It's the season of bird counts. We count birds for a variety of reasons, from recreation to research and beyond. We count certain species; we count everything we see with wings. Madrone Audubon's Birdathon, coming up in February, is unabashedly a count for money- it is our chapter's major fundraiser.

Last year's Birdathon was a huge success, raising over $9000. This was a new record, one that our chapter's leaders would love to see broken this year. According to MAS President Bryant Hichwa, the Birdathon is crucial in making up for the recent reduction of dues income (between $5000 and $7000 less per year) that our chapter receives from National Audubon.

Birdathon money supports Madrone Audubon's focus on education and conservation. It supports the popular Pee Wee Audubon programs, provides teacher resource kits, sends Audubon Adventures newsletters into classrooms, and boosts our efforts to study environmental issues.

The key to a successful Birdathon is widespread support. We need a good number of participating counters, and lots of sponsors! The birders, either teams who race the clock to find the most species or individuals who watch their feeders or go out for a few hours at a local park, are the people who take the pledge sheets to their friends, co-workers and family members sympathetic to the cause. These sponsors pledge a wide range of per-species amounts, from pennies to dollars, or simply a flat sum for the days' birding.
(See box at the end of this article for sign-up information.)

Competitive birding in February can be fun, and it can also be challenging. Any 24-hour period during the month will do, an obvious preference being DRY weather. A dedicated team needs to plan their route, checking when the tides are right to catch the most species at Bodega Bay, which inland habitats can be quickly reached, and where one might find owls before midnight.

Last year's winning team was the Gray-headed Seersuckers, five of our chapter's finest birders. They spotted 138 species in 14 hours of birding. The Pee Wee Audubon team (the Western Wood-Pewees) went to Spring Lake Park for two hours, needed a lot of help with their binoculars, but still counted 34 species.
In between there were Claire Shurvinton and her friend Julie Woodruff. Kayak enthusiasts, they called themselves "The Great Spotting Paddlers".
As Claire tells it:

"We had a whole day (well, about 6 hours) just to go birding, and in support of a good cause so we didn't have to feel guilty about work, chores or children left behind. We had a strategy planned, hitting our favorite local spots (Santa Rosa Creek at Willowside Road and Community Park in Sebastopol) before heading out towards the coast to snag the shorebirds and other specialties at Bodega Bay.

The day began in my backyard. Before we left I had found my resident California Thrasher, and my winter guest, a Red-breasted Sapsucker-not bad for a start. There's also a Barn Owl that lives in my neighborhood and I stood outside at dusk to watch him or her fly across the adjacent meadow. All in all we finished our day with 100 species. It would have been 99, but Diane Hichwa called me to report an adult Bald Eagle at the Laguna de Santa Rosa. I zoomed out and spotted the bird right where she said it would be."

How to be part of Birdathon 2002-

For birders:
Ø Contact Birdathon Coordinator Joyce MacLaury at 526-9315, or at jmacl@sonic.net, and she will send you a sponsor sign-up sheet. Start signing up your sponsors.
Ø Pick a day in February and have a great time birding.
Ø Tell your sponsors how many species you saw and how much they owe you. They can send checks (made out to Madrone Audubon Society) to MAS, P.O. Box 1911, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.

For sponsors:
Ø Say "Yes!" to anyone who asks you to pledge. If no one asks, you can sign up to support one of the Birdathon teams at the January membership meeting. You can also check the Birdathon box on the return envelope enclosed with this issue of Leaves.

On Sunday, December 30, Madrone Audubon will hold its 35th annual Christmas Count. We would like to see as many members as possible join the count this year. Last year over 50,000 birders counted in 1830 locations north of the US/Mexico border. In our own count, 136 counters located and identified 192 species, giving us the 11th highest count in North America. This is just one reason to protect the species diversity of the wonderful area we call home.

Our counters cover the full spectrum of birding skills with each level of expertise filling an important niche. The count begins at approximately 7:30 AM, unless you wish to count owls, and continues until about 4:00 PM. See the map for the designated count area. To sign up or for further information, contact Russ Agnew at 823-7555 or Ken Wilson at 795-7547.

The annual post-count potluck takes place at the Sebastopol Community Center and provides a warm welcome to potentially cold and weary birders at the end of the day. If you are unable to count but would like to help, we need volunteers to set up the room for the potluck-contact Peter Leveque at 542-8946. Coffee, tea, cocoa and cups will be provided (or bring your own cup and save a forest), but please bring your own plates, utensils and a supper dish to serve six.

