Volume 63, Number 4 December 2017-January 2018 December Program : Population Trends from CBC Data ✦ Nicole Michel Birds face a variety of threats in University, New Orleans, LA, in 2012, North America, and identifying these where she investigated mechanisms threats in order to conserve bird and consequences of understory p opulations re quires detaile d insectivorous bird population decline knowledge of population trends over a in Central American rainforests, and long period of time. We studied c o m p l e t e d t w o p o s t d o c t o r a l advanced statistical models to analyze fellowships at the University of 52 years of Audubon Christmas Bird Saskatchewan. Count (CBC) data from the United Prior to earning her PhD, she States and Canada. spent several years as a traveling field Our results indicate that 60% of L: 2015 CBC; Top Center: Peregrine Falcon, biologist working with birds from the 497 species had increasing a recovering species; and Bottom Center: Florida to Alaska, and eight years with Nicole Michel, Nicole Michel photos populations within the study area the Institute for Bird Populations d u r i n g Nicole Michel, PhD, is a Senior working with the Monitoring Avian 1966–2017. Quantitative Ecologist with the Productivity and Sur vivorship A m o n g a National Audubon Society’s (NAS) program. s u b s e t o f Science Division, based in San Nicole loves travel, live music, 212 species Francisco, CA. Nicole joined NAS in Broadway shows, and hanging out that have December 2015, where she is with her (indoor) cat. ≥25% range responsible for developing metrics to overlap with CBC circles and do not track bird response to Audubon’s Meeting Schedule fre quent fe e ders , the me dian conservation actions, and analyzing Te next meeting of the Mount population was 0.3% per year at the bird abundance, distribution, and Diablo Audubon Society will be continental level. Regional trends were habitat relationships. Tursday, December 7 in the variable at lower latitudes, whereas the She received her PhD in Ecology Camellia Room of Te Gardens at largest increases were at higher and Evolutionary Biology at Tulane Heather Farm in Walnut Creek. latitudes, consistent with range shifts due to climate change. 6:30 PM Doors open CBC trend estimates are similar to 7:00 PM Birding Information those from the North American 7:25 PM Announcements Breeding Bird Survey. Citizen Science 7:40 PM Refreshments* and raffle efforts such as the CBC will be needed *please bring your own coffee mug going forward to understand and 8:00 PM Program: Population predict how birds respond to climate Trends from CBC Data ✦ Nicole and land cover change, giving us the Michel information needed to take actions to conserve bird diversity for generations NEXT MONTH’S PROGRAM: to come. Tursday, January 4, 2018, DVD ✦ Magic of the Snowy Owl (see page 3) 7 PM Birding Information LOOKING AHEAD: Tursday, Program Chair, Ariana Rickard, will share a couple of videos and an update from February 1, 2018, Bob Lewis ✦ the July 2017 National Audubon Convention in Park City, Utah this past summer. Bird’s Rainbow DEDICATED TO HABITAT CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION President’s Corner Paul Schorr While in Fort Collins, CO, this past September, I read small portion returned to the local chapter to which the the Fort Collins Audubon Society newsletter, the Ptarmigan. member is assigned (in this case, MDAS), while dues for I really enjoyed the topic that President John Stenot MDAS stay largely within our chapter and community. Many presented in his President’s Corner: differences between local of us see good value in being a member of both NAS and chapters and the national organization. I have adapted his MDAS. message here for the Quail. According to Virginia Hamrick, People often ask how many our Membership Chair, in 2017, members we have in MDAS, and 241 households (out of 391 total the answer is a little tricky because MDAS members) held only an we represent and have contacts MDAS membership. An additional with people who are MDAS 1,150 households who held only an members, and people living in our NAS membership were assigned by area who are members of National NAS to our chapter; and 150 Audubon Society (NAS). households were members of both MDAS and NAS are separate MDAS and NAS. and independent organizations. As an organization, MDAS gets Many people are confused by this distinction. In the simplest most of its revenue and all of its energy from members. We terms, and ignoring some minor details, the difference is that would love to expand our ranks, and we’d especially like to NAS