President’s Message

By Tom Atkinson, President

A Long-billed curlew sighted at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, painted buntings decorating a back yard in the Lake Washington area, three brant identified at Pelican Island, a large group of avocets observed at the pond between the locks and the draw bridge at Port Canaveral, a gull-billed tern seen feeding at MINWR, a flock of white-winged doves on Gardenia Street in Sebastian; these are just of few of the special bird sightings that have recently been reported on the IRAS Yahoo e-mail group. These sighting are in addition to the usual suspects that are seen on our regularly scheduled field trips each weekend. I hope that each of you is taking advantage of our delightful Florida weather to get out and enjoy the natural surroundings of the area. When you consider what the rest of the nation is experiencing, we have to be thankful for the abundance which we are afforded.

In the early part of this new year it is proper that we remind ourselves of the purpose for which this society exists. Quoting from our bylaws in part, “The purpose of this Society is to disseminate and promote conservation education; to create understanding of and interest in all wildlife…” This purpose was prodigiously carried out the evening of January 16 when Jim Angy presented the membership with a set of slides and commentary that was outstanding. His knowledge of and affection for the birds and wildlife of the area virtually oozes from his pores. His skill and patience with a camera strike awe into the hearts of us amateurs. The 67 people who attended the meeting were treated to an evening of beauty and knowledge that I can only describe as professional. We all owe Jim Angy a hearty round of applause and are thankful that he is a friend of Audubon.

The IRAS board committees are busy carrying out chapter work. The proposed changes to Bylaws to accommodate the name change were presented to the membership at the January meeting and a vote will be called at the February meeting. Plans for the Spaghetti Dinner fund raiser at Mr. Beaujean’s Restaurant, Sunday, February 22 are shaping up. Workers are still needed. Contact any board member to sign up to work or donate a salad or dessert. You can purchase tickets ($10 adult, $5 for 12 or under, families with more than two children, price is negotiable) from any board member or at the door. The hours are from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. An additional attraction at the Spaghetti Dinner this year will be a silent auction of six beautifully crafted bird houses. These bird house are of rough wood ready for birds not show. Member Betty McKeown has arranged the donation of these bird houses which were hand constructed by a friend of hers.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up February 13–16, 2004. Last winter, as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count, quoting from the Audubon Chapter Networker, bird enthusiasts across North America submitted almost 50,000 checklists totaling more than four million birds of 512 species during the February count. The event is one of the largest citizen-science projects in the world. Please get involved this year. Refer to the article in the January Limpkin or call (215) 355-9588, ext. 16 for details

During January, we have to start thinking about leadership for next year. Our Bylaws require that we appoint a Nominating Committee prior to February 1. The membership of the committee must be announced at the February meeting and be published in the newsletter prior to that meeting. I am delighted to tell you Mr. Carroll Holland has accepted the chairmanship of the committee and the members are Julie Seberry and Barbara Venuto.

Let me conclude by telling you what a delight it is to work with the knowledgeable and dedicated people that make up your board. They all give of their time and skills unselfishly to carry out the purpose for which this society is established. As they say, at the end of the day if we have brought one person to an awareness of the need to preserve habitat or brought one young person to a wider appreciation of nature, then it has all been worthwhile. Happy birding.