june 2010 corvid crier newsletter eastside audubon society

8/8/2019 June 2010 Corvid Crier Newsletter Eastside Audubon Society

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The Corvid Crier ~ June 2010 1

Vol 29, No 5 June 2010

The Mission of the Eastside

Audubon Society is to protect,

preserve and enhance natural

ecosystems and our communi-

ties for the benefit of birds,

other wildlife and people.

HIGHLIGHTS INSIDE:

Styrofoam Recycling 2

Open Positions 2

Board Notes 3

Field Trips 4

Bird of the Month 5

Conservation in our Lives:

Shoreline Buffers 6

Puget Bird Loop Project 7

Directions to Eastside AudubonNorthlake Unitarian Universalist Church,308 4th Ave. S. (corner of 4th Ave. S. andState). Take I-405 exit 18 (NE 85th, Kirk-land). Drive west on Central Way to 3rd St.(stoplight). Turn left (south) on 3 rd St. andfollow it as it bears left and changes nameto State St. Turn left on 4 th Ave S.

TAKE THE BUS! Routes 540, 230 and255 serve State Street in Kirkland.

The Corvid Crier

Understanding Shorebirds: The Miracle of Migration

Thursday, June 24, 7:00 p.m. Northlake Unitarian Universalist ChurchCome learn about Pacific Golden Plovers, San-derlings, Wandering Tattlers, Bar-tailed God-wits, and other shorebirds.

Tim Boyer will present Understanding Shore-birds: The Miracle of Migration at the Junemembership meeting. Shorebirds are an aweinspiring group of birds, many of them spend-ing their lives making epic journeys each year.Well take a close look at several species andtalk about where, why and how they makethese journeys. Well also see that by under-

standing the migration patterns of shorebirdswe can see the necessity of global conservation.

June is the perfect month to get ready for thefall migration of shorebirds which starts in July,and last through September and into October.

Tim is the moderator of the Photo Group thatmeets the second Thursday of each month. Hisphotography has appeared in WildBird,Birders World, and Wildfowl. His imageof Sandhill Cranes, Evening Flight, won first

place in the Professional, Nature category ofthe International Art show sponsored eachApril by the Associated Arts of Ocean Shores.

This presentation is FREEand open to the pub-lic. Please invite a friend. Directions to EastsideAudubon (at Northlake UU Church) are at thebottom-left of this page.

Bar-tailed Godwit (Tim Boyer photo)

Sunny Walter Named Eastside Audubon 2009Environmentalist of the Year

At the celebration oflife service held in herhonor in late April,Eastside Audubonposthumously pre-sented Sunny Walterthe 2009 Environmen-

talist of the YearAward. Her daughterSamantha King accepted the award. AndyMcCormick, Conservation Chair, presented theaward with the following acknowledgement ofSunnys contribution to the health of the envi-ronment:

In recognition of her work in support of pro-

tecting and restoring the environment Eastside

Audubon has selected Sunny Walter as the re-

cipient of the 2009 Environmentalist of the

Year Award.

We are recognizing Sunny for the many hours

of volunteer time which she gave to three or-

ganizations that are dedicated to preserving

open space for humans and habitat for wildlife:

The Mountaineers, the Washington Wildlife

and Recreation Coalition, and Eastside Audu-

bon. She was a researcher, a mother, a writer,an organizer, a photographer, a committee

member and a field trip leader. Her energy

infused meetings, connections with people, and

her commitment to the natural world. Her

work rippled out and motivated many other

people to join her efforts. The environment is

better as a result of her enthusiasm and accom-

plishments. We are grateful for all her contri-

butions.


