OCT. 2014 THE Kitsap Audubon Society – Since 1972 Kingfisher Oct. 9, 2014, Program Marbled Murrelets: Why This Bird Matters to Us Maria Mudd Ruth will share tales from her book, Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet, which celebrates the world of this fascinating seabird of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Maria highlights the bizarre breeding behavior of the murrelet, the 185-year-long search for its elusive nest, and how the accidental discovery of the first nest in 1974 has helped protect our coastal forests and nearshore waters where the murrelet lives. While unraveling many mysteries, Maria found herself exploring larger questions: Why does this chunky little bird matter to us? Why and how should we care about the murrelet? Do we have a moral obligation to save this bird? Maria has published more than a dozen natural history books. Originally published in 2005, Rare Bird, was reissued in 2013 by Mountaineers Book. Maria is on the Black Hills Audubon Conservation Committee and volunteers for the Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve and South Sound Pigeon Guillemot Breeding Survey. Photo credits: Tom Hamer/ Hamer Environmental (juvenile about to fledge). Glenn Bartley Photography (diving MaMu). Printed on recycled paper by Blue Sky Printing and mailed by Olympic Presort, both family owned local businesses. With Help From Our Friends Kitsap Audubon gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our Bainbridge members and friends who designate Kitsap Audubon each year for a portion of their One-Call-For-All contribution. Kitsap Audubon partners with and helps support various community groups and organizations that share our commitment to protecting wildlife and the environment. Kitsap Audubon Society President: Janine Schutt 360-830-4446, jeschutt@hotmail.com Vice President: Judy Willott 206-842-6939, jdwillott@mac.com Treasurer: Sandy Bullock, 360-3945635; roadrunner1957@comcast.net Secretary: Diane Bachen, 206-8551667, dianebachen@comcast.net At-Large Board of Directors: Connie Bickerton, 206-200-8425, connieb_1999@yahoo.com Gene Bullock, 360-394-5635; genebullock@comcast.net Ray Coleburg, 360-535-4105 Sharron Ham, 360-779-5458, shabobham@ comcast.net Byron Kane, 360-620-1367, bk4all@ centurytel.net Alan Westphal, 206-780-7844, westphalac@ aol.com Standing Committee Chairs: Field Trips: Alan Westphal, 206-780-7844, westphalac@aol.com Conservation Chair: Don Willott 206-842-6939, dwillott@mac.com Education Chair: Gene Bullock, 360-394-5635; genebullock@comcast.net Hospitality: Milly Bellemere & Bob Schumacher. 360-830-4231, rbellemere@ wavecable.com Membership Administrator: Sara Kane 297-2716, membership@kitsapaudubon.org Programs: Vic Ulsh 360-479-6900, vic@bradleyscottinc.com Publicity: Barbara Wilhite 360-692-8180, naturesvoice@wavecable.com Refreshment Chair: Sharron Ham 360-779-5458, shabobham@comcast.net Purple Martins: Sandy Pavey, 360-9300807, s4sandy@earthlink.net; Paul Carson, 360-779-2612 Raffle Coordinators: Dawn Hansen, Roberta Heath Wildlife Sightings: Joan Carson joanpcarson@comcast.net or 360-779-2612 Scholarship Chair: Sandy Bullock 360-394-5635, roadrunner1957@comcast.net KAS Facebook Page: Connie Bickerton, connieb_1999@yahoo.com Webmaster: Mike Szerlog, 360-881-0470, szerlog@comcast.net, www.kitsapaudubon.org Kingfisher Editor: GeneBullock, 360-3945635; genebullock@comcast.net President’s Letter - Janine Schutt At our September general meeting, the membership approved our new Bequest & Endowment Policy. The next step for future bequest spending will be to establish the endowment spending committee. The Board will keep members updated as things develop. The Ann Sleight bequest now totals $360,000. $270,000 was bestowed on us last year and we received an additional $90,000 when Ann’s property was sold. We are investing these funds with the Kitsap Community Foundation in the Kitsap Audubon Society Ann Sleight Memorial Fund. A special thank you to our friends on Bainbridge Island who have so generously supported Kitsap Audubon this year through the island’s annual One Call For All fundraiser. The 2013-2014 campaign raised $5,745 for our chapter. We use this money as part of our annual operating budget, so your generosity is greatly appreciated. I would like to now share something very personal. This week my family received the devastating news that a close family member is losing his battle with cancer. As I struggled to make sense of things, I drove to nearby Wildcat Lake and launched my kayak in an effort to find solace in nature. I was delighted to see a pied-billed grebe diving for something tasty underwater. A flock of Canada geese allowed me to paddle alongside them. A snooty kingfisher wasn’t in the mood for company and flew a short distance away, saying some choice words as it went. As daylight waned, I paddled back to the boat launch. As I loaded my boat onto my vehicle, a mallard quacked its goodbye and I was reminded why I had become a birder. During a difficult period in 2003 I found myself watching the birds in my yard as a way to escape the stress. Prior to that I had never paid much attention to birds. I had one field guide at the time (I now have over a dozen), and I remember how excited I was