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A Long History of the Northern Spotted

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A Long History of the Northern Spotted The mission of Kittitas MARCH 2020 Audubon is to develop an appreciation of nature through education and conservation, with a focus on birds. A Long History of the THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH • 7:00PM Northern Spotted Owl Join us Thursday, March 19th, where our guest speaker, Ashlee Mikkelsen, will be discussing the long history of the Northern Spotted Owl. She will be explaining the monitoring effort, the status of owls on the Cle Elum district, as well as the current threats to our population and future directions of spotted owl management. Ashlee Mikkelsen grew up in Wenatchee and received her Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Montana in 2013. For the past five years, she has been working on the Northern Spotted Owl population monitoring project. The goal of this project is to estimate demographic parameters and population sizes of the owls as part of the Northwest Forest Plan. In 2018 Ashlee began work on a Master’s of Science degree at Oregon State University on physiological stress patterns in juvenile Northern Spotted Owls and the effects it may have on population demographics. I rejoice that there are owls…They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all have. — Henry David Thoreau All Audubon meetings, held on the 3rd Thursday of each month, 7:00pm (except for Jan 23, 2020, which was the 4th Thursday), September through May (except December), at the Hal Holmes Center next to the Ellensburg Public Library, are open to the public. Please come and meet with us, and stay afterwards for juice, treats, and conversation. Many thanks to the Ellensburg Public Library for sponsoring our meetings! The Hooter • Kittitas Audubon’s Newsletter kittitas audubon • www.kittitasaudubon.org From the February 6th Board Meeting • Gloria Baldi BOARD MEMBERS • The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is March 20 to 22nd. PRESIDENT Judy Hallisey ................. 270.792.9188 • The second CWU KAS Scholarship recipient, Bridget Smith, gave a presentation on her senior year project. She is studying the range shift of the American Pica to determine if VICE PRESIDENT Jan Demorest ................ 509.933.1179 there is a correlation to climate change. Pikas are considered climate indicator species. They are lagomorphs, rather than rodents, and do not hibernate. Living in talus slopes in SECRETARY mountainous areas, they work all summer to build “haystacks” for winter consumption. Jim Briggs ...................... 509.933.2231 Because they are temperature sensitive, they can die of hyperthermia. Temperatures TREASURER correlation with elevation. Sharon Lumsden ........... 509.968.3889 Bridget is attempting to answer three questions. (a) Do temperatures affect the presence CLIMATE CHANGE of pikas? (b) Are lower (warmer) elevation sites likely to be vacant? (c) Does the talus Barry Brunson ................ 270.792.9186 provide enough temperature modulation? CONSERVATION Seven sites located on the Palouse to Cascades Trail and Manastash Ridge are being Norm Peck ..................... 509.933.4233 investigated, with temperatures taken both surface and sub-surface. Preliminary findings EDUCATION do not indicate that pika occupancy correlates with elevation, but she is planning to Open Position ............ contact us! continue the study. FIELD TRIPS • Laura Busby with Washington State Parks met to continue discussion about networking Steve Moore ................... 509.933.1179 with KAS on some projects. Some suggestions included birding state parks, contests HISTORIAN involving art or photography, and school interactions regarding nature. Open Position ............ contact us! • The KEEN Bird Festival is May 8 to 10th. KAS will participate and details are being planned. MEMBERSHIP (WILL YOU VOLUNTEER TO ASSIST?) Kris Kaylor ...................... 509.304.4103 • Kittitas Land Conservation Trust has 40 acres and requests help with determining ways to PAST PRESIDENT improve bird habitat and help provide interpretation for visitors; perhaps a field trip would Tom Gauron ................... 509.968.3175 be in order. PROGRAMS • Mid-Columbia Fisheries would like to recruit KAS to ‘adopt’ a stream for twice-annual Lesley McGalliard .......... 509.933.2812 volunteer cleanup efforts. KAS would have an assigned segment of a particular stream. PUBLICITY Open Position ............ contact us! • Get Intimate with the Shrub Steppe (GISS) is coming in May. Booth ideas are being considered. SCHOLARSHIPS Gloria Baldi ..................... 509.933.1558 • Bird app development with Washington Hometown in Ellensburg is interested in producing an interactive local map with KAS help. Barry Brunson is pursuing this; it is noted eBird NEWSLETTER Kris Kaylor ...................... 509.304.4103 already has something similar. * BLUEBIRD BOXES • Barry Brunson managed a table for KAS at the KEEN Winter Fair, a productive event with Jan Demorest .............. 