Mar 2010 Corvid Crier Newsletter Eastside Audubon Society

8/8/2019 Mar 2010 Corvid Crier Newsletter Eastside Audubon Society

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The Corvid Crier ~ March 2010 1

Eastside Audubon Society Vol 29, No 2 March 2010

The Mission of the Eastside

Audubon Society is to protect,

preserve and enhance natural

ecosystems and our communities

for the benefit of birds, other

wildlife and people.

HIGHLIGHTS INSIDE:

Birdathon 3

Volunteer Recognition 3Board Notes -- 4

WA Woodpecker Class 4

Audubon BirdLoop 5

Field Trips 6

Backyard Habitat Workshop 7

Conservation in Our Lives 8

Bird of the Month 9

Volunteer Recognition 10

Lobby Day Report 10

Eastside Audubon Ourtreach in

Issaquah and Bellevue 11

Directions to Eastside AudubonNorthlake Unitarian Universalist Church,308 4th Ave. S. (corner of 4th Ave. S. andState). Take I-405 exit 18 (NE 85th, Kirk-land). Drive west on Central Way to 3rd St.(stoplight). Turn left (south) on 3 rd St. andfollow it as it bears left and changes nameto State St. Turn left on 4 th Ave S.

TAKE THE BUS! Routes 540, 230 and255 serve State Street in Kirkland.

The Corvid Crier

Otters of the Salish Sea Thursday, March 25, 7:00 p.m.Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church

Did you ever want to be able to tell thedifference between a sea otter and a riverotter? Do you know which ones are morecommon in Puget Sound? You will learnabout this and more information aboutthese furry and elusive creatures at ourMarch program night.

We are privileged to have as our speakerJoe Gaydos, a wildlife veterinarian andRegional Director and Chief Scientist forthe SeaDoc Society on Orcas Island. Hestudies wildlife health and is interested inwhat we can do to ensure healthy wildlifeand ecosystems. Dr. Gaydos paper onTop Ten Principles for DesigningHealthy Coastal Ecosystems like the Sal-ish Sea recently appeared in the interna-tional journal,EcoHealth.

The SeaDoc Society works to ensure thehealth of marine wildlife and ecosystemsthrough science and education. Some oftheir primary mechanisms for doing thisinclude: funding scientists through an an-nual Competitive Grants program to con-duct important and innovative research ontopics essential to the health of the regionand its wildlife; providing expertise andassistance in the areas of marine conser-vation and animal health through an on-site staff scientist and veterinarian; and

conducting scientific research on key indi-cators of ecosystem health and ways toameliorate ecosystem health problems.

SeaDoc also does important bird research.

They supported research to develop a toolfor determining which sites are most im-portant for refueling migrating WesternSandpipers. They are also pulling to-gether the science and writing the status

review for listing the Western Grebe asthreatened. In addition, SeaDoc-supported science that showed that in fourWashington counties, scoters are beinghunted at non-sustainable rates. For moreinformation, and to receive free quarterlyWildlife Posts from the SeaDoc Society,go to www.seadocsociety.org.

Please join us Thursday, March 25, forDr. Gaydos intriguing presentation onriver and sea otters. The meeting starts at

7:00; however, you are welcome to comeearly and enjoy the Activity Fair. Joespresentation is FREE and open to the pub-lic - invite a friend.

Get Ready for Birdathon!-See article on page 3.


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President Cindy Balbuena [email protected] President OpenSecretary Carmen Almodovar [email protected] Jim Kenney (425) 746-9862Executive Director Jan McGruder (425) 822-8580

[email protected]

At large board member Helen LaBouy [email protected] large board member Margaret Lie [email protected] large board member Tricia Kishel [email protected] Sunny Walter [email protected] Photography Tim Boyer [email protected] Trips Hugh Jennings (425) 746-6351

[email protected] Plant Walks Sunny Walter (425) 271-1346

[email protected] Walks Christopher Chapman (425) 941-3501

[email protected] Questions? MaryFrances Mathis (425) 803-3026

Conservation Andrew McCormick [email protected]

Education Mary Britton-Simmons (360) [email protected]

Communication OpenNewsletter Tom Grismer (206) 851-7322

[email protected] OpenFinancial Development Tim McGruder [email protected] Sunny Walter [email protected]

308 4th Avenue S. (Corner 4th Ave. S. and State)

Committee Chairs/Board (board positions underlined)

Executive Officers

Eastside Audubon Society(425) 576-8805 www.eastsideaudubon.org

Open Board PositionsThe following positions are open and waiting for volunteers. Pleasecall the office if you have questions or are interested: Vice President,Adult Education chair, Advocacy, Communication chair, Membership

chair, Programs chair, Gift Wrap, and Merchandising.

2010 CENSUS JOBS Good pay

Temporary, part-time jobs

Flexible hours

Mileage reimbursement for field jobs

Work in your home community

APPLY NOW to be a census taker!

