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Audubon Society of CorvallistheCHAT

VOL. 34December 2004 #4

In This Issue:

Field trips 27Corvallis Christmas Bird Count 27Brazil Birding trip offered 27Conservation news 30Wildlife photos 31

General MeetingDecember 16, Thursday, 7:30-9:00 PM

Birds of the Willamette Valley RegionA presentation by Harry Nehls

Corvallis Public LibraryBeginning at 7:30 PM in the public meeting room of theCorvallis/Benton County Public Library, at Sixth andMonroe, in downtown Corvallis. As usual, the meeting willbe preceded by a social period, with refreshments, begin-ning at 7:00. Note that the library’s parking garage islocked at 9 PM.

The Willamette Valleyregion has to be one of themost beautiful parts of ourcountry. With a lush greenvalley with lots of pondsand lakes surrounded by ev-ergreen forests, this area isblessed with an abundantvariety of bird life. HarryNehls, renowned Portlandauthor and birding expert,will provide a 35 minuteslide show on the birds ofthe Willamette Valley re-gion. Most of the photo-graphs come from Harry’snew book, Birds of the Wil-lamette Valley Region. Il-lustrated with full page color photographs of the birds, thispocket-sized book presents information on over 200 spe-cies of birds seen in the area. It also provides helpfulinformation for beginning birders on attracting and feedingbirds, binocular selection, finding and identifying birds,and local habitats. It is expected to be quite popular withbeginning and intermediate bird watchers. Harry will be

available before and after the program to sign copies of thebook.

Harry Nehls has been watching birds in the WillametteValley since 1949. He lectures and writes about birds forthe Audubon Society of Portland and serves as the Secre-tary of the Oregon Records Committee. Harry is the com-piler of the weekly Oregon rare bird report and is a subre-gional editor for American Birds. According to Nehls,“Over 800,000 people in the Willamette Valley area watchor feed birds. Here’s a compact guide to the local birds.Bird watching is fun. It is easy to get started, inexpensive,healthy and is a great way to enjoy nature.” This is Nehls’sthird book on birding.

Future Programs at General MeetingsJan 20 Paulo Boute, Brazilian nature guide. Birds

of the Pantanal and Mato Grosso regions ofBrazil.

Feb 17 Katie Dugger, OSU faculty member. Eitherher work on Adelie penguins in the Antarctic(probably) or her studies of overwinteringwarblers in Puerto Rico.

Mar 17 Bob Brister, Outreach Coordinator for theSouthern Utah Wilderness Alliance. WildUtah: America’s Redrock Wilderness.

Apr 21 Dave Mellinger, OSU faculty and CorvallisAudubon member. Topic to be announced.

May 19 Dick Bauer, local wildlife photographer. TheGalapagos Islands.

New book,Birds of theWillamette ValleyRegion

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Chat Editor Needed inSpring 2005The Chat issue of May, 2005 will be my last as editor.There is no other reason for this other than I feel it’s timefor a change, I’ve been at it since the summer of 1998. I’mannouncing this now to give us time to search for a replace-ment. I hope there to be a couple months of transition forthe new editor so that I may show this person the ropes.

I’ve taken on so many other ASC tasks beyond Chatediting that I decided to actually do those other things moreproperly. Publicity functions, bird classes and field tripleading will quickly occupy the time vacuum left by drop-ping The Chat editing.

It has been rewarding. The Chat is the hub of all ASCactivity. As editor, I have been privy to all the goings onregarding local conservation, field trips, programs. I havehad regular relationships with other Oregon Audubon chap-ter members, Audubon members in other states, NationalAudubon and local conservation groups. The Chat editor isa vital role in the community and lead me to many connec-tions, friendships and has looked very good on my resumé.

Here is an outline for the tasks in whichthe editor is responsible:1-year commitment with option to renewDuration: May 2005 - May 2006 (training can start amonth or two in advance)Approx. 2 hours a week

Basic responsibilities• There are 10 issues, September through May, which

require timely deadlines• The summer issue comes out at the editor’s discre-

tion• Collect articles (almost all by e-mail), photos and

artwork submitted by Audubon members or othermembers of the community

• The editor is not required to write articles (unless bychoice). Most articles end up coming from ASCboard members or committee chairs

Secondary responsibilities(most are delegated to other volunteers)

• Proof reading• Layout of text, photos and artwork• Submission of art to the printing company• Submission of Chat articles to the ASC Web master• Submission of the electronic form of The Chat• Fran Gates leads the work party who prepares The

Chat for mailing

Don Boucher, 753-7689, bouchdon@juno.com

Morro Bay WinterBird FestivalJanuary 14-17, 2005MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA — Migrate to one of thecountry’s pre-eminent birding spots and join the MorroCoast Audubon Society (MCAS) for the 8th Annual MorroBay Winter Bird Festival. Morro Bay — located onCalifornia’s scenic Central Coast — is an important stopon the Pacific Flyway, and is recognized worldwide for itsdiversity of both resident and wintering birds. At lastyear’s festival, 213 species of birds were identified!

