volume 50, number 4 december 2004 / january 2005 december ... · didgeridoo. rex directs drumsum, a...

the Quail December 2004 / January 2005—1—

Volume 50, Number 4 December 2004 / January 2005

December: The Anatomy of Flight • Allan RidleyJanuary: Woodpecker Wonderland • Stephen Shunk

Meeting ScheduleThe next MDAS general meeting will beThursday, December 2, in the CamelliaRoom of The Gardens at Heather Farm,1540 Marchbanks Dr., Walnut Creek (seemap on page 7).

6:30 PM Doors open

7:00 PM Birding Information

7:25 PM Announcements and business

7:40 PM Social time, refreshments*,door prize

8:05 PM—Program

The January meeting will be Thursday,January 6, 2005. Schedule as above.

* Please remember to bring a cup.

The Anatomy of Flight

We’ve all marveled at the wonder ofbirds in flight. Yet have you consideredspecialized anatomy of these featheredcreatures; the structure of the wing, themuscles that power flight or the precisecoordination of wings, tail, vision andsurface sensation involved in the flightof birds? How do raptors float in the airso effortlessly? How do Greylag Geesefly over the highest Himalayas while wehumans stagger up these peaks breath-ing from oxygen tanks? How does asongbird fly full speed into the haven ofa tree and land without crashing? Whatare the actual motions and positions ofwing and feathers and tail as a bird liftsinto the air and propels itself forward,turns, lands?

In this hands-on presentation we willexamine a bird skeleton, the structure offeathers and the wings of owls, song-birds and a Laysan Albatross. We willdiscuss and view by computer projec-tion some of the adaptations of avianrespiratory and nervous systems thatallow birds to perform these amazingfeats of flight.

Allan Ridley, a lifelong birder, has taughtbiology and ornithology at the UrbanSchool in San Francisco for 35 years. He

Kestrel in flight, Courtesy R.W. Scott

and his wife Helen have led birdingtrips in the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica,Australia and New Zealand. On the firstSunday of each month, at 8:00AM, theylead a GGAS field trip through the SanFrancisco Botanical Gardens at StrybingArboretum.

December Birding Information will bejust plain fun! Rex Womack, newly re-tired Contra Costa County Water Dis-trict microbiologist will perform on hisdidgeridoo. Rex directs Drumsum, aseven member band that interprets vari-ous rhythms from around the worldwith vocals, didgeridoos, percussionand melodic instruments. This eveninghe will perform solo and share his ex-pertise on the fascinating Australiandidgeridoo. He has promised some holi-day tunes. Not an easy feat.

Woodpecker Wonderland

In the heartof Oregon,on the dryside of theCascades,11 speciesof wood-pecker raisetheir youngeach sum-mer— allwithin amere 30-mile swathof forest.The region’s volcanic soils and an ex-traordinary annual precipitation gradi-ent provide the foundation for tremen-dous habitat diversity, and the proof isin the Picidae. White-headed Wood-peckers abound in the ponderosa pine

forest, while Lewis’s breed to the east atthe juniper-pine interface. Three-toedand Black-backed Woodpeckers reachfrom the subalpine lodgepole pine for-est to the blackest of burns. Three dif-ferent sapsuckers hold territoriesthroughout the region, including fre-quently encountered hybrids. The ma-jestic Pileated Woodpecker “spills over”from its typical West Cascades habitatinto the mature forests of the easternslope, and Hairy, Downy and Flickeroccupy just about any suitable habitatthroughout the region. This incrediblecollection of woodpeckers allows closeobservation of their unique habits andbehaviors, from courtship and nestingto foraging and territory defense. Thewhole experience has appropriatelydubbed the region, “Woodpecker Won-derland.”

Join Oregon naturalist, Stephen Shunk,for this exciting introduction to the ecol-ogy and natural history of Central

Continued on page 2

White-headed WoodpeckerPhoto by Stephen Shunk


Oregon’s woodpeckers. Steve will coveridentification, habitat preferences, court-ship and communication, as well as cur-rent woodpecker monitoring and con-servation projects in Woodpecker Won-derland.