Call toll-free jobs line at 1-866-861-2010www.2010censusjobs.gov

One of the Strangest

Stuffed pink stocking, the neck,

Toe of pointed black, the angled beak,

Thick heel with round eye in it upside down, the pate,

Swivels, dabbles, skims the soup of pond all day

for small meat. That split polished toe is mouth

of the wading flamingo

whose stilts, the rosy knee joints, bend

the wrong way. When planted

on one straight stem, a big fluffy flower

is body a pink leg, wrong, lifts up over,

lays an awkward shoe to sleep on top of,

between flocculent elbows, the soft peony wings.

Mary Swenson

Olympic Birdfest, Apr 9-11, Sequim, WAJoin the Olympic BirdFest 2010 celebration at the Dunge-ness River Audubon Center in Sequim, WA on April 9-11,2010.

Marbled Murrelets, Rhinoceros Auklets, Harlequin Ducks,Black Oystercatchers, Peregrine Falcons, and Pygmy owlswill be sporting their finest spring plumage for this celebra-tion. Enjoy guided birding trips, boat tours; and a traditionalsalmon bake at the Jamestown SKlallam Tribal Center.

Check out the offerings by going online (http://www.olympicbirdfest.org),or calling for a brochure.

Also this year! Follow your BirdFest weekend with a three-day, two night birding cruise of the spectacular San JuanIslands on April 11-13, 2010. Visit San Juan and Sucia Is-lands, and more. Stay at the historic Roche Harbor Resort.Get program information and registration forms online at:http://www.olympicbirdfest.org.

Or contact us by phone, at 360-681-4076,E-mail us at [email protected]


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The Corvid Crier, Vol 29, NO 2Publication Date: March 1, 2010.Published by: Eastside Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115

The Corvid Crier is published monthly by the EastsideAudubon Society except that there are no issues inJanuary or August.

Deadline for material submission is the first Wednesdayof the month preceding publication. Send material byemail to:

[email protected]: EAS Newsletter

or by mail to:Eastside Audubon Society

Attn: Tom GrismerP. O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115

Eastside Audubon Office/Audubon CenterThe office is downstairs at NorthlakeUnitarian Universalist Church inKirkland, 308 4th Avenue S. (Corner4th Ave. S. and State). Directions: I-405 exit 18 (N. E. 85th-Kirkland). Go

west on Central Way to the light on 3rdSt. Go left on 3rd St. Follow this street(it bears left and changes name to StateSt.) Then turn left on 4th Ave. S.

(425) [email protected]

Hours: Mon, Tues, Fri 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

March Meetings

Mar 4 Thurs) 10:30 a.m.Web CommitteeMeets first Thursday each month in EASOffice. All interested parties are invited.Questions? [email protected]

Mar 9 (Tues) 7:00 p.m.

Youth Education CommitteeMeets in the EAS Office.All interestedparties are invited. Questions?Email [email protected]

Mar 10 (Weds) 7:00 p.m.Conservation CommitteeMeets second Wednesday each month inEAS Office. Questions? Email AndrewMcCormick [email protected]

Mar 11 (Thurs) 7:00 p.m.Photo Group

Meets in large room upstairs from EASOffice. Questions? Email Tim Boyer [email protected]

Birdathon is Eastside Audubons biggestfund-raising event of the year and is heldthroughout the month of May. It is a trulyunique fundraiser. Its also lots of fun. In2009, we raised $18,000; our goal thisyear is $25,000. We all participate insome manner, whether its joining a Bir-dathon team, participating in a Birdathonfield trip or special event, or donating di-rectly to Birdathon.

Birdathon Teams: We have two newteams this year for a total of seven. Eachteam will fan out across the state for one24-hour period in May to find as manybird species as they can. Why? Because

each species brings in money from theirsponsors. Most teams currently have 1 or2 openings for a lucky person to jointhem, but these are being filled quickly.Qualifications? You just need to lovebirds, have a pair of binoculars, and bewilling to learn how to raise money. Itseasier than you think. If you want tojoina team, please call the office at 425-576-8805 or email us at [email protected].

Birdathon Field Trips: Along with ourusual Birdathon trips, we have someunique offerings in 2010 for those wholike to mix a little socializing with theirbirding: Wine and Wings, Birds andBakeries and more. We have also low-ered the suggested donation per trip to $25so you can go on several trips to fulfillyour own Birdathon goal.

Special Events: The popular Birds,Brunch and Champagne and theMcGruder Birdathon and Brunch areback again this year.

Where does the money go? The moneywe raise in Birdathon provides almost

30% of our chapter budget. All funds stayhere to fund local programs in environ-mental education, conservation and sci-ence, public policy, and outreach. Thismoney helps our chapter "keep the birdssinging" which is more important nowthan ever! You can find out all the Bir-dathon details at our website: http://www.eastsideaudubon.org.

Get Ready for Birdathon!


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Board Notes for January 2010

Board retreat: The board met to review2009 goals and set new goals for 2010.

