PSE's Avian Protection Program Special Thanks
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FEBRUARY, 2020 Kitsap Audubon Society – Since 1972 KingfisherTHE February 13, 2020, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - Poulsbo Library PSE’s Avian Protection Program For 40 years, Puget Sound Energy has worked to preserve bird habitats and prevent eagles, osprey, hawks, trumpeter swans and other birds from coming into contact with power lines and utility equipment. Puget Sound Energy’s Avian Protection Program promotes a consistent avian-safe system across our eight-county electric service area. While it is not possible to prevent all injurious contact between birds and electric equipment, PSE makes significant investments to reduce the number of incidents. For over 45 years Mel Walters has helped keep birds safe from man-made structures and electrical facilities. As an environmental biologist and consultant he provides expertise in wildlife and wetland The Kingfisher is printed on recycled mitigation, endangered species, paper by Blue Sky Printing and osprey habitat, erosion control mailed by Olympic Presort, both and avian protection. family-owned local businesses. Special thanks . to our Bainbridge Island members and friends for generously designating Kitsap Audubon for a portion of their ONE CALL FOR ALL contributions. Is it okay to feed birds? - Gene Bullock The January snows were of bird seed every year; and a reminder that when we more people watch birds than encourage birds to depend on watch football, baseball and all us for food, we have a special other public sporting events responsibility to them when combined. Some 18 million of snow, ice and sub-freezing us travel to watch birds. Bird temperatures make food harder Watching and related businesses to find. When I dumped the add $107 billion in annual snow from my feeders and made revenues, pumping billions sure seeds and nectar were into local businesses. It also flowing, the hummingbirds, helps create a powerful army of finches, juncos, jays, flickers advocates devoted to protecting and mourning doves suddenly wildlife and their habitat. appeared. They had been But besides keeping bird waiting for me. This winter we’ve feeders filled and accessible had up to 30 mourning doves at during the winter, responsible other chapters and regions. a time perched along our fence, feeding means keeping seed and Several Audubon chapters are waiting for a turn at the feeder. nectar fresh and uncontaminated, now partnering with Whidbey We feed birds mostly for our and feeders safe. It means Islalnd Society in sponsoring own enjoyment, and that raises regular cleaning to prevent the related Pigeon Guillemot the question: “Is it okay to feed build-up of salmonella and other Projects, including Vashon birds?” disease-causing pathogens. It Island, Pilchuck, and now Kitsap There are compelling means placing feeders close to Audubon. The Kitsap Audubon arguments on both sides. protective cover – but not so Board recently allocated an Encouraging birds to congregate close birds can be ambushed by initial $350 for a related project at backyard feeders makes them stealthy ground-based predators. on Bainbridge Island, led by more vulnerable to predators It also means keeping cats Cyndy Holtz. Cyndy is recruiting and increases the likelihood that indoors, and putting streamers or volunteers to help her monitor they will be exposed to sick birds UV reflecting decals on windows Pigeon Guillemot nesting with transmissible diseases. It to minimize collisions. activity on Bainbridge Island. If also increases their risk of fatal There are, of course, many interested, contact Cyndy at collisions with reflective windows. other things you can do to [email protected]. On the other hand, backyard make your yard safer and more bird feeding can be a wonderful welcoming to birds and wildlife, New friends for Bainbridge way to engage families and such as eliminating the use of Purple Martins children with wildlife and nature. toxic chemicals and planting Joy Tappen has volunteered And we know people want to wildlife friendly plants and shrubs to install and maintain our Purple save what they know and love. that provide food and protective Martin colony in Eagle Harbor. What’s more, many species are cover. Kitsap Audubon is providing thriving because so many people Pigeon Guillemot| additional gourds to replace and now feed them. Research Project augment this colony. She will be Bird feeding is also a huge Whidbey Audubon Society aided by BI Parks & Recration’s boon to the economy. According sailing coordinator, Haley Llamon. to surveys by the U.S. Fish & has been awarded an Audubon In Action Grant of $5,000 for The birds usually return from Wildlife Service, bird watching is their wintering grounds in Central second only to gardening as our their Pigeon Guillemot Research Program. The chapter hopes and South America in early May. favorite outdoor pastime. It even Thanks to Joy and Haley, our outranks hunting and fishing. 