The life history of most marine mammals is inextricably linked to seasonal changes and climatic restrictions. Our speaker is Pieter Folkens, an accomplished naturalist and conservationist, internationally recognized as the finest contemporary illustrator of marine mammals. His talk will explore the causes of global climate change, historical evidence, and the public and political responses to predictions from both good and bad science. Participants will have their notions and understanding of global warming challenged in a lively, entertaining, and sometimes irreverent presentation.

Pieter Folkens' work can be seen in the new National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.). The detail and accuracy of his illustrations stems from extensive field experience that has taken him from the Amazon to the Arctic. Folkens has designed and sculpted more than a dozen cinematic cetaceans for feature films. He spends summers studying humpback whales and orcas in Alaska as a founding board member and a co-investigator of the Alaska Whale Foundation.

REMINDER: February and Madrone Audubon's Birdathon go together. This is our chapter's biggest fund-raiser. It provides funds for general meeting programs, conservation projects, teacher resources, Pee Wee Audubon and more. See page 7 for details and a sponsor pledge form.

Birdathon teams aren't just made up of veteran birders or birders who love marathon events. There's a whole array of styles and strategies to suit every type of birder and sponsor. Team coordinators write their sponsors a letter detailing the highlights of their day and a list of birds sighted. Whether you are a birder or a spectator sponsor, Birdathon is lots of fun.

These descriptions of last year's teams may help you choose one you'd like to support. You might even be inspired to start your own team and gather more sponsors.

¨ Gray-headed Searsuckers: This is a team of veteran birders, coordinated by Betty Burridge, that covers most of Sonoma County in a twenty-four hour period, resulting in a high count at the end of the day.

¨ Feather Questers: This team, coordinated by Diane Hichwa and Karen Nagel, also covers a large area, and sometimes takes advantage of the night hours to spot nocturnal birds (easy for Diane, who has an owl in her backyard!).

¨ Snipe Hunters: Last year this team, coordinated by Mary Abbott, spotted 111 birds, including Green-winged, Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teals; Hooded, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers; Common Moorhen, Sora, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle, and yes... a Snipe!

¨ Roadrunners: This team has been operating for 17 years, coordinated by Betty Groce, another veteran birder. Betty starts her birding day before dawn in her own yard and then moves to the rest of the county.

¨ Healdsburg Herons: Self-described beginner birders Barbara Stewart and Valerie White stayed in the Healdsburg area and used the Birdathon as an opportunity to improve their skills. They delighted in the sight of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet flashing his red crown several times and they welcome more experienced birders to help them increase the number of birds they spot.

¨ Daphne Smith and Joannie Dranginis: Once referred to as "The Officers", this team did a half-day's birding at Lake Ralphine, Spring Lake and Shollenberger Park in Petaluma in 2002 and counted 65 species.

¨ Jim and Elinor Taylor: This couple stayed within a one-mile radius of their home in Sonoma, birding near Rogers Creek and Sonoma Regional Park. In 2002, they combined their Birdathon efforts with their ongoing reports to the Cornell Ornithology Departments Bird Feeder Watch Survey. Their sights included a Red-breasted Sapsucker on the tulip tree in their own front yard.

¨ Northern Pygmy Owls: Claire Shurvinton coordinates this team of youngsters and their families as a Pee Wee Audubon event. They spotted 33 species in 2002.

You can be a big help to Madrone Audubon with a few hours of time! We still need a Corresponding Secretary to handle gathering mail and sending out donor thank-you notes. Also Anne Hudgins is unable at the moment to act as Outreach Chairman. This involves taking Audubon material to a few places during the year, such as the Russian River Celebration and the Pacific Flyway Festival-you might want to attend these events anyway!

Finally, Ken Wilson would be most happy to have someone fill in for him as Christmas Count Co-chair. Ken has been setting up the teams and team leaders for a number of years. He is willing to help when available, and Russ Agnew will continue to compile the data after the count, so it's a very short-term involvement, mostly in December.

Can you help? Contact Claire Shurvinton at 527-6118.