Eastside Audubon accomplishments in

2009:Board members noted several

dozen accomplishments. Notable accom-plishments include:

Our first outreach in Duvall to part of

to our new territory

A new Development Committeewhich will address fundraising issuesfor the chapter

The return of the Conservation Com-mittee

Three active bird surveys in our terri-

tory

Over 100 trips for membership, in-cluding birding trips, nature walks,and native plant walks

900+ children served by EducationCommittee

$500 scholarship to high school stu-dent

Seven camp scholarships to low-

income children

Teacher grants given up to $150

Receipt of an REI Grant and a KingCounty grant

A new webmaster and website en-hancements, including a much ex-

panded Bird Gallery Successful completion of Phase I of

the Audubon BirdLoop at MarymoorPark

Increased communications acrossmedia, including social media

Participation in Lobby Day, ACOW,and WSACC

Goals for 2010: Completing our goals forthis year will depend in large part on ourability to find out more about our mem-bership, what our members want or expect

from our chapter and what their interestsare. To gather this information, the boardis considering online surveys, focusgroups, and phone calls.

Focus on retaining members: The boardwants to increase membership retentionby making sure chapter efforts and activi-ties are meeting members interests. Wealso want to make sure that new membersare welcomed into the chapter and con-

nected with committees or projects thatmatch their interests.

Focus on finding and retaining qualityvolunteers: The board is looking to fill

open and soon-to-be-open board posi-tions. Once the board knows more aboutmembers interests, we hope to matchopenings, committees, or projects withmember interests.

Focus on creating an energizing andcoherent vision for the chapter: Basedon feedback from our member survey,calls, and/or focus groups, the board plansto integrate and direct chapter efforts inbirding, conservation, and education.

Focus on profitability: The board and the

Development Committee are reviewingfundraising activities to make them moreeffective. We are planning to increaseBirdathon donations by offering differentkinds of trips and by expanding the num-ber of teams. Were also hoping to expandour partnerships with like-minded organi-zations.

Carmen Almodovar

WASHINGTONS WOODPECKERSWith Brian Bell

Join Master Birder Brian Bell to explore the world of woodpeckers in Wash-ington. Twelve species inhabit our state from sea level to the boreal forests tothe semiarid valleys of Eastern Washington. In class, we will view an illus-trated presentation and discuss habitat requirements, examine seasonal distribu-tion, learn identification tips, and listen to vocalization and drumming patterns.

There will be a half day field trip in Western Washington on Saturday, March20 and a full day trip to Eastern Washington on Saturday, May 22.

Brian is a professional birding and natural history guide with an extensivebackground in biology, geology and astronomy. He teaches ornithology at lo-cal community colleges and has birded extensively throughout the West andthe United States. His enthusiasm and passion for birds will inspire you!

Class: Thursday, March 18 - 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. at the EAS office at Northlake Unitarian Church, Kirkland.

Field trips: Saturday, March 20, the half day trip will be in Western Washington. A full day trip to Eastern Wash-ington will be on Saturday, May 22. The trips will be organized at the class session.

Cost for lecture and field trips: $65.00 for EAS members, $85.00 for nonmembers. A fee of $14 for gas and driving

expenses to Eastern Washington should be paid to the carpool driver. The fee for the half day will be $3.Registration: Call the EAS office Monday, Tuesday or Friday a.m. at 425-576-8805 to register.Registration closes March 16, 2010.**Class limited to 20 participants, 15 class and field trip, 5 class only.


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Audubon BirdLoop at Marymoor ParkThe next BirdLoop work party isscheduled for Saturday, March 6,9:00 to noon. Meet at the SE cornerof parking Lot G. We will be plantingGarry Oak and other native trees andshrubs in and around the EastMeadow. We need your help in get-

ting these plants into the ground sothey can get a good start before sum-mer.

Thanks to all of the sixteen volunteerswho showed up on a sunny Saturday,February 6, to continue the task ofhabitat restoration and trail clearing.A crew of six opened up the ForestTrail again. Four others cleared moreScotch Broom from the East Meadow,

which is now nearly free of this inva-sive species! Two people worked toremove blackberry vines/roots. And

four weeded the planted area near theEast Meadow entry point. While weall worked hard, you cant beat spend-ing a beautiful February morningworking with others to keep the birdssinging! Come join us on March 6,9:00 to noon.

Jim Rettig


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(rainproof in layers; some of the trails can be muddy ifwet). Just inside the main entrance, take the first left into thelarge parking lot and meet at the northeast end. Co-lead bySharon Aagaard and Stan Wood. Call Sharon with anyquestions, 425-891-3460.

