October 2007 White Tailed Kite Newsletter, Altacal Audubon Society

8/8/2019 October 2007 White Tailed Kite Newsletter, Altacal Audubon Society

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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 held on the third Monday of each month (exceptfor July and August) at 6:30 p.m., at the Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. 8th St.

October Program Little Auk Seabird Research Slide Show

Monday, October 15, 6:30 p.m. at the Chico Creek Nature Center

Mary Anne Pella-Donnelly, science teacher at Chico Junior High School, recently returnedfrom four weeks in Eastern Greenland, where she participated in seabird research. As ateacher paired with a research team she assisted in field work on the Little Auk (or Dovekie,as its known in North America),Alle alle, a high arctic seabird. The most numerous seabird

in the world, with population estimates at 20 million, this seabird is unique in its highlyspecialized diet. Feeding almost exclusively on calinous copepods, it may be very susceptibleto changing oceanographic currents that result from global climate change. The research team,in collaboration with three teams on the island of Spitsbergen in Norway, collected data on

many aspects of the Little Auks ecology inorder to discover more about the species andto speculate on its ability to adapt to differingconditions. Mary Anne will explain some ofthe research parameters that were used, andgive some insight into preliminary resultsfrom past years study. Mary Anne has been

teaching science for 20 years and is passionateabout having students become involved in theprocess of scientific discovery.

Little Auk (Alle alle)

White-tailed KiteOctober/November, 2007
http://www.northvalley.net/naturecenterhttp://www.wifak.uni-wuerzburg.de/fact98/gl.htmhttp://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/charadriiformes/little.auk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dovekie.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dovekie.htmlhttp://www.uni-oldenburg.de/zoomorphology/Biology.htmlhttp://www.uni-oldenburg.de/zoomorphology/Biology.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dovekie.htmlhttp://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/charadriiformes/little.auk.htmlhttp://www.wifak.uni-wuerzburg.de/fact98/gl.htmhttp://www.northvalley.net/naturecenter


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November Program - Rex Burress Slide ShowMonday, November 19, 6:30 p.m. at the Chico Creek Nature Center

A long-time naturalist, wildlife artist, outdoor photographer and nature writer, RexBurress will present his wonderful slide show on North America's oldest Wildlife

Refuge, Lake Merritt in Oakland, California. For 32 years he worked as a refugenaturalist on the Lake Merritt Naturalist Staff. The program will consist of the inner-happenings and history of the refuge, and will include the evolution of the CanadaGoose flock as well as the heron and egret rookeries established on the refuge islands.Also, an intimate look at the connections with people will be included, as well as a set ofwaterfowl photographs. Rex is an excellent photographer, speaker and writer. Youveread his columns in the White-tailed Kite. If youve never seen one of his shows (or evenif you have) youll be glad you attended.

Lake Merritt Island

Upcoming Bird Walks and Birding Trips

All of our field trips are open to beginning birders. Anyone with a sense of wonder is welcome toparticipate.

October 13, Saturday - Oxidation Ponds/Indian Fishery Trip Leader: Mike Fisher -We will meet at the Park-n-Ride on Hwy 32 in the lot nearest Hwy 99 at 7:30 a.m. andwill carpool to the Chico City Sewage Treatment Plant. We will spend a couple of hourswalking the levees around the oxidation ponds where we hope to find many species oflocal and migrating waterfowl and other birds and mammals. We will then go over to

the Indian Fishery Day Use Area ofBidwell-Sacramento River State Park and walk thehalf-mile guided nature trail. The trail winds through an oak woodland forest adjacent toan oxbow lake. Woodpeckers abound along with woodland and aquatic birds. Inaddition, we may see River Otters, Beavers and Western Pond Turtles. We should beback at the Park-n-Ride by 12:30 p.m. Call or e-mail Mike Fisher for more informationat (530) 624-4777 or [email protected] . Rain cancels.
http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/parks/lakemerritt_wildlifesanctuary.asphttp://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/parks/lakemerritt_wildlifesanctuary.asphttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Canada_Goose.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Canada_Goose.htmlhttp://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=463http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=463http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lontra_canadensis.htmlhttp://www.nhptv.org/Natureworks/beaver.htmhttp://www.atlantismagazine.com/bettelheim/pondturtle.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.atlantismagazine.com/bettelheim/pondturtle.htmlhttp://www.nhptv.org/Natureworks/beaver.htmhttp://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lontra_canadensis.htmlhttp://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=463http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=463http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Canada_Goose.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Canada_Goose.htmlhttp://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/parks/lakemerritt_wildlifesanctuary.asphttp://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/parks/lakemerritt_wildlifesanctuary.asp


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October 21, Sunday- Butte Basin Field Trip Trip Leader: Phil Johnson - "ButteBasin" refers to the flat, open lands roughlybetween Dayton, the Sutter Buttes, theSacramento River, and Highway 99.Historically, this area was all tule marshesand grasslands. It is the wintertime

"Serengeti" of migratory waterfowl. Wewill start at the Llano Seco viewing platformand continue along

Butte Basin Habitat

Rd. Z in search ofwaterfowl, raptors, rails and Black-crowned Night-Herons. Fromthere we will hit various spots along the rice fields looking for concentrations ofSandhillCranes and other of wintering birds. Meet at the Park n Ride (the lot closest to thefreeway) at 7:45 a.m. to carpool. Contact trip leader Phil Johnson [email protected] or at 570-7139.

October 26, Friday - Owl Prowl leader Mike Fisher - What better time to go look forthings that go bump in the night thanjust days before Halloween? Join us fora night of fun looking and listening forowls. Meet at the Park n Ride on Hwy.32 nearest State Route 99 at 5:00 p.m.We will car pool up to the Big ChicoCreek Ecological Reserve (about 10

miles) and begin our search for owls.First, we will review some owl calls ontape, then try to call in a NorthernPygmy-Owl. When it gets dark we will join Dawn Garcia at her NorthernSaw-whet Owl banding station.

Western Screech Owl Photo by Dawn Garcia

Dawn will give us an overview of her owl banding and with some luck, we will witnessthe capture and banding of a Saw-whet or Western Screech-Owl. It is possible that we

may see or hear as many as four different owl species. We will return to the Park n Rideby 9:00 p.m. Bring warm clothes, flashlight, folding chair, hiking shoes, water andbinoculars. It can be very cold up in the foothills at night. This outing will be limited toa maximum of 10 people due to the banding operation. Rain cancels the trip. A $5.00donation to Altacal Audubon is requested. Call or e-mail Mike Fisher, 624-4777 [email protected] to reserve a spot.
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/upperbuttebasin.htmlhttp://www.serengeti.org/index_2.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane.htmlmailto:[email protected]://www.csuchico.edu/bccerhttp://www.csuchico.edu/bccerhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/13/overview/Northern_Pygmy-Owl.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/13/overview/Northern_Pygmy-Owl.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/13/overview/Northern_Pygmy-Owl.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Screech-Owl.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Screech-Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Saw-whet_Owl.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/13/overview/Northern_Pygmy-Owl.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/13/overview/Northern_Pygmy-Owl.aspxhttp://www.csuchico.edu/bccerhttp://www.csuchico.edu/bccermailto:[email protected]://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron.htmlhttp://www.serengeti.org/index_2.htmlhttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/upperbuttebasin.html


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October 28, Sunday - Pine Creek Unit of the Sacramento River National WildlifeRefuge Complex Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten - Come bird a newly opened public trailthrough this 564-acre site that is located directly east of Hamilton City and just south ofHighway 32 and is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The property has 31acres of fallow, 228 acres of restored native grass, and 33 acres of existing riparianhabitat. The existing riparian habitat consists mostly of cottonwood riparian forest, with

some riparian scrub and herbland cover. It will be interesting to see what birds will bearound during the fall at this site. So bring your binoculars, bird field guide book andwater. Rain cancels. Meet at the Chico Park n Ride (lot closest to freeway) at 8:00 a.m.Well be back around 12:30 p.m. Contact Jennifer Patten for more information, 345-9356, [email protected] .

