DEC 2006

VOLUME XXXV, NUMBER 9

The Newsletter of the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Choctawhatchee It is that time of the year again!  
Duck Rescue Network 2
Audubon Society Time to plant trees!  
November Bird Walk Recap 2 Christmas Bird
3
Count  Every year community volunteers join with Jackson Guard to 
Vists with Wolves! plant trees within our watersheds. The trees stabilize the soil 
and reduce the erosion that enters our streams and smothers 
Conservation Corner 3 The Choctawhatchee Audu- fragile habitat.  The trees also help restore degraded areas to 
bon Society will conduct the natural, forested conditions.  Below is a schedule of planting 
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: annual Choctawhatchee Bay dates and times.  Due to last minute mission scheduling, there 
Christmas Bird Count is a possibility that one or more plantings will be postponed or 
rescheduled for later in the day (if you are signed up, we will 
CAS monthly meetings are held (CBC) on Monday, Decem- notify you of this change). Most of the plantings will not last 
the first Thursday of each ber 18, 2006. Volunteers are the entire time that has been allotted, but just in case… 
month (August to May) at 6:30
PM at OWC Niceville Learning needed to assist experienced  
Resources Center (LRC), leaders as recorders or spot- What you can expect to do on your volunteer day:
Room 131. Non members are 1. Work with JG’s erosion control geologist, Sandy Piz‐
welcome. ters; no experience neces- zolato
sary. This is the 107th an- 2. Operate a gas powered tiller/weed eater/ shovel to clear 
December Program: nual winter count since orni- vegetation and roots in a 3’ diameter area where we will plant 
individual trees (we have 6 sites this year and each site has 
CHRISTMAS PARTY! Dec 14 thologist Frank Chapman, in between 130‐150 trees that will be planted).
Our December Program will be
the Christmas Party, which will
1900, proposed that counting 3. Spread mulch/pine straw or distribute bags of mulch or 
be held at Defuniak Springs birds should replace the cus- bales of straw that will be spread later after the planting
Chautauqua Building on
December 14th 6-9 pm. Pot
tom of shooting birds during  
What you will need to bring with you for the day:
Luck Dinner, Christmas Bird the holidays. Now over Dress in layers (depending on the weather) Long pants and 
Count slide presentation, and
Christmas light display viewing.
55,000 volunteers from all close‐toed shoes are required!!! Hat, sunglasses Chapstick
Bring your Friends! There will 50 states, the Canadian Bug Spray (for the occasional gnat or mosquito), Lunch
be door prizes and a silent Provinces, and parts of Cen- Water container (we will provide ice water) Work gloves
auction with various nature gifts   
and certificates for eco-trips. tral and South America, the Saturday, December 9th, 0800 ‐ 1530 
Please RSVP at CAS website West Indies, and some Pa- Monday, January 15th, 0800– 1530 
or call Thelma Phillips at 651-
0508. cific Islands participate. Friday, January 19th, 0800 – 1530 (Arbor Day)
Compilers enter their count Sunday, January 28th, 1230 – 1700
Fieldtrips & More: Friday, February 9th, 0800 – 1530 
data into a massive database Monday, February 19th, 0800 – 1530 
Eglin Debris Survey— Dec
16th Volunteer with Erica that can be accessed by spe-                  
Schnarr at 850-883-1177 for cies or location. See Sandy Pizzolato, Jackson Guardʹs erosion control geologist, 
the National Debris Monitoring will be on hand to explain erosion control projects and their 
Program www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.
effects on the environment. If you are interested in joining us 
December 2– Bird walk to The primary objective of the for a day of rewarding outdoor work please respond by email 
Niceville Valparaiso Area.
Meet at Niceville Badcock CBC is to monitor the status to sign up. We will need between 15‐20 volunteers each plant‐
parking lot. Pat Baker 678- and distribution of bird ing day, so please spread the word.
2953  
December 18– FWB area populations which is vital Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon!
Christmas Bird Count. To for conservation efforts. To  
volunteer call Donald M. Ware
862-6582 help in the Count or for Erica Schnarr
January 13—Bird walk in more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator
Bluewater Bay, Lake Pippin Eglin AFB Natural Resources
area. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Donald Ware at 862-6582 or (850) 883‐1177
Winn Dixie. Phil & Carol
Goodyear 897-2666 [email protected]. [email protected]

