Volume 55, Number 1 September 2009 The San Francisco Presidio and Its Birdlife On September 3, Stephen Phillips will introduce MDAS members to the Presidio of San Francisco, a 1491-acre National Park site that is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Presidio was in continuous use as a military post from 1776 to 1994, spanning the Span- ish, Mexican, and United States periods. On Saturday, October 3, Mount Diablo Audubon will sponsor a birding field trip to this historic site. Stephen is a Biological Science Tech- nician for the Presidio Trust where he is part of the Natural Resources Department performing habitat restoration in the na- tive plant areas. In addition, he is an avid birder having devoured field guides from the age of 10, studied ornithology in college USNPS and, after college, enjoyed two eight-month internships at Santa Ana National Wildlife ation Area and its diversity. Narrowing Dana Gardner is an internationally Refuge in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of the focus, he will discuss the restoration known nature illustrator. He collaborated Texas. There, he documented a breeding (past, present, and future) of the Tennessee with the renowned Central American or- population of Seaside Sparrows in a location Hollow watershed—including specific sites nithologist, Alexander Skutch, for 28 years 190 km south of the known species breed- such as Crissy Marsh, Thompson Reach, and has illustrated many books on Central ing location. Stephen has collected data for and the more recent work at El Polin and South American birds as well as those the Wisconsin Breeding Bird Atlas, been a Springs. He will delve into bird data from of Malaysia, Thailand and the Neotropics. member of the Denver Audubon Society and historic records to the present, presenting Do check his website: a board member of the Chicago Ornitholog- a picture of what we can hope to see on the www.gardnerbirds.com. ical Society and has served as a bird rescuer October 3 field trip. Join Steve, and our for the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. He own Chick Chickering, for a fascinating is married to Jessica Valeri, a musician, and day of birding and history. Meeting Schedule his hobbies are Ultimate Frisbee, mountain BIRDING INFORMATION The next general meeting of Mount Diablo Audubon Society biking, rock climbing, photography, birding, Mount Diablo Audubon Society is very will be Thursday, September 3, home brewing, and travel. proud to introduce the newly published in the Camellia Room of The Gar- For the past five years, Stephen has Breeding Bird Atlas of Contra Costa dens at Heather Farm, Walnut worked in the field for a Chicago ecological County created by Steve Glover, with Creek. restoration firm. He continues that work in the illustrations by Dana Gardner. We are 7:00 pm Birding Information Presidio of San Francisco where he is learning 7:25 pm Announcements pleased that Dana Gardner will join us for 7:40 pm Refreshments,* door prize the complex interactions of our soil, microcli- the meeting. Dana’s original illustrations 8:05 pm Speaker: Stephen Phillips mate, flora, fauna, tides, winds, fog drip and will be available for purchase as well as * Please remember to bring a cup. more, working to restore native habitat. notecard packets of images selected from Thursday, October 1: Stephen will provide us with an over- Dana’s illustrations. Proceeds will be ap- Diane Inman and Scott Hein view of the Golden Gate National Recre- plied to our conservation efforts. DEDICATED TO HABITAT CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION the Quail —1— September 2009 President’s Corner Welcome By Jimm Edgar Welcome back to the Quail after our New Members short summer recess. This issue has a lot of information in it so I hope you will read it closely. Our field trip chair, Hugh Kathleen O’Melia Martinez Harvey, and his team met in July and have Itha Witdoeckt Lafayette put a fine list of field trips together for the year with some brand new destinations. Almost all of the year’s programs are set up thanks to Alice Holmes. We have some Observations great speakers. By Maury Stern Most exciting is the publishing of One and possibly two Green Heron the Breeding Bird Atlas of Contra Costa families have been at Heather Farm Pond County. It came out the second week of during July and August (HH). July and is spectacular. I hope all of you will Three Eurasian Collared-Doves flew get a copy. Steve Glover, the author, did a over Albany Bulb on 6/26 (BF). lot of great work as did a number of other folks. Lots of information