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ShorelinesNewsletter of the Whidbey Audubon Society
April 2018
Whidbey Audubon Society Meets Thursday, April 12 in CoupevilleWhidbey State Parks — Recreation, Preservation, Restoration and What’s in It for the BirdsJoin Janet Hall, Interpretive Specialist, in discovering how
State Parks on Whidbey Island is preserving and restoring our parks. Learn about the restoration project at Cornet Bay and some of the amazing results. Find out why camping is closed permanently at South Whidbey State Park. Learn about the program to restore the endangered golden paintbrush. Find out what Parks are doing to control noxious weeds. Discover how birds have adapted to living in our parks with all of us visitors.
Janet has been an Interpretive Specialist for Washington State Parks for two years, but she has worked in Fort Casey State Park for the past 20 years as an Environmental Educator and Volunteer Coordinator for the Washington State University/Island County Waste Wise pro-gram.
Her job entails engaging with visitors on guided hikes, histori-cal tours, school programs, Junior
Rangers and lots of other interpretive activities. Janet loves to learn new things about our parks and enjoys sharing with visitors all the amazing natural, historical and cultural fea-tures of Central Whidbey Area State Parks. As she says, “This is the best job on the Island!”
Janet has a bachelor of science degree in forest management and a mas-ter’s in forest fire science. She worked in the forest management field for 13 years with a private tim-ber company, National Forest Service (nfs) and the research branch of the nfs. She has also been self-employed, dabbling in all sorts of fields.
Join Us!Thursday evening
April 12Coupeville
Recreation Hall901 NW Alexander Street
7:00 socializing(donations for snacks welcome)
7:15 brief meeting7:30 program begins
Photo by Kelly Zupich
Janet Hall’s new role is interpre-tive specialist for Washington State Parks.
Upcoming Field TripsWednesday, April 18: REIFEL MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE/DELTA BRITISH COLUMBIA. We will meet at 7 a.m. at Windjammer Park, end of Beeksma Drive, Oak Harbor, to form carpools. We’ll walk the trails at Reifel, look-ing for resident and migrating songbirds, along with raptors, owls and waterfowl. We’ll also stop at Boundary Bay dike. Bring passport or enhanced license, lunch, plenty of fluids, and money for admission ($5 adults, $3 seniors) and dress for the weather. Walking will be mostly level on gravel trails. Return late after-noon to early evening. Note: As this is an international trip, you MUST possess an unexpired passport or enhanced license in order to attend. Passengers are expected to contribute toward
fuel costs. The trip leader is Kim Shepard, 360-720-1711 or [email protected]. (Click red text for hot link.)Saturday, April 21: SPRING MIGRATION CRUISE TO PROTECTION ISLAND. Join leader Sharon Gauthier on the Puget Sound Express as you cruise from Port Townsend around Protection Island on this three-hour unique field trip. A National Wildlife Refuge, Protection Island is home to one of the largest nesting colonies of Rhinoceros Auklets in the country. An onboard interpreter will search for seabirds (keep your eyes open for Tufted Puffins, Murres, Murrelets and mammals) while providing infor-
Upcoming Field Trips, see page 7
Whidbey Audubon Society is dedicated to the understanding, appreciation and conservation of birds, other wildlife and their habitats on Whidbey Island and in surrounding waters.
2 SHORELINES April 2018
eBird Volunteer NeededThe Smith & Minor Island State Aquatic Reserve stewardship
committee is looking for someone to monitor ebird for sightings listed from the reserve. The volunteer would mine data pertaining to species, numbers and seasonality. Periodic reports would be sent to the committee. Familiarity with eBird is a must.
The reserve is on the west side of Whidbey from Joseph Whidbey State park south to about Parego’s Lagoon and covers the water out to the two islands. We’ll accept Whidbey beach sightings within the boundary area.