To participate in the SANTA ROSA Christmas Bird Count, which is organized by the Redwood Region Ornithological Society and will be held on Sunday, December 16, please call RROS compiler Ted Eliot at 935-3410.

Several vacant BBS routes in Central Valley, foothill, and Humboldt County locations are open. Experienced birders/biologists with knowledge of bird identification by sight and sound are needed for this important survey work. Commitment should be for one annual survey day, for at least a few consecutive years.

A challenging and fulfilling day lies ahead for the prospective surveyor. The day includes arrival 30 minutes before sunrise at the starting point, and then 50 two-minute observation stops every mile for 25 miles, with 3 minutes between stops for driving (snacking, chatting, recording). You are finished by mid-morning. And you will have contributed to a vast and valuable data bank on breeding bird populations, gathered over more than 30 years from surveys conducted throughout the United States.

For more information contact Keith Pardieck at (301) 497-5843, or at keith_pardieck@usgs.gov.

The long anticipated, newly revised and updated version of the original Birds of Sonoma County - an annotated checklist and birding gazetteer (1978), by Gordon L.Bolander and Benjamin D. Parmeter, will be available about the first of December. It will be offered for sale for $15 (tax included) at the December 30th Western Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count as well as by mail order (see details below). It has been meticulously re-written by Benjamin D. Parmeter and is being published by Redwood Region Ornithological Society, a local non-profit birding club.

This volume contains accurate accounts of ALL birds ever seen in this county, and has a graph of abundance and presence by month for each bird. It is described by noted birder Rich Stallcup as THE most reliable reference, and THE resource authority for wildlife management agencies, with the data being inferable to the rest of the central California coast.

Pre-Christmas gifts may be ordered by sending a check made out to "RROS" for $18 ($15 plus $3 shipping and handling per book) to RROS, 1653 Arroyo Sierra Way, Santa Rosa CA 95405. Call Betty Burridge at 527-0225 if you wish to save the $3 fee by picking up the book(s).

Transportation needed
Winter and spring are the times that Bird Rescue needs people to transport hawks and owls to the Center and, if possible, to do the field rescue. Winter rain and cold put many birds, especially first year birds, in jeopardy. They miss food, get caught by a spell of bad weather, and get trapped in a downward spiral of strength where internal parasites take over. They have no injury, but need nourishment and warmth for a while. So Martha Bentley, who picks up phone calls for the Bird Rescue Center, needs volunteers for both the rescue and transportation.

These volunteers are called transporters. Naturally, they need a little training. The BRC gives classes in field rescue to learn how to safely pick up an injured hawk or owl and transport it. One of these classes is scheduled for Monday, December 3, at 7:00 PM, but a special class can be scheduled at another time for those interested. Please contact Diane Hichwa at 579-1182 or Martha Bentley at 545-5501 about this training, or to talk about helping in whatever way you can.

Number 22
The Bird Rescue Center sees nearly 3000 patients each year. Each experience is different; each experience is special. In spring it's the youngsters that fall from nests. The first choice is to return the young bird to its own nest, but sometimes that isn't possible, as in the case of one young owl found last summer. Here's the story:

A juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owl arrived at the BRC on June 6, having been found along a trail in the woods near Occidental. It was the first juvenile, but the 22nd Saw-whet Owl, to come to the Center in its 21 years of operation.

Number 22 weighed in at just over 2 ounces and was slightly injured, apparently from its fall from the nest. About 2 weeks later its injuries had healed, but upon testing for release, the verdict by Dona Asti of the medical staff was, "Flight needs improvement." Bird Rescue workers Diane Hichwa and Bita Breazeale embarked on a nighttime flight-training program, hassling the young owl up and down the Center hallway and pestering it to fly further and higher. (Number 22's post-exercise thoughts must have run to the avian equivalent of "Who were those guys?")

A week or so of this nightly activity by the very dedicated volunteers brought about some improvement. An effort was then made to return the owl to the area where he was found, in the hopes of finding the nest site and possibly the parents, but without success.

Back at the Center, Number 22 went on to eventually passing the "food test". First he was offered dead food, then live mice in his cage, until he was seen to be taking several prey at night. Much to the delight of his "handlers", he had nearly doubled his arrival weight.

