The Prairie Owl. September 18 Program

Transcription

1 Palouse Audubon Society The Prairie Owl VOLUME 42 ISSUE 1 September 2013 EVENT CALENDAR September 3 Board Meeting; 18 Program Meeting; Seasons of Mann Lake; Deadline for Oct-Nov newsletter material. October 1 Board Meeting; 16 Program Meeting November 5 Board Meeting; Deadline for Dec/Jan newsletter material. December 3 Board Meeting; Pullman-Moscow Christmas Bird Count Lewiston-Clarkston Christmas Bird Count Kendrick-Juliaetta Christmas Bird Count PALOUSE AUDUBON President: Ron Force, ronforce@gmail.com, Vice President: Marie Dymkoski, mariedymkoski@msn.com, (509) Secretary: Diane Weber, , catbirdz@roadrunner.com Treasurer: Lavon Frazier, , lavon_frazier@roadrunner.com Board Members: Jim Storms, , nbutte@pullman.com; Marie Dymkoski, , Marie- Dymkoski@msn.com; Becky Phillips, beccap22@gmail.com, ; Paul Schroeder, , schroede2003@yahoo.com Membership: Ron Force, , ronforce@gmail.com Newsletter: Tim Hillebrand, , tshphd@gmail.com Publicity: Diane Weber, , catbirdz@roadrunner.com Conservation Committee: Mike Costa, majcosta@live.com Field Trips: Vacant September 18 Program Keith Carlson of Canyon Birders, will present The Seasons of Mann Lake. Mann Lake, a designated Important Bird Area and a featured area on the Idaho Birding Trail, attracts birders from throughout the Northwest and beyond. More than two hundred species have been recorded at Mann Lake. Keith has been observing and photographing the birds and their seasons at Mann Lake for more than a dozen years. Emphasis will be on the current Fall migration. This program will be in the Fiske Room of the 1912 Center in Moscow at 7:30 PM. Sponsored by Palouse Audubon Society, it is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. *************** Canyon Birders offer a bird watching program at Mann Lake every Saturday morning through October. Everyone is welcome. Wilson s Phalarope by Keith Carlson Shore Bird Identification by Tim Hillebrand Yellow Legs I think most people will agree that the identification of shorebirds can be daunting. It seems I practically have to start over every year, but each time I have a few more under my belt. While I haven t been a serious birder all that long, I have developed a little system for getting started in shorebird identification that I would like to share with you. I hope it helps. The first thing to forget about for now is plumage and coloration. Instead, let s concentrate on some other characteristics that are easier to use for classification purposes. These are bill shape and length, leg length, and overall size. Behavior can be a good indicator as well. We re going to start our classification process by separating this plethora of plumage into size groups. The larger shore birds include several that are black and white such as Oystercatchers, Stilts, and Avocets. Those with the curved beak are the Curlews. The ones with the long straight bills are Godwits. Smaller in size are the Plovers with lots of members including Killdeer, Golden Plover, Black Bellied Plover, and Collared Plovers. The Killdeer have the

