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Curlew Oct 2017.Pages Issue LIII, Issue 2 October 2017 The Curlew The newsletter of the Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society Items of Interest Using Applied Research to • AOU Name Changes Manage Russian Olives and • Birding by Kayak Increase Avian Diversity • Who Was Alexander Wilson? Jim Castle • First Saturday Birdwalk Update October 24, 2017 at 7:00 PM • Water, Wind & Fire Tour First Lutheran Church US 395 and Yelm, Kennewick Upcoming Events Russian olive trees form dense thickets in riparian areas, crowding out native plants and excluding the birds that rely on them. Some Oct 2 - Board Meeting, 6:15 birds, however, love to eat Russian olive fruits. Russian olives PM at Richland Public Library spread easily and are difficult to remove — what Oct 7 - First Saturday Bird is the best way to reduce Walk, 8:00 AM at W. E. their effect on the Johnson Park. For details, visit environment? Through lcbas.org. Jim’s work with the Army Oct 24 - Membership Corps of Engineers, they Meeting, 7:00 PM at First have discovered that a Lutheran Church, Kennewick mosaic of habitats is a Nov 4 - First Saturday Bird good approach. They Walk, 8:00 AM. Location to be showed increased bird announced. For details, visit diversity when they lcbas.org. removed about half of the Russian olives in a Nov 6 - Board Meeting, 6:15 way that created patches PM at Richland Public Library of native and non-native Purple Finch eating Russian olive fruits habitats. by Larry Umthun The Curlew !1 Issue LIII, Issue 2 October 2017 Water, Wind & Fire: Saving our farms, forests, and fish while strengthening our economy Scientific studies led by scientists at National Audubon have confirmed that climate change is the number one threat to birds, including the Long-billed Curlew (our chapter’s mascot). Audubon Washington and Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) are working together to find solutions that will work for birds and Wilson’s Warbler people, one that will produce a healthy environment and a healthy by Ivar Husa economy. As part of this effort, these groups are embarking on a tour of Alexander Wilson eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle to talk about how we can move past partisanship to address the challenges of plentiful The Father of American Ornithology and affordable energy, a growing economy with good jobs, and A warbler, a plover, a snipe, and a managing risk as a result of climate change. storm petrel… what do these birds You are invited to be part of the conversation when the tour comes have in common? They (and many to the TriCities! more) are named for Alexander Wilson (1766 - 1813), an artist and When: November 3, 7:00 PM naturalist. Where: Benton PUD Auditorium, 2721 W. 10th Avenue, Kennewick Wilson, a Scottish immigrant, arrived Who: in the United States in 1794. By 1803, he had begun the enormous • Dr. Steve Ghan, climate scientist and group leader of task of describing and illustrating all Richland CCL the birds of his adopted country. • John Sandvig, aerospace engineer and business executive, This classic work, American member of the CCL “Conservative Caucus” Ornithology; or, the Natural History • Dr. Sara Cate, family physician and climate advocate of the Birds of the United States, was published in nine volumes between For more information visit their website at http://tinyurl.com/ 1808 and 1814. waterwindfiretour To accomplish his goal, Wilson wandered throughout the country, logging tens of thousands of miles on horseback, by boat, and on foot. He was intrigued by the diversity, colors, and numbers of birds he saw. All told, he described 268 of the 350 bird species in the eastern US, including 26 that were new to science. Wilson’s contributions to ornithology are unparalleled. Reference: Weidensaul, S. 2007. Of a Feather: A brief history of American birding. Harcourt Publishing: New York. The Curlew !2 Issue LIII, Issue 2 October 2017 Want a Closer Look at Birds? Hop in a Kayak! Seeing birds fom cockpit of a kayak is a great way to see them up close by Lori Wollerman Nelson A challenge for many birders is getting close enough to see details: the color of the scapular feathers, the shape of the bill, the tips of the primary feathers. LCBAS member Jane Abel has solved that problem — she birds by kayak. According to Jane, “Most shorebirds allow me to pull up to the shore and start clicking away.” Birding by kayak has its difficulties too — getting hit with waves from the wakes of motor boats can make identifying birds a challenge. The pictures that Jane shares with local birders through Jane in her kayak the LCBirds-2 Yahoo group show that kayaking can allow for unparalleled looks at birds that are often hard to see from land — well