Southeast Volusia Audubon Society, Inc. Issue Vol. III- No.
4 April , 2008
The Southeast Volusia Audubon Society promotes the protection of birds, other wildlife and their habitat through education and activism.
Prez Sez
The April 2d meeting is almost upon us. NOTE the change
in venue. We meet at the Menard-May park in Edgewater at
5:30 p.m. for the annual pot-luck dinner and election of offic-
ers. It is the meeting where a slate of officers is elected for the
next year. In the past, it has been jokingly considered a “corona-
tion for life”, but this year is different. I won’t restate what I
said in the last issue, but the club needs your help to keep going.
There are key positions that need to be filled. We have also
several projects going which will need your support. Here is a
list of some of these:
• Scrub Jay habitat school tours: On February 22d, Kathy
headed a group of volunteer members to survey the Scrub Jay
habitat behind the Edgewater YMCA for use as a field trip
opportunity for local schools. They identified and tagged trees
and plants and discussed best ways for presenting the informa-
tion to elementary and middle school students. This is a first
step in what we hope will become a valuable resource for
schools in environmental education. If you are interested in
helping, please contact Kathy.
• Bird inventory of Longleaf Pine Preserve: County natu-
ralist, Bonnie Cary, asked us if the club would be interested in
helping to inventory the bird life at the park. We agreed that it
would be a good idea if we could get sufficient volunteers. The
county has bought thousands of acres of lands to keep them in
preserves. It is useful to use them as natural areas and show our
appreciation to the county for the purchases and management of
them. Six of us participated in the first survey on March 14th.
We, and the West Volusia folks who were conducting a birding
tour on the same day, found 45 species. More surveys are
scheduled.
Check out the website www.sevolusiaaudubon.org for de-
tails.
• Myrtle Park butterfly garden: On Tuesday, 22 Jan 08,
several of us met with members of the NSB Community Rede-
velopment Agency (CRA), and Lindley’s Nursery at the park at
the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Canal Street. The pur-
pose of the meeting was to brainstorm ideas for developing
some type of ecological area at the park. The city is rebuilding
Canal Street on the West side of U.S. 1 to the intersection of
Myrtle Avenue. The CRA members wanted to include the park
in the rebuilding scheme. We agreed to spearhead the project
and get other groups involved. We have had several meetings
since then. So far, the NSB Middle School science club is eager
to participate and we have leads to FFA groups, scouts and
others.
Meetings
Meetings are held the 1st Wednesdays
Oct. thru March at 7 P.M.
Edgewater Library 103 Indian River Blvd. 7: P.M.
Smoke-free environment. Refreshments are served.
Plenty of parking. Public welcome.
Next meeting is April 2, 2008
Annual Potluck Picnic - 5:30 p.m.
Menard-May Park, Edgewater
Programs & Field trips subject to change.
Field Trips
Field trips begin at 8:00 A.M. unless otherwise noted.
Meet in the Market Square parking lot Edgewater, Ridgewood
Ave. & 442, between Dunkin Donuts & Chik-Fil-A.
Bring lunch & drinks. Don't forget bug-spray!
April 5 - Princess Place Preserve
See details p.3
Questions? Contact Gail Domroski 428-0447
Audubon members and guests are all welcome.
Editor's Note
Last Issue Till Fall
We started publishing The eSkimmer in April 2006 as an
experiment. We figured now that we're in the age of high-tech
we may as well take advantage of it. The results were gratify-
ing. We added readers and were able to utilize links that were
not available to us in the hard copy edition. Along with The
eSkimmer, the website was developed and we looked to be
going in the right direction, electronically anyway. But mem-
bership has not kept pace with ideas and as technologically
savvy as we've become, we're still back in the stone age as far as
finding volunteers to keep us rolling, attendance at meetings
and the rest of that which is grist for the organization (any
organization) mill.
That said, we've decided to take the summer off, smooth
our feathers and hope for a better tomorrow.
