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 Mission: To promote the awareness, appreciation and protection of native birds and their habitats

through education, research and environmental activities.

Program Meetings for the general community are normally held on the third Monday of eachmonth at 6:30 p.m., at the Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. 8th St. In December the meeting is

held on the second Monday and in July and August there are no Program Meetings.

From the President

Welcome to fall in the North Valley. Summer warblers have been replaced by winterwaterfowl. The short pants and tee shirts have been put away for another year. Heavycoats, gloves and hats now hang by the door. This annual change of season is a primalforce that invigorates and motivates all the creatures on earth. Here at Altacal, fall

signals both a time for reflection as well as a call to action.On behalf of the Altacal Audubon Society I would like to thank all of our SupportingMembers and friends for helping make 2007 such a productive year. Many of you willremember that at this time last year we faced one of the greatest challenges in our over50-year history. We had declining financial support from National Audubon and nosystem in place to make up the difference. But out of necessity comes invention and our Local Chapter Supporting Membership was born. I can now happily report that we haveover 230 Supporting Members whose yearly membership dues ensure the viability of ourorganization. Much appreciation and gratitude go to all of you who have stepped up andmade this idea become reality. A classic example of how a relatively few dedicatedpeople can make a very big difference. Let’s make 2008 even better!

Sincerely,

Phil JohnsonPresident, Altacal Audubon SocietyFor: The Altacal Audubon Society Board of Directors

White-tailed KiteDecember/January, 2007/2008

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December Program - The Amazing Avian Abundance of the Lone Star

State, Monday, December 10, 6:30 p.m. at the Chico Creek Nature

CenterIn the spring of 2007 a group of Altacal members made an all-out assault on the State of Texas in an attempt to wring every possible species of bird from the 'Great State' in 12days. From the Piney Woods of eastern Texas to the 'gator-choked marshes of the Gulf 

Coast, to the legendary border area of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and up to theverdant Texas Hill Country you'll seemore warblers, vireos, herons,kingfishers and exotic border speciesthan you can imagine. Once you'veexperienced the sheer numbers anddiversity of birds presented in thisprogram, you too will have to agreethat EVERYTHING IS BIG INTEXAS!

Scott Huber is the Field Trip Directorfor Altacal Audubon and owner of BIGBIRDERS.com, a newly formedBirding Tour Company offering tripsbeginning in March of 2008

Roseate Spoonbill - Photo by Scott Huber

January Program – Designing Native Plant Landscapes for Wildlife

Monday, January 21, 6:30 p.m. at the Chico Creek Nature Center

Brian Williams presented his program, Designing Native Plant Landscapes for Wildlife,at the October 2007 meeting of the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native PlantSociety. He has graciously agreed to present it to us as well.

Brian’s presentation will focus on concepts of designing native plant landscapes forwildlife including important lessons about landscape context, structure, and the realitiesof attracting wildlife to space-limited settings. These concepts are supported by manyyears of first-person observations of wildlife-plant interactions and couched in aphilosophy of ecological sustainability,beauty, and respect for life. Brian has noformal training in landscape design, but thebackyard landscape of his one-and-only client

has been given rave reviews by a group of Master Gardeners, native plant enthusiasts,birders, and even the neighbors.

Inspired by the striking dependence of birdson distinct plant communities, Brian begantinkering with native plants around 1989. Hehas subsequently become a

Native Shrubs and Grasses in the Williams BackyardPhoto by Brian Williams.

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wildlife/plant/conservation ecologist (Williams Wildland Consulting), part-time teacher,and will soon be receiving a landscape contractor’s license. His plantings persist inLincoln, Granite Bay, and Natomas, but they are still in the conceptual stage at hisresidence on the Yuba/Butte county line where the Williams family lives in their self-constructed straw-bale, adobe-plastered home.

Upcoming Bird Walks and Birding Trips All of our field trips are open to beginning birders. Anyone with a sense of wonder is welcome to

participate.

December 1, Saturday – Raptor Run – Trip Leader: Jackson Shedd - Meet at the ChicoPark ‘n Ride on Rt. 32 (the lot nearest the freeway) at 8 a.m.We'll look for raptors in the Cottonwood Rd. and Nelson Ave.areas. Targets are Bald Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Rough-

legged Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Merlin, and Burrowing Owl aswell as more commonly seen species. Bring binoculars (andscope if you have one) water, and a lunch. We should be back around 1 p.m. For questions, contact Jackson Shedd at: jackson_shedd@sbcglobal.net. Rain cancels.  

Ferruginous Hawk 

December 8, Saturday - Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge – Trip Leader: Anne-Lise Feenstra - Meet at the refuge south of Willows at 8:45 a.m. Bring a picnic lunch.This is a great time to see wintering waterfowl and many other birds. Dress warm and

wear shoes for walking onthe nature trails. After thenature walk, we’ll drivethe auto-tour route, with astop for lunch at the

viewing platform. Thebirding trip will be overabout 2 p.m. There is a $3entrance fee per car.Heavy rain cancels. Formore information callAnne-Lise at 865-5254.

Viewing Platform and Geese at SNWR, Willows 

January 5, Saturday - Birds and Wildlife in the Area of the

Proposed M&T Gravel Mining Project – Trip Leaders: DawnGarcia and Scott Huber - Much has been debated about the proposedgravel mining operation on the M&T ranch just off of Chico RiverRoad that the Butte County Board of Supervisors has scheduled for avote on January 8, 2008. Altacal Audubon opposes this project basedon its impacts on native birds and wildlife, specifically a number of special status birds that have been identified as occurring at or near thesite. Please join Altacal field trip leaders Dawn Garcia and Scott

Sandhill Crane

Huber for a glimpse of the birds and wildlife in the area of this project as well as of theincredible abundance of species at the nearby Llano Seco unit of the Sacramento National

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Wildlife Refuge and come to your own conclusions about the potential impacts of thisproject. Meet at the Chico Park ‘n Ride (lot nearest the freeway) at 8 a.m. on SaturdayJanuary 5th to car-pool. The first portion of the trip will primarily be by carwith roadside stops along Chico River Road and Ord Ferry Road. The balance of themorning will be spent at the two viewing platforms at Llano Seco. A plethora of duck,goose, swan, shorebird and raptor species is anticipated, including Sandhill Cranes

and the rare Eurasian Wigeon. Bring binoculars and scopes if you have them. Scopeswill be set up for shared use. Dress warmly in layers, it can be very chilly on theplatforms. Rain will cancel this trip.