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Eastside Audubon Society(425) 576-8805 www.eastsideaudubon.org

President Cindy Balbuena [email protected] President OpenSecretary Carmen Almodovar [email protected] Jim Kenney (425) 746-9862Executive Director Jan McGruder (425) 822-8580

[email protected]

At large board member Helen LaBouy [email protected] large board member Margaret Lie [email protected] Tricia Kishel [email protected] Photography Tim Boyer [email protected] Trips Hugh Jennings (425) 746-6351

[email protected] Plant Walks OpenNature Walks Christopher Chapman (425) 941-3501

[email protected] Questions? MaryFrances Mathis (425) 803-3026

Conservation Andrew McCormick [email protected]

Education Mary Britton-Simmons (360) [email protected]

Communication OpenNewsletter Tom Grismer (206) 851-7322

[email protected] OpenFinancial Development Tim McGruder [email protected] Open [email protected]

308 4th Avenue S. (Corner 4th Ave. S. and State)

Committee Chairs/Board (board positions underlined)

Executive Officers

Open PositionsThe following positions are open and waiting for volunteers. Pleasecall the office if you have questions or are interested: Vice President,Adult Education chair, Advocacy, Communication chair, Member-ship chair, Programs chair, Gift Wrap, Birdathon, and Merchandis-ing.

Recycling Very Clean Chunk Form

Styrofoam Yes!

Eastside Audubon now has a plan to keep more chunkstyrofoam out of the landfill and have it sent off to beprocessed into a useful item. You've heard about styro-foam recycling at some monthly meetings; and now hereare specifics about how you can help. Styrofoam shaped

to a product for shipping protection is not recyclablecurbside. Last year a local person, Marilyn Lauderdale,began a recycling business for this debris. The businessis known as V&G Styro Recycle, and its website addressis www.styrorecycle.com. Marilyn had worked forIKEA in south Renton for many years, and they kindlyoffered space for this new business. IKEA is a complexof three large buildings. Marilyn's recycling "styrofoamdepot and processing business" is in the western-mostbuilding, a warehouse with a loading dock that's across adriveway from Alliance Packaging, between SW 41stand SW 43rd streets.

Even if people accumulate clean styrofoam (no tape, noplastic or metal - just clean styrofoam) how often do weget to south Renton? Our Jill Keeney had an idea: at ourchapter meetings which are held every 4th Thursday(except during summer, or in December). people canbring chunk/block styrofoam - clean styrofoam - and avolunteer will take it to Marilyn's south Renton recy-cling depot for us. Hooray! Bring your styrofoam, andbring your neighbor's styrofoam (bring your neighbortoo) to our June meeting. With no monthly meetings insummer, be ready to bring any you've collected to the

September meeting. No styrofoam is to be brought tostore at our office (no room); bring it only to ourmonthly meeting. Would you be able to help somemonth with this? If you can help, just call the office, andleave your name and phone number. Let's take a turn tohelp solve this problem. A remarkable woman has donelots of work to create a styrofoam recycling business.Now we need to put Jill's idea to work. Bev Jennings and Jill Keeney

Newsletter Editor Wanted

Are you familiar with Publisher or another layout pro-

gram? Looking for a creative volunteer position you

can do in your jammies from home? We are looking

for an editor for the Corvid Crier to take over the reins

from Tom Grismer, who has served in this position for

many years. Tom will provide training and guidance to

get you started on the right foot. The time commit-

ment is around 6 8 hours per month.Please contact Cindy Balbuena at

[email protected] if interested.

BusinessName

TM Construction

Residential ConstructionRemodel, Repair, Carpentry

10% discount for Audubon members

425-457-0465 [email protected]

Tim McGruder General Contractor tmcon**1480t


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The Corvid Crier, Vol 29, NO 5Publication Date: June 1, 2010.Published by: Eastside Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115

The Corvid Crier is published monthly by the EastsideAudubon Society except that there are no issues inJanuary or August.