The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival is sponsored byMCAS and gives you the chance to join local and nationalbirding experts on a variety of field trips and workshops.Field trip group sizes are limited to maximize spotting andidentification opportunities. The Festival also offers work-shops aimed at sharpening your birding skills, as well asevening programs with outstanding speakers.

For more information about the Festival, check outour website at www.morro-bay.net/birds, where you canrequest that your name be added to the mailing list for our2005 brochure, due out in October. Registration deadline isDecember 31, 2004 and early sign-ups are encouraged asthe most popular events fill up quickly.

Northern FlickerRed-shafted FlickerThis subspecies of the Northern Flicker is found inOregon andthroughout the west.

It is characterized bysalmon-coloredunderwings and ared mustachestripe, labelledhere.

Yellow-Shafted FlickerThis subspecies israrely found inOregon.

It has yellowunderwings, a rednape and a blackmustache stripe

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Field Trip ScheduleDec 11 Saturday local morning birding 7:30 AMDec 12 Avery Park, 4-5 PMJan 8 Saturday local morning birding 7:30 AMJan 9 Willamette Park, 4-5 PMFeb 12 Saturday local morning birding 7:30 AMFeb 13 Jackson-Frazier Wetland, 4-5 PM

Sunday Afternoon Field Tripsin CorvallisLocal, one-hour trips just before sunset when bird activityis high. Ideal for non-morning people who want to get outbirding. Corvallis parks and other spots have great birds.Bring binoculars and rain gear. Leader: Don Boucher(753-7689, bouchdon@juno.com)

Dec 12 Avery Park, 4-5 PM, meet at the RoseGarden.

Jan 9 Willamette Park, 4-5 PM, meet at theGoodnight Ave. Picnic Shelter

Feb 13 Jackson-Frazier Wetland, 4-5 PM. Innortheast Corvallis, take Conifer Blvd. andgo north on Lancaster Street. The Parkinglot is at the end of Lancaster St.

Second Saturday Field TripsEach month on the second Saturday, I lead a morning fieldtrip. The next one will be on December 11. We meet atAvery Park Rose garden parking area at 7:30 AM tocarpool. This field trip is helpful for beginners and newbirders to Oregon. Depending on the habitat season, werotate these trips locally in the Willamette Valley.

Spring Trips 2005In the spring of 2005 we have four weekend trips planned:

Mar18-20 Bandon coastApr 15-17 Klamath BasinMay 6-8, Rogue Valley - with a Special Shakespeare

play “Millionaire of Naples”May 19-22 Malheur NWR

The Rogue Valley and Malheur trips require a $50 depositby February 28, 2005 payable to Fred Ramsey 3550 NWGlen Ridge Pl Corvallis OR 97330.Contact Paula Vanderheul via email vanderp@peak.orgor phone 541-752-0470 for the details of the weekend tripsand sign-up.

Brazil Trip OfferedPaulo Boute (http://www.boute-expeditions.com) will beleading a two-week birding trip next September for Corval-lis Audubon, covering some of the most diverse habitat inthe world—the Pantanal and Mato Grosso of Brazil. Dateare tentatively set for September 18, 2005. Paulo will be thespeaker at the January meeting, January 20, 2005. Forthose who are considering the trip, this is an excellentopportunity to learn more.

Paulo is looking for a group of at least ten, and atpresent about a dozen have expressed interest or are plan-ning to go. We have had a few dropouts, so there may wellbe room. A maximum trip size has not yet been determined.For more information, contact Chris Mathews, 754-1172,or mathewsc2@comcast.net.

Christmas Bird CountCorvallis: Tuesday, December 21Everybody is invited to join us for the 43rd CorvallisChristmas Bird Count. Whether you are a beginner orexperienced CBCer, every set of eyes and ears is needed tohelp tally all the birds within a 7.5 mile radius of theCorvallis airport. The Christmas Bird Count is an orga-nized, continent-wide, survey that documents every birdseen on a given day from sunrise to sunset. Since the turn ofthe 20th century, the Christmas Bird Count has contributedto the knowledge base of wintering birds in North America.This has aided conservation efforts as well as documentedgood bird watching sites.

