nov 2009 corvid crier newsletter eastside audubon society

8/8/2019 Nov 2009 Corvid Crier Newsletter Eastside Audubon Society

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The Corvid Crier ~ November 2009 1

Eastside Audubon Society Vol 28, No 9 November 2009

The Mission of the Eastside

Audubon Society is to protect,

preserve and enhance natural

ecosystems and our communities

for the benefit of birds, other

wildlife and people.

HIGHLIGHTS INSIDE:

Focus on the Board 2

Project FeederWatch 2

BirdLoop -- 4

Board Notes 4

Monthly Program 5

Field Trips 6

Bird of the Month 7

Letter from Camper 8

Movie Night 8

Holiday Gift Wrap 8

Local Election Issues 9

Recycling Styrofoam 9

Peregrine Rescue 10

Poem: Wild Geese Flying 11

Family Birding Adventure 11

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

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

The Corvid Crier

Eastside Audubon Gets Enthusiastic Welcomein East King CountyTwo events sponsored by Eastside Audubonthis September were enthusiastically receivedin Duvall. Both a presentation on the Birds ofthe Snoqualmie Valley and an informationbooth and childrens activities during theFarm Tour were well attended.

In his Conservation Presentation Tim

McGruder, a long-time Eastside Audubonmember, discussed four habitats in east KingCounty that are important for birds. The forestis home to many different birds includingchickadees, Pileated Woodpecker and Band-tailed Pigeon. Wetlands are important formany ducks, Green Heron, and Belted King-fisher. Riparian streams support many war-blers, swallows and the Red-breasted Sap-sucker. Grasslands provide a home for spar-rows, American Goldfinch and Killdeer. Theevent was held at the Depot Building and waswell received by a responsive audience ofabout 30 people. A nice mix of adults andchildren, some of whom were attending tolearn about birds for a school project, greetedMr. McGruder with comments and questions.This was Eastside Audubons first event in itsexpanded service area.

Members of the chapters Education and Con-servation Committees staffed booths at theDougherty Farmstead during the HarvestCelebration Farm Tour in King County. Par-ticipating in the Farm Tour was another first-time event for the chapter. Dave Weinstein ofthe Dougherty Farmstead in Duvall was veryhappy to have Audubon participating and over

200 adults and children visited the booths.Audubon members helped children make birdfeeders from pine cones and bird seed and ledtwo bird walks along the Woodinville-DuvallTrail.

A number of visitors to the booths picked upinformation on Project FeederWatch, a citizenscience program sponsored by the Cornell Labof Ornithology. The program organizes peopleto count birds at their bird feeders and trackthe birds they see. Over 9,000 people partici-pate in Project FeederWatch by logging theirbird counts into a continent-wide databasefrom November to March. Many people alsocame to the booths wanting help with identify-ing birds they have seen in their yards. Thechapter is planning more events in east KingCounty in the coming year. Andrew McCormick

Making a pine cone bird feeder at the Eastside Audubon Farm Tour booth.(Photo: MaryBritton-Simmons)

Save the Date!

Christmas Bird Count is Satur-day, December 19. See nextmonths newsletter for details.


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President Cindy Balbuena [email protected] President OpenSecretary Carmen Almodovar [email protected] Ellen Homan [email protected] Director Jan McGruder (425) 822-8580

[email protected]

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

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

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

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

Conservation Andrew McCormick [email protected]

Marymoor Park Jim Rettig (425) [email protected]

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

Programs Claudia Strickland [email protected]

Communication Anusha Raman [email protected] Tom Grismer (206) 720-9892

newsletter@eastsideaudubonMembership Sunny Walter (425) 271-1346

[email protected]

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

Committee Chairs/Board (board positions underlined)

Executive Officers

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

Open Board PositionsThe following positions are open and waiting for volunteers. Pleasecall the office if you have questions or are interested: Vice President,Adult Education chair, Advocacy, Financial Development chair, Bir-dathon, Gift Wrap, and Merchandising.

Watch Birds for Science! Project FeederWatchBy joining Cornell Lab of Ornithologys Project FeederWatch,you will help scientists further understand what is needed toprotect birds and their habitats in remote forests, cities, andyour own backyard, and help them track bird movements andmonitor long-term trends in the distribution and abundance ofbirds in winter. Participants periodically count backyard birdsand report totals online or on paper data forms. Since birds areeverywhere and researchers are not, the data you collect and

send in, combined with observations across the continent, givescientists the big picture about bird populations. Are somespecies expanding their ranges? Are others declining in num-bers? Your reports make a difference for bird conservation!

Project FeederWatch is a joint research and education project ofthe Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.Many participants are Audubon members. Sign up now andstart counting in November. Contact the Lab atwww.birds.cornell.edu/pfw, or call 607-254-2427, or call theEAS office for more information. Jim Rettig

I am Anusha and havejoined the board asCommunication Chair.I am from India and Ihave been in the UnitedStates for the past fiveyears. I am really ex-cited to be a part ofEastside Audubon. Be-ing a part of EastsideAudubon will give mean opportunity to learn more about issues that surroundmy local environment and make me proactive and sen-sitive to living beings. In addition to this, this will alsohelp me to hone my marketing and communicationskills.