Pine Creek Unit, Sacramento River NWR

November 10, Saturday Butte Creek Ecological Preserve Trip Leader: Scott Huber -Butte Creek Ecological Preserve is a wonderful slice of creek frontage saved fromdevelopment by California State University, Chico. The recovering habitat was seriouslydegraded by years of dredger and gravel mining but now up to 50 species of birds maybe found there on a good day. In early November we will be seeing recent fall migrantssettling in for the winter and numerous other resident birds typical of foothill riparianhabitat.

Expect to see a good selection of birds back from their summer vacations, includingRuby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, Black-throated Gray Warblers,White-crowned, Golden-crowned and Fox Sparrows as well as resident Nuttalls

Woodpeckers, Bewicks Wrensand Oak Titmicealong with the first Varied Thrushesof the season.

Well meet at the Hwy 32 Park n Ride (the lot nearest Hwy 99) at 8 a.m. and carpool tothe preserve. Wear warm clothes and gloves. Rain will cancel this trip. Bring binocularsor call Scott to arrange to borrow some. Three to four hours will give us time tothoroughly explore the preserve at a leisurely pace and the walking is easy on sometimesrocky trails. For more information please call Scott Huber at 321-5579.
http://www.sacramentoriver.org/access_site.php?access_site_id=48http://www.csuchico.edu/bcephttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hermit_Thrush.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Fox_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Nuttalls_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Nuttalls_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bewicks_Wren.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bewicks_Wren.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Oak_Titmouse.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Varied_Thrush.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Varied_Thrush.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Oak_Titmouse.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bewicks_Wren.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Nuttalls_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Nuttalls_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Fox_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hermit_Thrush.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet.htmlhttp://www.csuchico.edu/bcephttp://www.sacramentoriver.org/access_site.php?access_site_id=48


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Butte Creek Ecological Preserve

November 18, Sunday Black Butte Lake Trip Leaders: Anne-Lise Feenstra and PhilJohnson - We will bird around the lake, hike the Big Oak Nature Trail, then drive up tothe dam. Bring a picnic lunch and yourbinoculars. Dress warm, in layers, and wearsturdy shoes as there will be some hiking.Mountain Bluebirds, Golden-crownedKinglets, Lewiss Woodpeckers, Bald Eaglesand Lawrences Goldfinches are some of thebirds we hope to find. The trip will end about 2p.m. Rain cancels. Meet at Burger King in Orland(I 5 and Hwy. 32) at 9:00 a.m. Call Anne-Lise at865-5254 for more information.

Black Butte Lake and Dam

November 25, Sunday - Gray Lodge Wildlife Area Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten -This will sure to be a popular field tripwhen we travel down to Gray LodgeWildlife Area for the breathtakingevent called the "Fly-Out". At duskyou'll witness thousands ofducks andgeese rise from the ponds around GrayLodge and fly to nearby fields to feedduring the night. As the skies fill with

birds, the sound of their wing beats andcalls is incredible and something youwon't want to miss.

Waterfowl at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

Meet at the Chico Park n Ride, first parking lot off highway exit, at 2:00 p.m.We'll carpool to Gray Lodge and if there is enough time we'll take the paved trail out to theviewing platform.

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area is accessible to people with disabilities. Restrooms, designatedparking areas, a visitors museum, and a paved trail leading to a universally accessible
http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/lakes/blackbutte.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Bluebird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Lewiss_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bald_Eagle.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Lawrences_Goldfinch.htmlhttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/graylodge/index.htmlhttp://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/graylodge/index.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Lawrences_Goldfinch.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bald_Eagle.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Lewiss_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Bluebird.htmlhttp://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/lakes/blackbutte.html


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viewing platform, can all be accessed from parking lot #14. A day-use pass is requiredfor public access. The cost is $2.50/person. Fees are waived for visitors under 16 yearsof age or those having a valid CA hunting, trapping or fishing license. Bring your ownfolding chair, warm clothing, hot chocolate, binoculars and bird field guide. Heavy rainwill cancel. For more information please contact field trip leader Jennifer Patten at 345-9356 [email protected]

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 theCottonwood Rd. and Nelson Ave. areas. Targets are Bald Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk,Rough-legged Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Merlin, and Burrowing Owl as well as morecommonly seen species. Bring binoculars (and scope if you have one) water, and alunch. We should be back around 1 p.m. For questions, contact Jackson Shedd at:[email protected] . Rain cancels.

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, well drive theauto-tour route, with a stopfor lunch at the viewingplatform. The birding tripwill be over about 2 p.m.There is a $3 entrance feeper car. Heavy rain cancels.For more information callAnne-Lise at 865-5254.

Viewing Platform and Geese at SNWR, Willows

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 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 daysassignments. We will meet at 7:30 a.m. at theChico Creek Nature Center. At 5:00p.m. we will meet at Scott and Nina Campbells place for compilation of results. Forpossibly updated information, check the Altacal web site atwww.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 daysassignments. 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
mailto:[email protected]://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bald_Eagle.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ferruginous_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rough-legged_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Prairie_Falcon.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Merlin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Burrowing_Owl.htmlhttp://www.fws.gov/sacramentovalleyrefugeshttp://www.fws.gov/sacramentovalleyrefugeshttp://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/history.htmlhttp://www.northvalley.net/naturecenter/CCNCmaps.htmlhttp://www.altacal.org/http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/history.htmlhttp://www.altacal.org/http://www.altacal.org/http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/history.htmlhttp://www.altacal.org/http://www.northvalley.net/naturecenter/CCNCmaps.htmlhttp://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/history.htmlhttp://www.fws.gov/sacramentovalleyrefugeshttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Burrowing_Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Merlin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Prairie_Falcon.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rough-legged_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ferruginous_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Bald_Eagle.htmlmailto:[email protected]


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Timely Information via E-mail

Sign up for our monthly email 'Altacal in Action' alerts! If you would like to receivetimely information on local conservation issues, please sign on to our "Altacal inAction!" email list by notifying our Membership Chair, Carolyn Short, [email protected] or 345-4224. We do not share our list with any other

organization and you may opt-out at any time.

Conservation Corner

Dawn Garcia, Conservation Chair

Update:California Condor Ban on Lead Bullets

Thank you all who wrote letters to support the ban on lead bullets in California Condor(CACO) range. It is scientifically documented that lead is a toxin to people and wildlife,but unbelievably the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) Commission isonly recently considering this ban. Altacal Audubon Society Board Members DawnGarcia and Scott Huber had an opportunity to speak at a special Commissioners Meeting

in Sacramento on August 27, 2007.

