Mike Livingston, Regional Director of South Central Washington

for Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and long-time wild-

life biologist, will speak about plant species distribution of the

shrub-steppe and how the topography and soil depth determine

what plant and animal species you find in what area within the

shrub-steppe. Interaction of species will be described, with a fo-

cus on three: Townsend’s Ground Squirrel, Greater Sage-Grouse

and the Burrowing Owl. What do these species eat and what

eats them?

Approximately 10.5 million acres of eastern Washington was

once covered by shrub-steppe and Palouse grassland ecosys-

tems of the Columbia Plateau Eco-region. Two-thirds of that

has been converted to other uses, for agricultural, energy pro-

jects, and urban development. Further threats are the altered

fire regimes and encroachment by invasive species. What re-

mains is often highly fragmented and degraded. The shrub-

steppe ecosystem is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the

West in which more that 100 bird species forage and nest.

Some species, such as the Greater Sage-Grouse and Pygmy Rabbit, are highly dependent on quality

shrub-steppe habitat. Sage bird species are all in decline. Threats to shrub-steppe will be further dis-

cussed, along with elaboration on some conservation actions that can reduce the disappearance of

this fascinating habitat that is in our own backyard connecting Ellensburg to the Columbia River.

Prior to promotion as Regional director of WDFW, Mike received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecol-

ogy and Management from Michigan State University, and a Master’s of Science in Wildlife Science

from New Mexico State University. For more than 16 years he has worked on shrub-steppe wildlife

issues as a wildlife biologist for the Yakima Training Center, the Yakama Nation, and Washington De-

partment of Fish and Wildlife. Mike’s off-time is spent with his family, fishing, hiking and bird hunting.

The Hooter Kittitas Audubon March 2014

“Our Unique Shrub-steppe: Plant distribution affecting animal interaction”

presented by Michael Livingston

Membership Meeting - Thursday, March 20th @ 7:00 PM ~ Hal Holmes Center

All Audubon meetings, held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Hal Holmes Center next to the Library, September through

May (except December), are open to the public. Please come and meet with us. A brief business session precedes the program.

Stay afterwards for juice, treats, and conversation. Many thanks to the Ellensburg Public Library for sponsoring our meetings here!

Page 2 The Hooter

Thanks to Steve Moore and Jan Demorest for a great program on the Birds of

Maui. It was a very informa-tive program that highlighted

the problems faced by isolated ecosystems.

The male robins and redwings are back. It looks like spring is coming here—but not back east. Today they are reporting on the ice jam on the Allegheny River near Pitts-burg. It is huge and the result of a phenomenon we ex-perience here on a smaller scale. It is called frazil ice and it forms in rivers, usually on cold nights, when the air tem-perature gets below -6 degrees C (21.2 F). Because the water is in motion it does not freeze at 0C or 32F but fi-nally can’t resist at the lower temperatures. It forms nee-dle-like crystals which are very sticky and clump together.

They float downstream joining with other crystals then ad-here to obstructions (rocks, gravel bars, fallen trees or branches) or even the riverbank itself.

We had two periods of cold enough weather this winter and it put on quite a show on the Yakima River. You can still see some of the pack ice that formed down by the Roza Dam. It will be a big deal on the Allegheny and other “Polar Vortex” rivers this spring when the thawing snow-melt causes flooding.

So here’s what’s going on with KAS. Some members of the board of directors are continuing to monitor the DNR planning process with the “Naneum to Columbia” area and Teanaway. Members Steve Moore and Jan Demorest are

planning to participate in a shrub-steppe songbird survey ~ more on that later. Also there is some hope for the control of Cheatgrass. There will be an article in this or a future issue of the Hooter.

Jim Briggs, President

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Send in your stories & photos!