January 13, Sunday – Upper Bidwell Park – Trip Leader: PhilJohnson - We will start our walk along Big Chico Creek and circleback on one of the side hill trails in search of the wintering birds

of Bidwell Park. As always, beginners are most welcome. Bringbinoculars, hiking boots, a snack, and layers of clothing. Meet atthe Gun Club parking lot (across from the golf course) at 8:00a.m. The walk will go until 11:30 a.m. Call Phil at 570-7139 fordetails.

Yahi Trail

January 25-27, Friday-Sunday – 9th

Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific

Flyway – Many bird walks will be available over the weekend. Check theSnow Goose Festival web site.

You won’t want to miss these trips!

February 16, Saturday - Black Butte Lake – Trip Leader: Anne-Lise Feenstra - Meet

at Burger King in Orland (I 5 and Hwy. 32) at 8:30 a.m. We will bird-watch in thevicinity of the lake, along the lakeshore, and atthe dam overlook. Bring a picnic lunch and yourbinoculars. Dress warm, in layers, and wearsturdy shoes as there will be some hiking. Wehope to see Mountain Bluebirds, Lewis’s

Woodpeckers, Bald Eagles, Phainopeplas,American White Pelicans and other winter

birds. The trip will end about 2 p.m. Raincancels. Call Anne-Lise at 865-5254 for moreinformation.

Black Butte Dam and Lake

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count 

This year the Altacal Audubon Society will participate for the 52nd time in the annualAudubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Chico and in Oroville. More than 50,000observers nation-wide participate each year in this all-day census of early-winter birdpopulations. The results of their efforts are compiled into the longest-running database inornithology, representing over a century of unbroken data on trends of early-winter birdpopulations across the Americas. Simply put, it is citizen science in action.

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December 16, Sunday - Chico Christmas Bird Count – All levels of birders arewelcome to join us on the Chico Christmas bird count. Beginners will be paired up withexperienced birders. Bring warm clothes, hiking shoes, lunch, bird books andbinoculars. You will be assigned an area and spend the day counting all of the birds in

this area. If anyone is interested in doing just a half day, please let the compiler, PhilJohnson, (530-570-7139) know ahead of time so arrangements can be made for the day’sassignments. We will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Chico Creek Nature Center. At 5:00 p.m.we meet at Scott and Nina Campbell's place to compile our results. Scott and Nina will,as usual, be cooking us a great meal. For possibly updated information, check the Altacalweb site at www.altacal.org 

December 29, Saturday - Oroville Christmas Bird Count - All levels of birders arewelcome to join us on the Oroville Christmas bird count. Beginners will be paired upwith experienced birders. Bring warm clothes, hiking shoes, lunch, bird books andbinoculars. You will be assigned an area and spend the day counting all of the birds inthis area. If anyone is interested in doing just a half day, please let the compiler, PhilJohnson, (530-570-7139) know ahead of time so arrangements can be made for the day’sassignments. We will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Agricultural Commissioner's Office onNelson Rd. just east of Highway 70. At 5:00 p.m. there will be an optional dinner andcompilation at a local restaurant. For possibly updated information, check the Altacalweb site at www.altacal.org 

What Do The Count Data Tell Us?

The primary objective of the Christmas Bird Count is to monitor the status anddistribution of bird populations across the Western Hemisphere. The count period, whichis from December 14th to January 5th in North America, is referred to as "early winter,"

because many birds at this time are still in the late stages of their southward migration, soit is not "true" winter. When we combine these data with other surveys such as theBreeding Bird Survey, we begin to see a clearer picture of how the continent's birdpopulations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.

The information is also vital for conservation. For example, local trends in birdpopulations can indicate habitat fragmentation or signal an immediate environmentalthreat, such as groundwater contamination or poisoning from improper use of pesticides.From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors,everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and theexcitement of friendly competition and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a

difference for science and bird conservation. As long as there are birds to be counted, theChristmas Bird Count will go on being the most popular and rewarding bird census theworld over.

[Note: The 20 Chico CBC counters identified 106 species last year and the 16 Orovillecounters identified 117 species] 

Choose “California”, then “Chico” or “Oroville” for the full species list.

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Weather & Effort

Count Date: Dec 17, 2006

 Number of Participants: 20

 Number of Party Hours: 56.0

Species Reported: 106

 Low Temperature: 30

 High Temperature: 51

 AM Weather: Local fogRain: NoneSnow: None

 PM Weather: Partly cloudyRain: NoneSnow: None

 Participants:Sponsor:  

Compiler: Phil Johnson 

Secondary

Compiler(s): 

 Participants: Skip AugurScott CampbellMike FisherPam HansenScott Huber

Phil JohnsonSteve KingJennifer PattenAndy Tomaselli

Conservation Corner

Dawn Garcia, Conservation Chair 

M&T Chico Ranch Gravel Mine Project – Good for Wildlife? – We

Don’t Think So

The Altacal Audubon Society Board of Directors is formally opposing this proposedproject that is located adjacent to Little Chico Creek along River Road in Butte County,

five miles southwest of Chico. If you are familiar with the Llano Seco Unit of theSacramento River National Wildlife Refuge on 7-mile lane, and the incredible abundanceof wintering waterfowl, cranes, sparrows, raptors, waders, etc., in this area, you willunderstand the negative impact that this project will have on wildlife. This 30-yearproject proposes to mine gravel from 193-acres of property that has been alternatelyfarmed and left fallow. It includes documented Wetlands, Great Valley Oak Riparianvegetation along Little Chico Creek and mature Valley Oak Woodland habitats, allspecial habitats identified by the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB).These features make it prime habitat for a variety of wildlife.