As Communication Chair I aim to maintain consistency

in all external communication of our Chapter. This willhelp our branding and positioning as a non-profit or-ganization and help in differentiating us from our sisterchapters. Also, we would like to maintain an activepresence in social networks like Twitter and Facebook.This will give the organization good visibility amongadults in their 20's and 30's. We wish to attract this agegroup as it would help us bring in funds and therebyincrease our conservation efforts. We hope to updateEastside Audubon enthusiasts about ongoing projects,program night topics and our future plans through thismedium. We would also like to showcase our birders

photography through Flickr and give you a trailer ofour Program nights, Bird Walks, outreach efforts, edu-cation programs and other events on YouTube.

We need your help in reaching out to people with ourmission. Be a part of Eastside Audubon; it is a greatplace to volunteer your time. There are a lot of volun-teer opportunities in Marketing and Communication.We need a graphic designer helping us design bro-chures and posters, volunteers to write articles for thenewsletter, post information on social networks andmaintain our website. Come and join us, be a volunteerand follow us in Twitter and Facebook.

Focus on the Board: CommunicationBy Anusha Raman, Communication Chair


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The Corvid Crier, Vol 28, NO 9Publication Date: November 1, 2009.Published by: Eastside Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115

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

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

[email protected]: EAS Newsletter

or by mail to:Eastside Audubon Society

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

Eastside Audubon Office/Audubon Center

The office is downstairs at NorthlakeUnitarian Universalist Church inKirkland, 308 4th Avenue S.(Corner 4th Ave. S. and State).Directions: I-405 exit 18 (N. E. 85th-Kirkland). Go west on Central Wayto the light on 3rd St. Go left on 3rdSt. Follow this street (it bears leftand changes name to State St.) Then

turn left on 4th Ave. S.(425) [email protected]

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

November Meetings

Nov 4 (Weds) 4:006:00 p.m.Web CommitteeMeets first Wednesday each monthin EAS Office. All interested partiesare invited. Questions? Email [email protected]

Nov 10 (Tues) 7:00 p.m.Youth Education CommitteeMeets in the EAS Office.All inter-ested parties are invited. Questions?Email [email protected]

Nov 12 (Thurs) 7:00 p.m.Photo GroupMeets in large room upstairs fromEAS Office. Questions? Email TimBoyer at [email protected]

Dr. Kerri W. Scarbrough, Optometrist

17320 135th Ave. N.E. ? Woodinville

(425) 398-1862

See the birds better!

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

(425) 398-1862www.eevisioncare.com

Welcome!

Welcome to the following new members of Eastside Audubon. We hope tosee you soon at a Program Meeting or Field Trip. Call or visit our office ifyou have any questions. Our friendly volunteers are more than happy to helpyou.

Sandy Aelgeson, Ed Alexander, Gerri Ambruster, Christine Bafus, DavidBallash, Nancy Barci, Dorothy Baron, Andrew Bennett-Ernst, Christina

Berry, Mrs. Lucius H. Biglow Jr., Elizabeth Borges, Cathy Brandt, MargieBroderick, Barbara Brophy, Arleen J. Brown, Louise Buchanan, William C.Bull, Lee Butler, Donald L. Cheeseman, Susan and Dennis Christie, Bill andMichelle Coady, Bruce Coffey, George Cone, Holly Crawshaw, ElizabethCrockett, Evan Crouter, Colleen M. Cullen, David R. Davis, Dottie Delaney,Merrily Dicks, Diana Dodson, Kathlee A. Doyle, Lee Eberhardt, Jim Elwell,Marie L. Emerson, James Ennes, Ann Erdmann, Elena J. Flo, Janet Fogel,Jennifer Forley, Mindy Fossum, Robert C. Fransen, Gerald H. Gallaher,Kitty Y. Gardner, Mary and Michael Garlichs, Michelle Goble, RochelleGoldman, Corky Green, Jane Grigsby, Michael E. Grijalva, Sally Hansen,Jan Hart, Mary Hau, Saundra A. Hawkins, David Hays, Jeanine Hohenegger,Neil and Margery Honkonson, Nancy Huestis, Sara Infer, Cynthia Jacobs,

