Sept-Oct 2010 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

8/8/2019 Sept-Oct 2010 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

1/8

Membership MeetingSunday October 3, 2010

Connie Sidles,Author, Blogger

1:30 pm 3 pmPearsall Building

2109 Sumner Avenue, Aberdeen

The

Sandpiper

September/October 2010

The Harbor fall migrationby Dianna Moore

It began with a call from mybuddy Ruth Sullivan on SundayAugust 8th; she and Carol Rid-dell were birding on the OyehutGame Range at the south end ofOcean Shores and had discovereda juvenile Hudsonian Godwit onthe inner pond. This pond is fedand drained by a tidal channeland at this time of year is shal-low with lots of small islands...perfect shorebirding habitat.

Ruth asked me to post the nd onTweeters, the PNWs own bird-ing website. I did so immediately.Ruth re-found the bird early thenext morning and dropped by myhouse to talk about it; I had to gosee it for myself. It was easy tond as it was in the company ofa group of dowitchers and stoodout...and I had help. One of thegreat things about birders is theirwillingness to help ID birds foranyone who asks.

There wasnt much response atrst, until Ruth posted her pho-tos of the bird, then the responsewas gratifyingly swift and peoplebegan to e-mail me and call me,asking if the bird was still there,and I posted exact directions togetting to the pond.As more people visited they too

posted their ndings on Tweet-ers and the word got out about

the rich diversity of migratingshorebirds to be found on that lo-cation, and the list of birds foundis a great cross-section of what itis possible to nd during the fallmigration on Grays Harbor. Hereis a list of the birds I saw thatweek: Greater & Lesser Yellow-legs, Long-billed & Short-billed Dowitchers, Hudsonian Godwit,

Marbled Godwit, American & Pacifc Golden Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, SemipalmatedPlovers, Killdeer, Western Sand- pipers, Sanderlings, Dunlins,Stilt Sandpipers (two), BairdsSandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers,Semipalmated Sandpipers, LeastSandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Red-necked Phalaropes, Green-winged Teal, Mallards, CanadaGoose, Great Blue Heron, North-

ern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons(two, one immature and havingtrouble catching a meal), a Coo-pers Hawk, Savannah Sparrows, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows,Violet-green Swallows, and anOsprey.I have probably forgotten some-

thing...but the above list of 33birds is pretty impressive for onesmall spot. I learned a lot fromthe wonderful people I met, andI can guarantee I will be out there

looking same time next year! Thisis a short period of time to seethis many different birds, and itdoesnt disappoint. We may havethe numbers to brag about for thespring migration, but the fall iswhen the unusual ones sneak inmaking for an exciting time to gobirding. Take a break and go outto look in your favorite pond; youmight nd a surprise!

High school project helpsstate agencies trackdwindling species

by Janet PearceThis year, the western purple

martins arrived in Washington alittle later than usual because ofour cool, wet spring, but luckilyit was just in time for high schoolstudents to start their monitor-ing projects. Scientists believethat the late arrival of these littlepurple birds was due to the lack

of insects. Once it started warm-ing up, insects started ying andpurple martins arrived.

For three years in a row, CapitolHigh School students in Olym- pia have monitored decliningnumbers of the western purplemartin for the Washington StateDepartment of Natural Resources(DNR) and the Washington StateDepartment of Fish and Wildlife(WDFW). Most of the studentswork happens independently in

the late spring and early summerof their junior year. The studentsmeet with a biologist in the eldand learn how to observe purplemartins and record data. The datathey collect helps us understand purple martin nesting behaviorsand assists in keeping the birds acommon sight in the Puget Soundregion.

continued on page 2


2/8

The Presidents perch

By Mary ONeil

page 2

A change of season is uponus. Looking back through time,there was a day when this sea-sonal change meant a new set ofschool clothes. It was a timeto meet old friends who had trav-eled a different path during thesummer months. It was a timeof anxiously looking forward tomaking new acquaintances andof tackling new studies. Therewas, perhaps, one last trip to the

beach for building castles in thesand and daring the surf to sendone more big wave.

For many years there was noseason in my life. Everydaywas much the same as the day before: get up; go to work;kiss the kids; cook the meals;sink into a slump at the end ofthe day. Summer ran into fall;fall ran into winter. What didit matter that the seasons were

changing around me. For me,there was no change.Now here comes the autumn of

my life, and again I am forced toface the seasons. The Sandpip-er Newsletter is due. A meetingwith my friends from last winteris approaching. New friends arewaiting to be made.

