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Bluebirds on the Golf Course (Part 2)From: "Dan McCue" dmccue"at"usit.net Greetings all - I would like to obtain a few good golf course
slides to use in appropiate places with my other slides to assist
in obtaining permission to other gold courses in our area. These,
of course, would be ones that had a background of a fairway
or a golf cart in the background. Do any of you have such a
slide(s) that I could obtain a copy? Some golf course managers
think that no golf courses would allow Bluebird boxes selectively
placed, to enhance their course and help eliminate much of the
bug population. Thanks, and God bless,Dan McCue in Camden, TN.
75 miles due west of Nashville on the Tennessee River in West
TN. Member of NABS, TN Audabon Society. President of Benton
County Bluebird Society of TN, Inc.,1st V.P Tennessee Bluebird
Trails, Inc. From: "Bobby Wilson" bluebirdbob1"at"bresnan.net Bob Wilson Dan I looked over my collection and did not find the slides you are looking for showing course acvity. I will be glad to take some but the grass is not green now. The course is open where we have about 45 nesting boxes. What I can do is take the pictures and send you the film and you can process. You may keep all the slides. Bob From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Hi All, Just another one of my Normal BB weeks. Gee, the days are running into each other now. Two weeks ago Monday I put in an individual Trail, and the next day another individual Trail. Plus at this time 3 of us were building 10 Box setups for a golf course...by Saturday I had two more golf courses signed up, and two more individuals. So Saturday I bought wood and built there was very bad rainy weather here. Sunday of last week Bob Weppler and I, went to Buffalo Creek and picked out 10 places out of 18 holes to set our Trail. Monday I delivered Waterlefe Golf Course, and again traveled 18 holes picking over 10 spots for BB boxes. Waterlefe also has 6 PVC BB boxes they are bringing to me tomorrow for adjustment. I love riding on the golf carts. It is just like an E Ticket at Disneyland. But as David Williamson, the Maintenance Supervisor, and I started we almost had a head on collision with the drink golf cart. The other driver didn't scream for long as her arms went up in the air. Well got my adrenelin going. We survived and found beautiful places to put the boxes. If I was a BB I would go there in a heartbeat! Tuesday Bob Weppler and I again went to Buffalo Creek. The course was closing at 3 to golfers because they were going to spray poison on the course. Now, all my life I have avoided such places as golf courses because of all the chemicals, I am so very allergic to so much. They said we would be ok, "Just stay ahead of the spraying truck." This was really pushing it for me. I felt a little better because I saw others on the course. But then I saw "The Truck!" There was spray and foam all over and it was now just feet from our first box. Bob and I can work in a contest now, putting box setups in the ground. We had two carts. He had the ball picker cart with all but the poles, and I had the poles. We set 5 boxes in less than one hour and lost "The Truck". Of course by then I was bright red and thought I was close to death from the heat. So back to the snack bar to cool off. The second 5 holes we flew to our holes. Watching TV helped being out there. I heard from far away "Four!" I never knew I could hide behind a 1 1/4" PVC pole. Then I saw the little white ball roll by us. I told the guys we were not putting in the new Hole Flag. Then I saw "The Truck" again. This truck is about the size of a Trash dump truck super large, and it traveled like a Bat out of Hell over the course, an easy 30 miles an hours. The spray now was flying 20 feet in the air and blowing across many holes. I found I could drive with one hand at top speed and still have my head inside my shirt to get air. Well job done, and after scrubbing down many times I am still here. BBing is not boring! This is as close the the X-Games I am going to get. BB X-Tremes. The next day I picked up our 4th Monitored Golf Course, and 5th FL County, Collier.. it is in Naples, FL. Yesterday I bought more wood 40 poles, and today I cut and built 10 boxes. One Trail gets delivered tomorrow, and 6 boxes get delivered to me to fix. And by next Sat. I need to get one more Trail delivered and the last Golf Course picked up. The Bradenton Herald has put two consecutive weeks of our BB Trail Updates, on their own. And this week the Myakka Newsletter should be coming out. We have 10 known BB fledged but about 35 eggs and babies, So far 10 BB eggs were bad, and the reports have not come in for this week. Sorry a little long but this is what I am doing these days. Phil asked me if I ever came up for air. I replied I did not know I was supposed to be breathing! Love hearing all the new BB reports! Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 15:47:26 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA First, I would go to every one of those boxes and make a list
of each one and what you find inside. Also note what other problems
you find at each box. Bad designs, broken, poor ventilation,
etc. Also include siting problems and mounting problems. Accurate
information and numbers is your power here. If it is a public golf course, I would search out the conservation
commission and set up a meeting to talk with them about the
course, giving them all the information above. If you get them
behind you you are golden. Whether it is private or public hopefully
they'll reimburse you for materials needed. Golf course bluebirding is very satisfying and such a lovely
place to spend time. Plus the golfers get to know you and will
come ask questions etc. -------------------------------------------- The online Bluebird Reference Guide: http://birds.cornell.edu/bluebirds/