We arrived for the Press Conference where GlennOlson, Executive Director, Audubon California, GaryLangham, Director of Bird Conservation, AudubonCalifornia, Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director ofVentana Wildlife Society, and Pamela Flickrepresenting Defenders of Wildlife gave testimonystating that lead toxicity from gun-killed animals is theprimary impediment to the establishment of self-sustaining Condor populations in California. TheArizona Game and Fish Department has alreadyacknowledged this and has for the last two yearsimplemented a voluntary bullet exchange program(lead for copper) with approval and enthusiasm fromhunters.

Gary (speaking) and Glenn (background)Photo by Scott Huber

We were informed after turning in our speaker cards that the meeting was aninformation-gathering meeting. Despite the piles of evidence that lead kills Condors, theCommission was looking for more scientific evidence, not opinions, regarding supportof the ban. Nevertheless, Scott was able to give his testimony from the perspective of asportsman in support of the lead bullet ban in Condor range. His followed a woman

passionate about Condors demonstrating their massive wingspan by stretching out a 10-foot tape. Impressive! I followed Scott, and on behalf of Altacals 700 + members,assured the Board of our organizations support of the ban.

Gary Langham followed, saying that our perspectives and comments were important andappreciated and that at the end of the meeting the Commission clearly signaled theirdesire to pass the ban as soon as possible. Apparently there will be additional review,followed by a report and subsequent meetings where the public can again give input. Ifsuccessful, the adoption of the ban should occur in December, the implementation will bealmost one year from now, in July 2008. How many more Condors will be treated for ordie from lead toxicity during this process?
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Condor.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Condor.html


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Following are a few facts reported by California Condor veterinarian, Dr. CynthiaStringfield, DVM, regarding only the California population of Condors from 1992 (yearof release) to 2005.

California Condors are resistantto lead poisoning and are only removed from thewild and treated when their lead blood levels are 0.6 parts per million, or above.One bird had an incredible 4.10 parts per million! The lower amounts would killGolden Eagles and other wildlife. Immediate clinical intervention for childrenoccurs when blood lead levels are at 0.1 parts per million.

39% of the California population has died; this is 3% higher than the program-wide population.

4 birds (8%) are confirmed to have died from lead toxicity; however 16 birds(24%) are suspected to have died from lead toxicity.

Without chelation, an expensive and invasive treatment that includes capturing,hospitalizing, and removing the lead from the blood via the kidneys, 14% -45% ofthe treated and living Condors would likely have died from lead toxicity.

These facts and others such as lead toxicity in Condors rising after hunting season begins,

confirm that lead bullets are devastating to our Condors. Please continue to support theban by writing to the Department of Fish and Game Commission at www.fgc.ca.gov

Tell them it is their responsibility to ban lead bullets from the range of CaliforniaCondors to create a self-sustaining population, ensuring the ultimate goal of removing theendangered CACO from the endangered species list.

Please stay tuned for more Action Alerts regarding our largest and one of our mostmagnificent North American birds. To see a summary of the special Commission go tohttp://www.fgc.ca.gov/2007/2007mtgs.html and scroll down to August 27, 2007.

Update on Three Local Community Efforts

In the July newsletter we posted the following three activities for public participation.Following are updates on the projects.

Be a Part of Bidwell Parks Future

The draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Bidwell Park Master ManagementPlan update was released for public review. Did any of our members have a chance toreview it? Id like to know how that process went.

Be a Part of the Bidwell Ranch Mitigation Bank Process

Im not sure of how many AAS members are involved in this process, but I joined theCitizens Work Group and have commented on the recent wetland delineation of the

property conducted by Tehama Environmental Services. I had some questions butbasically it appears almost parallel to an earlier delineation conducted by Jones andStokes in 1991. There are a total of 56 acres of wetland on this important piece ofproperty! This property will likely be used as a mitigation bank for future developmentin Chico. Stay tuned or participate - it is not too late! Paste the following URL into yourbrowser for information on the Bidwell Ranch Project:http://www.riverpartners.org/where-we-work/bidwell/bidwell.html
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden_Eagle.htmlhttp://www.fgc.ca.gov/http://www.fgc.ca.gov/2007/2007mtgs.htmlhttp://www.fgc.ca.gov/2007/2007mtgs.htmlhttp://www.fgc.ca.gov/http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden_Eagle.html


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Be a Part of Environmentally Sound Planning - Mountain View/Sycamore GlennProject

Dont be surprised when you begin to see development occur along Floral Avenue for aproject called The Sycamore Glen /Mountain Vista Subdivision. Altacal Audubon, ButteEnvironmental Council and others preferred the Biological Alternative for developmentof this site. Two of us spoke of Altacals preference and concerns. Unfortunately, the

Chico City Council voted 7-0 to allow the developers proposed project, which fills in sixacres of wetlands that may be connected (thus impact) to the one-acre vernal pool; one ofthe largest vernal pools remaining in Chico. Despite our pleas, no Council Memberexplored this possibility.

Sister Society (Cape Cod Bird Club) News

Our sister society Cape Cod Bird Club friends shared some of the same kind ofexcitement we had when a Curlew Sandpiper showed up at the Yolo Bypass WildlifeArea. Their Curlew Sandpiper showed up on South Beach in Chatham on August 8 andwas last reported on August 25.

Other birds and mammals that fascinate us in Northern California were seen on a whalewatch out of Provincetown on August 28. Among them were 4 Greater Shearwaters, 1Sooty Shearwater, 9 Manx Shearwaters, 6 Wilson's Storm-Petrels, 30 LaughingGulls, 1 Ring-billed Gull, 100+ Herring Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 500+Great Black-backed Gulls, 5 Least Terns, 1 Black Tern, and approximately 1100Common Ternsand Roseate Terns (the distance made it difficult to identify them tospecies, but Common Terns outnumbered the Roseates approximately 1:5). This sametrip saw 25+ Humpback Whales, 2 Fin Whales, 6 Minke Whales, and 30 AtlanticWhite-sided Dolphins.

Reports from the Cape indicate that the first week of September was an absolutelygorgeous week, capped off with cool temperatures and cloudless blue skies. Those

birders enjoying the outdoors saw a great variety of shorebirds, some of which were 2American Golden-Plovers, 8 Red Knots, 10 Hudsonian Godwits, 3 Buff-breastedSandpipersand 2 Pectoral Sandpipers in the Chatham area. A Little Blue Heron wasalso seen in the area.

One of the local birders on the Cape, Vernon Laux, writes a birding column in the CapeCod Times. His recent article on shorebirds in the area gives a locals appreciation of thephenomenon and the environment. We reprint it with permission of the Cape Cod Times.
http://www.massbird.org/ccbchttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/466/_/Curlew_Sandpiper.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/616/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/overview/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/637/overview/Manx_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/627/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/627/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/627/_/target.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Laughing_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Laughing_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ring-billed_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Herring_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Lesser_Black-backed_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Black-backed_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Least_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Tern_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Roseate_Tern.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/finwhl.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/MinkeWhale.htmhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_Golden-Plover_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red_Knot.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hudsonian_Godwit.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Buff-breasted_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Buff-breasted_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pectoral_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Little_Blue_Heron.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Little_Blue_Heron.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pectoral_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Buff-breasted_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Buff-breasted_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hudsonian_Godwit.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red_Knot.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_Golden-Plover_dtl.htmlhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/lag-acut.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/MinkeWhale.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/finwhl.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Roseate_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Tern_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Least_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Black-backed_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Lesser_Black-backed_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Herring_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Ring-billed_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Laughing_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Laughing_Gull.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/627/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/627/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/627/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/637/overview/Manx_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/overview/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/616/_/target.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/466/_/Curlew_Sandpiper.aspxhttp://www.massbird.org/ccbc


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Glorious birding in the windBy Vernon LauxCape Cod TimesAugust 19, 2007

The weather has started to change dramatically. Thedays are noticeably growing shorter; change is in the

air.

