Membership Meeting - Thursday, April 21st

“Rafting the Marsh Fork of the Canning River” Dan Streiffert, Photographer 7:00 PM at Hal Holmes Center next to the library

Join us on a 12-day wilderness birding adventure along the western boundary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Called "America's Serengeti" for its tremendous biological productivity and diversity, the coastal plain is one of the most intact and untouched ecosystems in America. The refuge is home to 42 mammal species, including more than 120,000 head of caribou, 36 species of fish, and over 160 species of birds. Many of these birds migrate to and from all fifty states and from six continents to feed and reproduce, taking full advantage of the burst of biological growth which blossoms here in the long days of the Arctic summer.

Beginning on the scenic Marsh Fork, we descend through the rugged mountains of the Brooks Range, northeast to the confluence with the main stem of the Canning River. Wildlife photographer Dan Streiffert lets you experience this trip through his camera with photos of the journey. Our guide, “Burly” Bob Dittrick has led trips for President Jimmy Carter and photographer Art Wolfe.

Dan grew up in Rochester, NY, home of Eastman Kodak where his dad was a research physicist for 40 years. Thus, Dan grew up with cameras, black and white photography, and dark rooms full of chemicals. He has progressed through the many phases of cameras and film into the present digital era cameras, and his photos are spectacular. He is a retired Power Systems Engineer that now spends his time photo-graphing wildlife and volunteering with both the Sierra Club and Audubon, where he is president of Raini-er Audubon in Auburn, WA.

This promises to be an exciting program for adventurers, photographers, and birders.

The Hooter Kittitas Audubon April 2016

All Audubon meetings, held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Hal Holmes Cen-

ter next to the Library, September through May (except December), are open to the

public. Please come and meet with us. A brief business session precedes the program.

Stay afterwards for juice, treats, and conversation.

Many thanks to the Ellensburg Public Library for sponsoring our meetings here!

Page 2 The Hooter

Send in your stories & photos!