Stephen Shunk got hooked on birdingin 1989 while teaching for the Youth Sci-ence Institute in Alum Rock Park. Withinthree years, he was leading birdingclasses and short tours in the South BayArea. Steve formally fledged his bird-ing tour company, Paradise Birding, in1997, and he currently leads tours inWashington, Oregon, California, Texasand Alberta. Steve co-founded the Or-egon Birding Trails program in 2001 andserved as project coordinator for theOregon Cascades Birding Trail. Throughthe East Cascades Bird ConservancySteve leads numerous volunteer fieldstudies, including woodpecker surveyson the Deschutes National Forest.

January Birding Information will behandled by Jimm Edgar and MauryStern. They will give their annual reporton the Contra Costa County ChristmasBird Count and the East County BirdCount.

Woodpecker Wonderland Cont’d from Page 1

WelcomeNew MembersValerie and David Hutton

Walnut Creek

Dear Audubon Supporter,

Your Mt Diablo Audubon Chapter is is-suing its once-a-year request for sup-port. We only ask once each year so wecan minimize the time and resources wespend fundraising. For the rest of theyear we can concentrate on the thingswe all love: leading bird walks, helpingset up homes for bluebirds and otherneedy nesters, teaching children aboutthe environment, helping preserve orrestoring our local creeks, wet lands andopen space for wildlife and people.

For 52 years, our Chapter has contrib-uted to education, activities and policiesimportant to our community’s health. Toremain strong and healthy, our ContraCosta community must include wildlifediversity and protect natural places forreflection, rejuvenation, and as a heri-tage for future generations.

Please help us to fund our local pro-grams and to increase the number ofpeople we educate and serve. The con-tinued success of these fine programs isassured by your support and donations.Important community programs andgoals in 2004-2005 include:

• Further enhancement of the nativevegetation at McNabney Marsh atWaterbird Park in partnership with Mt.View Sanitary District and East Bay Re-gional Park District. Establish monthlybird walks for families at McNabneyMarsh and Waterbird Park.

• Continued participation in restorationprojects in Heather Farm Park in Wal-nut Creek and in Martinez.

• Expand our environmental outreachand activities.

• Further development of MDASwebsite (www.diabloaudubon.com/index.php) for education, communica-tion, and membership growth.

• Continued expansion of our school-based educational programs and out-reach.

• Fifty two field trips, ten monthly meet-ings and ten issues of The Quail

• Two Contra Costa County ChristmasBird Counts and the Contra Costa

County Breeding Bird Atlas compilationand pre-publication planning (comingsoon!).

You have received additional informa-tion in the mail You can make your do-nation on your credit card on ourwebsite www.diabloaudubon.com/index.php, by clicking on the button“Make A Difference” on the left side ofthe screen and filling in the information.Or, you can mail in your donation in theenvelope you received.

For more information about these andour many other programs, please checkour web site or contact me at (925) 798-0303 or [email protected].

Thank you for your support and goodbirding,

Mike Williams, MDAS President

MDAS Makes Once-a-Year Requestfor Support

Birding FestivalsSan Francisco Bay Flyway Festival.January 21-23, Mare Island. The Flywayfestival celebrates the return of over onemillion shorebirds and hundreds ofthousands of waterfowl which migratethrough or winter in San Francisco Bay.The Festival offers indoor hands-on ac-tivities for children, exhibits, slideshows, live bird demonstrations, nearbywetland and birding walks, and tours ofhistoric sites. There are also vendorsproviding nature-themed items and thebest variety of Birding Optics in North-ern California. For more information seehttp://www.sfbayflywayfestival.com/

Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival. Janu-ary 14–17. Halfway between the BayArea and Los Angeles, Morro Bay is onthe Pacific Flyway and is a part of theNational Estuary Program. The ninthannual Winter Bird Festival will offer 87events, including field and pelagic tripsthat should record more than 200 birdspecies from auklets to condors. Therewill be workshops in bird identification,sketching, digital photography, and gar-dening for birds, among others.

Many events will have limited space, soearly registration is encouraged. AfterJanuary 4, registration will be on siteonly. Full information and forms areavailable at www.morro-bay.net/birds.