Please contact me if you’re interested in filling this important role. — Steve Ellis, [email protected]
Volunteer Corner: Become a Volunteer TeacherBecome a
v o l u n -teer teacher at the Whidbey Wa t e r s h e d s ’ O u t d o o r C l a s s r o o m . Share your love of the environ-ment with students in grades kindergarten through sixth. Hands-on activities this spring season focus on forest habitats and the creatures who live there. The classroom is located at 7015 Maxwelton Road, Clinton.
Volunteer Training is Thursday, April 12 or Tuesday, April 17 both are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is provided. For informa-tion and to sign up for a session, contact Lori O’Brien at [email protected].
Fledgling Notes: Opportunities for Small Occasional Help with Education Programs
The Whidbey Audubon Society is receiving some of its usual and other new requests for presentations to various
groups around the island in the coming months, and the cur-rent Education Committee folks are seeing this as a great way to include any of you who may want to be involved in Whidbey Audubon in small ways without obligating more time than you can offer. The Committee has a great variety of presentations and activities already put together and is developing more for specific events, so if you are interested in assisting or helping in a small way on occasion, you could easily step into a role. We’d love to hear from you and could really use a few more folks to join in — even if once or twice is all you can do.
A couple specific dates are: • April 21 – about two hours with someone at the Whidbey Audubon Society table at Bayview Earth Day Festival
• A couple summer dates for Sno-Isle Library presentations • July 2 and July 3 — one hour each day for helping at a kids’ camp at South Whidbey State Park.
• Other requests are on hold until we know if we can do them.
Again, we have all the planning and organizing done if you didn’t want to do that part, but you are also welcome to join in with your own ideas. It’s a great way to connect more with other Audubon folks without becoming overloaded!
Contact Education Committee Chair, Nan Maysen at 360-961-6140 or [email protected] or at a meeting.
Whidbey Audubon Board Candidate Slate for
May 10, 2018 ElectionAll Whidbey Audubon Society members in good standing
who are present at the May membership meeting on May 10, 2018, are eligible to vote for the open board positions. Our nominees are: President ....................Sharon Gauthier Vice-president ............David Allen Secretary: ...................Cathy Queeno-Wall
— Linda Bainbridge, Nomination Committee
A Veterinarian’s Wildlife Tales on WhidbeyTVDave Parent, dvm, presented to a standing-room-only audi-
ence at the January 11 Whidbey Audubon Society meeting. WhidbeyTV filmed it and now it can be accessed by television or computer. Those with a WhidbeyTV subscription can find it on their television under the menu Local Content, scroll to Community Features, then to A Veterinarian’s Wildlife Tales.
Find the same title on the com-puter by logging in to WhidbeyTV.com and select Steaming. A sub-scription to see the broadcast is $5 per month or $60 a year.
April 2018 SHORELINES 3
Volunteer Corner: Guillemot Summer Breeding Citizen Science SurveyOnce again, volunteers from Whidbey Audubon will help
monitor the 1,000 Pigeon Guillemots that breed in the bluffs around our island. The survey will begin June 11 and continue through August and until the birds depart the colonies. Teams survey the birds for one hour each week.
New volunteers are always welcome. Please read more about this survey on our web site, Guillemot Research Group. And please contact Frances Wood, [email protected], prior to the volunteer training, if you hope to participate.
All new and returning volunteers are expected to attend the vol-unteer training on Tuesday, May 8, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation north of Freeland. New volunteers should arrive by 6:30 p.m. Returning volunteers may come at 7:30 p.m. for an update, although we encourage all to come at 6:30 for a refresher
and to enjoy Gov inda’s a m a z i n g photos.
This guil-lemot sur-vey has now spread to other areas of Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the data are being used by various organizations around the area. Come and be part of this long term, highly respected citizen science project of the Whidbey Audubon Society.
Photo by Govinda Rosling
Pigeon Guillemot pair.
Field Trip Reports: Big White Birds Seventeen individuals participated in the 2018 Big White Bird
field trip to the Samish Flats, Skagit Flats and Fir Island on February 24.
We began our bird count at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor, moved north to Dugualla Bay to see the Canvasback Ducks and other mostly aquatic species, then on north to the mainland — Samish Flats, Skagit Flats and Fir Island. Heavy falling snow was encountered as we travelled north, but the day ended dry and windless with even a few glimpses of rare February sun.