For birders in the Northeast and especially on thecoast, this is the time of year that we eagerlyanticipate. The numbers and variety of birds farsurpass anything we experience during the rest of theyear. The end of August, September and October offersome of the finest birding anywhere in the world,right here on the Cape and Islands.

This Hudsonian Godwit, with its striking breeding plumage,was photographed on Chathams South Beach in July 2006.

The birds stop here en route to Patagonia, after breeding inthe Arctic. Photo byE. Vernon Laux

Powerful or prolonged winds generate excitement in the birding community. Strongeasterly winds may yield shorebirds or pelagic species diverted westward into Cape CodBay or eastern shores. Strong westerly winds could force any of countless migrants far tothe east of where they want to be. Prevailing winds are important to note and understand.Lovely fall weather on the Cape and Islands is usually accompanied by either lightnorthwest winds or a little fresher southwest wind. These prevail after the passage of acold front, with clear skies and dry air.

The majority of land birds migrate at night on the back of a cold front. At this season,nights with bright skies and brisk temperatures can be alive with millions of migrating

birds. Some mornings, it seems a small patch of woods has been transformed by magicovernight into a beehive of activity with transient birds feeding and resting for the day,waiting to depart into the night sky when darkness falls again.

Many a birder is glued to the evening weather forecast, much like the fisherman, waitingto get the prognosis for the upcoming day. The Weather Channel becomes hypnotic.Deciphering the weather, frontal systems and temperatures becomes alluring as youattempt to puzzle out when the night sky will be full of birds.

Shorebird bonanza

Birders from all over the country and the world visit Eastham and Chatham at this time of

year for both the numbers and variety of shorebird species. It is one of the best places,maybe the best place on Earth, to see the rare Hudsonian Godwit as it visits during itsannual migration that takes it to the ends of the planet. This past week, there wereperhaps 50 of these godwits, as well as two Marbled Godwits, feeding on tidal flats atNorth Monomoy Island or South Beach, depending on the tide.

These godwits are relatively large, Arctic nesting shorebirds that visit here, feedingheavily, doubling their body weight in two weeks, before launching on a spectacularnonstop flight to northern South America. From there, the godwits then continuesouthward all the way to the bottom of that continent, spending the austral summer on theflats around the Straits of Magellan in Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hudsonian_Godwit.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Marbled_Godwit.htmlhttp://virtualbirder.com/vbirder/onLoc/onLocDirs/CAPECOD/bg/BNMSB.htmlhttp://virtualbirder.com/vbirder/onLoc/onLocDirs/CAPECOD/bg/BNMSB.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Marbled_Godwit.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hudsonian_Godwit.html


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A scarce Curlew Sandpiper, a species that winters in Africa, Australia and SoutheastAsia and breeds across the top of Russia, has been on South Beach since Aug. 8 whenBob Clem of Chatham, a renowned bird artist, discovered it feeding among the hordes ofother shorebirds. Many groups of birders have ventured out to see this spectacular and

rare wader.

For the next several weeks, the shorebirdspectacle that is visible at a few favored places,particularly South Beach in Chatham and NausetMarsh in Eastham, is to my mind one of thewonders of the world.

It is an awesome and humbling sight to seethousands of shorebirds, which are only stoppinghere briefly in their annual cycle of wingingaround a large part of the planet. The birds knowthis food-rich area is here and plan their annualmigration to take advantage of the bounty. It is a

gift to us all.

Until next week, keep your eyes to the sky!

A Tree Has Fallen

Rex Burress

Every once in awhile we are staggered when a gallant old tree finally falls back to earth,leaving a void in the forest aisles, not only for the wildlife dependant on its structure andproducts, but for the pure beauty of its existence. In the same sense, we are saddenedwhen an outstanding person goes down in death, leaving a huge empty space in our lives

that we wonder how it can ever be filled.Such is the case with the Oroville communitys loss of John Grow on August 7 this year.John was an extraordinary personality and ardent defender of wildlife, not to mention hisenvironmental contributions and interpretive service at the Lake Oroville Visitors Centerand California State Parks.

John was a bird watcher...a river watcher...of unusual intensity. He and his wife Iris oftenfrequented the Feather River trails, checking out the days offerings, binoculars in hand,ever-watchful for something rare and interesting. Tall, raw-boned, and rugged-looking,like a Charlie Russell cowboy, Gentle John commanded attention whether outdoors orinteracting at the State Recreation Area at Lake Oroville. He was particularly imposing inhis old westerner red shirt, suspenders, with red bandana when he worked at the goldpanning trough at Bidwell Bar Days. John, indeed, was born in cowboy land ofFlatwillow, Montana, before moving to California.

I think I first met John on one of my nature hikes for SRA, and I noticed his pleasedinterest in the tiny organisms I pointed out, and that stir of genuine enthusiastic birdexcitement in seeing the swoop of a hawk or the scattering of the bushtits. Thereafter, wealways exchanged notes on birds observed, and we both conducted bird walks along theFeather River for the Snow Goose Festival. He covered the Bedrock Park area andWildlife Area while I guided birders in the Feather River Nature Center vicinity.
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John was on the Wood Duck program out of Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, and Lori Dieterassigned him to establish nesting boxes around the Afterbay and Diversion Pool area. Iwas kindly invited along on a check of the Afterbay boxes, and not only did we find someboxes with eggs but one had a barn owl. John was generally chuckling as if satisfied to beoutdoors among the winds that ruffled the fields and swayed the cottonwoods where agreat horned owl was nesting. "Going to the woods is going home," John Muir said, and

John Grow was at home.Beyond his considerable community services, he was a bird man, everlastingly delightedto see the feathered beauties over and over again, caught in the spell of the enchantingbirds. He was one of those important cogs in the defense of nature, and eager to bringman and nature together through interpretive understanding, creating an attitude of anappreciation of all things wild and wonderful. The birds I see flying along the FeatherRiver are John Grow along with all of those departed bird devotees who advocated the joy of living things. John isnt gone, he lives in the soar of the hawk and the eternalwonder of the wild and free.

"This good and tough mountain-climbing flesh is not my final home, and someday Ill

creep out of it, and fly away, and GROW."John Muir"Particles of nature are eternally flowing from use to use, beauty to yet higher beauty,until we rejoice and exult in the imperishable, unspendable, wealth of the universe, and

faithfully watch and wait the reappearance of everything that melts and fades and dies

about us, feeling sure that its next appearance will be better and more beautiful than the

last. Let children walk with nature, let them see the beautiful blendings and communions

of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, and they will learn that death is stingless

indeed, and as beautiful as life, and that the grave has no victory, for it never fights. All is

divine harmony." John Muir

"The woods are full of dead and dying trees, yet needed for their beauty to complete the

beauty of the living." John Muir

Bird Walk and Birding Trip Reports

July 14-17, Saturday-Tuesday Nevada Himalayan Snowcock Trip

Trip Leader: Scott Huber

Liam Huber, Shelly Kirn, Jay Bogiatto and Scott Huber after Seeing the Himalayan Snowcock - Photo by Scott Huber


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Pilgrimage to the Ruby Mountains andthe Quest for Himalayan Snowcock

By Shelly Kirn

This report outlines the recent adventure of Jay Bogiatto, Liam Huber, Scott Huber andShelly Kirn to the Ruby Mountains in northeastern Nevada, and the challenging searchfor the Himalayan Snowcock(Tetraogallus himalayensis). Introduced as a game bird in

1963, the Snowcock population is estimated at 250-500 individuals. This sizablephasianid (L 28) is native to the Himalayan region of southern Asia. In order to find thisbird, we used information gleaned from trip reports in the archives of Nvbirds and otherweb sources. Based on our reading, we allotted two days to hike up to Island Lake,which seemed to have the most reported sightings.

