kittitas audubon • www.kittitasaudubon.orgThe Hooter • Kittitas Audubon’s Newsletter

All Audubon meetings, held on the 3rd Thursday of each month, 7:00pm, September through May (except December), at the Hal Holmes Center next to the Ellensburg Public Library, are open to the public. Please come and meet with us, and stay afterwards for juice, treats, and conversation.

Many thanks to the Ellensburg Public Library for sponsoring our meetings!

November 2019

7:00pm • November 21st • General Program

There’s a Fungus Among Us!What lurks beneath us on earth’s carpet? Can I safely eat that? What purpose does that organism serve? Find out at November’s program on the 21st!Helen Lau will introduce the audience to the secret life of fungi and discuss some of their ecological functions. She will share images of some of our most common local fungi and common edible fungi as well as their look-a-likes. Helen Lau is a botanist for the USFS on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. She manages the rare botanical species (plants, lichens, bryophytes and fungi), native plant restoration and invasive plant program on the Cle Elum Ranger District. Helen’s research interests are in fungi biodiversity and she received an undergraduate degree at Evergreen State College and her master’s degree on mycorrhizae ecology in the Biological Sciences Department at Central Washington University.

The mission of Kittitas Audubon is to develop an appreciation of nature through education and conservation,

with a focus on birds.

Photos provided by Helen Lau

PRESIDENT Judy Hallisey ................270.792.9188

VICE PRESIDENT Jan Demorest ...............509.933.1179

SECRETARY Jim Briggs .....................509.933.2231

TREASURER Sharon Lumsden .........509.968.3889

CLIMATE CHANGE Barry Brunson ..............270.792.9186

CONSERVATION Norm Peck ....................509.933.4233

EDUCATION Open Position .........contact us!

FIELD TRIPS Steve Moore ..................509.933.1179

HISTORIAN Open Position .........contact us!

MEMBERSHIP Kris Kaylor .....................509.304.4103

PAST PRESIDENT Tom Gauron ..................509.968.3175

PROGRAMS Lesley McGalliard .........509.933.2812

PUBLICITY Open Position .........contact us!

SCHOLARSHIPS Gloria Baldi ...................509.933.1558

NEWSLETTER Kris Kaylor .....................509.304.4103

* BLUEBIRD BOXES Jan Demorest .............509.933.1179

* SOCIAL GREETER Kay Forsythe ...............509.925.2356

* CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT Phil Mattocks

KAS Board Meetings are held at 4:30pm on the 1st Thursday of each month at the Methodist Church across from The Ellensburg Library. These meetings are open to the public and all Audubon members—please come and join in the discussions. Meetings adjourn by 6:00 or 6:30pm, then we all go out for a sociable dinner—NO business discussion allowed! *Non-voting members

Board Members

The Hooter • Novembert 2019 • Kittitas Audubon’s Newsletter2

By Gloria Baldi

Following is a brief summary of the September 5th Board minutes:

Announcements• Injured birds from Kittitas County have previously been taken to Blue Mountain Wildlife in Pendleton,

Oregon. Because of a state requirement for interstate avian transport, BMW may no longer be able to take the birds unless an Oregon Veterinarian decrees the bird is disease free, a monetarily prohibitive requirement (as well as a senseless requirement).

• A discussion on hummingbirds ensued. It was suggested leaving feeders out through the month of October for those hummers migrating later than others. In the case of the Anna’s Hummingbirds, which do not migrate, discussion centered on heated feeders, or how to keep a feeder from freezing. If you do have an Anna’s coming daily to your feeder, please contact KAS for possible feeder solutions.

Audubon Conference of Washington was attended by Judy Hallisey and Barry Brunson. • The big news was the impending release of the October 10th Audubon Climate Initiative listing 389

species of North American birds on the brink of survival due to climate change, habitat destruction, cats, windows, and more. 140 million points of observation are included in the data. (The latest issue of the Audubon has detailed information.)

• The next national Audubon Conference will be in Tacoma in 2021.

Conservation/Wildlife• Norm Peck is monitoring the early scoping of the wolf recovery program. • The south end Wenas shooting range continues to be developed.• Judy Hallisey wrote the PUD about an osprey nest that had been removed.• Judy has been approved to be a member of the Nature Conservancy Checkerboard Project, with the

goal of managing the lands as community forests.

