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 Mission: To promote the awareness, appreciation and protection of native birds and their 

habitats through education, research and environmental activities.

Program Meetings for the general community are normally held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m.,at the Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. 8th St. In December the meeting is held on the second Monday and in

July and August there are no Program Meetings.

April Program - Monday, April 20, 6:30 p.m. Chico Creek Nature Center

Central Valley Winter Raptor Survey – Zach Smith and Ed Pandolfino

An impressive array of birds spends the winter in California’s CentralValley. Among the most conspicuous and charismatic are the raptors,or birds of prey. Numbers of common, resident species like Red-tailed

Hawks, American Kestrels and Northern Harriers  swell duringwinter and are obvious and abundant almost everywhere. Scarcerspecies such as Ferruginous Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, Prairie

Falcons, Merlins and Golden Eagles are scattered throughout theValley in smaller numbers. In certain areas, it is not uncommon to see12-15 raptor species in a single day.

Red-tailed Hawk 

In the winter of 2007-08, volunteers drove nineteen survey routes in the Central Valley from ShastaCounty in the north to Kings County in the south. More than 6,000 individual raptor observations weremade over 66 surveys and 2000+ miles. The project is currently in the middle of its second season. The

main goals of the project are to sample raptor diversity and abundance throughout this bioregion in openhabitats and document in which habitats birds are occurring.

This presentation will provide a basic description of the project including data collection methods, someresults from Years 1 and 2, discussion of the timeliness, relevance and importance of this researchproject plus images of the raptors to be found in the Central Valley in winter.

Zach Smith received a BS in Zoology from UC Davis in 1994. While there, he was involved in researchprojects on White-tailed Kites and American Kestrels as well as surveys of the local raptorpopulations around Davis. Since then, he has worked as an avian biologist throughout California as well

White-tailed KiteApril/May, 2009

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as in Utah, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, Mexico andChile. He is currently working in the Montezuma Hills Wind Resource Area near Rio Vista, Ca.

Ed Pandolfino has been involved in the California birding scene for many years. A retired biochemist,he devotes much of his time to important conservation projects in Northern California.

May Program - Monday, May 18, 6:30 p.m. Chico Creek Nature Center

Breeding Seabirds on St. Paul Island - Jim SnowdenSt. Paul Island is in the southeastern portion of the Bering Sea, about 300 miles from thesouthwestern coast of Alaska. 250,000 seabirds

and 900,000 Northern Fur Seals  (90% of theworld population) breed on St. Paul. This slideprogram will provide a natural history of St.Paul Island with an emphasis on breedingseabirds.

In 2002, Jim Snowden was part of a three-

person crew which was doing the annualseabird study on St. Paul. He will describesome of his adventures on St. Paul Island as avolunteer wildlife biologist, which includes thefinding of rare Eurasian bird species.

John Oswald Steps Down as Treasurer

John joined Altacal in 1989 when he and wife Ann moved here from SouthernCalifornia. In the early 1990s he was the Altacal Vice-President, and later,President. In 1998, when the Snow Goose Festival was held, John became itsTreasurer. The Festival’s first budget was $9000. More recently, it has beenclose to $50,000. At the same time he assumed the Altacal Treasurer position.

From John’s perspective, “The growth of Altacal not only financially butactivity- and participation-wise has been outstanding. The newsletter hasdeveloped into a first class effort, bird outings and trips have increased in

number and quality, and strong member participation in Altacal activities have all impressed me. Last,but not least, are the Board's activities in conservation matters and efforts to include younger members’participation and awareness in such endeavors. I look forward to remaining associated with such avibrant Audubon Society”.

John’s steady, grounded, informed and wise counsel has been invaluable on a Board enthusiastic aboutinitiating and continuing contributions to a number of individuals, groups and activities. He’ll be missedas Treasurer but we’re happy to know he will remain a member of the Altacal community.

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Upcoming Bird Walks and Birding Trips All of our field trips are open to beginning birders. Anyone with a sense of wonder is welcome to participate.

April 4, Saturday – Table Mountain Team Leader: Gaylord Grams

This field trip will include Cherokee, Cherokee Cemetery,

the ponds along the road and the wildflowers on TableMountain plus the birds and waterfalls.For more information check the Altacal web sitewww.altacal.org or contact Gaylord atgg2canoe@yahoo.com or 530 872-0739.

Table Mountain Spring Flowers, Oroville

April 18, Saturday – Kayak Trip through the Oroville Wilderness

Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams

We will meet at the Chico Park ‘n Ride at 8:30 a.m. and arrive at the Oroville Fish Ladder area around9:00. We will do a car shuttle and then float/paddle about seven river miles to the take out. This is agood time to see heron and egret rookeries along the river, as well the resident birds and possible earlymigrants. Some kayak experience is recommended as we paddle through riffles and a few tight spots.Rain or high water cancels. For more information check the Altacal web site www.altacal.org or contactGaylord at gg2canoe@yahoo.com or 530 872-0739.

April 25, Saturday – Butte Creek Ecological Preserve

Trip leader Dawn Garcia

Haven’t explored your local ecological preserve yet? Come take a hike with trip leader Dawn to see thefull extent of the 0.9-mile preserve. Dawn

typically bands birds at this site but today willbe a special trip, top-to-bottom, walking thereserve. Butte Creek Ecological Preserve

(BCEP) is owned by CSU Chico, Departmentof Fish and Game and other partners.Although it has some restoration setbacks,invasive species overload and fuel loadreduction fiascos, the preserve is striving torestore itself. Last year’s burn is helping thatprocess. Birds love it! Fish love it! ButteCreek provides critical spawning habitat for

Chinook Salmon. We’ll see riparian andupland species.

Butte Creek at BCEP

Meet at the Park ‘n Ride at Hwy 32 at Rte 99, 7:00 a.m. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and binoculars.Call Dawn for details: (530) 872-2165.