On the night of August 1, after almost two months of rehabilitation, Number 22 was returned again to the forest where he was found and released into his own world.

No Pet Owls in California

John Beck of the Press Democrat need not worry about owls being kept as pets, at least in California. Unlike England, here all species of owls (and indeed all raptors) are protected by law, and it is illegal to have one without a special permit from the State Department of Fish and Game.

Palomarin Field Station and Bolinas Lagoon, Wednesday, October 17
On an overcast day, 12 birders led by Mike Parmeter convened at the Palomarin Field Station near Bolinas hoping to watch PRBO's field scientists band birds caught in their mist nets. Unfortunately, the birds did not cooperate and refused to be netted during our visit. However, it was interesting to learn about what and how banding data is collected and recorded and about the widespread research projects being conducted by PRBO. Fifty-eight birds were seen in and around Bolinas Lagoon.

Point Reyes and Olema Marsh, Thursday, October 25
Sixteen birders led by Lew Edmondson enjoyed the Point Reyes area, birding the Earthquake Trail, Olema Marsh, Whitehouse Pool and the Fish Dock on a perfect fall day. Birders from Alameda, New York and Deleware found us through our website and joined us. Sixty-six species were seen. Highlights included a Merlin, a Peregrine Falcon and a Kestrel, three of a kind.

Bodega Bay, Saturday, October 27
On a gray day sixteen birders joined Richard Hurley for a day of birding at what is arguably the best birding spot in Sonoma County, Bodega Bay. Highlights included a flock of Orange-crowned Kinglets active at the Marine Lab cypress trees and a Rough-legged Hawk that created a good amount of discussion at Bodega Head (actually behind the Head). At Campbell Cove, bathing gulls provided material for another discussion that increased many learning curves. Common Loons in the Bay were in the last remnants of breeding finery. Seventy-three species were seen. As usual, it was a good birding day at Bodega Bay.

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, October 31
Keeping just ahead of the fog on Halloween, sixteen birders joined Richard Hurley for a rewarding day of birding Bodega Bay and Bodega Harbor. Highlights included a Virginia Rail heard at the rail ponds while a Common Yellowthroat flitted about, Golden-crowned Kinglets at Owl Canyon, a Red Knot spotted by Dennis Beall at Spud Point, and a nice array of ducks at the Doran Park Lagoon. The mudflats next to Doran Park Road were almost birdless. Could it have been that Peregrine Falcon perched on the wooden barge to the east and in plain view? A specter in waiting. A most enjoyable birding day with a great group of birders.

Point Reyes and Bolinas, Thursday, November 8.
Twenty-three birders, led by Betty Burridge, scanned the trees and fields at Olema Marsh and along the Earthquake Trail at Bear Valley Visitor Center for birds, including a brightly patterned Townsend's and a Hermit Warbler, and for butterflies (California Sister). Then a hot tip about a very rare Red-naped Sapsucker hanging out in the town of Bolinas changed the group's plans, and suddenly all vehicles were heading for that usually quiet village. Alas, the bird was not to be found, but local birder and artist Keith Hanson graciously hosted us in his beautiful gallery patio for lunch. Hundreds of waterfowl, including a Eurasian Wigeon, were viewed later on Bolinas Lagoon, and a Common Snipe was found at Five Brooks Pond. A total of 56 species were seen.

Melissa Pitkin, Education Coordinator at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, will address the question, "Where Do Birds Nest?" for Madrone Audubon's program on Monday, January 28. She will draw on her experience at the Palomarin Field Station, where birds are regularly banded and their habits studied for valuable research. Melissa will show pictures of birds and their nests in order to illustrate a surprising variety of nesting sites, information that could change the way we think about protecting bird habitat. Some of our common warblers, for example, may nest at almost ground level.

The program begins at 7:30 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 1551 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. As always, the public is invited to these programs.

(Liz didn't give the cities; I mentioned it to her, but maybe she left for the week and didn't get my e-mail. We'll have to go with it this way for now.)

Welcome to the following new Madrone Audubon Members for the month of November, 2001:

Lacy Brown, Carolyn Dixon, John Dolan, Mary Ellen Kelley, Betty Miller, Jana Nierberger, George Powers, Terry Shores, Jack Tuttle, Bonita Walter, Carol Carver, James Falter, Phyllis Guttman, Lair Hamilton, Dale Hands, Louise Holmes, Judy Hooper, Bee Leveroni, C. Connell, Barbara Eakin-Nichols, Kathy Ekren, and Lyle Keller.