Mar 16 (Tues) 9:00 to noonJuanita Bay Park Bird WalkA relaxed walk in the Park, seeing what birds are in the area.Meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 9:00. Bringbinoculars and meet in parking lot. No registration required.MaryFrances Mathis 425-803-3026

Mar 21 (Sun) 1:00 p.m. ** NEW DATE/TIME**Watershed ParkA 2-hour nature walk in this Kirkland park takes place the 3rdSunday of each month at 1:00 p.m. Nature walks enter thepark off NE 45th Street, north of the railroad tracks on 108thAvenue NE, east of 108th Avenue NE. Watershed park has more

than 70 acres of mostly upland second growth forest; there issome riparian habitat. Several plant and bird species can beseen in the park. Bus stop nearby on 108 th, near 45th. Limitedstreet parking. Jan Johnson 425-814-5923

Mar 22 (Mon) 9:00 to noonBirding the Hot Spots of King CountyMonthly field trip on fourthMonday of each month towherever the birds are. Meet before 9:00 a.m. at north end ofthe Tibbets Park-N-Ride in Issaquah (I-90, exit 15) and plan tobe back by noon. Passenger cost/person $2.00. John Tubbs,

[email protected]. 206-310-1881

Mar 27 (Sat) 7:30 a.m. Nisqually NWR

The Nisqually NWR offers a diverse combination of habitatsand birds. The delta is bounded by rivers on each side withmarshes, deciduous woods and wide open areas. Early springmigrants are arriving to joining regulars such as woodpeckersand Great Horned owls and a variety of still winteringwaterfowl and raptors should be present. We will explore thenew Nisqually Estuary Trail along the outer dike for greatviews of the estuary restoration. Admission is free if you have aNational Golden Pass or Federal Duck Stamp. Meet before 7:30a.m. at north end of the Wilburton Park-N-Ride (I-405, exit 12)to carpool. Bring a lunch. Passenger cost/person$12.00. Tricia Kishel, 206-948-3922or [email protected].

Apr 2 (Fri) 8:00 to noonLake Sammamish State ParkThis urban park offers a wide assortment of birds and habitatsdue to its varied ecosystems. The trip will involvewalking approximately 2-3 miles. Dress appropriately(rainproof in layers; some of the trails can be muddy ifwet). Just inside the main entrance, take the first left into thelarge parking lot and meet at the northeast end. Co-led by

(Continued on page 7)

NOTE: The monthly Marymoor Park bird walk has

been discontinued.

Mar 5 (Fri) 11:00 a.m.Kenmore P&R and LibraryEastside Audubon members will have spotting scopes availableat 11:00 a.m. for the public to watch the Great Blue Heroncolony at the north end of the Kenmore P&R (Bothell Way and73rd Ave. NE). There will be a slide presentation about theherons and other birds at the nearby Fire Station about noon.This will be published as an event in the Kenmore SeniorCenter newsletter. EAS members are invited to come & bring a

scope, if they have one. Hugh Jennings 425-746-6351Mar 6 (Sat) 9:00 to noonMarymoor Park Habitat RestorationJoin us in restoring native habitat at the Marymoor Parkinterpretive area. Dress for the weather and bring clippers,gloves, snacks and water. Meet at SE corner of Parking Lot G.Questions? Call office at 425-576-8805

Mar 10 (Weds) 8:00 to noonLake Sammamish State ParkThis urban park offers a wide assortment of birds and habitatsdue to its varied ecosystems. The trip will involvewalking approximately 2-3 miles. Dress appropriately(rainproof in layers; some of the trails can be muddy ifwet). Just inside the main entrance, take the first left into thelarge parking lot and meet at the northeast end. Co-led bySharon Aagaard and Stan Wood. Call Sharon with anyquestions, 425-891-3460.

Mar 10 (Weds) 8:00 to noonLake Sammamish State ParkThis urban park offers a wide assortment of birds and habitatsdue to its varied ecosystems. The trip will involvewalking approximately 2-3 miles. Dress appropriately

FIELD TRIPSParents and children over 8 are welcome on all trips. **FRS Radio owners, please consider bringing them on trips.**See www.eastsideaudubon.org/events/ for the latest information and for reports of last months field trips.

Meeting Places for Field Trips:

Kingsgate Park and Ride: I-405 exit 20B northbound or20 southbound, N. E. 124th St. Go west to light at 116thAve. N. E., then right (north) a few blocks to P&R lot (on

the left). Meet in the S.E. corner. 1300 116th Way NE,Kingsgate.

Newport Hills Park and Ride: I-405, exit 9. 5115 113thPL NE, Newport Hills.

South Kirkland Park and Ride:108th Ave. NE justnorth of hwy 520 and Northup Way. 10610 NE 38th Pl.

Tibbetts Park and Ride:Take exit 15 from I-90, turnright (south) and go past the new multistoryIssaquah Park & Ride to the 3rd traffic light. Turnleft (east) on Newport Way NW, go one block andturn right (south) into the Park & Ride. Meet at thewest end of the parking lot (away from the entrance)to carpool. 1675 Newport Way NW, Issaquah


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Sharon Aagaard and Stan Wood. Call Sharon with anyquestions, 425-891-3460.

