"The Yellow Warbler"

Audubon Adventures is a program through which elementary school teachers receive a kit of materials that can be used for ongoing nature-based education programs during the school year. The chief component of the kit is a set of four periodicals that can be distributed to students over the course of the year. The kit also contains guidelines for complementary learning activities. Periodicals for the current academic year are entitled "The Watery World of Waterbirds", "Real Live Dragons and Damsels", "The Nature of Spiders" and "Turtles: Armored Reptiles."

In recent years, placement of Audubon Adventures kits has become more difficult because of increasing pressure on teachers to conform classroom content to the Ohio state academic achievement standards. Teachers tell chapters that they just don't have time to teach materials unless they are directly related to the achievement standards.

To solve this problem, Audubon has just released a new guidance document that ties each item in the Audubon Adventures kit to specific sections of the academic achievement standards, and demonstrates that use of the Audubon Adventures kits can be consistent with state achievement standards.

Sunday, October 16, 8:30 a.m.
Field Trip: Sycamore State Park.
If you haven't gone birding in this corner of Dayton, you are in for a big surprise! Come take a look at Sycamore State Park with DAS Treasurer Todd Jergens (837-4302). Northwest of Dayton in the city of Trotwood, the meadows, woodlots, and ponds and creeks of Sycamore State Park provide an excellent place to look for birds and other wildlife. The huge sycamores lining the banks of Wolf Creek give the park its name. To get to Sycamore State Park, take US 35 west from Dayton about 6 miles to Snyder Road, then right (north) 3-1/2 miles to Wolf Creek Pike; turn left to the parking lot a short distance down the road on the right side.

Saturday, October 22, 9:00 a.m.
Field Trip: Englewood MetroPark.
Englewood MetroPark has a large variety of habitats that make it one of the best all around birding spots in the Greater Miami Valley. In fact, any time in the fall at Englewood can be very productive. Plan now to join Barbara Keegan and Jennifer Monahan (435-0707) for a great fall morning of birding. Take US 40 west from I-75 (north of Dayton). Meet in the parking lot at the east end of Englewood dam on US 40 (between the Dayton International Airport and the city of Englewood). Please wear shoes or boots suitable for muddy terrain.

Sunday, October 23, 9:00 a.m.
Field Trip: CJ Brown Reservoir, Springfield.
CJ Brown Reservoir near Springfield has a number of habitats to explore, including a deep-water lake, shallow inlets, beach, seasonal mudflats, patches of woods, and grasslands. Fall waterfowl, shorebirds, and a few late passerine migrants are all possible at CJ Brown Reservoir in mid-October, and you are invited to join DAS President Dick Balk (886-0092) to look for a variety of species. Take I-70 east to US 68. North to SR 344, east to SR 4, south to Croft Road, east across the dam, to the state park entrance. Meet at the parking lot by the water north of the check-in station (north end of the beach.)

Sunday, November 13, 9:00 a.m.
Field Trip: Whitewater State Park, Indiana.
Our popular, traditional end to the fall season's field trips! You just never know what will be seen on this trip: waterfowl, shorebirds, few early winter birds, Black Vultures, Turkeys, and/or Sandhill Cranes. Plan now to stay all morning - bring a picnic lunch with you, and since it is now fall, bring a jacket in case the weather is a bit brisk! This is the trip for great birds AND fellowship! Take SR 725 west to Indiana 44 to Liberty. South on Rt. 101 to the state park sign. Meet Lee and Polly Hall (434-4531) at the park entrance. Don't forget your good luck "bear claw necklace"!

In addition to a completely new look and feel, eBird 2.0 has a streamlined data entry process and a suite of new output tools geared toward the interests of today's birders. On customized "My eBird" pages users can now view their life, state and county lists - all generated automatically as individual reports are entered.

Begun in 2002, eBird is growing and changing as it builds a strong base of dedicated observers. eBird already supplies data to researchers across the country, and new ways to extract and interpret information will increase its value as a tool for bird conservation. In the coming years, eBird may have a role to play farther south in gathering information in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Cecropia Moths belong to a group of moths collectively known as giant silkworm moths (family Saturniidae) which are some of the most visually striking moths of Ohio, both as caterpillars and as adults. In late summer and early fall Cecropia Moth larvae begin to spin cocoons in which they'll spend the winter. In the spring and summer they emerge from their cocoons as adult moths that are recognized by their rufous color, six inch wingspan, and large dark eye-spots on the hindwings.

Unfortunately, Cecropia Moths and other native silkworm moths have been on the decline due to a small parasitoid fly that was introduced to control invasive Gypsy Moths. The parasitoid lays its eggs on the large larvae of native silk moths, and then the fly larvae eat the caterpillar from the inside out. However, Gypsy Moths, a host species for the parasitoid fly, have declined recently as the result of a fungus infestation and this decline may be benefiting native silkworm moths. With fewer Gypsy Moths to play host to the parasitoid flies, there are less flies to parasitize native silkworm moths.

Dayton Audubon annually sponsors Audubon Adventures for a number of area schools. If you know of a classroom that would like us to sponsor Audubon Adventures for them, or you would like to sponsor a class yourself, please contact Barbara Keegan at 435-0707. The cost for Audubon Adventures is $35 per classroom, and the packets are designed for a class of up to 30 students.