509.933.1179 a steady stream of visitors who had many questions regarding climate change and birds. * SOCIAL GREETER • The raptor survey numbers on February 11th were affected by strong winds. Kay Forsythe ................ 509.925.2356 • Judy Hallisey has been working with Dick Carkner and Audubon WA’s Adam Maxwell on * CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT obtaining signatures for a letter to the WA legislature about the Natural Climate Solutions Phil Mattocks initiative. • The solar park proposal for Cle Elum was discussed. (Note: The Feb 12th issue of the Daily KAS Board Meetings are held at Record reported that the hearing examiner denied the conditional use permit for the 4:30pm on the 1st Thursday of each proposal because of possible detrimental effects.) month at the Methodist Church across from The Ellensburg Library. These Join the Board on March 5th at 4:30. Love to have you share your ideas!! meetings are open to the public and all Audubon members—please come and join in the discussions. Meetings adjourn by 6:00 or 6:30pm, then we all NEEDED: PUBLICITY CHAIR • EDUCATION CHAIR go out for a sociable dinner—NO business discussion allowed! and HISTORIAN *Non-voting members Email Judy Hallisey: [email protected] if you are willing. 2 The Hooter • March 2020 • Kittitas Audubon’s Newsletter 2019-2020 Winter Raptor Surveys. Report by Steve Moore This organized count of raptors over broad areas of the Northwest was completed in February. In Ellensburg, our numbers were down from January on all three driving routes, as it was a typically windy day, with cold 20 mph air blowing through our valley. But the pattern was similar to previous counts, with large numbers of Bald Eagles in the northeast part of the valley, abundant Redtails (mostly flying or on the ground — not driven mileage of 23,000. Of and 1,800 Bald Eagles. An most abundant in December perched!), and small amounts these routes, the 60 covering interactive map showing the 2019. In Washington, the of Kestrels, falcons, harriers much of the area of eastern geographic abundance of Methow Valley and our own and Cooper’s Hawks. Washington are new this year. each species can be viewed at Kittitas Valley (arrow) attract The survey is sponsored by The total number of birds the East Cascades Audubon large numbers, along with the East Cascades Audubon of counted area-wide in January website (ecaudubon.org). Columbia River and coastal Bend, Oregon. Volunteers was 19,000, including 9,600 The map shown here is an areas. (Note that western from three states cover 360 Redtails, 4,500 Kestrels, excerpt, recording where, for Washington will be included in driving routes for a total 1,900 Rough-legged Hawks, example, Bald Eagles were the survey at a future date.) February 1st Birdwalk: Leaders: Terry and Dick Carkner Starlings greeted us in the parking lot and were seen often throughout the walk, and we could see them using holes in trees for nests. The day started as a lovely sunny morning, but clouds moved in and began to drizzle after 10 am. Birders in Join us March 7th attendance: Dick and Terry Carkner, Kris Kaylor and her sister, Kelly Owen, Alyssa, who is new in town, and is with conservation commission, and Paul, new to the for the next birdwalks, but has been to several monthly programs. Saturday Birdwalk Downey Woodpeckers Kestrel Red-winged Blackbirds 8:00am • Irene Rinehart Park Raven Juncos Mergansers Steve Moore and Jan Demorest to lead. House Finches Red-tail Hawk Chickadees Canadian Geese Magpies kittitas audubon • www.kittitasaudubon.org 3 A Tea-Kettle Song Story and photo by Thomas Bancroft A loud booming song came rattling up the ravine. It sounded like The general warming of the Eastern United States over the last “tea-kettle-tea-kettle-tea-kettle,” then a pause and more “tea- fifty years has allowed Carolina Wrens to move north and kettle-tea-kettles.” I jumped from foot to foot, trying to stay warm increase in numbers. Severe winters, especially ones with snow as I scanned the deciduous hardwood forest. The temperature that lasts for several weeks, knock back populations substantially. hung around freezing, and I hadn’t brought enough layers to Christmas Bird Count data for Pennsylvania shows a significant Pennsylvania for doing this Christmas Bird Count. crash after a particularly harsh winter in the mid-1990s. This The melody jumped to the other side of the gully, but nothing wren has bounced back, though. seemed to have moved under the massive red oaks and hickories. Perhaps, it’s that ability to recover after a catastrophe that was The bird should be hopping through the leafless bushes, maybe making me want to find this bird. A decade ago, I moved to clinging to the bark on one of those trees, or zipping along a Seattle, following my wife’s death and a job loss. It took a while branch, all places that it should be easily visible. I shuffled to my to find the right conditions to make friends, too. left twenty paces, trying to get the blood moving, and started a “che-wortel, che-wortel, che-wortel” interrupted my thoughts. It systematic search.
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