Bexar tracks : the newsletter of the Bexar Audubon Society, Vol. 23, No. 02

• Main Author: Bexar Audubon Society
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: San Antonio, Tex. : Bexar Audubon Society, 2005
• Subjects: Birds > Conservation > Texas > Periodicals.; Ornithology > Texas > Periodicals.; Nature conservation > Texas > Periodicals; Clubs and Organizations; Science and Technology; Blair; Holdsworth; Kerr; Mak; Marcos; Swann; Watchers; West Mountain; Woodcock; Carbonic acid; walrus*
• Online Access: http://digital.utsa.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15125coll10/id/8045

Bexar Tracks began with Vol. 4, no. 1 (January 1986). It continues Newsletter (Bexar Audubon Society). BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY SAN ANTONIO, TX Volume XXIII, No. 2 February - March 2005 Developing a foundation For the Edwards Aquifer Aquatic species HCP The Edwards Aquifer Authority (Authority) has been developing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) since 1999 for eight endangered or threatened aquatic species that reside in the Comal and San Marcos springs ecosystems. Both ecosystems depend upon discharges from the Edwards Aquifer; therefore, development of a responsible HCP involves delicate balancing of competing interests that must be grounded in and supported by the best data and scientific principles. During these five years a team of scientists worked to identify the studies required to provide the foundation for a Habitat Conservation Plan. The Authority Board authorized the work and developed the partnerships to achieve it. The result is some of the most intensive, systematic biological and hydrogeological work ever on First Place, 2000 & 2002! National Audubon Society newsletter contest — large chapter division Thursday, February 10, 2005 San Antonio Environmental Network Meeting the Edwards Aquifer system. Rick Illgner, Program Manager of Groundwater Management Strategies of the Authority, will discuss the goals and primary elements of the draft HCP, and Ed Oborny, Senior Fisheries Biologist for BIO-WEST, Inc. (consultant on the HCP), will discuss the intensive biological fieldwork, data collection, and biologic modeling, as well as implications for the springs ecosystems and the Edwards Aquifer system. If you’ve ever wondered what role science plays in our everyday lives, this is a good example of its importance. Note: the draft HCP is scheduled to be presented to the US Fish and Wildlife Service thiss spring. 6:30 p.m. — Social Time; 6:45p.m. — Business Meeting; 7:00 p.m. — Program Free and open to the public — Cowles Life Sciences Building - Room 149 - Trinity Univ., Southwest corner of Hwy 281 & Hildebrand. Take Stadium Drive exit from Hwy 281 N. Geary Schindel will make a presentation on the Deep and Punkin Cave Preserve located in western Edwards County, Texas. The 225-acre preserve was recently purchased by the Texas Cave Management Association (www.cavetexas.org/tcma/home.htm) with the help of Bexar Audubon and others to preserve Punkin Cave, which contains one of the larger colonies of Mexican Free-tail bats in Texas. In addition, Deep Cave is 300 feet deep and over one mile long, making it one of the longer and deeper caves in the state. Deep Cave is not fully explored and appears to have been formed by ascending acidic water. The cave also appears to have a well developed Deep and Punkin Cave Preserve biologic community around the entrance area where frogs, bats, and cave adapted scorpions have been found. The property will be managed to protect the surface and subsurface biologic communities as well as to allow access for recreational caving and scientific study. There is a small field station at the site which is used to house visitors to the property. Schindel is the property manager for the Preserve and is also the Chief Technical Officer for the Edwards Aquifer Authority. He has been exploring caves for over 30 years and is also a karst hydrogeologist. A field trip to the site will be announced in the next newletter. Thursday, March 10, 2005, Chapter Meeting (same time and place as above) South Texas Farm & Range Forum will be held on Feb. 25 & 26th. Registration Form and information on pages 5 & 6. Note new Chapter Meeting place - Cowles Life Sciences Bldg, Trinity Univ., Room 149 February - March 2005 2 Bexar Tracks BEXAR AUDUBON SOCIETY Chapter of the National Audubon Society P. O. Box 6084, San Antonio, TX 78209 210-822-4503 GOALS The Chapter’s primary goals are to promote species and habitat conservation and environmental education in the community. OFFICERS President Tony Wood . ([e-mail]) 493-4684 Vice Pres. Harry Noyes . ([e-mail]) . 490-3124 Treasurer Betty Minyard . ([e-mail]) . 