Apr 10 (Sat) 7:00 a.m. Theler Wetlands via SouthworthWe will take the Fauntleroy ferry to Southworth and bird ourway to the Theler Wetlands. These include fresh and salt watermarshes, forested uplands, and estuarine habitats. Prepare towalk about 2-1/2 miles. We will return by way of Tacoma. Itcan be cool and wet so dress accordingly. 150 bird species have

been seen in this area. Bring a lunch. Meet before 7:00 a.m. atnorth end of the Wilburton Park-N-Ride (I-405, exit 12) tocarpool. Passenger cost/person is $12.00 + share in ferry cost.Hugh Jennings 425-746-6351

May 17-22 (Mon to Sat) Malheur National Wildlife RefugeThis is an advance notice to determine how many people areinterested in this trip. I plan to limit the number of people to 12.People who have never been to Malheur will have first priority.I need to make reservations in March to ensure availability forMay. The refuge lies in southeastern Oregon, about 30 milessouth of Burns, at an elevation of 4,100 feet. Burns is about 500miles from Bellevue. The refuge, 183,000 acres, is composed ofmeadows, ponds and extensive wetlands surrounded by sage

uplands and basalt rimrock. It is a major resting, nesting, andfeeding area on the Pacific Flyway and is on Roger Tory

Petersons list of the ten best birding areas in the U.S. More than320 species of birds and many species of mammals have beenobserved on the refuge. We will visit the main birding areaswithin the refuge, and usually see100-130 species. We will takeone day to drive to Burns (10-11 hours), spend 4 days birdingwhile there, and one day to drive back. We would hope tocarpool with 3-4 people per car. The driving costs per passengerwill be $100 for the trip to and from Burns (1000 miles). Inaddition we would drive 120-130 miles each day, at a cost of

$10/day. Motel costs would be about $50-60 for a two-bedroom, so if shared by two people cost would be $25-30 eachnight which includes a continental breakfast. The rooms have arefrigerator and a microwave. We would have breakfast at themotel and fix a lunch to take along, then buy dinner at arestaurant. Each morning we will plan to leave by 7:30 a.m.,bird all day and be back about 4-5 p.m. The area is large enoughthat we can bird a separate area on each day. This is high desertarea, so plan on dressing in layers for temperatures ranging fromfreezing at night to 80 during the day. Have binoculars, raingear, good hiking/walking shoes, insect repellant, sun blocklotion and a spotting scope if you have one. After I know who isgoing I will make reservations and we can make arrangementsfor carpooling from Bellevue area. Anyone interested in going,

email or call Hugh Jennings: [email protected] or 425-746-6351.

(Continued from page 6)

Dr. Kerri W. Scarbrough, Optometrist

17320 135th Ave. N.E. ? Woodinville

(425) 398-1862

See the birds better!

Dr. Kerri W. Scarbrough, Optometrist17320 135th Ave. N.E. Woodinville

(425) 398-1862www.eevisioncare.com

BusinessName

TM Construction

Residential ConstructionRemodel, Repair, Carpentry

10% discount for Audubon members

425-457-0465 [email protected]

Tim McGruder General Contractor tmcon**1480t

Habitat Begins at Home: Backyard Habitat Workshop--- Overlake School in Redmond

At this four-part workshop, you will hearexperts from Eastside Audubon, NationalWildlife Federation, Seattle Audubon,Washington Department of Fish andWildlife, Washington Native Plant Soci-ety and Woodland Park Zoo. Learn how

to attract birds and other wildlife to yourbackyard, select and care for native plants,recognize and remove invasive plantsspecies, conserve water, manage yourbackyard without the use of chemical her-bicides and pesticides, place feeders andbird houses, and get your yard certified asa Backyard Habitat.

Eastside Audubons Janice Johnson, a

Juanita Bay Volunteer Ranger, will par-ticipate in the panel discussion on Satur-day. Janice has an impressive resume in-cluding certification in Wetlands Manage-ment from the University of Washington,Native Plant Stewardship training, partici-

pation in wildlife surveys and stream sam-pling, and membership in the Native PlantSociety and Sustainable Kirkland.

This is a four-part workshop:Monday, March 1, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.Monday, March 8, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.Monday, March 15, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.Saturday, March 20, 9:00 a.m to 3:00p.m.

The cost is $75.00 ($140.00 for couples).Scholarships are available for members ofSammamish Community Wildlife HabitatProject. To register, download the regis-tration form from the zoo's Web site:www.zoo.org (under Education and Pro-

grams). Overlake School is located inRedmond at 20301 Northeast 108th Street(98053) off of Novelty Hill Road.

You can make a difference for birds andother wildlife. Remember: Habitat beginsat home!