2 VOLUME 42 ISSUE 1 THE PRAIRIE OWL PAGE 2 Shorebirds Continued. Long Billed Curlew double black chest bars. A behavior they all have in common is that they visually forage for their food, which means that they are dashing around hither thither looking for food instead of probing for it. Nest we have the medium sized birds with long legs known as the Sandpipers., The long legs can be colorful according to species, so be mindful of that characteristic. You will find such birds as Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, and Willets in this group. Now come the long billed medium sized shorebirds, which include Dowitchers, Wilson s Snipe, and American Woodcock. There is a plethora of small shorebirds about the size of a Finch or Sparrow, which are collectively known as Peeps. Geography and habitat can help to eliminate many possible species. For instance there is a class of shorebirds known as rock shorebirds found along rocky shore usually foraging for treats on algae covered rocks. These include Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Black Oystercatcher, Rock Sandpiper, and Wandering Tattler. There is another collection of shorebirds that are a bit larger than the peeps that includes Sanderling, Dunline, Red Knot, Pectoral, Buff-Headed, and Stilt Sandpipers.Unfortunately, these can PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP If you haven t gotten around to renewing your membership the time is now. Palouse Audubon dues are only $15 and payable in September. From the Prez Welcome to the start of another program year for the Palouse Audubon Society. The Board has been planning a full year of activities in which I m sure you ll want to participate. September is also the start of our fiscal year, which means that your membership needs renewal. Use the form in this newsletter, or on our Web page. If you can afford a little extra and include a donation, it can really make a difference in our programs, and educational activities. See you at the September meeting! Ron Force Malachite Kingfisher Editor s Note Ron just returned from an adventure to Southern Africa, where the birding was exemplary. We can all look forward to his sharing his experiences with us when he sorts through his photographs. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Financially supports the programs and activities of the Palouse Audubon Society and includes an annual subscription to THE PRAIRIE OWL newsletter. Annual Membership $15.00 Donation For questions call: (208) NAME ADDRESS CITY State Zip PHONE Return this form with your check to: Palouse Audubon Society, PO Box 3606, Moscow, ID Check one: I PREFER TO READ THE PRAIRIE OWL ON THE WEBSITE (notice will be sent by after a new issue is posted on the website) PLEASE SEND A HARD COPY OF THE PRAIRIE OWL

3 PAGE 3 THE PRAIRIE OWL VOLUME 42 ISSUE 1 New Birding App for WA Shorebirds continued If you bird in Washington State or plan to, you won t want to leave home without this exciting new app. It s official title is Great Washington State Birding Trail App. Washington has over 500 species of birds to offer, and this app will help you find them. One of its features is Finding Spots Near Me. This is useful when you are on the road and want to locate a nearby birding hotspot. It also comes in handy when are planning a trip. You can easily plot your itinerary based on good birding sites. This versatile app will also give you driving directions that will guide you to hotspots you want to visit. It will also give you amenities nearby such as gas stations, restaurants, and lodging. If you are in doubt or need help identifying a species, this remarkable program can help you do that too with an online birding guide. Of course, you have to be able to get online, which could prove challenging in some remote locations, but if you use it on your phone, and you have phone reception, you will be fine. It also works with a WiFi connection. You can mark your favorite locations for future reference. You can also share your favorite locations with friends via , text, and social media such as Facebook. I was disappointed to see that this app is currently only available for iphone and IOS. Given that iphone only owns 13% of the market share and Android owns 80% I would think a developer would want to start with Android, but you have to start somewhere. The developers assure me that cranking out an Android version is high on the priority list. I hope it will be soon. For now, the only place you can get this great app is from the itunes store. There are seven driving loops, which may be purchased individually for $1.99 each. You can buy all seven loops for only $9.99. There is a free version of the app that gives you the first 6 stops of each loop with 42 stops total. Grab the app, grab your binocs, grab your keys and head out. What are you waiting for? Tim Hillebrand vary in leg and bill length. Behavior can be an important clue too. For instance, if you see some small birds usually in groups swimming in circles, you can be pretty sure that they are phalaropes. Another behavioral characteristic is bobbing like a sewing machine. This trait will help you narrow the playing field. As a rule of thumb the small the bird, the more it bobs. The Spotted Sandpiper is a classic example. Yellowlegs and Solitary Sandpipers and intermediate bobbers. Semipalmated Plover Black-necked Stilt Then there are the probers like the Dowitchers and the Godwits. Yes, plumage can be helpful, but often it leads to confusion with lighting conditions and season. Sometimes they can all look like LBBs (Little Brown Birds, and you get stuck. Obviously this is certainly not a definitive article on shorebird identification. It is meant only to give you a few tips to get you started by dividing the bewildering number of species into manageable groups to help you narrow down the possibilities. From there you can focus on details found in your birding guides that will help you nail down an elusive species and make it yours. Happy Birding! Long Billed Dowitcher

4 PAGE 4 THE PRAIRIE OWL VOLUME 42 ISSUE 1 Wawawai Poster Wawawai Poster By Becky Phillips As a part of the community outreach efforts, the Palouse Audubon Society is providing local bird posters to several Whitman County parks. The first poster, designed by Becky Phillips and showcasing photos by Terry Gray, will be displayed at Wawawai County Park on the Snake River. Each poster will highlight twelve of the most common bird species residing within park boundaries. New Palouse Audubon Website Soon to be unveiled! Palouse Audubon Society will be sporting an updated Web presence in the very near future. User-friendly and packed with helpful information, the website will host features like a photo and video gallery along with news feed and great activities. It s not too early to start planning for the first annual spring PAS photo contest. More details coming soon!