when I identified my first red-breasted nuthatch and hairy woodpecker -- and as the saying goes, the rest is history. Although I see those species on a daily basis now, I have never become jaded with them. Watching birds is therapeutic and I don’t think there are many who would dispute that. I encourage all of you to share the love of birding with people you know who are dealing with hardships. Give them a bird book or a feeder and share some of your knowledge with them. You may never know what a positive impact such a gesture could have. And you just may convert someone permanently into the world of birding. Kitsap Audubon Society meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, September through May, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., on the lower level of the Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln Rd. Open to the public. Free parking. Half of North America’s Birds At Risk From Global Warming Nearly half of the bird species in the continental U.S. and Canada are threatened by global warming. Many of these species could go extinct without decisive action to protect their habitats and reduce the severity of global warming. That’s the startling conclusion reached by Audubon scientists in a new study. Of 588 bird species examined in the study, 314 are at risk. Of those, 126 species are at risk of severe declines by 2050, and a further 188 species face the same fate by 2080, with numerous extinctions possible if global warming is allowed to erase the havens birds occupy today. 313 of these at risk species regularly occur in Washington State; 92 are considered climate endangered, and 97 are climate threatened. That means that over half of birds regularly occurring here are climate endangered/threatened including the iconic Bald Eagle, the Rufous Hummingbird and even the Mallard. These species are projected to lose as much as 75% or more of their existing range in coming years, threatening their long-term survival. The study, which identifies the future projected range of Washington’s climate-endangered bird species, can be accessed at wa.audubon. org. “The greatest threat our birds face today is global warming,” said Audubon Chief Scientist Gary Langham, who led the investigation. “That’s our unequivocal conclusion after seven years of painstakingly careful and thorough research. Global warming threatens the basic fabric of life on which birds – and the rest of us – depend, and we have to act quickly and decisively to avoid catastrophe for them and us.” To understand the links between where birds live and the climatic conditions that support them, Langham and other Audubon ornithologists analyzed 30 years of historical North American climate data and tens of thousands of historical bird records from the U.S. Geological Survey’s North American Breeding Bird Survey and the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Understanding those links then allowed scientists to project where birds are likely to be able to survive – and not survive – in the future. The study also reveals areas that are likely to remain stable for birds even as climate changes, enabling Audubon to identify “stronghold” areas that birds will need to survive in the future. The result is a roadmap for bird conservation in coming decades under a warming climate. The study provides a key entry point for Audubon’s greater engagement on the urgent issue of global warming. Responding to the magnitude of the threat to our birds, Audubon is greatly expanding its climate initiative, aiming to engage a larger and more diverse set of voices in support of protecting birds. The 25-strong Audubon chapter-network in the state and the Audubon Washington office are actively engaged in bird and habitat conservation. Some of these activities include communityscience efforts to protect the sagebrush songbirds of Eastern Washington, advocacy work to safeguard food and habitat resources for marine birds, youth conservation leadership training, and advocacy concerning oil and coal transport, contributing to a brighter future for birds and people in our region. Solutions will include personal choices to conserve energy and create backyard bird habitat, local action to create community climate action plans, state-based work to integrate Audubon’s climate science into work on marine bird conservation and sagebrush steppe habitat prioritization, and other efforts to identify and protect bird habitats. For more information, visit wa.audubon.org or audubon. climate.org. The Bald Eagle and Rufous Hummingbird are among bird species threatened by global warming. Photos by Jay Wiggs. Field Trips & Events - Al Westphal, Field Trip Chair Introductory Birding Class led by Dan Froehlich, beginning October 27. Space is limited. For details or to register, contact him at danielfroehlich@gmail.com or call 206-5952305. The course includes five evening classes and three field trips. The fee is $100 for Kitsap Audubon members; $125 for nonmembers. The fee for classes only is $60 for Kitsap Audubon members or $75 for nonmembers. You can find a registration form in the September Kingfisher, available on the Kitsap Audubon website at www.kitsapaudubon.org Birdfest and Bluegrass (Ridgefield, WA): October 4-5. Check the website