Volume 60, Number 4 December 2014/January 2015 Black Oystercatchers ª Anna Weinstein The Black Oystercatcher is the charis- matic, signature bird of the rocky intertidal zone, one of California’s and the west coast’s iconic habitats. Commonly seen yet globally rare, there is no mistaking its bright orange beak or distinctive call. There are thought to be no more than 12,000 of these birds ranging from the Aleutian Islands through Baja. The species is utterly dependent on rocky intertidal habitats, plying limpets, snails, mussels and other invertebrates from marine terraces and rocky shorelines. Despite the popularity of Oystercatch- ers, until recently little was known of its demography (status and distribution) in California. It is a Special Status Species of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to its rarity and vulnerability to a number of threats. The rangewide conservation action plan developed by the US Fish and Wildlife Black Oystercatchers, Audubon California photo. Service and partners calls for more baseline understanding of the species in California. In 2012 and 2013 an additional >60 sur- There may be more Oystercatchers here In response to this need, and to capital- veyors tracked Oystercatcher reproductive than had been thought, but the threats are ize on the robust citizen science capacity success at over 100 nests from Mendocino real and growing: sea level rise, ocean acidi- in our coastal chapters, in 2011 Audubon to Morro Bay. This information will create fication, and increased recreational and California conducted the first-ever survey a more complete baseline assessment, and commercial use of coastal areas. Audubon of Black Oystercatcher in California. Pro- help to understand the conservation status will use the science generated by survey tocols were adapted from the Oregon Fish and trajectory of the species in California. participants to create an informed list of and Wildlife Service monitoring program, conservation best practices to disseminate which includes the results of five years of Meeting Schedule to a broad audience of coastal managers citizen science monitoring in Oregon. Over and users. The next general meeting of Continued on Page 3» 150 dedicated participants drawn from Mount Diablo Audubon Society coastal chapters and from agencies found will be Thursday, December 4, in BIRDING INFORMATION more Oystercatchers in just a part of our the Camellia Room of The Gardens Mike Lynes, Policy Director for Audu- state’s suitable habitat, than were previ- at Heather Farm, Walnut Creek. bon California, will discuss Audubon's ously estimated for the state as a whole. 7:00 pm Birding Information Climate Change Initiative and how local 7:25 pm Announcements Over 1300 birds and over 170 nests were chapters can become involved. Shifting detected. This result combined with high 7:40 pm Refreshments,* raffle 8:05 pm Speaker: Anna Weinstein ranges could imperil 314 species, includ- densities of breeding Oystercatchers in cer- * Please remember to bring a cup. ing many birds in our area. Mr. Lynes will tain areas has shone light on the importance Thursday, January 8: TBA explain the science behind the new report of California to the species. TBA and actions our members can take to help local species. DEDICATED TO HABITAT CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION the Quail —1— December 2014/January 2015 President’s Corner By Jimm Edgar Welcome I received a phone call a while back from that was featured mainly was at the Univer- a reporter from KGO radio. She wanted to sity of Washington. They had tagged some New Members interview me for a story she was doing on young birds and followed them through a Wild Turkeys, particularly turkeys at the couple of years. They learned that crows Isaac Aronow Martinez Lafayette reservoir. As it turned out we can learn to use tools. Very fascinating. The Celeste Graham Concord could never get together so I am not sure study concluded that crows were smarter Ruthie Griffith Benicia what she ever did about the turkeys. I did than primates. Crows had over 250 different Richard Lennig Pleasant Hill have a few things to say to her but not a calls that all had some meaning. They did Julie Ross Pleasant Hill lot of hard scientific information. As far as things like remember when garbage day was Brian Sorrig Danville I know we are not really sure why turkeys since they would pick through the garbage have become so common. I was going to for food. I don’t know if I am more thrilled Jerry & Maren Smith Walnut Creek mention to her the fact that American about all the crows or not but it sure was Dave and Bev Tucker Concord Crows have also become far more common a great special. This episode "A Murder of BriAnna Weldon Concord than they used to be. Not