The Hooter is the newsletter of

Kittitas Audubon, published

monthly except for July.

~~~~~~~

Submissions from members & other readers are most wel-

come and encouraged!

The editor reserves the right to edit

for space, grammar, and/or suita-

bility. Email text and/or photos to

bobcat(at)kvalley.com or snail mail

to Jan Demorest, Hooter Editor,

712 E 2nd Ave, Ellensburg, WA

98926. Submissions need to be in

by the 20th of the preceding month.

KAS BOARD MEMBERS President –Tom Gauron 968-3175 Vice President – Judy Hallisey 674-6858 Secretary – Jim Briggs 933-2231

Treasurer – Sharon Lumsden 968-3889 Conservation- Board members Education – Judy Hallisey 674-6858 Field Trips – Steve Moore 933-1179 Historian – Gloria Lindstrom 925-1807 Programs – Jeb Baldi 933-1558 Publicity – Gerry Sorenson 968-4857 Scholarship – Gloria Baldi 933-1558 Climate Change – Barry Brunson 674-6858 Past President – Jim Briggs 933-2231 *Newsletter – Jan Demorest 933-1179 *Membership – Tuck Forsythe 925-2356 *Wildlife Habitat – Joe Meuchel 933-3011 *Bluebird boxes – Jan Demorest 933-1179 *Social Greeter – Kay Forsythe 925-2356 *Christmas Bird Count–Phil Mattocks 899-3370

*non-voting members

KAS Board Meetings are held at 4:30

PM on the 1st Thursday of each

month in the PUD meeting room,

1400 Vantage Highway. These meet-

ings are open to the public and all

Audubon members; please come and

join in the discussions. Meetings ad-

journ by 6:00 or 6:30, after which we

all go out for a sociable dinner ~ NO

business discussion allowed!

Board Notes by Gloria Baldi

From the March 3rd meeting: Secretary’s report with corrections and the Treasurer’s report

were approved.

Updating the material on the KAS website was discussed;

Steve Moore will take the lead on this.

To notify members when help is needed on a project, or an

issue needs response, a list is to be circulated at meetings for

voluntary e-mail addresses.

Under Conservation, it was reported WA State Parks dropped

the plan to develop land near the Crystal Creek Sno-park

when the conflict with the new wildlife overpass on I-90 was

realized.

Tom Gauron had received a call that someone dumped a flock

of domestic pigeons at Ryegrass Rest Area.

Under Climate Change, reports were given on presentations

to Lower Columbia Basin, Palouse, and Blue Mountain Audu-

bon chapters by Jim Briggs, Barry Brunson and Judy Hallisey.

Master Gardeners and the Universal Unitarian Church in El-

lensburg are scheduled to receive presentations.

Judy Hallisey has the material ready for printing the brochure

regarding landscaping with native drought-resistant plants. It

is now with a graphic artist.

Tom Gauron will attend the County Watershed Planning

Group on March 9th.

April 23rd is Earth Day celebration at CWU and KAS will host a

table. ANYONE WANT TO HELP?

Five library windows at Hal Holmes will have a display by KAS

for half of April and all of May.

Election of officers for the next fiscal year will occur at the

May membership meeting.

KAS is working on obtaining a film to be shown at the El-

lensburg Film Festival in October.

Any member is welcome to the KAS Board meetings on the first

Thursday of every month from 4:30 to 6:30 at the PUD building on

the Vantage Highway.

Field Trip Reports Page 3 The Hooter

March 5 ~ First Saturday Birdwalk ~ raptors playing in the sunshine.

Seven birders found 22 species on this pleasant late winter day. Tree swallows were back, over the wetland and river, and Bewick’s Wrens were common with many songs and scolding calls in the woods. Chickadees were singing their two-note spring song and the Downy Woodpeckers seem to be feeding in pairs and chasing each other a lot. The ponds this winter have had few ducks, maybe because the early winter freeze-up drove them elsewhere; today was no exception, with just a pair of wigeon on the west pond. The Red-tailed Hawk nest is empty this season, but up to 6 Redtails at a time enter-tained us kettling in sunshine over the river. Then we spotted a perched bird across the riv-er, preening and relaxing; a scope view showed a dark-headed Merlin that re-mained to give us a good long look. This bird will fly further north to breed.

March 20 ~ Selah Canyon ~ falcons call it home.

The steep-walled, flat-bottomed canyon with no permanent stream is spanned on I-82 by the graceful Redmond bridge. Most travelers are content with a view just a few seconds long, but those who take the 2-mile stroll from Yakima Canyon to the arches beneath the bridge see this Natural Area Preserve close up. Our group of fifteen birders from Ellensburg, Roslyn, and Selah, found 18 species on a morning’s walk,

including goldfinches, a towhee, a couple of Redtails, and one Yellow-rumped Warbler, but zero migrating sparrows. A Canyon Wren was heard faintly up in the cliffs, and a pair of Canada Geese perched on the canyon rim. A Prairie Falcon was spotted breakfasting on a rabbit; then it flew to the rim and sat contentedly while we watched in the scope. Under the bridge, Violet-green Swallows and White-throated Swifts combed the air. Back at the parking lot, a Prairie Falcon entertained relaxing hikers as the hunter made sweeping flights over the nearby patch of sage in search of lunch. A later trip might

determine if a pair of falcons is making the can-yon home for this nesting season.

~ Steve Moore

Merlin

Photo by Steve Moore