Pacific Russet-backed ThrushHylocichla ustulata ustulata

Birds of Golden Gate ParkJoseph Mailliard

1930


This bird was named inhonor of a nineteenthcentury American natu-ralist whose specialtywas collecting birds’

eggs. Ironically, these birds are on theAudubon Watch List because they breedonly on a few small islands where theireggs are sometimes poached (in two dif-ferent ways?). Answer on Page 6

Q

At least 18 Horned Grebes along theRichmond Shoreline near Pt. Isabel on10/11 seemed like a large concentrationfor such an early date (SG).

Three American White Pelicans were onSan Pablo Reservoir on on 9/30 (SG) andsix were noted there on 10/4 (WH).

Eighteen Cattle Egrets were at HollandTract, east of Knightsen, on 11/1. Twomore were found the same day near theeast end of Camino Diablo in Byron (SG,FO).

The long-lived residentmale Harlequin Duckcontinued at Brooks Is-land, Richmond throughat least 10/11; it wasjoined by a Long-tailedDuck (formerly calledOldsquaw) on that sameday (SG).

Two immature BaldEagles were along Camino Diablo near“old” Vasco Road near Byron on 11/1(SG, FO). A beautiful dark-phase Fer-ruginous Hawk was near the Byron Air-port on 11/1 (SG, FO).

A “flock” of Wild Turkeys was notedalong Taylor Blvd. in northeast Lafayetteon 10/30 (BE), yet another new locationfor this increasing species.

At least nine Sandhill Cranes were atHolland Tract, east of Knightsen, on 11/1(SG, FO). This is an early date for thecounty but they may well be regular atthis site by October.

Two Wandering Tattlers were reportedfrom the northeast corner of the AlbanyCrescent on 9/24 (anonymous “Birdbox”report).

A female Flicker reported to be a pure“Yellow-shafted” was at the south endof S. 32nd Street in Richmond on 10/22

(BB). Observers should remain cautiousas a large percentage of such reports per-tain to hybrids or intergrades.

A Willow Flycatcher in San Ramon on9/24 was a rare suburban find for thecounty (DB). Another Willow on 10/1 atMartinez Regional Shoreline (SG) wasmuch later than most county records. APacific-slope Flycatcher near Marina BayParkway, Richmond was noted on the lo-cally late date of 10/7 (BB).

A male Western Blue-bird at Martinez Re-gional Shoreline 10/1seemed out-of-place; arethey regular here? (SG).

A White-throated Spar-row along Regatta Blvd.near the Richmondshoreline 10/22 provideda rare record for that area(BB).

Three male Great-tailed Grackles wereat the golf course pond on East CountryClub Road, just north of Balfour, inBrentwood on 10/21 (SG). A female washere early last winter.

A male Lawrence’s Goldfinch 10/22 inan Antioch yard was a nice feeder findand a rarity so far east in the county(Paul ?).

Bob Battagin, Dennis Braddy, Bill Espey,Steve Glover, Wen Hse, Frances Oliver

October Observations By Steve Glover

Long-tailed Duck

2005 Entertainment Books

A marvelous Christmas gift and only$20! Buy for friends and for yourself.

Save up to 50% on restaurants, travel,entertainment, retail and much more.Three easy ways to purchase:

(1) Pick up your great savings bookat Wild Birds Unlimited, 692 ContraCosta Blvd., Pleasant Hill (2) Buy atthe December general meeting or (3)Shop on line (choose from more than150 out-of-town editions). Go to theMDAS web site diabloaudubon.comand use the easy link toentertainment.com under “Shop-ping.” To ensure MDAS will receivea portion of the purchase price, besure to include our code, 175587,when ordering.

NEWS FROM

WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED

Holiday Open House

Saturday, December 4

• Free Refreshments

• Free Gift with Each Purchase

• Free Gift for the Birds

• Prize Drawings

Winter is our favorite time of the yearfor backyard birdfeeding. White andGolden-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyedJuncos, Red-breasted Nuthatches are allvisiting the feeders. American Goldfinchnumbers are beginning to increase.

Each fall and winter we are always onthe outlook for Pine Siskins. 8-9 years agothousands of this irruptive species stayedall winter. They are back in great num-bers this year. Many flocks fo 50 or moreare being reported. It is a lot of fun towatch these very sociable birds. If youstand with a birdfeeder in your hand, theywill come and eat while you are holdingthe feeder! They often travel with gold-finches. Both species love thistle (niger)seed and readily come to bird feeders.