is in this Quail Cooper’s Hawks were nesting at Con- Gary Kramer tra Loma Regional Park in Antioch and USF&WS about the Atlas. Our former membership hatched three young, starting 6/23 (P&NS). chair, Ann McGregor, has agreed to be the marketing agent for the book. A Swainson’s Hawk with two young was Rossmoor Acorn I had a chance to travel to Kyrgyzstan in East County 7/17 (P&NS). the first two weeks in July to do a work of various ages were seen Woodpeckers Golden Eagles project there for the organization I work at Briones Regional Park and Mitchell As Chair for the Acorn Woodpecker for, Young Life. I arranged ahead of time Canyon in Mount Diablo State Park on Task Group I offer a brief conclusion to the with a tour company to take a birding trip 6/21 (CM) and 6/22 (DW). effort made to prevent the killing of Acorn Woodpeckers as a solution to human error. with a field ornithologist and translator. A Prairie Falcon from Morgan Territory We spent about half a day in a national First I would like to thank community RP with a picture was reported by BH on park about an hour outside the capital people, many Rossmoor residents, Audu- 6/11. Bishkek. We were at about 6–7000 ft. high bon members, Wild Birds Unlimited, Wild Many Burrowing Owls and young were most of the time. I don’t keep a world list Care, Humane Society, Worth a Dam, Na- reported from various parts of East Con- of birds, but the Isabelline Shrike we saw tive Bird Connections, Congresswoman tra Costa County starting 6/14 (P&NS). is fairly rare I was told. I saw a number of Tauscher, and Audubon California for On 6/26 Olive-sided Flycatcher and Hoopoes, which if you have not seen, look being such a strong voice of disapproval MacGillivray’s Warbler were seen in Til- them up. Strange looking bird. The guide that we managed not to have 50 Acorn den RP (BF). said the Common Redstart was a good bird Woodpeckers shot in 2008/2009. We were Two adult Blue Grosbeaks were on Beth- to see, as well as Hume’s Leaf Warbler. It not successful in preventing any death and el Island Road with the male feeding two was a good day. we were certainly caught off guard by the fledglings. Yellow-Breasted Chat was One of our newer members sent me manipulation of the Rossmoor permit to nearby on 7/17 (P&NS). an e-mail this summer and said as new allow trapping and removal for “research Brian Fitch, Hugh Harvey, Bob Hislop, birders they were unsure what field guides purposes”. Effectively Rossmoor killed or Claudia Moose, Paul and Nancy Schorr, were good and why, so we have added some removed a total of 27 Acorn Woodpeckers, Denise Wight thoughts on that in this issue. I appreciated a little more then half the number allowed their input. If you have questions or ideas, Submit Contra Costa County sightings to by their permit. Considering we were up please let us know about them. Maury Stern at [email protected] or against the CA Fish and Game, US Fish and (925) 284-5980 or send sightings to EBB Wildlife Service and USDA/APHIS, the Sightings. many voices were able to prevent worse. This bird is the state bird Our task group formed good contacts to of Connecticut, Michigan allow us to be the watchdog at preventing and Wisconsin. It was Rossmoor from ever renewing either a also featured on the $2 depredation or collecting permit again to bill of Canada issued between 1986 rectify a building maintenance problem. and 1996. Rossmoor has put up granaries at Unscramble these letters, or turn to excessive cost to the residents and are Page 6 to learn more. trying a new coating on the soft synthetic AABCEIIMNNORR Continued on Page 8 » the Quail —2— September 2009 Choosing a Field Guide The ideal field guide is easy to use, easy to carry, David Fix and Andy Bezener. “It is an ideal book to and aids in accurate identification of a species. For- accompany birdwalks where showing a picture and tunately, there are many excellent field guides from describing details to others is important.” which to choose. We asked members of the MDAS A foremost consideration in selecting your field Board for their favorite field guide and their reasons guide is that you have one that is appropriate for the for their preference. Up from the Egg: The Confessions of region in which you live and Diana Granados likes a Nuthatch Avoider, by Ogden Nash watch birds. Minimizing the Sibley Western Birds for Bird watchers top my honors list. number of species found in a its small size and low-key I aimed to be one, but I missed. field guide is especially help- colors which do not let you Since I’m both myopic and astigmatic, ful for a beginning birder.