It's almost winter, and our California spring is about to begin. Acorns and buckeyes are germinating everywhere, the green fuzz of grass is coating our hills, and newts are climbing out of streams to walk the trails in their hunt for food. Action central everywhere.

We hope you can join us for a look at some of the wonders that our "winter/spring" rains bring to our beautiful Bouverie Preserve. Sign up for one of our guided nature walks at Bouverie, or join us for a working Resource Management Day. Call the Bouverie office at 938-4554 for information.

The volunteer corps at our two teaching preserves-Bouverie and Bolinas Lagoon Preserves - has swelled to almost 400 docents and ranch guides, who teach over 4000 schoolchildren each year and greet nearly 8000 visitors during Bolinas' public season. We heartily welcome your interest in our wonderful volunteer programs, which are taught by our four ACR biologists and other well-known experts in local natural history. Please consider joining our merry band of ranch guides for training classes on Saturdays, from February 2 to March 9-for information call (415) 868-9244. Or if you can help with a winter bird count and are an experienced shorebird or waterbird observer, please call our Cypress Grove Research Center (415) 663-8203. (These are the folks who have been capturing, tagging, tracking, and trying to understand the world of the wily ravens of west Marin.)

Patricia Winters will talk about the lives and times of bats and show us some of her furry friends. Both she and they are very entertaining and this is a show not to be missed! Before and after the presentation there will be time for "bat" snacks and other "batty" activities. Reservations are required. Call Claire at 527-6118 and please indicate which show you plan to attend.

From the Pee Wee Audubon mailbox

(Editor's note: The following delightful fan mail sent to Diane Hichwa after her Pee Wee program on September 14 has been transcribed as written. The spell checker only noticed one word anyway.)

Dear Diane,
Thank you for taking us on the night hike it was so cool. Looking for bats and everything I espeshely liked the part when we saw the bats up close. And it was exiting looking for night owls!
I loved all of it!
Mikaela

Dear Diane,
Fang you so much for the spectacular journey! I had tons-o-fun looking for bats and owls. It was great to look at all the wildlife including the dear and quail. The hawk's nest was super cool and I had a great time. Thanks again!
Elana

Bird and Wildlife Field Trip in Petaluma, sponsored by USFilter. Sunday, December 2, at 8:00 AM. USFilter operates the City of Petaluma's water recycle facilities, and the walk will be around their storage ponds, near Shollenberger Park. Meet at the west gate to the ponds at 4400 Lakeville Highway. RSVP to Chris McAuliffe at 762-5892.

Fairfield Osborn Preserve Hikes. Two Saturdays, December 1 and 8, at 10:00 AM. Guided hikes of two or three hours, no reservations required. Meet at the Preserve parking lot. For directions call 795-5069.

San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival. Friday through Sunday, January 18-20, on Mare Island (Building 897) in Vallejo. A free event featuring guided hikes and birding outings, visits to historic sites throughout the Bay Area. Highlight is the Family Wildlife Exploration and Birding Day on Saturday, January 19. Call 557-9816 for a Festival brochure or visit the website: sfbayflywayfestival.com.

California Duck Days 2002. Friday through Sunday, February 15-17, in the Sacramento Valley region, headquartered in Davis at the Veterans Memorial Center. This wetlands festival celebrates the Central Valley's peak migration period, with many workshops, demonstrations and field trips.
For information call (800) 425-5001 or go to the website: duckdays.org.

And farther afield…

Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival in San Luis Obispo County. Friday through Monday, January 18-21. Morro Bay is an Important Bird Area. Birding is the heart of the program, but there are many activities based on the natural history and ecology of the area. Call (800) 231-0592 for a brochure or visit the website: morro-bay.net/birds.

Bald Eagle Conference/Festival in Klamath Falls, OR. Friday through Sunday, February 15-17. Celebrating the largest concentration of wintering Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states. Workshops, speakers and field trips to the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges, Lava Bed National Monument and Crater Lake National Park. For information, call (800) 445-6728 or consult the website: eaglecon.org.

The Santa Rosa City Code regarding trees is going through a revision process by a special committee, headed by Parks and Recreation Department planner Lisa Grant. There are areas of concern in these revisions for those of us who wish to see our tree ordinance strengthened, not weakened, in the face of continued development of raw land within the city limits. Here are a few of the changes contained within the revisions.

