The Hooter Kittitas Audubon October 2017

All Audubon meetings, held on the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Hal Holmes Center next

to the Library, September through May (except December), are open to the public. Please

come and meet with us. A brief business session precedes the program. Stay afterwards for

juice, treats, and conversation.

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

Membership Meeting - Thursday, October 19th, 2017

“Birding in Cuba ~ Tobacco & Rum” presented by Judy Hallisey, KAS President

7:00 PM at Hal Holmes Center next to the library ~ 209 Ruby Street

Cuba, the largest island of the West Indies, lies just 90 miles south of the continental US, but seems so very far away. Since 1959, this island has been in-accessible to most Americans and the topic of much discord in our government. But in December, 2014, relations between the USA and Cuba began to warm and travel became possible. Judy Hallisey traveled to Cuba in the spring of 2017 to learn about the cul-ture, history, and landscapes of Cuba, and yes, to go birding! Traveling with a small group led by biolo-gists from Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, she listed 26 of the 28 endemic birds of Cuba with a total of

138 bird spe-cies and visited 17 different habitat types. But the trip was so much more than birds! Upon landing in this intriguing country, she knew right away that this country was different from what had been expected. From old classic cars to animal-drawn carts, to Fla-menco dancing and Latin music to ancient Spanish church bell towers, Cuban culture was as heavy in the air as the humidity. Judy will share her birding experiences along with her insights into Cuba’s history, its current state, and its people. Judy Hallisey is the current president of Kittitas Audubon Society and active in Audubon’s climate change initiative. She has a life-long passion for natural resources and holds a BS in Forest Re-sources and an MS in Watershed Science. After a career with the Forest Service and retiring as District Ranger in Cle Elum, Judy now combines her love of birds with love of traveling. ~ photos by Judy Hallisey

Bee Hummingbird

Havana street scene

Page 2 The Hooter

Board Notes by Gloria Baldi

Minutes and Treasurer’s reports were approved.

Reports on birds, especially the migration of specific species, were given:

• Jan Demorest and Steve Moore counted 525 Vaux Swifts entering Johnson’s Auto Glass on South 1

st Street in Ya-

kima. Since the demolition of the old hospital in Ellensburg there have been only a few reports of the swifts entering

chimneys of local private homes for night roosting. (Please

let a board member know if you observe swifts roosting

locally.)

• A rare Swallow-tailed Gull has been sighted in Seattle, very far from its home in the Galapagos. It has remained in the area for a few weeks.

Jan and Steve also counted shorebirds in the Columbia Basin for International Shorebird Day.

Thanks to Tom and Diane Gauron for leading the September First Saturday BirdWalk.

There was a short discussion on recognizing donors, and how they should be entered in the membership categories. It was decided to have a separate list with no annual membership request.

At the October Board meeting, one of our scholarship recipients, Lindsey Millward, will give a short presentation on her research project. Our second recipient, Scott Kugel, will attend the Novem-ber Board meeting. A discussion ensued about a number of ideas that recipients might perform for KAS.

Climate Change

• Barry Brunson with Tom and Diane Gauron participated in a discussion following the viewing of An Inconvenient Truth Sequel in Roslyn.

• Judy Hallisey gave a climate change presentation to the Upper County Rotary Club with help from Barry.

Barry Brunson continues to work with Our Environment and others responding to the City’s questions about the solar power resolution.

Discussion continued about membership, specifically National Audubon ‘only’ members and phasing out the paper Hooter with the exception of a few copies. No decisions were made, but our by-laws will need updating once we do decide.

Advertising in the Hooter was discussed. It was decided that if a person has items for sale related to birds, birding or bird conserva-tion, the ad can be placed with the editor determining the appropri-ateness.

Join us October 5th across from the Library and meet our scholar-

ship recipient. Gloria Baldi

Send in your stories & photos!