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Bird species protected by the State that were observed on orlikely to use the proposed project site and proximate habitats(Little Chico Creek, Angel Slough) include, State ThreatenedSandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis), Swainson’s Hawk ( Buteo

swainsoni), and Black Rail  (  Laterallus jamaicensis). StateSpecies of Concern include Northern Harrier (Circus

cyaneus), Merlin (Falco columbaris), Burrowing Owl ( Athenecunicularia), Cooper’s Hawk ( Accipiter cooperi), Ferruginous

Hawk (  Buteo regalis), Golden Eagle  (  Aquila chrysaetos) andYellow Warbler ( Dendroica petechia).

Swainson’s Hawk Momma and Chick Photo by George Robertson 

Wildlife talking points:

•  Wildlife surveys were conducted over 10 years ago, and no report was submitted(4.7-3). Mitigation measures only call for spring “pre-construction.” If we allowthis project, surveys should be extended at least into summer and fall to evaluatethe full suite of fauna impacted by the project

•  California Natural Diversity Database (CNDBB) and California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) lists were reviewed in 2002. These lists are notcomprehensive and CNDDB states, “that the CNDDB should not be used “as anexhaustive and comprehensive inventory of all rare species and naturalcommunities statewide.” (CNDDB website 2007).

•  The project will displace listed wildlife due to gravel mining and likely greatlyincrease wildlife mortalities due to truck traffic, as gravel is hauled to the Skywayplant (routes from origin to destination will affect local traffic with 85% of thegravel trucks running through the City of Chico, 11 hours of operation, 5 days perweek and possibly on Saturdays).

• The project will remove riparian vegetation (a diminished habitat type), grassland,cropland, and oak woodland that provide valuable resources for an abundance of wildlife.

This is not a done deal and you can express your views to the Butte County Board of 

Supervisors. A vote for this project is slated for January 8h, 2008, in Oroville. We willkeep you posted. In the meantime please: 

Contact the Butte County Board of Supervisors:

Let them know that you are interested in wildlife and habitat impacts.

Bill Connelly <BConnelly@buttecounty.net> 538-6834Jane Dolan <JDolan@buttecounty.net> 891-2830Maureen Kirk <MKirk@buttecounty.net> 891-2800

Curt Josiassen <CJosiassen@buttecounty.net> 882-4447Kim Yamaguchi <KYamaguchi@buttecounty.net 872-6303

Review the Final Environmental Impact Report:

http://www.buttecounty.net/dds/Planning/Environmental%20Impact%20Report/EIR.htm and navigate to the sections in which you are interested. It is a huge document butsegmented into smaller chapters, (e.g. Biological Resources Chapter 4).

Write an opinion to one of these papers:CN&R <chicoletters@newsreview.com Chico Enterprise Record letters@chicoer.com Chico Beat <letters@chicobeat.com.>.

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AAS Supports River Partners Efforts to Restore the Del Rio Wildland

Preserve 

Our letter of support helped River Partners ( http://www.riverpartners.org/ ) continuedriparian vegetation restoration on the Del Rio Wildland Preserve, which is contiguouswith mature riparian forest on the Sacramento River. The Reclamation Board has

recently made a decision to allow River Partners to continue the restoration processwithout onerous taxation. The AAS Board and other letters from like-mindedorganizations and individuals contributed to this important decision. Thank you membersfor your support, we will continue to work for you in areas consistent with our mission.

Members of Altacal Audubon have actively documentedthe Del Rio restoration process by surveying birdsannually on the property since 2004. The site is importantfor providing new habitat for a variety of bird species. Wehave documented 41 species during our summer two-daysurveys, which only include detectable breeding birds. Avariety of raptors and songbirds will also use the site infall through spring. The change from a monocultureorchard to a multi-structured, multi-species plantcommunity will continue to provide valuable habitat forwildlife, particularly with its proximity to mature riparianvegetation. Eventually these sites may provide habitat forthe State Endangered Yellow-billed Cuckoo  (Coccyzus

americanus occidentalis), and other sensitive species thathave declined due to loss of riparian habitat.

Susan Efseaff, teacher at Chico Country DaySchool, and student plant a tree at Del Rio

Wildland Preserve/Dan Efseaff photo

No Lead Bullets in California Condor Country!

Big kudos to our members! If you are on our Altacal-in-Actionteam and/or read the newsletter regularly, you may havecomposed a letter or called Governor Schwarzenegger  askinghim to sign AB 821 to ban lead bullets in the habitat of theCalifornia Condor. He did it! The new law, authored byAssemblyman Pedro Nava, will require the use of non-lead

center-fire ammunition within the Department of Fish andGame’s deer hunting zones within current and potential Condorrange in California and will help the continued recovery of theCalifornia Condor.

California Condor

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Sister Society (Cape Cod Bird Club) News

From late October through late November the members of our Sister Society,the Cape Cod Bird Club, experienced sightings and events on Cape Cod thatundoubtedly seem exotic to many of us Northern California birders.

•  A pair of western vagrants turned up on the Cape - a WesternKingbird at Crane Wildlife Management Area in Falmouth and aRufous Hummingbird. The hummer was banded at a home inEastham and determined to be an adult female. These hummers arenative to the Pacific Northwest but are very prone to vagrancy. TheCape tends to attract more than its share of lost hummers in latefall. Earlier in the month a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher appeared inTruro on the exact same date that one was found last year in the samelocation

•  The hoped-for Common Redpolls began to invade from the north, thevanguard represented by a flock of 50 at Coast Guard Beach in

Eastham. 

•  An alarming number of owls, mainly Barred Owls, are being foundroad-killed in mainland Massachusetts right now and owl experts notethis has been an exceptional fall for owl migration, so Cape residentsare on the lookout for them on Cape as well.

•  Other sightings include 350 Bonaparte's Gulls  on Great Pond inEastham, plus 200 more flying by nearby First Encounter Beach and afew lingering White-rumped Sandpipers still being seen hiding outamong flocks of Dunlin in Eastham.