Birding Optics Seminars

Saturday, December 11

Mike Williams, of WBU and a mem-ber of MDAS, will lead a FREE workshopon “How to Buy Birding Optics” on Sat-urday, December 11 at 10:30 AM at WildBirds Unlimited. Have you seen the EagleRangers that close focus at under 6 feet?

There will also be many other brandsof binoculars and spotting scopes on dis-play. As seating is limited, please RSVP.

Mike & Cecil WilliamsWild Birds Unlimited692 Contra Costa Blvd.Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

925-798-0303Visit us at www.wbupleasanthill.com


Field Trip Schedule By Elizabeth Dickey

For the full list of field trips through Summer 2005, see the October Quail.

Field trips are open to members and non-members, beginners and masters. Weatheror other contingencies may require changes. For updates, read the Quail, visit theMDAS website at www.diabloaudubon.com/index/php, or call the Audubon tapedrecording at (925) 283-8266. Trip directions and meeting times will be published inthe Quail. Customary carpool expense is 37½ cents per mile, plus tolls and entryfees, shared among driver and riders. Category 1: Easy, little or no walking, smoothpaths; Category 2: Moderate, one mile or more, possibly rough terrain; Category3: Difficult, extensive walking on rough terrain.

December1 Wednesday Hidden Lakes

4–5 Saturday–SundaySacramento Refuges

8 Wednesday Niles Canyon11 Saturday Palo Alto (high tide)

December–January Field TripsWednesday, December 1, HiddenLakes. Meet 8:00AM in parking lot atintersection of Morello Avenue andChilpancingo Parkway, Martinez. Morn-ing walk through oak woodland andlake shore. Trails may be muddy. Thishas been a productive area for winterbirds. Leader: Elizabeth Dickey, 254-0486. Category 2.

Saturday–Sunday, December 4–5, Sac-ramento National Wildlife Refuges.Meet at 9AM on Saturday at the VisitorCenter of the Sacramento NWR. ExitHighway 5 at the Norman exit and gonorth on the frontage road. Follow thesigns to the Visitor Center Parking Lot.There is an entry fee of $5.00 or so. Wewill visit the Sacramento NWR, DelevanNWR and Colusa NWR on Saturdaythen work our way over to Yuba Citywhere several participants usually stayovernight and have dinner together ifyou choose. Yuba City has motels andB& B’s in a wide price range such as BestWestern Bonanza (530) 674-8824, DaysInn (530) 674-1711, and the Holiday InnExpress (530) 674-1650. Make your res-ervations now.

On Sunday meet at the first parking lotat the entry booth of Gray Lodge Wild-life Area. If you are coming for the dayfrom the Bay Area take I-80 to SR 113.At Tudor, take US 99 north toPennington Rd. to the refuge entrance.

We have a chance to see 80-100 speciesthat may include Snow and Ross’s

January6 Thursday Tilden Regional Park8 Saturday Putah Creek

12 Wednesday Lake Merrit15 Saturday Santa Cruz20 Thursday Thornton26 Wednesday East Contra Costa

Geese, Eurasian Wigeon, White-facedIbis, American Bittern, Bald Eagle andmaybe even the rare “Blue Goose” formof the Snow Goose. If you plan to go,call the leader Joel Summerhill at (925)753-0862. Category 1.

Wednesday, December 8, Lower NilesCanyon. Carpool leaves La Gonda Way8:00 AM. From I-680 southbound, exit atEl Pintado, turn right and right again.Park along open space. from I-680 north-bound, exit El Cerro, turn left, then rightat second light onto La Gonda; carpoolpoint is about one half mile north. Meetat the Vallajo Mill Park in Fremont. TakeI-680 south to Niles Canyon exit. Park isat the mouth of the canyon on right handside. We follow Alameda Creek andsome of the old gravel pits which havebeen re-landscaped as parkland. Leader:Jimm Edgar, (510) 658-2330. Category 2.

Saturday, December 11, Palo AltoBaylands. Carpool leaves La GondaWay 8:00 AM. Meet in parking lot at endof Embarcadero Road at 9:30. From 101take Embarcadero east. This is a hightide and Clapper Rails are almost alwaysseen in the marsh; Black Rails are an ex-citing possiblity. Leader: ElizabethDickey, 254-0486. Category 1.