Bluebirds are arriving! Nesting season is just around the corner! Take a drive out the old Vantage Highway (Mountain Bluebirds) or up Umtanum Road (mostly Western Bluebirds) along the ridge and you’re sure to see some flashes of blue, maybe even a territorial male (or female) perched on top of

a nestbox, or look up at the utility lines - a favorite surveillance perch for these jewel-like birds.

Last week, our friend, Margy Taylor, newly retired from her owling job with USFS, went out with us to check on, repair, and evaluate the nestboxes along the fences of Swauk Prairie. It was a typical chil-ly, breezy (ha!) March day; we didn’t see many birds of any kind, but it was a fine outing and Margy is now prepared to take over the mon-itoring and maintenance of this bluebird “trail”. It’s a bit higher up there and so spring comes a bit later than here in the valley, so activi-ty will commence later in April. Take a drive up there - wave to the locals and, if you see Margy, stop and find out how “her” birds are doing. (Please don’t disturb the birds or approach or open the boxes; get a fine view from your car windows!)

Restoring bluebird nestboxes on Swauk Prairie

Climate Comments: Barry Brunson, Chair, KAS Climate

Change Committee (with a nod to the 1966 Sergio

Leone classic film...)

The Good: A growing number of Americans recognize the reality of global warming, and see it as a

threat. See http://www.gallup.com/poll/190010/concern-global-warming-eight-yearhigh.aspx. This sug-gests that the decades-long campaign designed to cast doubt on the science, and to spread confusion about what can and should be done, is losing strength.

The Bad: What campaign of doubt and confusion? A report in Scientific American shows that ExxonMobil

(then just Exxon) researchers studied the link between burning fossil fuels and global warming, and re-ported their findings, yet the company spent millions to promote misinformation. See http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exxon-knew-about-climatechange-almost-40-years-ago/. Similarly, the American Petroleum Institute commissioned a report by a team of scientists at Columbia University. They predicted destructive global warming and linked it with fossil fuel use. The API disbanded a group monitoring climate research, and launched their own campaign asserting that the science was “uncertain”. See http:// insideclimatenews.org/news/04022016/oil-industry-report-shows-early-knowledge-climatechange-impact-api-american-petroleum-institute, which also contains links to for the actual API report, which the Union of Concerned Scientists obtained from a university library.

The Ugly: The domestic terrorists who occupied the MalheurWildlife Refuge claimed that they “left the

place in better shape than it was before”. For a glance at what that means, see http:// www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/25/471833029/photos-the-mess-occupiers-left-atmalheur-national-wildlife-refuge. Current estimates of the cleanup costs are $6 million or so, which will come, of course, from all of us taxpayers.

The Ugly, alternate: Former NASA scientist James Hansen and colleagues have published a new study

that, if even partially accurate, suggests more serious consequences sooner, such as several feet of sea level rise over the next 50 years. See http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/23/ science/global-warming-sea-level-carbon-dioxide-emissions.html

Page 4 Hooter More “Good, Bad, and Ugly”

The mission of Kittitas Audubon is to develop an appreciation of nature through education and

conservation, with a focus on birds.

This female Pileated Woodpecker has spent the winter in a north-facing patch of ponderosa forest with some large old and dead

trees. Four times between December and March, on trails near the top of Manastash Ridge, I found her feeding on ancient rotten tree stumps or pecking away at dying, younger trees. The female lacks a red stripe behind the bill

and a red forehead. A later trip this spring may tell whether she finds a mate this season, and stays resident in

these woods, or goes else-where.

Pair of Loggerhead Shrikes, now migrating into sage-

steppe areas from the south, on a chilly morning on the eastern rim of Moses Coulee,

Douglas County.

Golden-crowned Sparrow, sheltering in brush, Cowiche

Canyon, Yakima County.

All adventures and photos submitted by Steve Moore.

Page 5 Hooter Late Winter Birds

Page 6 Hooter This & That…

NEW!!! Photo Contest and KAS Photo Club This time next year we will be in the midst of the first annual KAS photo contest. The contest is open to anyone who is an amateur photographer, whether a KAS member or non-member. You do not need to be using fancy equipment; anything that captures images will work (including cell phones). Entries should consist of photos from the natural world. There is no entry fee and each person can submit up to five entries. Photos will be judged on aspects including technical merit, composi-tion, and visual impact. The winners will be announced at the March 2017 program. There will be prizes, but the best prize is the pride that comes with the display of all those photos.

