Palouse Audubon Society The Prairie

VOLUME 42 ISSUE 2 October-November 2013

EVENT CALENDAR October 16 Program Know Your

by Tim Hillebrand October 1 Board Meeting Highlights of a 25 year eco- October 12 Field Trip October 16 Program Meet- logical study in the semiarid ing: Highlights of Chilean Eco- zone north-central Chile logical Study November 5 Board Meeting Dr Peter Meserve November 20 Program Meet- ing: Birding the Lower Rio is Professor Emeri- Grande Valley tus in biology at December 3 Board Meeting Northern Illinois Pullman-Moscow CBC, TBA University, and an Lewiston-Clarkston CBC, TBA Adjunct Professor Kendrick-Juliaetta CBC, TBA at the University of

Idaho. His first NO DECEMBER PROGRAM Western Grebes Skating on Water MEETING position in the U.S. was at the Univer- sity of Idaho during To know the Grebes, you must become 1975-1976; thereafter he taught at NIU acquainted with Clark’s , Eared PALOUSE AUDUBON for 35 years before returning to Moscow Grebe, Horned Grebe, Last Grebe, Pied- President: Ron Force, ron- to retire. Since 1989, he has been in- billed Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, and [email protected], 208-874-3207 volved in a long-term study of the role Western Grebe. All these share Vice President: Marie Dym- many traits in common such as giving koski, [email protected], of predator-prey and -herbivore (509)595-1650 interactions in the northern semiarid their babies rides on their backs, elabo- Secretary: Diane Weber, 509- scrub zone of north-central Chile. Now rate courtship behavior, eating their own 334-3817, cat- in its 26th year, it is one of the longest , and lobed feet instead of [email protected] webbed feet like . They are mag- Treasurer: Lavon Frazier, 509- running ecological studies in the South- 595-1913, ern Hemisphere. Dr. Meserve will talk nificent divers. [email protected] about some of its important findings as It has been a debate among ornitholo- Board Members: gists whether Loons and Grebes should Tim Hillebrand, 208-310-1341, well as some of the organisms he works [email protected]; Jim Storms, with in his talk. be placed in the same family because of 509-635-1272, The meeting will be in the Fiske the many traits they share such as lobed [email protected]; Marie feet placed so far back on their bodies so Dymkoski, 509-595-1650, Marie- Room at the 1912 Center, 3rd and Ad- [email protected]; Becky ams, Moscow at 7:30 PM. they cannot walk on land very well. But Phillips, [email protected], finally taxonomists have separated these 509-339-6277; Paul Schroeder, two groups and determined that the 509-334-2470, schroe- [email protected] similarities are a case of convergent evo- Membership: Ron Force, 208- lution with similar responses to similar 874-3207, [email protected] Newsletter: Tim Hillebrand, 805- 518-9612, [email protected] Publicity: Diane Weber, 509-334 -3817, [email protected] Conservation Committee: Mike Costa, 509-332-1793 ma- [email protected] Field Trips: Vacant VOLUME 42 ISSUE 2 THE PRAIRIE OWL PAGE 2

Grebes Continued straight greenish yellow bill. Clark’s babies are white and Western’s are gray. From the Prez Speaking of babies, be on the lookout for the young of both spe- I'm sorry to report cies hitching a ride on their par- that over the sum- ents’ backs. Most all Grebes offer mer, we lost our this service to their young. friend and colleague, Both species put on a regal Tom Weber. Tom

courtship dance which can involve wore many hats at Palouse Audu- rhythmically bobbing heads and bon-- President, Webmaster, Con- Eared Grebe necks forming a heart shape, servation Chair, newsletter editor, sword fighting thrusts, and environmental pressures. As it and Christmas Count racing on the water like motor- turns out, Grebes are very closely organizer and compiler. He was boats with necks and heads in an related to and share also a prolific woodworker, and arched posture. In fact, all the constructed Bluebird houses and eleven features not found in other Grebes seem to display a similar our Ferruginous nesting plat- birds. behavior. form. We're finding that it takes The Western Grebe is common many heads to fill the hats he in our area. It’s also the largest left behind. Grebe measuring about 30 inches . long, weighing 4.4 pounds with a The Board has been working on an wing span of up to 40 inches. Red overhaul and re-design of our eyes embedded in a black head and Website, which should be up by neck are distinctive. Western the time you read this. It's fitting Grebes can easily be confused with that we dedicate the Website to Clark’s Grebes because of similar Tom's memory, and have included coloration and behavior. But Clark’s a page "Tom's Corner" to recog- Grebe has white around its eyes nize individuals and projects in with an up-turned bright yellow bill keeping with his spirit. Horned Grebe whereas the Western Grebe has a

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will be entered in a drawing for a copy of Sibley's Guide to Birds. 15 The winner will be announced at the October program meeting.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Financially supports the programs and activities of the Palouse Audubon Society and includes an annual subscription to THE PRAIRIE OWL newsletter.

