THE CORVID CRIER (Thefreedictionary.Com)
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The CorvidA QUARTERLYCrier PUBLICATION eastsideaudubon.org facebook.com/eastsideaudubon twitter.com/eastsideaudubon Q4 - FALL 2017 OUR MISSION Alaska to Arizona, Bird Photos of the West The mission of the Eastside Thursday, October 26 - 7:00pm Audubon Society is to protect, preserve and enhance natural Award winning photographer, Mick Birdnote, the NRDC, and many ecosystems and our communities Thompson, will take us on a tour other conservation organizations. for the benefit of birds, other through his most popular photos and His Gambel’s Quail photo placed wildlife and people. videos from Barrow, Alaska to the second this year in the National American southwest desert. His bird Audubon’s Top 100 photo contest CORVID CRIER CONTENTS photos are regularly used by the and his Anna’s Hummingbird photo National Audubon Society as well won the grand prize in Tucson Program Night pg 1 as numerous other Audubon chapters Audubon’s 2017 Hummingbird Oxbow Farm pg 1 throughout the country. Mick’s Photo Contest! Please join us for What Do We Call A pg 2 photos have also been used by BBC an amazing night with an amazing, Young Bird? Earth, the National Park Service, award-winning photographer! ■ Bird of the Month pg 3 the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Community Events pg 3 Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center Field Trips & Training pg 4 By Cate Forsyth raising a cougar versus a house cat. Remembrance, Dr. Diller pg 5 Native plants are important to the The varied degrees of dormancy Birdathon Round Up pg 5 health of our landscapes and provide found in native seeds creates chal- Remember the Numbers pg 6 more food and shelter for our local lenges in coaxing them to germinate. While seed dormancy allows for EOTY Nominations pg 6 birds. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Oxbow Farm & Conservation staggered germination and therefore PSE Rate Hearing pg 6 Center in Carnation and speaking better long-term survival in the Holiday Gift Wrap Fundraiser pg 7 to Bridget McNassar, the Native natural landscape, it can make Plant Nursery Manager, to learn a germination rates in the nursery little bit more about their work. quite low. There is a significant Oxbow’s nursery, established in 2013, lack of research and published CONTACT US grows approximately 130 native information regarding the propagation The Eastside Audubon Society plant species. They supply plants of native plants, but Oxbow has office is located downstairs in for local restoration and landscaping made it their mission to share what Northlake Unitarian projects, as well as to nurseries and they learn about growing native plants with other growers and Universalist Church. plant sale events. The majority of their plants are grown from seed, nursery professionals. 308 4th Avenue South often collected from plants within Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center Kirkland, WA 98083 the Snoqualmie Valley. is a nonprofit organization that is 425-576-8805 Bridget discussed one of the major also active in environmental education, [email protected] challenges in native plant production: habitat restoration, volunteer and P.O. Box 3115 discovering the germination process citizen science programs, and the Kirkland, WA 98083 for each different species. She likened practice of sustainable farming on their 240 acre property. Please visit Office Hours: trying to germinate native species versus more cultivated species to oxbow.org to learn more.■ Mon, Tues, Fri. 9:00am - 1:00pm PAGE 1 CHAPTER MEETINGS What Do We Call A Young Bird? Unless otherwise noted, meetings take place at Northlake By Andy McCormick The fledgling is maturing but still Unitarian Universalist Church. Young birds often take center stage dependent on an adult. The flight Use the downstairs entrance on when we are out birding in summer. feathers are the result of the bird’s State Street. It’s fun to watch their begging for first prebasic molt when downy feathers are replaced by contour Conservation Committee food and feeding by their parents. Young birds can present an identi- and flight feathers. These first true Oct 11, 7:00 to 9:00pm feathers may be juvenile plumage Meets the second Wednesday of fication challenge as their plumage is different from the adult plumage (also called juvenal plumage by every month except July and some authors) in many songbirds, August. This is an effective group they will eventually develop at some time in their life. or first adult plumage such as in engaged in activism and hands-on shorebirds. This distinction is from conservation projects. Email Peter This summer I had several conver- Steve Howell’s book on Molt in Marshall at [email protected] sations