The Hooter January 2018

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

brary, 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!

Forest Health! This is your backyard! Come and learn how the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) is work-ing to protect, restore, and manage our forestlands for now and for the generations to come.

We have all spent an hour, a day or a weekend driving around or hanging out in the mountains that surround our county. Wheth-er cruising on your ATV, hiking, biking, birding or just getting away we all love and enjoy the many opportunities that our for-ests provide for us.

Throughout the years there have been major changes to most of the forestlands in our area; disease, fire, and logging are just a few. We tend to think of these things in a negative way because they change the forests we have grown up with.

Why are our forests changing, how will they continue to change, and what is being done to manage these changes? These are only a few of the many questions that we often ask. The simple answer always seems to be related to “forest health” but what does that mean? Please join us on January 18th to learn about forest health and what it means to you and the forestlands of this beautiful valley that we all call home.

This month’s presenter Rod Pfeifle will ex-plain how “forest health” fits into WDFW’s management strategies. He will outline lo-cal forest projects such as the Hutchins/Taneum Forest Restoration, Robinson Can-yon Forest Restoration, and upcoming res-toration projects planned for the Stemilt and Klickitat Wildlife Areas.

Rod Pfeifle is a WDFW statewide forester, based out of Ellensburg. Rod has over 25 years of experience as a forester and has worked his entire career managing forests in Washington. He graduated from Washington State University with a de-gree in forest management, emphasizing wildlife. When not working, Rod can be found hunting, fish-ing, camping or just being in the great outdoors!

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Membership Meeting - Thursday, January 18th, 2018 “Forest Health” presented by Rod Pfeifle, WDFW

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

Kittitas Audubon

Page 2 The Hooter

Board Notes by Gloria Baldi

~ from December 7th meeting Bird reports included:

Several reports of Anna’s Hummingbirds in the county.

A Hairy Woodpecker and Northern Pygmy Owl were seen in

the Colockum Canyon Area.

It is an irruption year for Pine Siskins; many reports have

been given.

Both the Minutes and Treasurer’s Reports were approved.

Field Trips: Check out this Hooter for possible trips in January, in addition to First Saturday BirdWalk. If this turns out to be a Snowy Owl year along the Washington Coast, a trip will be considered.

Membership: Two new memberships arrived, one a life member.

Programs: Rose Piccinini has agreed to become Program-Chair……….and the Board is very grateful. She will take charge beginning in January. Thank-you cards for speakers were discussed.

Education: Steve Hall, long-time member of KAS and retired teach-er, has agreed to become the Education Chair………which gives the Board its second grateful gift this month!

Conservation: After some discussion, the Board voted to sign on to a letter with several other organizations asking the Governor to host a meeting in the Seattle area regarding the Enchantment Lakes Wilder-ness Project being pursued by the Chelan County and the Icicle-Peshastin Irrigation District. Seattle area residents who hike the Al-pine Lakes will then be able to attend and voice their opinions. The Board’s reasoning was this is a test of the integrity of the wilderness concept, necessary for the habitat protection for birds. (To read the full scope of this proposal, go to: https://iciclenetwork.com/ )

Judy Hallisey and Jim Briggs prepared a thank-you letter to Repre-sentative Dave Reichert for opposing the drilling in the Arctic Na-tional Wildlife Refuge being added to the Tax Bill. (Unfortunately, at this time we know it was included in the final bill, which he did vote for.)

Publicity: Meghan Anderson is preparing displays for Home Shows and additional KAS displays. A Christmas card was sent to the Dai-ly Record thanking them for publishing our releases.

(Continued on page 3)

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.

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

and conservation, with a focus on birds.

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 – Steve Hall 925-4877

Field Trips – Steve Moore 933-1179

Historian – Gloria Lindstrom 925-1807

Membership – Kris Kaylor 509-304-4103

Programs – Rose Piccinini 509-631-0591 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

*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!

Field Trip Reports Page 3 The Hooter

December 2 ~ Saturday Birdwalk, Rinehart

Park ~ Walkers strolled through the park on a

foggy day without a lot of bird actvity. We did

sneak quietly to the park ponds to catch a pair of

American Wigeon and our usual kingfisher chat-

tering his way around the water. Most interest

was in the woods where Downy Woodpeckers,

Bewick’s Wrens and chickadees were active, a

Ruby-crowned Kinglet was gleaning along willow

branches, and a Brown Creeper was grazing on a

trunk near the parking lot bridge. 16 species.

Our group was seven birders including a couple

from Olympia.

~ Steve Moore

Climate Change:

Several members attended the “Water, Wind and Fire’ presentation about the effort to promote a carbon tax.

Letters to the editor included one by Judy Hallisey respond-ing to an earlier LTE criticizing Audubon for supposedly ignoring methane and concentrating only on carbon dioxide, and two by Meghan Anderson regarding solar power and carbon tax.

Barry Brunson, Judy Hallisey and other members plan to (and did) attend the EFSEC meeting regarding the placement of Solar Farms. Some spoke.

