird “yolk.” What bird is crazy? Answer at the end of this article.
The osprey gave quite a performance. We watched as on more than one occasion it dived into the water to catch fish, successfully. The osprey glided ahead of us, allowing us to get close, but scolding if we were too close.
At one point on our trip we spied a tree weighed down with vultures. Maybe trees need tenement codes? Bob mentioned that it is a common roost and if you visit the base of the tree, it is literally whitened from the bird excrement. Bird identification is only part of the birding experience. Observing bird behavior and habits is just as rewarding.
The highlight of our potluck meal was the celebration of Barb Cooper’s birthday. The cake of choice was of course angel food. One of our members is famous for her angel food cakes. We also enjoyed an excellent jalapeno and cream cheese dip. We mixed a bit of recipe chatter with the bird chatter, proving that one does not live by birding alone.
As of Saturday, October 5th the reports were that hummingbirds are still moving through. Several members reported they still have a few at their feeders. The website “Journey North,” http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/Maps.html collects data from individuals all over the world. It contains maps and lists of varied wildlife sightings sent in by anyone who cares to do so. Of particular interest now are the sightings still being reported for the hummingbirds. If you are still seeing hummers let us know.
What bird is crazy? While there is more than one bird whose name implies this (cuckoo and raven), our grand finale was the common loon. Loons neither breed nor spend winters in Illinois, but they do migrate through. If you live near water you may have been treated to its call, sometimes described as haunting or eerie or melancholy, but always unforgettable.
Our next gathering is the fall luncheon at noon on Saturday, November 9th at Deb and Di’s. Our guest speakers are Dan and Angella Moorehouse. Please make your reservations with Carolynn Benninghoff by calling 217-322-3756. New members are welcome.