•  Whales could still be seen passing by off  Nauset Light and CoastGuard Beach along with dozens of Red-throated Loons and up to 60Greater Shearwaters. Meanwhile, folks aboard Mass Audubon's

Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary seal and seabird cruise in WellfleetHarbor on Saturday had great views of about 200 Gray and Harbor

Seals hauled out at Jeremy Point, not to mention Thick-billed Murres on the water and some fly-by Razorbills. 

•  In herpetological news, Spotted Salamanders, Green Frogs, andSpring Peepers were found crossing roads during some rainy nightroad-cruising in Eastham, and the number of  sea turtles ( mostly

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Kemp’s Ridleys) found cold-stunned on bay side beaches stands at 10for the season to date. These are the most endangered of the world'ssea turtles. Dropping water temperatures and strong winds are therecipe for turtle strandings. If Cape residents find a sea turtle they areurged to move it above the high tide line, cover the turtle with seaweedso it is no longer exposed to the cold wind, mark the spot with a piece

of obvious beach debris, and then call the Wellfleet Bay WildlifeSanctuary.

•  In late October many of the Cape’s winter seabirds returned en masse

including over 1300 Northern Gannets  and 2400 Black-legged

Kittiwakes enumerated off the outer beaches from Truro to Eastham.Thousands of  Common Eiders, all three Scoter species,  Red-

breasted Mergansers, and the first  Long-tailed Ducks of the fallshowed up. 

•  Brant, the winter sea goose characteristic of the Cape’s baysidebeaches, are back in numbers, with over 450 seen at Wellfleet Bay

Wildlife Sanctuary. These sea grazers feed mainly on eelgrass and thegreen algae known as sea lettuce. Other good birds visiting thesanctuary included a Black-headed Gull seen feeding among boilingstripers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a White-eyed Vireo, a Clay-

colored Sparrow, Rusty Blackbirds, an Eastern Meadowlark,Lapland Longspurs, Purple Finches, and a Snow Bunting.

•  Highlights from an all-day two-person sweep of the outer Capeincluded Greater, Sooty  and Manx Shearwaters, an American

Golden Plover in Provincetown, 28 White-rumped Sandpipers  inEastham, 28 Rusty Blackbirds in the Beech Forest in Provincetown,and a Baltimore Oriole in Truro.

Bird Man Bewick

Rex Burress

I’m sure most Altacal Audubon members have seen Bewick’s Wren  (Thryomanes

bewickii) somewhere in Butte County as they are permanent residents of this area andcommon. Although many of the ten North American species of wrens migrate southwardwhere they can find more insects, quite a few hang around the milder climate of California during the winter, gleaning insects and spiders from the nooks and crannies.

Interestingly, there are 59 species of wrens in the world – all exclusively in the Western

Hemisphere except one species – the Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), also foundin Europe where it is known as simply "wren."

Bewick’s Wren was discovered by our own John James Audubon, and he named it afterhis friend and famous wood-cut illustrator Thomas Bewick of England. As detailed in thebook, "Nature’s Engraver," by Jenny Uglow, Audubon, who met Bewick in his last years,stressed his ‘natural’, untutored talent. He said, ‘My opinion of this remarkable man is,that he was purely a son of nature, to whom alone he owned nearly all that characterizedhim as an artist and a man. Warm in his affection, of deep feeling, and possessed of avigorous imagination, with correct and penetrating observation, he needed littleextraneous aid to make him what he became, the first engraver on wood that England has

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produced. Look at his tail-pieces [tiny images at the end of stories], reader, and say if youever saw so much life represented before...’

A small set of impressions of birds made by Bewick’s boxwood engraving art was seenby Audubon. These small, delicate birds were the opposite of the glowing, life-sizedplates of Birds of America by John James Audubon, who was in Britain searching for aprinter in April, 1827. He hunted down Bewick in Newcastle, finding him in his

workshop at home. Like all who saw him, Audubon was struck by his appearance: ‘a tall,stout man, with a large head, and with eyes placed farther apart than those of any man Ihave ever seen: a perfect old Englishman, full of life, although 74 years of age, activeand prompt in his labors.’

Bewick’s art is universal, but foremost, he was a naturalist, finely attuned to the nature of the Tyne River valley, in a mid 1700's time when the very foundations of modernecology were being laid by a sudden popular trend for men to collect shells, plants, andstudy birds and wildlife. All of Bewick’s life he walked the banks of the river and heknew it in all of its moods. The great river flowed through his art, and at the end it waswaiting for him still. As a boy, he was down by the river from spring until autumn frost

and often in winter snow, and he began to look at nature’s shape, form, and color with thedetached, enquiring gaze common to both artist and scientist.

He always kept to the habit of making tiny sketches on odd scraps of paper, laying themup sometimes for years, to use later as the basis for tailpieces. Hundreds of his littledrawings still survive, full of movement, swift outlines and hazy horizons. Converted towood blocks later, the marks of Bewick’s graver are so delicate they might almost bedrawn with a needle, yet a whole life is there, framed in the curling foliage, with a skeinof birds soaring over the parish church beyond, all contained in a two-inch image.

The boxwood blocks were astonishingly hard and durable. One had printed over 900,000copies. He worked on his woodcuts of birds in the evening with two double-wickedcandles, and made all the tools himself. Bewick’s skill came from the constant habit of drawing as a child and long discipline in workshops learning engraving. His first book of "Land Birds," a volume of woodcuts and text by Beilby, was published in 1797, and 1874copies were quickly sold.

Walking was Bewick’s great escape, his own way of absorbing the history and life of hisregion (He never went out of England), watching the birds and noting the succession of wild flowers, ignorant still, he said, of the ‘great and good Linnaeus,’ whose works wereeven then laying down our modern Latin names. Bewick knew the flowers by their oldEnglish names–daisies, cowslips, primroses, etc.

Bewick was a conservationist before that word was known, condemning the habit of noprotection for songbirds as thousands were being eaten by villagers. Even in 1790,

thousands of larks were still sold in the London markets, an idea Bewick deplored. Hewas feeding backyard birds when people thought him eccentric, and he carried a 1794pocket telescope to study bird’s behavior.