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May 3, Sunday - Paradise Flume Trail Trip Leader: Nancy Nelson

Nancy will show you the dramatic scenery of the westbranch of the North Fork of the Feather River. The hikeis not for people nervous of heights or with poor balance.Much of it is walking on narrow (two-foot) metalwalkways over the flume, jutting 100-plus feet above theriver. In early May we should see/hear our summerresident birds, but the beauty of this walk is really thehighlight! Anybody love chocolate? After our hike wewill stop at a local chocolate shop. Meet at HolidayMarket, 6848 Skyway, Paradise, at 9:00 a.m. We willcarpool from there with high-clearance vehiclesnecessary to access the trailhead. The trip is limited to12 people. Bring snacks and water.

Nancy Nelson and friends on flume

May 10, Sunday – Pine Creek Unit, Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge Complex 

Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten

Altacal Audubon will celebrate InternationalMigratory Bird Day with a field trip to the Pine Creek 

Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife

Refuge Complex on Sunday, May 10. Spring

migrants will be in and in good numbers, like beautiful

Bullock’s Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks,

Western Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and

House Finches. We will also be on the look-out for

Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Western Wood-

Pewee, Lawrence’s Goldfinches, and Lark

Sparrows.

This site is located directly east of Hamilton City and just south of Highway 32 and is owned by the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service. The property has 31 acres of fallow, 228 acres of restored native grass, and

33 acres of existing riparian habitat. The existing riparian habitat consists mostly of cottonwood riparian

forest, with some riparian scrub and herbland cover.

So bring your binoculars, bird field guide book, and water. Rain cancels. Meet at the Chico Park ‘n

Ride (lot closest to freeway) at 8:00 a.m. We’ll be back around 12:30 p.m. Contact Jennifer Patten,

field trip leader, for more information, 345-9356.

May 21-25, Thursday-Monday, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Princeton, Oregon

Trip Leaders: Mike Fisher and Jennifer Patten

Make plans to join us for a long Memorial Day weekend in Oregonat the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, one of the premierbirding hot spots of the west. Malheur is well-known as a stopoverfor eastern migrants in spring and fall. Past sightings have includedChestnut-sided Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Red-eyed

Vireo, Northern Waterthrush, and American Redstart. There isalso a great variety of resident breeding birds in the spring andsummer. Mammals such as  pronghorn and mule deer are easilyseen. We will visit marshy Malheur Lake, one of the finest

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waterfowl refuges in the United States, as well as other hot-spots within the refuge. We will camp atone of the campgrounds outside of the refuge.

If you are considering going, please call or e-mail one of the field trip leaders for more information andto coordinate camping and driving arrangements.

Mike Fisher 530-624-4777, fisherml@pacbell.net orJennifer Patten 530-345-9356, jpchico@sbcglobal.net

Book ReviewDawn Garcia

Swifty’s Big Flight

Written by Lee Jackson and Illustrated by Ryan Alexander-Tanner

Swifty is a very cute Vaux’s Swift, winging his way onhis first migratory journey from a natal snag in the PacificNorthwest to a chimney roost in Central America. As anyexciting tale would have it, Swifty’s life has a near-death

experience. As a naïve young swift not paying attentionto his surroundings, he is nearly predated by a raptor. Theillustrations of talons descending on Swifty are quiteimpressive! Happily, and a bit unrealistically, he avoidsthe talons and joyously descends into a chimney whereother swifts are roosting, including his family. Kids willlove it! I enjoyed the very swift read because it wassimple, factual but fun and a bit fanciful, and threw in

some great natural history tidbits about Vaux’s swifts. For example, how do you pronounce Vaux’s? Isit “Voe”, sounding like “toe”, as the French might pronounce it? Is it “Vawks” like we might pronounce“hawks”? Guess you’ll have to read to find out. And you can follow the author’s and illustrator’s work 

at: Lee’s blog: http:// Swifty's Big Flight, a children's bookSwifty's Big Flight And: Ryan’s blog: www.ohyesverynice.com

So, Who Was Vaux and How Did He Pronounce His Name?

Following up on Dawn’s excellent review, we provide some informationon Vaux and the pronunciation of his name. William Sansom Vaux(1811-1882) was a devoted mineralogist whose collection at the time of his death was deemed to be the finest in the United States. Hebequeathed it to the Academy of Natural Sciences. In their twenties, heand his friend John Kirk Townsend (he of  Townsend’s Solitaire and

Townsend’s Warbler fame) were members of the Academy and he wasclosely associated with it for the rest of his life. He was also an activemember of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia (Both he and Townsend were born and raised inPhiladelphia).

In 1834, after crossing the Rocky Mountains with Thomas Nuttall, Townsend described what he calledVaux’s Chimney Swallow and dedicated it thusly:

“This species, (which I dedicate to my friend, Wm. S. Vaux, Esq., of Philadelphia,) is commonon the Columbia River; breeds in hollow trees, forming its nest in the same manner as the pelasgius [Chimney Swift], and lays four white eggs.”

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We contacted Nathan H. Rice, Ph.D., Ornithology Collection Manager, Academy of Natural Sciences inPhiladelphia who replied “We have huge collections from Vaux here at ANSP and I've only ever heardit pronounced "VAWKS." We also corresponded with Eileen M. Magee, Assistant Director forPrograms, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, who wrote “The Vaux family here in Philadelphia hasalways pronounced the name VAWKS. Their English cousins pronounce it the same way. How thename was pronounced in the 18th c. I do not know.” We think you’re in good company if youpronounce it “VAWKS”.

Conservation Corner

Dawn Garcia, Conservation Chairperson

Endangered Species Act update

Our Board of Directors and many of our members followed the National Audubon Society Action alertto stop the previous administration’s efforts to change the Endangered Species Act byeliminating scientific review of projects by the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine FisheriesService. The language to weaken the act was included in the omnibus appropriations bill. Great newsthat on the evening of March 5, 2009 by a vote of 52 - 42, the amendment that would have strippedendangered species protections out of the Senate omnibus appropriations bill failed to pass! Thanks foryour participation!

Secretary Salazar Releases Study Showing Widespread Declines in Bird Populations, Highlights

Role of Partnerships in Conservation

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on March 19th released the first ever comprehensive report on birdpopulations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation’s 800 bird species areendangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.

At the same time, the report highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitatrestoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to takeaction to save declining populations.