The Hooter is the newsletter of

Kittitas Audubon, published

monthly except for July.

~~~~~~~

Submissions from members &

other readers are most wel-

come and encouraged! The editor reserves the right to edit

for space, grammar, and/or suit-

ability. Email text and/or photos to

bobcat@kvalley.com or snail mail

to Jan Demorest, Hooter Editor,

712 E 2nd Ave, Ellensburg, WA

98926. Submissions need to be in

by the 20th of the preceding month.

KAS BOARD MEMBERS President – Jim Briggs 933-2231

Vice President – VACANT Secretary – Diane Bullock 968-3175

Treasurer – Sharon Lumsden 968-3889 Conservation – VACANT

Education – Judy Hallisey 674-6858 Field Trips – Steve Moore 933-1179

*Newsletter – Jan Demorest 933-1179 *Historian – Gloria Lindstrom 925-1807

Programs – Jeb Baldi 933-1558 Publicity – Gerry Sorenson 968-4857

Wildlife Habitat – Joe Meuchel 933-3011 *Bluebird boxes – Jan Demorest 933-1179

Past President — Gloria Baldi 933-1558

Membership – Tuck Forsythe 925-2356

*Christmas Bird Count – Phil Mattocks

962-2191 Social/Greeter – Kay Forsythe 925-2356

*NON-VOTING POSITIONS

KAS Board Meetings are held at 4:30

PM on the 1st Thursday of each

month on the third floor of the CWU

Science Bldg, Room 301 (above the

elephant desk). These meetings are

open to the public and all Audubon

members; please come and join in the

discussions. Meetings adjourn by 6:00

or 6:30, after which we all go out for a

sociable dinner ~ NO business discus-

sion allowed!

Thanks to New & Renewing Members

Renewals: Steve Moore & Jan Demorest

Eva & Steve Tyler

Kay & Tuck Forsythe

Joe Meuchel

Clarence & Bette Grening

Robert Kruse

New member: Gary Dale

First Saturday, February 1st ~ There were no robins on our list, which seems strange ~ looking back to mid-February when they showed up in numbers and are now all over town! 27 species were logged by 11 birders on a cool gray day at Irene Rinehart. To-be-expected winter friends included: Bald Eagle (at least three, mature), Great Blue Heron, Am. Kestrel, Canada Goose, Belted Kingfisher (at Reecer wetlands), Red-tailed Hawk, Common Merganser (on the river), Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow and Downy Woodpecker. Some spe-cial treats we came across were: a group of wigeon, close by in the lower pond whistling* to each other; Wilson’s Snipe and American Dippers (twice) feeding on the gravel bars; a rusty Northern Harrier combing the wetland weed-fields; and 1st-winter Golden-crowned Sparrows crossing our path on the trail. We considered the latter with care to be sure they weren’t White-crowned; the paler head stripes and smudgy sides vote for Golden. A Pacific Wren chattered in the brush along the river trail, and Tom & Diane spotted a Brown Creeper on their return walk.

~ Steve Moore

* To hear this, copy and paste in your browser: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Wigeon/sounds

Field Trip Report & Citizen Science Opportunity Page 3 The Hooter

Looking and listening for a Melodic

Sagebrush Spring?

If so, join us for a songbird survey, have fun and con-

tribute to avian science to boot. Audubon Washington

and eastern Washington Audubon chapters are devel-

oping a new conservation program focused on the

shrub steppe ecosystem and its bird life.

The Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society chapter,

Audubon Washington, and Washington Department of

Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) are partnering on a pilot

project to count sagebrush songbirds on WDFW and

DNR lands near the Tri-Cities of Richland, Kennewick,

and Pasco in 2014. For this community science pro-

ject, we selected Sagebrush (Sage) Sparrow, Brewer’s

Sparrow, and Sage Thrasher

as priority songbird spe-

cies. We invite members

from other eastern Washing-

ton chapters to participate in

the pilot with us. We hope to

expand the survey to more

chapters next year.

The data we collect will be

used to validate the Western

Governors Association Crucial

Habitat Assessment Tool distribution models for these

species in Washington as well as to update the WDFW

Priority Habitat Species data base. These applications

of our field work will incorporate wildlife values into

multi-state land use, transportation, and energy plan-

ning, as well as large-scale conservation projects.

We will provide two training sessions for volunteers in

2014: an indoor sagebrush bird identification class

with bird songs and eBird tutorial on March 21, and a

field training with GPS by WDFW staff on March 22.

We will conduct point counts at approximately 12

sites, three times each, this spring. The first round of

field work will be April 17-19, the second May 15-17,

and the third June 5-8.

Come look and listen with us!

For more information, schedules,

and signup, please email Christi

Norman at Audubon Washington,

cnorman@audubon.org or Kevin

Black, Lower Columbia Basin chap-

ter, at kevblack787@gmail.com.

Watch for updates at:

wa.audubon.org.

Photo: Sagebrush Sparrow - Denny

Granstrand

The morning view from Tom & Diane’s house out in the Parke Creek area

Page 4 Hooter Citizen Science eBird: Try this Useful Internet Tool