344-6128 Secretary Caryl Swann . ([e-mail]) . 653-2860 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dean Bibles . ([e-mail]) . 698-9264 Susan Hughes . ([e-mail]) . 532-2332 Joe Orr . ([e-mail]) . 377-0621 COMMITTEE CHAIRS Aud. Adven. Betty Minyard . ([e-mail]) . 344-6128 Birdathon Marge Lumpe . ([e-mail]) . 545-1822 Conserv. Harry Noyes . ([e-mail]) . 490-3124 Program Patty Pasztor . ([e-mail]) . 824-1235 Memb. . available Publicity Harry Noyes . ([e-mail]) . 490-3124 SAEN Coord. . available Bexar Tracks Content editor . available Editors Jill Sondeen . ([e-mail]) . 830-980-3277 Mailing Blair Richter.([e-mail]) . 832-0522 Bexar Tracks is your newsletter. We welcome your contributions. Printed with soy ink on recycled paper. Visit Bexar Audubon’s Web Site: http://www.BexarAudubon.org Up-to-date environmental events and calendar can be found here — check often for news! Visit San Antonio Environmental Network’s Web Site: http://www.sa-naturecenter.org Suggestions and contributions are welcome. Please contact Harry Noyes at [e-mail] As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more mysterious. ~Albert Schweitzer~ January 16, 2005, recap: Aquifer field trip pix: George Veni took a group of about 30 adults and kids on a tour of the aquifer — from where the water enters the aquifer, like this recharge feature, aka ‘hole among the rocks.’Site: grounds of Cave Without A Name, Boerne, TX. We then visited the aquifer. Instead of the Edwards, which has no show caves, we visited the Trinity aquifer, which is also a karst aquifer, similar to (and feeding into) the Edwards. After going through some spectacular great rooms carved out by water action from this underground stream during the past 150,000 years or so, we see where the current level of the water table of the aquifer is. Site: Cave Without A Name, Boerne, TX. When the water table is high like it is after the rains we’ve had recently, instead of recharge features, there are discharge features, aka, springs. At the University of the Incarnate Word, George showed us San Antonio Springs.He mentioned that during summer months of drought years, the flow from the Olmos Creek — whose water at that time is coming from urban runoff — actually will flow up the San Antonio River and into the now dry San Antonio Springs opening, directly into the Edwards Aquifer. no filtering there! Some karst tidbits: • Brazil is a model the U.S. should emulate, according to Veni. Its constitution mandates that karst get the highest level of environmental protection! • About 20 to 25 percent of the United States is karst. • Many cave species are relics of widespread ancient groups of animals. A Texas cave creature’s closest relative may be a rainforest species in S. America. • Cave species have value to humans, e.g., bats as insect-eaters or as sources of medicine or as indicators of ecosystem health. • Nine Bexar County cave species were listed as endangered by the federal government in 2000. ***ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*ALERT*** There are several important elections occurring on February 5, among them the San Antonio River Authority board election. Please take time to vote! February - March 2005 3 Bexar Tracks “The best management practice is to stay off the karst.” That was the bottom-line message from Dr. George Veni, one of the world’s top experts on karst aquifers — like the Edwards Aquifer on which San Antonio depends — when he spoke at the January 13 meeting of the Bexar Audubon Society. There may be a “least bad choice” but the only good choice is no construction at all. Karst aquifers are just too vulnerable, Veni explained. That has been proven by an endless string of bad experiences on karst aquifers all over the world, he said. “Whenever there has been significant development over karst there has been significant contamination of the aquifer,” he stressed. Despite a new meeting site in Trinity University’s Cowles Life Sciences Building, a larger-than-normal crowd of about 50 — including Bexar Audubon members, students and general public — were drawn to the session by the topic and Veni’s expertise. The program, entitled “The Edwards Aquifer: A hydrogeological and biological primer,” was supplemented by a Sunday field trip to see several springs and other aquifer features. Karst aquifers are the most vulnerable kind because they have the largest holes in them and thus do not filter water, Veni explained. Any contaminant carried into a karst aquifer will come out of it in spring or well water. Because the Edwards Aquifer holds so much water, he said, it has January 13, 2005, Meeting Recap: The Edwards Aquifer: A hydrogeological and biological primer CHAPTER NEWS managed — so