Spring & Summer Camp Registration AUDUBON SOCIETY of PORTLAND begins Jan 14 at 8am — Page 7 JANUARY/ Black-throated FEBRUARY 2016 Gray Warbler Volume 80 Numbers 1&2 Warbler Bringing Outdoor LED Streetlights: Wildlife Care Center’s Summer School to All Good News or Bad? Online Auction: Feb 14 – Mar 7 Camp insert Page 2 Page 4 Page 5 included Rough- Northern Harrier legged Hawk Scoping out Bald Eagles, immature (top) the raptors and adult Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Jim Griffis 19th Annual Sharp- Great Backyard shinned Hawk Bird Count February 12–15 he Great Backyard Bird Count is a 4-day count Merlin held each February with the goal of getting a Tsnapshot of bird numbers and distribution Come Celebrate Birds of Prey across the globe. As a participant, you commit to at the 11th Annual RAPTOR ROAD TRIP count birds anywhere for at least 15 minutes on one or more of the 4 count days. Tally the number of Saturday, February 6th • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. individuals of each species you see and enter your totals xploreSauvie Island in search of the magnificent Bald have to be an ‘early bird’ and at birdsource.org/gbbc. Eagles, hawks, and falcons that spend the winter on get up at the crack of dawn Ethe island. On this special day devoted to raptors, to see these birds of prey, you Last year Great Backyard experienced naturalists and hawk experts will host activities should allow approximately Bird Count participants and answer your questions at four locations around the three hours to visit all four counted birds all over the Black-capped Chickadee. island. Enjoy guided bird viewing, meet live raptors up locations. Finnegan, the Peregrine Falcon Photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer (an Audubon Education Bird). world on 6 continents, close, and sharpen your hawk identification skills. Hot Photo by Deanna Sawtelle including more than 100 countries. A total of 147,265 drinks and donuts are available in the morning to keep you What will you see? bird checklists were submitted, and the 5,090 species warm while you breakfast with the birds. It all depends on what nature has in store. Frequently reported represents nearly half the possible bird sighted raptor species at the three viewing stations include species in the world! In Oregon nearly 2,000 checklists How does the road trip work? Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, and were submitted, including over 200 from here in Begin at Kruger’s Farm Market, where you’ll pick up an Northern Harrier. With a little luck you might spot a Portland. Highlights from recent year’s Portland count event map and illustrated raptor identification guide. The Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Rough-legged Hawk, or include Prairie Falcon, Eurasian Wigeon, Evening event fee is $10 per vehicle (cash only), and includes a Cooper’s Hawk. Spectacular Sandhill Cranes, Snow Grosbeak, Gray Jay, and Mountain Chickadee. one-day Sauvie Island Wildlife Area parking permit. To Geese, and Great Blue Herons are also commonly seen reach Kruger’s, turn right off Highway 30 at the Sauvie at this time of year. At Howell Territorial Park you are The GBBC helps scientists determine trends Island Bridge and continue straight 1.5 miles (past Howell guaranteed sightings of Audubon’s Education Birds as and identify long-term declines that may call for Territorial Park) to the farm entrance on your right. well as fun activities for all. conservation attention and require further study. Carpooling is encouraged. Citizen Scientists can make crucial observations and No registration is required. For more information, visit contribute to a dataset the magnitude of which no Spotting scopes and a crash course in raptor identification audubonportland.org/local-birding/raptor-trip. team of scientists could achieve alone. So celebrate will be provided at three island viewing locations, along Valentine’s Day by expressing your true love for birds with naturalists to help spot the birds. Bring binoculars and Sponsored by Metro, Audubon Society of Portland, and Oregon and participate in this year’s count. field guides if you have them, and dress for the weather. Department of Fish and Wildlife. The road trip is suitable for birders of all skill levels, Questions? Contact Joe Liebezeit, Portland Audubon’s and families are welcome. Three of the sites — Howell Raptor Road Trip photos (left to right), top line: Avian Conservation Program Manager, at jliebezeit@ Territorial Park, Coon Point, and the Wildlife Viewing © Bjorn Fredrickson, Jim Cruce, Steve Halpern; audubonportland.org. Platform — are wheelchair accessible. While you don’t bottom line: © Jim Cruce, Greg7, Ann Takamoto Free Kids Day at Audubon on February 13 — Page 2 Inside this issue Page 2 .............From our Executive Director Audubon Society Page 3 ..................................Audubon Outings of Portland ........................................Nature Nights 5151 NW Cornell Road Page 4 & 