“Just as they were when Rachel Carson published Silent Spring nearly 50 years ago, birds today are abellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems,” Salazar said. “From shorebirds in New Englandto warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trendsthat should set off environmental alarm bells. We must work together now to ensure we never hear thedeafening silence in our forests, fields and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about.”

The report, The U.S. State of the Birds, synthesizes data from threelong-running bird censuses conducted by thousands of citizenscientists and professional biologists. In particular, it calls attention tothe crisis in Hawaii, where more birds are in danger of extinction thananywhere else in the United States. In addition, the report indicates a40 percent decline in grassland birds over the past 40 years, a 30percent decline in birds of arid-lands, and high concern for manycoastal shorebirds. Furthermore, 39 percent of species dependent onU.S. oceans have declined.

Northern Bobwhite

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However, the report also reveals convincing evidence that birds can respond quickly and positively toconservation action. The data show dramatic increases in many wetland birds such as pelicans, herons,egrets, osprey, and ducks, a testament to numerous cooperative conservation partnerships that haveresulted in protection, enhancement and management of more than 30 million wetland acres.

“These results emphasize that investment in wetlands conservation has paid huge dividends,” saidKenneth Rosenberg, director of Conservation Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “Now we needto invest similarly in other neglected habitats where birds are undergoing the steepest declines.”

“Habitats such as those in Hawaii are on the verge of losing entire suites of unique bird species,” saidDr. David Pashley, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President for Conservation Programs. “Inaddition to habitat loss, birds also face many other man-made threats such as pesticides, predation bycats, and collisions with windows, towers and buildings. By solving these challenges we can preserve agrowing economic engine – the popular pastime of bird watching that involves millions of Americans –and improve our quality of life.”

“While some bird species are holding their own, many once common species are declining sharply inpopulation. Habitat availability and quality is the key to healthy, thriving bird populations,” said DaveMehlman of The Nature Conservancy.

Surveys conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, including the

annual Breeding Bird Survey, combined with data gathered through volunteer citizen science programssuch as the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, show once-abundant birds such as theNorthern Bobwhite  and Marbled Murrelet are declining significantly. The possibility of extinctionalso remains a cold reality for many endangered birds.

“Citizen science plays a critical rolein monitoring and understanding thethreats to these birds and theirhabitats, and only citizeninvolvement can help address them,”said National Audubon Society’sBird Conservation Director, Greg

Butcher. “Conservation action canonly make a real difference whenconcerned people support the kind of vital habitat restoration andprotection measures this reportexplores.”

Marbled Murrelet

Birds are beautiful, as well as economically important and a priceless part of America's natural heritage.Birds are also highly sensitive to environmental pollution and climate change, making them criticalindicators of the health of the environment on which we all depend.

The United States is home to a tremendous diversity of native birds, with more than 800 speciesinhabiting terrestrial, coastal, and ocean habitats, including Hawaii. Among these species, 67 areFederally-listed as endangered or threatened. In addition, more than 184 species are designated asspecies of conservation concern due to a small distribution, high-level of threats, or decliningpopulations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the new report as part of the U.S. NorthAmerican Bird Conservation Initiative, which includes partners from American Bird Conservancy, theAssociation of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird Observatory,National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey.

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You can download the full report here (PDF)

Contacts: 

•  Hugh Vickery (DOI), (202) 501-4633

•  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Alicia King, 703-358-2522/571-214-3117,Alicia_F_King@fws.gov 

•  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Vanessa Kauffman, 703-358-2138, Vanessa_kauffman@fws.gov 

•  American Bird Conservancy: Steve Holmer, 202-234-7181, sholmer@abcbirds.org 

•  Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Pat Leonard, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 607-254-2137,pel27@cornell.edu 

•  National Audubon Society: Nancy Severance, 212-979-3124, nseverance@audubon.org 

•  The Nature Conservancy: Blythe Thomas, 703-841-8782, bthomas@tnc.org 

•  Klamath Bird Observatory: Ashley Dayer, 541-324-0281, aad@klamathbird.org 

All in a Day’s Work in the Life of a “Rehabber”

Marilyn Gamette who with husband Bob operates the Bidwell Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, providesus with the following delightful account of some of her recent doings: “A call on March 20th came inabout a "falcon" trapped in chicken wire on the "roof of Starbucks" on Second St. Many calls later(animal control is prohibited from climbing ladders and the owners of the building could not be locatedfor roof access) I met the Chico Fire Department ladder truck downtown and they assessed the situationand we all discovered that the bird was not entangled but was under some pigeon exclusion netting overa three-storey courtyard area in back of several buildings. He had obviously enjoyed many pigeonmeals back there! The netting was not working. The firemen climbed another area and while trying toopen up one corner from the roof of Malvina’s Restaurant, the adult  Cooper's Hawk deftly flew out theStarbucks end! One California Department of Fish and Game biologist, three firemen, myself and two

of my sons assisted with this release. The incident had many funny moments as we gained access out of a back door through a restroom at the hair salon on Second.

This is of course with the usual, just-starting-springtime, baby squirrels, baby birds, car-strike birdinjuries, duck eggs found in gardens, baby ducks that fall down the storm drains at Butte Creek CountryClub and the list goes on!”

The 10th

Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway, January 22-25, 2009

was a Soaring Success!

Beautiful weather along with much-needed rain and lots of birdsattracted over 2000 participants to 49 guided field trips, 18

presentations, Friday night’s Wildlife Art Reception andSaturday’s “Gathering of Wings” Banquet with keynote speaker,Ed Harper. In addition, over forty educational exhibits andbirding vendors filled Chico Masonic Family Center with a hostof free activities and events for families all weekend long. 

Complementing the festival was the Uptown Downtown WildlifeArt Exhibit, January 16-February 7. Nineteen talented localwildlife and landscape artists exhibited their wonderful works of art at two galleries, Avenue 9 Gallery and All Fired Up! Ceramic

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Art Center. Many of these fine art pieces were sold during this three week showing.  

Altacal Audubon, once again, played a huge role in this success. All of Altacal Audubon BoardMembers and several local members did their part by helping with field trips, workshops, presentations,graphic designing, editing, youth activities, exhibits, art reception, art exhibit, publicity, silent auction,live auction, banquet, merchandise, registration, and coordination.