far — to dilute contaminants enough to remain below the level that would endanger people. However, if pollution ever gets too heavy, San Antonio will have to construct costly treatment plants to protect its people. Authorities try to protect the aquifer by plugging recharge features such as sinkholes, caves, etc., when development creates pollution hazards. Not only does this reduce recharge quantities but, Veni emphasized, it does NOT prevent pollution. “I did an experiment, spraying 6000 gallons of water on a field above a cave,” he said. “The field had no visible recharge features at all, but by the time I entered the cave ten minutes later, the water was raining into it from the ceiling.” Microscopic pores exist in all parts of the karst, he explained, and every part of the aquifer is vulnerable to pollution, not just the places with visible recharge features. Despite those microscopic seeps, it is the large water conduits that define a karst aquifer and allow it to show both rapid recharge and extremely rapid discharges of water. In sand aquifers, water is packed into tiny spaces between sand grains. In fracture aquifers, the water is found in narrow splits in the rock. Karst aquifers offer much larger holes because they are made of rock types that can be dissolved by weak carbonic acid created when water absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and soil. Over ages this chemical action makes openings called conduits, ranging from 5-10 millimeters across up to human-accessible caves. Karst has pores and fractures, too, and at any one time, the conduits in the Edwards Aquifer hold only about 6 percent of the total water supply. But over time, 95 percent of the water will move through the conduits. Conduits are wide enough to allow turbulent flow, and that allows the water to carry contaminants without any filtration effect. Furthermore, the complexity of water flow in karst’s myriad channels makes it hard to predict where contaminants may go. Conduits have another role. They are habitat for numerous animal species, many of which have evolved in isolation within specific karst conduits and thus are rare. This has been the root of political controversy locally, as aquifer-management policies have been influenced by species survival needs as well as human water-management goals. Ironically, Veni said, if humans would just manage the aquifer intelligently to ensure sustained water yields for human use, species survival would pretty much take care of itself. Only under quite rare drought conditions would any special measures need to be taken to protect animals. But humans and animals alike are jeopardized by the reckless, every-man-for-himself traditional approach to groundwater. -Harry Noyes February - March 2005 4 Bexar Tracks UPCOMING EVENT — February 18 - 21, 2005 New York, NY, & Ithaca, NY, Autumn, 2004—Last winter, as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count, 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, one of the largest citizen-science projects in the world, documented regional declines of the American Crow that may be the result of West Nile virus in those regions. These crows were reported in alarmingly fewer numbers in Illinois and Ohio, where West Nile virus has had a strong presence, backing findings from the Christmas Bird Count and a winterlong citizen-science project, Project FeederWatch. “This decrease may or may not be related to West Nile, but the situation is certainly something we need to pay attention to,” says John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Crows are very vulnerable to the virus. Other species showed increases last year during the GBBC. Participants in the eastern United States counted more Dark-eyed Juncos than they had since GBBC 2000, perhaps because of the massive snowstorm that hit the eastern seaboard during the weekend of the count, driving birds to feeders in high numbers. That same snowstorm apparently held early migrants like Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, 8th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count Invites Everyone To Go Out And Count For The Birds In America's Great Backyard Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society Present a ‘Snapshot’ of 2004 Great Backyard Bird Count Findings. and American Woodcock farther south, compared with previous years. In the West, Mountain Bluebirds were reported farther south than the year before, and all of the rosy-finches (Black, Gray-crowned, Brown-capped) were documented farther north. In previous years, GBBC maps of Eurasian Collared-Doves, introduced in the Bahamas before reaching Florida in the 1980s, showed the species spreading quickly northwestward. Last year’s maps show no change, suggesting a slowdown in the rate at which the bird’s range is spreading. How will this winter compare with the last six? What will it reflect about our bird populations? The participation of novice and expert bird watchers alike will help us answer these questions. “We need every birder to participate with us,” said Audubon’s director of citizen science Paul Green. “The Great Backyard Bird Count has become an important means of gathering data to help birds, but it can’t happen unless people take part. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, we need you to help us help birds.” Great Backyard Bird Count: “Taking part in the Great Backyard Bird Count takes as little or as much time as participants wish,” says Green. “The important thing is to just take part, count for the birds, and enjoy North America’s Great Backyard.” Instructions for participating can be found at www.birdsource.org/gbbc. There’s no fee or registration. Those who would like to participate but who aren’t online can try their local library, and many Wild Birds Unlimited store owners who are online will be accepting observations made by their customers. Libraries, businesses, nature clubs, Scout troops, and other community organizations interested in promoting the GBBC or getting involved can contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at 800/ 843-2473 (outside the U.S., call 607/254-2473), 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850, or the National Audubon Society at [e-mail] or [phone], Ext 16, Audubon Science Office, 545 Almshouse Road, Ivyland, PA 18974. Here’s what you do * Count the birds in your backyard, local park, or other natural area on one or all four count days. You can count in as many different locations as you wish, just make sure to keep separate records and fill out a checklist for each area. * Watch the birds for at least 15 minutes on each day that you participate. We recommend watching for a half-hour or more, so that you’ll have a good sense of what birds are in your area. * How to count: For each species, keep track of the highest number of individuals that you observe at any one time. Use a “tally sheet.” Your tally sheet should look something like the following: Blue Jay - 1, 3, 6, 2, High Count = 6. Be careful not to count the same bird over and over! Don’t add another Blue Jay to your tally every time you see a Blue Jay at the feeder. You could be seeing the same individual again and again. The Sixth Annual South Texas Farm & Range Forum Managing to Make a Living: The Changing Landscape of South Central Texas February 25-26, 2005 San Antonio & Jourdanton, Texas Sandy Oaks Farm, Twin Oaks Water Management Facility, & Jourdanton Community Center Friday, February 25, 2005 - Sandy Oaks Farm 12:30 pm Registration 1:00 pm Welcome & Introductions 1:10 pm Tour Sandy Oaks Farm 3:00 pm Depart for Twin Oaks Water Management Facility 3:45 pm Tour Twin Oaks Water Management Facility 5:00 pm “Meeting the Water Needs” - Panel discussion with representatives of San Antonio Water System, Bexar Metropolitan Water District, & Evergreen Underground Water District 6:30 p.m. Dinner Saturday, February 26, 2006 - Jourdanton Community Center (1101 Campbell Ave.) 7:30 am Breakfast & Registration 8:00 am Welcome & Introductions 8:15 am “Water Rights” - Frank Ruttenberg, Bracewell & Patterson (invited) 9:30 am “The Changing Landscape” - panel discussion with Ann Smelley (educator),Bill Slomchinski (agricultural producer), and Mike Petter (real estate agent & environmental consultant) 11:00 am Update on Water Issues and Ag & Wildlife Valuation - Helen Holdsworth, TWA 11:30 am Questions and Answers 12:00 pm Lunch & Boot Contest 1:30 pm Available Landowner Assistance - Charles Anderson, USDA-NRCS 2:00 pm Nature Tourism - Miles Phillips, Texas Cooperative Extension (invited) 2:45 pm Landscape and Irrigation Conservation - Diane Pfeil, Bexar Met 3:30 pm Questions and Answers 4:00 pm Adjourn Speakers & schedule subject to change without notice. Recommended attire: country casual. Layers recommended since the weather is unpredictable & some events will be outdoors. Questions? Call 800-TEX-WILD (210-826-2904) or email: [e-mail] To register, complete the following information (PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY) & mail or fax. Early registrations help us plan meals. NAME:_____________________________________ AC/PHONE:________________________________ FARM/RANCH/ORGANIZATION: _______________________________________________________ ADDRESS:___________________________________CITY/ST/ZIP:______________________________ E-MAIL: ________________________________________________ PAY BY: ___Check (payable to TWA) Friday only: ____@ $35 per person ___ MasterCard ___Visa ___ AmEx Saturday only: ____@ $55 per person Both days: ____@ $85 per person Card # _______________________Exp __/__ Call for information on student and multiple household discount registrations. Signature ______________________________ MAIL TO: Helen Holdsworth, Texas Wildlife Association, FAX TO: 210-826-4933 401 Isom Rd., Ste. 237, San Antonio TX 78216 Interested in CEUs? ___Yes ___No Wildlife need habitat. Humans need ecosystem services. In Texas, about 97 percent of land is held privately, so landowners must engage in conservation, and urban con-servationists must work with and support their efforts. We believe the preservation of Texas family farms and ranches is key to developing and maintaining sustainable agriculture. Good stewardship ensures the healthy habi-tats and ecosystems essential for a biologically and eco-nomically healthy Texas now and in the future. But, mak-ing a living off the land is hard to do. By combining hunt-ing, tourism, agriculture, and assistance from government and private programs, land-owning families can diversify, optimize management practices, and improve the chances of sustaining a family legacy. With 80+ percent of Texans now living in cities, we think urban conservationists must make an effort to understand rural issues and urban-rural connections. Urban dwellers must direct their political will to help rural communities retain and manage land sustainably and support nature’s ability to provide important services for people and wildlife. We have a lot in common. South Central Texas has seen explosive growth and an amazing influx of human residents over the past several decades. Last year we looked at the challenges of growth in the Hill Country. This year our focus is south of San Antonio in areas where soil and water are less scarce com-modities, but fast-moving urbanization is encroaching on traditionally rural communities. “Bedroom” subdivisions are springing up in the middle of farmlands, while ranch-ers make their biggest bucks off leases for big brush-country bucks, and birdwatchers spend money during the off-seasons. These and other changes are challenging the economic and social fabric of the region. Our program will address many of these issues and pro-vide a forum for sharing and discussion. Sandy Oaks Orchard Twin Oaks WMF Sixth Annual South Texas Farm & Range Forum — February 25-26, 2005 Managing to Make a Living: The Changing Landscape of South Central Texas Questions? Call 800-TEX-WILD (210-826-2904) or email: [e-mail] Please join us for the Sixth Annual South Texas Farm & Range Forum. And tell your friends! It’s a chance for urban and rural conservationists and landowners to solve problems together. February - March 2005 7 Bexar Tracks Fins, Flippers, Fur & Flukes! EISENHOWER PARK PRESENTED BY www.darlingcetaceans.com “The mission of DARLING CETACEANS is to educate children of all ages about marine mammals, the marine environment and how humans utilize the marine environment….” Become a walrus, face the dangers of whales, and explore the ocean’s depths all in two hours. Reservations are recommended for this event. Please call Natural Areas 210-698- 1057. This will insure your spot at this event. Walk-ins will be accepted on a limited basis. There is a suggested individual donation of $3.00 per individual or $5.00 per family. Eisenhower Park, Harris (Mass Pavilion), 19399 NW Military Hwy. Take FM 1535/Military Hwy/Shavano Park exit off Loop 1604 on the city’s northwest side. Go north on FM 1535/Military Hwy about 2 miles. Park entrance is on the left, just before Camp Bullis. The Pavilion is the gated one to the right. Gates open at 9:30am. LOCAL EVENTS SECOND SATURDAY PROGRAM FEBRUARY 12, 2005 — 10:00am - 12:00pm by Peggy Spring FIRST SATURDAYS INTERPRETIVE NATURE HIKES February 5, 2005 - 9:00am - 11:00am EISENHOWER PARK - 19399 N W Military Hwy There’s still a nip in the air; insect galls and bird nests are easier to locate in the bare branches; the autumn storehouse is shrinking; nature is thinking about waking up. Come join us at this great Natural Area. Reservations are highly recommended, as the hike will not be conducted if there are no pre-registered participants. Call 210/698-1057. Participants are limited to 15 per hike. For groups of 8 or more please call to schedule a separate hike. Meet at the restrooms near the parking lot in each park. A donation of $2 per person is suggested. sanaturalareas.org December 11, 2004, Program recap: Tuna, Nopales and More We had a fine Second Saturday program on December 11, with 3 children and 16 adults for 19 participants. Cindy Gonzales, a degreed nurse with extensive knowledge of plant medicinal uses and other aspects