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UPCOMING PROGRAMS

green heron
Photo by Janet Cook
 
TYLER AUDUBON SOCIETY PROGRAMS
01/10/2012 Owls of East Texas
12/5/2011 Joint Audubon/Native Plant Society Christmas Party
11/8/2011 Birding in the Shadows of the Himalayas: A Trip to Bhutan by Peter Barnes
10/12/2011 Sparrow Identification Workshop
09/13/2011 Member Birding Reports by Cook, Marsey, Scott & Rhodes

5/14/2011

 Summer Picnic
4/4/2011 Ecology of Native Plants and Birds by Glen Olsen
3/26/2011 Tyler State Park - Binoculars donation
2/8/2011 World of Butterflies by David Wolf
1/11/2011 Birds of New Zealand by Stephan Lorenz
12/14/2010 Christmas Party (6:30 PM)
11/6/2010 Longview Outing (Pleasent Hill Area)
10/12/2010 Seabirds of the Bering Sea by Stephan Lorenz
05/11/2010 Summer Picnic
04/13/2010 Forest Folklore and the pioneer uses of Trees by Dr Mike Legg
03/09/2010 Bird Banding by Dr Jim Ingold
02/09/2010 Yvonne Stainback, Curator (Birds and Reptiles) Caldwell Zoo, Tyler
Atwater’s Prairie Chicken Project
01/12/2010 Getting Others involved in Birding by Boyd Sanders, BBA, CIG in place of Summer Birding in Southeast Arizona by Bob Metzler
12/08/2009 Christmas Party with Native Plant Society
11/10/2009 Birding By Ear by Cliff Shackelford
10/13/2009 Bird Photography throughout the year by Andy Long
09/08/2009 Birds of Madagascar by Peter Barnes

TYLER AUDUBON SOCIETY ACTIVITIES

  1. Maintaining the Bird Sanctuary on Langley Island  - Langley Island is a 70 acre island in Lake Tyler.  It was designated a wildlife sanctuary by the city Tyler in 1950.  The Tyler Audubon Society was officially designated the permanent custodian in 1951. The island can be reached only by boat.  Trails on the island are maintained by the Tyler Audubon Society. The island is home to a large heron rookery. No hunting, fire, pets, or picnicking is allowed.  Deer and other wildlife roam the island.
  2. Disseminating information about and supporting sound ecological policy and conservation in East Texas.
  3. Maintaining a Bluebird Trail throughout Smith County.
  4. Compiling and distributing a Bird Checklist for Smith County
  5. Assisting in the compilation of the checklist for Tyler State Park
  6. Supporting Junior Audubon and Audubon Adventure Clubs in the area
  7. Christmas Bird Count for Smith County
  8. Monthly meetings September through May, with programs concerning birds and birding, environmental issues, state and local natural areas
  9. Field Trips
  10. Birding Classes
  11. Social Activities that include an annual Christmas Party with the Tyler Native Plant Society and Spring Picnic
  12. Support local rehabilitator

Jan 2012 Program: Owls of East Texas

Bard Owl
Photo by Ron Cook

Cliff Shackelford of hummingbird fame is the featured speaker this month to share his knowledge of North American owls, especially those in your backyard. Cliff is a 7th generation Texan. He started bird watching at the age of nine in the late 1970s. Cliff is the statewide Nongame Ornithologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department where he’s been employed for almost 15 years. He is the first author of the book Hummingbirds of Texas that was published by Texas A&M University Press. He also has authored over 60 publications on birds with over a dozen appearing in peer-reviewed journals. His roots run deep in the Tyler area. Cliff’s great, great, great, great grandfather, Richard Shackelford Jr. and wife Frances were buried in the historical Smith Cemetery just north of Gresham in 1867 and 1862, respectively. Cliff often visits the family farm which is located near Troup – it has been in the family since ca. 1910.