Jim & Patty James, Beth Johnson, Susan Juhre, Amber Jurgensen, Robert E.Kalina, Jeanne G. Kanady, Nancy Kartes, Gerald Kelly, Jon Knorr, TatsukiKobayashi, Judith Kornell, Cheryl Kuhn, Molly Land, Keats Landis, JordanLederman, Ron and Gerri Leonardson, Anne Loring, Louis Lundquist,Cherri Mann, Aime Marshall, Robert Martin, Zak Martinski, Jean Mattison,Diana Maylett, Douglas McIlrath, Leslie McKelvie, Karen McLeod, RobertM. Mendonsa, Rob Mickelsons, Bill Morse, Mark C. Mostul, Daniel Mount,Linda Nelsen, Albert J. Nogare, Bobbie and Jamie Okazaki, Ruthann Olson,Carol Osborne, Regina Pearlman, Lynne Phillips, Raphaela Pope, MaryPowell, Lisa Radmer, Victor Ramano, Warren Raymond, Mrs. T. G. Reed,Winston Rendall, Jeff Renner, Justin Reznick, Ed Rhodes, Dan Rice, KevinRovegno, Janice and Jim Ryan, Caria W. Samans, Mr. & Mrs. Steve San-tamaria, Vivian Sauerbrey, Joel and Sarah Seidel, Norman Shatz, RobertSinclair, Kathy Skeel, Maris Skuja, Caroline Smetana, Peter Soechting,Karen Spaulding, Jenepher Spurr, Marcia Stansell, Isabel Stout, PhyllisStrohsahl, N. Subramani, Mrs. M. Summerford, Eleanor Sweetwood, KaitTeachout, John R. Tierney, Paul R. Tollefson, Andrea Vanosdoll, John Ver-burg, Esther Wallace, Annjanette Warren, Karen Weissman, Carol Welch,Steve Wharton, John and Maureen Whitmore, L. Zody.


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Audubon BirdLoopBoardwalk extension completedThanks to everyone who worked on thisproject during this past year you knowwho you are! Last Saturday, TimMcGruder and his fine crew finished thelast details of this boardwalk extension,which will permit users to get up and outof the floodwaters this winter as they

cruise the River side of the AudubonBirdLoop. Thanks to Tim, neighborRobert Lake, and all other faithful crewmembers.

Natives replace blackberriesThanks also to Ella Elman and SunnyWalter for taking charge of the habitatrestoration efforts in October. On October10 these two and a crew of six moreplanted about 150-200 native plants alongthe BirdLoop next to the SammamishRiver. Thanks to all of you!

Next work partyThe next scheduled work party is set forthe first Saturday in November, the 7th, 9to noon. We will continue working on

habitat restoration along the River. Weneed you to make this happen!

-- Jim Rettig

Board Notes for September 2009

Conservation: Andy McCormick, Con-servation Chair, reported that we had asuccessful presentation in Duvall, whereTim McGruder gave a presentation on thebirds of the Snoqualmie Valley. We got

good publicity in the Snoqualmie ValleyRecord, which has asked for more photosfrom us. They also did a telephone inter-view with Andy for a piece that will ap-pear in their Visitors Guide to be pub-lished in October. On Saturday, Sept 26,we hosted a booth at the Dougherty Farm-stead, which was part of King CountysHarvest Celebration Tour. We had 106adults and 102 children visit our booth.

Birding: Brian Bell, Birding Chair, dis-cussed expanding our field trips to possi-bly include trips about geology, wild

flowers, or bats. He also distributed a newwaiver form which he would like ourchapter to use for field trips. The board

asked that he revise the form and presentthe revised form to the board at our nextmeeting.

Program Night Plans: Claudia Strick-land, our new Program Night Chair,talked about upcoming programs. Shenoted that we have program openings for2010. If you have suggestions for possiblespeakers, please email Claudia at [email protected]

Membership: Jan McGruder, ExecutiveDirector, is organizing a phone bank towelcome new members to find out whattheir interests are. Current members willalso be called to get their email addresses.

Birding Hotspots Brochure: JanMcGruder, Tricia Kishel, and Anusha

Raman are reviewing the hotspots bro-chure and will propose updates to theboard.

Treasurers Report: Ellen Homans re-port noted that were still in the red, al-though not as much as before. TimMcGruder, Development Chair, noted thatthe Development Committee is looking

into additional activities to improve ourfinances.

Eastside Audubon Support of KirklandUtility Tax: The board voted via email tosupport the City of Kirklands ballotmeasure to increase their utility tax. Kirk-land, like other Washington cities, is ex-periencing financial shortfalls because oftheir reliance on sales tax as a major reve-nue source.

Carmen Almodovar

Special Thanks to Major Donors and Bud AndersonThe Eastside Audubon Board hosted itsfirst major-donor reception prior to ourSeptember program meeting. Donors hada chance to socialize beforehand with ourspeaker, Bud Anderson. Anderson, foun-der of Falcon Research Group, sharedpersonal stories about travel, his research

on Peregrine Falcons, and also how hefirst became interested in falcons.

This event allowed the board to thank ourmajor donors for their support of our on-going projects in Conservation, YouthEducation, and general chapter admini-

stration.

Special thanks go to Bud for making ourfirst donor reception a success and to ourBoard members for providing the refresh-ments!