Thursday, January 6, Tilden Park. Meet8:00 AM in parking lot at InspirationPoint. We will bird around the park de-pending on trail conditions. Leader:Elizabeth Dickey, 254-0486. Category 2.

Saturday, January 8, Putah Creek. Car-pool leaves southwest corner Sun Val-ley parking lot at 7:45 AM. Meet at cor-ner of Cherry Glen and Pleasants ValleyRoads at 8:45. Take Cherry Glen exitfrom I-80. Good trip for ducks hawks,etc. Have seen both Rock and CanyonWrens and Gnatcatcher. Leader: FredSafier, 937-2906. Category 1.

Wednesday, January 12, Lake Merritt.Carpool leaves Acalanes Avenue8:00 AM. From SR24 take Pleasant HillRoad north and turn right at the firststreet; park along the open space oncross street. Meet 8:30 AM in parking lotby lake. From SR 24 take Grand Avenueexit and turn left on Grand. Enter parkby Childrens’ Fairyland and follow roadaround to parking lot entrance on right.Ducks and herons, good place for Night-Heron. Leader: Elizabeth Dickey, 254-0486. Category 1.

Saturday, January 15, Santa Cruz. (Thistrip has been moved forward to avoidconflict with the Mare Island FlywayFestival which has some great field tripsas well as the events at headquarters.)Carpool leaves La Gonda Way 7:30 AM.Meet 9:00 AM at end of Blackburn Road.From SR 17 turn north onto SR1; turnleft onto Laurel (stop light intersection)and right onto Blackburn to the end.Seabirds, ducks, some shore birds; Per-egrine Falcon often seen. Also butterflytrees. Leader: Joel Summerhill, 753-0862.Category 1.

Thursday, January 20, Thornton. Car-pool leaves Sun Valley parking lot8:00 AM. Meet in rest area at end ofGlascock Road 8:45 AM. Take SR 4 toSR160; at Rio Vista, go right onto SR12for about 11 miles. Just after crossingsecond draw-bridge, turn left ontoGlascock Road and follow it to the end.This is the trip for Sandhill Cranes andswans. Leader: Elizabeth Dickey, 254-0486. Category 1.

Wednesday, January 26, East ContraCosta County. Carpool leaves Sun Val-ley parking lot 8:00 AM; no east countymeeting place. Call Elizabeth Dickey,254-0486 for information.


MDAS Christmas Count —2004

� I volunteer for the Central County

Christmas Bird Count on December 18.

� I volunteer for the East County

Christmas Bird Count on December 22.

� I volunteer for BOTH Christmas Bird

Counts, December 18 and 22.

� Put me wherever you need the help.

� I would prefer a hiking area.

� I would prefer a less strenuous area.

� I will monitor a feeder or garden.

Name:_____________________________

Telephone: _________________________

Address: ___________________________

City/Zip: ___________________________

Years of birding experience: ___________

Make $5 check payable to MDAS.Mail to: Jimm Edgar

4614 Jacobus Ave., Oakland, CA 94618.

105th Christmas Bird Count By Jimm Edgar

Central County Bird Count • Saturday, December 18 East County Bird Count • Wednesday, December 22

Until the end of the nineteenth centuryornithologists, lacking even a first-edi-tion Peterson’s Guide, made species iden-tifications by comparing skins of birdsthey shot with stuffed birds in their pri-vate collection or those in a museumtray. A popular way to add to their ref-erence skins was to participate in aChristmas Day hunt, a competition toshoot as many birds as possible. But in1900, Frank Chapman, a naturalist at theAmerican Museum of Natural Historyand editor of Bird Lore, forerunner toAudubon magazine, organized the first“Christmas Bird Census.”

Now, more than 50,000 observers par-ticipate each year in this all-day countof early-winter bird populations. The re-sults of their efforts are compiled intothe longest running database in ornithol-ogy, representing over a century of un-broken data on trends of early-winterbird populations across the Americas.This database can be accessed throughthe BirdSource website at http://www.birdsource.com. Simply put, theChristmas Bird Count, or “CBC”, is citi-zen science in action.

