Birdathon 2010
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AUDUBON SOCIETY of PORTLAND APRIL/MAY 2010 Black-throated Volume 74 Numbers 4&5 Gray Warbler WMorningarbler Bird Nature Nights Peregrines In this issue... Song Walks in April & May & Pinot Page 2 Page 10 Page 12 Half-Day Trips Whittemore’s Whatzits Laura Whittemore is a fantastic leader! May 9 (Sun), Perfect for beginners in Oaks Bottom 8am–Noon Wildlife Refuge. Photos © Gary Slone Full-Day Trips The Joy of Birding May 1 (Sat), Paul Sullivan goes from sunrise to sunset 6am–11pm and after, Portland to the coast. BIRDATHON 2010 The Murre the Merrier May 1 (Sat), trips for kids and adults, beginners to advanced, and for Sarah Swanson and Max Smith explore 7am–8pm For the Love of Birds, join your friends, special interests like birding on bikes or birding by public diverse habitats in Washington County to the coast. family, fellow members, volunteers, staff, and board in transportation. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran, May 15 (Sat), support of the Audubon Society of Portland. You can help The Roadrunners Portland Audubon has a trip for you — or we’ll help you Bike Gallery staff and Audubon staff 8am-2pm make our 30th Anniversary of Birdathon an extra- organize one. bring you birding by bicycle. Two trips special fundraising celebration! See all the details and to choose from: a 1-day and an overnight camping trip register at www.audubonportland.dojiggy.com. The culmination of the event is the Birdathon Banquet, (Gonzo Trip below). scheduled for Friday, June 18, when prizes are awarded Birdathon is the uniquely Audubon way to help protect to those raising the most money and those with the most Magpies May 4 (Tue), Oregon’s native birds and wildlife —it’s like a walk-a-thon sponsors, the best photographs, or the most unusual sightings, Slower paced, informative trips with 7am–4:30pm only better: you count beautiful bird species instead of miles. Denny Graham and Ron Spencer. May 5 (Wed), to name a few. The food is excellent, and the Bird Quiz never Two different trips; join one or both. 7am–4:30pm fails to rekindle the fun and good-natured competition of bird Birdathon is a fun and educational event for any level of identification! Event sponsors, prize donors, and volunteers are Raven Maniacs May 7 (Fri), birdwatcher from beginner to advanced, as well as for those all honored, and families are welcome. Join Steve Robertson, our Education 6am–11pm who just cheer them on! You can join our guided trips, Director, and Dan van den Broek, Master Birder Coordinator, organize your own trip, or count birds independently. The Audubon Society of Portland has been protecting for a complete day of birding the city to the sea! Ask your friends and family to pledge a donation to the Oregon’s wildlife and wild places for more than a century. Audubon Society of Portland on a fixed or “per-species” A-Grebe-Able Bunch May 8 (Sat), We are today one of Oregon’s largest and most effective 4:30am–11pm basis. Then try to see as many species as possible in a period Travel with two incredible Audubon conservation organizations, with a reputation for consistent birders, Peg Goldie and Tom Love, for a dawn-to-dusk of up to 48 consecutive hours. Finally, collect your pledges! leadership in science-based conservation, environmental birding adventure. education, and wildlife rehabilitation. Birdathon is an opportunity to learn about birds, make new Mult Madness May 8 (Sat), friends, and enjoy Oregon’s natural environment. It also Birdathon happens only once a year — A brand new Birdathon Team! 5am–6pm generates greatly needed funds for the Audubon Society Join us at www.audubonportland.dojiggy.com! Join leaders John Fitchen, author of Birding Portland & of Portland: Birdathon raised $125,000 in 2009! We offer Multnomah County, and Wink Gross, Portland Christmas Bird Count compiler. They’ll lead you on a unique tour to birding hot spots in Multnomah County: Smith & Bybee Lakes, Mt. Tabor, Larch Mountain, Eagle Creek, Sandy River 14th Annual Native Plant Sale Delta, and Sauvie Island. See 100 to 120 species! May 15–16 (Sat–Sun), 10am–4pm Creepers Go Coastal! May 8 (Sat), Veteran leaders David Smith and Tim 7am–7pm by Tom Costello, Sanctuaries Director Shelmerdine are expanding to the coast. spent this past weekend exploring the neighborhoods ongoing habitat Bus Passerines May 12 (Wed), and parks of Southeast Portland with my family. Spring restoration efforts Steve Engel covers the Portland Metro 7am–5pm Iis here and the birds are starting to sing again, the in our sanctuaries. area by public transit and on foot. flowers are blooming, leaves are budding out. Even with the mountains, the coast, the waterfalls, and the rainforests Once again, our Gonzo Trips (2+ days) which bless our region, I am perhaps most impressed sale boasts over Roadrunners Overnight May 15 (Sat), 8am – with natural beauty that pervades our urban landscape. 