eBird is an internet database used by birders all over the world. Birders enter their bird lists, these are posted on a borderless map, and from those reports- you may see where people have sighted a particular bird species near any location you choose. Thousands of bird lists get entered every day. Choose a time period: years past, for a record of species distribution - or just the last 30 days if you’re ready to go out and find that bird! The maps open fast and zero in to any area; start with a town, county, state or country, and zoom in to see locations of sightings peppered over nice quality relief or road maps.

You can do it too! KAS has an account, kindly set up by Eric Heisey for our use. To try it: search for eBird.com to get to a log-in page.

Enter KAS Trips as User Name , and dwoodpecker as the Password. This brings up the main page for KAS’ account, and offers several choices (arrows).

Click on “About” for a good explanation of eBird. A sample:

eBird’s goal is to maximize the utility and accessibility of the vast numbers of bird observa-tions made each year by recreational and professional bird watchers. It is amassing one of the largest and fastest growing biodiversity data resources in existence. For example, in March 2012, participants reported more than 3.1 million bird observations across North

America!

As a start, there are two main features of the site that can be useful and interesting to all of us in KAS.

First, “Submit Observations” is a place to “park” our bird lists, from field trips to just casual sightings.

Whether a list of umpteen species from an all-day outing or just a sighting of an unusual bird, once it’s

entered as a list in eBird, everyone can access what you saw, and where and when.

Once lists are entered, it’s easy to review them by

clicking on “My eBird”. This page summarizes lists

that have been entered, as explained below, and lets

you edit, change or compile data from them.

For a second useful feature, click “Explore Data” to

roam around a map, close to home or not, and see

what birds have been seen by all the observers report-

ing their lists.

Let’s go back to entering lists. It takes place in 3

steps. First you select the location of a sighting: pick a

county, zoom in closer on the Google/Yahoo-style map

viewer, and click on a single location with the cursor.

A colored “balloon” appears at that spot. Next, you will

be asked for date and time, number of observers, and

the kind of observation. Finally, a list of birds typical

for your area is presented (see figure); enter numbers

of each species, or an ‘X’ if you’re not counting. One

more click, “Submit”, and you have entered a list, per-

manently and publicly, into the database.

Choices

Entering a list in eBird

...and more E-BIRD Page 5 The Hooter

Not to be nervous: if you’re not sure it

was really a Golden Eagle .... make

changes anytime, now or later, by edit-

ing your lists in “My eBird”. Choose

“Manage My Observations” and edit or

change any of the lists that have been

submitted. At right, these are actual

KAS lists in our account.

Now, how about exploring the world of

data? Click “Explore Data”, then

“Range and Point Maps”. A world map

is presented first, but you’ll want to en-

ter 3 bits of specific information: loca-

tion - say Ellensburg; a bird species:

Savannah Sparrow; and a date range,

say year-round over the last 10 years.

Just one of an infinity of maps that can be generated quickly in any part of the world is created on-screen.

Here are the sightings of Savannahs near Ellensburg shown in map form. Each “balloon” can be clicked to

learn who submitted the list, when they saw it, and what other birds they saw.

Any of our members is authorized to use the KAS account and submit a list. Try it!

~ thanks to Steve Moore for this great tutorial!

eBird: Creates maps like this, anywhere in the world, on which you can see where

a given species of bird was seen. Here, it’s Savannah Sparrows around Ellensburg.

Page 6 Hooter The Best Reason to Be a National Audubon Member

Olympic BirdFest 2014 ~ April 4-6, Sequim, WA

A bird watching vacation for beginners to experts,

BirdFest program information and registration can be

found at www.olympicbirdfest.org. Stay on for a three

-day, two-night birding/sightseeing cruise of the San

Juan Islands, April 6-8, 2014. Register separately at

www.pugetsoundexpress.com/audubon.

The 2014 Festival (April 4-6) offers “Birding by

Land and Sea,” a new, 2-day pre-festival field

trip that offers an opportunity to see birdlife sel-

dom seen from land. “We should have a very excit-

ing time exploring a section of the Washington coast

that receives little attention from birders -- anything

is possible,” says Bob Boekelheide, seabird biologist

and one of the trip leaders.

To learn more about the Neah Bay seabird trip

or the Olympic BirdFest, log onto www.olympicbirdfest.org or call the Dungeness

River Audubon Center at 360-681-4076.

Upcoming Events & Festivals in Washington

March 28-30 ~ Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

For information: www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org

April 4-6, 2014 ~ Olympic BirdFest, Sequim, WA (see above box for information)

May 15-18, 2014 ~ The Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest

For information: www.LeavenworthSpringBirdFest.com

May 23-26, 2014 ~ Wenas Audubon Annual Campout

For information: www.wenasaudubon.org