New NATIONAL Audubon Members: COTATI: Kyle Dane. GEYSERVILLE: Jan I. Drayer. GUERNEVILLE: Christie Vasse, Jeanette Evans. HEALDSBURG: William Levinthal. MONTE RIO: Denise Lombard. ROHNERT PARK: Amy Hedeen. SANTA ROSA: Mario Pascal, Nancy Schumacher, Beth & Chuck Whatford, Betty Grant. SEBASTOPOL: Allan & Laura Kernstein, Robert Swanson. SONOMA: Esther M. Cook, Harry Gilbert, Francoise Jacot, Nan Perrott, Valerie Stewart, Rick & Nancy Roellke. WINDSOR: Allyson Fielder.

New LOCAL Members: CAZADERO: Catherine Heater. CLOVERDALE: Pat Macias, Diane Voorhoeve. GLEN ELLEN: Susan Braito. HEALDSBURG: Jeanne & Jim Sternbergh. KENWOOD: Ruth Rudisill. MONTE RIO: The Richerts. SEBASTOPOL: John Klobas, Lorraine Bazan, Lindsi Quane, W. Bettina Toft. SANTA ROSA: Ann Le Brun-Burnett, Joyce MacLaury, John Ryan, Penny Hunter. WINDSOR: Linville, Herbst.

One of the best things about being a birder is that you can find birds anywhere. And if you choose your destinations carefully, knock-your-socks-off birding can be incorporated into a general tourist itinerary that pleases even the non-birders in your entourage.

A two-week visit to Hungary with my non-birding sister worked out well for both of us. After five days of congenial togetherness while getting to know Budapest, I took off alone to bird with Gerard Gorman, a professional bird guide. Sister Marie then had a day to herself, while I followed my passion for birding.

Gerard turned out to be more than just a marvelous, handsome, young bird guide. He accompanied me to the car rental agency and stood by to see that I was not being taken advantage of. He offered many helpful hints on safe travel in Hungary. And he drove the manual shift rental car first, orienting me to traffic signs and customs, speed limits, and the vagaries of Hungarian traffic.

Leaving the busy streets of Budapest, we headed south into the Kiskunsagi National Park and the Apaj Puszta. The Puszta, (actually "steppes") is a vast area of southern Hungary with wetlands and fertile agricultural lands that provide habitat for a wide variety of resident and migratory water birds, raptors, and the greatly sought-after resident Great Bustard, a huge turkey-like bird.

Passing through a small village, Gerard had to grin as he explained that its name, Bugyi, means 'panties' in Hungarian. Oh well, we almost have a town named "Got Milk?" Many of the fields that we passed were newly tilled, while some still had crops: lush vivid green alfalfa, bright orange winter squash, fading sunflowers waiting for the harvest. Other fields lay fallow, supporting a palette of delicate blue wild asters. There was little traffic on the two lane paved side roads and we felt relatively safe stopping almost anywhere.

Occasionally there would be a Eurasian Kestrel on a power pole or distant tree. A group of House Finch-like Corn Buntings sallied back and forth over the road alternately landing in bushes and power lines. And a Eurasian Sparrowhawk (a close relative of the Sharp-shinned Hawk) sailed by in swift pursuit of some unfortunate critter.

But our goal for that day was the very shy and difficult to find Great Bustard. With a total population in Hungary of about 1,000, this heaviest European bird (up to 40 pounds) hangs out in fields feeding on plants, seeds, insects, and small animals. Our eyes swept the landscape searching for anything that could be a Bustard. One book suggested that these birds could be mistaken at a distance for sheep.

As was to be expected, it was Gerard who spotted them first. Three heads were barely visible above a field of lush alfalfa at 100 yards. At first I had a hard time seeing them as they cautiously moved through the thick green vegetation. But we did an end run, and drove ahead to a muddy dirt road that brought us up behind them. The view was perfect for a few minutes as they slowly strutted along, but sensing our presence they suddenly flew low into the next field, only to disappear.