The count is an all-day event open to anyone wishing toparticipate. This is an excellent opportunity for novice birdwatchers to join with seasoned veterans and learn moreabout identifying and finding the local avifauna. Half-dayparticipants and home feeder-watchers are also welcome.Participants need to pay a fee of $5.00 to cover NationalAudubon’s costs of printing the results. As in the past, theCorvallis count circle will be divided into 13 units, with ateam of 3-6 individuals assigned to each section. Teamleaders for each section will make arrangements with therest of the group for a meeting place and time (usuallybetween 7:00 and 7:30 AM) the morning of the count.Participants should bring cold- and wet-weather gear, bin-oculars and snacks for the day. A notepad and pencil, fieldguides and a thermos with something hot are always goodideas as well.

If you are interested in participating or would likefurther information, please contact me at 752-4313 or e-mail me at mccarmel@peak.org.

-Marcia Cutler

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Field Notes:October 25 through November 22, 2004

Due to some looming deadlines I seldom got outside this month,but from my office window it looked like typical November weather inthe Willamette Valley: rain and drizzle alternating with a few brightdays early in the period, followed by chilly, foggy weather and severalhard frosts toward the end of the period.

Atop Mary’s Peak the weather was reportedly even chillier andfoggier, but that didn’t stop intrepid birdwatchers from enjoying aremarkable suite of “alpine” or “arctic” birds which are rare to our area,including Clark’s Nutcrackers, Snow Buntings, and Gray-crownedRosy-Finches.

Abbreviations & Locations: NWR = National Wildlife Refuge;.Baskett Slough (NWR) is near Dallas in Polk Co. Finley NWR is southof Corvallis. Pioneer Villa is along I-5 near Brownsville. Stewart Lake ison the Hewlett-Packard campus in north Corvallis.

Sightings:On 26 Oct Darrel Faxon noticed flocks of Greater White-fronted

Geese flying over his farm on Thornton Creek, in the Coast Range ofeastern Lincoln Co. He notes this was very unusual, both for the latedate, and for the fact that these geese were all flying north-northeast.

A banded juvenile Snow Goose and an adult Ross’s Goose werewith large flocks of Dusky Canada Geese and Cackling Geese atFinley 11 Nov and again on 18 Nov; a Greater White-fronted Gooseand 21 Tundra Swans were also there on 11 Nov (Noah Strycker, NateRichardson). I saw six Trumpeter Swans along De Armond Rd. in SEPolk Co.

Wood Ducks were notably absent from Stewart Lake this month(Jamie Simmons), while 30 gathered at the Monroe sewage ponds by 19Nov (N Strycker). A male Gadwall was at Stewart Lake 19 Nov (JSimmons). American Wigeons and Northern Shovelers were regularthere throughout the period, with high counts of 14 and 15, respectively(J Simmons).

Noah Strycker saw quite an assortment of ducks at the Philomathsewage ponds 27 Oct, including a Gadwall, American Wigeons,Mallards, 200 Northern Shovelers, 2 Northern Pintails, a Green-winged Teal, 2 Redheads, 50 Ring-necked Ducks, 20 Lesser Scaup,10 Buffleheads, and 10 Ruddy Ducks. The most unusual duck thatNoah saw there was a female-plumaged Surf Scoter, which remainedfor the next day but left by 29 Oct (Joe Fontaine; Tom Snetsinger).

A Canvasback was at the Philomath sewage ponds 28-29 Oct (JFontaine; T Snetsinger). A pair were at Stewart Lake 1 Nov, and 1 to 2were noted intermittently through then end of the period (J Simmons).

The Ring-necked Duck flock on Stewart Lake reached a highcount of 100 on 26 Oct (J Simmons). About a dozen Lesser Scaup wereat Foster Reservoir 26 Oct (Randy Campbell). An imm. female showedup at Stewart Lake 1 Nov, followed by a male 8 Nov and two males 17Nov (J Simmons). A Greater Scaup was at the Philomath sewage ponds28 Oct (J Fontaine).

A female Harlequin Duck at the Philomath sewage ponds 28 Oct(J Fontaine) was the first or second record in Benton County, despite thatthis species nests on streams in the Cascades and winters on the coast.Two Surf Scoters were above Sweet Home 26 Oct, one on FosterReservoir and one just below the dam (R Campbell). A female Buffle-head seen by Jim Anderson 28 Oct was the first one noted at StewartLake this fall (fide J Simmons).