CAS is dedicated to the protection of bird and wildlife habitat, environmental education, and a greater appreciation of Northwest Florida’s natural beauty.
Page 2 VOLUME XXXV, NUMBER 9

ness of these novel purchases fade, and as Contact information:

they become big and “messy,” many will Duck Rescue Network
inevitably make the car trip to a pond or lake
to "fend for themselves.” A few, very lucky http://www.duckrescuenetwork.org
ones, will be housed and fed properly, pro- Local Contact:
tected and loved. Kendra Addington
850-218-9923
In some cases, dumped ducks thrive where
they are dumped and compete with wild
Wildlife Rehabilitators Partnership of NW FL,
ducks whose habitat is already shrinking
daily due to development and pollution. The Inc.
domestic birds mate with wild waterfowl, www.wildliferehabilitatorspartnership.com
creating hybrids which are much larger and Local Contact:
heavier than the wild birds. This creates
Lisa Miller
more crowding and more birds lacking the
ability to escape danger, and it weakens the 850-974-6584
gene pool of the wild birds. In addition,
when domestic males mate with wild fe-
males, their larger body size can injure and
even drown them. These feral domestics
November Bird Walk in
Why Birdwatchers Should often become the target of extermination Glenwood and Ferry Parks
campaigns. More commonly, abandoned
Care About Domestic Ducks ducks do not thrive but instead live short,
miserable lives. They freeze or starve to
On a cold and windy Saturday morning,
seven birders gathered at the FWB K-
Go to almost any park with a pond and you’ll death, are killed by predators, or fall victim Mart parking lot and proceeded to Glen-
find abandoned domestic ducks and geese. to human cruelty. This is one reason why wood Park on Opp Avenue. There, we
Most people probably don’t think about how Florida State Law states that it is illegal to were sheltered from the wind and the
the birds got there, and most don’t know the dump ducks: http://myfwc.com/duck/ walk was quite pleasant. Soon Ruby
difference between wild and domestic breeds. Mallard/Mallards_in_FL.htm Crowned Kinglets were boldly showing
A common activity for many people is to feed themselves to us. Ethan Urbanczyk of
bread or crackers to pond ducks and geese. If Niceville spotted the first of several
So, how can you help? If you live in a com- Golden Crowned Kinglets . We could
only they knew they are doing more harm than
munity that has an area where domestic hear and see White Throated Sparrows,
good… ducks and geese have been abandoned, Gray Catbirds and Yellow-rumped War-
alert your local media to this issue and ask blers in abundance. We identified one
Enter the Duck Rescue Network - a fast- that they do stories to educate the public on elusive White-Eyed Vireo, Red-Bellied
growing nationwide group of professional and these points: leaving ducks and geese at Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Blue Jays,
amateur domestic duck and goose rescuers. ponds, and feeding them bread, may seem Carolina Wrens, Brown Thrashers and
Some DRN members are federally licensed like kindness but is bad for the birds. . mockingbirds are always present in the
waterfowl and wildlife rehabbers, and some Bread fills the birds' stomachs, but provides park.
are simply people with a soft spot for the web- no nutritional value. The birds feel “full” so
footed. The main focus of the Duck Rescue they go and rest and eventually they become We moved on to Ferry Park, and were
Network is to rescue, rehab or foster, and find habitual beggars, subsisting on handouts greeted by a Broad-Winged Hawk. We
adoptive homes for domestic ducks and and forgetting to eat their natural food. If saw Sharp-Shinned, Cooper's, Northern
geese. In addition, they are committed to edu- you want to feed the ducks and geese at Harrier, and Red Shouldered,Hawks, Evie
cating the public about why bread is bad for your local pond, please give them food that Cunningham spotted a colorful male Kes-
ducks and geese and how it is cruel and even is good for them. Scratch grains, non- trel on a light pole. Six raptors might ex-
medicated chicken feed, or bagged feed plain the absence of White-Winged
illegal to dump domestics.
made for waterfowl are sold in farm supply Doves generally seen there. Ethan spot-
stores and are very inexpensive and will last ted a Tanager that was well hidden by
Ducks are all too often a short-term novelty pet a long time. foliage, and after a hearty discussion it
purchased at Easter time, or a science was agreed that it was a female Scarlet
'experiment' hatched in classrooms- and then Tanager. We saw Red-Bellied and
discarded thoughtlessly at ponds or even You can also ask your local parks depart- Downy Woodpeckers, a Yellow Shafted
parks with no ponds. The ducks sold in feed ment to put up signs, asking people not to Flicker, and a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.
stores and hatched in schools are domestic abandon ducks or geese, and asking that There were Song Sparrows, White
breeds and are not equipped to survive out- those who wish to feed them do so with food Throated Sparrows, a Phoebe and a
side of human care. These birds have been that is good for them. In addition, you can Nashville Warbler.
bred to be much heavier and slower than their call or email a volunteer with the Duck Res- Don Ware found a Hermit Thrush, and
wild relatives, and are therefore unable to fly cue Network if you see abandoned domestic
spotted a Blue-Headed Vireo and a
long distances. There is a big difference be- ducks and geese. The volunteers will rescue
Black-Throated Green Warbler. .We also
tween an animal that is born with all the in- the domestic birds, rehab and foster them if
saw the resident Great Blue Heron and
stincts and abilities it needs to live independ- necessary, and find them loving adoptive several Belted Kingfishers. As we left the
ently of humans, and a domesticated animal homes. Should you find an injured wild bird,
park Bob Penhollow and I saw a brown
that depends on humans for food and shelter. please contact the Wildlife Rehabilitators headed cowbird which brought the list to
It’s a form of cruelty to buy a living creature on Partnership as they are licensed to care for 43 species for the day.
impulse without being educated about the wild birds and animals.
animal’s needs and proper care. As the cute- Thelma Phillips
Kendra Addington, Duck Rescue Network
S h or e l i n e s Page 3