---------- ... Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 13:47:35 -0400 Dear Nest-box Monitor, I am writing to share some exciting news with you. The Birdhouse Network has just received notice that our 2003 Wildlife Links Pre-proposal entitled "Are Golf Courses Ecological Traps for Cavity-nesting Birds?" has been accepted. This pre-proposal was based on the pilot Golf Course Study that some of you participated in during the 2001 nesting season through TBN. Thank you for all your previous efforts! The acceptance of our pre-proposal means that we have two weeks to write and submit a full proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation which manages the Wildlife Links program in partnership with the US Golf Association. As you might expect, we are looking for volunteers who already monitor (or would be interested in monitoring) nest boxes on golf courses. If this is you, please read on. The purpose of the pre-proposal was to request funding to study the effects of golf course habitats and human activities on breeding Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. Cavity-nesting birds are ideal for studying the impacts of golf courses, as they are easily attracted to nest boxes, can be monitored with accuracy, and may serve as biological indicators of ecosystem health. Along with the full proposal we need to secure permission to
work on each of the 30 proposed golf courses before submitting
the proposal. This is At the bottom of this Message is an excerpt from the methodology
section of the pre-proposal to give you some idea of how the
study will operate. 1) YOUR NAME: 2) YOUR ADDRESS: 3) YOUR PHONE #: 4) NAME OF GOLF COURSE YOU MONITOR(ED): 5) GOLF COURSE CONTACT INFORMATION (address, name of superintendent, phone #): 6) NUMBER OF BOXES YOU MONITOR ON THE GOLF COURSE: 7) NUMBER OF BOXES YOU MONITOR OFF OR ADJACENT TO GOLF COURSE: 8) ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING A NEST BOX MONITOR FOR THIS UPCOMING STUDY IF PROPOSAL IS ACCEPTED? If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to receiving your responses and I thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, Tina Phillips Methodology In collaboration with selected golf courses, a Cornell research associate will coordinate the recruitment of TBN participants to place and monitor nest boxes on approximately 30 golf courses (treated areas) and on adjacent control sites. Participants will each receive a small stipend to cover costs of nest box related equipment. Nest-box monitors will install at least five nest boxes on each of the golf courses and control areas. Citizen nest-box monitors will work with existing golf course staff to determine suitable sites for nest boxes, best times to monitor, and how to disseminate educational materials. Each week during the breeding season, nest-box monitors will follow a strict protocol to check nest boxes and record information on each nesting attempt. In addition, information on habitat, human disturbance, and pesticide applications will be cataloged for each box. At the end of the breeding season, monitors will submit data for each box through our interactive web site. CLO scientists will then analyze the data, using mult-varitate statistical approaches to compare golf courses (treated sites) and control sites. Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:46:27 -0500 From Barbara Ann Bowman Is there a publication specifically dedicated to Golf Course nestbox monitoring that tells how to approach the managment, etc. I'm interested. Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 11:28:14 -0400 Hi Barbara, To my knowledge, there is no such publication specific to nest-box monitoring and golf course management. There are however, a few books written about managing golf courses in a more environmentally friendly fashion. One book is entitled "Managing wildlife habitat on golf courses" and is written by Ronald G. Dodson. The other is called "Bird conservation on golf courses" and is written by Scott W. Gillihan. Both of these discuss nest-box monitoring on golf courses as well ways to approach golf course managers. Next week the American Ornithological Union (AOU) holds its annual meeting and for the first time, there is an entire symposium dedicated to birds and golf courses. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend as I am scheduled for maternity leave in a few weeks, but there are other Lab staff who will be there and hopefully sitting in on some of these sessions. The Birdhouse Network has just submitted the final golf course proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. If accepted, we will need at least 30 volunteers to monitor boxes on 30 different golf courses throughout the eastern United States. Thus far, we have had 10 nest-box monitors accept the invitation to participate in the study. If you are interested in helping us study whether golf courses are safe breeding havens for cavity-nesting birds, please contact me for details. Thank you, Tina Phillips (607)254-2482 At 05:46 PM 7/16/2003 -0500, you wrote: Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 16:19:57 -0400 Hi Barbara, To my knowledge, there is no such publication specific to nest-box monitoring and golf course management. There are however, a few books written about managing golf courses in a more environmentally friendly fashion. One book is entitled "Managing wildlife habitat on golf courses" and is written by Ronald G. Dodson. The other is called "Bird conservation on golf courses" and is written by Scott W. Gillihan. Both of these discuss nest-box monitoring on golf courses as well ways to approach golf course managers. Next week the American Ornithological Union (AOU) holds its annual meeting and for the first time, there is an entire symposium dedicated to birds and golf courses. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend as I am scheduled for maternity leave in a few weeks, but there are other Lab staff who will be there and hopefully sitting in on some of these sessions. The Birdhouse Network has just submitted the final golf course proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. If accepted, we will need at least 30 volunteers to monitor boxes on 30 different golf courses throughout the eastern United States. Thus far, we have had 10 nest-box monitors accept the invitation to participate in the study. If you are interested in helping us study whether golf courses are safe breeding havens for cavity-nesting birds, please contact me for details. Thank you, Tina Phillips (607)254-2482 Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2003 16:10:32 -0700 (PDT) Barbara, have you looked at the Audubon site? www.audubonintl.org/projects/nestbox/
This is part of the Audubon International program, which has
certification processes for golf courses which cover a variety
of categories, wildlife and naturalization being one of them.