The Hooter is the

newsletter of Kit-

titas Audubon,

published monthly

except for July.

~~~~~~~

Submissions from readers are most welcome and encouraged!

The editor reserves the right to edit for

space, grammar, and/or suitability.

Email text and/or photos to bob-

cat@kvalley.com or snail mail to Jan

Demorest, Hooter Editor, 712 E 2nd

Ave, Ellensburg, WA 98926. Sub-

missions need to be in by the

20th of the preceding month.

KAS BOARD MEMBERS President – Judy Hallisey 270-792-9188

Vice President – Barb Masberg 509-406-3104

Secretary – Jim Briggs 933-2231

Treasurer – Sharon Lumsden 968-3889

Conservation – Norm Peck 933-4233

Education – OPEN

Field Trips – Steve Moore

Historian – Gloria Lindstrom 925-1807

Programs – committee 933-1179

Publicity – Meghan Anderson 253-987-7629

Scholarship – Gloria Baldi 933-1558

Climate Change–Barry Brunson: 270-792-9186

Past President – Tom Gauron 968-3175

*Newsletter – Jan Demorest 933-1179

*Membership – OPEN

*Bluebird boxes – Jan Demorest 933-1179

*Social Greeter – Kay Forsythe 925-2356

*Christmas Bird Count–Phil Mattocks

*non-voting members

KAS Board Meetings are held at 4:30

PM ~ 1st Thursday of each month at

the Methodist Church across from

The Ellensburg Public 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 6:30, then we all go

out for a sociable dinner ~ NO busi-

ness discussion allowed!

What You Missed! Evolution of Birds Program

What an evening! Connie Sidles, Master Birder and author, has a degree in Egyptology from the University of Chicago where she also stud-ied paleontology.

Connie kept us on the edge of our seats as we moved through history from 130 million years ago to the present. It was a masterful presen-tation which included fossilized images of the earliest dinosaurs with feathers. Connie de-scribed the structures of feather and bone en-gaging the audience in sequences of ‘wing flap-ping’ to help demonstrate her evaluations of bird anatomy. When we finally arrived at the slides of the first real ‘bird’ in the fossil records, the journey of the ‘Evolution of Birds’ made complete sense. The artists’ renderings of these creatures was compelling!

A big KAS ‘Thanks’ to Connie for a wonderful presentation that instructed, engaged and en-tertained us all.

~ Meghan Anderson

Don’t miss another one of these fascinat-ing programs! This month, we travel to Cuba with KAS president, Judy Hallisey, for birds, culture, and landscapes. (see page 1)

Field Trip Reports Page 3 The Hooter

September 1st ~ First Saturday Birdwalk, Irene Rinehart Park ~ Only one other person joined Diane & I. A calm, clear-sky day, starting off about 60o, warming to 70 by the time we re-turned to our cars.

We saw 17 bird species plus a beaver:

Red-winged Blackbird Downy Woodpecker

American Robin Western Wood Peewee

Starling Northern Flicker

Red-tailed Hawk Song Sparrow

Killdeer Brown-headed Cowbird

Eurasian Collared Dove Great Blue Heron

Belted Kingfisher Black-capped Chickadee

Cedar Waxwing Osprey

Turkey Vulture

~ Tom Gauron

The Archaeopteryx's body structure is very close to that of the dinosaurs (artist’s rendering)

April 13-15, 2018. Guided birding trips, boat

tours, live auction & raffle, gala banquet, and

more. Our featured speaker: nature guide/

photographer Claudio Vidal. Enjoy a three-day

pre-festival birding cruise of the San Juan Is-

lands, April 10-12. Stay on for our Neah Bay

post-trip on April 16-17: two days birding coastal

Washington. Program information and registra-

tion at www.olympicbirdfest.org

It may seem early, but the field trips and

boat trips fill quickly. These are excellent

trips - plan ahead!

Did you take your feeders down for the summer? Well, now it’s time to bring them out, give them a good clean-ing, and fill them with fresh seeds for our feathered friends who are passing through on their migration travels, and for our resident birds settling in for the winter.

Here’s an article from Bend, OR, by Kevin Lair, of Wild Birds Unlimited 4/7/07.

1) What plants are used for wild bird food, and where are they grown?

1. Black oil Sunflower seed - Midwest, plains states

2. Striped Sunflower seed - Midwest, plains states

3. Safflower - Utah, Southern California

4. White Proso Millet - Midwest, plains states

5. Peanuts - Southeast US

6. Corn - Midwest

7. Nyjer - India, Myanmar, east Africa

8. Tree Nuts (Almonds, Filberts, Cashews, Brazil Nuts)

9. Cherries, Cranberries, Raisins: dehydrated, processed for human consumption.

Seeds often used as filler - birds tend not to eat, but is cheap and adds weight:

Milo/Sorghum - Midwest, plains states

Red Millet - Midwest, plains states

Oats - Midwest, plains states

Canary Grass Seed - Midwest, plains states

Rape Seed - Midwest, plains states

With the exception of Nyjer, all seeds are grown domestically. Therefore, if there are any weed seed contaminants they are apt to be plants that already grow as weeds in areas where the bird-seed is grown. Because all Nyjer that is import-ed is heat sterilized, birdseed is not a potential

source of new foreign noxious weed species to North America.

All of the tree nuts and fruit, as well as shelled sunflower, shelled peanuts, and hulled millet are grown and processed for human consumption. Human consumption quality carries the highest standards for processing and cleanliness. Some of these seeds and nuts end up in the bird food market because they were roasted too dark or have blemishes or other cosmetic imperfections.

2) Is there a “weed free” certification for bird-seed?

No, but the USDA does periodic testing of most large birdseed suppliers and, to a lesser degree, retail businesses. They test to ensure that the contents of the bag analysis (% min fiber, fat, protein), % other crop seeds, % weed seeds, and % dust and debris.