The signs of this changingseason surround us. After ourone hot day this summer, thevine maple continues to turn up

the heat with its beautiful redleaves. The fall migration is infull swing. Everyone travelingthe coastline excitedly reportson the ribbon of birds off-shore appearing to travel north, but which in reality is lookingfor the right wind stream to takethem off to New Zealand. The black-throated gray warblersand the Townsend warblers

stopped off at the Olympic Na-tional Forest to follow the BlackCapped Chickadees around theforest for a day or two of feed-ing before continuing on to theirwinter wonder-where lands.With this change in the season,

it is time once more to dig intothe projects and problems thathad been shelved for the summermonths. Pick up that campaignfor membership. Research newideas for raising funds to support our properties. Get thoseeld trips and education proj-ects back on track. Wheresthat Shorebird Festival planningcommittee meeting today?

But today just because itsraining doesnt mean that fall

has set in just yet. No, I havebetter things to do today. I thinkI will go out and buy a new setof underwear.

Purple Martins continued frompage 1

One student, Chris Privette,stated, After the rst meetingand not seeing a single bird, I be-gan to feel a little disappointed,but as my team met later in thespring, we started seeing moreand more martins and it actuallybecame fun.

DNR considers the purple mar-tins at Woodard Bay Natural

Resources Conservation Area(NRCA) to be an important spe-cies for protection. The studentsdata on the colony of martins atthe NRCA has already helpedDNR make important manage-ment decisions in 2009 aboutrestoration projects at the site.As restoration begins, the NRCA will retain some of thepurple martin boxes in order to

have continued overwater nest-ing habitat.

The students data provides abaseline of information for numbers of birds using the site fornesting and it provides informa-tion on the colony over time so

that DNR and WDFW can beginto compare and see changes.

Thanks to Ruth Pagel withBirds Unlimited in Olympia forlending a spotting scope eachyear to the students. The Woo-dard Bay NRCA martin boxesare quite a distance from shore,and we couldnt monitor with-out the scope.

This project has had a positiveimpact on the high school stu-dents. One student, Erika Long-

ino, says, The Purple MartinProject opened my eyes to thebirders world. So heres hop-ing the purple martins show upin time for next years students!


3/8page 3

lPatrick Sullivan YoungBirders Fund Grant

by Tom Mansfeld,Leah Rensel, 18, of Arling-

ton, is the rst recipient of agrant from the WOS PatrickSullivan Young Birders Fund

(PSYBF). The award presen-tation was made by Ruth Sulli-van, mother of the late PatrickSullivan, and PSYBF chairTom Manseld during the WOSConference banquet June 12 inWenatchee.Such a fund was rst conceptu-

alized by Andy and Ellen Step-niewski of Wapato to encourageand support young people inter-ested in birding, and in 2005,the Young Birders Fund was

formally established. Follow-ing Patricks untimely death in2007, the fund was renamed inhis memory to honor his manycontributions to Washington birding. During the past veyears, fund trustees have con-centrated on building up the en-dowment.

Leah exemplies the type ofyoung birder the fund seeksto assist. While completing an

impressive list of eld projectsin her secondary school years(she was a member of SeattleAudubon Teen Birdwatch andattended banding camp, volun-teered for WDFW scoter andgoose banding, participated inthe Dunlin Winter MovementsStudies Program, and has beena hummingbird banding vol-unteer, among other projects),Leah demonstrated solid aca-demic skills, graduating from

Arlington High School lastyear in the top 1% of her classwith a 3.95 GPA. She is now afreshman at Lineld College inOregon. This summer, she is participating in three WDFW projects: Locating Black Oys-tercatcher nests in the San JuanIslands, and further scoter andgoose banding.

Leahs birding experience and

interest in ornithology and biol-ogy come quite naturally. Hermother, Ruth Milner, is DistrictBiologist for the WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlifein LaConner. With her mothersencouragement and participa-

tion in numerous avian pro-grams, Leah has had not onlythe opportunity to handle andlearn about a variety of species,she has also had the benet ofworking with professional bi-ologists as a volunteer.The PSYBF request from Leah

was for a $750 grant to assistwith a four- week course throughLineld College called Plant/Animal Interactions in CostaRica. The course will com-

mence in January 2011. Partof the course will be to developan independent research proj-ect and while Leah has not yetidentied her solo project, sheplans to focus on some aspect ofbirds possibly the neotropicalmigrants that breed in Washing-ton. When her Costa Rica stud-ies are completed, Leah will besharing the results of her life-changing experience with the

WOS membership.While the trustees continuetheir efforts to grow the PSYBFendowment, they encourageyoung birders to consider thisnancial resource for such ac-tivities as attending a birdingconference or related event,eld trip, youth birding camp, bird banding school, research,or census work.Further details and the PSYBFgrant application can be found

on the WOS website http://www.wos.org

Grays Harbor Paper tourby Arnie Martin

I was fortunate to be able to be the high bidder at the 2010Shorebird Festival for the GraysHarbor Paper tour and two casesof their Harbor 100% recycled

paper. The paper works great inmy home printer, and I was ableto take 3 friends with me on thetour!