We arrived in Elko at 6 p.m. on July 15, 2007. According to the Elko Convention andVisitors Authority, Elko is Nevadas Best Kept Secret and Nevada with Altitude;well see about that in the morning. We agreed that we would meet Scott and Liam attheir campsite at 3:45 a.m. the next morning. We decided not to scout out the trail or theroad into the canyon, trustingthat we could find the area in thedark. Dinner and (some) sleepfor all. Jay and I were at Scottand Liams camp by 3:40 a.m.Driving up Lamoille Canyon, ourheadlights caught a largePorcupinecrossing the road. Atthe end of the road (parking area)we found the trail head to IslandLake without issue. We were allsurprised at how warm it felt

On to Island Lake Photo by Shelly Kirn

here at an elevation of about 8800 feet. We gathered gear into backpacks, strapped onoptics, shouldered spotting scopes and started walking in the pale moonlight. Some usedflashlights, others their night vision as we set a steady pace up the well-maintained trail.Adrenaline kept the group going as Liam faithfully counted each of the nine switchbacksto Island Lake. We reached the lake and the signs describing both the Snowcock andMountain Goat at about 5:20 a.m. The ascent with rest stops took us roughly 65 minutes.By this time it was light enough to see the vastness of the alpine area to be searched. Ourteam worked our way up the shrubby slope on the right side of the lake until we found aflat spot that offered unobstructed views of the cirque. Liam opted for a nap on one ofthe flat rocks, while Scott worked his way higher towards the southeastern side of thecirque. Jay and I set up our scopes and started scanning ledges and talus slopes. The

extensive area to be searched as well as the distances involved were a bit overwhelming.The mosquitoes and other flies were out in force and none of our team remembered tobring repellant; great, a blood sacrifice! I spotted a Coyotehunting methodically on adistant slope, and I managed to make several rocks into Snowcocks temporarily. Scotteventually worked his way back down to Jay and me, and Liam woke up full of energy.Cassins Finches, Pine Siskins and White-crowned Sparrowswere all very vocal andabundant. We also had repeated great looks at Mountain Bluebird, the state bird ofNevada. We then spotted a Golden Eagle soaring over the saddle to the west. We allwatched as it would rise and then disappear behind the crest. We recalled that other
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1022/overview/Himalayan_Snowcock.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1022/overview/Himalayan_Snowcock.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Lake,_Nevadahttp://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/porcupine.htmhttp://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/porcupine.htmhttp://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/coyote.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cassins_Finch.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pine_Siskin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Bluebird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden_Eagle.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Golden_Eagle.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Bluebird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-crowned_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pine_Siskin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cassins_Finch.htmlhttp://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/coyote.htmhttp://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/porcupine.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Lake,_Nevadahttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1022/overview/Himalayan_Snowcock.aspx


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birders obtained looks at Snowcocks when flushed by eagles, so we kept our eyes on thatraptor with no success.

Scott, Jay, and I continued to scrutinize each rock and ledge. Liam went exploring just tothe north of where we were set up. Suddenly Jay exclaimed, Thats it! No sooner werethe words out of his mouth, when Liam pops back into view and says I heard it! Jayand Liam heard the distinctive, curlew-like attention call of the male Himalayan

Snowcock! Jay and Liam discussed the direction of the sound, each with a slightlydifferent feel for where the ascending call came from within the cirque.

It was now about 7:20 a.m., and we decided to split up the search area. With renewedenergy, we watched for movement. Then we all heard the call again, and then again, andagain. Wow! We guessed that there were multiple individuals sounding off from theheights of the cirque. The dark thought that we would hear the birds without a visual wascreeping into the edges of my mind. We listened to the chorus for 30-40 minutes. Again,we divided up the cirque, trying to efficiently inspect each inch of the slopes. Jay said,Okay, Ill look up on the rim and within a few seconds followed that up with Ive gotthe bird. Is he joking?? The timing just seemed too odd. He had a Snowcock in view!

Instead of trying to describe where to look and risk missing the bird, we quickly tookturns viewing the bird through Jays scope. Wow! It was in the low saddle of the cirquetoward the west. The bird was displaying; we could see the fanned tail and arched wings.Then the bird stretched its head upwards taking on the shape of a bowling pin. Amazing!

I tried to find the bird in my scope and thought that I had found it too, but soon realizedthat I had a second individual! I got Scott on the second bird, which also seemed to bedisplaying. The original bird disappeared over the ridge. Then the second bird flew.Scott and I were able to follow it with optics, noting easily the white trailing edges of thewings. When the bird landed it quickly disappeared into the talus. And just like that, itwas over. We did not hear or see any additional birds. We also failed to see our othertarget bird, the Black Rosy-Finch.

Liam pished out a MacGillivrays Warblernear the lake. We decided to work our wayback down the trail. We noticedthat several groups of fishermenand hikers (with dogs) now joined us at the lake. The tripdown was punctuated with stopsfor the astonishing wildflowerdisplay that we missed comingup in the dark so many flowersforming a riot of color.Butterflies and other insectsadded visual interest. Thescenery was nothing short ofbreathtaking. The landscape andfloral spectacle almost made meforget how heavy the spottingscope was on my bruised

Ruby Mountain Wildflowers Photo by Shelly Kirn
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/MacGillivrays_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/MacGillivrays_Warbler.html


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shoulder. The small area that we explored during this quest led us past meadows packedwith wildflowers, interesting and unique wildlife, waterfalls, and numerous pristinealpine lakes. Reflecting back on this fantastic birding excursion to the beautiful RubyMountains I conclude that the Elko Visitors Authority selected appropriate slogans formarketing and advertising: It is Nevada with altitude, and also is Nevadas best keptsecret.

August 4/5, Saturday/Sunday Farallon Islands Pelagic Trip (ShearwaterJourneys) Organizer: Scott Huber Altacals pelagicbirding trip to the Farallon Islands off San Franciscowas a rare treat for us flatlanders with some greatsurprises. Skip Augur, returning Altacal member MaryMuchowski, Tim Ruckle and Scott and Liam Huberpassed through the Golden Gate on the Salty Lady amidstiff winds and drenching spray but once farther out atsea the wind calmed and the ocean was pleasant.

Black-footed Albatross Photo by Scott Huber

Elegant Terns, Common Murres (many of the dads with chicks) and SootyShearwaters were abundant even close to shore.Harbor Porpoises, Harbor Seals, Steller Sea Lions,California Sea Lions, a Humpback Whalebreachingright next to the boat and a very rare LeatherbackTurtlemade for exciting non-avian sightings.

The foggy and surreal Farallons were teeming with lifeincluding thousands of Western and HeermannsGulls, Brandts Cormorants, a number of TuftedPuffins and Cassins Auklets, and the trip highlight

a nesting pair ofBrown Boobies!