Tim McGruder

Youth Education Committee Our Deepest Thanks

This is a fitting time of the year toexpress our deepest thanks to all ofthe members of the Youth EducationCommittee: Margaret Lie, Jill Keeney,Shirlee and Jim Hall, Tora Roksvog,Sharon Pagel, Margaret Snell, Jeani

Goodrich, and Mary Holt. These dedi-cated volunteers generously give theirtime and expertise to the children onthe Eastside. They write curriculum,plan and give presentations, take kids

on bird walks (rain or shine) and in-spire all of us. Thank you! Mary Britton-Simmons


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A Bird by Any Other Name Thursday, November 19, at 7:00 p.m.Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church (Directions on page 1)

The nineteenth century was a time periodin America which showed tremendousgrowth in the knowledge about andawareness of North American avifauna. Itwas during this time period that men suchas Wilson and Audubon, collected and

named a great number of species previ-ously unknown to science. Join RobertHowson as he presents a program on birdsnamed after some of these early ornitholo-gists and collectors those names havebeen passed on to us today in the classifi-cation of the birds we enjoy watching.Some, such as Wilsons Warbler, maycomeimmediately to mind, but othersmay not be so readily apparent. Othersurnames less familiar to us entered ourvocabulary as their names were added tothe growing list of New World species.With a little borrowing from Shakespeare,we are reminded that names do changeeven though the birds themselves remainthe same. Come and see how many ofthese you can identify from the pictures ofspecies taken across the continent andlearn more about those for whom theywere named.

Robert Howson, a member of our own

Eastside Audubon, has been a livelongeducator and birder. He has taught on alllevels from grade school, through highschool, and college. He has recently re-tired from teaching history but his interestin birds and photographing them still con-tinues. He and his wife Carolyn have vis-ited and photographed birds in nearly allof the states as well as abroad. Come en-joy seeing some of your old favorites in a

new light as well as some species youmay never have seen before.

Please join us Thursday, November 19,2009 for Roberts informative presenta-tion A Bird by Any Other Name. Thepresentations will start promptly at 7:00,however, you are welcome to come earlyand enjoy the Activity Fair. Roberts pres-entation is FREE and open to the public invite a friend. (photo by Robert Howson)

The summer and through September wereladen with festivities, goodies and ofcourse plenty of EAS events. Naturally,none of these would have been possiblewithout the indispensable support of ourdedicated volunteers, so we would like totake this opportunity to express our heart-felt gratitude to Patricia Clarke andChristine Houden for promoting EAS inJune at the Gardening for Wildlife eventat Molbaks. We would also like to thankJim Rettig and Sunny Walter for pro-moting EAS at the Trailsfestevent in Au-gust and the many people who staffed ourbooth at the Save Our Swifts night in

Monroe Margaret Snell, Jeani Good-rich, Tora Roksvog, Jill Keeney, Janand Tim McGruder, Jim Rettig, MaryBritton-Simmons and Margaret Lie.

We appreciate all the work our YouthEducation committee does in the class-room and at various events. Thank youMary Britton-Simmons, Jim and Shir-lee Hall, Jill Keeney, Margaret Lie, andTora Roksvog. Our office keeps hum-

ming along with the help of several volun-teers who do everything from updatingour website to sweeping the floors, man-aging the library to stuffing envelopes.Kudos to Roy Branson, Alyssa Dear-dorff, Ellen Homan, Josh Jaycoxx,Hugh and Bev Jennings, Jill Keeney,Helen LaBouy, Betsy Law, Bryn Lie-berman, Jan Loux, Marlene Meyer,Jim and Nancy Roberts, MargaretSnell, Len Steiner, and Pat Vernie.

Judy Boylan, Patricia Clarke, EllenHoman, Bev Jennings, Peggy Jorgen-sen, Lea Knapp, Margaret Lie, Glenis

Neilsen, Leslie Waters and ClaudiaWelch we really appreciate all the timeyou gave in assembling the seed bags.They were a great hit to all our booth visi-tors. Finally, without the efforts ofCar-men Almodovar, Cindy Balbuena,Brian Bell, Karin Hargrove, Helen La-Bouy, Tim McGruder, Dave and JoNunnallee, Jim and Nancy Roberts,Claudia and Bill Strickland, SunnyWalter, Claudia Welch, the monthly

program meetings wouldnt be nearly asinteresting, rich in content or well-executed, so thank you, thank you, thankyou for your time!

If weve missed anyone thank you! Byyour own generous commitment, you set awonderful example and demonstrate thepower of individuals to effect significantchange into our communities. We greatlyappreciate your time, generosity and lead-ership and we know that you are our mostpassionate promoters. We do request thatyou please continue to submit your volun-teer hours by emailing the same to

[email protected] you get a chance.

We cannot thank you enough for yourinvaluable contributions as a volunteer.Our goals require sincere and committedvolunteers and we are grateful for the en-ergy, enthusiasm, and dedication youbring to your role as an Eastside Audubonvolunteer. Would you like to volunteer forEAS? See the website for current needs.

Thank You to Our Volunteers


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weather, including boots to keep your feet dry. Bring a scope ifyou have one. Meet at Kent-Des Moines Park&Ride at 8 a.m.Directions: Take I-5 to exit 149, go east (toward Kent) on Kent-Des Moines Rd 1/2 block then take a left onto Military Rd. TheP&R is on the left. Park near the bus stop on Military Rd.Passenger cost/person $3.00. Kathy Andrich 206-390-3159 oremail [email protected].

November 10 (Tues) 7:00 a.m. (prompt) to 5:00 p.m.Sequim area - Registration requiredWe will work our way up the Kitsap Peninsula to the Sequimarea. Fall is a good time to search out a wide variety ofwaterfowl, loons, grebes and alcids. We will also pay attentionto the songbirds. Weather can be variable, so come prepared formost anything. Scopes are very helpful. Bring lunch, andmoney for ferry and for carpooling. Limited to 11 people inthree cars. Meet at the south end of the Kingsgate P&R.Passenger cost/person $20. Brian H. Bell 425-485-8058.