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Grebes continued Bird Videos

Follow this link if you want to see a video of this mat- When most people want to find information online ing behavior: http://www.youtube.com/watch? they Google it. But more and more people are learn- v=AkshIwdw7DY. It is really quite remarkable, and I ing that they can find a video on YouTube about al- think you will enjoy it if you’ve never seen it before. Be most any subject you can imagine. So, next time you on the lookout for mating Grebes. Here’s another video want information about a bird, check for it on You- for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O8_DMfPJus Tube. Eared Grebes are perhaps the most abundant of all Grebes around the world. They are easy to recognize in There are a couple of birding documentaries I breeding plumage with their red eyes from which a highly recommend for your pleasure and edification. plume of golden feathers fan backwards into a black The Life of Birds is an excellent BBC series hosted head, neck and back. This plumage disappears in the by on Netflix; it’s also available winter. These birds hold the record for being flightless on YouTube. longer than any other species. They can be land bound for up to nine or ten months out of the year. is another BBC production you can In mating season Horned Grebes have an interesting find on PBS and Youtube. Currently, it is airing live formation extending back and up into horns from on Wednesdays at 8 PM. http://video.pbs.org/ their red eyes. Their head hack of neck and back is black program/nature/ with chocolate brown front neck and belly. This all dis- Another great documentary I enjoyed recently is appears and turns black and white in winter. These Grebes lay 3-7 light green in a floating nest an- about Snowy in the Arctic. It’s called Magic of chored to other vegetation. the . Least Grebes hang out in Texas and . This div- You might also enjoy Ghost Bird, which is a docu- ing bird can hide under water while breathing through mentary about the obsession of birders after a kay- its beak barely visible above the surface. But you won’t aker reported seeing an ivory-billed . see one in our neck of the woods. The distinctive characteristic about the Pied-billed Check out Birders: The Central Park Effect and Grebe is that it displays a black ring around its bill dur- Bird Park, both on Netflix. ing mating season, but it goes away in winter. It’s rare to see this bird in flight as it prefers to escape by diving. In the mood for a birding movie? Try The Big The Red-Necked Grebe has a reddish neck during Year if you haven’t seen it yet. This may be a movie breading season with white cheeks and black eyes. The only a birder could love. To others, it’s a fowl flick. red neck disappears after mating season. Of course there’s always the classic 2001 Winged Migration.

You will probably enjoy Fly Away Home, which is a dramatic tale of a father and daughter trying to lead a flock of orphaned Canada Geese south by air.

If you have a favorite bird video, please share it with us on our Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/groups/364435749380/