The tour began with a view ofthe loading area, where many ofthe products used in the manu-facture of the paper arrive, manyvia rail. The main componentof the 100% post-consumer re-cycled paper is the 100% post-consumer recycled pulp, whichcomes from Halsey, Oregon.

Other raw materials are calciumcarbonate which is a ller, usedto ll the gaps between woodbers; starch, which is used toimprove paper strength, and op-tical brighteners. Also, no chlo-rine is used in the process, the pulp is bleached using hydro-gen peroxide, which ensures nochlorine is discharged into theplants waste stream.

A very important part of the

manufacturing process is theuse of biomass in generatingthe steam and electricity used inthe plant. Wood waste (slash)is gathered locally, primarilyfrom nearby logging sites, andtrucked to the plant where it ismechanically ground into usablesizes for the boiler fuel. Theuse of the wood waste for fuelallows the power generated to be classied as carbon-neutral,which lets the excess electricity

generated by the three turbinesto be sold as renewable energycredits. In fact, in 2008, nofossil fuels were used in powergeneration, and by using localsources for wood waste and spe-cial light-weight trailers in itstransportation, fossil fuel usedin transportation is minimized.

continued on page 6

l to r Ruth Sullivan, Leah Rensel, Tom

Mansfeld, photo by Mike Denny


4/8page 4

The mystery of the disap-pearing bird seed

by Becky DurrThe bird feeder is empty. It

holds 3 quarts of black oil sun-ower seed and I just lled itup yesterday morning. Or did I?

Im not sure. Maybe it was theday before. Still, thats a lot of birdseed in a short time. Theymust really be hungry.The bird feeder is empty again.

Was it getting low last night? Icant remember.

What? Empty already? Howcan that be? We ought to get asecurity camera for that birdfeeder.Empty? Didnt we just ll it up

yesterday? Or did we? I cant

believe those little birds couldeat so much. Whats going on?The seed seems to disappear atnight. Theres no seed spilledon the ground. The only tracks Isee are deer tracks, but they areeverywhere. Im pretty sure itisnt squirrels or chipmunks, be-cause theyve tried and tried and by now they know they cantget into it. Both the feeder andthe pole are squirrel/chipmunk/

rat-proof. I suppose band-tailed pigeons could eat that much, but the feeder is also pigeon- proof. Besides, the bandtailsdont come around during thewinter. A bear would just knockthe feeder on the ground andbreak it, plus leave tracks. I canalmost imagine a raccoon tak-ing it down, eating all the seed,and then carefully replacing thefeeder, just for fun, but come on!Could it possibly be a person?

Who would do that? And why?Its empty again! This time Iknow it was completely full thismorning. It really is a mystery.We do have a lot of birds, yetthey have never eaten this muchbefore, and weve been feedingthem over 20 years. Weve been

continued on page 5

Puget Sound Bird Fest inEdmonds

September 10-12, 2010Plan on being in Edmonds

September 10-12, 2010, for thesixth annual PUGET SOUNDBIRD FEST! The 3-day eventincludes speakers, guided walks,land and water-based eld trips,exhibits and educational ac-tivities for children and adults,and a tour of certied backyardwildlife habitats.

Friday evening features anopening reception with keynote

speaker, Seattle author and nat-uralist Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Her book Crow Planet: EssentialWisdom from the Urban Wilder-ness was an LA Times and Se-attle Times Best Book of 2009.Saturday eld trips include amorning Birding Cruise on PugetSound with the Edmonds YachtClub, and a bus trip to MonroeSaturday evening to see thou-sands of Vauxs Swifts. There

will be workshops and presen-tations all day on Saturday atthe Frances Anderson Centerincluding sessions focusing onhummingbirds and TrumpeterSwans, bird photography, how tochoose and use bird feeders andnest boxes, and an introductionto live raptors from the SarveyWildlife Center. The featuredactivity on Sunday will be a tourof the new Willow Creek Hatch-ery Wildlife Habitat and Native

Plant Demonstration Garden,and certied backyard wildlifehabitats in Edmonds. So, markyour calendar to be in EdmondsSeptember 10-12, 2010 to cel-ebrate birds and nature!