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AviFact

Following up on Rex Burress’ interesting article onThomas Bewick, we thought it might be useful to commenton how Bewick’s name most likely should be pronounced.American birders will hear two variations used, BEE-wick or BYU-ick. A Director of The Bewick Society inBewick’s home territory of Northumberland, England toldus that “the correct pronunciation is definitely BYU-ik.”So, you’re in good company if you pronounce it like thename of the car (Buick). If you come up with a bettersource for pronunciation of his name, please let us know.[Thanks – Ed]. 

Image of Thomas Bewick courtesy of PicturesofEngland.com

Bird Walk and Birding Trip Reports 

September 28-30, Friday-Sunday - Point Reyes National Seashore – Trip Leader:Jennifer Patten - Seven enthusiastic birders met at Olema Resort RV Campground Fridayafternoon ready for a full weekend of birding the Point Reyes National Seashore area.Mike Fisher and Gaylord Grams were early birders as they arrived on Thursday andenjoyed a day of birding at the Limantour Beach area where they reported seeingPeregrine Falcon, Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, lots of assorted ducks and great up-close

looks at several Wrentits. 

The weather Friday evening wascool, windy, and cloudy. With acampfire and our down sleepingbags to keep us warm we weretreated to the calls of 

Great Horned Owls andCoyotes  throughout the night.We were a little worried aboutthe weather and if it wouldcontinue this way but to ourdelight Saturday and Sundayturned out to be perfect, warmand sunny with little wind.

Mike Fisher, Nancy Nelson, Jennifer Patten, Mike Simms and Gaylord Grams

Not in photo: Phil Johnson and Tim RucklePhoto by Tim Ruckle 

The Earthquake Trail at the Bear Valley Visitor Center is a favorite birding area for us.We ended up there Saturday and Sunday mornings as our first stops of the day. Thispaved trail takes you through open woodlands, and along a small creek lined withwillows and alders. Here are a few birds we saw; Spotted Towhee, Winter  andBewick’s Wren, Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Tree Swallow,Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pine Siskin, House Finch and Hermit and Swainson’s

Thrush. Sunday morning a covey of California Quail were feeding along the parkinglot area. As we watched a Cooper’s Hawk perched up in a tall pine tree he suddenlytook off and dove straight towards the quail with lightning speed, but missed and

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scattered the quail in every direction. Disappointed in his missed opportunity he perchedon a railing post for quite a while which gave us some good looks.

With the perfect weather continuing as we drove towards the coast we were treated to theabsolutely beautiful sight of northern California’s coastline and the Farallon Islands. Aswe proceeded taking the long walk from the parking lot to the Lighthouse, we saw manybirds: White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Northern

Harriers, four White-tailed Kites and a Peregrine Falcon. In the famous warblerCypress trees near the employees housing we saw a  Townsend’s and Black-throated

Gray Warbler  and a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. We also found an Anna’s

Hummingbird and a Rock Wren near by. At the Lighthouse, we scoped birds out tosea and along the rocky shoreline. Among them were Brown Pelicans, Double-crested,Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants, Black Turnstone, Heermann’s, Ring-billed andWestern Gulls. Whales were also present with many sighted by their blows.

We continued on to the historic ranches, A Ranch also called Nunes Ranch, and B Ranchwhich is called Mendoza Ranch. Each ranch has cypress trees that are magnets forvagrants. Here is where you will find rarities. We did not have much luck with any

rarities but did find a Great Horned Owl and a Barn Owl roosting in the trees.Drakes Beach, Fish Docks, and the F Ranch (abandoned), are popular with birders andhere we spent the rest of Saturday birding the willows and conifers along the parking lotof Drakes Beach and hiking the Chimney Rock Trailhead at Fish Docks wherenoteworthy seabirds are generally found around the docks and rocks. Birds that weadded  to our list were Yellow and Orange-crowned Warbler, Western Grebes, Surf 

Scoters, Common Loon, Common Murre, Western Tanager, Say’s Phoebe, Western

Bluebirds, and Killdeer.

On Sunday, we headed out to Abbott’s Lagoon. A trail of about 1.5 miles leads from theparking lot to the lagoon and the great beach. You also pass a fresh water pond where wespotted several different ducks: Northern Pintail, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Ring-

necked Duck, Ruddy Duck and Bufflehead. At the lagoon and beach we saw Sooty

Shearwater, Great Blue Heron, Sanderlings, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper,and Western Scrub-Jay. But the most notable birds actually were seen in the parking lotat Abbott’s Lagoon. When we first arrived, a beautiful Ferruginous Hawk was huntingthe coastal hills and at the same time was being harassed by several ravens. Then just aswe were about to leave for home, two Palm Warblers were spotted right in front of oneof our vehicles - one of those nice rarities we all look forward to seeing when we gobirding at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. In all, 116 avian species were seen. 

October 13, Saturday - Oxidation Ponds/Indian Fishery – Trip Leader: Mike Fisher -Sometimes you hit the weather just right as did the seven Altacal members who

assembled for this field trip. A warm, sunny morning greeted us and we drove straight tothe Chico Wastewater Treatment Plant (Oxidation Ponds). Waiting in the parking lot forlate arrivals gave us a chance to pick up some common birds including White-crowned

and  Golden-crowned Sparrows,  Brewer’s  and Red-winged Blackbirds,  Northern

Flicker, Northern Mockingbird, and Killdeer. On the walk that takes you around thesolar panel complex and to the ponds, we added Turkey Vulture,  Savannah  andLincoln’s Sparrow and a Red-tailed Hawk. The largest oxidation pond, on the eastside, contained mostly Mallard and Northern Shoveler. However, mixed in with themwere a few other ducks including Ring-necked, American Wigeon, Ruddy Duck  andalso a few Greater White-fronted Geese. Raptors, including Sharp-shinned Hawk,American Kestrel and Northern Harrier, landed nearby to give us great looks. A large

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number of mostly Violet-green but also a few Barn Swallows circled overhead. AMarsh Wren called from the reeds and a small flock of Western Bluebirds perched in atree. Great and Snowy Egrets made comparisons easy and the ever present Great Blue

Herons were out.