At the end of the day, those remaining with the group made a short stop at Deception Pass West Beach for off-shore marine species. The grand count for the day was 86 species sited. Highlights were four falcon species (no Gyrfalcon this year), an unexpected American Bittern, both species of swan and large numbers of Snow Geese. The highlight of the day was an excellent look at the vagrant Black Phoebe that has been seen for the past several weeks at Wylie Slough on Fir Island. A great day for all!
— Joe Sheldon/Dave Parent, Trip Leaders
Greenbank Farm and South Whidbey State ParkOur trip on March 10 began at the farm where we were
greeted by the resident Canada Geese. A Red-tailed Hawk was perched in a distant tree, but the Great-blue Herons were not yet utilizing the rookery across the highway. A few Bufflehead in the small pond up front were joined by a pair of shy Hooded Mergansers.
We walked down to the wetland enjoying Spotted Towhees, House Finches and Marsh Wrens, all in full song. Great-blue Herons were perched in a tree and Red-winged Blackbirds showed off their impressive epaulets. The willows and other trees supported Black-capped Chickadees, both hummingbird spe-cies, a Bewick’s Wren and Northern Flicker.
Our last stop of the day was South Whidbey State Park. There were too many of us (26!) to bird a hiking trail so we walked
into the campground area instead. Notable finds were Varied Thrush, Downy Woodpecker, Hutton’s Vireo, an immature Bald Eagle, Common Raven and a rather large Saint Bernard walking his people. Pacific Wrens gave us quick looks and a large mixed flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Brown Creepers entertained us for several minutes.
Those looking for signs of spring on this sunny day found skunk cabbage and osoberry blooming. A deer and Douglas squirrels rounded out our observations. Many thanks to Darwin Wile for helping with bird identification and for Martha Ellis for pointing out native plants. A total of 36 bird species were identified on this half-day trip.
— Steve Ellis, Trip Leader
4 SHORELINES April 2018
Sightings Sightings Sightings Sightings SightingsFebruary 24: I heard the first Hutton’s Vireo song of the spring. Also singing to-day: Song Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-capped-Chickadee. They just needed the sun to come out after the earlier colder weath-er. Location: Parker Road, Coupeville. — Steve EllisFebruary 25: Blue Jay uphill of the intersection of Berg and Conrad, above the Clinton Ferry Dock. — Mary HollenMarch 1: Adult Golden Eagle. Soaring low over the Whidbey Telecom maintenance shop at the State Route 525 and Marshview intersection.
— Dave ParentMarch 2: Two Northern Saw-whet Owls continually toot-ing from the forest. Nice to hear these little guys. It’s been a long time! Seen just east of Greenbrier Lane in Langley.
— Dave ParentMarch 4: Just got back from Costa Rica last night and this
morning saw my first Rufous Hummingbird of the season at my feeder. It’s good to be home! Location: Greenbank, off Honeymoon Bay Road.
— Linda BainbridgeMarch 4: We heard a West-ern Meadowlark on our walk down Cook Road. The me-lodious call was coming from the west towards Willowood Farm. Like last year, we only heard one calling, this one, for a period of about 10 minutes as we walked down the road.
— Traci YorkMarch 5: Female Lazuli Bunting. Interrupted a kitty exam to get my phone camera. Will try to get a photo if she returns. Seen at Useless Bay Animal Clinic Feeders.
— Dave ParentMarch 6: Unusual bird sounds in flight alerted me to a Snow Bunting which landed on some driftwood at the south end of the lagoon. After 10 minutes, it moved to
a different driftwood nearby which was 50 feet or so from the Western Meadowlark that had been singing a few songs, but mostly vocalizing with long series of song-like notes. Eventually, the bunting flew north and the meadow-lark, along with another in the same location, flew west toward the grassy areas. Loca-tion: Deer Lagoon.