Visit our festival website formore details: www.pugetsound- birdfest.org. Volunteers areneeded! If you are interestedin volunteering at Puget Sound

Bird Fest or serving on a com-mittee, please call Sally Lider at425-771-0227, or e-mail [email protected].

Washington Audubonmeeting (ACOW)

Northwest Audubon Chaptersare hosting the New Directionsfor Washington Audubon onSaturday, October 16th at thePadilla Bay National MarineReserve in Bay View State Park.This will be only a one day con-ference to discuss the Future OfWashington Audubon. This isone of the most important con-ferences we have done. We arekeeping it to one day to concen-

trate on Washington Audubon.More details and logistics tocome.

Bay View State Park is a 25-acre camping park with 1,285feet of saltwater shoreline onPadilla Bay. Over 11,000 acresof Padilla Bay are designated as National Estuarine Sanctuary.Breazeale Padilla Bay Interpre-tive Center is located a half milenorth of the park. The park of-fers views of the San Juan Is-

lands fronting Padilla Bay, oneof 15 existing national marineestuaries. On clear days, parkusers see the Olympic Moun-tains to the west and Mt. Rainierto the south.


5/8page 5

Mystery continued from page 4buying 50 pounds of seed everyweek! We cant let the feedergo empty during the winter, canwe?

Suddenly, the mystery wassolved. One day in February, we

happened to look outside at theright moment.

Deer. Three big deer wereall feeding at once, while alsoknocking some on the groundfor the little one who couldntreach the feeder. When I wentoutside I could hear theirtongues loudly clacking againstthe feeder, and they did not stopuntil all the seed was gone.

Where raptors soar:Chelan Ridge Hawk Migra-tion Festival

Join the Methow Valley Rang-er District, North Central Wash-ington Audubon Society, andHawkWatch International for afree family event to learn aboutand celebrate raptors as they

journey to winter territories.Shop vendors, see live birds,and take a eld trip to the spec-tacular Chelan Ridge RaptorMigration Site. This amazing,interactive raptor event will takeplace at Memorial Park in Pate-

ros, Washington on September25, 2010 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The festival will have art proj-ects for kids, hands on activities,and raptor exhibits. Attendeescan also go on birding eld tripswith experts to identify water-fowl and migrating songbirdswhile exploring along the Co-lumbia River. During the day,shuttles will run from Paterosto Chelan Ridge where fami-lies, bird lovers, and learners of

all ages will be able to see rap-tors like Sharp-shinned Hawksup close before they are bandedand released. This is an amazingexperience with environmen-tal education and interpretationconducted by an on-site educa-tor, Forest Service personnel,and other volunteers.On Sunday, continuing the cel-

ebration of Hawk Migration, the North Cascades Basecamp, a

festival sponsor, will be hostinga pancake breakfast with an ex-pert speaker and then providinga guide for a eld trip to HartsPass, another excellent placeto view migrating raptors. Call509-996-2334 or see their web-site www.NorthCascadesBase-camp.com for more informationor see their booth at the festivalin Pateros.

This festival is scheduled tocoincide with the peak of south-

bound migration of raptors atChelan Ridgethe best placein Washington to view fall mi-grating raptors. All three part-ners have a mission to provideeducation to our communitiesand this hands-on event is agreat opportunity. This educa-tional effort is focused on rap-tors and the ecosystems uponwhich we all rely. According to

Kent Woodruff, a biologist forthe Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests, "The ChelanRidge project is good news forhawks, which in some cases stillface challenges for survival. Itsalso great for nature enthusiasts

who like to see animals in thewild doing what comes naturallyand see scientists at work tryingto learn more about the raptorsas they migrate south to spendthe winter."

To pre-register for the eldtrips leaving from Pateros and toreserve a space in the shuttle toChelan Ridge, please call 509-731-4790.

For more information aboutthis free festival, please visit

www.ncwaudubon.org/ or [email protected].

North Central WashingtonAudubon Society works to con-serve and restore natural ecosys-tems, focusing on birds and theirhabitats, for the benet of peo-ple and the biological diversityof North Central Washington.

HawkWatch International(HWI) is a Salt Lake City-basednonprot organization dedicat-

ed to conserving the environ-ment through education, long-term monitoring, and scienticresearch on raptors as indicatorsof ecosystem health.

Methow Valley Ranger Dis-trict, U.S. Forest Service cel-ebrates 100 Years of Caring forthe Land and Serving People.