Greetings from the Conservation Corner,

My name is Danny Dean and I have been selected to serve as
your Conservation Chair. I am honored to have been selected by the
Chapter Representatives and look forward to serving the environ-
mental interests of our members. First and foremost, I would like to
thank those who volunteered to serve on the Conservation Committee
and challenge those remaining members, who are able, to consider
serving in this committee. Thank you, Lisa Miller and Lois Gilman.
For those of you that may run across our newest Conservation Com-
mittee members, please thank them for their dedicated service.
So who am I?
I have been a resident of Crestview since 1992 and like many of
you, hold several irons to the fire. I am a ten year veteran of law en-
forcement and currently serve as one of four Environmental Officers
employed by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. I am married to
my lovely high school sweetheart and have a wonderful 7 year old son
and beautiful 3 year old daughter. I have always been quite the out-
door enthusiast and enjoy many outdoor hobbies. I am extremely
proud of my military service as well and continue to serve as a com-
missioned officer in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. I am
quite involved in Scouting and serve as a Den Leader for 16 wonder-

Visits with Wolves!

ful Cub Scouts from Pack 799 in Crestview. I have a degree in Crimi-
nal Justice from OWC and I am currently completing another degree
in Environmental Management from Columbia Southern University. In
addition to my education from formal institutions, I have completed
Our November meeting was a unique opportunity that I am advanced training in environmental science, hazardous waste opera-
happy to say fifty or so people braved the cold to take advan- tions and emergency response, spill response and investigation, and
tage of. We had some very special guests who—like us-share environmental laws. I have also had the opportunity to address our
Board of County Commissioners on environmental issues affecting
a love for nature and a desire to protect and preserve the
Okaloosa County and have been relied upon to address the public
animals we share it with. Cyntha Watkins of Seacrest Wolf through newspaper and television interviews and radio addresses. I
Preserve in Chipley, Fl. came to speak with us about wolves am also a member of the Florida Trail Association and Sierra Club. I
and the crucial part they place in this country's ecosystems. truly enjoy educating others about conservation and our environment,
She also told us all that she and her husband Wayne are especially our youth and have promoted several environmental youth
doing with help of many noble people, to educate and inspire programs to Scouts and local schools. I am also responsible for pro-
viding environmental enforcement instruction to our local citizen acad-
others to protect not only wolves, but all creatures. I emy hosted by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
thought that I knew a lot about wolves, I have been to Se- I am enthusiastic about involving CAS in local conservation pro-
acrest and had a chance to spend quite a bit of time getting jects and I am currently reviewing some projects, such as Volunteer
to know these wonderful people. I did not know that the red Wetlands Monitoring through the Florida Department of Environmental
wolves being reintroduced to their natural habitats on the Protection and EPA. Again, all of these projects, whether restoration
projects, monitoring projects or clean-up events, take the support of
ocean coasts of the Atlantic are helping to bring back sea volunteers and I ask each of you for your assistance. Please contact
turtles that had given up nesting on beaches overrun with me if you are interested in volunteering or have any ideas of your own
unnatural predators. I found this story and many others that for projects you would like to see the CAS involved in.
she shared with us to be encouraging and I hope that others As members of the Audubon Society we are the voices for those
were encouraged too. We were also encouraged to face the things which cannot speak for themselves. I challenge each of you to
practice and promote “environmental citizenship”. “Environmental
chilly breeze outside to meet two six month old wolves. Half citizenship” is about the active participation of citizens in moving to-
grey timber wolf, half artic wolf, Chama is a sweet little girl wards sustainability. It challenges conventional notions of citizenship
that licked us and sniffed us just like the family Lab at to reflect the nature of environmental problems. It is an important part
home. Her fur was thick and soft and it was difficult to think of the shift towards governance (rather than just government) in envi-
of her as a dangerous carnivore. Legacy is a brooding male ronmental policy and politics. Environmental Citizenship is simply a
reiteration of a known fact - that the preservation of the environment is
that is a bit more like you might expect, he was cautious but
an obligation entrusted upon everyone and all governments by virtue
very well mannered. These young wolves are ambassadors of the inherent relationship between people and nature and between
for their kind and it is their job to show people that wolves citizens and their governments.
should be respected and loved, not slaughtered and feared. The “Conservation Corner” will continue to alert members of
If you missed the opportunity to meet these amazing animals environmental issues and provide suggested action as it has in the
please consider going to see them at home. Seacrest is a past. If you have any suggestions for the conservation committee or
items you would like to see addressed in the “Corner” please feel free
part of 430 beautiful acres in Washington County where to contact me.
Wayne Watkins has worked to restore the natural forests. All
are welcome to make plans to visit. You can camp, hike, Danny Dean - Conservation Chair
bird, visit with wolves, help in the furthering of this fabulous Choctawhatchee Audubon Society
cause, or just enjoy the astounding beauty of the historic (850) 683-0591 (850) 259-6390
[email protected]
trails and spring fed ponds all around you. Please visit their
website at http:\\www.seacrestwolfpreserve.org for more When one tugs at a single thing in Nature, (s)he finds it attached
information, maps, and of course pictures of the property to the rest of the World” -- John Muir
and the animals.
Theresa Dennis
 P.O. Box 1014 Nonprofit Organization
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549
U.S. Postage PAID
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Permit No. 110