Then it was back to the cars for the 10-minute drive to Indian Fishery, part of theBidwell-Sacramento River State Park located where Sacramento Avenue meets River

Road. Right by the car we were treated to four species of woodpeckers; Nuttall’s,Downy, Acorn and Northern Flicker and a small flock of Cedar Waxwings  flew by.Along the trail we heard and saw White-breasted Nuthatch, Oak Titmouse, and Ruby-

crowned Kinglets  by the bushels. Other new birds for the day included Spotted andCalifornia Towhee, Bewick’s and House Wren, Lesser Goldfinch, Hermit Thrush,Anna’s Hummingbird, Red-shouldered Hawk and Belted Kingfisher. In addition tothe expected Yellow-rumped Warblers everyone was delighted to see an Orange-

crowned and two Black-throated Gray Warblers. But the best bird of the day camenear the end of the trail with great looks at a number of Golden-crowned Kinglets. Atotal of 59 species were seen.

October 21, Sunday – Butte Basin Field Trip – Trip Leader: Phil Johnson - Highlightsof the trip were two Merlins  seen foragingin the rice field to the east of the parking lotat the Llano Seco Unit of the SacramentoRiver National Wildlife Refuge. The northponds were still dry so we walked back tothe back platform. To the south the pondswere full of  Northern Pintails, with someAmerican Wigeon, Ruddy Ducks, andAmerican Coots present. We spotted oneGreen-winged Teal. White-faced Ibis

were working the north end of the ponds. AtButte Basin Habitat

the platform a small group of Cattle Egrets flew over us and we saw a variety of ducks,including Ring-necked Duck, Mallard, and Northern Shoveler. Northern Harriers 

were a constant presence over the marshes and dry uplands. White-tailed Kites  werehovering above the dried-up marshes to the north. Surprisingly few sparrows were about,but we did see a few White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, and Song

Sparrows. 

Along Road Z we got good looks at Wood Ducks  in the lily pond and saw maybe ahundred Black-Crowned Night-Herons in the willows behind the pond. Out in the rice

fields we had a huge flock of White-Fronted Geese with a few Snow Geese mixed in.On Nelson Rd. some in the party saw a Peregrine Falcon perched in a dry field. Theclear, windy weather gave us great views of Mt. Lassen, Mt. Shasta, the Sutter Buttes,Sierra Buttes, and the coast range.

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October 26, Friday – Owl Prowl – Sixteen people, including banders Dawn Garcia,Mike Fisher and Julie Nelson had a grand time on Altacal Audubon Society’s Owl Prowlbirding trip. Mike Fisher led the trip to the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve(BCCER) and was able to detect Northern Pygmy Owl and Western Screech-Owl.Then he brought the group up to the Northern Saw-whet Owl (NSWO) banding stationwhere Julie and Dawn had set up nets. They were a bit concerned because their previous

seven attempts at the site resulted in no detections of NSWO at this site. But, the time hadcome and the little birds graced the group with their presence. While Dawn talked about

the project Julie checked thenets with Site Director Jeff Mottand family Patty and Grace andthey brought back our first of the season NSWO - and aPallid Bat! What a perfect startto the Owl Prowl, under a fullmoon too! We captured anotherNSWO before the group

departed. Julie and Dawnstayed around another hour andcaptured one additional NSWOand a Western Screech Owl.

Grace Mott with a Northern Saw-whet OwlPhoto by Dawn Garcia

October 28, Sunday – Pine Creek Unit of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Complex - On a gorgeous fall day eleven birders from Chico, Paradise, and Orland hikedthe trails of the Pine Creek Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. Justtwo miles east of Hamilton City off Hwy. 32, this wildlife viewing area is a gem.Towering Cottonwoods, Sycamores and Valley Oaks, large areas planted with Willows,Coyote Bush, Wild Rose, Box Elder, and Wild Grape, create an incredible natural habitatfor all wildlife. Not only did we see 39 different species of birds in three hours, along theway we saw a Coyote, Garter Snake, Praying Mantis, and a very small bird’s nest withfour eggs. This nest was abandoned at some point as we noticed the eggs were alldiscolored.We had evidence of  Wild Turkey, finding several of their feathers, and noticing freshscat and tracks, but we did not see them. Birds that we seen were lots of  Western

Bluebirds, Lesser Goldfinches,Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-

crowned and Golden-crowned

Sparrows and Northern Flickers.Also nice sightings of a Song andLincoln’s Sparrow, Cooper’s Hawk,White-tailed Kite, American

Kestrel, and several Red-Tailed

Hawks. Birds that were very vocalwere the Downy and Nuttall’s

Woodpecker, House and Bewick’s

Pine Creek Unit, Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge

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Wrens, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bushtits and the Oak Titmouse. At the SacramentoRiver’s edge we saw an Osprey, Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Mallards, Great Blue

Heron, and Great Egret. We decided to take a short drive over to the Indian Fishery off River Road where we added Wood Ducks, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested

Cormorant, Hermit Thrush, Mourning Dove and American Crow.

November 10, Saturday - Butte Creek Ecological Preserve – Trip Leaders: Scott and

Liam Huber - With just a few drops of pre-rain mist falling it was ideal conditions for afall bird walk in Butte Creek Canyon. Nineteen bird enthusiasts split into two groups, oneled by Liam Huber and the other by his dad, Scott. Many of our favorite winter birdsmade an appearance with Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned

Kinglet,  Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin,White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrow in abundance. Woodpeckers were out ingood numbers including Downy, Nuttall’s, Acorn and Northern Flicker. Raptors werewell-represented by Red-tailed Hawk,Red-shouldered Hawk, American

Kestrel and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Atrip to the pond at the far southern end

of the preserve provided CanadaGoose, Mallard, Wood Duck,  Green-

winged Teal, Common Moorhen andPied-billed Grebe. Best birds of the daywere Steller’s Jay (low elevation forthis species), Green Heron (on thecreek - late in the year) and Sharp-

shinned Hawk (always a nice surprise).