Anyone is welcome to participate, sincefield parties are set up so that inexperi-

enced observers are always out with sea-soned CBC veterans. A charge of $5helps to cover the costs of processingand publishing the data. Those whocount birds at their home feeders do notpay. As long as you live within one ofthe CBC circles, you are welcome tocount the birds at your feeder on thedesignated day.

You are invited to take part in this eventas MDAS will conduct two separatecounts, on Saturday, December 18, andWednesday, December 22. Rain will notstay our dedicated birders from theirappointed rounds.

Every pair of eyes is helpful in this en-deavor—you do not need to be an ex-pert bird watcher. Just bring your bin-oculars and a sense of comaraderie andfun. You may opt for either or both days.Feeder-watchers are encouraged, aswell, especially if you anticipate havingan unusual species in your yard.

As darkness concludes the counts therewill be a count-down dinner at Our

Savior’s Lutheran church on Carol Lanein Lafayette for the central count; andthe east count gathering is at RoundTable Pizza in Brentwood.

Sign up by completing the form below,or call Jimm Edgar at (510) 658-2330.


Heermann’s GullLarus heermanni

John Cassin named thisgull in honor ofDr. Adolphus LewisHeermann (1827-1865),one of the US Army sur-geon/naturalists whotraveled with the sur-veying parties and ex-plorers of the nine-teenth-century Ameri-can West.

Heermann’s Gulls breedalmost exclusively onthe islands in the Gulf of California. Notonly have the eggs been collected byhuman predators, but Yellow-footedGulls prey on the eggs and also on thechicks. Elegant Terns guard against simi-lar plunder of their own eggs by nest-ing inside Heermann’s Gull colonies.

After breeding is over in July,Heermann’s Gulls move north along the

a

coast as far as Vancouver Island; by De-cember, they begin their return journeyto arrive off Baja California by March.

The only North American gull with asooty gray body and a white head, theadult Heermann’s is also distinguishedby a red bill and black legs. Immaturebirds do not have the white head, buttheir black-tipped, red bills are key.

• For many MDAS birders, the high-light of the annual Yuba Pass trip is theopportunity to see the birds of the Si-erra Valley. The 130,000-acre Sierra Val-ley is the largest mountain valley in theSierra Nevada. It contains a mosaic ofhabitats, including chaparral, sagebrush,grasslands, marsh and the headwatersof the Feather River. More than 260 birdspecies have been observed in the val-ley, and its wetlands are an internation-ally renowned birding destination.

Unfortunately, the Sierra Valley is alsothe focus of intense development pres-sures from the Tahoe area 25 miles to

the south, and the City of Reno, 30 milesto the southeast. The Feather River LandTrust (FRLT) is part of a coalition of landtrusts working to protect the wildlifehabitat, scenic vistas and workingranches of the valley. Together with TheNature Conservancy, the CaliforniaRangeland Trust, and the Sierra BusinessCouncil, FRLT has helped to protectseven properties totaling nearly 18,000acres in the Feather River Watershed.

For the past two years, MDAS membershave been able to enjoy close viewing ofa number of sage species at FRLT’s 575-acre Maddalena property, located south

Conservation in Action By Nancy Wenninger

• On September 18, Coastal Cleanup Day, a volunteer “human tire chain” pulled 180 dis-carded tires out of Alhambra Creek at the Martinez Regional Shoreline. Thanks to a grantfrom Mt. Diablo Audubon Society, these tires will be shredded and used as ADC (“alternativedaily cover”) at the Altamont Landfill. The metal rims will also be recycled. This cleanup anddisposal will speed habitat recovery in the newly enhanced marsh and tidal channel, a projectcompleted by the East Bay Regional Park District, Caltrans and the City of Martinez.

of Highway 70 and west of County RoadA-24 in the heart of the Sierra Valleywetlands. In addition to pristine sagehabitat, the property contains two tribu-taries of the Feather River and supportsmore than 100 bird species, includingSandhill Cranes, Bald Eagles, White-faced Ibis, and a variety of waterfowland raptors. This year, birders particu-larly appreciated the new “comfort sta-tion” which provided welcome reliefafter a long morning of birding!