We continued alternately driving and stopping throughout the agricultural park for the next several hours. Harriers (Western Marsh, and Northern), Grey Partridge, an out-of-range Black Woodpecker, stunningly colored European Jays, Great-spotted Woodpeckers and many more birds showed themselves to us this same day.

As we traveled on, my eyes became keener for spotting these birds. At one point I began counting excitedly. As I got to 14 Gerard asked me what I was looking at. "Great Bustards," I replied, and before we were done there were 63 in that group. And surprisingly we encountered yet another field of Great Bustards for a grand total of 100 for the day. This is 10% of the Hungarian population. Though not a record number, this was about as many as Gerard had ever seen in Hungary in a single day.

This birding day had a rainy ending, but so what? It had been a great experience seeing beautiful new countryside, making friends with a fine fellow birder, and seeing all those Great Bustards and their Hungarian cohorts.

Shollenberger Park, Thursday, November 21
The weather was overcast, cold and windy but 34 people showed up to accompany tour leader Bob Dyer. Fifty species were identified. Several highlights: we were able to observe a Downy Woodpecker working on the base of a Coyote Bush from less than ten feet away. Also sighted: a Bonaparte's Gull, and a small flock of Blue-winged Teal, as well as several species of early arrival migratory waterfowl.

Shollenberger Park, Wednesday, December 18
Believing the weather forecasters who said the day would be sunny and clear, 19 birders joined Lew Edmondson at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma on a damp and very foggy day. On the plus side, the combination of recent heavy rain and around-the-clock pumping of the Petaluma River dredging spoils provided an abundance of water. By noon the sun came out, just as we completed the two-mile trek around the park with a tally of only 45 species. A report of a Burrowing Owl taking up residence in old rusty dredging pipes on the south side of the north paved path necessitated an additional hike to confirm its presence. The hike was well worth it. Another highlight included a Red Phalarope, rare inland, which was probably blown in by the recent storm. The species total was 54.

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuges,
Wednesday and Thursday, December 4 and 5
Sixteen birders coaxed by Richard Hurley found 89 species at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Colusa Refuge, Live Oak Cemetery (always a minor highlight of our trip) and Grey Lodge. Geese, ducks, hawks and sparrows were plentiful. The White-faced Ibis (related to storks, herons and spoonbills) was spotted. The ibis were venerated by ancient Egyptians, yet the ibis has been extinct in Egypt for a century. Maybe too much veneration. The trip was grand: the [Sierra] Buttes, the birds, the birders.

Bodega Bay, Thursday, December 12
Twenty-four birders led by Tom McCuller found 85 bird species around the Bodega Harbor area. High winds dominated for the entire trip, severely limiting passerine sightings. A Rough-legged Hawk found by Lew and Marilyn Edmondson near the Head was our most outstanding sighting. Two unsuccessful hunts filled significant parts of the bird walk: first, Don and LaVerne Richert sighted a potential Lapland Longspur, which subsequent forays did not relocate; then George Batchelder sighted a potential Wandering Tattler, which we also could not relocate. Yet, like most goal-driven activities, these unsuccessful, focused searches provided their own rewards.

Howarth Park, Thursday, January 2
Seventeen birders joined Jean Tonascia on a cool, overcast day to bird at Howarth Park and Spring Lake. Fifty-two species were observed. Highlights of the day were getting good views of the Red-breasted Sapsucker, many Cedar Waxwings and a Green Heron.

Point Reyes, Wednesday, January 8
On a wondrous, warm winter day at Point Reyes National Seashore, 17 kinetic birders accompanied Don McCarthy on an avian quest. The Earthquake Trail produced a cooperative Red-breasted Sapsucker (Bird of the Day). On Bolinas Lagoon there were numerous Long-billed Curlews. A sprinkling of supercilla were found among 71 species.

Now that the winter solstice has passed, our three preserves are stirring with each extra-minute-a-day of sunlight. Sometime this month Great Blue Herons will return to check out their nesting sites atop the redwoods and firs of Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. Late winter rains are finally bringing the deer, bobcat, and grey fox back to our streams and meadows full of running water and juicy green grass. A new crop of docents is graduating soon from 21 Wednesdays of training classes. And our Ranch Guides and Weekend Hosts are calendaring weekend days to join us during our 2003 public season.