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The Polar Bear is not the only onehaving trouble with the shrinking ofthe Arctic Sea ice. Ivory Gulls breedand live in close association with packice and their numbers are dropping

fast. After leaving the breeding sitesin the circumpolar region they forageby following the edge of reforming iceas winter begins and spend the coldmonths in the Davis Strait and theBering Sea. The Arctic Ice is meltingat a rate much faster than earth scien-tists have predicted leaving a declin-ing edge to rebuild in winter. The dropcan be seen in this graph from the Na-tional Snow and Ice Data Center. Itshows the amount of ice on the Arctic

Sea at the end of summer in millionsof square kilometers. The trend hasbeen toward less ice for the past thirtyyears and is a clear sign that the polarregion is warming. Only about 60% ofthe ice area in 1979 is now coveredwith ice. This, of course, means thereis now more open water.

Jim Hansen of NASA in his new bookStorms of My Grandchildren says hehas not found any Arctic researcherwho believes that sea ice will survive

if the world continues to burn fossilfuels in a business-as-usual way. TimFlannery in The Weather Makers saysthe Ivory Gull has declined in Canadaby 90% in the last 20 years and be-lieves it may not survive this century.Right now we have about 387 ppm ofcarbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Atcurrent levels of burning fossil fuelswe are adding an average of 2 ppm ofCO2 to atmosphere every year. Be-cause CO2 stays in the atmosphere for

centuries this will continue to trapheat in the atmosphere and continue towarm the planet. This sets up a posi-tive feedback loop so that as the aver-age global temperature rises, more icemelts creating more open water whichabsorbs heat which in turn warms thewater leading to more ice melting.

Other hidden dangers exist in thiswarming in the Arctic. Large quanti-ties of CO2 and methane are stored inthe frozen tundra. When released intothe atmosphere methane converts tocarbon dioxide. Melting in the tundrawill free up CO2 and methane releas-ing these two greenhouse gases into

the atmosphere completing the feed-back loop.

Hansen makes an astute observationwhich is important to birders. He saysthat the numbers and populations ofbird species are better documentedthan other species of living things. Wecan thank the many years of citizenscience projects such as the ChristmasBird Count for these records. We arelosing 1-2 bird species each year andover the past several centuries we

have lost about one percent of all birdspecies. A rise in average global tem-perature of more than 20C will quicklyraise this rate of extinction. By actingnow to reduce carbon dioxide emis-sions we can save many species. Wecan work to save the Ivory Gull andmany other species of birds that are

still doing well. They need our climateto stay as it is. We humans can nowcontrol the climate on Earth. Will wedo it to protect the life we haveadapted to?

The Conservation Committee is devel-oping a working plan to determinehow our chapter should address the

issue of climate change and its effecton birds. We welcome your input. TheConservation Committee meets on thesecond Wednesday of the month at7:00 p.m. at the office. [email protected]

Conservation in Our Lives Andrew McCormick

Ivory Gull Needs Arctic Ice Too


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In the northwest we have three species ofgulls with white heads and yellow legs:Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, and Califor-nia Gull. They differ in size, bill mark-ings, mantel color, and wing tip appear-ance. In this article we will compare andcontrast only the adult plumage birds.All three species are in the very large (23species) genusLarus, from the Greek,laros, a ravenous seabird. The MewGull has the species name canus, fromthe Latin for white haired in reference toits plumage. Mew is old English forgull. The Ring-billed is delawarensisreferring to the Delaware River where itwas found. The California is californi-cus referring to the state where it wascollected (Holloway).

It may be most helpful for identificationto learn the Ring-billed Gull very well.This bird is ubiquitous in North Americaand has a population of 3-4 million indi-viduals making it our most populousgull. Its medium size makes it a goodreference bird for comparison with manyother gulls. It has a medium-size billwith a clean-cut, black subterminal ring(Alderfer). Its eyes are pale with a darkorbital ring. In winter the head becomesfinely streaked. The black wing tips areset off by white mirrors toward the endof the outer two primary feathers(numbered P9 and P10).

The Mew Gull is smaller than the Ring-billed and it has a much smaller, un-marked bill. The Mew also has blackwing tips but the mirrors are much largerand reach to the tips of P9 and P10, andlook large when the bird is in flight. This

gull has a floating flight pattern andcompared to the Ring-billed is more deli-cate with a gentle expression (Sibley). Itis seen along coastal waters in winter. Itbreeds in boreal lakes in Alaska andnorthern Canada, but is seldom seeninland outside of breeding season. Infirst and second winter birds the legs canbe fleshy or greenish colored.

The California Gull is larger than the

Ring-billed with a stouter, but straighterbill. There is a narrow black ring on thebill, and next to it is a red spot at thegonys, the area on the lower mandiblebetween the tip and angle of the bill.The eye is dark with a red orbital ring.The legs are yellow and sometimes havea greenish tinge. The wing pattern isdistinctive. The tips are black with largemirrors on P9 and P10, and there is moreblack on P7 and P8 giving the wing asquared-off appearance (Alderfer).