5 VOLUME 42 ISSUE 1 MEET THE BOARD Becky Phillips As a child, Becky Phillips used to watch Great Blue Herons fly through the mist along the Little Spokane River where she grew up. Today, she is happy to see the majestic birds populating riparian areas along Paradise Creek and the South Fork of the Palouse at her home in Pullman. Becky s initial interest in nature led her to a degree in wildlife biology from WSU followed by a fantastic fellowship to Kenya where she was surrounded by Weaver Birds, Hadada Ibis, Marabou Stork, Widowbirds, Ostriches and more. She then earned a degree in veterinary medicine at WSU and established the Colton Veterinary Service in Among her patients were blind or starving Great Horned Owls. There were also Red Tailed Hawks and other raptors often knocked for a loop as they singlemindedly pursued their prey into a passing car. Becky s love of photography and writing eventually took her back to the University of Idaho for a degree in visual communication, and she has been employed at Washington State University as a communications professional since She especially enjoys visual and written story telling. As a PAS board member, she is on the publicity/community outreach committee helping develop the website, Facebook, posters, brochures, and more. She loves spending time outdoors doing almost anything especially when it s with her two grown children or good friends. Becky s Favorite Bird Board and Program meetings are generally held in the FISKE ROOM at the 1912 Center, 3rd and Adams, Moscow at 7:30 pm THE PRAIRIE OWL Wingtips Collective nouns for owls: bazaar, glaring, parliament, stooping, and wisdom. Wingtips MEMBERSHIP PAGE 5 Many North American Indian tribes consider owls to be harbingers of death. Beginning Birding Class Note that there will be no beginning birding class this fall. Look for the announcement of a beginning birding class this coming spring. Wingtips A group of sandpipers is known as a bind, a contradiction, a fling, a hill or a time-step of sandpipers. Palouse Audubon Society (PAS), PO Box 3606, Moscow ID , is a chapter of the National Audubon Society (NAS) with its own dues. New NAS members in our chapter area receive one year s free membership in PAS, along with the chapter newsletter and other benefits of membership. PAS dues of $15 are payable in September. Members may receive the chapter newsletter, The Prairie Owl, either by mail or by notification of its posting on the chapter s website. Members are encouraged to read the newsletter online to save printing and postage expenses. PAS members who have not renewed and NAS members who have not paid dues after one year of membership are removed from the newsletter distribution list on December 31st. General membership meetings are held at the 1912 Building, FISKE ROOM, 3rd and Adams St, Moscow ID, at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month, September through May. The board of directors meets at the 1912 Center at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. The Prairie Owl is published every other month, August through April. Material for the Owl should be sent to the editor, Tim Hillebrand, 857 Orchard Ave., Moscow ID 83843, , tshphd@gmail.com by the 20th of the month. Subscription problems should be addressed to the membership chair, Ron Force, PO Box 3606, Moscow ID , , ronforce@gmail.com. Visit the Palouse Audubon Society website at or find us on Facebook.

6 PALOUSE AUDUBON SOC I ETY Primary Palouse Audubon Business Address Society Your PO Box Address 3606 Line 2 Your Moscow Address ID Line 3 Your Address Line 4 NOW IS THE TIME TO HONE YOUR SHOREBIRD ID SKILLS The mission of the. Palouse Audubon Society is to promote education, conservation, and the restoration of natural ecosystems--focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats--for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity We re on the Web: and on Facebook Washington State Birding App Screen Shots