members get the NAS magazine, but not the beautiful invite NAS members to become MDAS members, too. We MDAS newsletter, the Quail. MDAS members get the hope NAS members will consider this and we hope all of you newsletter, but not the magazine. Dues for NAS membership will spread the word about MDAS to your friends, neighbors, go almost entirely to the national organization, with only a and colleagues. (Above: 2016 MDAS CBC, Maren Smith photo) observing real-time images of the Welcome Good News For falcons from nesting to fledging 24/7. Mayo Peregrine Falcons Educational exhibits New Members I was recently in the Midwest a n d l i v e f a l c o n Gail Wolfson Walnut Creek accompanying my mother to Rochester, presentations further Sat De Hercules MN for her annual physical at the conservation efforts. James McEnerney Pleasanton Mayo Clinic. Near the cafeteria, there B ab y f a l co n s a re Leela McCullough Walnut Creek was a display case named from public w i t h p h o t o s , suggestions and are information, and a banded with a metal Which heron populates v i d e o s c r e e n tracker at a Mayo all but two of the world`s running a short Clinic event. continents? fi l m a b o u t Te world-class Q Peregrine Falcons care that the Mayo Unscramble the letters or who nest on the Clinic provides for humans is look at page 8 for the answer. Gonda Building at impressive, but the Mayo Clinic’s 30- the Mayo Clinic. year commitment to Peregrine Falcon HLETHOCNRWBIRNNAGDKOEC Te Mayo Clinic has been hosting conservation is also commendable. falcons (many captive-bred) since 1987. Teir mission “to inspire hope, and Te Midwest Peregrine Society invited contribute to health and well-being” the Mayo Clinic to join a national effort applies to both humans and birds . MDAS on the Web to help the endangered birds, at risk And, that’s good news for the Mayo www.diabloaudubon.org due to the widespread use of DDT after Clinic Peregrine Falcons. ~Maren www.facebook/mtdiabloaudubon WW II. DDT has been banned in the Smith (Google Images photos) www.meetup.com/Mount-Diablo- Audubon-Society/ U.S. since 1972. Recovery efforts then 〰 really began for falcons and other For more information including threatened species. live-action nesting coverage visit Te Quail is published monthly At the Mayo Clinic, during nesting history.mayoclinic.org. To search the except in January and August by the season (mid-March to late June), online database for banded Mayo Mt. Diablo Audubon Society, P.O. Box patients and visitors can view the Clinic Peregrine Falcons, visit 53, Walnut Creek, CA 94597-0053. Te resident Peregrine Falcons on an in- midwestperegrine.umn.edu/ (click on deadline for the February Quail will house “Falcon cam” on Channel 99, “Search” and enter “Mayo Clinic”). be January 7. the Quail —2 — December 2017-January 2018 January Program: PBS “Nature” DVD ✦ Magic of the Snowy Owl Troughout the long months of the Arctic’s frozen winter, the sun remains below the horizon. Te cold is intensified by the darkness, making life difficult, if not impossible, for all but the toughest and most experienced of animals. Snowy Owls are built for the challenge, their every sense and skill honed to take on the eerie, bleak world. When the b r i e f A r c t i c s u m m e r approaches, bringing light back to the tundra, Snowy Owls embark on an even more daunting challenge than keeping themselves alive. Tey breed and attempt to raise young in one of the harshest environments on the planet. Once summer arrives, they will have just 82 days of sunlight to successfully raise a family of helpless owlets until they are ready and able to fly. Documenting the degree of difficulty involved in those efforts, a team of filmmakers must face some challenges of their own as they set out to record the rarely observed daily lives of a breeding pair of Snowy Owls. Tough "snowies" naturally stand out for their beauty, intelligence and charm, in their stark Arctic home, it is their determination and survival skills that are truly magical. (Tirteen/PBS photos) January Birding Information 7 PM Jan. Meeting Schedule Te Peregrine Team of Pine Canyon is a diverse group of volunteers who educate Te next meeting of the Mount Diablo park visitors about the annual nesting closure zone for Peregrine Falcons in Mount Audubon Society will be Tursday, Diablo State Park (Feb 1-July 31). One of the team members, Brian Richardson, will January 4, 2018 in the Camellia Room share information about local Peregrine Falcon history, a typical “patrol” experience, of Te Gardens at Heather Farm in and fun facts about Pine Canyon’s other natural wonders.