Deadline for material submission is the first Wednesdayof the month preceding publication. Send material byemail to:

[email protected]: EAS Newsletter

or by mail to:Eastside Audubon Society

Attn: Tom GrismerP. O. Box 3115, Kirkland, WA 98083-3115

Eastside Audubon Office/Audubon CenterThe office is downstairs at NorthlakeUnitarian Universalist Church inKirkland, 308 4th Avenue S. (Corner4th Ave. S. and State). Directions: I-405 exit 18 (N. E. 85th-Kirkland). Go

west on Central Way to the light on 3rdSt. Go left on 3rd St. Follow this street(it bears left and changes name to StateSt.) Then turn left on 4th Ave. S.

(425) [email protected]

Hours: Mon, Tues, Fri 9:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m.

June Meetings

June 3 (Thurs) 10:30 a.m.Web CommitteeMeets first Thursday each month in EASOffice. All interested parties are invited.Questions? [email protected]

June 8 (Tues) 7:00 p.m.

Youth Education CommitteeMeets in the EAS Office.All interestedparties are invited. Questions?Email [email protected]

June 9 (Weds) 7:00 p.m.Conservation CommitteeMeets second Wednesday each month inEAS Office. Questions? Email AndrewMcCormick [email protected]

June 10 (Thurs) 7:00 p.m.Photo Group

Meets in large room upstairs from EASOffice. Questions? Email Tim Boyer [email protected]

Board Notes for April 2010

Puget Sound Birding Trails Map:The board passed a motion to makethe $5,000 donation required to par-ticipate in the Birding Trails Map pro-ject being coordinated by Christy Nor-man, formerly of Washington StateAudubon. We will be making the do-

nation in two $2500 installments, onethis year, and one next year.

Program Night: The board is consid-ering speakers for our monthly pro-grams. If you would like to suggestspeakers for our monthly meetings,please send email to: [email protected]

Member Survey: The board is final-izing the questions for the survey thatwell be asking members to complete.

The board will be looking for feed-back on current chapter activities aswell as the future direction of thechapter.

Visioning: The board is planning aday-long session on visioning. Vi-sioning is a process that will help ourchapter identify, develop and docu-ment our vision and values, which willthen help us with strategy and tacticsfor future growth and development.Board members have identified possi-

ble facilitators.

Fundraising: The board reviewed thestatus of current fundraising projects,including Birdathon and related trips,as well as the Spring Plant Sale.

Sierra Club and the TransAlta

Plant: TransAlta, which produces en-ergy from coal, is a Canadian-ownedcompany in Centralia, Washington.TransAlta is the largest employer inLewis County, and its also the largestproducer of global warming pollutionin the state. Governor Gregoire wantsthe company to convert to a gas pow-ered plant in 10 years, while SierraClub conservationists would like thetransition to occur within five years.The board passed a motion in support

of the Sierra Club position.

Marymoor: Andy McCormick, Con-servation Chair, noted that the Conser-vation Committee decided that trailimprovements should be made tobring them to ADA standards. Hesaid that the Conservation Committeeis looking at possible funding sourcesfor this improvement.

The Dalliance of the Eagles

Skirting the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest,)

Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance of the eagles,

The rushing amorous contact high in space together,

The clinching interlocking claws, a living, fierce, gyrating wheel,

Four beating wings, two beaks, a swirling mass tight grappling,

In tumbling turning clustering loops, straight downward falling,

Till oer the river poisd, the twain yet one, a moments lull,A motionless still balance in the air, then parting, talons loosing,

Upward again on slow-firm pinions slanting, their separate diverse flight,

She hers, he his, pursuing.

Walt Whitman


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railroad tracks on 108th Avenue NE, east of 108th AvenueNE. Watershed park has more than 70 acres of mostlyupland second growth forest; there is some riparian habitat.Several plant and bird species can be seen in the park. Bus

stop nearby on 108th, near 45th. Limited street parking.Jan Johnson 425-814-5923

June 28 (Mon) 9:00 to noonBirding the Hot Spots of King CountyMonthly field trip on fourthMonday of each month towherever the birds are. Meet before 9:00 a.m. at north end ofthe Newport Hills Park-N-Ride (I-405, exit 9) and plan to beback by noon. Passenger cost/person $2.00.Hugh Jennings 425-746-6351

Hurricane Ridge/Dungeness SpitJuly 10-11 (Sat.-Sun.) 11:00 a.m.