All three species are opportunistic omni-

vores. The Ring-billed especially can befound in parks, land fills, and feeding atgarbage cans around fast-food restau-rants. Some Mew Gulls are also learningthese behaviors, but generally eat fish,crustaceans, urchins, and inland will eatinsects and earthworms. CaliforniaGulls will eat fish and other marine life,

and in summer will eat large numbers ofinsects. So much so, that they are attrib-uted with having saved the crops of Mor-mon settlers attacked by locusts in 1848,inspiring the gull monument in Salt LakeCity (Kaufman).

(Photo credit: Mew Gull and CaliforniaGull -Judy Hystad, Ring-billed Gull-Lynn Mares. References available uponrequest at

[email protected] )

BIRDOFTHE MONTH Andrew McCormickMew GullLarus canus, Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis, California GullLarus californicus

Mew Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull

Length 16 in 17.5 in 21 in

Wingspan 43 in 48 in 54 in

Weight 15 oz 1.1 lb 1.3 lb

AOU Band code MEGU RBGU CAGU

Ring-billed Gull

Mew Gull California Gull


10/11


2009 a Great Year for Volunteers!

As always, EAS is indebted to ourvolunteers who helped to make 2009 asuccess. We jointly logged 9,054hours in 2009 on all types of efforts -staffing the office, bird surveys, news-letter labeling, working on the Audu-bon BirdLoop at Marymoor Park,

community outreach, working withkids in the classroom, and wrappinggifts at REI - just to name a few.

At our volunteer recognition dinner onJanuary 28th, many volunteers werehonored with an award for breaking into a new level of accumulated volun-teer hours. Those volunteers are desig-nated in bold type. Wed like to recog-nize and thank all of our volunteersfor giving of their time and energy to

keep our chapter strong and to keepthe birds singing!

Lets keep up the great work this year.Remember to send your volunteerhours to [email protected] so we cankeep track of all of your efforts.Kate Aarden, Carmen Almodovar,Doyne Alward, Christy Anderson,Kathy Andrich, Cindy Balbuena, IvanBalbuena, Lucille Barnard, AmberBeecher, Brian Bell, Shawn Bongard,

Kay Bosler, Tim Boyer, Judy Boylan,Betty Branson, Roy Branson, Geary

Britton-Simmons, Mary Britton-Simmons, Melinda Bronsdon, Rich-ard Carlson, Tamra Chinn, MichaelClark , Patricia Clarke, Liz Copland,Sharon Cormier-Aagard, DougCoutts, Owen Coutts, Mark Craw-ford, Diane Crestanello, Alyssa Dear-

dorff, Marge Dolecal, Glenn Eades,Conner Eck, Kristin Eck, Mike Eck,Rachel Eck, Ella Elman, MarianneEmerson, Larry Engles, Wendy Faw-cett, Dan Fischer, Kathryn Fischer,Paula Flores, Mary Gathers, TimGathers, Robert Gershmel, PamelaGirres, Jeani Goodrich, GlennGreenwalt, Karen Greytak, Tom Gris-mer, Rahul Gupta, Jim Hall, ShirleeHall, Karin Hargrove, Diane Hill, Jen-nifer Hille, Kevin Hille, Miles Hille,

Michael Hobbs, Mary Holt, EllenHoman, Sara Hoppe, Chris Houden,Margie Huff, Linda Jaruckis, JoshJaycox, Alan Jennings, Bev Jennings,Hugh Jennings, Paul Jensen, JoyJohnsen, Janice Johnson, StephenJohnson, Peggy Jorgensen, CarrieKahle, Charlie Kahle, Linda Keaton,Jill Keeney, Janice King, CarolynKishel, Tricia Kishel, Leah Khgei?,Tina Klein-Lebbink, Lea Knapp, BobLaBouy, Helen LaBouy, Robert

Lake, Betsy Law, Alison Leathley,Margaret Lie, Bryn Lieberman, Jan

Loux, Gary Luhm, Megan Lyden,Derek Mahaffey, MaryFrancesMathis, Stephanie Matyasi, AndrewMcCormick, Jan McGruder, TimMcGruder, Jim McRoberts, JoyceMeyer, Marlene Meyer, Pat Minden,Martin Muller, Chris Myers, Hank

Myers, Glenis Nielsen, Dave Nun-nallee, Jo Nunnallee, Karin Olefsky,Grace Oliver, Ollie Oliver, JeanetteOpiela, Genevieve Orchard, SharonPagel, Warren Pagel, Jane Paige, RonPaige, Caren Park, A Peery, S Peery,Linda Phillips, Judy Rams, KristaRave-Perkins, Jan Rettig, Jerry Ret-tig, Jim Rettig, Jim Roberts, NancyRoberts, Sharon Rodman, AlexisRodriguez, Tora Roksvog, StephanieSalazer, Phil Sandifer, Bill Schmidt,

Merry Schmidt, John Schmied, CyndiSmith, Margaret Snell, Anne St. Ger-main, Len Steiner, Marilyn Steiner,Martyn Stewart, Claudia Strickland,George Strickland, Maureen Sunn,Dolores Tanno, Linda Thompsen,Kathy Todd, Tom Traeger, Fan Tsao,Pat Vernie, Jean Wallace, SunnyWalter, Leslie Waters, Craig Weaver,Eva Weaver, Diane Weinstein, Clau-dia Welch, Mike West, Diane Whit-man, Stan Wood, Steve Wood

On January 26th EAS volunteers JimMcRoberts, Andy McCormick, SunnyWalter, Maureen Sunn, Pete Marshal,and Peter Sugarman carpooled to thechurch in Olympia where lobby dayparticipants were to assemble.

