March-April 2006 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

8/8/2019 March-April 2006 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

1/10

embership MeetingSunday April 2, 20061:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Slide presentation and talk onSafari Kenya with Nina Gayle and

Carole Breedlove

Grays Harbor PUD Community Room2720 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen

Parking & Entrance behind building

by Jan McMillanThe most widespread and fa-

miliar of all the swallows is theBarn Swallow. This beautiful andentertaining song bird is foundthroughout the world and it isconsidered a good omen in manycultures to have Barn Swallowsnesting on your property.

It is believed that their originalhomes were rocky ledges overstreams, rivers or lakes. A similarrelated African species build nestsin the trunks of trees in the shelterof branches. Human activity hasshrunk their native habitat, in-creased available nesting sites andactually increased and stabilizedtheir numbers. Having adaptedwell to co-existing with humans,they seem oblivious to traffic andother human intrusions. One of

their most practical functions forhumans is the role they play asnatural pest controllers. They aremore effective than insecticidesat keeping insect populationsdown.

The

Sandpiper

March/April 2006

New Birding BookShowcases Birds ofWashington StateA Book Review

by Jan McMillanLike many of you, my cars

pockets and pouches are filledwith birding books and guides thathelp me as I struggle to identifythe mysterious winged creatureon that far tree branch or fence post. Lone Pine Publishing hasreleased a new guide by longtime birder and Audubon memberBrian H. Bell and co-authored byGregory Kennedy. Many of youwill know Brian as president of theWashington Ornithological Soci-ety and Seattle Audubon Master

Birder, field trip leader and bird-ing teacher. George has been anactive naturalist since childhoodand is an author, film and televi-sion producer and researcher. Birds of Washington State hassome great features including

A quick, color-coded, speciessummary Reference Guide that

gives the page number where eachbird can be found An Introduction that includesthe top 50 birding sites and top15 birding areas in the state; Tech-niques of Birdingincluding use of binoculars, scopes and cameras,Birding by Ear, Birding by HabitatandBirding Activities . TheBirding

Activities section covers informa-tion on Bird Conservation, Bird Feeding, Nest Boxes and BirdBaths. A Color Coded Full Page forEach Birdthat gives an introducto-ry paragraph of general character-istics and other information aboutthe bird; an illustration of the bird(some pages include an illustrationof the bird in flight); identifyingfeatures; size; status (common,uncommon etc.); habitat; nesting;

feeding; voice; similar species andbest sites (some general and somespecific)A Glossary of bird termsA Washington State BirdingCheck ListI find that the guides description

of some of the behaviors of birdsis a help to me in identifying birds.I was able to confirm that it wasindeed a Townsends WarblerI wasseeing outside my kitchen windowbecause the guide states it some-

times offers a much better look atits attractive plumage as it foragesat suet feeders. This guide willbe a welcome companion on mybirding trips.TheBirds of Washington State isa 384 page soft cover book thatsells for $21.95. It is available

Continued on page 6

BirdStarBarn SwallowsHirundo Rustica

Continued on page 6


2/10


3/10page 3

Conservation ActionInitiative 933

y whatever name,its Bad News!

I-933, slated to be on our bal-lots in November 2006 has beencalled the Farm Bureau Initia-

tive, the Takings Initiativeand the Developers Initiative.Whatever its called, its badnews for the citizens of Wash-ington State. Dont sign it.Dont vote for it.

Heres why: It is very similar to OregonsMeasure 37 in language, intentand overall effect It has a pay or waive provi-sion- this means local govern-ments are forced to either payland owners for claims of lost

profits or ignore land use pro-tections. This will create hugeloopholes for irresponsible de-velopers to exploit. It is retroactiveit rolls backa decade of good community protections by making almostany land use law passed since1995 vulnerable to the pay orwaive provision. It is costlyIt requires costlynew layers of government bu-reaucracy through additional

studies and a provision that saysgovernment must pay claimantsattorney fees and claim process-ing fees, regardless of whetherclaims are valid It would take away peoplesright to protect themselves fromirresponsible development intheir neighborhoodsputtingthem at risk from flooding, ero-sion and landslides

It would take away a com-munitys right to protect itselfagainst irresponsible developers It would open up large por-tions of farmland for develop-men

Audubon Washington, repre-senting 18,000 members in 26local Chapters, opposes this ini-tiative.

Conservation ActionThe Sandpiperwill keep you upto date on important initiatives,legislation and conservation is-sues and news in our Conserva-tion Action Column, premieringin this issue.