About a dozen Barrow’s Goldeneyes were just below Foster Dam26 Oct, and a female was at the Halsey sewage ponds 7 Nov (RCampbell). Don Miller noted Hooded Mergansers in Adair Park 19Nov.

On 18 Nov I saw a Ruffed Grouse fly off the trail through the woodsat Luckiamute Landing. Noah Strycker, Nate Richardson, and RasmusHaahr had a similar view of a Blue Grouse on Mary’s Peak 28 Oct.

Randy Campbell saw eight Common Loons, about 24 HornedGrebes, a Red-necked Grebe, an Eared Grebe and five WesternGrebes on Foster Reservoir 26 Oct. A Western Grebe showed up onthe Willamette River at Randy’s house in Peoria 28 Oct. At the Philomathsewage ponds, 2 to 3 Horned Grebes were present 28-31 Oct, and 3 to5 Eared Grebes 27-31 Oct (N Strycker; J Fontaine; T Snetsinger), withtwo still there 8 Nov (N Strycker). An Eared Grebe was at the Halseysewage ponds 31 Oct, and five were there 7 Nov (R Campbell). ThePied-billed Grebe count on Stewart Lake peaked with four there 25Oct; a Double-crested Cormorant visited the lake 16 Nov (J Simmons).

A Green Heron was at Mennonite Village in Albany 18 Nov (DMiller); this species winters only sparsely in our area. Two GreatEgrets were at Willamette Landing in south Corvallis 26 Oct (LeslieDyal). Two Cattle Egrets turned up at Mike Lippsmeyer’s place in sePolk Co. 10-11 Nov (fide Paul Adamus), a rare sighting for the valley.

Steve Seibel has been seeing White-tailed Kites regularly at theprairie overlook at Finley, with a peak count of 11 there on 4 Nov. Stevenoticed that the kites take wing and fly west about 45 minutes beforesunset every evening. On 27 Nov he found five kites roosting in treetopsalong a ridge 3 miles due west of the prairie overlook. Rana Foster sawa pair kiting along the Alsea River near Clements Park 21 Nov.

Two Bald Eagles flew low over Jamie Simmons’ neighborhood innw Corvallis 26 Oct. Two adults were hanging around a nest on the northside of Finley 19 Nov, and two or more of various ages were frequentingPeterson Butte in Linn Co. from 20 Nov onward (S Seibel).

A Sharp-shinned Hawk spent mid-Oct harassing birds at SusanHolling’s feeder North Albany. Two(a male and a female) made regularraids at Leslie Dyal’s feeders in Willamette Landing through late Oct,preying on the goldfinches and House Finches. Leslie wishes theywould develop more of a taste for House Sparrows, but notes it’sremarkable to see them visiting this new neighborhood with few trees.

A Cooper’s Hawk staked out Don & Elizabeth MacDonald’s yardin n. Corvallis 20 Nov by perching in a cherry tree, but eventually tired ofwaiting for the juncos and sparrows to return. Don saw an adult Red-shouldered Hawk along the path through the Witham Oaks area 9 Nov;later in the day he and Elizabeth saw the bird perched near the LDSchurch along Harrison Blvd. They saw the bird in the same area again 20Nov.

An albinistic Red-tailed Hawk, with several pure-white flightfeathers in each wing, was under attack by a female American Kestrel1.9 miles s of Monroe 10 Nov (S Seibel). A possible immature light-morph Ferruginous Hawk was north of the Finley entrance 17 Nov(Arch McCallum).

A Rough-legged Hawk was north of Blueberry Rd 29 Oct (RCampbell), and two were in the same area 9 Nov (Jeff Fleischer, RCampbell). One was at the prairie overlook at Finley 30 Oct (S Seibel)and again 18 Nov (N Strycker). I saw another along De Armond Rd. in n.Benton Co. 17 Nov. Steve Seibel comments that numbers of this speciesseem lower than usual, so far this fall.

Merlin sightings around Corvallis included one near Lewisburg26 Oct (P Adamus), one at Bald Hill Park 31 Oct (Bill Proebsting), adark bird in sw Corvallis 3 Nov (Hendrik Herlyn), one in nw Corvallis13 Nov and a female “Taiga” type on the HP campus 17 Nov (JSimmons).

Ilene Samowitz reported a gray-morph Gyrfalcon along CovilleRd at Baskett Slough NWR 12 Nov. A Peregrine Falcon at the prairieoverlook at Finley 30 Oct harassed two of the kites, and another soaredover sw. Corvallis 29 Oct (S Seibel). Both an adult and a juvenile werenear Peoria 13 Nov (Randy and Mary Campbell).