Brown Boobies Photo by Scott Huber

A little farther out near the edge of the Cordell Bank we encountered Black-footedAlbatrosses and Pink-footed Shearwaters.

Other species seen were Brown Pelicans,Double-crested and Pelagic Cormorants,Red-necked Phalaropes, a Parasitic Jaeger,California Gulls, Caspian Terns, Pigeon

Guillemots, and Rhinocerous Auklets.

Black-footed Albatross Photo by Scott Huber

Altacal hopes to offer additional pelagic trips in the future.
http://www.nevadawilderness.org/northeast/ruby.htmhttp://www.nevadawilderness.org/northeast/ruby.htmhttp://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/getoutside/archive/1997/09/01/overview.DTLhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Elegant_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Murre.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Murre.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/HarborPorpoise.htmhttp://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0027http://stellersealions.noaa.gov/http://www.onr.navy.mil/Focus/ocean/life/sealion1.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htmhttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/leatherback.htmhttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/leatherback.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Gull_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Heermanns_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Heermanns_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brandts_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Puffin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Puffin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cassins_Auklet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Booby.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/619/overview/Pink-footed_Shearwater.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Pelican.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Double-crested_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pelagic_Cormorant.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/498/overview/Red-necked_Phalarope.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/498/overview/Red-necked_Phalarope.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/491/_/Parasitic_Jaeger_Dark.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Caspian_Tern.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/166/_/Pigeon_Guillemot.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/166/_/Pigeon_Guillemot.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rhinoceros_Auklet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rhinoceros_Auklet.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/166/_/Pigeon_Guillemot.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/166/_/Pigeon_Guillemot.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Caspian_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Gull.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/491/_/Parasitic_Jaeger_Dark.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/498/overview/Red-necked_Phalarope.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pelagic_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Double-crested_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Pelican.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/619/overview/Pink-footed_Shearwater.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Booby.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cassins_Auklet.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Puffin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Puffin.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brandts_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Heermanns_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Heermanns_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Gull_dtl.htmlhttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/leatherback.htmhttp://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/leatherback.htmhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htmhttp://www.onr.navy.mil/Focus/ocean/life/sealion1.htmhttp://stellersealions.noaa.gov/http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0027http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/HarborPorpoise.htmhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Murre.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Elegant_Tern.htmlhttp://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/getoutside/archive/1997/09/01/overview.DTLhttp://www.nevadawilderness.org/northeast/ruby.htmhttp://www.nevadawilderness.org/northeast/ruby.htm


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August 10-12, Friday-Sunday Yosemite National Park Great Gray Owl Hunt Trip leaders: Mike Fisher and Jennifer Patten With little more than a hope and a prayer,ten Altacal members headed for Yosemite National Park in search of the Great GrayOwl. The park contains approximately 760,000 acres and has an estimated population ofonly 40 Great Gray Owls. And with no posted reports of Great Gray sightings this year,we held our hopes in check.

Thanks to Jennifer and Warren Patten, and Veronika and Bill Kehoe who were parkvolunteers for the month of August, we had great accommodations at their campsite inthe Lower Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley. To our surprise, bears, not birds, wereto be the early focus of this trip. Thursday morning at 4 a.m. we awoke to the sound of avery large Black Bear looting our food stores. Not 15 feet from the tents sat Big Boy,a several-hundred-pound cinnamon-colored Black Bear, well known in the park as one ofits largest bears and an occasional visitor to campsites. Big Boy had discovered ourerror the previous night in not properly latching the bear box and was determined to partyuntil he had his fill. Luckily for us, if not the bear, as a volunteer, Jennifer had receivedtraining for just such an event and bravely beat back the bear by yelling and throwingthings at it until finally it retreated back into the woods. As it turned out, only one bag of

food was lost and we all learned a hard lesson about properly securing the bear boxes.The rangers told us this year has seen a record number of bears in the valley, possibly dueto the extremely dry conditions. We saw a total of five bears over the four days inaddition to fleeting glances of others that visited the campsite each night.

Later that same morning Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown Creeper, Common Raven,Stellers JayandWestern Tanagersurrounded the campsite as we prepared for a hiketo the famed Mirror Lake. We spent most of Thursday and part of Friday in the valleytaking short hikes and enjoying the spectacular views ofHalf Dome, El Capitan, BridalVeil Fall, Yosemite Falls (dry) and many of the other iconic spots. In the process weracked up White-headed, Pileated, Acorn, and Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted

Sapsucker, Western Wood-Pewee, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatch,Spotted Sandpiper, Annas Hummingbird, Mountain Chickadee, and a few more.Late afternoons and early evenings were spent in the high country looking for the GreatGray Owl. We spent two long evenings looking through and staking out various

meadows along Glacier PointRoad, areas the owl is known tofrequent. No luck there with theOwl but great looks at Coyotesand more Black Bears. Ourhigh-elevation birds includedWhite-throated Swifts, RufousHummingbird, Red-tailedHawk, Sooty Grouse (formerlyBlue Grouse),Mountain Quail,Townsends Solitaire, Dark-eyed Junco, and ChippingSparrow.

Wawona Meadow, Yosemite National Park
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Gray_Owl.htmlhttp://www.nps.gov/yosehttp://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/nature/wlf_bears.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-headed_Grosbeak.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Creeper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Raven.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Stellers_Jay.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Tanager_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Tanager_dtl.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Domehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Capitanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridalveil_Fall_(Yosemite)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridalveil_Fall_(Yosemite)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Fallshttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/185/_/White-headed_Woodpecker.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Acorn_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hairy_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Sapsucker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Sapsucker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Wood-Pewee.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-breasted_Nuthatch.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Spotted_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Annas_Hummingbird_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Chickadee.htmlhttp://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/coyote.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-throated_Swift.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Blue_Grouse.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Quail.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Townsends_Solitaire.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dark-eyed_Junco.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dark-eyed_Junco.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chipping_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chipping_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chipping_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chipping_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dark-eyed_Junco.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dark-eyed_Junco.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Townsends_Solitaire.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Quail.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Blue_Grouse.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-throated_Swift.htmlhttp://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/coyote.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mountain_Chickadee.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Annas_Hummingbird_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Spotted_Sandpiper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/White-breasted_Nuthatch.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Wood-Pewee.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Sapsucker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Sapsucker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hairy_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Acorn_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/185/_/White-headed_Woodpecker.aspxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Fallshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridalveil_Fall_(Yosemite)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridalveil_Fall_(Yosemite)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Capitanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Domehttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Tanager_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Stellers_Jay.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Raven.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Creeper.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-headed_Grosbeak.htmlhttp://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/nature/wlf_bears.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/yosehttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Gray_Owl.html


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We also spotted five different warblers including, Yellow-rumped, Black-throatedGray, Townsends, Hermit, MacGillivrays, and Wilsons. Saturday our luck changedwhen Jennifer led us to the Wawona Meadows area where in the past she had seen theGreat Gray Owl. Following a spectacular barbeque dinner hosted by the Wawona Hotelwe began our search for the owl. The first sign of success came at about 7:30 p.m. whenJennifer heard a call off into the woods. Just a minute later a Great Gray Owl silently

flew from the deep woods right between our group and landed in a tree on the edge of themeadow. We got great looks at the owl in flight and were able to see it perched inthe tree for just a couple of minutes before it flew to another tree and then out of sight.More searching until after dark could not turn it up again. But what an exciting andrewarding few minutes!