Announcing!Introduction to drawing birdsa mini Workshop

Instructor:Margaret Peggy Stermer-Cox

Date and Time: Saturday April8th or 21st from 10:15 am to 3pm

Location: Pacific Art Studio,57 Main Street, Pacific Beach,WA Tuition: $40 for Adults 18 andolder Class Size: Limited to 6 stu-dents

For information on the classor how to register please con-tact Margaret Stermer-Cox [email protected] orcall her at 360- 289-0790. You

can also contact Pacific Art Stu-dio at 360-276-9929 or visittheir web site at http://www.pacificartstudio.net.

Chapter members enjoyed Peg-gys class on drawing birds atour December 05 meeting. Hereis an opportunity to learn evenmore about drawing birds!

Community PartnersGear Up For Annual GHShorebird Festival

Each year an enthusiastic teamof 16 people work for 8 monthsto make the Annual Grays HarborShorebird Festival a reality. Theteam includes representativesfrom the three major partners ofthe Festival; The City of Ho-quiam, Grays Harbor Audubon,

and the Grays Harbor NationalWildlife Refuge. In addition, thefestival enjoys a large circle ofsponsors that contribute to thefestivals success:Grays Harbor Community College,

Grays Harbor Chamber of Com-

merce, Grays Harbor County, Grays

Harbor Tourism, Grays Harbor Tran-

sit, Hoquiam High School, Hoquiam

School District, Port of Grays Harbor,

Quinault Indian Nation, R.W. Morse

Company,

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuges

Volunteer Program and Washington

Department of Fish & Wildlife.

2006 Shorebird Festival Planning

Committee

Festival Director, Kris Schoyen,

Consultant

City of Hoquiam; Tanya Bowers and

Ron Tibbetts

Grays Harbor County Commissioner,

Al Carter

Grays Harbor Audubon; Ann Haarer,

Jan McMillan, Dianna Moore, Linda

Orgel, Diane SchwickerathGrays Harbor National Wildlife Ref-

uge: Sheila McCartan, Jean Takeka-

wa, Jaclyn Schlindwein

Grays Harbor Tourism: Barb Smith

Port of Grays Harbor: Diane Souron

R.W. Morse, Co., Bob Morse

Washington Department of Fish &

Wildlife Chuck Gibilisco

Continued on page 7


4/10

page 4

as easily.If all of that sounds like a

lot of work, you can buy lard,which is rendered animal fat(not necessarily beef), or pre- pared bird-feeding suet cakes.Some commercial suet cakes

have bird seed and other in-gredients added, either as extraenticements for the birds, or toreduce the amount of actual fatso they can be used year-roundwithout problems. Check pack-age information and recom-mendations for use and stor-age.

Starlings are also very fondof suet. To discourage thesenon-native competitors, offersuet in a feeder that requires

birds to feed hanging upsidedown (a covered cage accessedfrom the bottom only.) Wood-peckers, chickadees, nuthatch-es and other birds that clingto tree bark to feed on insects,will reach the suet easily, butstarlings generally will not.Hungry, persistent starlingscan be creative, however; somewill flutter up and knock piecesof suet out of such feeders with

their bills, then feed on theground belowIf you like the idea of making

your own suet, and adding in-gredients you have on hand, trythe following recipes:

Soft Suet Medley4 1/2 cups ground fresh suet3/4 cup dried and fine groundbakery goods(whole-wheat or cracked-wheatbread or crackers are best)

1/2 cup shelled sunflowerseeds1/4 cup millet1/4 cup dried and chopped fruit(currants, raisins, or berries)3/4 cup dried and fine groundmeat (optional)1. Melt suet in a saucepan overlow heat.2. Mix the rest of the ingredi-

What is this thing calledsuet?

by Washington Departmentof Fish and Wildlife

ost Backyard Wildlife Sanc-tuary managers who providesupplemental feed for birds in-clude suet on their winter menu,knowing that its a good high-energy substitute for insect-eat-ing birds at a time when insectsare scarce.

But do you know what suet ac-tually is, and the differences be-tween commercially availablesuet products and the rawkind?Suet is the hard fat surrounding

beef kidneys. It is inexpensive,or sometimes even free, avail-able from butchers and manygrocery store meat counters.If the temperature outside is be-

low 70 degrees, you can simply

place chunks of this raw suet ina plastic mesh bag, wire basket,or some other kind of feeder foruse by everything from browncreepers to woodpeckers.

If outside temperatures riseabove 70 degrees, raw suet maybecome rancid and melt. Thatswhen you need to either dosome processing of the suet, orbuy manufactured suet cakes.

