“Promoting the study of wild birds and
the conservation of natural resources on
Kelleys Island.”
Inside…
Welcome the orioles
LEIIC 3rd Annual Mtg.
Bird Banding Report
2015 Schedule
Membership form
Volume 15, Issue 1
KELLEYS ISLAND AUDUBON NEWSLETTER FOR
YOU AND ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORS
Kelleys Island Field School and
North Point Education
Service Center presents—
Nature’s Classroom Speaker Series
Nature's Classroom speaker series is a weekly program that will
occur every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in the Kelleys Island
School gym. The series is designed to bring a variety of distinguished speakers to the island to speak on a range of environmental
topics. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Below are the programs:
June 18: Lindsay Pease,
Ohio State University, Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering—"Battle of Lake
Erie: The Fight Against
Harmful Algal Blooms"
June 25: To be announced
July 9: Andrea Irland,
National Park Service, River and Trails Program—"Lake Erie Island
Water Trails"
July 16: David Hanselmann, OSU School of Environment and
Natural Resources—"Using Unmanned Aerial Systems for Environmental, Natural Resources, and AG Purposes -an Exciting Emerging
World"
Note: The Kelleys Island Audubon will be coordinating with the
Nature's Classroom Series for our June18 and July 16 programs.
Summer, 2015
President’s Message
Nature is waking up on Kelleys Island. Warm air is the culprit. It brings
back life to Kelleys Island. The lake takes
the ice away and the ferry brings back our
summer people. Many will never know the
peacefulness of island winters.
Wake up! Soon the wildflowers rise
out of the rusty leaves. The mosses grow
red cilia-like and can compete with much
of nature’s beauty. Mushrooms, garlic
mustard and purple martins soon are part of
the landscape. The air is warming and the
bushes are budding. The tulips have
bloomed and the day lilies are now showy
in profusion.
Soon the soil warms and gardens are
planted. Storms come, trees blow down as
nature intended. The warmth of the sun is
forgiving and outdoor chores are fun.
Old friends reunite and friends now
gone are remembered. Houses are bought
and sold. New faces are well received on
Kelleys Island. We all have something we
love TOGETHER. The lure to the islands
is what we have in common. First timers
may become old timers. Give us a little
time. Give us a little time and we'll get to
know you. When they say, "we just got off
the boat", we did!
As summer is near, try to visit our
newest island park—the Huntley Beatty
Preserve. You can enter near Bookerman
and Division Streets. It's a diverse 55 acres
with wetlands, cedar woods, and the island’s famous "cut.” Lakeside Daises now
bloom in the spring near the cut. The
peacefulness alone is worth the walk. Ladies Tresses, a late orchid, blooms in August, and also look for Blazing Star flowers
along the power lines. When you see that
you will return again and again.
We have a long missing red
tailed hawk nesting nearby. Our American Bald Eagle is also nesting again. Ask a
winter person or just look up and find them
yourself.
See you on the trails!
It’s not too late to join for 2015!
Pat Hayes
How to feed an Oriole—or more
June Campbell
The word is out from Florida and Mexico, to New
Brunswick and British Columbia, Rocky Mountains to the
Atlantic Coast. “There is this sweet little island in Lake
Erie where everyone puts out food for us.” Also heard,
“Skip Magee Marsh, it is too crowded. And all they want
to see are those little bitty warblers.” “Fly right on by and
head for Kelleys Island.” I know they spread the word,
because I can understand their chirp-chirps as they fly
overhead.
Yes, Baltimore orioles by the hundreds, maybe thousands, descend upon our sweet little island on their spring
northern migration routes. Lucky for us, many stay on to
raise their families and offer their beautiful colors and
songs for our enjoyment.
I knew Baltimore orioles were attracted to the color
orange, because 30 years ago a male Baltimore pecked at
the amber turn signal on our car--all summer! We wondered if it was hungry or in love with the
amber lens. When the leaves fell in the
fall, to our delight we found a nest hanging at the tip of a high branch in our yard.
And I learned to recognize one of their
lovely songs. It sounds to me like “mitsu-BEE-shu.” In retrospect, that lenshungry bird was my A-ha bird, that is, the
first bird that turned me on to birding!