We would like to share some of the figures of the festival with you.

•  25 Steering Committee members, and over 40 volunteers•  3,000 program brochures printed and distributed

•  984 paid participants for the field trips, workshops, banquet and reception. This includes 109children.

•  200 people at the Uptown-Downtown Wildlife Art Reception

•  275 people at the “Gathering of Wings” Banquet

•  54 cities and towns in California were represented, with participants coming from as far away asTennessee and Montana

•  On Saturday and Sunday approximately 1200+ adults and children came to see the exhibits andparticipate in the free activities, including over 200 who watched Marilyn Gamette give her freepresentation on Raptors and Wildlife Rehabilitation

•  5054 “visits” of our website from December 15, 2008 to January 25, 2009

Please join us for the 11th

Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway

January 28-31, 2010

Check our web site ( http://www.snowgoosefestival.org/ ) for updates and registration news starting inSeptember 2010. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Snow Goose Festival, NorthernCalifornia’s premier nature and birding festival, please call 530-345-1865 or emailinfo@snowgoosefestival.org. You may also visit our sponsor page on this website.

Cities Represented

MagaliaMartinez

Alameda MiddletonAnderson MineralAntioch OrindaBakersfield OrlandBerkeley OrovilleBerry Creek Palo AltoBozeman, Montana ParadiseBrowns Valley PlacervilleChico Portola ValleyCitrus Heights QuincyColeville Red Bluff Corning ReddingCottonwood Redwood CityCupertino SacramentoDingmar Valley San CarlosDurham San FranciscoElk Grove San JoseElverta San RafaelForest Ranch Santa Cruz

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Fremont Sterling CityGlenn StocktonHamilton City SunnyvaleHayward VinaIgo WillowsLive Oak Yankee HillLos Angeles Yuba City

Sister Society (Cape Cod Bird Club) News

Over the last month-and-a-half, members of our Sister Society on Cape Cod began to see some of theearliest winged harbingers of spring, including three American Woodcocks displaying at Crane

Wildlife Management Area in Falmouth and the first Osprey had returned to South Cape Beach StatePark in Mashpee, and was successfully foraging for fish.

As the winter ice retreated, ducks and swansfound their way back to Cape ponds - Mute

Swans, Eurasian Wigeons, American

Wigeons, Redheads¸ Gadwalls, Ring-necked

Ducks, Scaup, Hooded Mergansers, and Pied-

billed Grebes. On Swan Pond in Yarmouth onebirder tallied 77 Mute Swans, 28 American

Black Ducks, 108 Gadwall and 21 Lesser

Scaup.

A Northern Goshawk, a Barrow's Goldeneye,an Iceland Gull, and 65 Common Redpolls were seen at various locations in Wellfleet andat the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary 8Northern Bobwhites, a Fox Sparrow, 3 Field

Sparrows, 2 American Tree Sparrows, 50Red-winged Blackbirds, a Common Grackle,

and 6 Pine Siskins also showed up.

In miscellaneous sightings, a King Eider was atHerring Cove in Provincetown, an immatureBald Eagle was seen at Crystal Lake inOrleans, an Iceland Gull  continued atCraigville Beach, 30 Ruddy Turnstones and 9

Purple Sandpipers were at Dowses Beach in Osterville. A Harlequin Duck and 2 Barrow's

Goldeneyes were spotted in Falmouth Heights, a Short-eared Owl was at South Cape Beach State Park 

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in Mashpee, and others were seen at Crane WMA in Falmouth and some bogs off John Parker Road inFalmouth.

A pod of 4 Fin Whales  was seen off Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet and a Pilot Whale was reportedstranded at Rock Harbor in Orleans.

A River Otter showed up on the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Eastham, and another was at Wellfleet BayWildlife Sanctuary. Critters in general are becoming more active lately on the Cape and residents arebeing cautioned to keep an eye out when driving at night, especially on any relatively warm rainy nights

that would bring the first emerging Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders of the season.

Wings in the Wind

Rex Burress

After a late February rain, the storm broke up with strong winds tossing dark clouds through the sky.Into this breezy scenario, I walked along the sheltered hill near the Feather River Nature Center, andhigh overhead I was surprised to see a woodland Cooper’s Hawk far above its normal domain.

The long-tailed, short-winged Accipiter was not hunting, but rather playing in the wind. It was ridingthe air currents the best it could without gliding wings, sometimes folding to do a trick maneuver,

seemingly with great joy, unless there was a lady friend watching his showy performance. But itseemed to be gliding for the pure joy of freedom in the wind and sky. I pondered on the marvelouswings of a bird, able to ascend into the sky and drift with the clouds in complete confidence of itsability. No going down in the Hudson River if it chooses.

The Cooper’s is especially efficient at darting through the forest, short wings allowing flight throughnarrow corridors. So swift is its aerial plunge that a small bird never knows what hits it when thepredator strikes. Watch the barnyard chickens instinctively recognizing the silhouette, scatter when anAccipiter glides over, The Cooper’s hawk wasn’t alone in enjoying the cloud show. Several gulls weresailing in spirals, as they are often prone to do in oncoming windstorms. The gull is akin to storm,adapted to the swirling seaside turbulence, and along the Feather River perhaps there is a feeling of home, complete with molecules of air borne afar from distant seas. Gulls have sturdy strong wings and

are most at ease in the wind.

Up in the same sky were some vultures, also testing their more delicate flying skills in the wind.Complete gliders, they soar without a wing-beat, and they weren’t on carcass patrol since they were sohigh and weaving in circles. It was a sky day and time to exhilarate with their angelical appendages.

You seldom see waterfowl, cormorants, or swans gliding in the sky. They are heavy and depend onconstant forward thrust to remain aloft. American White Pelicans are an exception, able to glide forhours in large flocks once high aloft.

Birds of prey have mastered the art of drifting on winds and thermal currents. They readily takeadvantage of light-weight bodies and streamlined design, and you wonder if they are aware of thespecial privilege of flight. Mankind has tried for ages to fly in the sky, and finally, after muchexperimentation, we have now not only attained flight through machines...even a breakthrough into thedark cosmos where no earthly bird will ever soar.