Climate Change• Thanks to all the KAS members and Climate Change people who participated in the worldwide climate

strike on September 20th. There were 200 to 300 participants rather than 100 reported by the Daily Record.

Old Business• A grant for the ‘butterfly garden’ at Helen McCabe Park is being pursued.• The solar farm siting resolution was discussed at WA State Audubon, and continues to be refined.

Scholarship• Kiana Rose, a senior at CWU and one of KAS’s present scholarship recipients, spoke about her project.

She is surveying the birds found at Englehorn Pond and the Native Plant Garden on the CWU campus, an area near the CWU Parking Facility and not accessible to the public. Therefore bird behavior is rather undisturbed. Total acreage is 1.97 with 0.82 acre in pond habitat and the balance in wetlands and a garden….all designated as a critical area by the City of Ellensburg. The primary question of her research is: what is the species composition, diversity and abundance of birds at Englehorn Pond?

• Secondary questions include determining if there are climate-sensitive species in the area, what factors are disturbing the health of the pond and garden ecosystems, and are there steps the CWU Biology Department could take to restore and improve the habitat.

• Kiana will publish a booklet of the birds and findings to be used by teachers and students.The next Board meeting is November 7th. Come join us.

The 2019 KAS Christmas Bird Count is happening on December 14th. More information will be in the

December Hooter, but if you intend to count, please mark your calendar!

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October 5th

1st Saturday BirdWalkReport by Steve Moore. Photos by Kris Kaylor

We had 10 walkers on a cool sunny morning with a definite autumn feel to the air. Our winter residents are arriving and settling in: juncos just getting in from the forests, many Steller’s Jays around and perhaps arriving from upland areas, and some less common birds for these woods (chased in by cooler weather maybe?)***********************: Spotted Towhee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Fox Sparrow. No ducks, but a couple of Pied-billed Grebes in the upper pond. Still around after summer were a Warbling Vireo, and small groups of Yellow-rumped Warblers gleaning bugs off the branches and moving from tree to tree. We tallied 24 species.

The Big Event of the day was finding a dark lump perched in a tree at the edge of the river, evidently patient enough to bear several moments of our scrutiny with the binocs. Careful looking resolved the dark cap-with-earflaps of a Peregrine Falcon, by now looking at us with suspicious interest. As we watched, a shape, a missile, crossed our field of view from upper right to left and disappeared in a tree – it was like seeing a meteor when you don’t expect it. Some large bird, of course, and the falcon flushed immediately, screaming its discomfort up the river, then back again overhead. It returned another time or two after some minutes, still keening. That was some angry bird! Next, we moved left-wise through the woods and found the object of its ire, sitting non-plussed on an inclined branch: a Great Horned Owl, who remained there, half- interested in us, for 5 minutes or more. Wonder why it flew in like that? – perhaps it had seen the falcon and wanted a more secluded perch. Anyway, both characters gave us a good show and a memorable