Other highlights of the trip included a hike up to Sentinel Dome at 8,122 feet for abreathtaking 360-degree view of the park; a ranger-hosted nighttime talk entitled TheStars over Yosemite at the Glacier Point overlook which included looks at variouscelestial bodies through telescopes hosted by amateur astronomers; and finally anafternoon spent in the Mariposa Grove hiking through the majestic giant sequoias. OurYosemite trip total was 45 species of birds, 5+ Black Bears, 2 Coyotes and 10 very happy

Altacal Audubon members.

Opportunities and Events

October 4, Thursday - Landscaping for Wildlife Meeting Invitation - California Native PlantSociety The Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) invites AltacalAudubon Society members to this special event at theButte County Library, Chico Branch 1108 ShermanAve. Chico, CA at 7:30 p.m. with wildlife ecologist,Brian Williams.

Brians presentation will focus on concepts of

designing native plant landscapes for wildlifeincluding important lessons about landscape context,structure, and the realities of attracting wildlife tospace-limited settings. These concepts are supportedby many years of first-person observations of wildlife-plant interactions and couched in a philosophy ofecological sustainability, beauty, and respect for life.Brian has no formal training in landscape design, but

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

the backyard landscape of his one-and-only client has been given rave reviews by a group of MasterGardeners, native plant enthusiasts, birders, and even the neighbors. Inspired by the striking dependence

of birds on distinct plant communities, Brian began tinkering with native plants in about 1989. He hassubsequently become a wildlife/plant/conservation ecologist (Williams Wildland Consulting), part-timeteacher, and will soon be receiving a landscape contractors license. His plantings persist in Lincoln,Granite Bay, and Natomas, but they are still in the conceptual stage at his residence on the Yuba/Buttecounty line where the Williams family lives in their self-constructed straw-bale, adobe-plastered home.

October 7-9, Sunday-Tuesday, Audubon California Assembly 2007, Asilomar ConferenceGrounds, Pacific Grove, CA For over 100 years, Audubon has conserved and restored naturalecosystems. Now, we prepare to face the challenge warming temperatures present to our belovedlandscapes and species. The 2007 Assembly will examine the problems of global warming from a
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Townsends_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hermit_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/MacGillivrays_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wilsons_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wilsons_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.audubon-ca.org/audubon_assembly.htmlhttp://www.audubon-ca.org/audubon_assembly.htmlhttp://www.audubon-ca.org/audubon_assembly.htmlhttp://www.audubon-ca.org/audubon_assembly.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wilsons_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/MacGillivrays_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Hermit_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Townsends_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Gray_Warbler.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler.html


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wildlife and ecosystem perspective and help us understand how global warming should affect our landmanagement decisions. The Assembly will spotlight climate solutions from conserving energy withsimple changes around the home, to reaching an 80 percent national reduction of greenhouse gases. TheAudubon California Assembly brings together over 300 chapter leaders, birders, scientists, volunteers,grassroots activists and staff for three days on the Monterey Bay. At the Asilomar Conference Groundsin Pacific Grove, participants will have an opportunity to attend a wonderful variety of interactiveworkshops on restoration, policy and education and meet renowned speakers emphasizing theimportance of effective conservation of California's birds, wildlife and habitat. World-class birding,

pelagic and California Condor fieldtrips, and more, will make the Assembly an unforgettableexperience. We welcome old friends and first time attendees!Registration Fees: $325.00 per person; includes two nights/three days, double occupancy; six meals;workshops. For questions and more information contact: Claudia [email protected] 510.601.1866 ext.3

November 2-4, Friday-Sunday, 2007, Sandhill Crane Festival, Lodi, CA - Viewings of the State'slargest concentration ofGreater Sandhill Cranes; workshops, exhibits, children stories, dancing, facepainting, live wild animals and fine art. (800) 581-6150,[email protected]

November 15-18, Thursday-Sunday,11th Annual Central Valley Birding Symposium, Stockton,CA - The 11th Annual Central Valley Birding Symposium will be held November 15-18 in Stockton at

a new location. We're in the brand spanking-new Sheraton Stockton and have sole use of theirConvention Center. Here is some preliminary information so you can see what is in store for thisyear. Our evening programs include Joe Morlan - "Digiscoping for Fun and Science: Confessions of aReluctant Photographer; and, Laura Erickson's - "Owls - the Inside Story." We have many workshopssuch as: "Birding By Ear - Visually" by Arch McCallum; an eBird primer with Brian Sullivan; and oneof Jon Dunn's famous birding ID tutorials. Clay Taylor will give a digiscoping workshop and lead apost-Symposium field trip on Monday the 19th. Jon Dunn is leading a gull field trip on Monday aswell. We have programs for beginning birders and for people who want to make their gardens bird-friendly. The Birder's Market is full of artists and vendors with bird and nature-related items. Testyour ID skills along with the experts at the Bird Identification Panel. And we've planned much, muchmore. For more information contact Frances Oliver at [email protected] or call (209) 369-

2010.Visit Panam with Altacal in 2008

Panam, at the junction between North and SouthAmerica, will be the destination for AltacalAudubon's ten-day neotropical birding trip inMarch, 2008. We will depart on Saturday,March 15th and visit the lowlands and foothills ofcentral Panam and the highlands of ChiriquProvince near the Costa Rica border. An optionalfour-day tour extension to Darin Province in

eastern Panam will be offered beginning onMonday, March 24th. The diversity of thebirdlife, including cotingas, hummingbirds,manakins, motmots, quetzals,tanagers, toucansand trogons, makes for a wonderful exploration ofthe avifauna of the New World Tropics.

2004 Trip Participants Skip Augur bottom right, Steve Margolin fourthfrom right, back row - Photo by Karl Kaufmann (kneeling, front row)
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Condor.htmlhttp://www.lodichamber.com/scfestival/craneinfo_tour_descriptions.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane.htmlmailto:[email protected]://cvbs.org/http://cvbs.org/http://cvbs.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://cvbs.org/http://cvbs.org/http://cvbs.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane.htmlhttp://www.lodichamber.com/scfestival/craneinfo_tour_descriptions.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Condor.html


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Our guide will be Guido Berguido, Conservation Director ofPanama Audubon Society and one of thetop Panamanian birders and guides. The tour will be escorted by Steve Margolin, a member of AltacalAudubon Society and a past president of Golden Gate Audubon Society, who has traveled widely in theneoptropics and has escorted six international trips for Golden Gate Audubon Society, five of them toPanam. Cost (land and air), double occupancy, is estimated at this time to be $2,625 for the 10-daytrip. For a detailed itinerary and trip application, please contact Steve Margolin at 342-6476 [email protected] . For "the latest reports of rare birds in Panama updated sporadicallythroughout the year" see Xenornis

Sightings(If you have any interesting sightings in your yard, on the way to work, or in the Butte, Glenn or Tehama counties area in

general in September, October and early November you can send them to the Newsletter Editor at [email protected] November 7 for possible inclusion in the next newsletter.)

Summer Sightings - Anne-Lise Feenstra reported the following from Orland:June 28 - The first summer Rufous Hummingbird returned to my yard, about four weeksearlier than last year.July 24 - A juvenile Western Screech-Owl was in my yard (a life bird). It was seen again onAugust 13, 15 and 16, having acquired a streaked breast and bigger ear tufts.August 12 - A pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers along the trail from Crumbaugh Lake toCold Boiling Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park (life bird).

August 20 - A Northern Waterthrushwas seen at my neighbors pond west of Orland.