500 Sandhill Cranes flew s. over Bill and Sarah Thackaberry’sfarm n. of Lebanon 27 Oct. 18 more flew s. over Pat Waldron’s place e.of Scio 31 Oct.

Randy Campbell saw 14 Black-bellied Plovers in a plowed fieldalong Blueberry Rd 29 Oct, three at Halsey sewage ponds 31 Oct, and 74along American Drive 21 Nov, in what seems to be a good season for

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these birds in Linn Co. Randy also saw a Greater Yellowlegs, a fewLeast Sandpipers, about 90 Dunlin, and 30 dowitchers at the PioneerVilla sewage ponds 26 Oct.

Mourning Doves seem to disappear from our area, but sometimeslarge flocks can be found in bottom lands. On 18 Nov, on one of my rareforays out of the office, I encountered at least 40 feeding in brushy swalesalong the path through the woods at Luckimute Landing.

Leslie Dyal was hearing a Barn Owl regularly at WillametteLanding as of 1 Nov. Mike Lippsmeyer had a remarkable concentrationof eight milling about over his barn in se. Polk Co. 22 Nov. A NorthernPygmy-Owl on Mary’s Peak gets honors as our most-reported owl thismonth, being observed by many birders who went looking for alpinevagrants. Single Short-eared Owls were seen along Blueberry Rd. 29Oct, 4 & 9 Nov (R Campbell; N Strycker).

The count of Burrowing Owls wintering in the Peoria-Halsey areareached four by 5 Nov, including birds along Blueberry, Fayetteville,Potter, and Creek roads (R Campbell). On 25 Nov Deb Savageau founda dead female Burrowing Owl along Smith Rd. in Linn Co., whichappeared to have been shot. A few days later, Randy Campbell found adead Barn Owl along the same road with what may have been a gunshotwound.

Jim Fairchild spotted a Lewis’s Woodpecker along Oak Creek Dr20 Nov. Four Acorn Woodpeckers (adults and two young from thisyear) continued at Stewart Lake; on 18 Nov HP birders determined thattwo are males and two area females (J Simmons). The Adair Park colonywas still active as of 19 Nov (D Miller).

A female Anna’s Hummingbird fed on Susan Holling’s late-blooming pineapple sage in North Albany 22 Oct. A female visited Billand Lena Proebsting’s garden along Oak Creek 14 Nov. Andrea Fosterhas seen both a female and a male regularly, often “singing” from a pinein her Timberhill yard.

A very late “Western” Flycatcher was in sw. Corvallis 5 Nov (HHerlyn); Pacific-slope would be the expected species here in the breed-ing season, but this time of year all bets are off, so a stray CordilleranFlycatcher must be considered equally likely.

A Say’s Phoebe was se. of Ward Butte in Linn Co. 27-28 Oct(Marcia Cutler, Sylvia Maulding). A Loggerhead Shrike was east ofWard Butte 26 Oct (R Campbell). Northern Shrikes were seen alongBruce Rd. 7 Nov (N Richardson fide N Strycker) and along Decker Rd.17 Nov (Diane Horgan, Jill Hubbard).

Three Clark’s Nutcrackers were still atop Mary’s Peak 29 Oct (SMaulding, Paul Sherrell). One was there 31 Oct (N Strycker). On 5 NovAndrea Foster watched over 200 American Crows fly west high overthe Timberhill area, presumably flying to roost.

About 50 Horned Larks were in the Halsey-Peoria area 4 Nov,and two were on Mary’s Peak 11 Nov N Strycker, N Richardson).

Sylvia Maulding came across a surprising Rock Wren in a junkpile along Manning Rd. near Ward Butte 28 Oct. A Winter Wren washeard at Stewart Lake 10 Nov, an unusual location (J Simmons). AMarsh Wren was at the Philomath Sewage Ponds 8 Nov (N Strycker),and one was at Luckiamute Landing 18 Nov. An American Dipper wassinging along the North Fork Alsea River 21 Nov (Tim Shelmerdine).

Two Western Bluebirds were at the Philomath Sewage Ponds 27Oct (N Strycker). Two more bluebirds and a Hermit Thrush were inLewisburg 26 Oct (P Adamus). Varied Thrushes continued to show up,including one at Stewart Lake 31 Oct (J Simmons) and at least five in thebottom lands at Luckiamute Landing 18 Nov.

Five American Pipits were at the Philomath sewage ponds 27Oct, 150 were in fields near Peoria 4 Nov, and one flew over Mary’sPeak 11 Nov (N Strycker). Cedar Waxwings were last seen at StewartLake 5 Nov (J Simmons). Male and female Townsend’s Warblersvisited Bill & Lena Proebsting’s yard along Oak Creek 6-7 Nov.