Oregon Shorebird Festivalby Dick and Terry Carkner

The 33rd Oregon Shorebird Festival was the weekend of September 20 in Charleston, Oregon, just south of Coos Bay. We gathered at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology to register. They offered lodging but we drove down in our camper. The RV park was within walking distance to the Institute and several restaurants.They offered 3 different tours Saturday and two on Sunday plus a pelagic tour. We signed up for the Bandon Marsh and beach trip for Saturday and the pelagic tour for Sunday. At the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife refuge observation deck we saw Black-bellied Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, a MewGull and Surf Scoters. The tide was going out so the birds were pretty far out. Lots of gulls and cormorants. We drove around to the south jetty to find Wandering Tattlers, and Black Turnstones. Further down the coast at China Creek along Bandon Beach we looked for the Western Snowy Plovers. At Face Rock we added a Common Murre to the list. The Tufted Puffins and Black Oystercatchers nest on these rocks in the spring so we might make a trip back there in the spring. We had three good leaders with scopes and we were surprised that no one had a field guide. I had mine! It was a lovely fall day, perfect for birding. Unfortunately, rain was forecast for the pelagic tour on Sunday but we were prepared with rain gear, muck boots to keep our feet dry, and patches behind our ears to help prevent motion sickness.Sunday morning we got up very early to catch the pelagic tour in hopes of seeing and adding a lot of new birds to my life list. Oregon Pelagic Tours led this five hour tour. Our guides, both named Tim, were enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. We went about 13 miles out on the rolling seas with gulls always following us. We saw Sooty Shearwaters, Rhinoceros Auklet, Cassin’s Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot and Red-necked Phalarope close to shore as we motored out of the bay. They attracted birds to the boat with fish oil and bits of beef fat so the birds came swooping in close to feed. Tim pointed out a Pomarine Jaeger stealing food from a gull, as he ran from one side of the boat to the other. Had to look quick to see that event. We saw Kittiwakes, Northern Fulmar, and Arctic Terns. A Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel was a pretty little bird, we saw him again and again. It was exciting to be able to see a bird often enough to actually identify the next time I saw it. Tim saw a Tufted Puffin but it was gone in the waves before I got to see it so I didn’t count that. Next time.We also saw seals, and whales, one almost too close! It was a very enjoyable experience, and I added 24 new birds to my life list.

The Hooter • Novembert 2019 • Kittitas Audubon’s Newsletter4

Bird’s Eye View Window Films Reduce Bird Strikesby Meghan Anderson

As we have discovered from the work Audubon has done to help understand the bird population crisis, they have identified steps we can take as individuals to help support bird populations locally.

First, we can keep our cats indoors. Second, we can put films, stickers and hang decorative items in our large picture windows to help prevent bird strikes. There are other applications also available to reduce window strikes.

Last year, I installed some of these devices, the Bird’s Eye View product line. The can be found online at abirdseyeview.com.

The website states the following:

“Artscape, the leader in privacy and decorative window film, developed Bird’s Eye View to help reduce bird strikes by making the glass more visible to birds. The unique geometric lenses refract UV light and have proven highly effective in reducing bird window collisions. It is estimated that in the US alone nearly a billion birds are killed annually from window strikes. This product emits light where bird vision is sensitive but human vision is not. This allows birds to differentiate reflections in windows from actual habitat while remaining aesthetically pleasing to people.

The films absorbs light peaking at 410 nanometers (nm) and reemits the light peaking at 450 nm. Bird vision extends well into the ultraviolet range and is near maximum sensitivity at 450 nm. To birds, Bird’s Eye View film presents a bright blue glow spreading out in all directions across the window surface disrupting the reflection of habitat.” You can read more laboratory tests online at the website.

The first year we moved into our home, we had many strikes. The second year, I installed some of the Bird’s Eye View decals, but not as many as I should have. We also began drawing our solar shades during the morning hours, when the birds were the most active. We had very few strikes the next year with these precautions.

We also moved our bird bath away from our viewing area and placed in on the side of the house, so the birds wouldn’t launch from the bird bath through our house. This move was very effective. We have bluebird nest boxes around our home, and placed them out of sight of the large windows as a precaution.

I’ve included pictures of my installation this year of the Bird’s Eye View products, they recommend (2) of the 6”x6” films per window and (4) of the 4”x4” films per window.

I’ll let you know next year how our precautions work with these completed installations and lowering sun shades during the morning hours.

As Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, has stated; ‘Everything we do matters’.

A view of a window with the solar shade drawn. Solar shades let you see the view, while reducing solar glare.

Image of the Day: No Longer EndangeredBack from the brink of near-extinction, the Kirtland’s warbler population has grown and expanded its range.The Scientist, Oct 11, 2019, Emily Makowski

The Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), one of the first animals to be placed on the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered Species List, has made a comeback. The species was removed from the list on Tuesday (October 8), according to a press release from the American Bird Conservancy.

The population of Kirtland’s Warblers was down to fewer than 200 individuals during parts of the 1970s and 1980s and only found in

Michigan. After a decades-long effort by conservation groups, the birds rebounded to more than 2,300 breeding pairs by 2015, double the original goal. Their range now covers parts of Wisconsin and Canada as well.