—Gil Miller
The eSkimmer
Conservation Notes
The following is my letter to my Congressmen:
I disagree that NASA property should be used for
commercial aerospace. In a meeting last week with
NASA officials, citizens were told that NASA has
been given a directive by the legislature to promote
commercial aerospace. I do not ever remember agreeing
to that. NASA is paid for by my taxes extracted from my wallet
by my federal government. Therefore, logically, my tax dollars
should be used to fund government sponsored aerospace pro-
grams, not commercial aerospace. The commercial aerospace
industry should take it upon themselves to find already suitable
sites for their industry and not expect the government to pro-
vide for them or buy them what they think they need; and being
such a new industry, they don't know what they need. The
commercial aerospace industry should--as we Floridians con-
cerned about the environment are trying to encourage our local
governments to do--use already developed land that is sitting
decrepit and idle, instead of developing environmentally sensi-
tive, unspoiled habitat lands. I realize that without our govern-
ment allowing some of NASA property to essentially remain as
unspoiled habitat when it was purchased, we would not have
the internationally esteemed Merritt Island National Wildlife
Refuge. Jobs and the amount of income to the local and federal
economy from the fishing, hunting and tourist industry at the
Refuge should be considered against the supposed income from
commercial aerospace on NASA property, after the costs of
new facility development are taken into account. It seems
reasonable to request our federal government to encourage the
commercial aerospace industry to consider alternative sites
such as the local Air Force Base, which I understand is sitting
neglected down the road. I would like to have your comments
about the NASA proposal and I hope they include that you will
discourage NASA from destroying one of the few large re-
maining natural Florida lands.
PS: I was disappointed that the content of the meeting by
NASA officials was vague and many questions by the audience
went unanswered. Because of the lack of information given to
the public, the public should have more than 45 days to present
comments.
Something I did not think to write in my letters at the time
was the following: I have read that the aerospace industry is
having difficulty keeping track of the all the human created
debris already in space because of the potential destruction of
space vessels and thus, astronaut fatalities. The promotion of
commercial aerospace would, as a by-product, pollute our at-
mosphere even more. It would take only a short time before
humans are unable to explore space at all, due to the risks of
being hit by a missile of human released debris. But looking on
the bright side, if there is no escape from pollution by traveling
to and living on other planets, we might be compelled to clean
up the earth, and that would be a good thing.
There are several conservation projects members can
choose in which to be involved. On-going is scrub habitat
education with the goal of encouraging the City of Edgewater
to restore the scrub jay habitat by the YMCA. (Bring back the
Jays!) Also ongoing is beach patrol at Smyrna Dunes Park in
2
April, 2008
NSB to monitor several species of shorebirds and to document
incidents of harassment of birds by people and dogs. Nancy
White is our representative on the County Task Force to
address this problem with a solution to be decided on by
May. You are welcome to sit in the audience and also to
speak on the issue. New projects are helping Myrtle
Park in NSB to plant a butterfly garden and assisting the
County to inventory birds at Long Leaf Pine Preserve.
Please contact Kathy @ 409-3091 to volunteer or for more
information and also see our website: sevolusiaaudubon.org.
I have invited elected officials and encourage SEVAS
members to attend a low impact development workshop in
Ormond Beach on Monday, March 31st, 8-noon at Performing
Arts Center Blue Room, Second Floor, 399 N. US Highway 1.
Send registration of $15, which includes continental breakfast,
to Citizens for Ormond Beach, P.O. Box 31, Ormond Beach,
FL 32175.
—Kathy Booth
I am a little pencil in the hand of a
writing God who is sending a love
letter to the world.
—Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojarhiu)
Prez Sez from page 1
• Dogs at Smyrna Dunes Park: Many of you have noticed
in the newspapers that Volusia County decided to remove dogs
from the boardwalks of Smyrna Dunes Park and require that
they and their owners walk on the trail adjacent to the board-
walk. This decision was made after reports of dogs off leash
and several incidents of dogs on or off leash that nipped or bit
other users of the park. The NSB deputy mayor, Randy Richen-
berg decided to establish a committee of interested citizens to
brainstorm the problem and potential solutions in the hopes of
revising the county decision. Since we have a vested interest in
the birds nesting and resting in NS Dunes Park, Nancy White
volunteered to be our representative on the committee. Kathy
Booth will back her up as necessary. If you have any input or
suggestion we encourage you to contact them. If you go to the
park, bring a camera to document any infractions against the
bird nesting areas including dogs off leash.
In addition, we have several challenges to our quality of
life. Expected tripling of the Edgewater population and perhaps
doubling of the New Smyrna Beach population in the next
fifteen years, destruction of more and more wetlands, and the
potential for water shortages are all on the horizon. We need
your help and your leadership to keep these projects going.
Happy birding.
Don
The eSkimmer
April Field Trip
Princess Place Preserve
th
Our April 5 field trip will be to Princess Palace Preserve at
the Flagler/StJohns county boundary. Wild, serene and beauti-
ful, the Princess Place is the crown jewel in Flagler County’s
setting of parks. Home to nesting bald eagles and situated on a
knoll overlooking the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the
Intracoastal Waterway, the estate was once home to a Russian
Prince. It was built as a hunting lodge in 1886 by Henry Cutting
and is the oldest standing structure in the county. After his death
Cutting’s wife, Angela, married Boris Sherbatof a Prince in the
Russian royal family and she became known as the Princess.
