VOL. 43 NO. 2 FEBRUARY 2013 EVERGREEN AUDUBON NEWSLETTER www.evergreenaudubon.org NEW GBBC EVENT Look out the window! Right now birds are flitting or soaring past and visiting your backyard. Evergreen Audubon, Hiwan Homestead Museum and Ever- green Wild Bird Store are host- ing a celebration of backyard birds for adults, children and grandchildren. The Great Backyard Bird Count Event will be held at Hiwan Homestead Museum Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All ages are welcome. Whether you don’t know a chickadee from a nuthatch or you’re an avid birder seek- ing the perfect feeder, you can enjoy activities and learning fun, including recycled bird feeders, a scavenger hunt and the ABCs of bird identification. Marilyn Rhodes, center right, rides the waves of Monterey Bay in search of personal pelagic records Evergreen Audubon is spon- during her 2011 Big Year. soring the event to educate you and prepare you for the actual Great Backyard Bird Count the Rhodes will share her Big Year following weekend, Feb. 15–18. See GBBC details on page 3. experience at chapter meeting LOCAL SIGHTINGS Marilyn Rhodes, who compiles and on how you can get the most out of your The Local Sightings page on the writes the Bird Business column for The birding effort. EA website has been replaced Dipper, will share her Big Year experience Marilyn will share stories from some by the evergreenbirders@ at the February chapter meeting. She spot- of the birding festivals she’s attended (see evergreenaudubon.org email list. ted 460 North American bird species in a list of upcoming festivals on page 7), Archived postings are avail- 2011. where she not only gained access to new able to view by members of the Marilyn is a former Evergreen Audu- species, but also acquired some wonderful email list. bon president as well as a board member new friendships. Of course, she’ll present and committee chair. She is a Denver some of the outstanding photos document- Audubon Master Birder. ing her Big Year adventure. Marilyn’s Big Year kicked off in Janu- Marilyn’s expertise, enthusiasm and ary 2011 with a trip to the Pacific North- devotion are sure to provoke us to achieve west. During her talk, she’ll tell us how our own Big Years, or at least challenge her Big Year played out and how her us to set birding goals that motivate us to quest was inspired by Mark Obmascik’s explore new birding places. “The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, The February chapter meeting will be and Fowl Obsession” and an informal held Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at the competition with fellow EA members. Church of the Hills, 28628 Buffalo Park Java Sparrow in Oahu, Hawaii. See She will discuss what motivated her to Road (across from Evergreen Library) in Bird Business on page 6. Photo by travel around the United States in search the downstairs Fellowship Hall. Sherman Wing of our feathered friends and provide tips - Kathy Madison EVERGREEN AUDUBON RESIDENT S ESSAGE BRAD ANDRES www.evergreenaudubon.org P ’ M 2013 OFFICERS Thanks to all who have renewed their memberships for 2013! You all President Brad Andres 303-670-0101 know how important you are to accomplishing our programs. [email protected] One immediate use of your support is reinstating Vanessa Hayes’ Vice President Jean Thayer 303-670-9066 contract as executive director of the Evergreen Nature Center and increas- [email protected] ing her hours for 2013. We look forward to another productive year for Secretary Heather Johnson 303-670-0101 the ENC. The first event for the new year will be the Great Backyard Bird [email protected] Count, which is highlighted in this month’s Dipper. Treasurer Joan Ridgely 303-526-2250 In the past, we have mentioned the changes in the state and regional [email protected] Audubon offices. On Nov. 17, Dick Prickett and other chapter representa- tives met with members of the dissolved Audubon Colorado state board BOARD OF DIRECTORS and Audubon Rockies staff for a daylong work session to discuss organiz- Bird Monitoring JoAnn/Bill Hackos 303-670-8517 ing a new Audubon Colorado Council, which will coordinate efforts to [email protected] accomplish State Audubon objectives under the new Audubon Rockies Communications Lisa Wald 303-674-0417 identity. [email protected] Much was accomplished in its focus on the vital Colorado bird and Conservation Chuck Aid 303-674-3331 conservation issues as well as public policy activities to be maintained and [email protected] carried on. At the end of the session, an Organizing Team was set up to Development Ginny Ades 303-674-7199 bring the chapters a proposal for review for establishing a new and viable [email protected] Audubon