Last year 138 of you wonderful volunteers from our Bay Area Audubon chapters gave 897 hours helping to meet and greet the weekend visitors to our heronry at Bolinas Lagoon. We hope you enjoyed getting to know some of our entertaining Great Blues, Great Egrets, and Snowies; we certainly enjoyed getting to know you better, and hope that you will return-or come for your first day of hosting-during this coming public season, March 15 to July 13. Please sign up with Madrone's ACR rep Janet Bosshard at 526-5883. You can also call us at (415) 868-9244 or visit us at our beautiful, newly revised website at www.egret.org.

Research and Resource Management
Our annual publication of The Ardeid is out, and it's a beauty, full of fine research and reports on "Invasive Spartina," Acorns and Ecosystems, "Raven Predation in Heronries," and "Sudden Oak Death." This exceptional publication, edited by our Cypress Grove Preserve Biologist, Dr. John Kelly, is offered each year to our field observers, volunteers, and supporters of the ACR Research and Resource Management Program. To receive a copy, please call Cypress Grove Preserve, (415) 663-8203. Subscriptions are available free of charge; however, contributions are gratefully accepted.

Some dates to start the New Year right:
Workday (and free lunch!) at Bouverie Preserve, Saturday, March 8. Call 938-4554.
Workday (and free lunch!) at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, Sunday, March 2. Call (415) 868-9244.
Guided nature walks at Bouverie Preserve: January 11 and 25, February 8, March 22, April 5 and 19, and May 10 and 17. Come see where the elusive Blue Grouse were sighted, and where clouds of wildflowers are painted on the meadows and trails. Lucky hikers are chosen by lottery. Form must be returned one month prior to the walk. Call 938-4554 for a lottery form.

Saturday, February 8, Noon to 2:00 PM and 2:00 to 4:00 PM (repeat)
"The Wonderful World of Bats" at the Central Santa Rosa Library

Once again the ever-popular Bat Lady, Patricia Winters, and her collection of batty friends will entertain us with slides, stories and facts about bats. There will also be games to play, bats to color and wear and delicious bat snacks to eat. If you love bats, or would just like to know a little more about them, don't miss this show! Call Shona to reserve your spot at 869-1577, and please specify whether you would like to attend from Noon-2 PM or from 2-4 PM.

We will meet at the boat ramp by Lake Ralphine at Howarth Park to bird the lake and surroundings for about one and one-half hours. Then those who want to can walk over to Spring Lake for a further hour or so. The object is to see, and record, as many species of birds as possible.

All are welcome to attend the walk; there is no charge. However, Birdathon is our main annual fundraiser to support Pee Wee activities, so we encourage participants to collect pledges, or pledge themselves. If you plan to attend the bird walk, would like more information, want to request a pledge sheet or pledge a donation to the Pee Wee team, please call Claire at 527-6118.

Kayla - I enjoyed looking at the dissected animals. I want to do that sometime.

Obi - I liked making the birdhouses and doing the screws. The lizards were funny when they stepped on each other.

Xanthia - I liked doing the birdhouses and looking at the lizards.

Matthew - I liked everything.

Sonoma County Tomorrow: Then and Now
Interested in the activist history of Sonoma County? Would you like to know more about the topics and folks listed below? The Sonoma County Conservation Council is presenting a monthly environmental speaker series:

Len and Adrienne Swensen of the Sierra Club and Peace & Justice. Sunday, February 16, 2-4 PM.
Martha Bentley of the Bird Rescue Center. Sunday, March 23, 2-4 PM.

Talks will be held at the Environmental Center, 404 A Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. For more information or to suggest speakers, please contact Linda Curry at 526-7865 or Portia Sinnott at 824-4790. You can also send an e-mail note to: speakers@envirocentersoco.org.

NOTEWORTHY! Many of the speakers who will describe their activist passions in Sonoma County during this series are Madrone Audubon members. The Swensens and Martha Bentley are members, as well as Ken Stocking, George Ellman and Marty Griffin, who are all scheduled to talk later this spring.