5 .........................................Conservation Portland, Oregon 97210 ...........................Wildlife Care Center Page 6 & 7 ...........................Trips, Tours & Classes Page 8 .....................Field Notes & Volunteers Page 9 ................Nature Store & Sanctuaries Page 10 ......................Wild Arts Festival Wrap Page 11 ...................................Tributes & Legacy Page 12 ..............Map/Hours/Business Alliance View this Warbler and many past issues in full color on our website! Go to audubonportland.org/about/ newsletter and enhance your enjoyment of our popular newsletter! From our Executive Director Outdoor School for All: Building Tomorrow’s Conservation Movement Today by Nick Hardigg ow does a state become a national Photo: Portland Audubon leader for conservation? Since Campers at our Habout 1970, Oregon’s pioneer Marmot Cabin spirit expressed itself through such Outdoor School. Audubon Kids Day landmark pieces of legislation as our Photo by Ian Saturday, February 13 nation’s first Bottle Bill, Beach Bill, Bike Abraham Bill, our Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, is to inspire all people to love and to protect Nature. Our 10am–3pm | Free Event State Land Use Bill, and others. We were greatest opportunity in decades to inspire all Oregonians — ome join Audubon staff as we host a day just even the first state to ban CFCs, which from all walks of life, all regions, all economic backgrounds Nick Hardigg. for kids. We’ll have activities and projects based Photo © Portland started a worldwide movement that saved — is by providing dedicated and full funding for Outdoor on many of our most popular Summer Camp School. Every child needs to experience the beauty and C Audubon the ozone layer of the whole Earth! programs, including Animal Tracking, Archery, and magic of the wild outdoors, and to become an advocate many other nature-based Art Activities. No registration It wasn’t always that way in Oregon. Fortunately there came for its protection. Our own school programs and summer required. Come join the fun! a turning point when we ceased to view our wild lands camps reach about 12,000 kids annually, but they are just a as sources of wealth to exploit, but rather as forests and sliver of what could be achieved through statewide funding. Get a jump on Summer Camp registration: Audubon Kids Day streams where we could explore, admire, wade, and jump: participants can register for our Summer Camp programs. precious sources of health and quality of life. That’s why I have requested, and our board has approved, that Portland Audubon take a leadership role in securing How did this tremendous change in attitude and action funding for every child to attend Outdoor School through FREE EVENT! come about? Audubon Society of Portland has been a statewide ballot initiative this November. The measure inspiring conservationists since 1902. Yet arguably one of will provide up to $22 million annually from Oregon Welcome Back Oregon’s most influential conservation triumphs began Lottery proceeds (projected to surpass $500 million in back in the 1950s with an experimental education program 2015), while protecting current lottery allocations for Vulture Day that came to be known as “Outdoor School.” Soon after, conservation and education. If we’re successful — and almost every Oregon sixth grader had the opportunity together we can be — more than a half-million students is coming to Nadaka Nature to attend a week of hands-on science education in the will get to experience Outdoor School over the next decade. Park and St. Aidan’s Church! woods. By the 1980s, upwards of 90% of Oregon children Fortunately, polling on the measure looks positive. But it were immersed in the state’s legacy, learning the critical will require your help to collect over 100,000 signatures to Saturday, March 19, 2016 thinking skills and knowledge of how to be good stewards get it on the ballot, and to educate the public that they need Noon – 3 p.m. of this magical place. Since the mid-90s, with passage to vote “yes!” for Outdoor School for All in November. of Measure 5, school funding has dwindled, and so has Nadaka Nature Park and funding for Outdoor School. Now just over 50% of students We’ll provide more information in the months ahead St. Aidan’s Church receive a camp experience, while record numbers remain about this pivotal campaign for Oregon’s future, through 17405 NE Glisan St increasingly indoors. Latest studies show the average child the Warbler and online. In the meantime, you can find out Portland, OR 97230 spends 9–11 hours a day on a screen! more at www.OutdoorSchoolForAll.org and add your signature to the list of more than 100,000 we’re helping to id you notice you see We can’t allow our conservation base to continue to wither collect. The next legacy achievement for Portland Audubon Turkey Vultures in the behind glowing tablets. At Portland Audubon, our mission lies before us, and 2016 promises to be of historic impact.