Most recently, FRLT partnered withThe Nature Conservancy to acquirethe 960-acre Heart K Ranch in theGenesee Valley in Plumas County.Extending nearly three miles alongIndian Creek, the Heart K Ranch con-tains important habitat, spectacularscenery and Native American culturalsites. The ranch supports a diversityof breeding migratory birds, as wellas river otters, black bear, beaver,mountain lions, Golden Eagles and ahost of other wildlife species.

In September, your MDAS Board of Di-rectors again voted to support FRLT’s vi-tal work with a donation of $500 from theMDAS Conservation Fund. Thanks to theongoing efforts of FRLT, habitat in thisvery special place is being protected forfuture generations of birds and people.

Field Trip ReportsOctober 21, Thursday, Big Break TrailFour birders enjoyed very nice weatheras they observed 43 species from EaredGrebe to House Sparrow. Chuck Groff

October 30, Saturday, Abbott’s LagoonFour members and guests met at thePoint Reyes headquarters for the trip outto Abbott’s Lagoon on a beautiful fallday. 62 species were seen with a goodsample of sparrows and other landbirds, a fair number of waterfowl and aspectacular day for raptors. Ten speciesof raptors were seen during the day in-cluding Osprey, Golden Eagle, PrairieFalcon, Ferruginous Hawk, and Red-shouldered Hawk. Perhaps somewhatdisappointing was the complete absenceof shorebirds at the Lagoon. Not a singleshorebird was seen! One of the peopleon the trip had been there two weeks agoand had seen thousands of shorebirds.A mystery to say the least. Jimm Edgar


the Quailis published 10 times a year by the

Mount Diablo Audubon Society• a nonprofit organization dedicated to habitatconservation and environmental education •

P.O. Box 53 • Walnut Creek, CA 94597-0053(925) AUD-UBON • (925) 283-8266

Mount Diablo Audubon Society generalmeetings are on the first Thursday of everymonth except July and August in the Camel-lia Room of the Garden Center at HeatherFarms, 1540 Marchbanks Drive, WalnutCreek. Board of Directors meets at 7 PM onthe second Thursday of every month in theconference room of Wild Birds Unlimited, 692Contra Costa Boulevard, Pleasant Hill. Allmembers are welcome and encouraged to at-tend.

Questions about membership or mailing ad-dresses? Call Ann McGregor, Membership Chair,at (925) 968-1677. MDAS membership includes10 issues of the Quail. A 1-year family member-ship in MDAS is $25/year or $500 for lifetimemembership (payable in two $250 annual pay-ments). National Audubon Society membershipincludes the Audubon magazine. Introductory 1-year membership is $20 or $30 for 2 years; mem-bership renewal is $35/year. To join MDAS orNAS, send a check payable to MDAS to AnnMcGregor, Membership Chair, 400 Oneida Ct.,Danville, 94526. SEND ADDRESS CHANGESfor both NAS and MDAS to P.O. Box 53, Wal-nut Creek, CA 94597-0053. Please send exhangebulletins for MDAS to the editor, 215 Calle LaMesa, Moraga, CA 94556.

MDAS Board of Directors

President: Mike Williams, 376-1631Vice President: Joe Frank, 674-1219Treasurer: Patrick King, 510-642-6522Board Secretary: Mike Tischler, 689-5552Sales Manager: Barbara Vaughn, 376-8732Programs: Alice Holmes, 938-1581Field Trips: Elizabeth Dickey, 254-0486Membership: Ann McGregor, 968-1677Volunteer Coordinator and Publicity:

Shirley Ellis, 938-3703Hospitality: Gerry ArgenalEducation: Cecil Williams, 376-1631Access: Beverly Hawley, 947-0479Chapter Development:

Joel Summerhill, 753-0862Hands-On Conservation:

Nancy Wenninger, 938-7987Christmas Count:

Jimm Edgar, (510) 658-2330Member-at-Large: Jean Richmond

Quail Editor: Ellis Myers, 284-4103215 Calle La Mesa

Moraga, CA [email protected]

Deadline for the February issue is January 11.