— George HelekerMarch 10: First Tree Swal-lows this morning! I have
sighted them on the fifth, sixth and eighth of the month in previous years. We’ve been out of town since the fourth, so they may have arrived earli-er this week. Anyone else spot some earlier? Location: Clin-ton. — Dyanne SheldonMarch 11: While walking Eb-ey’s Prairie Pratt loop trail we heard the soft call of Trum-peter Swans. We looked up and saw 21 adults and 14 ju-veniles in a wonderful V for-mation. The juveniles were all in front spread equally along the V. — Robert/Traci YorkMarch 11: One Snow Goose foraging among a flock of Canada Geese; mentioned because snow geese are listed as rare in spring on the Whid-bey check list. Location: field to the east of the east dike of Deer Lagoon.
Later, I saw a Short-eared Owl foraging above marsh; possibly cooperatively hunting with male Northern Harrier. — Darwin WileMarch 11: From my back deck, looking at nine white swans on Deer Lagoon.
—Cathy DonckersMarch 14: Fourteen swan seen “a swimming” on Lone Lake. I’m guessing they are Trumpeters but am not 100 percent certain.
— Linda GriesbachMarch 17: First Yellow-rumped Warbler flock of the year this morning seen by the birding class. Both races; many “chip” notes and some songs. Location: Fort Casey State Park Picnic Grounds. — Steve EllisMarch 18: 40 to 45 swans; presumably all Trumpeters. They were quite far away so, even with a scope, it was dif-ficult to see facial details. But regardless of the distance, many of them were folding their necks along their upper backs suggesting, to me, that they indeed were trumpeters. Location: Deer Lagoon, west of the west dike.
— Darwin WileMarch 18: At least one Clark’s Grebe in a flock of 160 West-ern Grebes. Location: Sarato-ga Passage, offshore of Green-brier Lane in Langley.
— Dave ParentMarch 20: Instead of the typi-cal behavior, a Short-eared Owl was circling about 50 feet up and slowly flying higher while being pestered by six Crows. After a couple min-utes, I looked away for a brief time and when I looked back,
Photo by George Heleker
Snow Bunting
Sightings, see page 5
Please Post unusual sightings to the Whidbey Audubon Soci-ety (WAS) website.
Sightings should be on Whidbey Island or relate in some way to Whidbey Audubon. Reports should refer to birds or other wildlife that are not commonly seen here. Alternatively, they may refer to migratory birds that arrive outside their normal seasons.
Reports of especially interesting sightings in nearby areas are welcome. Greater selectivity is needed to keep the email volume reasonable so editors will exercise judgment on whether the rarity, proximity and significance of sightings merit inclusion.
These guidelines reflect the interests of local birders. Please respect the essentially scientific nature of the Sightings feature. Thanks for your cooperation. There are designated spaces to submit your information, such as what you saw, where you saw it and the date and approximate time. Although we are asking those who post to leave a phone number or email address with your sighting, they will not be in-cluded on the actual “Sightings” page. Thank you!
Keep up with “Sightings” on the was website, on your mobile device at www.m.whidbeyaudubon.org or on the Whidbey Audu-bon Society Facebook page.
April 2018 SHORELINES 5
Support Birdathon 2018In early May, during peak spring bird migration, you may spy
still, focused silhouettes along Crockett Lake or other spots on Whidbey Island, who appear to be gazing out into the distance for a really long period of time. Don’t be alarmed — this is just a team of birders, with their scopes and binoculars, seeing how many species of birds they can observe over a 24-hour period of time as they take part in the 2018 annual Whidbey Audubon Birdathon, which coincides with Global Big Day of birding (please see the article from Cornell Lab about Global Big Day, where over 20,000 people from 160 countries unite to celebrate birds. Find it on the eBird news page.
How can you take part in this event and help support Whidbey Audubon? You are very welcome to start your own team, take pledges and record bird species; or you may support one of the existing teams by pledging a specific amount per spe-cies observed or a lump sum. Simply contact one of the team leaders listed in the next column or go to the Birdathon table at the April 12 Audubon meeting. If you are a Microsoft or Boeing employee (current or retired), your donation will be matched by these companies. Thank you to everyone for last year’s generous
support of the birding teams. We earned over $7,000 for our general and scholarship funds.
