Los Angeles Audubon Society | laaudubon.org Western Tanager OPEN WETLANDS AT BALLONA | BIRDS OF THE SEASON | BIRDEROGRAPHIES | & More ON THE COVER Great Blue Heron eating a rat. | Photo by Joe Bevins. grew up in a birding family. Although in recent years I became aware of this special revelation. When I was Iyounger I thought all families must have spent time with their noses between binoculars like mine did. Both my parents have a love our world’s wild places and the all animals that inhabit them. I grew up in Colorado but also spent some of my formative years in in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming and Kentucky. During this time my parents fostered not only a love for Los Angeles Audubon Society is non-profit organization and a certified exploration in wilderness through outdoor sports - skiing, chapter of the National Audubon Society. hiking, biking, kayaking, rock and ice climbing - but also in conservation of land, water and animals. I have many memories of visiting reserves and refuges when I was younger. Los Angeles Audubon Society One that has come to fruition recently is the reintroduction of P.O. Box 411301 Black-footed ferrets into Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Arsenal Los Angeles, CA 90041-8301 www.losangelesaudubon.org National Wildlife Refuge, which I got to visit in January 2016. (323) 876-0202 Voice/Messages When I was in elementary school in Laramie, Wyoming I [email protected] General email remember learning about the Black footed ferret being found again in Meeteetse, Wyoming and the first program for Board Officers & Directors reintroduction in Shirley Basin. What a victory it is to be able to President Margot Griswold [email protected] Vice President David De Lange [email protected] show the public that a program like this can be successful and Treasurer Robert Jeffers [email protected] also in my own life. A testimony to reflect upon in remembering Secretary Garry George [email protected] Past President Travis Longcore [email protected] to continue to support local and global conservation programs. Directors at Large Lisa Fimiani [email protected] Brad Rumble [email protected] This can also be highlighted in the Arsenal’s rehabilitation story itself, having once been a military installation and toxic waste site now a thriving wildlife refuge close to downtown Denver. Committees Conservation Garry George, Education Margot Griswold, Membership Brad Rumble Programs & Activities Field Trips Nick Freeman, Bird Walks Eleanor Osgood, Monthly Programs Mary Freeman, Rare Bird Alert Jon Fisher, Schreiber Grant Program Ryan Harrigan My love of photography started during college when I first went to Africa where my parents had Staff migrated for a time. The diversity of all walks of life caught my attention. At that time I was shooting with a Director of Communications and DevelopmentCarol Babeli [email protected] Director of Outdoor Education Cindy Hardin [email protected] waterproof Pentax point and shoot. After I graduated I moved to Japan to teach English and this cemented Director of Environmental Education Stacey Vigallon [email protected] Volunteer Coordinator Cindy Hardin [email protected] my desire to capture what I was experiencing. I upgraded to my first DSLR after an English conversation Member Services & Website Liason Susan Castor [email protected] student of mine – who happened to be a pro-landscape photographer – took me under his wing. This friendship continues to be a blessing and as I was able to return to Africa over the next few years to visit The Western Tanager is the chapter newsletter of the Los Angeles Audubon Society, published online both my parents and the wildlife. I moved to Pasadena, California in September 2015 to enter Fuller bi-monthly in PDF format. Theological Seminary. What a joy it has been to see the plethora of our avian brothers and sisters in the Articles, letters drawings and photographs concerning conservation, birding, chapter activities, and greater L.A. area. articles of interest to the membership are welcome for submission. Please send copy as Microsoft Word, RTF documents, or plain text files to [email protected]. Photos should be high resolution (300ppi) .jpg or .tif files. Submissions are due the 1st of the month to be included in the following issue. All rights reserved. All photographs are used by permission and are copyrighted I was surprised to capture this photo of a Great blue Heron eating a rat on February 6, 2016 at the material of the credited photographers. Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve. A day in which the Los Angeles Audubon had graciously opened the Editor Linda Oberholtzer, [email protected] reserve for the public. I was shooting with a Canon 7D Mark II with a Tamron 150-600 lens on this day. Design/Layout Susan Castor, [email protected] Scientific Advisor Kimball Garrett, [email protected] Joe Bevins © 2016 Los Angeles Audubon Society Pasadena 2 Los Angeles Audubon Western Tanager March‐April 2016 Visit laaudubon.org for updates and more BOOK REVIEW The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling / Written and Illustrated by John Muir Laws By Linda Oberholtzer t was a sweltering spring day in the 1990s in Anza John MuIr Laws’ latest book, “The Laws Guide to Borrego National Park. A group I was birding with Nature Drawing and Journaling” published by Heyday Isaw John Muir Laws sketching some wildflowers and books in Berkeley, CA., is a wonderful tool for the budding asked him to join our group for lunch. naturalist. It has lovely color and black and white illustrations as well as inspiring text. I don’t do well in the heat. I was turning deep purple in color. Only John noticed. He upended a cooler of The book was made in collaboration with Emile slushy ice over my head and saved me from a heat Lygren, whom he met at San Francisco State’s Sierra stroke. I have tracked his career ever since, arranging to Nevada Field campus in 2009. They discovered that they have him speak at the Whittier Area Audubon Society, both used journals to deepen their relationship with being his chauffeur for his first Sea and Sage Audubon nature, John through drawing and Emile through writing. Society presentation, participating in a drawing workshop at the Friends of the San Jacinto Mountains in Every time John goes out into the field he ponders Idyllwild, participating in a drawing workshop at the these questions: Western Field Ornithologist Conference in Santa Maria, seeing his presentation at the California Audubon I wonder Retreat in Asilomar, watching his presentation at Tuolumne Meadows for the Yosemite Institute and I notice seeing his presentation as the Annual Dinner speaker It reminds me of With this step by step guide, you will be fully for the Sea and Sage Audubon Society. equipped to observe and record your experiences to Reflecting on the Process Once I was in charge of driving him around to his share with others. first talk at the Sea and Sage Audubon Society. He He has a marsh by his house, Coyote Point Marina, John is a naturalist, educator and artist with commented that he would much rather stay with people where he frequently watches wildlife. One day he noticed degrees in conservation and resource studies from at their homes than stay in a hotel room. After the the directions shorebirds face while resting. After a the University of California at Berkeley; in wildlife presentation, a group of us invited him to watch the lengthy observation he concluded that the birds were biology from the University of Montana, Missoula; and movie “Night of the Living Dead” at a nearby home. He pointing their breasts into the wind. in scientific illustration from the University of thoroughly enjoyed it! California, Santa Cruz. He is a 2010 Audubon Another day he journaled watching the growth of a One time he came to Sylvia Gallagher’s Bird TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Fellow and poppy plant during the course of one day and charted its has received the Terwilliger Environmental Award for Observation class in Huntington Beach and jumped onto growth. Sometimes he will draw a plant, showing where a table flapping his arms like a bird. outstanding service in environmental education. He is the leaves are eaten away and write a comment like “I married and the father of two children. wonder what ate this?” next to the drawing. His field guide to the Sierras made sense. He put all Read the article and illustrations by Dessi orange flowers together, all orange birds together. You The book details important practical information such didn’t have to know what “family” the species was from Sieburth in this issue to see how one young naturalist as what type of journal to buy and how to illustrate it, makes a journal. to look it up. down to the type of colored pencils to buy. He suggests that one fill a small knapsack with the things needed for a John is dyslexic and sometimes struggles with DISCOUNT CODE: To receive a 10% discount field outing so it is hanging on a hook by the door ready written words. But the paintbrush has always been his off The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and for an adventure. He says to throw in a glue stick in case friend and he can sketch anything. Growing up in a Journaling, visit: www.heydaybooks.com. Just you want to make a collage or put a leaf or other item in family of nature lovers paved his path of curiosity. enter at checkout the code: LA1NL your journal. Visit laaudubon.org for updates and more March‐April 2016 Western Tanager Los Angeles Audubon 3 OPEN WETLANDS AT BALLONA: EVERYONE IS INVITED! | By Cindy Hardin, Director of Outdoor Education he Los Angeles Audubon Society’s (LAAS) newest After a look through the microscopes, it’s program, OPEN WETLANDS AT BALLONA, has become time to take a walk through the wetlands.