July 12 In the Tehama Wildlife Area, Phil Johnson and Carolyn Short spotted a Black-throatedSparrow singing on top of a bush on a foothill ridge.

August John and Ann Oswald saw a Greater Roadrunner in the same place as last year (across fromthe entrance to the Chico airport) only on the airport side of the road. Also, John almost ran over one onKeefer just down the road from where they live. He said its rather distant from the original sighting, soit could be another one.

August 11 Carolyn Short counted 20Wild Turkeys in her yard (near Butte College). Also shes hadlots of hummingbirds lately (including Rufous) and Black-headed Grosbeaks have been around for acouple of weeks.

August 11 Scott Huber reported that a lone Ross's Goose appears to be summering at the ChicoOxidation Ponds based on multiple sightings by himself, Mike Skram and others. On August 11 thegoose was joined by a lone American White Pelican.

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]

July 14 From Dawn Garcia in the Plumas NationalForest: - Hi all, I'm happy to say that I had my first visual

of a Flammulated Owl. What a thrill! Although I'veheard the birds when owling, I had yet to see one until thisweekend. Several of you have helped with my efforts todetermine spring migration routes of the little owl, withno success as yet. I thought I would share my funobservation.

Flammulated Owl Roost in Snag Photo by Dawn Garcia
http://www.panamaaudubon.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.geocities.com/xenornismailto:[email protected]://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Screech-Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-backed_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Waterthrush.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Greater_Roadrunner_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wild_Turkey.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-headed_Grosbeak.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rosss_Goose.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_White_Pelican.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Flammulated_Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Flammulated_Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_White_Pelican.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rosss_Goose.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-headed_Grosbeak.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wild_Turkey.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Greater_Roadrunner_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-throated_Sparrow.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Waterthrush.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-backed_Woodpecker.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Screech-Owl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rufous_Hummingbird.htmlmailto:[email protected]://www.geocities.com/xenornismailto:[email protected]://www.panamaaudubon.org/


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This is my third year working a great summer job away from the valley heat, in the Plumas NationalForest conducting Willow Flycatcher and Northern Goshawk surveys (thanks Brian!). I was in abeautiful potential

Willow Flycatcher meadow and heard the drumming of a woodpecker. Scanning up this oldbleached snag for the percussionist, about50 meters upslope, my eyes flashed overan old cavity, complete with an owlperched in the opening! My first thoughtwas Western Screech Owl, but my mindflashed through facts; PileatedWoodpecker cavity, oval, about 6" long.But Western Screech Owls are gray,about 8 inches tall. The owl in the cavitywas a rufousy color, brown-eyed, smallerthan the cavity- FLAMMULATEDOWL! After surveys I went back to get

closer looks but the owl had tucked backdown its roost. Lucky me!

A Closer Look at the Flammulated Owl Photo by Dawn Garcia

On Saturday, August 4, a chilly day with high, overcast skies and good sea conditions, Scott Huber,Liam Huber and Tim Rucklewent on a Shearwater Journeyspelagic trip on the Check Mateout of Monterey. There were afew surprises an adult HornedPuffin swimming very close to

the rocks off Hopkins MarineStation; a group of eightBottlenose Dolphins, unusual inthat part of the bay, cavorting offour bow near the Coast Guard

Common Murres Photo by Scott Huber

Pier; and, in the late afternoon, two Ashy Storm-Petrelson the water.Other highlights included thousands ofSooty Shearwatersand morethan 1500 Pink-footed Shearwaters. Most of the shearwaters weresitting in flocks on the water, stuffed with food, and reluctant to fly.Black-footed Albatrossesput on a great show, along with a sprinkling ofPomarine Jaegers and Sabines Gulls. We came acrosssummering Humpback Whales throughout the day and also spotted aBlue Shark, Harbor Seals, Northern Fur Seals, California Sea Lionsand Sea Otters.

Liam Taking Pictures Photo by Scott Huber
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Willow_Flycatcher.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Goshawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Horned_Puffin_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Horned_Puffin_dtl.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/btlnose.htmhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/644/overview/Ashy_Storm-Petrel.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/644/overview/Ashy_Storm-Petrel.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/619/overview/Pink-footed_Shearwater.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/494/variations/Pomarine_Jaeger.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sabines_Gull.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htmhttp://new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/sharks/species/blue.htmlhttp://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0027http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/174.shtmlhttp://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0024http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/otter/index.htmlhttp://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/otter/index.htmlhttp://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/otter/index.htmlhttp://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0024http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/174.shtmlhttp://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0027http://new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/sharks/species/blue.htmlhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sabines_Gull.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/494/variations/Pomarine_Jaeger.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-footed_Albatross.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/619/overview/Pink-footed_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/620/_/Sooty_Shearwater.aspxhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/644/overview/Ashy_Storm-Petrel.aspxhttp://www.acsonline.org/factpack/btlnose.htmhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Horned_Puffin_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Horned_Puffin_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Goshawk.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Willow_Flycatcher.html


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Other avian species seen were Brown Pelicans, Brandtsand Pelagic Cormorants, Black Turnstones,a Surfbird, Red-necked Phalaropes, Heermanns, California and Western Gulls, Elegant Terns,Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots and Rhinocerous Auklets.

After returning to Monterey we made our way toward Sausalito where, on the next day, we werescheduled to take a pelagic trip to the Farallon Islands (See Bird Walk and Birding Trip Reports).

Submission of Articles

(Notices or articles submitted for publication consideration should be sent by e-mail message to the newsletter editor asMicrosoft 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 7th) - [email protected] Thanks, Ed.)

Altacal Board of Directors

President: Phil Johnson 570-7139/[email protected]

Co-Vice-Presidents: Jennifer Patten 345-9356/[email protected]

Mike Fisher 624-4777/[email protected]

Secretary: Kathryn Hood 342-9112/[email protected]: John Oswald 342-1651/[email protected]

Finance: Vacant

Membership: Carolyn Short 345-4224/[email protected]

(incl. newsletter): Tim Ruckle 566-9693/[email protected]

Publicity/Web Site: Wayland Augur 893-9222/[email protected]

Field Trips: Scott Huber 321-5579/[email protected]

Sanctuary, Lands& Refuge: Ruth Kennedy 899-9631/[email protected]

Conservation: Dawn Garcia 872-2165/[email protected]

Education: VacantDirectors-at-Large: John Merz 345-4050/[email protected]

Jackson Shedd 342-5144/[email protected]

Marilyn Gamette 343-3154/[email protected] Tinker 824-0253/[email protected]

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. Altacal members are welcome to attend.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brown_Pelican.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brandts_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Brandts_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pelagic_Cormorant.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black_Turnstone_dtl.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Surfbird.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/498/overview/Red-necked_Phalarope.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Heermanns_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/California_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Western_Gull.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Elegant_Tern.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Murre.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/166/_/Pigeon_Guillemot.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rhinoceros_Auklet_dtl.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:899-9631/[email protected]:[email protected]:342-5144/[email protected]:343-3154/[email protected]:343-3154/[email protected]:342-5144/[email protected]:[email protected]:899-9631/[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Rhinoceros_Auklet_dtl.htmlhttp://identify.whatbird.com/obj/166/_/Pigeon_Guillemot.aspxhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Common_Murre.htmlhttp://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Elegant_Tern.htmlhttp://www.b

Documents

October 2007 White Tailed Kite Newsletter, Altacal Audubon Society