Today, Princess Place Preserve with its rich history and
1500 pristine acres, attracts nature enthusiasts from near and
far. There are five trails to choose from and we might just do
them all.
Bring lunch, snacks, water etc. & bug spray.
Longleaf Pines Preserve Migration
Study
Longleaf Pines Preserve is the newly opened, natural area
located on the north side of Highway 44 near its intersection
with pioneer Trail. The county purchased the 12,000 acres
acquired to date in several parcels. Some was purchased in
partnership with the St. Johns River Water Management Dis-
trict, one block in partnership with the City of Port Orange,
some for the county account alone and one large block was
transferred from Florida Department of Transport. So far two
trails have been opened for foot, bicycle and horse travel; the
six mile long red trail, and the eleven mile blue trail. The blue
trail is partially under water in all but the driest times. The
trails pass through stands of longleaf pine, through acres of
palmettos, along drainage ditches from past logging industry
work and by a large lake originally created as a borrow pit for
the construction of Highway 4. Fantastic cobwebs, beautiful
water lilies and wonderful solitude are the norm.
SEVAS members visited the passable portion of the two
trails on March 7, riding in the county eco-buggy. The club
subsequently agreed to perform a spring migration bird inven-
tory of the preserve for the county. The plan developed calls
for species identification along the red trail, one unmarked trail
and as much of the blue trail as personnel and conditions
permit. While one or two people travel in the logistics vehicle,
most walk one to two mile sections of the trails. The first audit
was performed March 14. Subsequent inventories will be taken
March 28, April 11, April 25 and May 9.
On March 14, six club members assembled at the K-Mart
lot on SR44 in New Smyrna Beach at 8:00 A.M. and travelled
to the west parking area of the preserve. There they met
Danielle Ivey, Volusia County Environmental Specialist, who
provided an extra vehicle and opened the access gates to allow
vehicle entry to drop off and pick up the birders. Only the west
side of the preserve was worked, partly because of a shortage of
people and partly because West Volusia Audubon was holding
a Birding 101 course on the east side. Their sightings are being
3
April, 2008
Native & Nice
Sophora tormentosa
As butterfly season ap-
proaches, this little native
beauty is getting prepared.
Necklace Pod, Sophora tomen-
tosa is flushing out with its first
spring growth of velvety sliver-
green foliage and bright yellow
flowers are soon to follow. Not far behind them will be the
season’s first butterflies and caterpillars of the sulfur butter-
flies. It is also said to attract hummingbirds. The flowers appear
sporadically throughout the rest of the year on spikes that can
be 4 to 16 inches long! After the flower spike has finished this
relative of the legume family (Leguminosae) will have a seed
pod from 2-8 inches that is compressed so tightly between the
seeds it could look like a strand of necklace beads, hence the
name. A warning, though, for this precocious native, is its seeds
have been used as a purgative by Native Americans because
they contain an alkaloid, cytosine and is dangerous if ingested,
especially for small children.
As a member of the legume family, Necklace Pod has a
symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This
unique relationship helps the plant to tolerate Florida’s poor
soils. On top of that, it is extremely drought tolerant, has a low
fertilizer requirement, and has no serious pests. Also, this
native can cope with a wide variety of locations from beachside
to inland, and all soil types from acidic to alkaline, sand, loam,
and even clay soils. Necklace Pod is under utilized as it can
reach a shrubby height of 6 feet or eventually it can be trimmed
into a small tree spreading 10 feet tall and wide. It will make a
great specimen planting, mass or border planting, and do not
forget its use in a butterfly garden!
—Lauren Pell
incorporated into our summary.
The adventure ended about 11:30 A.M. and several things
were obvious.
• The preserve is a fantastic treasure and an amazing
place to visit.
• There is a lot of bird life in the trees and on the ground.
• The ability to bird by ear is a tremendous, if not com-
pletely necessary, asset.
• Being on a path among tall pines or in a field of
palmettos is an awesome experience.
Thirty-eight species were identified during this morning.
A list of the birds seen or heard follows on the next page.
If you can help on any or all of the upcoming audits, please
contact Don Picard, 386-957-1886, or Ken Gunn, 386-423-
2334. Come on out and join the team. There is enough fun to
go around.