I want to set it right that the Coupevillains were our Golden Binoculars Award winners last spring, for sighting 133 bird spe-cies during Birdathon 2017, narrowly edging the honor away from the All-for-Knots at 130 species. Excellent birders, all!
At this point the following teams plan to participate:The Coupevillains, Steve and Martha Ellis (sremse@comcast.
net)The Fledglings, Jenny Brown ([email protected])Wild Women of Whidbey, Phyllis Kind (phizhawk@
whidbey.com)Winging It, Sarah Schmidt ([email protected]) and Janet
Hall Shore Thing, Cathi Bower ([email protected]) and
Kathy ObersinnerAll-for-Knot, Joe Sheldon ([email protected]) with
Gideon Seraphine.The team observing the most species will take possession of
the much-coveted Golden Binoculars trophy for the next year.Birdathon coordinator Kathy Obersinner will answer ques-
tions at the April meeting. For additional information, email her at [email protected] or call 503-964-0873.
Steve Ellis ac-cepts the Golden Trophy award for the Coupevillains last June. To his left are past Bird-athon coordinator Linda Dwight and present coordina-tor Kathy Ober-sinner.
the crows were dispersing and the owl was not in sight. I did not see the owl again. There is still a singing Meadowlark near the end of the dikes. A single Snow Goose, that I first saw flying with some Canada Geese in December, is still hanging around with the Canada Geese. Saw a Bush-tit taking some material from last year’s nest in an ocean spray bush and placing it on a Douglas fir branch that has the start of a new nest which, if completed, will be hanging right over the trail. Location: Deer Lagoon.
— George HelekerMarch 25: Hybrid “Olym-pic” Gull chasing a Rufous Hummingbird. I have never before observed this behav-ior. It began when a gull in-terrupted the male hummer’s courtship display. The gull was obviously intent on mak-ing an appetizer out of the
hummer and was doing a good job keeping up with it. It ended when the hummer made a dive into the trees. Location: Off the bluff at the end of Greenbrier Lane in Langley.
—Dave ParentMarch 26: I have a Robin pecking on my bedroom win-dow. There are a lot of drop-pings — I am concerned that the Robin is ill. Location: Honeymoon Lake Drive.
— Sarah DoreSightings Editor’s response: Thanks for your concern. Birds pecking at windows is a common occurrence during breeding season. It’s thought they mistake their reflection for a rival in their territory. Refer to the Backyard Chirper for some information about how to deter them.
Sightings, from page 4
Birding in Neighborhoods South Bird in SunshineMarch 1: This morning the sun drove us straight to the beach for the eagle show at Sunlight! An old sea lion washed up there is attracting all sorts of action — over a dozen eagles, mostly immatures. Apparently, it has been there a few weeks, and the tide moves it some, but the eagles, crows and gulls are working on it.
After almost enough of that, plus the many Brant, and try-ing to figure out which little shore birds were distantly mur-murating, we checked out the lagoon side and walked the east dike. We wound up writing off a white goose amongst some
bin South, see page 6
6 SHORELINES April 2018
Dan’s Blog: Little Red DevilsBy Dan Pedersen with Craig and Joy Johnson, #288, March
10, 2018, “Little Red Devils and Nuclear Missiles”
“This little red devil is no angel,” admits my blog partner Craig Johnson, who is crazy about him anyway.
The devil is the male Rufous Hummingbird, whose annual return is cause for celebration in the Johnson household. “I ring in the new year not by a calendar, but rather with the arrival of a feisty creature who overcomes and defies the odds,” Craig says. For Puget Sound bird-lovers, the return of the Rufous is the first big, in-your-face, undeniable evidence of spring.
Craig’s newest video tells the story of the tiny, sex-crazed Rufous that will pour into Puget Sound in the next week or two as they push northward on their spring migration.