“The delisting of the Kirtland’s Warbler is cause for celebration and proof that the Endangered Species Act works,” says Shawn Graff, the vice president of the American Bird Conservancy’s Great Lakes program, in the press release. “But this warbler is still among the rarest, most range-restricted migratory songbirds in North America. It is conservation-reliant, meaning that continued management efforts are imperative for the population to hold its ground and continue to expand.”

Emily Makowski is an intern at The Scientist. Email her at emakowski@the-scientist.com.

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Survial by Degrees: 389 Species on the BrinkSubmitted by Barry Brunson

The 2019 Climate Change report from National Audubon is out, in print, and online! Every KAS member should take a look at it, and then continue taking further looks at it. Headline: “Two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction from global temperature rise.”

The original 2014 Audubon report concluded that over half of North American species were threatened. The maps displayed habitat ranges as of 2000, and users could observe the changes that were predicted for 2020, 2050, and 2080, if we didn’t change direction.

The new report displays habitat ranges as they are now, and users can observe predicted changes, assuming a global temperature increase of 1.5º, 2.0º, and 3.0º Celsius. The differences often are dramatic!

The 2014 report was a great achievement. The new one is vastly more so: • More data sources (70 vs 2), tremendously more records (140

million vs 45 thousand)• All of North America (just US and Canada before)• 1 km resolution vs 10 km resolution in maps

• New variables, including vegetation, land use, agriculture, urbanization, surface water

• Habitat-based analysis (grassland, boreal, arctic, etc.)• Localized impacts (sea level rise, fire, drought, false springs, etc.)

Birds and Climate Visualizer This is a signature interactive feature. You enter your zip code or state, and you get:• A list (with pictures) of the birds there, with species sorted by high/

medium/low vulnerability or stable• That list changes as you click on +1.5º, +2.0º, or +3.0º. The

differences often are dramatic!• Scroll down a little farther, and you see a map of that location,

showing the current range for a particular bird. The range changes as you click on +1.5º, + 2.0º, or +3.0º. The differences often are dramatic! (Sorry to be repetitious, but the context deserves it.)

Go to https://tinyurl.com/y2agsnly (scroll down bit to get to the Visualizer).

The entire report Go to audubon.org. At the bottom of the page, click on the link that reads: “Two-thirds of North American birds are at increasing risk of extinction || Read On”. Or, just go directly to https://www.audubon.org/climate/survivalbydegrees.

Not just gloom and doom The report pulls no punches, but, there is room for hope. Two-thirds of bird species are at risk. But if we (as a household, community, nation, world) take concerted action, we could protect 75% of them.

Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, speaking of climate change and the environment more broadly, said “… if we get hopeless, we lose. We’re in the fight of our lives. Get tough!” [See the Sep 2018 Climate Change Communication for source. The ellipsis masks a further statement that I will share privately with anyone who emails me to ask for it.]

What concerted action?• Reduce use of energy: support energy-saving policies.• Ask elected officials to expand clean energy development.• Reduce carbon emissions• Advocate for natural solutions• Tell your elected officials that climate and conservation are

election issues!• Make those concerns felt at the ballot box!

Note: The original 2014 report prompted KAS to establish a Climate Change Committee, which I have been privileged to chair.

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that

feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”—Henry Van Dyke

The Hooter • Novembert 2019 • Kittitas Audubon’s Newsletter6

November 2019 • Barry Brunson, Chair, Climate Change Committee

Billions of Birds Gone! This was a justifiably major story, when it broke just a bit too late for me to include in the Oct Hooter. The new national Audubon “Survival by Degrees” report takes center stage, of course, and has its own blurb elsewhere, but it just adds further emphasis to this “missing birds” story, which appeared in a wide range of newspapers, magazines, and other outlets. The title in The Scientist is “North America Has 3 Billion Fewer Birds Than it Did in 1970”, by Catherine Offord, and dated 19 Sep. See https://tinyurl.com/y6mylxvk.