Ten Savannah Sparrows and a Lincoln’s Sparrow were at thePhilomath sewage ponds 27 Oct (N Strycker). The sparrow flock in Don& Elizabeth MacDonald’s yard includes Fox Sparrows, Golden-

crowned Sparrows, and several White-throated Sparrows. ThreeWhite-throated Sparrows were in Peoria 28 Oct (R Campbell), and atleast 3 visited Jamie Simmons’ nw Corvallis yard throughout the period.

A Lapland Longspur joined the Horned Larks and pipits atCreek Dr x Harmon Rd near Halsey 4 Nov (N Strycker, N Richardson).Sylvia Maulding and Paul Sherrell found two Snow Buntings atopMary’s Peak 29 Oct. At least one was seen regularly by many observersthrough 21 Nov. A flock of nine Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches were onMary’s Peak 28 Oct (N Strycker, R Haahr, N Richardson); smallernumbers were seen regularly by many observers through 21 Nov. In theCascades, a flock of 8 White-winged Crossbills were at Cone Peak inthe 13 Nov (R & M Campbell).

At 10 PM on 9 Nov, Barbara Thompson heard a tapping on thedoor. When the Thompsons opened the door, in flew a Pine Siskin. As itwas dark they let the bird spend the night in a spare room, and releasedit outside in the morning. It flew off and seemed to be OK. However,observing the bird’s lethargic behavior later in the day, Barbara believesit was sick.

Pam Vorachek had an unusual white bird with black primariesshow up with a flock of Pine Siskins in late Nov. The bird flocks withthe siskins and is the same size and shape, so Pam thinks it must be anaberrant siskin — likely an albinistic bird.

Coastal NotesWintering Brants began to arrive along the coast, as Phil Pickering

saw 35 off Boiler Bay 15 Nov and 130 there 18 Nov.Phil also saw a couple of very unusual sea ducks while counting

loon and scoter flocks during a sea-watch at Boiler Bay 18 Nov; hedescribed one as an obvious male Steller’s Eider, while the other waslikely a female King Eider.

Large numbers of the regular wintering loon and grebe specieshave now shown up in coastal waters, and large movements of shearwa-ters continued through the month.

On 30 Oct, Tom Love spotted a Black-vented Shearwater amongthe more numerous Sooty Shearwaters and Short-tailed Shearwatersoff Boiler Bay. A Manx Shearwater (possibly two, or else the same birdseen flying southbound, then northbound) was off Boiler Bay 18 Nov (PPickering).

Brown Pelicans seem to be staying around in numbers again thisfall. Amy Schoener saw six at Seal Rock 6 Nov, and also saw some atCape Blanco 17 Nov. 80 were headed north past Boiler Bay 20 Nov (PPickering).

A Rock Sandpiper was at Seal Rock 21 Nov (T Shelmerdine).Southward movement of Red Phalaropes was still going strong offBoiler Bay as of 18 Nov (P Pickering) A Tufted Puffin flew pastYaquina Head 21 Nov (Dan & Anne Heyerly).

Andrew Orahoske found a Tropical Kingbird at Otter Rock 24Oct. A Palm Warbler was along the creek by the Hatfield MarineScience Center parking lot 27 Oct (Mike Patterson); both a juvenile andadult were there 29 Oct (Steve Shunk, Dawn Grafe, Michele Michaud).At least one was still there 21 Nov (D & A Heyerly).

Next monthWe can look forward to Christmas Bird Counts! Please send me

your sightings for next month by Dec 27:

Joel Geier, 38566 Hwy 99W, Corvallis, OR 97330-9320Telephone: (541) 745-5821 or 745-5020e-mail: jgeier@attglobal.net

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The Threat of AlaskanArctic Drilling EnsuesThe Arctic Wilderness campaign is working to keep thecoastal plain of the Arctic Refuge off-limits to oil and gasdrilling. Between now and January 2005, when Congressreconvenes, the Bush Administration and drilling propo-nents in Congress will increase their calls for allowingdrilling in the coastal plain. Contact your Senators RonWyden and Gordon Smith and urge them to oppose oil andgas drilling in the coastal plain of the Arctic NationalWildlife Refuge. You can call the U.S. Capitol Switch-board at 202-224-3121, or contact them through their U.S.Senate Web sites, www.gsmith.senate.gov andwww.wyden.senate.gov . Here’s a sample message you canleave:

“Hi, my name is _____, and I’m calling from _______,Oregon. I urge you to oppose oil and gas drilling in theArctic National Wildlife Refuge. I don’t want to see one ofAmerica’s last wild places ruined for a minuscule amountof oil.”