Suet must be rendered tomake it less prone to spoilage

and melting. Rendering is a pro-cess of cooking the suet to meltit down, and straining it to re-move bits of meat. (Those bitsof meat are what spoil suet ormake it rancid.) Once the melt-ed, strained suet is cooled, it canbe frozen for later use. If you re-melt it and strain it again, it be-comes harder and will not melt

Double, double toil & no trouble suet

ents together in a large bowl.3. Allow the suet to cool un-il slightly thickened, then stir

it into the mixture in the bowl.ix thoroughly.

. Pour or pack into forms orsuet feeders; smear onto tree

runks or overhanging limbsand branches; or pack into pinecones.

Hard Suet Tidbit Cakes1/2 lb. fresh ground suet1/3 cup sunflower seed2/3 cup wild bird seed (mix)1/8 cup chopped peanuts1/4 cup raisins

1. Melt suet in a saucepan overlow heat. Allow it to cool thor-

oughly, then reheat it.2. Mix the rest of the ingredientsogether in a large bowl.

3. Allow the suet to cool un-il slightly thickened, then stir

it into the mixture in the bowl.ix thoroughly.

. Pour into pie pan or form, orpack into suet feeders.

Optional or substitute ingredi-ents: millet (or other birdseed),

cornmeal, cooked noodles,chopped berries, dried fruit.Content taken from Crossing Paths

ewsletter from WDFW http://wdfw.

a.gov/wlm/crospath/cross_5.htm

Bird SightingsPlease report all interest-

ing or unusual bird sight-ings which occur in GraysHarbor to he Sandpiper.

We will establish a newcolumn for your observa-tions. If you also have adigital photo, please send itto [email protected] so wecan include it.


5/10

GHAS Mission

he mission of the Graysarbor Audubon Societyis to seek a sustainable bal-ance between human activ-ity and the needs of the en-vironment; and to promoteenjoyment of birds and thenatural world

page 5

Spring ahead withACOW

Ft. Worden State Park,Port TownsendKitsap Audubon SocietyMarch 24th, 25th and 26th

ark your calendars now and join with members from otherAudubon Washington Chap-

ters for an exchange of ideas ontopics of conservation, educa-tion and Chapter building. Thissprings conference will be heldat historic Fort Worden StatePark in the Victorian town ofPort Townsend.

Washington Audubons StateConservation Committee andState Education Committee arescheduled to meet on Friday af-ternoon. Our speakers on Friday

night will be representativesfrom Swarovski Optics on thetopic of Optics and Photos andthey will lead a field trip for uson digi-scoping as one of Satur-day field trip offerings. Chapterreports and seminar sessions areplanned for Saturday afternoon,and the evening dinner presen-tation will be From the Fieldto the Studio -The Wildlife Artof Bart Rulon. Bart is a well-

Are you interested in re-ceiving the andpiper on-line? Send us your emailaddress and we can forwardhe latest issue the moment

it is ready to publish or visithttp://ghas.org to view theewsletter as a color pdfle.

known wildlife artist and hisprograms are spellbinding.

A boat trip around Protectionsland will be offered as one

of the Saturday morning fieldtrips, as well as birding trips anda docent conducted tour of the

arine Science Center and the Natural History Museum, bothlocated on the Fort grounds. Ac-commodations will be availableon site, including campsites and

V parking. We will be holdingour Saturday night dinner and program in the new Commons

uilding which houses the foodservices for Fort Worden.

Registration information and adetailed agenda are available fordownloading from the Kitsap

Audubon Societys website athttp://www.kitsapaudubon.org .

We hope youll join us for agreat weekend of learning, shar-ing and birding.

embership meeting tofeature Safari Kenya

A pictorial journey through Kenyas

Rift Valley Lake District presented by

ina Gayle and Carole Breedlove

For anyone who loves birds andwildlife, and the beauty of the

natural world, you wont wantto miss our next Membershipeeting. This spirited presen-

tation by the mother-daughterteam of Carole Breedlove andNina Gayle, will feature a slide presentation and talk on theirtrip to Kenyas Rift Valley Lake

istrict.Starting in Nairobi, we will

travel to some of Kenyas many

national parks and preserves,from Mount Kenya to LakeBaringo, then down to the Ma-sai Mara. Well see the wonder-ful animals, beautiful birds andfabulous scenery. Kenya is aMecca for birders and wildlife

enthusiasts with very good rea-sons. It has a wealth of habitats,abundance of resident wildlifeand is a central location duringmigrations.Nina Gayle and Carole Breed-

love are daughter and moth-er respectively. Nina lives inMontesano, works at The Ever-green State College and travelswhen she can. She says her twotravel slogans are I dont getlost; I get acquainted with the

area. And Drive slowly andcarry a big map!Carole Breedlove lives in Taco-

ma and travels extensively. Thisyear (so far) she has plans forMexico, Texas and Papua NewGuinea. In August, both womenare off to the Bay of Fundy inNew Brunswick, Canada.