For context, this represents a 25% - 30% decline; it’s not due to climate change alone, and it’s not just “threatened and endangered species”: common species, including backyard birds, are included. Further emphasis comes from Kenyon College ornithologist Natalie Wright, who was not involved in the study: “There’s always uncertainty, but if they are wrong, they are likely underestimating the magnitude of population declines.” Offord’s article includes a link to the peer-reviewed research in the AAAS journal Science, the abstract of which contains this: “… extinction begins with loss in abundance …”.

A companion Science article by Elizabeth Pennisi, dated 20 Sep, reminds us of the Passenger Pigeon. That abstract is at https://tinyurl.com/y6mylxvk, but the entire article is behind the AAAS paywall.

Major Bank Sees the Writing on the Wall Have you ever heard of BNP Paribas? I hadn’t, but that French bank ranks among the top ten in the world, in terms of total assets (I saw it listed as #5, #8, or #9, depending on who does the reporting). In any event, they have serious chops in the financial world. Their Aug 2019 report “for professional investors” is entitled

“Wells, Wires, and Wheels … EROCI and the Tough Road Ahead for Oil”, by Mark Lewis, their Global Head of Sustainability Research. The acronym EROCI denotes Energy Return on Capital Invested. That measure impels the author to say:

“We conclude that the economics of oil for gasoline and diesel vehicles versus wind- and solar-powered EVs are now in relentless and irreversible decline, with far-reaching implications for both policymakers and the oil majors.”

(The context is that of electric vehicles being charged by wind and solar power, not EVs carrying their own solar panels or wind turbines mounted on the roof!) For the gruesome (or encouraging, depending on your point of view) details, go to the BNP Paribas “Investor’s Corner” at https://tinyurl.com/y395rzm5; this will give highlights as well as a link to the full report in pdf form. Note: I learned of this report via a 12 Aug 2019 article “BNP Paribas Says The Party Is Over For Oil Companies” by Steve Hanley, on the CleanTechnica website at https://tinyurl.com/y22656u6.

KAS is looking for passionate, individuals to fill these board positions:

PUBLICITY CHAIR • EDUCATION CHAIRHISTORIAN

Please email Judy Hallisey: hydrojude@gmail.com if you are interested.

7 kittitas audubon • www.kittitasaudubon.org 7

Kittitas Audubon Society MEMBERSHIP FORM

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Membership Options: KAS Individual $20 Family $30

Premium Memberships: Bluebird $50 Kestrel $75 Hawk $100 Lifetime Individual $300 Lifetime Family $500

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Scholarship Fund $________ Nest Boxes $________Education $________ General $________Your generous donation to a specific project is symbolic. Kittitas Audubon is a chapter of

Nation Audubon Society serving the communities of Kittitas County, Washington. Go to kittitasaudubon.org for more information. KAS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Please indicate membership preferences below:

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THANK YOU!

Please make checks payable to: Kittitas Audubon Society PO Box 1443 Ellensburg WA 98926

GET “THE HOOTER” ONLINESave paper, printing, postage. If you would prefer to receive

the electronic version, send your name, mailing address, and email address to: kittitasaudubon@hotmail.com

Each month, we’ll send you an email with a link to the new Hooter.

Hand-crafted Bluebird, Kestrel, and Barn Owl Boxes by Tom Gauron

Please contact Tom at 509.968.3175 for more information.

INTERESTED IN BIRD BOXES?

Thank You in Advance for

Your Membership!

Board MeetingMeet at 4:30pm at the Methodist Church on the corner of 3rd and Ruby. ROOM 3

November 7thDecember 5th

Thursday ProgramsStart at 7:00pm • Hal Homes

Thursday, November 21stSee front page for all the details!

PO Box 1443Ellensburg, WA 98926

Mark Your Calendars!First Saturday BirdWalksIrene Rinehart Park on Umptanum Road at 8 AM for a 3-hour walk

November 2ndMany birds have left for parts south; boreal birds will be heading our way. Jan and Steve lead; 509-933-1179 for info.

December 7th

Thursday Program! Join us

November 21st!

November 2019 Kittitas Audubon Hooter

THANK YOU! KITTITAS COUNTY BUSINESS

SUPPORTING KAS!

Inland Internet • Roslyn Donates Internet service

for our website: http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

Old Mill Country Store • Ellensburg Provides a discount on

bird seed to KAS members. Happy Thansgiving!