Birds do it with feathers, evolved through the ages, probably from reptilian linkage. Take a good look ata feather, and muse about the intricate perfection that allows an animal of earth to attain a godly realmlong before mankind broke the boundary of gravity.

"Oh that I had the wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest."

Psalms 4:6

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Bird Walk and Birding Trip Reports

February 21, Saturday – Rancho Esquon

Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten

Rancho Esquon is a working farm with a nature preserve. With over 900 acres of wetlands and uplandsthat support habitat for waterfowl, neotropical migrants and a variety of other wildlife it is no wonderthat Altacal’s field trip to the ranch on February 21 listed a whopping 69 bird species in just under 3 ½hours. The weather played a big factor and the time of year too. It was one of those perfect winter days,with temperatures in the upper 60’s, no wind and sunny. We had huge flocks of  Greater White-

fronted, and Snow Geese flying over all morning, many landing in the wetlands. In the willows wereover 40 roosting Black-crowned Night-Herons, calling their low, harsh woc. A snag supported severalGreat  and Snowy Egrets. Tundra Swans and Sandhill Cranes settled into the uplands, along withLong-billed Curlews. Then there were ducks, lots and lots of ducks!

Also sighted were Gadwalls, Eurasian and American Wigeons, Cinnamon and Green-winged Teals,Northern Pintails and Shovelers, Buffleheads, Ruddy Ducks, and Mallards as well as American

Coots, Pied-billed Grebes, Common Moorhens, Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer. Raptors wereaplenty, with nice views of  Bald Eagles, Red-tailed, Sharp-shinned, and Ferruginous Hawks,Northern Harriers, Turkey Vultures and American Kestrels. Smalls birds included Yellow-rumped

and Orange-crowned Warblers, American Pipits, Northern Mockingbirds, Ruby-crowned

Kinglets, Bushtits, Song, White-crowned, Golden-crowned and Savannah Sparrows, Red-winged

and Brewer’s Blackbirds, Western Meadowlarks, and Lesser Goldfinches.

Life is great when you are a birder, live along the Pacific Flyway, and have a perfect day like this!

February 21, Saturday – Colusa National Wildlife Refuge

Steve King reports: “I went on the fieldtrip to Rancho Esquon led by JenniferPatten. The weather was perfect (I evenput on some sun screen) and the birdingwas fantastic. At the end of the RanchoEsquon trip, a handful of birdersdecided to make up for the canceled

Colusa Wildlife Refuge trip last week (canceled due to bad weather) andheaded off for Colusa. I tagged alongand am glad I did. I had never been to the Colusa Wildlife Refuge and was very impressed!

After getting home, I grabbed a Butte County Bird List and checked off the birds I saw and that I knowothers saw (I am sure I missed a few). My total was 65. So I am guessing we saw close to 70 species of birds. Follow the link below for a few pictures.

Picasa Web Albums - Altacal - Rancho Esquon 02-21-09 

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The birds that stand out in my mind were the hundreds (thousands?) of  Tree Swallows  at ColusaWildlife Refuge. A good indicator that the birds are starting to migrate! We also saw some Hooded

Mergansers  on one of the ponds at the Colusa Refuge. The males were really showing off theirbeautiful heads to the females. A Blue-winged Teal was also seen at theColusa Refuge. Our group saw a pair of Wood Ducks about 3 miles south of Llano Seco on our wayhome. A great day!”

March 8 – Sunday – Llano Seco and Butte Basin

Trip Leader: Skip Augur

Ten birders of varying levels braved the extra-early hourcaused by the daylight savings time change to join the ButteBasin trip. The weather was quite cool to start but clear, andwarmed up quite nicely later. We began at Llano Seco wherethere were still small numbers of our wintering ducks andgeese feeding in preparation for the trip north - one distantfield still had a hundred or so Snow (and/or Ross's) Geese.

We then continued down 7-Mile lane to a pond where wescared up several Wood Ducks, and picked up Downy

Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and Bushtit  (among

others).

Butte Basin Habitat

Next stop was Howard Slough where we saw Bald and Golden Eagles amongst the many Red-tailed

Hawks working the fields. One interesting sight was a group of hundreds of Green-winged Teal flyingin the distance - it's not common to see so many together at once, but checking the books later confirmedthat it does happen.

We finished off the trip on Aguas Frias road where we had great looks at Sandhill Cranes, Belted

Kingfisher, and California Towhee - then headed home as we were all tired from getting up an hourearlier than we had planned!

March 15, Sunday – Indian Fishery and Pine CreekTrip Leader: Mike Fisher

In January our Altacal field trip to Pine Creek andIndian Fishery drew 21 people under perfect weatherconditions, clear and sunny. The March field trip washeld in weather that was much different - gusty windsand threatening rain. Still, five people showed up toparticipate. I love these days that test thedetermination of us birders and bring out theadventurous. Generally, Altacal field trips take placeregardless of weather as long as it is not raining hard.

Genendal, Chris, Nancy and later Randall, were notgoing to let a little foul weather keep them indoors.

Pine Creek Unit, Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge

So, off we went to Pine Creek, excited to check on the Bald Eagle nest we had seen being constructedback in January. As we walked to the location on the edge of the Sacramento River we saw many greatbirds including Northern Harrier, Western Bluebird, White-tailed Kite, and Wild Turkey. At theriver’s edge were Killdeer, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Tree Swallow, Canada Goose, and the BaldEagle. Spotted sitting on a branch in a tree to the right of its massive nest was an adult Bald Eagle. (Thenest is located across the Sacramento River, best viewed from refuge property at river’s edge to the

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south of the house located beyond the picnic table). We could not see its mate but believe she wassitting on the nest. The nest being large and deep could easily conceal her - crouched down on eggs orhatchlings during the poor weather. As if on cue, the eagle took off from the branch and slowly flew byright in front of us. Excited now, we followed the trail around to the west side of the refugeencountering Anna’s Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Hermit Thrush, Bewick’s Wren,Bushtit, Lesser Goldfinch and Oak Titmouse. Then, a short walk back to the cars.