Least Grebe

Pied-billed Grebe

Red necked Grebe PAGE 4 THE PRAIRIE OWL VOLUME 42 ISSUE 2

November 20 Program Palouse Audubon Donors

Birding the Lower Rio Grande Valley 2012-2013 John & Alice Kramer The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) in Texas Elise Augenstein Glen & Mary Lanier has a multitude of outstanding birding opportunities. Diane Ayton Lyndsay McCall There are nine distinctly different World Birding Cen- Stephen & Anna Banks Dick McCray ters, three National Wildlife Refuges, and other public Carol Bradford Janet & Charles Mosier and private locations in the area that welcome bird- Sharon Cabeen & Dave Barbara Nakata ers. Many birds are unique to the region, including Wherry Steve & Linda Norton White-tailed Hawk, White-tipped Dove, Green Para- Jack & Mary Carloye Jean Olson Marty O'Malley keet, Common Pauraque, Buff-bellied , Abbey Carpenter Green , Great Kiskadee, Green Jay, Clay- Kelly Cassidy & George Jane Parker & Dan colored Robin, Long-billed Thrasher, Bronzed Cow- Ball McLaughlin bird, Altamira Oriole, and others. Jerry Cebula Bill & Donna Parks Bruce and Lavon Frazier spent six days in April Jean & Roger Chapman Larry Pulley 2010 birding the LRGV. They visited six of the World Cheryl Clancy Patricia Rathmann Marv Reed Birding Centers, all three NWRs, and several other Don & Joye Dillman locations, including the famed South Padre Island. Ruth Dorman Donna Schanaman They will chronicle their trip, describe the varied Valerie Drown Ned & Carole Schroeder birding opportunities in the LRGV, and share their Vickie Fadness Dave Skinner & Jo Bohna photos of the specialty birds of the area including Judy Finch Ken & Nancy Spitzer those listed above. Gloria Fischer Jim & Mary Ann Storms Bruce and Lavon are active PAS members. Bruce Joan Folwell Steve & Chris Talbott has been interested in birds since childhood and likes Ron Force Tom & Diane Weber to photograph them. Lavon started birding 11 years Maynard Fosberg Richard & Barbara Wells ago and keeps a written record of what they see. They Bruce & Lavon Frazier Eileen Whipple both enjoy traveling and adding new birds to their life Jim & Emily Fredenburg John Wolff Carolyn Wyatt lists. Carol Gordon This program will be at 7:30, November 20, in the Donna Hanson Fiske Room of the 1912 Center in Moscow. It is free Ray & Bettie Hoff and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Wiley Hollingsworth For more information, contact Lavon Frazier George Hudson at [email protected] or 509-332-7346. Roger & Janice Inghram Harry Jageman Lyn & Mary Keefer Rick & Kathy Kopel New Palouse Audubon Website Those attending the September program meeting got a preview of the new PAS website. The reaction was very positive! The new site is much improved over the old one, with information easy to find under "tabs" includ- ing About Us, Activities & Events, Birding, and Citizen Science. It has a page devoted to links to other Re- Green Jay sources, a page for all digital issues of the Prairie Owl Newsletter, and a page for Photos. All the content from the old site has been brought forward to the new site, with quite a bit of new and helpful information added. Thanks to board members Becky Phillips, Ron Force, Mike Costa, Marie Dymkoski, and Lavon Frazier for their work on this. The website is being built by Bo Ossinger, owner of Netpalouse Web Services in Palouse. Great Kiskadee Watch for an email announcement in the next few weeks that it's finished and ready for you to use! VOLUME 42 ISSUE 2 THE PRAIRIE OWL PAGE 5

MEET THE BOARD Win this book - pay your Lavon Frazier dues by October 15!

Lavon grew up in northern Wisconsin and fondly remembers some of Wingtips the local birds - the "jenny" (house) wren sing- A group of Grebes is known as a water dance of Grebes. ing outside her window in the spring, the ovenbird's Beginning Birding Class loud call in summer, chickadees and nut- Note that there will be no beginning birding hatches calling in the class this fall. Look for the announcement of a winter forest, and great beginning birding class this coming spring. "V" flocks of Canada geese