Some 10-15 years ago I read somewhere that to attract orioles in the spring,
offer oranges. I didn't know how many
oranges – bags and bags of them. Then grape jelly was
suggested as another attractive food, so this is how I do it.
Near the end of April I start watching in earnest for
that flash or orange in a tree. Since we are not here that
early, other bird watchers let me know when they have
arrived on our sweet little island. This past spring, son
Jay did the watching and reported the first male oriole on
April 29. Out came the oranges, and the feed was on.
To start, I take 3 oranges, cut them in half and hang
them at the tips of branches of the flowering crab apple
trees in our backyard. Punch a hole in the orange and
thread a piece of string through, and tie a loop. Hang
them on the outer branch tips so the birds can see them.
When the orange is empty, the string then is available for
nesting material. Also you can cut a wire coat hanger
(there are too many clogging my closet anyway) and bend
it into hooks and hang it the same way.
Just like “build it and they will come,” hang some orange halves and they will come! First the males, resplendent in their fiery orange bodies, black heads and wings.
Page 2
They are still friendly with each other, because they are
just here to eat. Time enough for territory defending
when they get to their breeding grounds up north.
By this time the population of orioles has grown from
about 6 males to more males and some females. The big
maple tree looks like a Christmas tree with orange ornaments throughout, as they await their turns at the oranges.
After one or two days of orange halves, which must be
replaced several times a day, I introduce the grape jelly.
Our back deck is about 30 feet long with a wooden rail
along the top. Every few feet I pound in a 2-penny finishing nail (just deep enough to keep it firm) upon which
I impale the now empty orange halves, which become
bowls for the jelly. Grape jelly is the cheapest on the grocer's shelves, so I have bought a couple of jars every time
I shop all year long and have a good supply on hand for
Oriole season. Plus, jelly-feeding by others empties the
shelves in May.
Into the 6 orange rind bowls go a big glob of jelly.
Within an hour they are empty and are
filled again. The feeding throngs increase in number as more migrants
arrive. When a jelly jar is empty I
pound a hole in the middle of the lid
and slide it over a finishing nail. Now
the number of feeding dishes has
grown to about 12, and at the height of
the feeding season I am dishing out 2-3
quart jars of jelly every day. See why
I shop for jelly all year long? Oh yes,
don't forget to remove all the feeding
dishes at night so your aren't feeding raccoons, too.
In the spring all of us wake up to the lovely songs of
birds outside our windows. At our house, by 6:30 a.m.
the songs and chatter of Baltimore orioles are my alarm
clock. The birds are waiting in the maple tree and watch
closely as I set up the orange bowls and jar lids. By the
time I spoon out the jelly and turn to walk into the house,
the birds are having breakfast on the deck rail. Grape is
the cheapest, but when I run out our favorites like blueberry, raspberry, strawberry are fine substitutes. Even
mix multiple flavors together. The orioles eat all of it.
Counting the number of birds is difficult as they fly
around, change feeding bowls, back into trees, more birds
fly into the yard, scurrying birds are everywhere. The
most Baltimore orioles we have counted at one time was
27 in 2014 plus 3 orchard orioles. This year, the highest
number at one time was 25 and 3 orchards. Getting a
photo is difficult because they spook easily as I open a
Continued, Page 3
Hoot Owl
Nest with the Birds bird banding report—2015
Tom and Paula Bartlett
For the second year in a row, Paula and I attempted a five
week bird banding tour of the US Lake Erie Islands. This is an
effort to gather more data for use by the Cleveland Museum of
Natural History and land conservation groups applying for
grants to buy the few acres of land left on the islands. As our
previous data has shown, the Lake Erie Islands are of great importance to migrant birds as resting and refueling stops during
the movements north in the spring and south in the fall.
We started this year April 19 on Kelleys Island. But
weather and winds were not conducive to banding. After three
days and only 14 birds
banded, we packed up and
headed home. On April
26 we headed for a week
on Middle Bass Island.
Weather was not much
better but improved and
we banded 224 birds of 25
species. Then May 2 we
headed for South Bass
Island. There we hit the
jackpot on May 6 when
Bartlett with Cooper’s Hawk.
we banded almost 250
birds of 40 species. We
ended the week with 415 individuals banded of 52 species.