November 17 (Tues) 9:00 to noonJuanita Bay Park Bird WalkA relaxed walk in the Park, seeing what birds are in the area.Meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 9:00. Bringbinoculars and meet in parking lot. No registration required.MaryFrances Mathis 425-803-3026

November 23 (Mon) 9:00 to noonBirding the Hot Spots of King CountyMonthly field trip on fourthMonday of each month towherever the birds are. Meet before 9:00 a.m. at north end ofthe Newport Hills Park-N-Ride (I-405, exit 9) and plan to beback by noon. Passenger cost/person $2.00.Hugh Jennings 425-746-6351

December 2 (Weds) 8:00 to noonLake Sammamish State ParkSee November 4 entry.

December 4 (Friday) 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.Samish/Skagit Flats - Registration requiredThe Samish and Skagit Flats are always interesting in earlyDecember. We will watch for waterfowl, including Swans.Raptors, including hawks, eagles, falcons and perhaps Short--eared Owls are present. We will also look for other waterbirds,and small songbirds in the treed areas. Scopes very helpful.Dress for possible wet weather and maybe wind. Waterprooffootware advisable. Bring lunch and money for carpool.

Limited to 11 in three cars. Meet at the south end of theKingsgate P&R before 7:30 (if full, go to the north end of theP&R). Passenger cost/person $20. Brian H. Bell 425-485-8058.

December 5 (Sat) 8:00 a.m. to noon Green LakeWalkGreen Lake with expert birder Martin Muller who hasacquired intimate knowledge of this lake and the 150 birdspecies found there. Meet by 7:25 a.m. at South Kirkland P&Rnear the bus stop (on 108th Ave. NE just north of hwy 520 andNorthup Way) to carpool, or meet at Green Lake. We will park

(Continued on page 7)

November 4 (Weds) 8:00 to noonLake Sammamish State ParkThis urban park offers a wide assortment of birds and habitatsdue to its varied ecosystems. The trip will involvewalking approximately 2-3 miles. Dress appropriately(rainproof in layers; some of the trails can be muddy if wet).Just inside the main entrance, take the first left into the largeparking lot and meet at the northeast end. Co-lead by SharonAagaard and Stan Wood. Call Sharon with any questions,425-891-3460.

November 6 (Fri) 9:00 to noonMarymoor Park Bird WalkJoin us for a morning walk along the nature trail, seeing whatbirds are in the area. Meets the 1st Friday of each month at9:00. Bring binoculars and meet at the SW corner of the DogArea parking lot (Parking Lot D). No registration is required.To reach Marymoor Park, take SR 520 east from Seattle to theWest Lake Sammamish Parkway exit and follow the signs. Theentrance to the park is one block south of the exit. Turn right atthird stop sign, to Dog Area parking lot. Parking is $1.

November 7 (Sat) 9:00 to noonMarymoor Park Habitat RestorationJoin us in restoring native habitat at the Marymoor Parkinterpretive area. Dress for the weather and bring clippers,

gloves, snacks and water. Meet at SE corner of Parking Lot G.Jim Rettig 425-402-1833

November 8 (Sun) 8:00 a.m.Kent Valley and PondsWe'll look for wintering ducks, geese, hawks, gulls, andsparrows. We will visit Boeing Ponds, Frager Road, and gaininner access to the Kent Ponds. We will also visit a few knownlocations for Scrub Jays in the valley. Over by early to mid-afternoon with an option to visit other places later if anyone isinterested. Bring lunch, snacks, drinks and dress for the

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

Meeting Places for Field Trips:

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

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

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

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

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


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Dunlins are hardy birds that winter far-ther north than any other shorebird. Thisfall and winter they will be along theWashington coast from late October toearly May. Major stopover points forthem are the tidal flats and coastal estu-aries around Willapa Bay and GraysHarbor and the Samish and Skagit Flatswhere they forage on marine and fresh-water invertebrates by probing a fewcentimeters into the mud or fine-grainedsand. They can also be found on inte-rior seasonal wetlands. About a half

million of them migrate along the Pacificcoast each year (Warnock et al).

Dunlins belong to the genus Calidrisfrom the Greekkalidris used by Aristotleto describe a speckled waterbird. Alpinarefers to the mountains probably to indi-cate that Dunlins breed in a cold regionof the world. The common name is fromthe Anglo-Saxon dunn, for dark brown,which is descriptive of their brown backin the basic plumage. The breeding oralternative plumage is quite dramaticwith its conspicuous black belly patchand rufous back, giving the bird its oldname of Red-backed Sandpiper. Theblack bill is sturdy with a distinctivedownward turn at the tip and its legs areblack. When feeding, Dunlins look alittle hunchbacked.