Anyway, I'm in Canada and familiar with the certification process
for here, but yours must be similar. The website above seems
to have a guideline for nextbox programs at golf courses. Perhaps
it might be useful to you. Mary Wilson Tina Phillips cbp6"at"cornell.edu wrote: To my knowledge, there is no such publication specific to nest-box ... From: KCBSP"at"aol.com Kathy Clark, New Cumberland, PA I'm curious about Audubon International. It's not really Audubon is it? Somebody with knowledge please enlighten us. ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com In reference to Audubon International: It does not have anything at all to do with the Audubon Club we know of. This I was just told by one of my golf course superintendents, who is trying to get his course certified. He said that at one time the Audubon we know even ...did/ or wanted to sue because they were using the word audubon. But Audubon is not the only one who can use the word audubon. Surely using the word audubon for Audubon International causes confusion. It sure did for me, but also makes sense that others should be able to use the word audubon also. Out of the 7 Golf Course Bluebird Trails I now have 4 of them are working on some type of Audubon International Certification. And I believe that the other 3 courses will benefit by already having a Bluebird Trail already in and being monitored for when they will also go for certification. But those who are working for their certification, and also will help our Bluebird Project, will also be helped by receiving owl and woodpecker boxes and other boxes, and information on Purple Martins and Bats. If you look at our web site you can view the info on our golf courses, and then there is also a page of what extra boxes have been given to them. I hope that helps just a little. It is going to be interesting in putting golf course records together and also procedures for their certification in this area. By the way for a golf course to be totally certified there are 6 different areas they have to pass..another example would be water. Christy Sarasota, FL From: Lynn [mailto:lemerich"at"epix.net] Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 4:44 PM Subject: Golf courses A recent articls in our local paper spotlighted a man who wanted to sell his golf course to a housing developer. Of couse the neighbors and the whole community were against it. The community would like the commisioners to buy the course and run it, using the profits for needed services. During an inspection by the developer, it was found that the golf course had used a certain type of fertilizer that contained arsenic. The developer said he would have to excavate between 6 inches and 3 feet of ground before he could start builing. He turned down the deal. The township is now debatng what to do with it. Lynn near Bernville PA. From: mrtony8 [mailto:philip.berry"at"mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 6:21 PM Subject: Re: Golf courses Most of us who utilize the golf course for a trail have researched the chemicals used by management. A course manager who is on the ball will want to "Audobon Certified," and this is good advertisement to use on the public. From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 8:30 AM Subject: Re:Golf Courses Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas As late as the 1970's there were commonly used insecticides for crops that contained arsenic as the active ingredient. Calcium Arsenic was common and Lead Arsenic was even more widely used. These would have been widely used on turf grasses after World War II. Lead oxide was used as a fungicide and even today you can see on many house roofs where the lead "boots" or flashing used around plumbing vents will oxidize and kill the molds right below these lead flashings as they wash down your roof line. Arsenic was used medicinally in the past to treat deadly diseases with no other cure which is where the saying comes from that "the cure was worse than the disease." Arsenic is classified as a "heavy metal" I believe and over time it gets washed through the soils and dissipates to the point of not being a problem. Soil PH affects how different metals are tied up in various compounds and you can "lock up" many metals making them unavailable to plants by simply adding lime or acid (sulfur) to your soil depending on the metals you want to tie up in various compounds. Arsenic in the soil would have to be in massive amounts to affect the life of insects which would require even more to affect the lives of birds in a small area. Remember that these two Arsenics were used in nearly all of our parents and grand parents home gardens to dust the potatoes, squash and beans to allow a crop to mature. KK From: Lynn [mailto:lemerich"at"epix.net] Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2005 10:00 AM Subject: Arsenic I think the problem with the arsenic here is as much the liability problem than anything else. Some of the newer regulations are pretty Lynn From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com] Sent: Friday, October 21, 2005 1:06 PM Subject: Re: Arsenic Lynn, Thanks for alerting monitors to the possibility of arsenic contamination in golf courses. Years ago, The Illinois State Water Survey conducted an extensive study of Cedar Lake (southern IL) and the surrounding fruit orchards. They found such high levels of lead arsenic that the land was deemed unusable. Per this AM's conversation with one of the lead researchers, in some states, lead arsenic is the insecticide of choice because of its DURABILITY! He thought that it was very plausible that this golf course could have such high levels & wondered if perhaps it had been contaminated prior to becoming a golf course. Lead arsenic lasts a while. I wonder if the golf course had been using the insecticide mixed in with the fertilizer. The data was reported in "Water Quality in Cedar Lake and The Relevance of Its Watershed." Incidently, mercury was not as much of a problem in this area. Dottie Roseboom From: mrtony8 [mailto:philip.berry"at"mchsi.