Director's Message
Amy Weeks
May is a special month full of celebrations and big events. It's also the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature. You can find out more about our local beauty and what's happening right now by reading the ornithological and botanical forecasts presented below.
St. Louis Audubon Society (SLAS) is also celebrating this month with the announcement of the Cathleen Creley Memorial Conservation Grant awardees. These grants have allowed SLAS to financially support organizations and projects that further bird conservation and education, strengthen current collaborations, and establish new partnerships that magnify our influence on bird conservation in St. Louis.
Congratulations to the following recipients for 2023:
- U City in Bloom
- Missouri Prairie Foundation
- Open Space Council
You'll learn more about these awards and the important projects being supported in an upcoming issue.
If you are looking to get outside this month but are not sure what to do, we invite you to participate in one (or many) of our activities! You can join us for the sixth annual St. Louis Birdathon (see below), visit our table at the Saint Louis Zoo World Migratory Bird Day event (May 12), attend one of our upcoming bird walks, or sign up for the popular Native Plant Garden Tour (May 21). And, bring your mom in honor of Mother's Day!
Whether it's World Migratory Bird Day (May 13), Love a Tree Day (May 16) or National Dance Like a Chicken Day (May 14), there's something official to celebrate just about every single day of the month. We appreciate your support and hope you'll celebrate with St. Louis Audubon Society. We'll see you soon!
Photo Above: Female Mallard with ducklings
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Ornithological Forecast, May 2023
Bill Rowe
May fulfills the promise of April for nature in the Midwest, with trees fully in leaf, flowers in bloom, insects out and about, and our resident breeding birds in full song, either already nesting and laying eggs or getting ready to do so. It’s true that migration is on the downslope for some groups of birds: ducks have thinned out dramatically, migrant raptors are fewer, and most of the non-resident sparrows have left or are getting ready to do so in the next week or two. Yet May is clearly the top birding month for sheer numbers. First and foremost is the big migratory push of species that spent the winter in the Neotropics and are just now moving through to more northern regions, or staying here to nest. Every day, even every hour, may be different as we visit our favorite places and renew our acquaintance with the vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, orioles, tanagers, and warblers—especially warblers, with 35 expectable species, all in their breeding plumage, and most of them singing, even the ones that are solely migrants. In parallel with the diversity of passerines (small land birds) is the diversity of shorebirds. These have been gradually increasing since March and are now hitting their peak, with a good 30 or more species in the “reasonably likely” category plus a number of rarer possibilities—all dependent, of course, on finding shallow wetlands where they can pause and sustain themselves on their way to the north country. These wetlands are much less dependable than the woods and shrubbery that the warblers need, and therefore so is “shorebirding.” With all the plusses and minuses accounted for, May remains the month with the most bird species packed together in a relatively short time span. An active birder can certainly hope to see 200+ species in our area in the course of these 31 days. And the primary activity that St. Louis Audubon has designed for this rich month is the Birdathon. To make sure you get in on the fun, and help the organization in the process, please visit the event website and choose your own way of taking part. Hope to see you out there!
Photo Above: Baltimore Oriole
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At Home Ecology: Curating Conservation
Shannon Callahan
Spring has sprung! By now your gardens are full of life, both in leafy green growth and local wildlife. You may have birds building nests nearby, and you may even recognize some of their nesting materials from your yard! Many Missouri spring ephemerals are nearing the end of their blooming season. Look for Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea), and Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) as we transition from early to mid-spring.
Now is the time for spring haircuts on fall bloomers such as goldenrods and asters. You can cut 25% to 75% of the plant back to maintain a shorter, bushier plant with just as many flowers. If you are itching to clean up your garden, we encourage you to leave those dead stems at least 12 inches tall; the new growth will quickly hide it from view.
Most exciting of all, we are out of the historic window for nighttime frost; so plant away! New plantings may need extra watering in their first growing season. So be sure to keep an eye on them with the spring winds and rising temperatures. Consider including spreading ground covers to outcompete unwanted plants trying to pop up between shrubs and flowers. May is a time of rapid growth, so enjoy your garden as it changes seemingly overnight!