In fact, Craig and Joy saw their first lone Rufous of the season just this week, sitting at their feeder. I think the Rufous are pro-grammed to go to Craig and Joy’s house first. The video, which-Craig narrates, provides a wealth of information and insight in
just over four minutes.People love Craig’s photography and videos, but it’s the nar-
ration that makes me smile. They always spring a surprise or two. The females are single moth-ers, Craig says, but he and Joy have also noticed s o m e t h i n g
else that would be easy for the casual observer to miss. The female Rufous on their property always visit a backyard pile of wood ash. “They consume wood ash for minerals to replen-ish their taxed bodies from producing egg shells and young,” Craig says. “Every year I’ve recorded this action, which continues throughout the season.”
It’s only the female that visits the ash pile.“Spending time in the yard observing has helped reveal
certain behaviors to me,” Craig says. For health reasons Craig spends more time than most people sitting quietly and watch-ing. Birds and animals are comfortable around him and often come quite close.
Joy Johnson adds, “In addition to closely observing bird behaviors in our back yard, we also learned a great deal from a bird biology course we took in 2007 from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.”
Editor’s note: Dan’s Blog is published every Saturday morning. From time to time he partners with Craig and Joy Johnson to write about birds. If you’d like to be added to Dan’s email list to receive the link to the latest post each week, write to Dan Pedersen at [email protected].
Canadas, as a domestic of some kind, but is it possibly a rogue Snow or Ross could be with them? They were way across the fields near the llamas.
As if all that wasn’t enough, some of us stopped by Ewing Marsh looking for Cinnamon Teals. They were hiding, but we did spot three Cackling Geese with the dozens of Canadas standing around on the grassy roadside fields there. With four additions picked up at Ewing, we saw and/or heard at least 41 species. (btw — the Cinnamon Teals were out there later in the afternoon.)March 15: Beautiful day with a great turnout for Ewing and Possession Point State Park.
We stuck around the Marsh long enough to spy the Cinnamon Teals and the Shrike and to realize just how much smaller Cackling Geese are, compared with the larger Canadas.
We saw 23 species there, and then down at Possession, besides 31 bird species, also some mammals — a harbor seal, harbor porpoise and sea lions.
We saw and/or heard at least 49 bird species for the morning.— Cathi Bower, Bird early — bird often
Birding in Neighborhoods (bin) South meets every other Thursday morning. The time varies with the season. Contact Cathi Bower to join in: [email protected].
bin South, from page 5
Photo by Craig Johnson
This male Rufous is preening its plumage, which involves turning itself almost inside out.
Dan’s Blog, see page 8
Craig’s newest video, presented on this blog, explores the wonders of this tiny, fearless bird that is a sure sign of the season. See it on Dan’s Blog #288 of March 10, 2018, “Little Red Devils and Nuclear Missiles” or on Craig and Joy’s website, Puget Sound Backyard Birds & Habitat, “Rufous and Annas Hummingbirds.”
Click to connect
April 2018 SHORELINES 7
mation on the geology and history of the area. Audubon has reserved 20 spaces for this trip. Cost is $65.40 per person; you can bring a sack lunch if you wish or purchase on board treats. Meet the group at the Coupeville Ferry Terminal parking lot at 9:45 a.m. to walk on the ferry. Plan on returning from Port Townsend on the 5:15 p.m. ferry. The cruise is full. The trip leader is Sharon Gauthier.
Saturday, May 12: EARTH SANCTUARY. Earth Sanctuary is a wonderful area at any time of year, but it’s especially lovely in the spring when the birds are singing. We will look and listen for spring migrants and our resident birds. The Earth Sanctuary parking lot is very small, so we’ll meet at 8 a.m. at the Bayview Park & Ride lot to carpool from there. Please be prepared to pay a $7 entry fee. For more information on Earth Sanctuary, see its website (click red text). The trip is limited to 12 participants so please email trip leader Linda Bainbridge to reserve your space at [email protected].
Upcoming Field Trips, from page 1
Conservation Column: The Latest from OlympiaA short legislative session has concluded in Olympia. Audubon
Washington worked hard on three major issues: A big, hard-fought win was a bill to end net pens in Washington
coastal waters — no new ones and existing ones will be phased out by 2022. This will protect the Salish Sea ecosystem, including native salmon and the orca that depend on them.