Dunlins are most often seen in large,tight, well-coordinated flocks with all ofthe birds seeming to turn in unison.Recent research analyzing movies offlocks frame by frame are able to showthat a turn ripples through a flock just as

a cheerleading wave passes through

sports fans at a stadium (Freiderici).Researchers now think that birds needtime to learn this behavior and juvenileswho cannot keep up with the flock areoften the birds that become isolated andprey for falcons. Both the Merlin andPeregrine Falcon have a hunting stylecharacterized by flying directly into theDunlin flock to split it in order to sepa-rate a single individual for attack. Dur-ing these attacks the flock can stay to-

gether but change shape or it can splitinto two groups leaving some individualsvulnerable.

In May Dunlins begin the northwardmigration and return to their breedinggrounds in the subarctic and arctic tun-dra. They nest in a shallow scrape in thegravel and typically four olive to blue-green eggs are deposited. Both parents(female at night and male during the day)incubate the eggs for about three weeks.The female departs the nest a few daysafter the young hatch. The young then

feed themselves and are ready to fly inabout a month (Kaufman).

Dunlins are one of the worlds most cos-mopolitan shorebirds and are foundthroughout the year. They were huntedto near extinction in the 1800s. Becausethey fly so tightly together they are vul-nerable to multiple kills with one shot-gun blast. They are now protected by theMigratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 andwith assistance from wetland conserva-tion measures their numbers have re-bounded. Regrettably Dunlin populationdeclines have recently been recorded incentral North America. This is mostlikely in response to the loss of winteringhabitat in the United States.

(Photo credit: Ryan Merrill. Referencesavailable upon request at [email protected] )

BIRDOFTHE MONTH Andrew McCormick

Dunlin Calidris alpina

Length 8.5 inWingspan 17 inWeight 2.1 oz (60 g)AOU Band code CAGO

at the west end of Green Lake near the Bathhouse Theater andmeet Martin on the lake side of the theatre, between the brickbuilding and the water. No sign-up, just show up. Group size isa maximum of 15. Passenger cost/person $2.00.Hugh Jennings 425-746-6351

December 12 (Sat) - 7:00 a.m. to darkSamish Flats Registration required

Seeing swans, geese, raptors and seabirds is the primary goal ofthis fall, all day, trip. The birding route has yet to be determinedbut will include Samish Flats. Dress for a variety of weatherconditions. Bring lunch and fluids. Trip limited to 3 cars, 10people. Two drivers will be needed. Meet at south end ofKingsgate P&R. Passenger cost/person $20.00.Mike West and Joyce Meyer. Call 425-868-7986 to register.

(Continued from page 6)


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Letter from Marcus Johns, 2009 EAS Camp Scholarship Recipient

Camp was an amazing experience for all

of our 2009 scholarship recipients, as

evidenced by the narrative below. Marcus

Johns, a ninth grader at Leota Junior

High in the Northshore School District,

attended Go Green, the Pacific Science

Center camp at the Mercer Slough Envi-

ronmental Center. It proved to be a weekhe will never forget.

"My experience at camp was great, and Ithink it would be awesome for any kid

who wants to get out of the house andlearn about our environment, as well aswhat we could do to help preserve it. Dur-ing camp, we had guest speakers come inand explain things for us, even at a levelwhere someone under the age of 13 couldunderstand. They also showed us real life

examples of things, giving their teachingsmore meaning. In addition to the greatlearning experience, we had a lot offun! We got to go over to Eastern Wash-ington to camp and go river rafting. We

also got to go to a dam, as well as a wind-mill farm. All in all, it was a wonderfulexperience, and I'd do it again."

Marcus Johns

Movie Night PresentingBroken LimbsJoin us on Saturday,November 7 at 7:00p.m. for a showing ofthe movie BrokenLimbs. This storytakes place in ourown backyard - We-natchee, Washington,

the "Apple Capital of the World". Thispastoral valley in the heart of the North-west prospered for nearly a century ashome to the famed Washington apple. Butthe good times have vanished. Apple or-chardists by the thousands are going outof business and thousands more await thedreaded letter from the bank, announcingthe end of their livelihoods and a uniquelyAmerican way of life.

After his own father receives just such aletter, filmmaker Guy Evans sets out on ajourney to find out what went wrong herein this natural Garden of Eden. Over thecourse of filming, Evans witnesses smallfarmers struggling to compete against theGoliaths that populate today's globaleconomy, only to be ultimately forced offtheir land. The future looks grim for theApple Capital until Evans happens uponan entirely new breed of farmer, practitio-ners of a new model called "sustainableagriculture".

BROKEN LIMBS explores these hopefulstirrings within agriculture, outliningways in which any individual can play arole in saving America's farmers

Date: November 7, 2009Time: 7:00 pmLocation: Northlake Unitarian Universal-ist Church, 308 4th Avenue S., Kirkland

Well enjoy refreshments and discussionafter the movie.

Broken Limbs is a very accurate and

moving description of what is happen-

ing to agriculture in America." - Fred

Kirschenmann, Director, Center for

Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State

University, organic farmer

Save the date!! Volunteer for the Annual Holiday Gift

This is the 21st year for the HolidayGift Wrap at REI in Redmond and afterthe snow closing us down last year, weare back!!! Join other Auduboners inwrapping gifts and raising money forEastside Audubon at REI. In additionto setting up our tables at REI in Red-mond, well also be wrapping gifts at

the newer REI in Issaquah.We will be wrapping gifts for the 6days before Christmas (December 19ththrough 24th) with morning, afternoon

and evening shifts. All the details arecoming later.