for details and schedule of events: http:// ridgefieldfriends.org/birdfest/ Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge: Saturday, October 18. (Al Westphal); NOTE CHANGE OF DATE. westphalac@aol.com, 206-780-7844 (e-mail preferred). One of the best locations in our area to observe an array of migrating and over-wintering waterfowl along with many other birds. We will walk the forest and barn trails and as far out on the boardwalk as we care to go. There is a good option for lunch after birding at Norma’s just outside the refuge. Watch weather forecasts and dress accordingly! Meet at the parking lot by the visitor center at 8:30. a.m. Owl Prowl with Jamie Acker: Sunday, October 26, 5:00 a.m. Jamie’s early morning Owl Prowls on Bainbridge Island are a unique experience. He knows all of the owl spots and will call them right into your view. Because of his long-term studies of the Bainbridge owl population, he is a on a first-name basis with many of the resident owls. Call him after 4:00 p.m. at 206-499-7121 or e-mail owler@sounddsl.com for a reservation, instructions, and meeting location. Sinclair Inlet and Vicinity: Saturday, November 15. (Al Westphal and John Finkbeiner, coleaders): westphalac@aol.com, 206-780-7844 (e-mail preferred). We’ll start this half-day event on the Port Orchard waterfront looking for the wintering gulls and seabirds on Sinclair inlet, then we’ll work our way at least as far as Manchester State Park. A scope will be useful if you have one. Meet at 8:30 at the parking area near Amy’s By the Bay at 100 Harrison Street, Port Orchard. Kitsap Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Saturday, December 20th. All skill levels are welcome. We will have eight field teams counting birds in designated areas within our 15-mile-diameter count circle, stretching from Manchester to Poulsbo and from Seabeck to Bainbridge Island. Participants can also choose to count birds in their own backyards that day instead of joining a field team. To sign up you will need to contact the leader for the team you wish to join. Team leaders and their contact information will appear in the November Kingfisher. For information, contact Gene Bullock (genebullock@ comcast.net; 360-394-5635). Photo by Jay Wiggs Wildlilfe Sightings - Joan Carson Wildlife Sightings (joanpcarson@ comcast.net) We definitely have been enjoying the Indian Summer we hoped for and it seems everyone is still enjoying summer fun. Reports of migrating birds have been few. Here’s hoping there will be more of them in the coming weeks. Several members have been visiting favorite birding areas far afield but things are getting pretty interesting at home too. The Bewick’s wrens have descended on our yard and their buzzy, giggly chatter is a welcome sound. A Swainson’s thrush stopped by to use the bird bath but was probably moving south as we didn’t see it again. John Finkbeiner, Port Orchard, sent in a report of what’s been happening in his yard this summer. Due to some health problems, John and Dee have been birding at the backyard feeders. Highlights included red crossbills that arrived in mid-June and stayed through August. The band-tailed pigeons arrived in July and are still with them. Pileated woodpecker activity began in August and continues to the present. At the Fauntleroy ferry terminal he saw a common tern. Like many of us, John also reports having lots of goldfinches but no This family of Common Loons was photographed by Jay Wiggs. Common Loons are among the North American species threatened with serious decline over much of their range because of global warming. pine siskins at the present. Along with the Sightings reports from members many beautiful photos continue to arrive in the e-mail. On September 13, Elinor Ringland sent in a photo taken by her son Robert of a great egret coming in for a landing. It looked like a ballerina with the sun backlighting its form and grace. On the same day, Jay Wood reported that Eurasian collareddoves were nesting in his yard and the eggs were close to hatching. These doves are increasing their numbers rapidly. One member headed for trips far from home is Kathy Swartz who reported they were leaving for a birding trip on September 14, to Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Astoria and the Westport/Tokeland area. I expect to see some good photos when she returns. On September 12, Ian Bentryn, Bainbridge Island, reported seeing a scrub jay on September 11 and he has had a good view of the Island’s osprey nest with 3 young in it. Also, lots of barred owls calling at night. Other raptors scarce because of osprey parents. NO bald eagles for two months. September 3, Mary Ann Muenks had her first scrub jay this summer. Probably a fall migrant. Will be interesting to see if it stays. Kathy Swartz, Port Orchard, reported having a pair of Western tanagers all summer and assumed they nested near her place. She also had her FIRST Eurasian collared-dove arrive in her yard this summer. On August 31, Robert Ringland sent more of his excellent bird photographs. They were taken at Fort Canby and were of black turnstones, Heermann’s gulls, Caspian Terns, whimbrels and juvenile red-necked phalaropes. August 29, Kathy Swartz had a large flock of bandtailed pigeons invade