Colorado Council to be inaugurated at a meeting on March 2. Education Kathy Madison 303-670-0209 This team has worked since that meeting to develop a proposal on [email protected] which Dick and I will provide feedback for the chapter. The proposal will Social Events Marge Petersen 303-670-4310 ensure Audubon will have a presence in environmental issues brought [email protected] before the Colorado Legislature. If anyone else is interested in reviewing At Large Barbara Klaus 303-674-1102 the proposal and providing comments, please drop me a request at presi- [email protected] [email protected]. At Large Peggy Linn 303-674-2239 Lastly, thanks to the Walds for providing Evergreen Audubon with a [email protected] holiday gift of a new larger screen for our general meeting. Please pencil in the 7th of February for our next general meeting. COMMITTEE CHAIRS National Audubon Dick Prickett 303-674-0217 Bear Creek Atlas Brad Andres 303-670-0101 Thank You, 2012 ENC volunteers! Bird Box Sales Bud Weare 303-679-8889 Bird Business Marilyn Rhodes 303-674-9895 Donald Randall Sylvia Robertson Linda Fisher [email protected] David Walker Jean Thayer Meagan Miller Conservation Chuck Aid 303-674-3331 Kathy Madison Mary Fehlman Judy Ward Dipper Editor Debbie Marshall 303-886-0593 Bud & Juanita Weare Joan Ridgely Vivian Burrows [email protected] Janet Warner Susan Harper Marilyn Kaussner Education Kathy Madison 303-670-0209 Pam Little Lisa & Dave Wald Evergreen High Field Trips TBD Julia Bingham Ed Furlong School Science Club Hospitality Rachel Hutchinson 303-679-1503 Land Acquisition Polly Phillips 303-674-7744 Thanks to the hard work, love and dedication Membership Jean Thayer 303-670-9066 of these volunteers, 2012 was our most successful season yet! Nature Center Vanessa Hayes 303-330-0489 [email protected] We hosted 18,626 visitors. Program Kathy Madison 303-670-0209 Publicity TBD In 2013, we are reorganizing the ENC volunteer program to Ways & Means Irma Wolf 303-670-3402 make volunteering more exciting for you. Our new training will [email protected] include CPR and first aid, as well as basic natural history. The Weeds Cathy Shelton 303-674-8610 new self-guided exhibit panels and volunteer science project will [email protected] make volunteering a fun learning experience. Webmaster Lisa Wald 303-674-0417 Look for upcoming opportunities in The Dipper or email Van- Meetings first Thursday except January, June, July, August essa Hayes at [email protected] to learn more. 7 p.m., Church of the Hills, 28628 Buffalo Park Road, Evergreen 2 THE DIPPER FEBRUARY 2013 www.evergreenaudubon.org Great Backyard Bird Count Are you ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count Feb. 15 to 18? We need you to take part to boost Evergreen-area participation. In 2012, the Evergreen area reported the ninth-highest participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count in Colorado. As I reported last year, we had 41 checklists submitted with a total of 32 species. In 2011 we had only 19 checklists with 22 species reported. That means nearly a 100% increase. Let’s try for a 50% increase in 2013 with 60 checklists report- ing. That would put us in the same league as Aurora and Fort Collins—and ahead of Boulder. Evergreen Audubon is sponsoring an event to educate you and prepare for the count weekend. You’ll find more informa- tion about that Feb. 9 event elsewhere in this newsletter. Don’t forget, however, what you’ll need to do to participate in the actual GBBC: Photo Caption Contest 1. Set up a free GBBC account through the GBBC website www.birdsource.org. Each month in The Dipper we’ll print a photo that 2. Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more of needs a caption. The cleverest ones will be published in the four days of the GBBC (Friday through Monday). You can the following month’s newsletter. count birds at the feeders in your backyard. You can go to one Please send your captions to Lisa Wald, Communica- of our many area parks, like Elk Meadow or Lair o’ the Bear tions director, at communications@evergreenaudubon. and count birds there. You could even go to the grocery store org, or call 303-674-0417 if you do not have email. dumpsters and count American Crows and Common Ravens. Last month’s winning 3. Submit your count results on the GBBC website. entry came from Kathy 4. Send us messages at evergreenbirders@evergreenaudu- Madison: “I’m getting bon.org . You can sign up for this listserv on the Evergreen out of here. She’s Audubon website and share your sightings as they happen. not our Momma... So, go out on your own or go with a group. Have lots of fun, She may smell and feel but definitely record and submit your results.