To volunteer, please call Helen LaBouy at206-915-1345 or [email protected] to let her know:

Which REI store you prefer;

What dates and shifts work for you.

If you are unable to volunteer for a fullshift (usually 3 hours) and you can giveat least two hours, please let us know.


9/11


Eastside Audubon Endorses Kirkland Utility Tax, Proposition OneKirkland, like other cities in Washington,is devastated by the current economicdownturn. Significant cuts have alreadybeen made in all departments, includingseasonal Parks Department staff. Parksmaintenance has been deferred and water-ing of newly planted trees has fallen to theresponsibility of volunteers during the

summer season.

Proposition One will avoid further ParksDepartment cuts as well as the loss of the

Volunteer Ranger program at Juanita BayPark. Volunteer Rangers are the stewardsof this unique park. It seems that no mat-ter when you visit, theres usually a Vol-unteer Ranger there. And their help withthe EAS Youth Education Committee hasbeen invaluable. Mary Britton-Simmons,Youth Education Chair, says Volunteer

Rangers have always been there to helpwith the numerous school groups theCommittee has lead at the park.

Proposition One will increase the CitysUtility Tax by 1 %. This amounts to anaverage of $6.00 per month, depending onthe size of the house. Utility taxes aremore stable than retails sales tax, whichprovides most of the citys funding. Thepassage of Proposition 1 will move theCity of Kirkland closer to a more reliable

funding source and provide funding toavert further significant cuts.

Tim McGruder

Eastside Audubon Urges a No Vote on I-1033Over 200 Washington State organizationsincluding Tahoma Audubon, VancouverAudubon, Seattle Audubon, AudubonWashington, The Nature Conservancy,The Trust for Public Lands, and the SierraClub, Cascade Chapter have endorsed a

No vote on I-1033 according to the oppo-nents Web site www.no1033.com. Theinitiatives official Web sitewww.VotersWantMoreChoices.com doesnot list any endorsements. Opponents ofthe bill state that the bill will reduce theincome to cities, counties and the stateand will affect poorer areas more severelyreducing the quality of life and services toWashingtonians. They also say the initia-tive will reduce tax income so severelythat it will make recovery from the reces-sion more difficult affecting cuts to

schools, and health care. The overviewbelow is excerpted from the WashingtonResearch Council Policy Brief.

Overview

Which governments does the I-1033

cover? The initiative applies to the majortaxing districts in the state: state govern-ment itself, counties and cities. It does notapply to other local jurisdictions such asschool districts, ports, fire districts, librarydistricts, and so on.

What does I-1033 do? The initiativeplaces an annual limit on the amount ofrevenue from taxes, fees, and other gov-ernmental charges that can be depositedto each covered jurisdictions generalfund. General-fund designated revenuesabove the limit are to be deposited in thejurisdictions Lower [State, City orCounty, as appropriate] Property TaxesAccount rather than the general fund.

The money deposited in the lower prop-erty taxes account is then rebated to tax-payers through a reduction in the follow-

ing years property tax levy.

How is the limit determined? For any cal-endar year, the rate of growth in depositsto a jurisdictions general fund could beno greater than the combination of thejurisdictions rate of population growthand the national rate of consumer priceinflation, the same two variables that de-termined the growth factor used in theInitiative 601 state general fund spendinglimit adopted by the voters here in 1993.

When would the limit become effective?

General fund revenue would first be lim-ited in calendar year 2010.

Andrew McCormick

Recycling StyrofoamSome months ago a wise and very stub-born woman began a business. She's recy-cling chunks of styrofoam (this is ex-panded polystyrene, also termed "packingframes"). Until now this material was notbeing recycled in our area, butwas steadily being added to landfill ingreat quantities. It does not disintegrate.

Marilyn Lauderdale has worked for IKEAin Renton many years, and that companyhas given her space for taking on thischallenge. She needs all the clean, airystyrofoam she can get as it takes 90pounds of styrofoam for one pound of

final product. We all need to support herefforts, so if you know of a businessowner who receives items requiring styro-foam/packing frames for shipment,or someone who recently bought a com-puter or TV with styrofoam frames in theshipping box, please alert them ofMarilyn's business. Processed styrofoam

will be shipped and marketed to becomeuseful materials, such as computer andTV casings.

The business web site iswww.styrorecycle.com. The business is

located at the south Renton warehousewith a loading dock, and is open Tuesdaythrough Saturday, 10 am to 6:30 pm. Lo-cation: west of the third IKEA building,accessed from the driveway betweenIKEA and Alliance Packaging betweenSW 41st St. and SW 43rd St.

Bev and Hugh Jennings


10/11


Peregrine RescueAnother day at the office and just enoughrain to make the summer weeds pull eas-ily. Sigh. Maybe I can work outside thisweekend.

But wait! Theres a desperate message onthe answering machine an injured hawkat Juanita Bay Park. Hes just sitting there

on the boardwalk while everyone walksaround him - doesnt seem natural some-how.