Photo by Nina Galye

Hog Island, Mainescholarship available

Scholarships are availablefor Audubon staff, interns and

chapter members to attendresidential sessions this sum-mer at Hog Island AudubonCamp in Bremen, Maine.

Those interested can getan application by [email protected],calling (207) 781-2330, ext.215, or downloading fromwww.maineaudubon.org.


6/10

page 6

Swift and graceful on the wing,Barn Swallows have an irides-cent dark blue-black upper sideand necklace at the throat witha pale cinnamon orange underside. Their forehead and throatare a darker orange. Juveniles aresimilar to adults and males and

females are similar, though thereis some difference in the palenessor darkness of their orange underside. They have tiny dark bills,pointed wings, and long deeplyforked tails which give themgreat maneuverability and helpthem attract mates. The downsideto their fancy tails is that theyrequire extra energy for flightand increase their vulnerabilityto predators. Barn Swallows areabout the size of sparrows (5.75

to 7.75 inches long).Opportunistic feeders, they

hunt for live insects, their favor-ite food, over open fields andfarmlands, marshes, water andsuburban areas. In inclementweather they hunt for dead ordying insects on the ground.Most of us have seen Barn Swal-

low nests or may even have themon our property. Their nests arecup shaped, made of grass rein-forced mud and lined with feath-ers and soft plant material. Theyare found under bridges, in barns,on rafters, sheltered ledges orcaves. They build their own nestsand sometimes form loosely ag-gregated nesting groups.The Barn Swallow breeds from

Alaska to Newfoundland, andall of the United States exceptTexas, the gulf coast and Florida

peninsula. They winter in Eurasiaand the tropics. A Barn Swallownest will consist of 4 to 5 brownspotted white eggs that incubatefor 13 to 17 days. After hatch-ing, the new birds fledge in 18to 23 days. Both parents help

incubate the eggs and feed theyoung birds.

Migrating from as far south asArgentina, these graceful trav-elers can fly an estimated 600miles a day. During migrationthey may forage alone for insectsduring the day but they migratein large groups, roosting togetherat night.

formational resources for this articlenclude Birds of Washington State,

E-Nature and Sibleys Guide to Bird

Behavior. Photo courtesy of Joe Meche,orth Cascades Audubon Societyttp://northcascadeaudubon.org

Swallows continuedfrom page 1

at bookstores and other retailoutlets throughout the state, or itcan be ordered by calling 1-800-518-3541. You can also borrow itfrom our chapter library. Contact

Jan at [email protected]

Bird book continuedfrom page 1

Washington Coast cleanup April 22, 2006

uring the April 22, 2006weekend volunteers are neededto collect and remove marinedebris from Washington PacificCoast Beaches from the LongBeach Peninsula to Cape Flat-tery. Each winter ocean stormswash ashore a new shipment offlotsam and jetsam including

ropes, plastics, nets, tires and alot of miscellaneous. Volunteersmay come for just the one day,April 22. Many dedicated vol-unteers will spend 3 or 4 dayson remote beaches in OlympicNational Park.

The clean up effort is designedto enhance and preserve one of

ashington States prime re-sources, Pacific Ocean beachesfrom Long Beach Peninsula toCape Flattery. Last year 647olunteers removed 37 tons ofarine generated debris from

coastal beaches between Toke-

land and Cape Flattery. Theproject this year is coordinatedclosely with community cleanup efforts at Long Beach andOcean Shores.

In the past some volunteersave put together a team of their

friends or co-workers to cleanup their favorite beach. Somebeaches are easily accessible foryounger people while most ofhe remote coast requires more

skilled volunteers.

For additional information callan Klippert 206-364-2689 orisit the organizations website:ttp://olympiccoastcleanup.us

uget Sound Bird Festn Edmonds

ay 12th - 13th, 2006Puget Sound Bird Fest is a cel-ebration of birds and nature onnternational Migratory Birday (IMBD). The City of Ed-onds Economic Development

and Parks & Recreation Depart-ents have organized two days

of bird watching and relatedevents in and around downtown

dmonds, the Edmonds Marsh,and along the waterfront.