worth the challenges involved! To see more pictures like these from Jane and other bird photographers in our area, join LCBirds-2. From www.lcbas.org, click on “LCBirds-2 Bulletin Board” in the menu on the left side. Sign up for the bulletin board and to receive email notices of posts. It is a great way to see beautiful photographs and to hear about local bird sightings. Black-necked Stilt A Caspian Tern, carrying a satellite tag Oregon State University tracks Caspian Terns with Parasitic Jaeger satellite tags and numbered leg bands. Report sightings to http://agsci- labs.oregonstate.edu/cate-tracking/about-the- project/ The Curlew !3 Issue LIII, Issue 2 October 2017 Report: First Saturday Bird Walk W. E. Johnson Park bird walk Saturday, Sept 2, 2017 by Lisa Hill Bateman Island has been closed to the public since July 16 when a devastating fire burned 60-70% of the vegetation in the middle of the island. To the casual observer, the island appears to be unscathed because the green outer perimeter did not burn. A date for opening the island is unknown. It could be several months to a Grasshopper sparrow singing st year or more. In the meantime, we will have 1 Saturday birdwalks in by Ivar Husa various sites around the Tri-Cities. On Sept 2, a group of about 10 birders ventured into W. E. Johnson Park in Richland. The 225-acre site is a designated natural area and Donate to LCBAS is open only to walkers, bicyclists and horseback riders. Multiple when you shop wide pathways meander through the park and lead through several types of habitat: riparian, wooded, sage and a small bit of Yakima Fred Meyer – Link your Rewards River shoreline. It is possible to see about 40 bird species in a 3- Card to LCBAS and we’ll receive a hour walk, but we found 32 species. Overall, the park was rather donation every time you have quiet, with low numbers of birds in general. your card swiped at the store. We did come up with five Stop by the Customer Service warbler species: YELLOW, desk at any Fred Meyer or visit ORANGE-CROWNED, their website to connect your card MACGILLIVRAY’S, WILSON’S to LCBAS. You can use our name and TOWNSEND’S. Several or our ID number (89875). WESTERN TANAGERS gave their www.fredmeyer.com/topic/ distinctive chirrup call, and community-rewards-4. Click on multiple RED-BREASTED “Link Your Rewards Card Now” to NUTHATCHES voiced their slow- sign up. paced “yank-yank” call in the wooded areas. Other reports Yoke’s – Register for an escrip from the park indicate a higher card and link it to LCBAS. Every than usual number of time you have your card scanned, nuthatches this year. Everyone we’ll receive a donation. You can got a very good look at an register using our number Red-breasted Nuthatch (500745676) or our name. OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER by Larry Umthun perched at the top of a large tree www.escrip.com/howitworks/ which is their preferred insect-hunting position. We also found a AmazonSmile: Shop at Amazon GRAY CATBIRD, WARBLING VIREO, several DOWNY through smile.amazon.com. WOODPECKERS and a DUSKY/HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER. Choose “Lower Columbia Basin The next bird walk will be Saturday, Oct 7 at 8am at WE Johnson Audubon Society” as your charity Park in Richland. For details visit www.lcbas.org or our Facebook and we’ll receive 0.05% of your page. purchase total. The Curlew !4 Issue LIII, Issue 2 October 2017 AOU Checklist 2017 Changes Highlights by Jason Fidorra Each summer, the American Ornithologist’s Union reviews updates to species taxonomy in North America. The results entertain and sometimes frustrate us as field guides begin using new arrangements and species names. “Are you still calling that bird a Northern Oriole?” Species “splits” and “lumps” are based on convincing research and genetics, but what’s convincing sometimes changes over time. The 2016 update split Western Scrub-Jay into the coastal California Scrub-Jay (found in WA), and Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay of the American southwest. This year, the AOU update has a few major changes. One is the absorption of Thayer’s Gull into Iceland Gull. While Thayer’s are the normal winter visitors on the west coast, distinguishing Bullock’s Oriole Thayer’s, Iceland, and the intermediate Kumlien’s subspecies was by Mike Guthrie giving East Coast birders enough headaches that the AOU undid the 1973 decision that split the species. Thayer’s Gulls are Iceland Gulls of the subspecies thayeri. Take one tick off the life list. Sad about that? Head to Idaho, where the USA’s newest endemic species is found: the Cassia Crossbill! Pronounced cash-uh, this species is endemic to the South Hills and Albion Mountains in southern Idaho.
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