Butte Creek Ecological Preserve

Fifty-one species in all were tallied by a ‘crack crew’ of fine birders – not bad for a

leisurely three-hour walk! Special thanks to Mike Fisher for assisting Liam and toMauricio for his outstanding ‘birding-by-ear’ skills.

Opportunities and Events

 

January 18-21 – Morro Bay Winter Birding Festival 

- The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival makes it a pointto offer a variety of events for all levels of birders. Bothlocal and state-wide birding experts will lead over 35

land, ocean-going, and bay field trips, plus discussionsand presentations, social events and workshopsfocusing on everything from warblers to elephant seals.Field trips will include pelagic trips, birding by kayak,trips to see Sandhill Cranes and Bald Eagles, shorebird field trips, and the popular "Big Day"marathon field trip to see as many species as possible. Contact: Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, c/oChamber of Commerce, PO Box 1175, Morro Bay, CA 93442: Call: (805)   275-4143 or (866) 464-5105 toll free Email 

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January 25-27 – 9th

Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway – Chico, CA

Keynote Speaker Kenn Kaufman

Join us for winter birding in the Northern Sacramento Valley atits best!

Chico’s  9 th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway, January 25-27, 2008, is the premier birding and naturefestival of the Northern Sacramento Valley. It draws attentionto the multitudes of migrating and resident waterfowl that canbe found wintering among unique habitats of the Valley througha series of exhilarating tours and informative workshops.

The Gathering of Wings Banquet & Silent Auction on Saturdaynight will feature keynote speaker Kenn Kaufman, a worldauthority on birds and the author of several birding books and

guides. Kenn is currently the field editor for  Audubon magazine. He has dedicated his life's work to

sharing his knowledge as a writer, public speaker, artist, and photographer.The festival’s Uptown-Downtown Wildlife Art Exhibit will take place at Avenue 9 Gallery and All Fired 

Up! Gallery and Ceramic Art Center  during the weeks of January 16  – February 3. A Welcome

 Reception at these galleries will kick off the festival’s weekend events on Friday, January 25 from 5:30– 8:30 pm. Reception attendees can enjoy free trolley service between the venues while being treated toa splendid array of locally produced foods, as well as beautiful wildlife art and landscape images frommany talented artists of our region.

With over 40 field trips, participants can enjoy guided tours into lush riparian forests, local foothills,grassland habitats, protected wetlands, lakes, rivers, and creeks along the   Altacal Audubon’s Birding

Trail. Enjoy small groups and individual attention while viewing resident and migratory birds such asthe Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Mountain and Western Bluebird, Yellow-billed Magpieand Northern Flicker. Participants will also have a chance to see wintering waterfowl and birds of 

prey including Snow  and Ross’s Goose, Bufflehead, Snowy, Great and Cattle Egret, Ferruginous

and Rough-legged Hawk as well as Bald  and Golden Eagles. Along with many free eventsparticipants can attend over a dozen workshops covering beginning birding, photography, bats and birds.

Prices for field trips and workshops typically range from $2 to $20, with the exception of special raretours of the Sutter Buttes. The festival weekend will also feature exhibits, vendors and several FREEevents, including live animals and Junior Naturalist Activities. Our main headquarters during thefestival weekend is at the Chico Masonic Family Center, 1110 W. East Avenue. For more informationvisit our website at www.snowgoosefestival.org or call us at (530) 345-1865. 

Sightings

(If you have any interesting sightings in your yard, on the way to work, or in the Butte, Glenn or Tehama counties area ingeneral in December, January and early February you can send them to the Newsletter Editor at tim.ruckle@sbcglobal.net by

September 7 for possible inclusion in the next newsletter.)

October - Scott and Kathleen Huber witnessed the fourth-ever occurrence of Great Crested Flycatcher in Monterey County, California during a field trip to the Carmel River Mouth during the AudubonCalifornia Conference in Monterey.

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Late October – Jackson Shedd had a couple of  Brown Creepers  at One Mile on Oct 26 whileobserving Acorn Woodpeckers for a lab class. It was a cool morning, but the day did get warm.

Early November - Scott Huber observed a flock of about 50+ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches foragingin a high mountain meadow in Montana's Beaverhead National Forest. 

Mid-November - Pam Hansen and Skip Augur saw a Brown Creeper  and heard a Red-breasted

Nuthatch at the Tree Improvement Center and figured it was a bit odd to be seeing / hearing them therein tee-shirt weather.

November 18 – Mike Fisher spotted five drake Eurasian Wigeons at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area.

Late November – Jay Bogiatto saw three Peregrine Falcons  at the Sacramento National WildlifeRefuge (Willows) on the 18th; one blue-phase Ross’s Goose at Gray Lodge on the 17th; one hybrid

Eurasian Wigeon X American Wigeon and a Merlin at the Llano Seco Unit of the SRNWR on the17th; and 13 Great-tailed Grackles near Llano Seco on the 16th.

Peregrinations 

[Perigrinations reports on birds seen on trips outside the Butte/Glenn/Tehama counties area except for those sponsored bythe Altacal Audubon Society or other local birding groups - Ed]

Mid-November - While visiting New Jersey, J.T. Lewis viewed his first Nelson's Sharp-tailed

Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, American Black Duck, and the Atlantic (or pale-

bellied) Brant. 

Late November – On a get-away to the coast, Jackson Shedd and Mela Garcia went to Crescent Cityand Arcata for salamandering (Pacific Giant, Northwestern, Del Norte, Painted Ensatina, Oregon

Ensatina, and California Slender) and coastal birding. They saw some good salamanders and also gotsome bird lifers....But sadly, no Harlequins!! Mela got her lifer Red-breasted Merganser in the harborat Crescent City, where Surf Scoters, Buffleheads, Western Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, andHorned Grebes ignored the bellowing California Sea Lions and Harbor Seals.