Aleutian Goose Festival: A Celebration of Wildness. March 21-24 in Crescent City, Del Norte County. Virtually the entire world population (40,000 +) of Aleutian Canada Geese, rescued from near extinction in 1967, arrives here in spring. It's also a great time to see winter-lingering waterfowl and experience the peak of whale migration. Information at 465-0888 or by email at soar2@northcoast.com. You can find a sampling of programs and order a registration booklet on the website: www.redwoodlink.com/soar.

Bald Eagle Conference. Falls, Oregon. February 14-16 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. 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: www.eaglecon.org.

Interested in being a docent?
FOP Naturalist Training Program: Four weekends (eight meetings), February 8 through March 2, 8:30 AM to 1 PM. After the training, volunteers are asked to do two seasons as docents leading groups of school children at Fairfield Osborn Preserve on Sonoma Mountain. There will be an orientation program at Sonoma State University on Tuesday, February 4, 5 to 7 PM in Stevenson Hall, room 2011. For more information call 795-5069.

WildCare Nature Guides: Saturdays, February 8 through April 12. WildCare (Terwilliger Nature Education and Wildlife Rehabilitation) has provided outdoor learning experiences at Spring Lake Park for school children from Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties for the past 13 years. The training sessions are at the WildCare center in San Rafael, with field trip observations at Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa. For information contact Julie Malet at (415) 453-1000, ext. 12, or Maria Rowell at maria@sonomakids.com.

Laguna Docent Training: Mondays, Noon to 4:00 PM, from March 10 through May 19. The Laguna Foundation's docent program teaches 3rd and 4th graders about the Laguna de Santa Rosa-the largest fresh water wetland in Sonoma County. Ten sessions of training by experts in biology, natural history and environmental education. For information and application, please call the Foundation office at 824-2966.

Upcoming classes with John Klobas
Offered through SRJC Community Education. Call 527-4372 for information and registration.

In Search of Eagles, Saturday, February 22, 9-5 PM
A one-day trip to visit the habitats in Yolo and Colusa Counties favored by both Bald and Golden Eagles. We meet in Davis, bird our way to the Cache Valley, then Rumsey Canyon, and finish the day at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.

Grizzly Island Wildlife, Saturday, March 22, 10-6 PM
We meet at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma for warm-up birding, then travel on to Rush Ranch and Grizzly Island for a day (and early evening!) of birding for waterfowl, waterbirds, owls, hawks, land birds and mammals. We'll stay until dusk, that magic time of "owl light" when Short-eared Owls emerge to replace Northern Harriers in the open fields of this natural jewel on the edge of San Pablo Bay.

Offered through Point Reyes Field Seminars.
Call (415) 663-1200 for information and registration.

Owls, Saturday, March 15, 4-9 PM
Learn about the owls of the Point Reyes Peninsula in this evening adventure. Beginning with slides and discussion, we'll take what we learn into various owl haunts to hear, and perhaps view, Spotted, Screech, Great Horned, and Barn owls.

Madrone OnLine-the place to go!

Have YOU checked out our website? Many others have, according to web editor Jeff Holtzman. Our web host recently reported that the site has a lot of "traffic" (and no bottlenecks!). Madrone OnLine, at http://Audubon.sonoma.net, draws nearly 200 visitors per day, and these visitors tend to stay longer than on many similar sites-an average of 17 minutes per visit. Keep up the good work, Jeff!

Please cut out and return the form below to be a sponsor for Madrone's 2003 Birdathon. You can choose to sponsor one of the teams mentioned on the front page of this newsletter, or if you prefer to develop a team of your own, contact Birdathon coordinator Joyce MacLaury at 526-9315 or e-mail her at jmacl@sonic.net. She will be happy to send you sponsor sheets and additional information.

[Birdathon cut-out--This form to be boxed, as last year]

Sponsor Form

Name ____________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
Phone ____________________________________________________________
My pledge is $ __________ per bird or a flat amount of $ _____________
Team or individual you are sponsoring (if any) ____________________________

We will contact you after February to redeem your pledge. If you would like us to send you a report on your team's or the overall results check this box:

Please return this form to Madrone Audubon Society, P.O. Box 1911, Santa Rosa, CA 95402, Attn: Birdathon.