of plant uses, presented an engaging introduction to ethnobotany. She shared many examples of folk medicine and healing techniques, relating the information to local plant materials. A short hike along the trail allowed the participants to view several of the plants mentioned in the presentation. Save the Heart of Texas! A Regional Summit on the Edwards Aquifer and the Hill Country March 4-6, 2005 Carver Community Cultural Center 226 N. Hackberry, San Antonio TX The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance invites you to join them to learn about and help shape the future of the Texas Hill Country and our region’s most critical life support system – The Edwards Aquifer. On Saturday, March 5 Hill Country conservation and business leaders, experts and government officials will review and debate current land development and water use trends, planned public expenditures of billions of dollars in roads, water, and other infrastructure, and the potential for harm to the Edwards Aquifer, our Central Texas economy, and our rural Hill Country heritage. Together panelists and attendees will examine the myths and explore the alternatives. Program Friday, March 4: Building Our Community 2:00 – 5:00 Skill Building Workshops 7:00 Reception with a Special Tour of the Witte Museum’s Water Works Exhibit. Saturday, March 5: Save the Heart of Texas! Panel Discussions, Key Note Speakers Sunday, March 6: Taking Action! 9:00 - 1:00 Strategic Planning and Workshops for Taking Action Locally and at the 2005 Texas Legislature. Picnic at the Springs afterwards. For More Information Contact GEAA at 210-320-6294 or email: [e-mail] PO Box 15618, SA TX 78212. www.aquiferalliance.org March 5, 2005 - Friedrich Wilderness Park April 2, 2005 - Walker Ranch May 7, 2005 - Eisenhower Park FUTURE HIKES February - March 2005 8 Bexar Tracks Membership Form Chapter Donation Form National Audubon Society Bexar AudubonSociety Membership rates are: Student/Senior $15 Basic $35 Introductory 1-year $20 (2-year: $30) Name _______________________ Address___________________________ _______________________________ City______State __ Zip_________ Phone: ( )________________ Email:___________________________ For a new membership, mail this coupon and your check—payable to “National Audubon Society, Chapter W19” to: Bexar Audubon Society P. O. Box 6084 San Antonio, TX 78209 W19, 7XCH Opt out for other mailings By using this form, 100 percent of your first year’s dues will benefit the chapter. For Contributions to BAS: $______ Make your check payable to Bexar Audubon Society Bexar Audubon Society, Inc. P. O. Box 6084 San Antonio, TX 78209 Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid San Antonio Permit #590 Mark your calendar Feb. 25-26 — 2005 South Texas Farm and Range Forum - See pages 5-6 Earth Share of Texas rep-resents the Audubon Foundation of Texas and the National Audubon So-ciety in payroll deduction plans for charitable giving. For information, call 1-800-GREENTX or email <[e-mail]>. San Antonio Audubon Society’s Beginners’ Birdwalk is held at 8 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. Visitors are welcome. There are binoculars to lend. Meet at the Judson Nature Trail next to the Alamo Heights Swimming Pool on Viesca St. From the 5900 block of Broadway, turn west on Ogden to Greeley St., turn left one block, then right again to the parking lot on the left. More information at 210-342-2073. RECURRING EVENTS Call the Mitchell Lake Audubon Center at 210-628-1639 for informa-tion for birding and other events. MITCHELL LAKE ACCESS Saturday,March 19, 2005 — BEXAR AUDUBON OUTING Your chance to see Black-Capped Vireos and Golden-Cheeked Warblers Although the details are not yet available at press time for meeting place and time, Marge Lumpe is arranging a field trip to the Kerr Wildlife Management Area. The purpose of the outing to Kerr would be to hopefully see the newly returned golden-cheeked warbler (GCW) and the black-capped vireo (BCV). According to the website (www.tpwd.state.tx.us/wma/ find_a_wma/list/ ?id=12&activity=wildlifeViewing): “With a little assistance and some directions, most birders stand a good chance of viewing these two elusive species.” GCWs are generally located near stands of mature cedar (Ashe juniper), in the dense underbrush. BCVs are much more abundant on the Kerr WMA, with over 420 singing males documented during the 2002 survey. Males stake out a territory and call repeatedly throughout the day to attract mates and warn off other males. For information, call 210-545- 1822, come to the March Chapter meeting—see page 1, or check out www.bexaraudubon.org. Note: This issue covers both Febru-ary and March Chapter Meetings and Outings. PLEASE SAVE.