migrating in the fall. She converted her hobby from wild-flowers to birding in Wingtips order to keep pace with her husband Bruce when they Over two billion copies of Angry Birds have been went on hikes - identifying flowers is a stationary activ- downloaded. Don’t tell me birding isn’t popular. ity and Bruce was always going on ahead looking for birds. Lavon became a serious birder about 11 years ago on a trip to California when Bruce was following a bird October 12 Field Trip on the ground (a California Towhee) to get a photograph and she decided to take notes. They've been birding to- Mike Clarke will lead a trip to Steptoe Butte to gether ever since, looking for birds wherever they go and look for late fall migrants. If time allows, we traveling to add more birds to their life lists. will go to Rock Lake to look for waterfowl and Lavon volunteered to be Palouse Audubon's treasurer late shorebirds. Meet in the northwest corner of in 2010 after long-time treasurer Henry Willmes passed the Walmart parking lot in Pullman at 7AM. away. Besides keeping the books and paying the bills, Lavon has led field trips, participated in Christmas Bird Return by early afternoon. Counts, and helped with the Beginning Birding classes. She developed the Wawawai County Park checklist and MEMBERSHIP spearheaded development of the new PAS website. Lavon has a degree in mathematics from the Univer- Palouse Audubon Society (PAS), PO Box 3606, Moscow ID sity of Wisconsin-Madison. She and Bruce moved from 83843-1914, is a chapter of the National Audubon Society (NAS) Madison to Pullman in 1975 with their two daughters, with its own dues. New NAS members in our chapter area receive and two sons were later born in Pullman. Lavon worked one year’s free membership in PAS, along with the chapter news- letter and other benefits of membership. at Information Technology Services at WSU for 29 years. PAS dues of $15 are payable in September. Members may re- Now both retired, she and Bruce enjoy traveling to see ceive the chapter newsletter, The Prairie Owl, either by mail or their nine grandchildren (CA, MN, OR, TX) and to find by email notification of its posting on the chapter’s website. Mem- new birds. bers are encouraged to read the newsletter online to save printing and postage expenses. PAS members who have not renewed and Their first birding trip was NAS members who have not paid dues after one year of member- to Malheur National Wildlife ship are removed from the newsletter distribution list on Decem- Refuge in 2003. Their most ber 31st. memorable trips have been to General membership meetings are held at the 1912 Building, southeast Arizona, central Flor- FISKE ROOM, 3rd and Adams St, Moscow ID, at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month, September through May. The ida, the gulf coast and Rio board of directors meets at the 1912 Center at 7:30 p.m. on the Grande Valley in Texas, and first Tuesday of each month. Point Pelee in Ontario Canada. The Prairie Owl is published every other month, August They will present "Birding the through April. Material for the Owl should be sent to the editor, Lower Rio Grande Valley" at Tim Hillebrand, 857 Orchard Ave., Moscow ID 83843, 805-518- the November PAS meeting. 9612, [email protected] by the 20th of the month. Subscription problems should be addressed to the membership chair, Ron Force, PO Box 3606, Moscow ID 83843-1914, 208-874-3207, ron- [email protected]. Visit the Palouse Audubon Society website at Lavon’s Favorite Bird—GBH http://www.palouseaudubon.org/ or find us on Facebook. PALOUSE AUDUBON SOCI ETY

PrimaryPalouse AudubonBusiness AddressSociety YourPO Box Address 3606 Line 2 YourMoscow Address ID 83843 Line -31914 Your Address Line 4

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Farewell Tom Weber, We Will Miss You

Thomas Lee "Tom" Weber, 65, of tive member of Palouse Audubon Society - he served sev- Pullman, passed away Sept. 2, 2013, eral terms as president and was the newsletter editor for at his Pullman home and surrounded many years. Tom was also an active woodworker. After by his family. Tom was born Oct. 3, building a butcher block table for his mother in 1979, Tom 1947, in Colfax, Wash., to LeRoy and continued to craft many items for family and friends, in- Trudy (Druffel) Weber. He graduated cluding signs, toys, doll houses, jewelry boxes and furni- from Colton High School in 1965 and ture. attended Yakima Valley College, Tom was described by his family as an "exceptional earning an associate degree. He then organizer" and spent many years researching the history attended Washington State University, of his immediate and extended family, including the We- graduating in 1973 with a B.S. in elec- ber, Druffel, Reisenauer and Lightfield families and had trical engineering. He met Diane Leonore Clow in 1974. recently expanded his research to include the Forsmann They were married in Colton in 1976 and made Pullman family. Tom organized (some say instigated) many family their home. reunions and, at the conclusion of each reunion, sent each He began working for Washington State University with family home with a copy of his research, including updated the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in family trees, photos and notes. Tom was a longtime and 1973. During his employment, he participated in ground- active member of the Knights of Columbus. He joined the water research in eastern Washington and was systems order in Colton on Dec. 30, 1965. administrator for the department's computers when he re- Tom is survived by his loving wife, Diane, at the family tired in 2010 because of complications from multiple mye- home in Pullman; his mother, Trudy, and father, LeRoy; loma. sister, Joan (Greg) Moser; brothers, Bernie (Marie) Weber, Tom was a man of diverse interests, including trap Jerry (Sheyanna) Weber, Marty (Judy) Weber and Pat shooting, fly-fishing, bird watching and woodworking. He (Mimi) Weber; six nieces and eight nephews; and eight was a member of the Colton Gun Club, and in 1982 won great-nieces and three great-nephews. the Camas Prairie Handicap. He was a member of Clear- water Flycasters and served as president. He was an ac-