If USDA deems problems, they can re- quire the seed to be better cleaned, la- bels changed. They can levy fines or pen- alties, and then retest to ensure that the required changes and improvements in quality have been made. If the problem is not addressed or is deemed to be sig- nificant, a “stop sale” order may be placed on the seed.

3) What steps are taken to minimize contamina-tion of birdseed with other seeds?

1. Treatment of the plants in the field to minimize the amount of weed plants. Pre-harvest use of herbicides to minimize the amount of non-target plants growing.

2. Cleaning of the seed following harvest-ing. This is done using a series of filtering screens and aspirators. The screens and aspirators remove debris including dust, dirt, stems and other plant parts, shells and seed fragments based on size and weight.

3. Cleaning of all machinery at the seed processing facility. This contributes to the overall cleanliness of the birdseed, but especially helps prevent contamination with other seeds that the plant may be processing. This will minimize the amount of other crop seeds (not on the label) that are found in the birdseed.

Thanks to Marianne Gordon for contributing this article.

For more Wild Birds Unlimited information go to this website:

https://www.wbu.com/

Page 4 Hooter Get Out Those Bird Feeders!

Birdseed: Potential Contamination and

Noxious Weeds

A Poem for October Page 5 The Hooter

Thank You to Renewing Members

Jeb & Gloria Baldi

Linda Lapin

~ 19th Century

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

birds.

Page 6 Hooter Climate Change News

Exxon. You likely have heard that about 97%

of active climate scientists agree with the ba-

sics of climate change: global warming is hap-

pening, it creates a multitude of changes in

climate worldwide, Exhibit A is the increase in

the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere,

which increase chiefly arises from burning fos-

sil fuels. Oh, and that the National Audubon

Society identifies climate change as the #1

threat to birds.

Well, that’s not

fake news at

all, it’s quite

accurate. What

might be a bit

surprising is

that the scien-

tists at Exxon

have been

quite in agree-

ment—in pri-

vate and within

scientific cir-

cles. Publicly,

however, Exxon

has continued

to spend big

bucks encour-

aging doubt about that very science. This

comes from a peer-reviewed publication by

Geoffrey Supran and Naomi Oreskes in the 23

Aug 2017 issue of Environmental Research Let-

ters [http://iopscience.iop.org/

article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa815f].

Directly related is a fascinating first-person ac-

count by Katherine Hayhoe, now a professor at

Texas Tech, entitled “I was an Exxon-funded

climate scientist” [http://tinyurl.com/

yaqp2d8r].

Military. The U.S. Military appears to agree

with the sentiment by Neil deGrasse Tyson de-

picted here. In spite of statements at the high-

est federal level about global warming being a

hoax, the military is taking climate change into

account in its preparations. I recommend the

article by Tara Copp in the 12 Sep 2017 issue

of Military Times [http://tinyurl.com/

yabmppf3].

Sage grouse. Our neck of the woods is one of

few remaining habitats for these fascinating

critters. Their future is especially threatened

down south (i.e., Utah, not my native

“downSouth”). The Bureau of Land Manage-

ment tried to auction off almost 15,000 acres

of desert—including home of Utah’s most im-

periled population of greater sage grouse—for

oil and gas development. Only 4,100 acres

sold, and those won’t be developed until pro-

tests are resolved, including as plaintiffs the

Center for Biological Diversity, the Western

Watersheds Project, The Wilderness Society,

and National Audubon. See the article by Brian

Maffly in the 13 Sep issue of the Salt Lake

Tribune [http://inyurl.com/ybfa8vco].

Oh, and for those acres, the BLM netted the

rather less-than-princely sum of $14,837!

~ Barry Brunson, Chair - Climate

Change Committee

Bushnell spotting scope for sale - $100

Bushnell Natureview spotting scope 15-45x60.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/bushnell-

natureview15-45x60.html

Basically brand new, I think I used it once...

comes with carrying case and mini-tripod. In

Ellensburg.

Contact: onlinegeographer@gmail.com

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Upcoming KAS Field Trips

October

7th, Saturday ~ First Saturday Bird Walk, Irene Rinehart Park. Pumpkin and cornstalk time. Look for some iconic Fall birds among the yellowing leaves, searching out the seeds and berries that will keep them warm and healthy as the weather turns south. See it all at Irene Rine-hart riverside park, starting at the parking lot off of Umptanum Rd at 8 AM for a 3-hour walk. Leader Jim Briggs. Call 933-2231 for info.

19th, Thursday ~ 7 PM at Hal Holmes ~ “Birding in Cuba” ~ presentation by Judy Hallisey. See details on Page 1. Free and open to all! Cookies & pickles & punch!

November

4th, Saturday ~ First Saturday Bird Walk, Irene Rinehart Park. As the breath turns frosty and leaves are now seriously yellow and falling about our shoulders, resident birds and

others down from the mountains are prepared to make a home among the cottonwoods. For a 3- hour walk in bracing weather: Irene Rinehart riv-erside park, starting at the parking lot off of Umptanum Rd at 8 AM. Steve and Jan lead; 933-1179.

Kittitas Audubon

P.O. Box 1443

Ellensburg WA 98926

The Hooter ~ October 2017 The Newsletter of Kittitas Audubon - http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

THANK YOU…..TO KITTITAS COUNTY BUSINESSES 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.

Get your bird seed here!

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