If you do your Birdathon count (or any count of 15 minutes or longer) on one of these four days, you can contribute the data to bird conservation. The National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have joined to build an important index of North American birds which helps researchers monitor changes in the distribution and abundance of birds across the continent.

How do you participate? Instructions for submitting a report are available at the web site, as are the results from previous counts, plus bird songs and images. Go to www.birdsource.org/gbbc, or go to your phone and contact the Cornell Lab at (800) 843-2473.

Red-necked Grebe (7) 12/29 Doran Jetty and vicinity R Merriss, JW, DN
Pacific Loon 12/23 Hudemann Slough TE
Wood Duck (up to 35) 11/1-12/10 6 mi. E. of Geyserville (el. 1400') CB Eurasian Wigeon Nov.-Jan. Bodega Harbor M.OB.
Redhead 12/ Shollenberger Park AW
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 12/16 off Duncan's Landing KW
American Bittern 11/13 Hudemann Slough BDP
Brown Booby ( imm.) Dec.-Jan. Pillar Pt. Harbor, San Mateo County M.Ob. Golden Eagle (2) 11/16 Two Rock area LB
Golden Eagle (ad.) 12/15 Los Alamos Road IM
Ferruginous Hawk 11/24 Bodega Farm Pond JK, SK
Rough-legged Hawk 12/10-23 Adobe Road; Stage Gulch Road RAR Rough-legged Hawk 12/23 near Roblar and Carmody Roads DN, TCN Peregrine Falcon (3) 11/24 Bodega Farm Pond JK, SK
Peregrine Falcon (ad.) 1/11 Bodega Head TS
Peregrine Falcon (juv.) Dec.-Jan. Petaluma (daily in late afts. on tower) DN, et al Merlin 11/6, 11/28 6 mi. E. of Geyserville CB
Merlin 1/4 Hudemann Slough KW
Turkey Vulture (leucistic ind.) Nov.-Jan. Marin Headlands M.Ob.
Black Rail 12/29 Doran Park RAR, BG
Black Rail (2+) 1/16 Shollenberger Park DN
Short-eared Owl (2) 12/4 Ramal Road RL
Short-eared Owl (2) Dec.-Jan. Shollenberger Park DN, AW
Nutting's Flycatcher 1/2-11 Santa Cruz neighborhood (2nd State record) M.Ob. Barn Swallow 12/15 River Road pond AW
Gray Catbird (overwintering) Dec.-Jan. Moss Beach, San Mateo County M.Ob. Rusty Blackbird Dec.-Jan. Sunnyvale, Santa Clara County M.Ob.
Varied Thrush 12/6 6 mi. E. of Geyserville CB
Varied Thrush 12/9 Post St. (near downtown Petaluma) DN
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 12/6-8 Bloomfield (1st year male) FJ, MJ Rose-breasted Grosbeak 12/29 Behind Rail Ponds on C.B.C. BB et al
Lark Sparrow 1/12 Bear Flag Road TS
White-throated Sparrow (3) 10/15-1/ Glen Echo Drive LB
White-throated Sparrow 11/16 Downtown Santa Rosa GW
Western Tanager 11/28 Cloverdale area RM
Western Tanager 12/15 River Road pond AW
Lapland Longspur 12/3-7 Bodega Head (photographed) EL,BDP,DH,DN

CONTRIBUTORS: Chester Bowles, Larry Broderick, Betty Burridge, Ted Eliot, Betty Groce, David Hofmann, Fred & Marianne Jacobs, John Klobas, Sarah Klobas, Rick Lebadour, Eric Lichtwardt, Roger Marlowe, Richard Merriss, Ian Morrison, Dan Nelson, Tyler Cannon-Nelson, Benjamin D. Parmeter, Ruth A. Rudesill, Teri Shore, Glo Wellman, Jim White, Alan Wight & Ken Wilson.

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