47 ultimately to hire a regional coordinator to oversee the Bainbridge Purple Martins will million of us are birdwatchers. return to new homes this spring. We buy a hundred million tons expansion of this research into Kitsap Audubon Society meets the 2nd Thursday of each month, September through May, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., on the lower level of the Poulsbo Library, 700 NE Lincoln Rd. Programs free, open to the public. Field Trips & Festivals - Al and Andrew Westphal Birding Festivals: A complete creeksideplc.com; 870-404-8481), he narrates a fascinating wildlife summary of events statewide may and Joe Jack Davis. We’ll meet tour around Bainbridge Island. be found at the Washington State at 9:00 a.m. inside the main Expect to see three species Audubon site: http://wa.audubon. entrance to Lion’s Park in East of cormorants, an array of sea org/bird-festivals-0 Bremerton. The park offers ducks, rocky-shore sandpipers, front-lighted views of the great bald eagles, marine mammals, Skagit/Samish Flats Area: variety of waterfowl and marine and fabulous views of the Saturday, February 8. Al birds that winter in the Narrows. Bainbridge Island shoreline. This Westphal, leader, westphalac@ Afterward, we’ll stop at Larry trip fills quickly, so sign up early. aol.com, 206-780-7844 (e-mail & Kristi’s Bakery for coffee and Snacks and soft drinks provided. preferred). We will look for the donuts (above the Boatshed Bring binoculars and cameras. great flocks of over-wintering Restaurant at the eastern end Check in at 9:45. Boat leaves Snow Geese plus Trumpeter of the Manette Bridge. Later, promptly at 10:00 am. Cost Swans and a terrific array of other we’ll visit Evergreen Park, as well is $95 per person (plus $5 for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, as the Peregrine Falcon/Pelagic non-BI residents). Mention your and others. This will be a long Cormorant viewing area in Rota KAS membership and George full-day event. Group size is Vista Park. will donate 20 percent of the limited. Contact Al Westphal to proceeds back to our chapter. register and for details. Circumnavigate Bainbridge Register with BI Parks via website Island: Saturday, March 28 (BI Port Washington Narrows or phone 206-842-2306. Refer to Parks & Rec. event). Ages 10- morning trip, Saturday, course #131850-01. 99. Join naturalist George Gerdts Feburary 15th; co-led by John aboard the “Admiral Pete” as and Karla Bouck (contact john@ Christmas Bird Count Results Nearly a hundred Kitsap Gamble CBC on December Compiler for the North Kitsap- Audubon volunteers took part in 21. The counts were highly Port Gamble CBC Their final Kitsap Audubon’s two Christmas successfully in spite of heavy results are summarized in the Bird Counts: our tradiitonal morning rains. Janine Schutt is next two pages. The two 15-mile- Kitsap County CBC on December Compiler for the Kitsap County diameter count circles slightly 14, and our North Kitsap/Port CBC, and Jennifer Standish is overlap. Seabeck CBC team, led by Lisa Petersen, from Travis Bouck holds umbrella for Joe left: Lisa Pedersen, John Andrews, Donna Jack Davis at Foulweather Bluff, during LaCasse, Barbara Hager, Peggy Mentele, and “rainiest” CBC. Photo by Karla Bouck. John Manley. Not shown, Lynn Whipple. Christmas Bird Count Results: December 14, 2019 (Kitsap County) Species Name # Spotted Sandpiper 6 Steller's Jay 103 Greater White-fronted Greater Yellowlegs 38 California Scrub-Jay 30 1 Goose Common Murre 2 American Crow 507 Cackling Goose 15 Pigeon Guillemot 78 American/Northwestern 182 Canada Goose 614 Marbled Murrelet 4 Crow Wood Duck 21 Rhinoceros Auklet 5 Common Raven 25 Gadwall 15 Black-capped Bonaparte's Gull 18 353 Chickadee Eurasian Wigeon 21 Mew Gull 155 Chestnut-backed American Wigeon 3,429 Ring-billed Gull 5 220 Chickadee Eurasian x American 1 Western Gull 1 Wigeon (hybrid) Bushtit 266 California Gull 3 Golden-crowned Mallard 539 353 Herring Gull 1 Kinglet Northern Pintail 59 Glaucous-winged Gull 427 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 89 Green-winged Teal 180 Western x Glaucous- 526 Red-breasted Nuthatch 114 Ring-necked Duck 48 winged Gull (hybrid) Brown Creeper 16 Greater Scaup 276 Herring x Glaucous- 1 Pacific Wren 118 Lesser Scaup 46 winged Gull (hybrid) Marsh Wren 2 Harlequin Duck 21 Western/Glaucous- 13 Bewick's Wren 34 Surf Scoter 935 winged Gull American Dipper 3 White-winged Scoter 125 Larus sp. 45 European Starling 757 scoter sp. 45 gull sp. 280 Varied Thrush 24 Long-tailed Duck 29 Red-throated Loon 31 Hermit Thrush 4 Bufflehead 705 Pacific Loon 81 American Robin 612 Common Goldeneye 613 Common Loon 41 Cedar Waxwing 14 Barrow's Goldeneye 373 Brandt's Cormorant 164 House Sparrow 108 Hooded Merganser 156 Pelagic