about what we call birds North American Birds. for more info. that are not adults. It all started with the question, “What is the Juvenile: “A young individual Photo Group difference between a juvenile and resembling an adult of its kind Oct 12, 7:00 to 9:00pm immature bird?” This question except in size and reproductive Meets the second Thursday of appears on the internet with some activity, as, a fledged bird not yet every month in the church frequency. My search prompted a in adult plumage” (Merriam-Web- sanctuary. All levels welcome. wider discussion about the terms ster Collegiate Dictionary). The If you like, bring photos on a flash nestling, fledgling, hatch-year bird, juvenile may be either a nestling drive to share. Email Larry Engles and sub-adult bird. So, I investigated or a fledgling, or older immature [email protected] for more info. this a bit and have come up with birds that may take several years to this glossary of descriptions of mature to adulthood, such as gulls Youth Education Committee and raptors. Oct 3, 7:00 to 8:30pm birds that are not adults. There are Meets the first Tuesday of every many definitions for some of these Hatch-year bird: “bird in first month except December and words, but these are the ones I like calendar year in first basic plumage” August. Open to anyone who likes the best. (Pyle, et al, 1980). Hatch-year to share nature with youth. Email Nestling: “A young bird that is birds are out of downy feathers and [email protected] not yet old enough to leave the out of the nest and independent. I for more info. nest” (Dictionary.com). One gathered that this term is used by definition added that the bird could bird banders, who spend a lot of EAS Book Club not fly away from the nest, but we time learning to age birds. Oct 17, 6:30 to 8:00pm know that in some species young Sub-adult bird: “A bird after its Meets the third Tuesday of every birds walk out of the nest, e.g. juvenile year that has not reached month at the EAS office. RSVP shorebirds and owls. Other defini- adulthood” (Center for Conserva- required; email Becky Serabrini tions simply said a bird that has tion Biology). For example, second [email protected] not left the nest, but I preferred and third cycle gulls and raptors. Board Meeting the definition that referred to the Immature bird: “When in doubt Oct 23, 6:30pm nestling’s lack of ability to leave use ‘Immature’ for any bird that Interested guests may attend the the nest. Nestlings are still depen- is not an adult. ‘Juvenile’ is more monthly board meeting. Email Jan dent on adults, and the plumage in specific, describing a bird still in McGruder [email protected] some species is downy feathers. its juvenile plumage. This plumage for more info. Fledgling: “A young bird that is held only briefly for many has left the nest and has usually songbirds (just a few weeks after acquired flight feathers, but is leaving the nest) or up to a year for MATERIAL SUBMISSION often not yet able to fly” some larger birds like hawks. Once FOR THE CORVID CRIER (thefreedictionary.com). Some a bird has molted out of this plum- Email material to definitions said simply, “a bird age it is no longer a juvenile. If you can’t determine this, but know [email protected] that has just fledged,” but this is that the bird isn’t an adult, just use with “Corvid Crier Quarterly” in too simple for our purpose. I chose the definition that again related to ‘Immature’” (eBird). Sometimes the subject heading. the bird’s ability to care for itself. the simple solution is the best. ■ PAGE 2 Bird of the Month | Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) often seen foraging around campsites build a bulky nest fairly close to and picnic tables and will sometimes the ground and near the trunk of a follow hikers. conifer. Typically, 3-4 pale gray to Stores Food For Retrieval in Winter greenish eggs are deposited. Young jays will leave the nest in about Food storage in Gray Jays has been four weeks after hatching and will well-studied and researchers have remain with the parents for another found that these jays are omnivorous month (Kaufman). and will eat and store insects, spiders, berries, seeds, small rodents, birds’ Climate Warming Poses a Risk eggs and carrion. To prepare food Gray Jays may expand their range for storage they roll the item in northward as the climate warms their mouth coating it with their and the boreal forest shifts north- sticky saliva and then stick it in ward. There is some evidence that the crotch of a tree, under bark or some conifer species at the southern lichen, or in coniferous foliage edge of the Gray Jay’s range are (Strickland and Ouellet). retreating to the north and up the One study has shown that the Gray slopes of mountains (Strickland Jay behaves like a scatterhoarder and Ouellet).