Baton Rouge Audubon Society

Excellent introduction to Orleans Audubon Society President Jennifer Coulson's work with Swallow-tailed Kites.

Meet the protector of the northshore’s elegant, fork-tailed, bug-eating hawk Jennifer Coulson has spent the last three decades keeping an on these striking, buoyant, fork-tailed raptors.

Got to do my favorite thing today; teach kids about birds! Excited to hang out with the campers at the Charles R. Kelly community center in Baton Rouge and go on a bird walk. Thanks to Ms Jackson, Logan and all the folks at the center for letting us visit and share our love of birds. And BIG props to Crystal for putting it together!

Thanks to all who were able to join us for our 50th Anniversary celebration Sunday afternoon. Having reviewed how far we've come, let us turn to the work that remains!

Photos: BR Audubon Society celebrates 50 The Baton Rouge Audubon Society held a celebration for its Golden Anniversary at the Holiday Inn South on Sunday, June 30. Photographers and artist CC Lockwood, Mary Ann Caffery, Krista

In case you missed it, Jane Patterson and CC Lockwood on public radio's Louisiana Considered.

New study on flooding risks; HNOC exhibit on ‘unknown sitters’; Baton Rouge Audubon Society marks 50 years Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear about a new exhibit of portraits with unknown subjects. We also hear what a new study reveals about flooding risks, and learn how the Baton Rouge Audubon Society is celebrating 50 years.

Beautiful day for a bird walk! Thanks to everyone who participated in our celebration of Black Birders Week. We saw a kettle of Mississippi Kites, red-winged blackbirds up close, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers tending their nest. 35 species in all!

Still time to register!

'More than a bird watching group': Baton Rouge Audubon Society turns 50 Learn what the Baton Rouge Audubon Society has done, is doing today

The 2024 Audubon Photography Awards are out.

The 2024 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions Mating, fighting, dive-bombing for food: This year's prize-winning images and videos are packed with avian action—now, in even more categories.

Kenn Kaufman writes again!
A look at the wild and woolly world of early 19th century American ornithology, with the discovery that Audubon sometimes just made stuff up.

Uncovering What Audubon Missed, and What He Made Up (Gift Article) In “The Birds That Audubon Missed,” Kenn Kaufman delves into the fierce, at times unethical, competition among early American ornithologists.

Say NO to cypress mulch. Our cypress forests are too fragile.

Bayou-Diversity (28 April 2024) CYPRESS MULCH The legacy of Louisiana’s official state tree should not end in your flower bed. Mulching to control weeds and conserve water is a great idea; using mulch made from cypress trees is not. Most mature cypress forests in this state were cut for lumber decades ago. Almost all of the remaining stands are relatively young—too young to be used for timber and too young to reproduce naturally. When clearcutting of these young stands occurs to produce cypress mulch, any chance of future reproduction is eliminated, and unlike pines, cypress is rarely replanted behind a harvesting operation. The bottom line is that harvesting cypress to fuel the demand for mulch is not sustainable.

Recent research has shown that the popular demand for cypress mulch is at least partly driven by myths. Consumers often buy cypress under the assumption that it is more durable and long-lasting. This is not the case since today’s mulch is made from young trees yet to develop rot-resistant heartwood. Work by the Florida Coop Extension Service found other problems: “When dry, cypress mulch repels water, making it difficult to wet, particularly if it is on a mound or slope.” Moreover, once it is wet “cypress mulch appears to have a high water-holding capacity that may reduce the amount of water reaching the plant root zone.” Even its attractive color soon fades away.

Cheaper and effective alternative mulches are available. A University of Florida study found that wood chips, pine bark and pine straw rated just as high as cypress. If you are concerned about the loss of Louisiana’s natural wetlands, do your part and keep our state tree in the swamps, not in your flower bed.

Look at this handsome dude! And look at the jewelry he's sporting! Yes, this is the second banded male Prothonotary Warbler from our Amite River sanctuary that has returned for another year! Here's hoping his mate is back as well and they make many beautiful bright yellow babies!

Hello BR Audubon members and friends!

Our second quarter newsletter is now online. It includes articles about:
Baby birds at Amite River Wildlife sanctuary
upcoming BR Audubon 50th anniversary - summer of 2024
City nature challenge event - end of April
Plant donations
KidsWhoBird trip to see the eagle
Trail marker installation at Amite River sanctuary
Work day at Peveto woods sanctuary
2024 patch
Amite River sanctuary designation as an LDWF Natural Area Registry
Generous donation from East Ascension Sportsman's League for materials for bridges at Amite Rive sanctuary
Audubon Delta urban greens community science initiative
http://braudubon.org/newsletter/BRAS2Q2024ver004.pdf

Enjoy!

--Jane Patterson

braudubon.org

Y'all! So excited to report that one of the adult male Prothonotary Warblers that was banded at our Amite River Wildlife Sanctuary has returned for another year! This is the male that successful raised a brood last year. Hopefully he'll do the same this year. No sign of his green-banded mate yet, but fingers crossed! These birds winter in the northern part of South America so their migratory journeys are remarkable. Welcome back, Mr. Red!

Writer Ed Yong discovers Birder Derangement Syndrome, and thinks he likes it!

Opinion | When I Became a Birder, Almost Everything Else Fell Into Place (Gift Article) To find the birds, you have to know them.

Mom and Dad Eastern Bluebird are busy feeding chicks at our Amite River Sanctuary. The babies should be just about to fledge!

Whoooo, it’s hot out here! # amiteriverwildlifesanctuary