We returned on May 11 for a second week which had “April
-like” weather. For this week we banded 119 individuals of 25
species. For the final week we returned to Kelleys Island with
high hopes. But again weather and a new problem caused us to
only banded 124 individuals of 35 species. The new problem
was the presence of a Cooper’s Hawk nest found in the middle
of the banding site on Long Point. A major part of a Cooper’s
Hawk diet are birds, and many had already learned to stay out
of this area.
On Thursday of that week we captured and banded the Cooper’s Hawk male. In between our trips to the islands we still
banded on weekends at Springville Marsh State Nature Preserve. Over the course of this year’s five weeks we banded
1296 individuals of 85 species. On top of that we recaptured
numerous banded birds from previous years.
During our “Nest with the Birds” week, we banded 25 species and 124 individuals. Highlight species of the week were
the male Cooper’s Hawk, eight Ruby-throated Hummingbirds,
three Great Crested Flycatchers, a Northern Rough-winged
Swallow (first banded by us on the island!), and ten species of
warblers.
In addition, 25 individuals were recaptured. Nine were
banded earlier in the week. Eight were banded in 2014, three
banded in 2013, three banded in 2012, and 2 banded in 2011.
The oldest recaptured birds were an after-second year male
Baltimore Oriole (6 years old plus) and an after-second year
Indigo Bunting (5 years old plus).
Plus, over 108 persons visited the station on May 23 alone!
None were banded, to my knowledge…
September potluck speaker—Bernie Place
KIAC members and friends get ready to meet a wonderfully
knowledgeable birder at our Sept. meeting, dedicated to the
nature we all hold so dear to our hearts. His name is Bernie
Place and he and his talented wife Lyn own Toledo's
store, Wild Birds Unlimited.
The Places have spent many summers renting The Beach
House, right on the water in the North Bay of Kelleys Island. They love the island and all it has to offer. They once
spotted a Yellow Billed Cuckoo on a phone wire here on the
North side, just outside their rental!
Bernie will speak to us about discovering the vast refuge in
our own back yards. He’ll bring samples of new technology
from the industry.
Don't miss Sept.’s potluck and program and add Bernie and
Lyn Place onto your list of friends.
Looking forward to seeing you all there, and be on the lookout for that yellow-billed cuckoo!
How to feed an oriole…,cont.
door to get the shot, and the pictures come out blurry as the
birds move around so fast.
Tom Bartlett said that for each bird you see at a feeder at
one time, there are probably 10 more that feed there. Really—
250 birds like our grape jelly????
In addition to the orange and jelly program, we also have an
oriole nectar feeder (orange and like an over sized hummingbird
feeder and dispenses the 1:4 sugar solution and also attracts
hummingbirds), a ball of alpaca hair and a ball of sheep's wool
for nesting materials. Scattered on a nearby platform feeder is
crushed eggshells (washed and baked to destroy bacteria) and
about a dozen other seed feeders of sunflower seeds, niger seeds
and peanuts. Yes, it makes a mess on the deck, and it also attracts grackles, house finches, robins, and cardinals which also
like jelly, and downy woodpeckers, which like the bugs. There
is enough food for all of them, and every one has its beauty and
Volume 15, Issue 1
brings us joy.
Peak season for Baltimore orioles is first two weeks of May,
then they start to move on for breeding further north. By the
end of the month the resident birds are still regular customers
at our diner and number around six resident pairs of Baltimores and two pair of orchards. We will keep feeding as long
as the birds keep coming or the ants and flies become too big a
nuisance. We keep hoping the fledglings will be brought in by
the parents. Maybe this year...Happy Orioling!
Paint A Bird House Contest
Don’t forget to get your bird house at The Inn—to
paint with your own island design, and win $50, $25
or $10—to top 3. Winners announced at Homecoming Aug. 15.
Page 3
LEIIC holds third annual meeting on South Bass Island
Barb Zeller
The Lake Erie Islands International Consortium (LEIIC) held
its third annual meeting on June 2 and 3 at Put-in-Bay and South
Bass Island, the 2013 meeting having been held at Pelee Island
and 2014 on Kelleys Island. The mission of the LEIIC is to celebrate the shared cultural and natural resources of all of the Lake
Erie Islands and the rotating meeting allows residents of each
island to showcase the unique qualities and history of the host
island.