The other two issues of concern, a Firewise management plan for eastern Washington and efforts to reduce carbon emissions, made it out of committee but were fiercely opposed by industries who saw threats to their bottom lines.
Washington Audubon has a lobbyist and is part of an environ-mental coalition that has lobbyists, but big industry can bring a lot of money and influence to bear on issues that have economic repercussions. However, it has become clear that we — birders, environmentalists, appreciators of the natural world — have power too. Not only as voices of concern, writers of letters and
makers of phone calls…but economic power too. According to an article in the Spokane Spokesman-Review 2/15/18:
[I]n 2016, more than 45 million people watched birds according to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. Birders spent nearly $41 billion annually on trips and equipment, according to a 2011 survey. Of that, birders spent $14.9 billion in local communities on food, lodging and transportation. That influx created an estimated 666,000 jobs. A more recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study estimated that nationwide wildlife watchers spent about $75.9 billion in 2016. Of the estimated 86 million wildlife watchers, more than half were birdwatchers. In Washington, 24 percent of residents went birding, according to the 2011 survey. In Idaho, it was 29 percent. Meanwhile, 19 per-cent of Idaho’s birders came from out of state, while 17 percent of Washington’s birding participants were non-residents.
This is clout on a whole different scale and we should make sure our legislators take notice.
— Kim Shepard, Conservation Chair
Dates to RememberAPRIL Earth and Ocean Month Events, click red to see events 12: Outdoor Ed Training, Maxwelton 12: Whidbey Audubon Program: Central Whidbey State
Parks with Janet Hall, Coupeville, 7 p.m. 13 or 14: Class: Spring Birding by Ear, Padilla Bay Na-
tional Estuarine Research Reserve, 8 a.m. 13-15 Olympic Bird Fest, Sequim 17: Outdoor Ed Training, Maxwelton 19: Deadline for May Shorelines 21: Field Trip: Cruise to Protection Island; filled 26: was Board Meeting, Greenbank Fire Station on Day
Road, 7 p.m. Members welcome 27 to 29: Grays Harbor Shorebird & Nature Festival, Ho-
quiamMAY 5 or 6: Birdathon, see page 5 8: Pigeon Guillemot Training, Freeland 10: Whidbey Audubon Program: Whidbey Camano Land
Trust with Jessica Larson, Coupeville 12: Field Trip: Earth Sanctuary 17: Deadline for June Shorelines 24: was Board Meeting, Greenbank Fire Station on Day
Road, 7 p.m. Members welcomeJUNE 14: Whidbey Audubon Program: Nature Conservancy,
Coupeville, 7 p.m.
Field Trip ChecklistDD Field trips are free and open to anyone interested in birding or conservation. Bring your friends!
DD Beginners are very welcome. DD Carpooling is encouraged and even required for some sites with limited parking.
DD Dress for the weather and in layers.DD Very bad weather cancels a trip. Check with the trip leader. DD If you have them, bring binoculars, scope and field guides. DD If you might need them, bring a drink and snack.
We are always looking for new trip leaders and assis-tants. If you are interested, please contact Ann Casey at [email protected].
8 SHORELINES April 2018
The male Rufous will show up any day now, almost certainly before the end of March. I’ll know they’re back not by seeing them but by hearing buzzing like a Volkswagen Beetle with bad valves zipping across the yard.
At first we’ll see only males, but within a few days the females will appear and set to work immediately gathering nesting materi-als and preparing to breed. “Unlike most bird species, female hum-mingbirds raise the young on their own,” Craig says. This takes a toll on their bod-ies. They also have to eat for three, since they usu-ally raise two young with no help from dad.
Throughout the winter many Puget Sound residents keep their hummingbird feeders hanging outside, and thawed, and faithfully replace the sugar water every few days (to keep it fresh and healthy) to sustain the handful of Anna’s Hummingbirds that winter here and do not migrate. Maintaining a healthy hummingbird feeder requires dedication at any time of year, but especially in winter. The small population of Anna’s don’t drain the reservoir very fast.