____ Please enroll my family and me as a member of the Mount Diablo Au-dubon Society for $25 for the year 2004-2005.

____ Please enroll me as a lifetime member for $500. Payment can be madein two annual payments of $250 each.

____ Please enroll the individual/family listed below as a gift membershipfor $25 for the year 2004-2005.

____ For an additional $20 (new NAS members only) or $35 (returning mem-bers), please enroll me in the National Audubon Society to receive four quar-terly issues of the Audubon Magazine.

____ I’m enclosing an additional donation of $_________.

Name __________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________

City, State ________________________________ Zip ________________

Phone ( ____ ) ___________________ Email ________________________

Card Number: __________________________________________________

____ Visa ____ MasterCard ________Expiration Date: ______________

Name on Card: __________________________________________________

Please make your tax-deductible check payable to:

MT. DIABLO AUDUBON SOCIETY and mail with this application to:

Membership Chair, 400 Oneida Court, Danville, CA 94526

MDAS MEMBERSHIP/RENEWAL APPLICATION

Driving directions: From Walnut Creek, take Ygnacio ValleyRoad to signal at Marchbanks Drive. Go left and followMarchbanks to the Garden Center opposite the GreeneryRestaurant. Turn left into parking lot. From Highway 680south, take Treat Blvd. to Bancroft. Go right to Ygnacio ValleyRoad, turn right and go one block past signal at N. San CarlosDr. (Heather Farm entrance). At Marchbanks Drive turn right.The Garden Center is located on the right in the second block.


QuickiesWeekend birding in California

South San Diego Bay

San Diego County, with its diversity ofhabitats from the coastline, bays andestuaries to the mountains, canyons anddeserts, won the 2004 contest forAmerica’s Birdiest County. Among theareas of high species totals, South SanDiego Bay is productive for waterfowl,shorebirds, and waders. There are twoareas of note, without including the ad-jacent Tijuana Estuary, the Tijuana RiverValley, Borderlands State Park andSmuggler’s Gulch between the end ofthe bay and the Mexican border.

One of five refuges of the San DiegoNational Wildlife Refuge Complex,Sweetwater Marsh National WildlifeRefuge is located on the east side of SanDiego Bay at the edge of Chula Vista andNational City. The Refuge is comprisedof 316 acres of salt marsh and coastaluplands along the Pacific Flyway. TheChula Vista Nature Center, operated by

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Reddish Egret, South San Diego Bay

the City of Chula Vista, offers visitorsopportunities for education, wildlifeinterpretation and viewing and a 1½-mile hiking trail on the refuge. There isa walk-through aviary and tidal sloughwhich is home to numerous species ofwater and shorebirds, including the en-dangered Light-footed Clapper Rail.The Nature Center is engaged in a cap-tive breeding program for this species.Over the last four years as many as 100individuals have been released inmarshes from Sweetwater to Seal Beach

The Nature Center is accessed only byshuttle tram from the parking lot at theend of E Street in Chula Vista.

Lying between Sweetwater Marsh andTijuana Slough, the South San Diego BayUnit was dedicated in 1999 to ensurethat thousands of shorebirds and water-fowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway,as well as the bay’s resident species, willcontinue to find a place. The South BayUnit was formed mostly from the saltevaporation ponds of the Western SaltWorks. South Bay is an important win-tering area for waterfowl, such as Scaupand Bufflehead, and for shorebirds, such

as Northern Phalarope and Red Knot. Itis also an important breeding ground forseabirds, including hundreds of pairs ofBlack Skimmer, Forster’s Tern andCaspian Tern. California Least Terns andGull-billed Terns also nest at the saltponds. In addition, there is a significantresident population of Belding’s Savan-nah Sparrow.

In Imperial Beach to the west of the saltponds, there is a fine vantage point andpath at the end of 7th Street. Birding isbest in winter. Possibilities are Red-breasted Merganser, Brant, Surf Scoter,Little-blue Heron, Common Goldeneye,and several species of loons. ReddishEgret (one was seen here in September)and Long-tailed Duck are sometimesfound.

South Bay provides habitat for six spe-cies of birds protected under the Fed-eral Endangered Species Act. South SanDiego Bay was recently designated as aWestern Hemisphere Shorebird Reservesite. All of the refuges in the San DiegoRefuge Complex have been designated“Globally Important Bird Areas” by theAmerican Bird Conservancy.

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