Attendance at this year’s meeting was impacted by the remnants of the Northeastern storm that brought high winds and
waves to Lake Erie so that the representatives from Pelee Island
were unable to bring their boat across. The representatives from
Middle Bass also experienced boat problems and were unable to
attend. However, the people who made the trip on behalf of Kelleys Island—Tom and Paula Bartlett, Barb and Jim Zettler
and Pat Hayes—were treated to two days of informative and
entertaining presentations arranged by Kelly and Marty Faris,
and Kendra Koehler of Put-in-Bay.
Highlights of the trip included the Scheef East Point Nature
Preserve and a walking tour of the trails in that preserve, and a
look at the newly acquired Massie Cliffside Preserve, both of
which are owned and administered through the Put-in-Bay
Township Park District. While on top of Perry’s Monument, we
were surprised and delighted by the rare sighting of 6 White
American Pelicans. We also were able to tour The Ohio State
University Stone Labs and the surrounding grounds on Gibraltar
Island,
which was
a first for
many in the
group.
A
trip to the
Lake Erie
Islands
Nature and
Wildlife
White American Pelicans seen from top of Perry’s
Center afMonument on Put-in-Bay. Photo by Barb Zeller.
forded us
the chance
to learn about the many nature camps and science opportunities
the Center provides for island children and to enjoy the expansive collection of North American mammals, birds, and fish on
display. A cocktail reception capped off the evening hosted by
the members of the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society.
The following day started with a trolley tour of the west side
of the island and then a tour of the Put-in-Bay school by Superintendent Steve Poe. What proved to be most interesting this
day, was visiting the newly opened Mercy Health Medical Center, which is housed in the EMS House. The center will be open
on weekends and staffed with a physician, a physician assistant,
and an x-ray technician to take care of non-life threatening medical issues, including stitches and some antibiotic treatments.
This Center could be of value to residents from the other U.S.
islands who might find it easier to go to Put-in-Bay for treatment
Page 4
From left to right: Kalen Cap, Barb Zeller, Paula Bartlett,
Tom Bartlett, Pat Hayes, Susan Byrnes, Kelly Faris, Kendra
Koehler, and Jim Zeller .
than go over to the mainland. We concluded our tour with stops
at Heineman’s Winery, the Crystal Cave, and Perry’s Cave before we got to the business side of the meeting.
In 2014, the two main issues of concern were the Harmful
Algal Bloom impacting the whole of Lake Erie, and the inconvenience of only having a Customs and Border Patrol station on
South Bass Island for reporting when crossing the border by private boat. Results of communication between the LEIIC regarding the border control issue were that it was expected that the
technology in use on South Bass would be replaced with new
technology and that it would then be evaluated to determine if a
station would be viable on Kelleys Island. At the time of this
year’s meeting, however, no change in the videophone reporting
system on South Bass had been made. In the meantime, island
residents are encouraged to apply for an I-68 permit through the
Canadian Border Boat Landing Program. With an I-68 permit,
residents can report in when crossing the border using their personal phone.
Since part of the mission of the LEIIC is to preserve the cultural heritage of the islands, recent news that the State of Ohio
has determined that preserving the Lonz Winery building on
Middle Bass is cost prohibitive and that the building will be
razed, saving the front façade, if possible. Similarly, the state
has been actively removing vineyards on North Bass Island,
which historically were very important to the economy of North
Bass. Our concern is the lost history should both of these actions
continue without attention to preserve what is possible or at least
otherwise commemorate their impact on the history of the islands. We will attempt to bring our concerns to the appropriate
governmental agencies. Anyone with concerns or suggestions
regarding this issue is encouraged to contact either Pat Hayes or
Barb Zeller on Kelleys Island.
The 2016 meeting is set for June 1 and 2 to be held on Middle Bass Island, with proposed field trips to North Bass and
Sugar Islands. If you are interested in more information regarding the LEIIC, please contact Barb Zeller at
[email protected].
