Mattabeseck Audubon Society: Welcome!

Our Mission: The Mattabeseck Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, is committed to environmental leadership and education for the benefit of the community and the earth's biodiversity.

deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, Connecticut 06457

September 13 (Saturday 5:15 p.m.)
SWALLOW CRUISE
MAS and Hartford Audubon will again sponsor a cruise on the CT River in search of the swallows in their fall migration. Join us for an evening cruise aboard the River Quest from the dock of the Connecticut River Museum in Essex to view the unique fall congregation of swallows before their journey south for the winter. Just before sunset, hundreds of swallows swarm together near Goose Island near the mouth of the Connecticut River. Suddenly, they swoop down and disappear into the marsh for the night. This is an event not to be missed.

We will cruise from 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The cost of the trip is $25 per person. We will share a potluck dinner. Bring your own beverage with or without alcohol. Space is limited to 47 participants. Call 860-873-9304 for more information.

This beetle is a serious pest in other parts of the world and can kill hardwood trees in roadside plantings, shelterbelts, and plantations. In the United States, the beetle prefers maple species.

ALB typically does not spread quickly on its own, but it can easily be inadvertently transported in untreated firewood and other forest products. Trees affected include: Boxelder, Norway, Red, Silver, and Sugar maples, Alders, Birches, Elms, Horsechestnut, Poplars, and Willows. A complete list of host trees in the United States, however, has not been determined. Previous infestations have occurred in New York, Illinois and New Jersey.

Residents suspecting they have seen ALB should report their findings to CAES at (203) 974-8474 or (203) 974-8485. Residents can also report sightings to APHIS via their website at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/.

Although there is some minor detailing to be completed, the platform is functional and open to the public. MAS hopes everyone will enjoy the view, and the workmanship. Our thanks once again to Professor Huge and the Wesleyan students! There will be a dedication ceremony in the Fall, date to be announced.

The David Titus Memorial Bird Card is now available for a $3 donation. We will have them at MAS activities or email our web site. Many thanks to Pat Rasch for putting it all together and Mike DiGiorgio for his beautiful illustrations. This is a very inexpensive way to own some of the best bird art you’ll ever see. The card is extra heavy-duty all-plastic laminate, printed in full color on both sides. Twenty-four birds are identified by common name and Latin name, with the length of the bird and seasons that they are usually seen in our area also given. In species where there are visual differences between the sexes, both sexes are portrayed.

Canoe Trip: Identify River Mussels, August 16 (Sat. 8am), NOTE that date has changed!
Sparrow Crawl, October 11 (Sat. 8 a.m.)

Wildflower Walk
Titus Memorial Warbler Walk
Portland Reservoir Walk
CT Water Trails Day

The deadline for items to be included in theFall/Winter Issue is Tuesday, September 30, 2008. We expect subscribers to receive their copies about Saturday, October 18. Please send items to Daniel Tinter, 61 Wildflower Lane, Middletown CT 06457, or email to <djtinter2@snet.net>

The Board of Directors will meet at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown.

If you find a baby bird or other animal, it's best to leave it alone. Chances are the parent is nearby and will take care of the baby when you leave the area. If not or you have some other wildlife problem, contact the CT Wildlife Rehabilitators Association at http://www.cwrawildlife.org/ where you can find a rehabilitator in your area or someone to address your problem.

We encourage everyone to buy Duck Stamps each fall. The funds the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the State of Connecticut receive from the sale of Duck Stamps goes directly to conservation of habitat that supports not only waterfowl but many other species of birds and other animals and indigenous plants. You may purchase Federal Duck Stamps at the Post Office, and State of Connecticut Duck Stamps at your local town hall.

Yellow lampmussels (Lampsilis cariosa) were again identified in the sandy bottom of the upper reaches of the Connecticut River near South Windsor in 2007. This find establishes these mollusks, although still rare, as firm residents of Connecticut, and restores the species to the Endangered Species List. (Extirpated species are taken off that list.)

The drought from July-August 2007 left river flows precariously low in the Yellow lampmussel’s upper Connecticut domain. An ingenious method of survival is to bury oneself down into the moist sand and mud. Some species of mussel, such as the Eastern elliptio, have been found buried like stacks of cordwood as deep as two feet, with not a drop of river water flowing above them. Held in a sort of suspension, they awaited the return of normal river flows.

TheConnecticut River in Windsor, looking North to Bissell Bridge, and then South. The critter is a Yellow lampmussel, very rare in Conn.