We were briefed by the director ofPeople for Puget Sound, who spear-heads this annual effort and then re-ceived briefings from several legisla-tors on our 2010 Environmental Pri-orities:

CLEAN WATER

SAFE BABY BOTTLES

BUDGET FOR OUR

ENVIRONMENT

We were assigned meetings of 15minutes with each legislator. As it

turned out the 41st District which in-cludes parts of Bellevue, Mercer Is-land, Issaquah and some other areashad the most attendees! We had asmany as 15 at some of the meetings.We overwhelmed them!The 41st District has a new Senator

this term, Randy Gordon; he gave usabout 25 minutes. He is definitely onour side! He became sponsor andprime mover in the new CLEAN WA-TER BILL in the senate. We think hewill be a great team player!

Some of our group stayed for the re-ception after the last meetings and metmany old friends.We considered our efforts to havebeen worthwhile and now we wait forour legislators to do their work know-ing what some of their constituentsbelieve is important.

Environmental Lobby Day a Big Success!


11/11


Issaquah Gives Warm Reception to Winter BirdsThe Eastside Audubon chapter events inIssaquah and south Bellevue drew peopleout of their homes to hear about birds andsee them in the wild. The conservationpresentation, the Saturday morning familybird walk and the afternoon childrensevent were well-attended by young chil-dren, high school students, and adults alleager to learn more about birds and theirhabitat.

Over forty people came to hear TimMcGruder talk about the Winter Birds ofthe Cascade Foothills at the REI store inIssaquah. He highlighted various habitatsand the birds that stay with us during thewinter. Mary Britton-Simmons was MCfor the evening and Sunny Walter organ-ized the bird photos. The presentationcovered migrating birds such as winteringwaterfowl and warblers and also year-

round residents such as House Finch andthe American Robin, a bird that was en-thusiastically identified to the delight ofthe crowd by a young man sitting in thefront row. One audience member sharedthat he has had Western Tanagers at hisfeeder this winter and Tim reported thatone was seen on this years ChristmasBird Count. The tanagers staying this far

north may be due in part to climatechange but more evidence is needed aboutthis.

Eleven people arrived for the Saturdaymorning family bird walk led by MarkCrawford at Lake Sammamish State Parkand were treated to a low flyby by an im-

mature Bald Eagle. Later in the morningan adult eagle was perched regally by theslough. Several species of ducks wereseen including Bufflehead, CommonGoldeneye, and American Widgeon, andboth Horned and Western Grebes werespotted on the lake. About one hundredAmerican Coots were in attendance. BothDowny and Hairy Woodpeckers wereseen with the Hairy perched very coopera-tively just off the trail offering splendidviews for all. A pair of Belted Kingfishersentertained the group with their rattling

calls and aerial displays.The afternoon sun shone at the LewisCreek Park in Bellevue where over 30people participated in an interactive pres-entation led by Stephanie Salazar andJeanette Opiela. Soon everyone was look-ing at the shape and size of the variousbird beaks and associating them with thefood the birds eat. The sharp young minds

were eager to answer questions and littlehands kept popping up over and over. Thegroup then took turns becoming birds andtried different types of beaks and food. Allthe children wanted to start by being hum-mingbirds and slurping up nectar and thenmoved on to try the beaks of other birdswhich specialize in seed eating, planktonfiltering and worm scavenging. MargaretLie led the participants in making a pinecone bird feeder to take home. Theycouldnt wait to hang the feeders in theirbackyard and watch the birds come toenjoy their gift. The highlight of the eventwas another Bald Eagle which flew overthe group while getting ready for a shortwalk along the trail in search of birds.

Eastside Audubon is grateful to the LewisPark Rangers Chris and Krista for theirsupport, REI for the use of their room and

publication of the events in their newslet-ter, and the Issaquah School District forpublicizing the programs on their Website and with flyers in the schools. TamraChinn helped hang flyers in some of theschools. There is clearly an interest inbirds and birding in Issaquah and we willbe planning more programs in the area.

Eastside Audubon Presentation at Lewis Creek Park in Bellevue

Mar 2010 Corvid Crier Newsletter Eastside Audubon Society

Documents

Transcript of Mar 2010 Corvid Crier Newsletter Eastside Audubon Society