Our annual Olympic Peninsula wildflower trip featuringviews, birds, and varied wildlife. On Saturday at 11:00 a.m.we will meet at the picnic table across the street from theHurricane Ridge Visitor Center for a snack lunch. (This isthe Center at the base of the foothills, the one before youactually enter the park.) Look for the picnic tables at fron ofthe Center. After lunch, we will head for the main visitorcenter at the top of Hurricane Ridge, making one stop tocheck out wildflowers along the way. If you miss the lunch,look for us at the trailhead of Hurricane Hill, about a quartermile beyond the main visitor center. On Sunday we will gobirding in the Ediz Hook, Dungeness Spit and Sequim areas.

We'll be staying overnight on Saturday in Port Angeles. Ifyou plan to join us, we usually stay at the Riviera Inn Motel,or there are several other motels and campsites available.If you plan to go please call Bill Schmidt 425-881-6037

June 5 (Sat) 9:00 to noonMarymoor Park Habitat RestorationJoin us in restoring native habitat at the Marymoor Parkinterpretive area. Dress for the weather and bringclippers, gloves, snacks and water. Meet at SE corner ofParking Lot G.Questions? Call office at 425-576-8805

June 15 (Tues) 8:00 to noonJuanita Bay Park Bird WalkA relaxed walk in the Park, seeing what birds are in the

area. Meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 8:00.Bring binoculars and meet in parking lot. No registrationrequired.MaryFrances Mathis 425-803-3026

June 16 (Weds) 8:00 to noonLake Sammamish State ParkThis urban park offers a wide assortment of birds andhabitats due to its varied ecosystems. The trip willinvolve walking approximately 3 miles. Dressappropriately (rainproof in layers & wear appropriateshoesbecause some of the trails can be muddy ifwet). Just inside the main entrance, take the first left into

the large parking lot and meet at the northeast end. Co-lead by Sharon Aagaard and Stan Wood. PRE-REGISTRATIONIS NOT NECESSARY. CallSharon with any questions, 425-891-3460.

June 20 (Sun) 1:00 p.m. Watershed ParkA 2-hour nature walk in this Kirkland park takes placethe 3rd Sunday of each month at 1:00 p.m. Naturewalks enter the park off NE 45th Street, north of the

FIELD TRIPSParents and children over 8 are welcome on all trips. **FRS Radio owners, please consider bringing them on trips.**See www.eastsideaudubon.org/events/ for the latest information and for reports of last months field trips.

Meeting Places for Field Trips:

Kingsgate Park and Ride: I-405 exit 20B northbound or20 southbound, N. E. 124th St. Go west to light at 116thAve. N. E., then right (north) a few blocks to P&R lot (on

the left). Meet in the S.E. corner. 1300 116th Way NE,Kingsgate.

Newport Hills Park and Ride: I-405, exit 9. 5115 113thPL NE, Newport Hills.

South Kirkland Park and Ride:108th Ave. NE justnorth of hwy 520 and Northup Way. 10610 NE 38th Pl.

Tibbetts Park and Ride:Take exit 15 from I-90, turnright (south) and go past the new multistoryIssaquah Park & Ride to the 3rd traffic light. Turnleft (east) on Newport Way NW, go one block andturn right (south) into the Park & Ride. Meet at thewest end of the parking lot (away from the entrance)to carpool. 1675 Newport Way NW, Issaquah

Dr. Kerri W. Scarbrough, Optometrist

17320 135th Ave. N.E. ? Woodinville

(425) 398-1862

See the birds better!