sure why that has Crows" can be seen on your computer at happened either. I saw a special recently on http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/. mond, wrote the book Birding Northern the TV show ”Nature” about crows. I hope Our MDAS Christmas Bird Counts California. It sold thousands of copies, all of you watch this series. It has some re- are coming up in December. These are beginning in 1985, and though out of print ally wonderful shows and is on KQED on always fun and part of a long tradition for now the complete book is available in PDF Wednesdays at 8 pm. This show on crows the chapter. The central count is Saturday, format on our MDAS website. [Go to www. was amazing. I think you all know a flock December 20, and the east county count diabloaudubon.com; click on "Birding", of crows is called a murder of crows. The is Tuesday, December 17. Let me or co- then on "Northern California Birding", origin of that term is obscure, but if you've compiler Maury Stern know if you have and on "Download Here: Birding North- ever heard dozens of agitated crows in full interest in participating. ern California by Jean Richmond."] I was cry, it really does sound as if they're yell- One of the main reasons our MDAS recently reading one of my favorite birding ing bloody murder. The show was about a chapter is able to survive financially is that magazines, Bird Watcher’s Digest, and the couple of studies being done on crows. One our former newsletter editor, Jean Rich- author of one of the articles mentioned Jean’s book. The author, Rick Gjervold, is a Good News for Whooping Cranes professor at North Dakota State University Four Whooping Crane chicks raised in and was visiting California with his family captivity began their integration into the and they went up to the Sacramento NWR. wild in early fall as part of the continuing They used Jean’s book to guide them. Pretty effort to increase the wild population of this cool, I thought. endangered species. We continue to have great programs The cranes, hatched and raised by their and lots of field trips so please take advan- parents at the U.S. Geological Survey’s tage of them. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Mary- land, were released on the Fish and Wildlife _ Service’s Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. The scientific name for this The chicks, about six-months old, are species is S. decaocto. The part of an experimental rearing and release Q specific name decaocto method referred to as “parent-rearing.” The (pronounced "deca-octo") is parent-reared Whooping Crane chicks Latin for "18". were hatched and raised by captive adult Whooping Cranes. This method relies Unscramble these letters, or turn to Whooping Crane and two Sandhill Cranes, entirely on the expertise of captive parents Page 8 to learn more. Necedah NWR, Wisconsin. Photo by Ellis Myers. who care for, exercise, and feed the chicks. AAACDDEEEILLNOORRSUV Over the past 13 years, USGS biologists humans in costume, which is obviously an –dressed in costumes to avoid having the odd condition. Parent-rearing may result in birds “imprint” on people–have raised be- the chicks learning behavior important to The Quail is published monthly except tween five and 20 Whooping Crane chicks their survival and reproduction. January and August by Mount Diablo Audubon Society, P.O. Box 53, Walnut Creek, annually that have been released into the In the 1940s, there were only 15 of these CA 94597-0053. The Quail is printed on Eastern Migratory Flock. This new method large, white birds left in the world. Today 30% post-consumer waste recycled paper. of allowing captive adult cranes to rear the the population is estimated to be approxi- The deadline for the February issue is chicks prior to release into the wild is in- mately 425 in the wild, with another 125 January 13. tended to evaluate the effects of rearing by in captivity. the Quail —2— December 2014/January 2015 and wait for passing cars January ª A Murder of Crows to crack them open. And Crows do not have the some build their nests from best of reputations. They items we throw away— are generally dismissed as like wire clothes hangers. spooky—Hitchcock used These are social birds them quite successfully to that mate for life and frighten moviegoers—or as raise their young for up a general nuisance. Crows to five years. And they are a part of myths and learn from each other’s legends in many cultures. misfortunes. When one is Their reputation in sto- killed in a farmer’s field, it’s ries varies from comical not uncommon for them to frightening, godlike or to change entire migra- wise, bringers of light and tory patterns so that no bringers of death, though a crows fly over that field “murder” of crows refers to for as long as two years.