100 species of Harriet Anderson and Tom Costello Bike & Bird Tour May 16 (Sun), 3pm Rain gardens, ecoroofs, and naturescaped yards soften the native trees, © Rick Meyers Extension of day trip (see above) hard edges of asphalt and concrete, manage water more shrubs, herbaceous perennials, bulbs, grasses, and with camping on Sauvie Island. efficiently, provide habitat for birds and other wildlife, and vines to enhance your yard, garden, or acreage. As always Cream of the Crop May 15 (Sat), 8am – create a more hospitable environment for all of us in the city. we will have our wonderful shopping lists on hand, Birdathon Coordinator May 16 (Sun), 3pm painstakingly compiled by longtime Audubon volunteer Gary Slone leads this 2-day bird quest to the coast. Native plants are the cornerstone of this sustainable Gregg Everhart. Our shopping lists provide a wealth of Transportation, lodging in Neskowin, and Sunday breakfast landscape — they are adapted to grow in our soils and information on all of the plants available: typical size, are provided! Limited to 10 participants. A minimum of climate, require less care than exotic ornamentals, and growing conditions, habitat value, and even the color of $600 in pledges is requested. allow for natural ecological function in the landscaped the flower and fruit type. You can use the shopping list to The Wild Turkeys May 21 (Fri), 6am – environment. Come to Portland Audubon’s 14th annual find out what will grow in that moist, shady back corner of Join Mike Houck, Ron Carley, May 23 (Sun), 8pm Native Plant Sale on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, your yard, or which plants will help you attract butterflies and other notorious birders for the ultimate gonzo May 16, 10am–4pm, and explore the wide variety of and hummingbirds. More comprehensive information Birdathon experience. Transportation and lodging are native plants available for your home landscaping projects. on individual plants is posted above plants themselves, provided. Limited to 24 participants. A minimum of $600 in In addition to all of the benefits of landscaping with native including photographs of the plant in bloom. pledges is required. plants, purchases at our plant sale directly support our Continued on page 8 Inside this issue SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE! See page 7 Page 2 ................................From the Director Page 3 ..................................Audubon Outings Audubon Society Page 4 & 5 ......................................... Conservation of Portland ........................... Wildlife Care Center 5151 NW Cornell Road Page 6 & 7 ....................... Trips & Tours & Classes Portland, Oregon 97210 Page 8 .......................................... Nature Store ..............................................Sanctuaries Page 9 .................Field Notes and Volunteers ............................Calendar at a Glance Page 10 ......................................New Members Page 11 .................................. IBA of the Month Page 12 ............................Map/Hours/Sponsors From the Executive Director Audubon Family Adventures: Maintenance is No Longer an Option “Banana Slugs and s it enough to maintain our natural 45 are experiencing overfishing, and the status of just over half Banana Splits!” resources and expect that ecosystem of the nation’s stocks are unknown.* oin Audubon volunteer Iproductivity, species diversity, and naturalists for “Banana Today, out of 81 ocean bird species, almost half are of human health will improve? Slugs and Banana Splits,” conservation concern; based on available data, 39% of J our newest Audubon Family According to the World Wildlife Fund’s ocean bird species are declining.** For birds and fish Adventure designed to offer Living Planet Report, one-third of the Earth’s worldwide, the business-as-usual approach is not working. Meryl Redisch an opportunity for families to wildlife populations have declined in the Oregon needs stronger policies and better management enjoy and learn about nature last 35 years, and humanity’s demand on the planet now tools to arrest the precipitous pace of ocean degradation. together. “Why are banana slugs important?” Take a exceeds the regenerative capacity by about 30%. Drawn With the passage of the Marine Reserves legislation (HB guided walk through Audubon’s sanctuary to find them from 1300 researchers in 95 countries, the Millennium 3013) during the 2009 session, new political leadership, and in nature and learn the answer, enjoy a light snack, and Assessment concludes that the way society obtains its a fired-up grassroots community, Oregon’s management of make a take-home craft. resources has caused irreversible changes that are degrading its marine resources is moving in a positive direction. What the natural processes that support life on Earth. The 2009 is still needed is sufficient funding for research, monitoring, Date: Saturday, May 8, 2010 State of the Birds Report by National Audubon and other and enforcement. Time: 9 a.m.–Noon (on day of event, please check in avian conservation organizations and resource agencies 8:45–9:00 a.m.) For the last decade Oregon’s state forests have been underscores the precipitous situation in native bird Place: Audubon Society of Portland, Heron Hall managed under the Greatest Permanent Value Rule which populations for nearly every habitat type in the country.