Adults and children will en-

joy guided walks, indoor expertlectures, workshops and socialactivities. Rain or shine, theres plenty to learn about birding,environmentally-friendly land-scaping, nature photography,

ildlife artwork, and other top-ics. While youre in town, dropin our historic Main Street shopsand restaurants.


7/10


8/10page 8

GHAS Board of Directors

Rose DuBois 532-4067 [email protected]

Ann Haarer 268-1004 [email protected]

Steve Hallstrom 273-9280 [email protected]

Theressa Julius 537-4386 [email protected]

Arnie Martin 612-0437 [email protected] McMillan 268-1004 [email protected]

Dianna Moore 289-5048 [email protected]

inda Orgel 648-2476 [email protected]

Renee Prine 268-0485

Dean Schwickerath 495-3101 [email protected]

Diane Schwickerath 495-3101 [email protected]

anet Strong 495-3950 [email protected]

Gary Utter 269-0157 [email protected]

Chapter Officers

President Jan McMillian, 268-1004

[email protected] President Janet Strong, 495-3950

[email protected]

Treasurer Diane Schwickerath 495-3101

[email protected]

Secretary Dianna Moore, 289-5048

[email protected]

Committee Chairs

Newsletter R.D. Grunbaum, 648-2476

[email protected]

Newsletter Crew Alice Alvarado,

Harriet Johnston

Membership/Hospitality Ann Haarer, 268-1004

[email protected]

Conservation Dean Schwickerath, 495-3101

[email protected]

ducation Janet Strong, 495-3950

[email protected]

Field Trips vacant

Programs Jan McMillian, 268-1004

[email protected]

Publicity Jan McMillian, 268-1004

[email protected]

Other Audubon Contacts

GHAS voice mail (800) 303-8498

State Audubon (360) 786-8020

National Audubon (212) 979-3000

GHAS Website http://www.ghas.org

Welcome new chapterembers

We welcome the followingnew members to Grays HarborAudubon:

Christine BoardmanDeanna GraggMerle HodsonShelby HughartMrs. W.D. JonesCheryl MemeferMarge MitchellBobby MurrayHelen NealMary ONeilKent Pollockoseph Sekren

Cyndie Sundstromhe Tomlin FamilyMarjorie Whitworth


9/10

Please Fill Out and Mail Back

ANNUAL GRAYS HARBOR AUDUBON

CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

f you would like to join Grays Harbor Audubon Society (GHAS), please fill out the form below,make check payable to Grays Harbor Audubon Society and return it with your check to:

Grays Harbor Audubon Society.O. Box 470

ontesano, WA 98563

Chapter Memberships include a subscription to The Sandpipernewsletter. All Chapter Member-ships above the Sandpiper category provide financial support to our Chapter.

Name ___________________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________ State/Zip _______________

Phone Number _____________________ E-Mail ______________________________

Heron $25.00

Pelican $50.00Falcon $75.00

Eagle $100.00

SandpiperSubscription Only $15Fixed or limited income membership orSandpipernewsletter only)

I am renewing my membership I am a new member

he Grays Harbor Audubon Society is totally self-supporting. The National Audubon Society no

longer provides a share of belonging support to local chapters. Therefore, Chapter Membershipno longer includes membership in National Audubon. To join National Audubon or renew yourNational Audubon Membership, call 1-800-274-4201.

f your newsletter is stamped withLast Issue-Please Renew, be sure to fill out the Membershiporm above and send it in to keep your membership active and keep receiving the newsletter!hanks!

page 9


10/10

MembershipMeetingSundaAril2,20061:30PM-3:30PM

SlidepresentationandtalkonSafariKenyawithNinaGayleandCaroleBreedlove

NEWMEETINGLOCATION!!

GraysHarborPUDCommunityRoom2720SumnerAve.Aberdeen

Parkingandentrancebehindthebuilding(seerelatedarticleinthisissue)

News&Editorialsendmaterialsto

P.O.Box1044Westport,98595-1044 oremailto

olearycrkaol.comCopydeadlineMay8th

InsidethisIssueNewBirdingBook1BirdStar1PresidentsPerch2MembershipDrive2 ShorebirdFestival3

ActionAgainstI-9333DrawingWorkshop3SuetrecipesSpringACOW5SafariKenya5Birdbookcontinued6Birdstarcontinued6PugetSoundBirdFest6Shorebirdcontinued7NewMembers8Board&Officers8MemberApplication9

he SandpiperP.O. Box 470

Montesano,WA 98563

Non Profit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDOlympia, WAPermit # 359

March-April 2006 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

Documents

Transcript of March-April 2006 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society