Next we drove the four miles over to Indian Fishery State Park. On the way we saw American Crow,American Robin, Great Egret, Mourning Dove and Dark-eyed Junco. Arriving at Indian Fishery wewere surprised to see Altacal member and old friend Randall Peterson waiting for us. Randall is aregular participant in field trips who is now back in Chico after being away for a couple of years. IndianFishery turned up its consistent array of species including Acorn Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Hawk,Pied-bill Grebe, Wood Duck, White-breasted Nuthatch, Snowy Egret  and American Goldfinch, just to name a few.

A wonderful day, and despite the poor weather and relatively few participants, we saw almost the exactnumber of species as we had seen in January. Next time you’re looking for a great place to take a birdwalk, remember Pine Creek and Indian Fishery. Located just a few minutes from downtown Chico italways makes for a delightful morning. We ended the field trip with 47 species of birds seen.

February Program – Monday, February 16, 2009Wildlife Rehabilitation in California with Nicole Carion and Marilyn Gamette

Those of us, members and friends, who braved the stormy weather to attend the February Altacalprogram, had a very informative and lively evening. We were treated to information, insight, and greatstories from two people who have been involved in the area of California wildlife rehabilitation for acombined total of over 45 years.

First up was Nicole Carion, Associate Wildlife Biologist for the California Department of Fish andGame and currently Statewide Wildlife Rehabilitation Coordinator. Presenting an informative Power-Point presentation on the state of wildlife rehabilitation in California, Nicole’s primary focus was on theState’s role in wildlife rehabilitation. California has over 100 permitted rehabilitation facilities whichtake in over 60,000 wild animals every year. Nicole explained that wildlife rehabilitation is the processof providing aid to injured, orphaned, displaced, or distressed wild animals in such a way that they maysurvive when released to their native habitats. Helping wildlife in need is not an easy task. Workingwith wildlife requires specialized knowledge, skill, and facilities. Potential dangers exist for the public,domestic animals, and wildlife when untrained and uninformed people attempt to provide care forwildlife. Wildlife rehabilitators are trained to provide specialized care that reduces risks to humans and

animals, and increases the chances for the animal’s return to health and successful release back to thewild. They hold the permits or licenses to allow them to legally possess wild animals for rehabilitationand release. These facilities are all run by volunteers or non-profits who receive little or no state fundsto help carry out their mission. Budgetary restraints limit the state’s role to the areas of regulation andenforcement. Nicole spends much of her time reviewing applications for permits, inspecting facilitiesand making sure all the laws pertaining to wildlife rehabilitation are followed.

Marilyn Gamette, a practicing wildlife rehabilitator for more than 30 years, then spoke more about thepersonal and practical aspects of wildlife rehabilitation. She was accompanied by her friend, Checkers,a wing-disabled Great Horned Owl.

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Many people think wildlife rehabilitation is a hobby or even a 9 to 5 job, or maybe just something that can be done on weekends. It is not.Rehabilitators may be called for help at any time, day or night. Callscome in any day of the week or month of the year. Weekends andholidays are even more likely to be busy as more people are outdoorsand encountering wildlife. Once an animal is brought in it must first be

assessed as to its condition and needs. If rehabilitation is needed thisincreases the time demands. Young animals require numerous andregular feedings. In the case of young birds, this can range fromseveral times an hour to several times a day during daylight.

Marilyn Gamette

Young mammals may not need to be fed quite as often, butmay have to be fed over a 24-hour period, including nights.These heavy time commitments and unpredictable schedulescan interfere with other plans and activities such as familycommitments, work, sleep, education, hobbies, travel, and soon. As an example, Marilyn told the story of how sheacquired Checkers, the Great Horned Owl. Getting a callfrom the highway patrol in the middle of the night, Marilynwas told an owl had been hit by a truck and asked if it couldbe brought to her. Sometime later that night, under policeescort, a big-rig truck drove into her neighborhood and up toher house with Checkers riding in the cab of the truck.

Checkers

The trucker and the policeman were afraid to touch him. Having flown into the truck and hit by the rearview mirror, Checkers was knocked into the open window of the truck and ended up on the floor of thepassenger side. Marilyn was able to amputate the lower part of one wing and rehabilitate Checkers tohealth allowing him to become a teaching aid in her work. Luckily for Checkers, Marilyn was willing totake him on as his long term caregiver. Unfortunately, this is not the usual fate of most birds with onlyone wing. If a disabled animal has no chance to be released back into the wild there is usually no placefor it to go. Zoos don’t want them and it is very expensive to care for them for what very well may bemany years. Lucky Checkers found a home and a job and has been with Marilyn for more than 10 years.

March Program - Monday, March 16, 6:30 p.m. Chico Creek Nature Center 

Birding and Herping Southern Mexico – Jackson Shedd

At our March Altacal program guest speaker Jackson Shedd took thosepresent on a fascinating journey into the heart of Mexico. Using manyof his own photos along with maps and recounting some great stories,Jackson detailed his exploration of the Mexican states of Michoacán andGuerrero. Accompanied by his wife Mela, they spent two weeks lookingfor life birds, reptiles and amphibians (i.e., ones they had never seenbefore).

Conant’s Milk SnakePhoto by Jackson Shedd

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Beginning his presentation in the town of La Piedad, Michoacán, Jackson showed photos of what hecalled “the abundant four” birds in this area. Barn Swallow, Canyon Wren, Great-tailed Grackle andHouse Sparrow, all extremely common there. The Canyon Wrens were so abundant they evenoccupied the downtown streets calling and treating the buildings as if they were canyon walls. But hewent to Mexico for more exotic species and he was not disappointed. Life birds for him in this areaincluded White-collared Seedeater, Groove-billed Ani and Black-vented Oriole. Traveling on to themore humid coast in the state of Guerrero, he ticked Brown Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, Streak-

backed Oriole, Golden-cheeked Woodpecker, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Social Flycatcher, Great

Kiskadee, White-throated Magpie-Jay and Yellow-winged Cacique. In the foothills of the SierraMadre del Sur he added exotics such as Citreoline Trogon  (a Mexican endemic), Orange-fronted

Parakeet and Blue-black Grassquit. These of course are only some of the many birds he saw whilethere.