Spotted Owl Doing BadlyNo Change in Listing StatusThe US Fish & Wildlife Service has decided to retain thethreatened listing for the northern spotted owl, even in theface of falling populations and their displacement by barredowls. A decreased rate of owl habitat loss on federal landswas cited as a bit of good news, but the Service avoidedendangered uplistings in regions such as the Olympic Pen-insula and the Oregon Coast Range, where spotted owls areparticularly imperiled.

Ominous OmnibusThe Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed out of Congresswith several harmful riders. These allow roadbuilding andlogging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and exemptsthe Tongass from the roadless rule. However, GordonSmith failed to have included his amendment to suspendpublic involvement or judicial review of management ac-tivities in the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project area. Thanks tothe many who contacted the Senate on this importantOregon issue!

Wolves in OregonThe Oregon Fish & Wildlife Department (ODF&W) de-cided to extend the public comment period for their WolfManagement Plan. The draft plan, minority reports, andspecific proposed administrative rule language may befound at the Oregon wolf main webpage, www.dfw.or.us/wolves/main.htm . Comments should be received by Feb-ruary 4, 2005 and may be submitted by mail to:

ODFW Information and Education Division3406 Cherry Avenue NE * Salem , OR 97303-4924or Fax: 503-947-6009 , or by E-mail:

Odfw.Comments@state.or.us

Western Canada GooseSightings:report black neck collarsMy thesis project has to with finding out just how seden-tary our Humboldt Bay breeding Canada geese are. Thethesis title is Density dependent dispersal and mechanismsof molt migration in Western Canada Geese.

Information to date suggests that approx. 20% of ourbirds leave Humboldt Bay, California, moving as far asAlberta and British Columbia. The majority of the dispers-ers (79%) were less than 3 years of age (nonbreeders), butentire families (parents and juveniles) have also been docu-mented in these movements. Many of these birds do notreturn. We are hoping to retrieve more information thisyear. We will use program MARK to estimate probabilityof movement and site fidelity.

We have been marking birds here in Arcata (HumboldtCounty, CA) with black neck bands (3 white letters) in thelast 6 summers. Our population estimate last month was(~2800 birds). The founders were originally transplantedhere from Reno, NV between 1987-1998. Please reportsightings to fender200123@yahoo.com or call707.826.3582.

Kevin DawsonWaterfowl Ecology Research GroupDepartment of WildlifeHumboldt State University1 Harpst St.Arcata, CA 95521

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Contributors to The ChatHarry Nehls, Paula Vanderheul, Joel Geier, Marcia Cutler,Jim Fairchild, Susan Brown and Kevin DawsonChat Distribution: Fran Gates, Alberta Pierce, Eleanorand Ken Kidd, Joan Siegienski and Joe Fontaine

In early November, ASC members Todd and Susan Brown spent several days at the coast camping just south of the townof Yachats. They encountered this Black Bear cub in a thick Spruce/Pine forest near the beach. Fortunately, the motherwasn’t to be seen and they quickly moved on.

Phot

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san

Brow

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Suggested Bird Names for Bird GroupsA paddling of ducksA Dan of quailA cord of wood ducksA litter of catbirdsA string of kitesAn asylum of loonsA rattle of kingfishersA heraldry of kingbirdsA Vatican of cardinalsA race of swiftsA ball of waxwingsA scoop of pelicansA gulp of swallowsA hanky of mourning dovesA donkey of pintailsA splattering of starlings

A knee-slapper of laughing gullsA barber of redpollsA schnozzola of grosbeaksA dash of bitternsA decoration of buntingsAn internet of chatsA zipper of flycatchersA road crew of shovelersA fishing line of knotsA tank of petrelA pantry of nightjarsA crutch of limpkinsA stampede of cowbirdsA gallery of canvasbacks

Submissions from Bob Burrell of North Carolina, LisaMillbank and Don Boucher

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Audubon Society of CorvallisP.O. Box 148Corvallis, OR 97339

Non-Profit OrgU. S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 58Corvallis, ORRETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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The Chat is published 10 times a year by the Audubon Society ofCorvallis, PO Box 148, Corvallis OR 97339. Annual ASC member-ships are $20 for an individual, $25 for a family, $15 for a student.Chat-only subscriptions are $10.