In support of the contest and to further the mission of KAS to encourage awareness of the wildlife around us, I am going to lead a few field trips designed to provide our local amateur photographers an opportunity to ex-pand and share the love of photography and wildlife. The first of these will be April 23rd to the Columbia Ba-sin. You will need to bring camera gear and bin-oculars, and dress for whatever weather, and bring a lunch because who knows how long we’ll be out!!! Please contact me to reserve your space, because we are limited to 8 peo-ple. There will only be 2 or 3 stops so we can spend our time observing the bird activity and photographing it. One aspect of getting good pho-tos of birds is to spend time watching what they are doing, and learning to anticipate what they will do next. Cricket Webb birdnerd.webb(at)gmail.com (509) 674-8348 or leave a message at (509) 674-4035. Photos by Cricket Webb.

Olympic BirdFest 2016

April 15-17, 2016, Sequim, WA

In the rain shadow of the Olympic Peninsula discover birds of the coastal Pacific North-

west—

join us for a three-day, two-night birding cruise of the San Juan Islands, April 12-14, 2016. http://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/

whale-watching-and-wildlife-tours/audubon/

Website address: www.olympicbirdfest.org E-mail address: opas.birdfest.info@gmail.com

Burrowing Owl

Black-necked Stilt

Page 7 Hooter

Membership & other news! GET “THE HOOT-

ER” ONLINE

Save paper, printing,

postage. If you would

prefer to receive the

electronic version, send your name,

mailing address, & email address

to: kittitasaudubon@hotmail.com

At the beginning of each month,

we’ll send you an email with a quick

link to the new Hooter.

Darling Bird Studios, ©2007 UNA

BECOME A KITTITAS AUDUBON MEMBER!! (Or renew your membership)

Receive The Hooter ~ help support education and conservation activities and projects!

Two options are available:

OPTION 1: Membership in National Audubon includes a subscription to the magazine, Audubon, membership in the local chapter (KAS), and KAS monthly newsletter, THE HOOTER

____ Join as a new National Audubon member $20 (includes KAS membership)

____ Renew a National Audubon membership $35

Make check payable to: National Audubon Society Include this form and mail to: Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235

Name ___________________________ Address __________________________________________

City _____________________________ State, ZIP _________________________________________

Chapter Code COZY220Z

OPTION 2: Membership in only the local chapter, KAS, includes the monthly newsletter, THE HOOTER

____ Join the local Kittitas Audubon Society (KAS) chapter $20

____ Renew your KAS membership $20

____ Make a donation to KAS $______ (amount)

Make check payable to KAS and mail to: KAS, P.O. Box 1443, Ellensburg, WA 98926

Name ____________________________________ Phone __________________________________

Address __________________________________ Cell _____________________________________

City _____________________________________ Email ____________________________________

State, ZIP _________________________________ Would you like to receive The Hooter electronically?

May we print your name in The Hooter as a new, Yes ____ No, prefer paper edition ____

renewing, or donating member? Yes ___ No ____

Kittitas Audubon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization. All memberships and donations are tax-deductible.

Membership forms are also available on our Web site: Kittitasaudubon.org.

For membership information contact Membership Chair, Tuck Forsythe ~ forsythe(at)fairpoint.net

See The Hooter in COLOR on our website ~ http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

Welcome New Members!

William Meyer

Susan Lillquist

Marcia Sommer

Thanks for renewing!

Jeri Prater

Joe Meuchal

Merlene Fry

Debby Giard

Upcoming KAS Field Trips

APRIL

2nd, Saturday ~ First Saturday Bird Walk, Irene Rinehart Park. Meet at 8 AM at Irene Rinehart parking lot off Umptanum Road for our monthly 3-hour walk through woods, river, and wetland. Spring migrants are arriving: ospreys, vultures, kinglets, warblers, maybe a shorebird. A great time to see birds before the trees leaf out. Jan and Steve are leading; 933-1179 for further info. 23rd, Saturday ~ Photography Trip, Colum-bia Basin. Cricket Webb w ill lead and teach. See Page 6 for more detailed information and contact numbers. 24th, SUNDAY ~ Douglas Creek, Moses Cou-lee. I ’ve wanted to take this easy hike through a well-watered desert canyon for some time.

Spring is a good time to sample the birds, flow-ers, and views. The approach drive up aptly-named Palisade Road in Moses Coulee sets the stage grandly. Expect raptors, riparian migrants and nesters; 5 miles round trip walking. Contact Steve Moore, 509-933-1179, s.moore at kval-ley.com for trip info.

MAY

7th, Saturday ~ First Saturday Bird Walk, Irene Rinehart Park. By now, spring mi-grants like Yellow-rumped and Nashville Warblers should be passing through our woods; other pos-sibles are vireos & tanagers. 3-hour walk. Meet at 8 AM at Irene Rinehart parking lot off Umpta-num Rd. Tom Gauron and Diane Bullock lead; call 509-968-3175 for more info.

The Hooter ~ April 2016 The Newsletter of Kittitas Audubon -

http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

THANK YOU…..TO KITTITAS COUNTY BUSINESSES SUPPORTING KAS!

Inland Internet, Roslyn ~ donates Internet service for our Website: http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

Old Mill Country Store, Ellensburg ~ Provides a discount on bird seed to KAS members. Get your bird seed here!

Kittitas Audubon

P.O. Box 1443

Ellensburg WA 98926

1920s illustration