Although birds were a target of this trip the real prizes for Jackson andthe reason for going to this particular area were the herps (reptiles andamphibians). The majority of Jackson’s presentation focused on theincredible abundance and diversity of these creatures. Of special interestwere the lizards in the genus Sceloporus. Collectively called “bluebellies” these lizards display an amazing range of colors and patterns ontheir throats and bellies. Jackson showed striking photos he took of themany different Sceloporus species he encountered. Most commonly it is

Giant Horned LizardPhoto by Jackson Shedd

the males that show color, mostly shades of blue, but some species also show orange, yellow or redmarkings. One species however, Sceloporus pyrocephalus, is unique in that the female is the mostcolorful of the sexes, but only when she is carrying eggs. When gravid, she develops a bright red head just as the name implies (firehead). Other amazing target species realized on this trip were the Elegant

Banded Gecko and the Giant Horned Lizard. These two very hard to find species were a real delightto see and Jackson’s amazing photos made us feel like the animals were in the room with us.

Although unable to spend as many nights on the road as he would have liked, a few nights of cruising

turned up some very good snakes, both dead and alive. Unfortunately for the snakes but still of interestto Jackson were road kill encounters of  Striped Road Guarder, Neotropical Rattlesnake, Salmon-

bellied Racer, and Boa Constrictor. Much more exciting were the live species found of  Conant’s

Milksnake, Southwestern Cat-eyed Snake, Mexican Burrowing Python, Clouded Snail Sucker, andFalse Cat-eyed Snake.

As many of you know, Jackson is a Past-President and long-time member of Altacal Audubon. So itwas no surprise that when asked to do this program he quickly agreed despite the fact that he and Melahad recently relocated to Reno, Nevada. Thank you, Jackson, for your time and commitment to Altacal.

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Opportunities and Events

Sacramento National Wildlife Complex

December, ‘08 through April, ’09 – Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Interpretive Programs

Witness the magnificence of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge’s (SNWR)  wintering

waterfowl as their refuge naturalists guide you through wetland habitats on the auto tour and walking

trail. Whether you’re a seasoned refuge veteran or a casual visitor, these tours are geared to variedinterest and skill levels. See the schedules at the links below. If you would like more information or tosign up for a tour, please call the Sacramento NWR at 530-934-2801 or e-mail them at:sacramentovalleyrefuges@fws.gov. Here are the links to the information on their website: April .Check out their “Hot Topics” section. They list Altacal’s upcoming field trips.

April 16-22, Thursday-Wednesday – Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival – Arcata, CA

Arcata, California welcomes you to the 13th Annual Godwit Days, the three-day Spring Migration BirdFestival where amid our ancient redwood forests, marshes and the Pacific Ocean, 450 species of birdshave been recorded visiting the Arcata area annually. One can watch Marbled Murrelets, have face-to-face encounters with Spotted Owls, and take small boat tours of Humboldt Bay to view migrant

shorebirds at their peak. Nearly 100 birding field trips and workshops are offered in the heart of California's Redwood Coast. The keynote speaker will be Pete Dunne, Director of the Cape May BirdObservatory in New Jersey. Registration is currently available. Visit our website atwww.godwitdays.com to view the event schedule and to register on-line. Contact: Godwit Days non-

profit Organization P.O. Box 894, Arcata, CA 95518 Tel: 800-908-9464 or 707-444-2938 Fax: 707-269-0632.

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April 25/26, Saturday/Sunday – Heron Festival and Wildflower Brunch, Clear Lake State Park

Kelseyville, CA

The Wildflower Brunch takes place Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 noon outdoors on the openspace across from the Visitor Center. Please note that the brunch is held only on Saturday, not bothdays.

On both Saturday and Sunday, the festival activities go from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. During this time there arepontoon boat rides, bird walks, nature walks, speakers, exhibit booths, and children’s activities. Formore information contact: Lake County Visitor Center, (800) 525-3743.

May 2, Saturday - 30th Annual Endangered Species Faire, 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Cedar Grove,

Chico

Since 1979, the Endangered Species Faire has commemorated Earth Day with a full-day of exhibits,

activities, presentations and entertainment. Between 6,000 and 10,000 individuals of all ages visit andparticipate in Northern California's oldest annual environmental fair held at Cedar Grove in BidwellPark. The Faire is designed to give local school classrooms, government agencies, environmentalorganizations and community groups a public forum to present information on ecology, wildlife and ahost of environmental issues. The Faire offers teachers an opportunity to develop an environmentaleducation project as part of their classroom curriculum. Schools from the districts of Chico, Paradise,Durham, Oroville, Corning, and Orland participate in the resource fair, making K-12 grade students theprimary participants and visitors of the Faire. Each class researches an environmental challenge,illustrates the problem and possible solutions, and presents their results to the general public as part of abooth display or activity. The Faire facilitates networking between teachers and students, state andfederal resource agencies, and environmental organizations.

For more information please contact Butte Environmental Council at (530) 891-6424 or marym @becnet.org 

.

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Sightings

(If you have any interesting sightings in your yard, on the way to work, or in the Butte, Glenn or Tehama counties area in general in Aprilor May you can send them to the Newsletter Editor at Editor@altacal.org by May 1 for possible inclusion in the next newsletter.)

March – The nesting White-tailed Kites are back again this year in Jennifer and Warren Patten'sneighborhood.

March – John Oswald says a pair of Bald Eagles on Hicks Lane have returned to their usual tree nearthe airport.