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 5:55 AM Subject: Re: [Fwd: Golf course trail] I have had a golf course trail for years and not once has anyone even touched a box, to my knowledge. People don't normally carry screwdrivers in their pockets while golfing. Everyone knows who I am and appreciates what I do. I suppose I wouldn't rule it out, but don't lose sleep over it either. From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 8:25 AM Subject: Re: Golf course trail] Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Phil and Jimmy have good answers to this and your new trail will have to go through an education period until most of the golfers understand what you are doing. Many golfers now bring their children to teach them the sport and it would help if you can post at the course when you will be checking nestboxes and invite members to tag along and check the nestboxes with you. You can also ask for volunteers willing to check the nestboxes for you and if you find and train a really good person you can leave this trail with them and put up another trail at another golf course or public park. Like Linda mentions I would look around and experiment with switching some of the boxes you end up having repeat problems with to less accessible hanging style nestboxes. I really don't like the idea of "locking up" the boxes at a golf course because all of the men are carrying around a club that they can knock a roof off to see what is so valuable inside the nestbox! Instead we had better luck in public walk trails to place the boxes above small children's reach and to post on the side of the boxes or on the pole a running check list that listed the date the box was checked and clearly stated the species using the box and number of eggs or babies. We printed up some cute signs at a garden nature trail that asked people not to check certain nestboxes when the young were about to fledge. These were simply paper sheets with large print, laminated to protect from moisture telling folks to watch but don't touch the box this week and why not to. Golf course trails and public parks are different from a remote nestbox location where the birds might seldom see people. These birds were used to picking up nesting material and tending to incubation/brooding/feeding and putting up with crowds everyday. As long as people don't steal the eggs you will fledge a lot of birds but the number of people you educate with this trail can really make a difference! NABS and Cornell have classroom information packets to install at a Kiosk or in the club house or both. Ask the golf course to purchase this for you to help educate their customers. Somewhere near the first hole you should have a nestbox mounted down low (about 4 feet) on a solid post so that any children/curious adults can look in. We would place an old chickadee nest or bluebird nest in these boxes and a sign inviting people to look in this nestbox and watch for birds feeding their young at other boxes along the trail. You can build special nestboxes so that when you open up the wood door on the nestbox, the nest is protected with a sheet of Plexiglas to keep someone from reaching in and trying to pick up the eggs to show to their children. On the display nestbox we would write: "To open this nestbox remove this nail. (Draw an arrow to the nail) Please close this box and replace the lock pin." On a sign by the box you can say "Plans for building and monitoring your own nestbox are at the club house"! You can go a step further if you want and sell nestboxes with the profits going to fund another nestbox trail or you can sell the "picket fence" board box marked out and ready to cut for a nestbox. This is a 6 foot long cedar 1"x6" already marked out so that all the golfer has to do is cut it at the marks and nail it together. At the Maxey House State Park in Paris Texas they sold these with the hole already drilled. We would avoid placing nestboxes towards the end of the golf course at tee off spots and near the holes where tempers might flare when bad shots created/intensified bad temper! Remember these people are carrying clubs! In the past I had a few monitors who would save old House Sparrow eggs and place them in the staged nest at the first hole to see how many people would steal eggs. You KNOW they are going to break these eggs before they finish playing! KK Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 18:38:32 -0700 (PDT) From: Perez Veronica <v_perez11"at"yahoo.com> Subject: Re: how many nestboxes on 3 acres ? I'm in the glen allen area (henrico county) right now http://www.kinlochgolfclub.com/page/8-173.htm There's an aireal view of the golf course and it looks Anyway , I mentioned the land investment again to Oh well... Veronica Richmond,Va From: Perez Veronica [mailto:v_perez11"at"yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 2:36 PM Subject: Sample letter to send a golf club Hi , Thanks! Veronica, |
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