Chapter Representatives

President: Nonie Maines

[email protected]……....862.9588
Vice President: Thelma Phillips
[email protected]…………651.0508
Treasurer: Karen Newhouse
[email protected]…..897.3745 Printed on Recycled Paper
Recording Secretary: © 2006 by Choctawhatchee Audubon Society. All rights reserved.
Bretta Berger ……………….729.2049
[email protected] Join us at Dauphin Island—February 16th-18th
Corresponding Secretary:
Sharon Weaver ……….…..… 897.5464 We are having our annual retreat the third weekend in February at Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is
an excellent nature site, offering a bird sanctuary, Sea Lab, Fort Gaines, and other outdoor attractions.
[email protected]
We have twenty two-person rooms reserved at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab at $15 per person. Meals
Bird Count Coordinator:
are also available at their dining facility ($5 breakfast/lunch, $8 dinner). Alternate lodging is available
Donald M. Ware………….…....862.6582 at the Gulf Breeze Motel (800-286-0296) at a rate of $59/room for two + $5/additional person over age
[email protected]
5. The Dauphin Island Campground (251-861-2742) offers tent sites from $16 to full-hookup sites
Conservation: from $34, which include sewer and 50 amp service. There is a 20 person minimum for the trip, and
Danny Dean……….….. ……… 683-0591 we will need a head count soon. We hope to see you there! Bob Penhollow 729-2602
[email protected]
Education: Nonie Maines Choctawhatchee Audubon Society Membership
[email protected]……….862.9588 Name:_____________________________________ Address:_________________________________________
Field trips Coordinator: City:____________________________________________________ State:______ Zip:____________________
Bob Penhollow………….….…..729.2602 Phone: ___________________________ E-mail: ___________________________________________________
Hospitality: Sharon Weaver
897.5464……….… [email protected]
□Introductory New Member- $20.00 □Individual Member Renewal- $35.00
Membership: Theresa Dennis □Introductory Student/Senior- $15.00 □Renewal Student/Senior-$15.00
……………[email protected] When you join you will be part of national, state, and local Audubon groups and will receive...
Publicity: Linda Daugherty • Audubon magazine
[email protected]…..269.0665 • Florida Naturalist Magazine
Programs: Thelma Phillips • Our local Shorelines newsletter
[email protected]…..….…651.0508 • Inclusion in Audubon of Florida's advocacy network
Shorelines Editor: Jean Williams
• Discounts at Audubon Sanctuaries and Nature Centers
[email protected]…..….……....897.2055
• Opportunities for Audubon Ecology Camps and specially priced travel adventures
To join, mail this form and a check, payable to National Audubon Society, to;
Contact Theresa Dennis If you NAS Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 51005, Boulder, CO 80323-1005.
would like to receive Shorelines
CAS ONLY memberships are available and include SHORELINES NEWSLETTER ONLY.
in color with links via e-mail.
To join CAS ONLY mail this form and a check payable to CAS to; P.O. Box 1014 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549.
□New Member Newsletter Only- $10.00 □Renewal Member Newsletter Only- $10.00
Chapter Code: E-11 7XCH—FL Dept of Agriculture Reg #CH4619
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE
We’re on the Web! DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGIS-
CHOCTAWHATCHEEAUDUBON.ORG
TRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.

Donations are welcome, and all contributions are tax-deductible. Feel

free to specify a particular fund/event that you’d wish to sponsor.