It appears that designations such as "heritage trees", "native trees", and other "significant trees" will all have equal protection under the new ordinance. However, tree removal on property proposed for development will require far fewer replacement equivalents than in the old ordinance. A "heritage tree" will mean a tree or grove that is nominated by the Director of Community Development or the Planning Commission, and such trees will have to go through a noticed public hearing before being designated. It is not explained in the ordinance how the public nominates a candidate for heritage tree status.

The new ordinance will no longer recognize the "drip line", or crown width, of a tree as the standard setback for construction work or other activity. There is a new setback called the tree protection zone (TPZ) that is equivalent to one foot from the trunk for every inch of trunk diameter. The definition of "root zone", the ground around the trunk including the drip line plus ten feet, will be eliminated entirely from the new tree ordinance.

The public is encouraged to submit comments through February 28, 2002. If you wish to review the proposed amendments to the tree ordinance, contact Lisa Grant at 543-3774 or lgrant@ci.santa-rosa.ca.us. She will send you a copy of the proposed amended ordinance, and a comment form. The California Oak Foundation has sent Madrone Audubon a guideline for how to evaluate a tree ordinance. Call Joan Dranginis at 523-4373 if you would like to receive a copy of this document.

Audubon, National Audubon Society's magazine, received its latest honor when it picked up one of the industry's top prizes: Folio's "Gold Winner-2001 Editorial Excellence Award." The category was Consumer Magazine/Science and Technology. Here's what the panel of judges said: "Not only is Audubon's layout beautiful with striking pictures throughout, but the writing and especially the reporting for Audubon are top notch."

After a remarkable fall migration, the number of bird sightings reported has dropped off significantly. As of early November, Sonoma County finally received some rainfall. However, temperatures have remained very mild for this late in the year. Many of our annual flowers continue to bloom, taking advantage of the nice weather. Although there are almost no passerines on the list, here are the latest bird reports for the month:

Red-necked Grebe 11/8 Doran Beach DN, TCN
Pelican sp. Pink-backed? Oct. Abbott's Lagoon (?), Kehoe Beach fly-by KH Gr.
White-fronted Goose 11/10 Willow Creek Road on Russian River AW, et al Snow Goose (2 ad., 1 imm.) 11/10 Mouth of Russian River at Penny Is. AW, et al
Ross' Goose (1 ad.) 11/10 Mouth of Russian River at Penny Is. AW, et al Eurasian Wigeon Nov. Bolinas Lagoon M.Ob.
Harlequin Duck Nov. Chimney Rock, Point Reyes M.Ob.
Hooded Merganser (7) 11/8 Carmody Road DN, TCN
Common Poorwill (calling) 10/2 Sonoma Mountain TE
Rough-legged Hawk (imm.) 10/27 Bodega Head RO, et al
Peregrine Falcon (ad.) 11/8 Doran Park DN, TCN
Prairie Falcon 11/6 Rush Ranch PL, et al
Merlin 11/3 Lake Sonoma Visitor's Center PL, et al
Mountain Quail Oct. Sea Ranch at Gualala property line RH
Burrowing Owl 10/13 Kortum trail at Blind Beach overlook SDeS
Burrowing Owl 10/13-27Middle Two Rock Rd. near Eucalyptus Rd. JG *Demoiselle Crane This bird has been present for a month near Woodbridge Road and Staten Island Road in San Joaquin County (M.Ob.) It is very handsome! After much debate, the consensus seems to favor this bird NOT being an escapee, but as yet there are no records for North America. It arrived with the Sandhill Cranes that gather in this area each winter. It should stay around awhile (we hope).
Lewis' Woodpecker 9/30 King Ridge Road GM, et al
Red-throated Pipit 10/ Fisk Mill Cove PC
Clay-colored Sparrow (again) 10/ Campbell Cove DH
Lapland Longspur 10/3 Point Reyes, near North Beach turn-off M.Ob. Chestnut-collared Longspur 10/3 Point Reyes, near North Beach turn-off M.Ob.

CONTRIBUTORS: Peter Colasanti, Ted Eliot, Joan Grosser, Keith Hansen, David Hofmann, Rae Hudspeth, Peter Leveque, Gerry Mugele, Dan Nelson, Tyler Cannon-Nelson, Rebecca Olsen, Benjamin D. Parmeter, Shona DeSilva, and Alan Wight.

Back to the home page