Dr. Kerri W. Scarbrough, Optometrist17320 135th Ave. N.E. Woodinville

(425) 398-1862www.eevisioncare.com


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The mournful oowoo wooo woo woo(Alderfer) is the source of theMourning Doves name. But its ge-nusZenaida, which it shares with theWhite-winged DoveZ. asiatica andZenaida DoveZ. aurita, is named fora princess. Princess Zenaida LaetitiaJulie Bonaparte had a husband PrinceCharles Lucien Jules Laurent Bona-parte, who was a well-known Frenchornithologist. The species macrourais from the Greek, macros, long andoura, tail (Holloway). The Mourn-ing Dove is the most common andwidespread dove in North Americaand it is our most slender dove with along, pointed tail. A fluttering whis-tle is often heard as the bird takesflight.

The Mourning Dove has a typicaldoves small, round head, plumpbody, and short legs and bill. Itslong black and white trimmed tail is

distinctive however. It is generallybrown overall with a black bill, redlegs and a black arc below theauricular area. The male has a pink-ish bloom on the breast. The femalehas reduced pink color, and the juve-nile has a scaly-brown breast. Thebrown scapulars contrast with darkerflight feathers and black spots onboth tertials and coverts are visiblewhen in flight and when the wingsare folded. It is a ground feeder and

seeds comprise 99% of its diet (Otis).Mourning Doves migrate variousdistances with those in the northern-most range migrating the farthest,those at middle latitudes migrating ashorter distance and those in thesouthern latitudes staying year round(Otis).

Mourning Doves live on a very fast

track and are prolific breeders. Theyreach sexual maturity in less thanthree months and will live only oneyear. In that time a pair can produceup to six broods in warmer climates.The nest is a flimsy collection ofsticks which is so open that the usualtwo white eggs can be seen throughthe bottom. Nests are built in trees,

on building ledges, or cliffs. Occa-sionally Mourning Doves will re-usetheir own nests or those of otherMourning Doves, and will some-times build their nest atop those ofother species such as AmericanRobin, Common Grackle and BlueJay (Otis). Incubation takes twoweeks and in another two weeks thesquabs fledge. Hatchlings are fedwith a milky liquid called pigeonmilk or crop milk made from cells

sloughing off the crop. The liquid isconcentrated protein and fat. Thesquabs will peck at the corner of theparents mouth stimulating regurgita-tion of the crop milk (Kaufman).

The Mourning Dove population isvery stable. It has done very well inresponse to human intervention inthe environment since it shuns for-

ested areas and wetlands, and prefersopen spaces in both rural and urbanhabitats. It is a migratory game birdin 38 of the 48 contiguous states andthe estimated annual take by huntersis between 20 and 45 million birds,which exceeds the annual harvest ofall other migratory game birds com-bined (Otis). A national roadside

Call Count Survey (CCS) has beenconducted since the 1960s and trendsfrom this survey are used to establishhunting regulations.

A recording of the Mourning Dovescooing can be heard at the MacauleyLibrary of the Cornell Lab of Orni-thology at http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/flashPlayer.do?id=22930

(Photo credit: Sunny Walter. Refer-ences available upon request at

[email protected])

Length 12 in

Wingspan 18 in

Weight 4.2 oz (120 g)

AOU Band code MODO

BIRDOFTHE MONTH Andrew McCormick

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura


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Conservation in Our Lives Andrew McCormick

Shoreline Buffers Key to Water Quality and Healthy Birds

Many of the cities and towns in theEastside Audubon service area arein the process of updating theirShoreline Master Plans (SMP).The Washington Department ofEcology requires that managers usethe best available science in de-veloping plans and much has beenlearned about the benefits of shore-line buffers to vegetation, wildlifeand water quality.

Dean Patterson of Futurewise, aWashington state public interestgroup, reports that scientists havelearned that the width of the buffer

is extremely important to its use-fulness. The shoreline depicted inthe drawing illustrates the differentcomponent areas of a shoreline.Each section from the upland toopen water provides habitat fordifferent plants and animals. Alsoincluded in shoreline managementare the shrubs and trees which arefarther upland and may hang overthe water.