her yard and feeders. August 22, Ed & Charlotte Roe, Anderson Landing, Silverdale, updated their purple martin report. They have eight gourds up this summer and it looks like at least half or almost all of them had activity. Gene & Linda Daniels, Keyport, also reported a successful summer for the purple martins in their gourds. There were young being feed on August 19, and they had a regular population of eight martins all summer. Here’s hoping the email overflows with reports in the coming weeks! END Kitsap Audubon History - Joan Carson KAS History - 1980, Part II The May program was on The Pine Barrens, a semiwilderness area less than two hours from Manhattan. Gerard Bentryn presented the program on the region. He had worked with the Department of the Interior to find a way to save a significant part of this habitat. Made up of sand dunes, cedar bogs, stunted pines, sparse bird life and occasional bears, its history stretched back to colonial times. Field trips for May included one led by Paul Carson. It was a pleasure-work party on Kitsap Audubon’s Nature Trail in the Nike Site Park in Kingston. The final tabulation for the Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey in Washington was released and showed the wintering population was 935 adult birds and 663 immatures. The greatest concentrations were along the salmon drainages of Puget Sound. May’s newsletter announced, “A Rummage Sale That’s For The Birds” would be held in Poulsbo June 14 and 15. Money raised would go toward the purchase of one lot on Protection Island - cost $2500. The sale was to be held in the Poulsbo National Guard Armory and members were urged to bring items for the sale and come to work. A short June newsletter focused on the upcoming sale and summer field trips, one of which was scheduled for June 21st. Members would be working with the Game Department to band Caspian gulls in the Grays Harbor area. July’s equally short newsletter was a report on the Rummage Sale. Co-chairs Jeanne Snouwaert and Joan Carson reported, that after expenses, a check for $2800 was mailed to Admiralty Audubon for the Protection Island Fund. Eleanor Stopps, Chairman of the Fund told us we purchased Lot 98 in Division 3. She said it was “Swiss cheesed with auklet burrows!” There would be a July Potluck Picnic at Old Fort Townsend State Park in Port Townsend to celebrate the progress being made to save the Island for its wildlife. July saw the publication of the Kitsap Wildlife Guide, a combined effort of Kitsap Audubon and the State Game Department. Charlotte (Coleburg) Blytmann and Joan Carson had compiled information gathered from KAS members and other sources for three years and all members were to receive their own copy of this Guide. It was a forerunner of the presentday Birding Trail Maps. Kitsap Audubon’s Wildlife Guide was the second one in this state. The first one was done by Tracy Tival, a wildlife biologist with the Game Department. It covered Skagit County. It was hoped that other Audubon chapters would follow suit but that didn’t happen. Those two map-guides were as far as the project went until the current “Trail” maps began. September’s Membership Program was given by Frank Beyer and introduced many of us to two of the most famous National Wildlife Refuges in the country - if not the World. Both are in southern Texas. Laguna Atascosa and Santa Ana Refuges each list over 300 bird species as well as numerous interesting mammals. Over 100 birds were part of Frank’s slide presentation. Also announced in this issue of the Kingfisher was the availability of Duck Stamps. Money received from the sale of these stamps is the main source of support for the National Wildlife Refuges. Much of this revenue comes from outdoor sportsmen but birders (at least in KAS) were encouraged to treat these stamps as their “bird watching pass.” A followup on the Protection Island effort announced that ten lots had already been purchased and that a bill had been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate by Washington Representative Don Bonker and Senator Warren Magnuson. It would establish the Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge. KAS members were encouraged to write letters in support of this action. Next Month - 1980 Conclusion. Lynne Weber of West Sound Wildlife Shelter prepares to be hoisted in a bucket to release an orphaned osprey into a nest where adults were feeding other fledglings. Sadly, the orphan’s flight skills were not ready and it was returned to the Wildlife Shelter. Kitsap Audubon Accepting Donations For Poulsbo Osprey Relocation Kitsap Audubon is seeking organizations and individuals willing to help share the cost of relocating a family of ospreys in Poulsbo’s Strawberry Park. Their current nest site on top of a light pole is a fire, health and safety hazard for the North Kitsap School District and the soccer players who use the field. Puget Sound Energy has generously agreed to donate the pole for a new nesting platform and place it in the ground near the existing nest site, a donation valued at more than $3,000. But Kitsap Audubon will need an additional $2,000 to $3,000 to complete the project. Kitsap Audubon is working closely with Puget Sound Energy, the North Kitsap School District, the