Oh, but she called last night! Could hestill be there and alive after the rain andcold? I call my trusty helper, Tim, andhes nearby too so we agree to meet at thePark. I call the woman who reported thebird and she tells me exactly where tolook. She also reports that the bird hadbeen seen the day before in the same spot.

I call MaryFrances Mathis, our JuanitaBay Park expert and ask if shed heardanything. Nada. We figure its a red-tailedhawk.

I jump in my car and survey the contentsfor possible bird-catching material. Luck-ily my fleece jacket is thrown in the back.Theres a life at stake - I cant worryabout damage or dirt now. Tim also pullsout an old tablecloth - now a painting dropcloth - and we figure between the two ofus we have enough yardage to blanket thebird and pick him up safely. Over theyears weve learned that if you cover a

birds head, theyre calmer and easier tohandle.

We take off at a fast pace towards the farboardwalk and hail a couple coming downthe path towards us. Have you seen ahawk down on the ground? They werethrilled to report exactly where theydseen the bird and how he sat there whilethey walked around him. Thus we learnedhes in the same spot as reported lastnight.

Rushing toward the far boardwalk alongthe narrow shortcut pathway, we dodgeerrant blackberry vines and wet branchessticking out in our route. Not being asanctioned pathway, City maintenance isnil.

We hit the boardwalk and no bird visible.Turn left no bird; turn right and there heis! Not a redtail, but a beautiful gray Pere-

grine Falcon sitting onthe boardwalk tuckedunder the rail. He seesus approach and thentucks his head underhis wing for a quietnap. This isnt normalwild bird behavior.

Tim walks past thebird and then we ad-vance on either side ofhim, coat and dropcloth spread to en-velop the bird thebig fear that he willscoot away. We coverand scoop him up and,oh, the squawk! Hewasnt happy with thisnew development atall. We have the coatwrapped around himand the drop clothunder him creating amish mash bundle, butdont see any way toneaten it out withoutcausing too muchtrauma.

We hike up to the carand Tim secures theseatbelt around the bird and me. By thebirds squawking Id say he doesnt much

care for riding in the car either. We safelydeposit him at Inglemoore Animal Hospi-tal in Kenmore, give them a donation tobe passed on to Sarvey Wildlife Center(who will pick up the bird for treatmentand release) and go on our merry way.

I hurriedly send an email off to Sarveyasking for information when they receiveand assess the bird. At 9:59 that night,Leslie emails and I learn that its an adultmail Peregrine, on the thin side but stand-ing, which is a good sign. Theyre givinghim fluid therapy and will know more in

the morning.

My fingers are crossed and Im compul-sive about checking my email hopingfor any word. In the morning they treatedhim for trichomonias which Peregrinesoften get from pigeons and doves and willbe starting food soon. Im on cloud 9 thebird is making progress.

Then the hammer falls. Leslie emails andsays the Peregrine has died. Im heartbro-

ken and feel under a black cloud the restof the week. If only someone had calledthe office or a vet sooner, the bird mayhave not been in such terrible shape whenhe was finally picked up. How do we edu-cation the general public about the valueof these birds.

We birders celebrate every Peregrine fal-con that fledges (28 in the last 15 years)off the Washington Mutual tower in Seat-tle, and mourn the loss of those that dontmake it. Now another one of these mag-nificent birds has passed on to the next

world. Jan McGruder

Jan McGruder, bearing bird-catching material


11/11


Wild Geese Flying

Aware at first only of the dust of sound

Drifting down to us here in the yard,

I saw him look up, searching fathoms of air

As for tidings,

Some urgent spirits honking aloft:

Wild geese there-and my eyes strained after,

Into that azure,

Then, there they were: there,

Flying in a straggle, so high, a wonder,

Glinting like wafers, silver fish-

Scales in the sun,

Strewing of foil confetti, yet aimed;

The string of a kites tail

Dipping, being drawn

Through that gulf stream of air

By their migrant passion; - at the edge

Of sight, I still found them.

Then , abruptly,

Nowhere.

Barbara Howes

Family Birding AdventureJuanita Bay Park will once again be thevenue for Eastside Audubons familybirding adventure. Join members of theEducation Committee on November 22,Sunday, from 1:00-3:00 and explore thewonderful world of birds, wetlands and

other animals. Bring your children,grandchildren and neighbors on thisNovember adventure. All ages (onemonth to 99 years young) are welcome.If you have binoculars, please bringthem to get a closer look at migratoryand year-round birds. And remember todress for the weather. Layer up! Like

the birds, we will be thererain orshine.

Date: Sunday, November 22, 2009

Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Meeting place: The informational

board located at the lower end of theJuanita Bay Park parking lot (acrossfrom the fire station)

Thanks to

Sweet Cakes

Have you noticed the wonderful cakes andcupcakes being served at our meetings?They have been donated by Sweet Cakesof 128 Park Lane in Kirkland. Sweet Cakesmakes custom desserts, cakes, cookies andmore. They do custom orders too!

Thank you Sweet Cakes for your deli-cious and wonderful donations!

nov 2009 corvid crier newsletter eastside audubon society

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