Water quality can be significantlyaffected by the quality of the buffernext to or around it. An adequatebuffer will inhibit erosion, filtersediment, and remove or transformnutrients or harmful substancesfrom surface runoff. Storm waterrunoff is a significant polluter ofWashingtons waterways andvegetation in the buffer can miti-gate some of it. Vegetation will

also shade and cool water, provideoverhanging cover from predators,contribute organic matter to sup-port fish food species and therebyprovide a food source for manybirds.

Land habitat can also be enriched.Wildlife habitats along riparian

corridors provide feeding and rest-ing areas for birds and other wild-life. Vegetation provides screeningor dampening of noise and glare,and separation from human activ-ity. The buffer also provides largewoody debris needed for amphib-ian, small mammal, bird and insecthabitat.

Several agencies have recom-mended buffer widths. The Na-tional Marine Fisheries Servicerecommends buffers of 100 feet forlakes and marine waters, and be-tween 50 and 150 feet dependingon the size of a stream. A reportfrom the Washington Department

of Fish and Wildlife recommends abuffer of between 150 and 250 feetbased on stream type and the sizeof the flood plain. Because buffersaffect some private property, theextent of the buffers has becomecontroversial in the planning proc-ess. Prior development may limitthe space available for expansionof buffers, so even the best plansmay be limited in what can be im-

plemented. Public involvement is arequired part of each citys processand aggrieved parties do have aprocess for appeal of a plan.

Washingtons Shoreline Manage-ment Act of 1971 applies to all ma-rine waters, streams with a meanannual flow greater than 20 cubic

feet per second, water areas largerthan 20 acres, upland areas within200 feet of the edge of these wa-ters, wetlands and river deltas, andparts of the 100-year floodplain.All of the larger lakes, rivers andlarge streams in the east KingCounty area are covered by theShoreline Management Act.

Eastside Audubon is conducting asurvey of birds along the ToltRiver for the City of Carnation andhas an opportunity to comment onthe SMPs of over half the towns inthe service area. If you would liketo participate in this process con-tact Andy McCormick, Conserva-

tion Committee Chair at [email protected]

Reference

Minnesota Department of NaturalResources, 2010, Shoreline altera-tions: Natural buffers and

lakescaping. St Paul: DNR Eco-logical Services.

Minnesota DNR, (2010)


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Birding Trail Goes Greener

This summer, help choose sites forthe seventh and final route of theGreat Washington State BirdingTrail and do it online. For thefirst time since the program startedin 2001, birders can nominate their

favorite birding places using theinternet.

That means less paper and less pa-

perwork for everyone.

Located in the midst of our statesdensest and most diverse humanpopulation, the Puget Loop(working title) will become the sig-nature route of the 3,000-mile,statewide program the loop most

accessible and most visible to themost people, with the greatest po-tential for promoting our birds andtheir conservation.

Coordinating the project for ourchapter are: Brian H. Bell, chairand Michael Hobbs, MelindaBronson, and Hugh Jennings.

Join this rewarding project todayby contacting our Birding TrailCommittee or going directly to theAudubon Washington homepage,http://wa.audubon.org. Under theheadline, Recommend Your Fa-vorite Puget Area Place to Birdclick on the word Nominate.

You can nominate a site using ei-ther the one-pager or the completeform.

The systematic nomination processuses specific criteria to assess a

sites suitability for the birdingtrail, including: bird species, bird-

ing seasons, habitat type and own-ership, viewing places, safety, roadaccess, and visitor informationsuch as trails, ADA facilities,

camping, fees, and natural historyinterpretation, plus digital photos.

Well bring you more news asconstruction of the loop pro-gresses.

june 2010 corvid crier newsletter eastside audubon society

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