There are a host of environmental issues that, if not addressed, will leave generations to come with less, likely far less, of the natural world to enjoy than we do. In some re-spects the same can be said of those of us living now who, upon reflection, realize we live in circumstances much changed from early years. It has taken centuries for significant num-bers to realize the earth’s resources are limited. Wildlife resources are especially vulnerable, and, subject to mankind’s discretionary choices as they are, increasingly at the mercy of change that can occur ‘overnight’.

It’s not only that bird populations suffer, along with most other wildlife, from habitat degrada-tion, but birds impart a special warning because their seasonal migrations tell us what’s happening over vast expanses of the earth. Changing condi-tions at a migratory stop-over on a ten- thousand-

mile flight has the potential to extirpate a species. And there’s not much that locals like us can do to affect change when the problem lies geographically far away.

Most Kittitas Audubon members belong to National Audubon. National Audubon

can, and consistently does, actively address issues with distant origins that can have a significant local effect, and are far beyond the capacity of lo-cal chapters to deal with. Sometimes the issue in-volves National legislation; sometimes it’s joining with other interests to address issues in foreign countries that threaten species. Chapter members can take action on such critical issues through membership in NAS and be better informed while enjoying reading a good magazine. ~ Hal Lindstrom

To join NAS use the membership form on the following page (page 7).

Georgia Eagle Nest Cam: www.georgiawildlife.com/

BerryEagleCam

Page 7 Hooter

Darling Bird Studios, ©2007 UNA

Membership & other news!

BECOME A KITTITAS AUDUBON MEMBER!! (Or renew your membership)

Receive The Hooter ~ help support education and conservation activities and projects!

Two options are available:

OPTION 1: Membership in National Audubon includes a subscription to the magazine, Audubon, membership in the local chapter (KAS), and KAS monthly newsletter, THE HOOTER

____ Join as a new National Audubon member $20 (includes KAS membership)

____ Renew a National Audubon membership $35

Make check payable to: National Audubon Society Include this form and mail to: Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235

Name ___________________________ Address __________________________________________

City _____________________________ State, ZIP _________________________________________

Chapter Code COZY220Z

OPTION 2: Membership in only the local chapter, KAS, includes the monthly newsletter, THE HOOTER

____ Join the local Kittitas Audubon Society (KAS) chapter $20

____ Renew your KAS membership $20

____ Make a donation to KAS $______ (amount)

Make check payable to KAS and mail to: KAS, P.O. Box 1443, Ellensburg, WA 98926

Name ____________________________________ Phone __________________________________

Address __________________________________ Cell _____________________________________

City _____________________________________ Email ____________________________________

State, ZIP _________________________________ Would you like to receive The Hooter electronically?

May we print your name in The Hooter as a new, Yes ____ No, prefer paper edition ____

renewing, or donating member? Yes ___ No ____

Membership forms are also available on our Web site: Kittitasaudubon.org.

For membership information contact Membership Chair, Tuck Forsythe ~ forsythe@fairpoint.net

See The Hooter in COLOR on our website ~ http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

eHooter News! Last month our volunteer webmaster was

unable to post The Hooter to the website

due to some new restrictions (which I

don’t understand and most of you would-

n’t either). As this Hooter goes to press,

there is still no solution, but he is working

on a new domain ( is this like Game of

Thrones?!?!) You who subscribe will be the

first (after me) to know. Sorry for the delay! ~~~ I will

be sending all of you eHooterians a PDF file of the March

issue. If you have problems opening this let me know:

bobcat@kvalley.com

E-WHOOO???

Upcoming KAS Field Trips

THANKS TO KITTITAS COUNTY BUSINESSES SUPPORTING KAS!

Inland Internet, Roslyn, donates Internet service for our Website: http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

Old Mill Country Store, Ellensburg ~ Provides a discount on bird seed to KAS members and prints our county bird lists. Get your bird seed here!

Kittitas Audubon

P.O. Box 1443

Ellensburg WA 98926

MARCH

18-19th, Tuesday-Wednesday ~ Nisqually Delta and boardwalk. We’ll join Phil Kelley (Rainier Audubon) on his weekly survey of the delta’s rich bird life near Olympia, including wa-terfowl, migrating shorebirds and vigilant rap-tors. We leave Tue. PM, overnight in a Lacey motel; then join the group at 8 AM Wednesday for the 4-hour, 4-mile walk. We’ll dine out for lunch and head home in the afternoon. Contact Steve Moore: 933-1179, for details.

The Hooter - March 2014 The Newsletter of Kittitas Audubon - http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

The mission of Kittitas

Audubon is to develop an

appreciation of nature

through education and conservation, with a focus

on birds.

Original drawing from blog: http://standingoutinmyfield.wordpress.com

APRIL

5th, Saturday ~ First Saturday BirdWalk, Rinehart Park. Migrants are arriving - a good time to see birds before the trees leaf out. Come find swallows, kinglets, Osprey, blackbirds, and maybe a Yellow-rumped Warbler. 3-hour walk; Gloria & Jeb Baldi lead; 933-1558 for info.