Tyler Audubon meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of each month Sept through May. We meet at the Pollard United Methodist Church, 3030 New Copeland Road, Tyler Texas. Coffee and socializing at 6:15 pm; Program begins at 6:30 pm and runs to about 8:30 pm. There is no charge. Neither reservations nor active membership are required.

MEETING LOCATION AND DETAILS (Click here for a map and directions.)
 
 
 
   
PAST PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
March
 
February
David Wolf presented the World of Butterflies. David has been an avid birder since childhood days in San Antonio.  He received his Bachelor of Science from SFASU in Nacogdoches, and has made a career of leading Birding Tours with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours since 1977.  He recently discovered new "lifer" possibilities in butterflies, and has quickly become immersed in photographing and identifying these eye-catching insects.
January
Stephan Lorenz returned to Tyler to present birding and traveling in New Zealand. Stephan has published several papers on bird distribution and natural history.  More recently, he has written articles about Alaska experiences for magazines such as Birdwatcher’s Digest and Wildbird. The presentation featured original photographs of many of New Zealand's bird species and interesting landscapes. He touched on extinctions and current conservation successes and briefly mention birding hotspots and logistics for a visit.
October
Tyler Audubon Society was treated to a PowerPoint presentation and remarks from noted Biologist and naturalist, Stephan Lorenz. His topic was Seabirds of the Bering Sea. He elaborated on various research projects focusing on avian ecology and evolution.
February

Zoo mgt & Atwater’s Prairie Chicken Project by Yvonne Stainback
Yvonne Stainback, Curator (Birds and Reptiles) Caldwell Zoo, Tyler gave a presentation on the management issues associated with procuring and caring for the various Birds and Reptiles at the Caldwell Zoo. She had an excellent slide presentation on many of the birds at the Zoo. The success of the Atwater's Prairie Chicken Project is dependent on finding enough suitable habitat here in Texas before this species goes extinct in the wild. Last count there were only 90 birds and the survival rate of reintroduced birds is extremely low .
January
Getting others involved in Birding by Boyd Sanders
The number of visitors to our national parks and local state parks has decreased dramatically. Children are not getting exposed to the experiences associated with camping and the outdoors. Possible causes: the economy, over indulgence in video games , fear associated with letting children out of parent's sight. Discussed needed programs to encourage families to enjoy the outdoors again.
November
Birding by Ear by Cliff Shackelford

Texas Parks and Wildlife Naturalist Clff Shackelford again visited TAS and challenged us to be better birders by acquainting ourselves with the calls of birds in Smith County. His many recordings and personal owl vocalizations made for an enjoyable evening.

October
Bird Photography throughout the year by Andy Long

Naturalist, birder, writer, photographer, and outdoor photography tour guide Andy Long spoke to the Tyler Audubon Society at its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 13. For about an hour, Long took us on a pictorial “tour” of birds he had photographed at multiple sites from to the Antarctic, as well as, various birding sites in several states in the U.S. He conducts photograhy workshops through Firstlight tours and has started a new East Texas Camera Club.
September
    
Birds of Madagascar by Peter Barnes
 
 

  Our own TAS Peter Barnes, birder extraordinaire, delighted us with a presentation of his trip to Madagascar with his two brothers, where he added about 110 new species of birds to his life list. His photos and travelog were amazing. They experienced very  
Helmet Vanga by Chris Barnes
 

rugged territory and lived under rather primitive circumstances. Many of the birds were endemic to Madagascar and their plumage was spectacular. Some of the pictures included in the presentation were of the people and their villages, giving us a bit of cultural and economic knowledge of the country. The photo shows a Helmet Vanga .  Vangas are a family of birds restricted to Madagascar. The most striking feature of the helmet vanga is its large, deep and pale blue bill. This bird is largely black in colour, but the back, rump and central tail feathers are chestnut. . A fluty pepepewpew call is produced.

The Madagascan low-altitude forest favoured by this species is highly threatened by clearance for agricultural demands and timber extraction. The helmet vanga has a very small range; its population is highly fragmented and suffering rapid decline.

We thank Peter for sharing his experiences with us.