Peregrinations

February 19 – Mike Fisher and Tim Ruckle drove to Miller's Boat Launch on Tomales Bay in Marin

County and after about a half hour, saw a Yellow-billed Loon, a life bird for both of them. It came asclose as 20 yards from the jetty they were standing on and they got some great looks. Later, theyreported the sighting and sent some of Mike’s photos to the California Bird Review Committee. Hereare a couple of photos of it:

February 22 - While birding in Sutter County, Mike Fisher found what he thinks is a leucistic Sandhill

Crane. It was with a group of other cranes along Pennington Road. Mike’s view was restricted bybrush but he was able to get a couple of long distance photos through the window. He wasblocking traffic and by the time he got off the road and came back it was gone. Here’s a photo:

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Early March – Tim Ruckle, Mike Simms (Ohlone Audubon), Scott Huber and Liam Huber attended theSan Diego Bird Festival. Tim and Mike went on four field trips with Tim seeing six life birds – Red-

crowned Parrot, Black-vented Shearwater, California Gnatcatcher, Yellow-footed Gull, Mountain

Plover (his nemesis bird) and an insanely great sighting in San Diego County waters of a  Blue-footed

Booby (photo of actual bird below). Lots of grins on that ship! Mike’s sighting of the parrot was his500th ABA-area bird. Congratulations, Mike! Congrats also to Scott and Liam who saw a sub-speciesof Yellow Warbler – a “Mangrove” Warbler ( Dendroica petechia bryanti) in San Diego.

Submission of Articles 

(Notices or articles submitted for publication consideration should be sent by e-mail message to the newsletter editor asMicrosoft Word (if possible) attachments by the 1st of the month prior to the next issue of the newsletter (i.e., Jan, Mar, May,

Jul, Sep and Nov 1st) - Editor@altacal.org – Thanks, Ed.)

Newsletter Contributors

Thanks to all of you who contribute regularly by sending in items, articles and photos, and specialthanks to Denise Devine who does the widely appreciated layout design of the paper version of theWhite-tailed Kite – Tim Ruckle, Editor

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Altacal Board of Directors

President Phil Johnson 570-7139/ptjptj@gmail.comCo-Vice-Presidents Jennifer Patten 345-9356/jpchico@sbcglobal.net

Mike Fisher 624-4777/fisherml@pacbell.netSecretary Kathryn Hood 342-9112/kathrynhood@sbcglobal.netTreasurer John Oswald 342-1651/amoent@aol.comMembership Carolyn Short 345-4224/carolynshort@mac.com Finance Mike Fisher 624-4777/fisherml@pacbell.netPublications/ Tim Ruckle 566-9693/Editor@altacal.orgNewsletterPublicity/Web Site Wayland Augur 893-9222/wba@acm.orgField Trips Scott Huber 321-5579/Scott@birdtours@altacal.org Sanctuary, Lands Ruth Kennedy 899-9631/rken1733@sunset.net and RefugeConservation Dawn Garcia 872-2165/ mel.dawn@sbcglobal.net Education vacant 

Directors-at-Large John Merz 345-4050/jbmerz@sbcglobal.net Jackson Shedd 342-5144/jackson_shedd@sbcglobal.net Marilyn Gamette 343-3154/gamettec@aol.com Dave Tinker 824-0253/dtinker@cuhsd.tehama.k12.ca.us Nancy Nelson 345-0580/concownancy@earthlink.net

Board meetings are held at 5:15 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The usual meeting place isthe Altacal Audubon Society/Snow Goose Festival office at 635 Flume St., Chico. The public iswelcome to attend. 

Local Chapter Membership Application

Please join us! Your membership will help Altacal Audubon Society (AAS) continue its important work.Altacal is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. In addition, it is a separately incorporated non-profit organization. With a local chapter membership, 100% of your membership dues goes to supportlocal projects and activities. AAS is an all-volunteer organization that conducts all of its programs withno paid staff. We offer regularly scheduled field trips focused on birds and bird habitats, our ownwebsite, www.altacal.org/, a bi-monthly newsletter (White-tailed Kite), monthly membership meetingswhich include lectures and media presentations on birds and other natural history-related topics, andadvocacy to protect and conserve local habitats as well as special projects and programs. Other AASactivities include:

• 

sponsoring and participating in the annual Snow Goose Festival •  sponsoring and participating in the annual Endangered Species Faire 

•  founding and providing continued support to the Chico Creek Nature Center 

•  owning and managing the Arneberg Sanctuary as a wildlife habitat and research area

•  helping to monitor the bird populations at the Del Rio Wildland Preserve near the SacramentoRiver

•  paying to maintain public access and a wildlife viewing blind at the Chico Oxidation Ponds

•  leading annual Christmas Bird Counts in Chico and Oroville for the past 51 years

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Welcome to the Altacal Audubon Society! Please indicate your choice of membership options:

$20 Basic Membership $10 Low Income/Student/Retired $35 Family

$50 Sponsor $100 Sustaining $500 Patron $1000 Benefactor

Payment method: Cash Check Date: ______________

Important: Membership in Altacal Audubon does not  include membership in the National AudubonSociety. We encourage you to also support National Audubon in their important education and lobbyingefforts. To join the National Audubon Society contact them at their website www.audubon.org/ 

Name: Phone: (_____) _______________

Address: _________________________________ E-mail Address: ____________________________

City: ________________State: ____ Zip Code: _______

  Save paper! Send me an e-mail version only E-mail me Altacal Action Alerts I would be interested in volunteering to help

Please make checks payable to Altacal Audubon Society, and mail to: AAS, P.O. Box 3671, Chico,CA 95927

Dates to Remember

April – Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Interpretive Programs

April 4, Saturday – Table Mountain Field Trip - Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams

April 16-22, Thursday-Wednesday – Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival – Arcata, CA

April 18, Saturday – Kayak Trip through the Oroville Wilderness - Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams

April 20, Monday - April Program - 6:30 p.m. Chico Creek Nature Center, Central Valley Winter

Raptor Survey – Zach Smith and Ed Pandolfino

April 25, Saturday – Butte Creek Ecological Preserve Field Trip, Dawn Garcia

April 25/26, Saturday/Sunday – Heron Festival and Wildflower Brunch, Clear Lake State Park,

Kelseyville, CAMay 2, Saturday - Paradise Flume Trail Field Trip, Nancy Nelson

May 2, Saturday - 30th Annual Endangered Species Faire, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Cedar Grove,

Chico

May 10, Sunday – Pine Creek Unit, Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge Complex 

May 18, Monday – May Program - 6:30 p.m. Chico Creek Nature Center, Breeding Seabirds on

St. Paul Island - Jim Snowden

May 21-25, Thursday-Monday, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Princeton, Oregon, Mike

Fisher and Jennifer Patten