—Ken Gunn
The eSkimmer April, 2008

Longleaf Pines Species List Fish Crow Hilda is on the advisory board, she has access before the gates
Tree Swallow officially open at 9:00 AM. We successfully birded around the
Double-crested Cormorant Carolina Chickadee information center, a primitive footpath below it and the main
Least Bittern Tufted Titmouse parking lot before opening time and the arrival of several
Green Heron Carolina Wren
White Ibis Ruby-crowned Kinglet busloads of very loud tourists. We spent the rest of the
Black Vulture Blue-gray Gnatcatcher morning birding the road into the forest above the center. It
Turkey Vulture Eastern Bluebird was crowded, but Hilda’s knowledge of where to find birds
Bald Eagle Gray Catbird kept us from being irritated by the masses. The birding was
Cooper’s Hawk Northern Mockingbird excellent but the thrill had to be watching a pair of Orange-
Red-shouldered Hawk Northern Parula fronted Parakeets enter their nest, located in the middle of a
Red-tailed Hawk Black-throated Blue Warbler large termite mound on the side of a tree. The two parakeets
Wild Turkey Yellow-rumped Warbler landed on the mound and one after the other disappeared into
Sora Pine Warbler the hole in the bottom, presumably climbing up into their nest.
Sandhill Crane Prairie Warbler
Mourning Dove Palm Warbler Amazing!
Belted Kingfisher Yellow Warbler Hilda treated us to a fine lunch at a buffet frequented by
Red-bellied Woodpecker Common Yellowthroat local workers. After eating, we drove only a short distance to a
Downy Woodpecker Eastern Towhee power post inhabited by a pair of Puerto Rican Woodpeckers.
Northern Flicker Savannah Sparrow
Pileated Woodpecker Northern Cardinal Both landed on the post about 20 feet in front of us. The
Eastern Phoebe Red-winged Blackbird female dove in and out of their nest hole, facing us, several
White-eyed Vireo Eastern Meadowlark times but both were in the open enough to allow us excellent
Blue Jay looks. The rest of the afternoon, we spent birding subdivisions,
acreages, a cemetery and forested roads on the north and east
side of the forest, with excellent results. Count for the day was
Wandering Members only 23 species but 20 were lifers for me.
That evening Hilda dropped us off at a beach restaurant for
Puerto Rico Birding an excellent seafood dinner, while she went off to attend to
I arranged a short birding trip to Puerto Rico for myself business. She picked us up again at 7:20 PM and we went back
and Gale Yarrow, a friend from Texas, for the week of March to the forest. The gate had been left unlocked for her so we
10. I selected the tour company AdvenTours on the internet were able to drive in to the main parking area. After about an
and it turned out to be a one-lady operation. This choice had hour of searching, we were treated to a good look at a Puerto
both positive and negative features. On the plus side, Hilda Rican Screech Owl, another lifer.
knew exactly where to go to find endemic species and Carib- —Ken Gunn
bean specialties; her hearing was superb and her repertoire of
bird calls was excellent; she was very good at recognizing and
distinguishing the species, sexes and maturities; she had access
to the national forest before and after closing and at night. The Officers & Chairs
downsides were that she took calls from her other guides and
from clients while we were driving, though not when we were
actually birding; and, we only birded a small area east of San President: Don Picard 386-957-1886 sevas@cfl.rr.com
Juan – although this was a very productive area, the two other VP: Vacant
centers that participated in the 2006 CBC both listed a greater
variety of species. I would recommend Hilda to others but Secretary: Jean McNeil 386-423-2508
would suggest doing more homework than I did before finaliz-
Treasurer: Richard Domroski 386-428-0447
ing a schedule.
Newsletter: Gil Miller 386-423-4124 the.skimmer@yahoo.com
We flew into San Juan the afternoon of March 10, arriving
about an hour apart, and took a long taxi ride to the Hotel Programs: Ken Gunn 386-423-2334 gunnsatbeach@cfl.rr.com
Yunque Mar. The hotel was recommended by Hilda and we
had no complaints. It was clean, the staff pleasant and obliging, Field Trips: Gail Domroski 386-428-0447
near the areas where we birded and right on the ocean – waves Conservation: Kathy Booth 386-409--3091 mprademacher@msn.com
literally splashed the base of the building. As most restaurants
in the area were closed on Mondays and we had no car, the Membership: Richard Domroski 386-428-0447
hotel staff kindly prepared a very acceptable dinner for us. We
Publicity: Bill Cox billnmarsha@pshift.com
counted seven fairly run-of-the-mill species that evening.
Tuesday morning, Hilda met us at the hotel just after 7:00 Ways & Means, Education/Outreach, Hospitality: VACANT!
AM and we headed to Yunque National Forest Reserve. Since
Our website -- sevolusiaaudubon.org
Please forward this Skimmer to friends. The eSkimmer -- the.skimmer@yahoo.com