6/8page 6

GHAS Board of Directors

Steve Hallstrom 273-9280 [email protected]

Arnie Martin 612-0437 [email protected]

Dianna Moore 289-5048 [email protected]

Mary ONeil 533-9833 [email protected]

Linda Orgel 648-2476 [email protected]

Renee Prine 268-0485 [email protected] Schwickerath 495-3101 [email protected]

Janet Strong 495-3950 [email protected]

Chapter Ofcers

President Mary ONeil 533-9833

[email protected]

Vice President Arnie Martin 612-0437

[email protected]

Treasurer Diane Schwickerath 495-3101

[email protected]

Secretary Vacant

Committee Chairs

Newsletter R.D. Grunbaum, 648-2476

[email protected]

Membership Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Conservation Janet Strong, 495-3950

[email protected]

Education Renee Prine, 268-0485

[email protected]

Field Trips Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Program Chair Dianna Moore 289-5048

[email protected]

Hospitality Linda Orgel 648-2476

[email protected]

Publicity Vacant

Habitat Vacant

Other Audubon Contacts

GHAS voice mail (360) 289-5048

State Audubon (360) 786-8020

National Audubon (212) 979-3000GHAS Website http://ghas.org

GH Paper continued from page3The plant still does manufacturepaper derived from virgin pulp(not recycled), but has increasedthe percentage of recycled pulpuse each year since 2001. They

promote the sale and use of100% post-consumer recycledpaper to their markets, and havelanded several high-prole cus-tomers, such as the State ofWashington, Seattle Mariners,and the Grays Harbor ShorebirdFestival. Seriously, Grays Har-bor Paper has donated the paperfor the Festival during the lastseveral years, which we greatlyappreciate.

The plant emissions, both air-

borne and water-borne, meetDEQ standards for their indus-try, the solid waste from the plants liquid waste treatment(grey-lime) is used as fertilizeron a local farm, and the solidwaste (boiler ash) has been usedfor ll and road construction.

The tour participants all en-joyed the tour, and all receivedgenerous samples of Harbor100(100% post-consumer recycled)

paper.Membership Meeting Our Membership Meetingfor Oct 3rd will feature au-thor, birder, blogger and friendto Tweeters readers, ConnieSidles. Her most recent book,In My Nature, A Birders Yearat the Montlake Fill is 32 es-says arranged into four seasons,documenting the birds who visitthe ll and the observations she

makes about the need for wildnature in our lives. She will do-nate a percentage of all bookssold at the meeting to GHAS...and you can get her autograph!

We will meet at 1:30PM at thePearsall Bldg, 2109 Sumner Av-enue Aberdeen.

Refreshments will be served.


7/8page 7

Please Fill Out and Mail Back

ANNUAL GRAYS HARBOR AUDUBON

CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

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

Grays Harbor Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 470

Montesano, WA 98563

Chapter Memberships include a subscription to The Sandpipernewsletter. All Chapter Membershipsabove the Sandpiper category provide nancial support to our Chapter. The Grays Harbor AudubonSociety is totally self-supporting.

Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________

Address _________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________ State/Zip_______________

Phone Number _____________________ E-Mail ______________________________

Heron $25.00

Pelican $50.00 Falcon $75.00

Eagle $100.00

The Sandpipersubscription only $15(Fixed or limited income membership orSandpipernewsletter only)

I am renewing my membership I am a new member

To join National Audubon or renew your National Audubon Membership, call 1-800-274-4201.

A SPECIAL GIFTWe know that the economy is causing difculties for everyone, but we know that GHAS

provides special effort to protect habitat for birds and other living things. Enclosed is a specialgift to GHAS to keep our organization off the endangered species list.

$_______________


8/8

Membership MeetingSunday

October 3, 2010Author Constance Sidles

The SandpiperP.O. Box 470Montesano,WA 98563

News & Editorialsend materials toP.O. Box 1044

Westport, 98595-1044or email to

[email protected] deadline ongoing

Inside this Issue

Fall Migration 1Purple Martins 1Presidents Perch 2Martins continued 2

Patrick Sullivan Grant 3GH Paper tour 3Edmonds Bird Fest 4ACOW 4Mystery of the seed 4Mystery continued 5Raptors soar 5GH Paper continued 6Membership meeting 6Board & Ofcers 6Member Application 7

How Do I Know When MyMembership Is Due?

If we have mailed your copy,look in the upper right handcorner of your label and it will give you your renewal date!

For those of you on email, wewill notify you via email of your upcoming renewal date.

GHAS MissionThe mission of the Grays

Harbor Audubon Society isto seek a sustainable balancebetween human activity andthe needs of the environment,and to promote enjoyment ofbirds and the natural world

Sept-Oct 2010 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society

Documents

Transcript of Sept-Oct 2010 Sandpiper Newsletter Grays Harbor Audubon Society