City of Poulsbo and osprey expert Jim Kaiser, who has assisted with hundreds of similar installations, including one last April on the Sakai Intermediate School grounds on Bainbridge Island. The Pond in February--Jan Gardner The great blue heron stood on the far side of the pond. Neck folded, his long pointed beak rested on top of his folded wings as though he were wrapped warmly in a blue-gray shawl. February rains had filled the wide pond up its steep banks. It was fringed with dried cattails, bent and sinking, left over from last summer’s lush growth. The heron stood quietly, his long cascade of breast feathers fluttered when a gust of wind hurried by, driving wetness, rippling the flat, dark water. He waited, longer than I cared to stand and watch him through my window. He had been here before, always alone. His secret hunting spot or a place where, Zen-like, he came to meditate? Later I returned to the window to see if he was still there. The winter flock of widgeons moved across the pond like a kaleidoscope, the bright white stripe on the heads of the males flashing and bobbing. A few mallards were trying to pair up. I found my binoculars and looked for the heron. There he was, next to a willow, blending in with the earthy colors. All sinuous and narrow, stilt legs, long, curved neck, scissor beak, he moved elegantly, so tall in contrast to the ducks swimming in the water below. Step by cautious step he circled the pond stopping at the shallow end to peer into a tangle of dried reeds. His head turned ever so slightly. Patience…patience. One slender leg inched down the bank while his eye stared into the water. I propped my arm on the side of the window trying to ease the strain of holding the binoculars. They were heavy, yet I couldn’t look away. Something was going to happen. He was totally alert as though holding his breath. In a swift, graceful motion, his head came down and stretched out over the reeds and froze there. Looking down at him, I was seeing the top of his head and the oval line of his back. On top of his gray folded wings were dark round patches marking his shoulders. His thrusted beak and head formed a sharp, pointed wedge, elongated by stripes on the crown, black, white, black. A phantom jet that has sighted a target. His back tensed. I could see the slight twitch. My hand moved slightly. In the second it took to focus again, his head was back up. Something very black whipped its tail back and forth wrapping it around his beak. He held on to it and stepped confidently to the water’s edge. He dunked it delicately several times until it stopped moving, and less and less of it hung from his grip. When he had ingested it all he stood on the bank shaking his head, long, crest feathers sweeping in S-shaped curves, while the meal traveled down. He seemed a mature bird, proficient in every move he made. His feathers were neatly layered, sleek, shining. A white pattern flecked his gray breast like a lace scarf with flowing fringe. His skill and stealth had once again found reward. I watched as he rose like a ghost into the cloudy sky, his great wings flapping languidly, until he disappeared over the tree line. Photo by Jan Gardrner NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID SILVERDALE WA PERMIT NO. 111 Kitsap Audubon Society P.O. Box 961, Poulsbo, WA 98370 Address Service Requested The Kingfisher is the newsletter of the Kitsap Audubon Society, P.O. Box 961, Poulsbo, WA 98370. It is published eight times a year, September to May. Submissions from readers are welcome. We reserve the right to edit for space, grammar or legal reasons. Email text or photographs to genebullock@ comcast.net or mail to Gene Bullock, 1968 NE Lind Ct., Poulsbo WA 98370. Our deadline is the 15th of the preceding month. To receive your Kingfisher via email and save us the expense of printing and mailing, send your request to genebullock@comcast.net. Kitsap Audubon Society — Membership Renewal Make check payable to KAS and mail to KAS, PO Box 961, Poulsbo, WA 98370 Name_________________________________________________________________________ Phone__________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City_____________________________________________________________________State_________________Zip______________________ Email Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Check here to receive your Kingfisher newsletter via Email and save us the expense of printing and mailing. Select Category Of Membership: Individual Annual Membership $15 Individual LIFE Membership $300 Family Annual Membership $25 Family LIFE Membership $500 Contributing Annual Membership $50 Supporting Annual Membership $100 Sustaining Annual Membership $75 (Contact KAS Treasurer for LIFE Membership payment options) $________________________________Additional donation for scholarships and/or Audubon Adventures (designate). The Kitsap Audubon Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible. The mission of the Kitsap Audubon Society is to preserve the natural world through education, environmental study and habitat protection, and to promote awareness and enjoyment of local and regional natural areas. Visit our website at www.kitsapaudubon.org
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