At Point St. George where Kemper recommends going for Harlequins, we found only loads of  Scoters(Surf and Black), but on the shore a lifer anatid consorted with the gulls on the beach; finally, our firstBrant!

The best lifer for us was a flock of Gray Jays. They moved through the redwoods overhead along theroad in to Fern Canyon at Redwood National Park, checking us out making a ruckus....they sound likeparakeets! My new favorite jay!

Late November – J.T. Lewis and Mike Skram found a Williamson's Sapsucker at the ChilcottCampground in Madera County last Saturday. Mike also reported a Budgerigar at Nimbus Dam lastFriday, the 16th.

Late November – Shelly Kirn and Jay Bogiatto observed a light-morph Northern Fulmar at the Santa

Cruz Beach wharf on November 22nd. They were subsequently told that several fulmars turned up deadon various local Santa Cruz beaches over the prior past couple of weeks or so. The bird seemed to be inpretty good shape, but its proximity to shore coupled with the fact that the Central Coast region hasexperienced two oil spills over the past several weeks is suggestive of a toxicological issue. 

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Submission of Articles 

(Notices or articles submitted for publication consideration should be sent by e-mail message to thenewsletter editor as Microsoft Word (if possible) attachments by the 7th of the month prior to the next

issue of the newsletter (i.e., Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov 7 th) - tim.ruckle@sbcglobal.net – Thanks,Ed.)

Altacal Board of Directors

President Phil Johnson 570-7139/ ptj64@sbcglobal.net 

Co-Vice-Presidents Jennifer Patten 345-9356/jpchico@sbcglobal.net

Mike Fisher 624-4777/fisherml@pacbell.net

Secretary Kathryn Hood 342-9112/kathrynhood@sbcglobal.net

Treasurer John Oswald 342-1651/amoent@aol.com

Membership Carolyn Short 345-4224/carolynshort@mac.com 

Finance Vacant

Publications (including

Newsletter) Tim Ruckle 566-9693/tim.ruckle@sbcglobal.netPublicity/Web Site Wayland Augur 893-9222/wba@acm.org

Field Trips Scott Huber 321-5579/Scott@ChicoHomesAndLand.com

Sanctuary, Lands

and Refuge Ruth Kennedy 899-9631/rken1733@sunset.net Conservation Dawn Garcia 872-2165/ mel.dawn@sbcglobal.net 

Education Vacant 

Directors-at-Large John Merz 345-4050/jbmerz@sbcglobal.net Jackson Shedd 342-5144/jackson_shedd@sbcglobal.net 

Marilyn Gamette 343-3154/gamettec@aol.com 

Dave Tinker 824-0253/dtinker@cuhsd.tehama.k12.ca.us

Board meetings are held at 5:15 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The usual meeting place is the Altacal AudubonSociety/Snow Goose Festival office at 635 Flume St., Chico. The public is welcome to attend. 

Local Chapter Membership Application

Please join us! Your membership will help Altacal Audubon Society (AAS) continue its important work.Altacal is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. In addition, it is a separately incorporated non-

profit organization. With a local chapter membership, 100% of your membership dues goes to supportlocal projects and activities. AAS is an all-volunteer organization that conducts all of its programs withno paid staff. We offer regularly scheduled field trips focused on birds and bird habitats, our ownwebsite, www.altacal.org , a bi-monthly newsletter (White-tailed Kite), monthly membership meetingswhich include lectures and media presentations on birds and other natural history-related topics, andadvocacy to protect and conserve local habitats as well as special projects and programs. Other AASactivities include:

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•  sponsoring and participating in the annual Snow Goose Festival 

•  sponsoring and participating in the annual Endangered Species Faire 

•  founding and providing continued support to the Chico Creek Nature Center 

•  owning and managing the Arneberg Sanctuary as a wildlife habitat and research area

•  helping to monitor the bird populations at the Del Rio Wildland Preserve near the SacramentoRiver

•  paying to maintain public access and a wildlife viewing blind at the Chico Oxidation Ponds

•  leading annual Christmas Bird Counts in Chico and Oroville for the past 51 years

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Welcome to the Altacal Audubon Society! Please indicate your choice of membership options:

$20 Basic Membership $10 Low Income/Student $35 Family

$50 Sponsor $100 Sustaining $500 Patron $1000 Benefactor

Payment method: Cash Check Date: ______________

Important: Membership in Altacal Audubon does not  include membership in the National AudubonSociety. We encourage you to also support National Audubon in their important education and lobbyingefforts. To join the National Audubon Society contact them at their website www.audubon.org/ 

Name: Phone: (_____) _______________

Address: _________________________________ E-mail Address: ____________________________

City: ________________State: ____ Zip Code: _______

  Save paper! Send me an e-mail version only Notify me by E-mail about upcoming programs and events I would be interested in volunteering to help

Please make checks payable to Altacal Audubon Society, and mail to: AAS, P.O. Box 3671, Chico,CA 95927

Dates to Remember

Dec 1, Saturday – Raptor Run, Jackson Shedd, Park ‘n Ride, 8 a.m.

Dec 8, Saturday – SNWR, Anne-Lise Feenstra, Willows, 8:45 a.m.Dec 10, Monday – AAS Program, CCNC, 6:30, Texas Birds, Scott Huber

Dec 16, Sunday – Chico Christmas Bird Count, CCNC, 7:30Dec 29, Saturday – Oroville Christmas Bird Count, Ag. Com. Off., 7:30 a.m.

Jan 5, Saturday – Proposed M&T Gravel Mine Area, Dawn Garcia & Scott Huber, Park ‘n Ride, 8 a.m.Jan 13, Sunday – Upper Bidwell, Phil Johnson, Gun Club parking lot, 8 a.m

Jan 18-21, Friday-Monday – Morro Bay Winter Birding FestivalJan 21, Monday – AAS Program, CCNC, 6:30, Native Plant Landscapes, Brian Williams

Jan 25-27, Friday-Sunday, Snow Goose Festival, ChicoFeb 16, Saturday – Black Butte Lake, Anne-Lise Feenstra, Burger King, Orland, 8:45 a.m.