Photo Above: Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
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Sunday, May 21
9 am - 4 pm
University City Area
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The St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour is intended to showcase the wide variety of home garden possibilities with native plants.
Brought to you by:
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DID YOU SEE THIS?
Check out Lori Stringer's garden feature in St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles magazine. Lori is a BCH Platinum Certified steward! Congrats, Lori!
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THE ST. LOUIS BIRDATHON IS ON! |
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Flock to the fun!
Join in our 6th annual St. Louis area Birdathon.
You can have a great time birdwatching while supporting a great cause.
There is still plenty of time to form a team, join a scheduled
bird walk, or just count the birds in your backyard!
Everyone is welcome, regardless of experience.
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Amazing Journeys That Need Your Help
Jean Favara
We are experiencing a special time of the year for birds and birdwatchers. It is the peak time for spring migration in our area. Many of us are making trips to our favorite birding spots to see the beautiful warblers migrating through such as the Blackburnian Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, and Magnolia Warbler just to name a few. Right now, the Tennessee and Nashville Warblers are abundant in my neighborhood. And then there is always the thrill of going to Castlewood Park near my home and seeing the warbler species that have returned to our area and will raise their young here like the Prothonotary Warbler and Yellow-throated Warbler. But warblers are only a small part of the story – 70% of North American birds are migratory.
Migrants are now returning from their wintering grounds in Central and South America, and some will travel far north of us into the boreal forests of Canada. These amazing journeys take place in a brief period in the spring and at night. Birds use the stars and the moon as well as the earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate on these journeys. The built environment in our suburban and urban areas use bright lighting, creating a sky glow that interferes with navigation and attracts them to these dangerous areas. This results in collisions with buildings and windows. After landing in our urban areas, the birds are further challenged during the day as they forage near buildings with windows that they do not see as a barrier leading to more collisions and death.
With the loss of 29% of our bird populations since 1970, it is imperative we take every action we can to support birds at each stage of their life cycle. There are steps we can all take to provide birds with safe passage during these amazing migration journeys. Reduce or eliminate unnecessary light at night at your home and advocate for similar changes in your neighborhood and your workplace. Often the use of motion-sensing outside lighting can address safety concerns without the constant use of bright light. Use lights that are down-shielded so that there is no light spillage up into the night sky. Certify your home as night-sky friendly and learn other steps to reduce light pollution by visiting Lights Out Heartland. BirdSafeSTL is a St. Louis Audubon Society project focused on understanding the bird mortality in downtown St. Louis. Although changes to our homes may seem small, the cumulative effects of controlling light pollution and treating our windows to prevent bird strikes at each home and workplace will add up to more spring migrations with remarkable birds to see and hear!
Photo Above: Magnolia Warbler, Adult Female
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Lights Out for Birds in May
Turn off any unnecessary outdoor lighting
Draw blinds or curtains in rooms where lights are in use
St. Louis can be dangerous for birds. It sits underneath the Mississippi Flyway, a major migration path that 60% of North American songbirds and 40% of North American waterfowl use to travel north or south. A recent study from Cornell Lab ranked St. Louis the 5th most dangerous city during the spring migration. Light pollution poses a challenge for the many birds that migrate at night!
SAVE ENERGY ~ SEE THE STARS ~ SAVE BIRDS
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Join others who share your interests in nature, birds and wildlife!
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ST. LOUIS AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD MEETINGS
Next meeting: Tuesday, June 13
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Please Note: Board meetings will be held by Zoom and will not meet in person until further notice. If you have an interest in joining our volunteer Board, please contact one of the officers or staff members. |
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Officers & Staff
Bill Rowe, President
Michael Meredith, VP Conservation
Stephanie Schroeder, VP Education
Gail Saxton, Secretary
Amy Weeks, Executive Director
Dan Pearson, Director, BCH
dan@stlouisaudubon.org
Shannon Callahan, Outreach Specialist, BCH
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