Audubon Society of Corvallis

CHATthe

CalendarDec 9 Board Meeting 7:30 PM at Marcia Cutler's homeDec 11 Saturday local morning birding 7:30 AM**Dec 12 Sunday afternoon birding 4-5 PM**Dec 16 General Meeting 7:30 PM, Corv. Public Library

Harry Nehls, Birds of the Willamette Valley*Dec 21 Corvallis Christmas Bird Count (see page 27)Dec 27 Field Notes deadlineDec 30 Chat deadline for JanuaryJan 8 Saturday local morning birding 7:30 AM**Jan 9 Sunday afternoon birding 4-5 PM**Jan 13 Board Meeting 7:30 PMJan 20 General Meeting 7:30 PM, Corv. Public Library

Paulo Boute, Birding in Brazil*Jan 24 Field Notes deadlineJan 27 Chat deadline for February

Everybody’s welcome, including nonmembers,to any ASC function* see front page** see page 27 for field trip descriptions

Audubon Society of Corvalliswww.audubon.corvallis.or.us

President: Susan Haig, 1646 NW Crest Pl., Corvallis, 97330,753-5068, sue_haig2003@yahoo.com

Vice President/Program Chair: Chris Mathews, 3336 SWWillamette Ave., Corvallis, 97333, 754-1172,mathewsc2@comcast.net

Treasurer: Judy Hays, 6920 NW Cardinal Dr., Corvallis, 97330,745-5692, haysj@comcast.net

Secretary/Field Trip Coordinator: Paula Vanderheul, 991 NWSequoia, Corvallis, 97330, 752-0470, vanderp@peak.org

Historian: Marcia Cutler, 835 NW Merrie Dr., Corvallis, 97330, 752-4313, mccarmel@peak.org

Board Members at Large

Hal Batchelder, 24566 Elderberry La., Philomath, 97370, 929-3537,hbatchelder@coas.oregonstate.edu

Renee Bellinger, 2492 SE Powell Pl., Corvallis, 97333, 752-1750,renee.bellinger@oregonstate.edu

Elise Elliott-Smith, 1163 NW Polk, Corvallis, 97330, 754-3906,eelliottsmith@yahoo.com

Karan Fairchild (Fund-raising), 31540 Homestead Rd., Philomath,97370, 929-4049, alderspr@peak.org

Bill Proebsting, 7350 NW Oak Creek Dr., Corvallis, 97330,752-0108, proebstw@science.oregonstate.edu

Claudia Regier (Refreshments), 1030 SW Sunset Dr., Corvallis,97333, 753-0879

Dave Mellinger (alternate), 3798 NW Jameson Dr., Corvallis, 97330,757-7953, DavidKMellinger@yahoo.com

Committees and Coordinators

Conservation Chair: Jim Fairchild, 31540 Homestead Rd.,Philomath, 97370, 929-4049, alderspr@peak.org

Newsletter Editor/Outreach: Don Boucher, 913 NW Tyler Ave.,Corvallis, 97330, 753-7689, bouchdon@juno.com

Hesthavn: Sanctuary Chair Ray Drapek, 3273 SE Hathaway,Corvallis, 97333, 754-7364, drapek@fsl.orst.edu

Bluebird Trail Chair Elsie, Eltzroth, 6980 Cardinal Dr., Corvallis,97330, 745-7806, eltzroth@peak.org

Refuge Keeper/Sales Table: Gary Gibson, 25071 Evergreen Rd.,Philomath, 97370, 929-3804, gibgrn@juno.com

Wildlife Watch Chair: Elzy Eltzroth, 6980 Cardinal Dr., Corvallis,97330, 745-7806, eltzroth@peak.org

Education Chair: Kate Mathews, 3336 SW Willamette Ave.,Corvallis, 97333, 754-1172, kate.mathews@comcast.net

Electronic Communications: Sheridan McCarthy, 2807 NWMorning Glory Dr., Corvallis, 97330, 602-1470,sheridan@larkonline.net

Membership Chair Amy Schoener, 24362 Cardwell Hill Dr.,Philomath, 97370, 929-4041, cloudrun@peak.org

Publicity Chair Bob Smythe, 2758 SW Fairmont Drive, Corvallis,97330, 757-6357, smythe@stat.orst.edu

Birdathon Chair: Mary Van Brocklin, Corvallis, 97330, 745-7170,mary_vanbrocklin@yahoo.com

Chat Distribution: Fran Gates, 2960 NW Bryant Street, CorvallisOR 97330, 757-0036

Chat Email Distribution: Joe Fontaine, fontaine_joe@hotmail.comField Notes Editor: Joel Geier, 38566 Hwy 99W, Corvallis, OR

97330, 745-5821 or 745-5020, jgeier@attglobal.net