So it’s tempting to fill up a big feeder and then forget it for days and days, or let it freeze at night so the birds find only ice at first light. Mold and fermentation in a neglected feeder risk poisoning the birds.
Sweet as it is to watch a solitary Anna’s sip the life-giving sugar water on a cold, winter morning, action at the feeder quickly turns frantic and exciting when the hyper-competitive Rufous arrive.
“The Rufous migrate north up the coast every spring from southern Mexico,” Joy says. “Their breeding range extends into parts of Alaska. In the fall, actually as early as July, they start migrating south again via the montane route, the Rockies, fol-lowing the late-blooming wildflowers.”
The Anna’s make a very loud, piercing “chirp” that sounds like a larger bird. They make the sound not with their mouth but by rubbing their tailfeathers together. Some call it a “chipping” sound, and it’s separate from their song.
The Anna’s have a complex song, but Rufous do not sing. Craig and Joy explain differences between the two species, and much more, in the excellent, 21-minute excerpt from a longer video they produced, “Rufous and Annas Hummingbirds.”select photo on page six to see the video. l
Once the ear is tuned to the differences, it’s easy to know who’s out there without even looking.
Also check out Dan’s Blog: When the Birds Come Home, #291, published March 31, 2018, pedersenwrites.blogspot.com/2018/03/291-when-birds-come-home.html. He features Craig Johnson’s video, Crafting the Perfect Home. There are several other videos by Craig about various birds and how they prepare their nests.
Dan’s Blog, from page 6
Photo by Craig Johnson
Rufous female left, male right.
Photo by Craig Johnson
Two baby Rufous Hummingbirds about 17 days after hatching.
Click the image for a link to the video.
9 SHORELINES April 2018
Whidbey Audubon Society MembershipPlease make your check payable to WHIDBEY AUDUBON SOCIETY (WAS)
Mail to: Linda Bainbridge, 4459 Towhee Lane, Greenbank, WA 98253
Name ________________________________________________________________________________________ Y20
Address __________________________________City ______________________State ____ Zip _________________
Phone ______________________Email________________________________ (Your issues will be emailed to you.)
_____ Check here to receive your Shorelines by mail. Please add an additional $3 to defray mailing costs.
SELECT a Category of Membership ______Individual Annual Membership $20 ______Pigeon Guillemot $75 ______Household Annual Membership $30 ______Red-tailed Hawk $100 ______Spotted Towhee $50 ______Osprey $________ $__________Additional Donation to be used for Scholarships
All memberships include 9 issues of Shorelines annually, a WAS window decal, discounts and early registration in our educational classes._____ SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY MEMBERSHIP for first year National Members only. Receive a joint member-ship in National and Whidbey Audubon for one year for only $35. Make check payable to National Audubon.
The Whidbey Audubon Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.It is Whidbey Audubon policy to never share our membership and subscription information with other groups.
Welcome New and Renewing Members
NewGail and Rick MylanderKarl and Laurie Horne
Bill Fritsch (Spotted Towhee)Jeanette Herbison
RenewingCathleen Queeno-WallCathi BowerJenny Brown (Spotted Towhee)Barbara PaulFerra SherlockDana and Gene RobinsonGideon SeraphineSandy Shields
Merilyn OhlsonSherry and Tony ZoarsPaul and Stephanie NeisEileen and Wayne ClarkJean and Tom AshcherJohn and Judy OpheimChris and Todd Peterson
Leigh and LaVerne Power (Osprey)George and Lynne Jensen (Scholarship Fund)Robin Llewellyn (Spotted Towhee)
The expiration month for paper copies is on your address label. I will send email reminders to both paper and email subscribers.
— Linda Bainbridge, Membership Chair
Save the Date, September 22 for the BIRD IN THE HAND BIRD FESTIVAL from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bayview Farm and Garden Nursery and Bayview Hall. To volunteer to contact Robin Llewellyn at [email protected] or Cheryl Bradkin at [email protected].