Hoot Owl
Byron Crabill donates wood
carving for 2015 KIAC raffle
KI Audubon 2015 Events
June 18—Pot luck, meeting and program
July 16—Pot luck, meeting and program
July 18—Islandfest KI Audubon Club Booth
Aug. 15—Homecoming KI Audubon Club Booth and
Mona Rutger’s Back to the Wild Show
Aug. 20—Pot luck, meeting and program
Sept. 6—Glacial Glimpses—guided walk at Glacial
Grooves
Sept. 12—Monarch Butterfly Festival
and Monarch Tagging
Sept. 17—Pot luck, meeting and program, featuring Bernie Place
Sept. 19—Feathers and Foliage Festival
Oct. 15— Pot luck, meeting and program
Nov. 6-8—Owl Festival
Note: Monthly Audubon meetings
take place at the Kelleys Island
School on Division. Pot luck is at 6 p.m. Bring a dish
to pass, your own table service, and beverage. Programs begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information call 419-746-2258.
Membership update
This year's raffle is another amazing, intricate woodcarving by
island artist Byron Crabill entitled "BEATS BUGS." All proceeds
go to support the Kelleys Island Audubon Club. Tickets are $5.00
with only 100 sold. You can purchase your tickets at Islandfest,
Homecoming, at KI Audubon meetings, or by calling Peggy
Cooney at 419-746-2614 or 440-668-0554.
Children assist
with bird banding on Long
Point during
Nest with the
Birds week.
Volume 15, Issue 1
Judy DuShane
There are now 60 renewed or new members for Kelleys
Island Audubon. If you haven't renewed there will be a dot
on the label of this Hoot Owl. Thanks to all who have renewed and we hope the rest will rejoin the club. We depend
on your dues for our programs.
Special thanks to the following who made donations to
Kelleys Island Audubon Club: Lennie and Laurie Augustiniak, Pat and Peggy Cooney, Guy Denny, Jeff Evers,
Anne Eddowes, Steve Henthorne, Jackie and Mark Kettenun, Mary Lachman and Dom Scaramazzino and Bob
and Frederick Luckay.
Donations in memory of Josh Lyons from Harriett and
Joseph Darmour and Rob Behlen were also received . Bill
and Barb Coleman contributed to the Pape Collection and a
$500 check from Hancock-Wood was a nice new addition.
All your contributions are greatly appreciated and help us
continue to support conservation of our island's precious
resources.
Volunteers needed!
The Audubon is having a booth for Islandfest and Homecoming. If you would like to
help sell raffle tickets for the Crabill hand carved Woodpecker let either Lori Hayes 419-746-2258 or Peggy
Page 5
Kelleys Island Audubon Club
P.O. Box 42
Kelleys Island, OH 43438
www.kelleysislandnature.com
Board Members
Pat Hayes
President
Peggy Cooney
Vice President
June Campbell
Secretary
Jean Kuyoth
Treasurer
Delores Cole
Webmaster
Judy DuShane
Lori Hayes
Virginia Coyne
Jim Zeller
Barbara Zeller
REMINDER:
As a 501(C)(3), the
KIAC is a registered
charity, therefore, all
gifts and donations to it
are tax deductible.
Kelleys Island Audubon Club Membership Form
Name ______________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________
City _______________________State _____ Zip __________
Phone _______________
E-Mail _______________________
Amount Enclosed:
_____ $15 Individual Member
_____ $25 Family
_____ Memorial Fund
_____ Pape Memorial Fund Donation (Natural Science Library)
As a registered 501 (C)3 all contributions to KIAC are tax
deductible. Send to:
Kelleys Island Audubon Club
P.O. Box 42
Kelleys Island, OH 43438
Annual membership runs from January 1, through December 30,
and should be paid as early in the year as possible. A membership card
will be sent to you when your dues are received. Prompt payment will
assure that you receive all issues of the Hoot Owl and other important
member correspondence.
2014 KI Audubon Calendar
July
Lesser and greated yellowlegs, semi-palmated
sandpipers, short-billed
dowitchers, eastern phoebes, yellow warblers, Baltimore orioles.
August
Mallards, blue-winged
teals, yellowlegs, semipalmated sandpipers,
semi-palmated plovers.
September
Blue winged teals, green winged teals, rails, great
egrets, terns, gulls, bald eagles, warblers, vireos,
thrushes, white-throated sparrows.
October
Dabbling and diving ducks, Tundra swans, dunlin,
American woodcock, white-throated sparrows, kinglets,
thrushes, myrtle warbler.
November
Dabbling and diving ducks, herons, egrets, loons,
northern harriers, rough-legged hawks.
December
Red-breasted merganser, goldeneyes, mallards,
American black duck, Canada geese.