New business: Rose Piccinini mentioned the possibility of working with Knudsen Lumber regarding their Christmas Bird Box Building project. With a correct size hole, House Sparrows may be discouraged from nesting.

Join us on January 4th for the first Board meeting of 2018! With a full board of chairpersons, the New Year for Kittitas Audubon promises to be a fruitful one. There are many volun-teer opportunities, both short-term and longer; we will find a place for you!

(Continued from page 2) Board Notes

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are notoriously diffi-

cult to see, even more difficult to capture a

photo. They flit high up in tree branches or, in

winter, sometimes in lower shrubs. Constantly

on the move, they flick their wings, foraging

for small insects on the branches and twigs.

“At all seasons, diet is primarily small insects,

the birds concentrating on whatever is most

readily available; includes many small bee-

tles, flies, leafhoppers, true bugs, caterpillars,

and many others. Also eats spiders and pseu-

doscorpions; diet includes eggs of insects and

spiders. In winter, also eats some berries and

seeds. Sometimes takes oozing sap or visits

flowers, possibly for nectar.” - from Audubon

Guide to North American Birds website

It looks like just a LGB (Little Grey Bird), but

you’ll notice, in those brief glimpses, the wide,

white eye-ring (“Wall-eyed”), and the nice

black & white wing bars. The male kinglet

saves his best for defending territory or court-

ing a female - he raises a bright flame-red

crest of feathers on the top of his head, that

are usually covered by grey feathers. (you’ll

need to check this out on the website to get

the amazing color!)

They are short-distance migrants. Ruby-

crowned Kinglets breed across far northern

North America as well as the western moun-

tains. Most migrate to the southern and

southwestern United States and Mexico for

the winter—but some mountain populations in

the West simply move to lower elevations

during the cold months.

(Also information from Cornell Lab)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned

Kinglet

wearing his

flaming

crown!

Web photos

HOW TO COOK A FLAMINGO

From The Roman Cookery Book by Apicius (M. Gabius Apicius, lived under Augustus

and Tiberius, 30 B.C. to A.D. 40)

(One must assume that a suitable flamingo has been procured and dispatched)

VI

[231] FOR FLAMINGO [and Parrot] IN PHŒNICOPTERO

SCALD [1] THE FLAMINGO, WASH AND DRESS IT, PUT

IT IN A POT, ADD WATER, SALT, DILL, AND A LITTLE

VINEGAR, TO BE PARBOILED. FINISH COOKING WITH

A BUNCH OF LEEKS AND CORIANDER, AND ADD SOME

REDUCED MUST TO GIVE IT COLOR. IN THE MORTAR

CRUSH PEPPER, CUMIN, CORIANDER, LASER ROOT,

MINT, RUE, MOISTEN WITH VINEGAR, ADD DATES,

AND THE FOND OF THE BRAISED BIRD, THICKEN,

[strain] COVER THE BIRD WITH THE SAUCE AND

SERVE. PARROT IS PREPARED IN THE SAME MAN-

NER.

[1] Prior to removing the feathers; also singe the fine feathers

and hair.

[232] ANOTHER WAY ALITER

ROAST THE BIRD. CRUSH PEPPER, LOVAGE, CEL-

ERY SEED, SESAM [1] PARSLEY, MINT, SHALLOTS,

DATES, HONEY, WINE, BROTH, VINEGAR, OIL, RE-

DUCED MUST TO TASTE.

[1] Tor. sesamum, defrutum; G.-V. s. frictum.

[2] "Flamingo" Vintage Illustration Postcard

The word “must” appears twice in the text. It refers to “new wine”, which we assume to be “young” wine.

The word “laser root” seems to refer to a decoction of the root of an herb, used for flavoring and medicinal pur-

poses.

Thanks to Gloria & Jeb Baldi for this contribution. When’s the feast???

Page 4 Hooter Culinary Arts

Illustration taken from " Birds of the British Isles",

drawn and described by John Duncan with an introduc-

tion by Charles Dixon. The book was published by Wal-

ter Scott Limited of London and Newcastle in 1898.

News Page 5 The Hooter

Northern Flickers A question came up at last week's meeting about what Northern Flickers might eat at feeders, etc. I think Gloria L. had one she thought might be eating sunflow-er seeds. Well, today I witnessed a flicker downing a "berry" from my flowering crabapple tree. These berries are probably one of my most attractive feeds to many birds, including Cedar Waxwings, Robins, Var-ied Thrushes, Townsend Solitaires, Stellar's Jays, Wild Turkeys, and now a Northern Flicker!

Dec. 11, 2017 ~ from Sharon Lumsden

I have them on my suet feeders and they clean up the apple scraps from the ground where Kurt feeds the deer.

Dec. 12, 2017 ~ Cricket Webb, Upper County

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Northern Flicker

Northern Flickers eat mainly insects, especially ants

and beetles that they gather from the ground. They

also eat fruits and seeds, especially in winter. Flick-

ers often go after ants underground (where the nutri-

tious larvae live), hammering at the soil the way oth-

er woodpeckers drill into wood. They’ve been seen

breaking into cow patties to eat insects living within.

Their tongues can dart out 2 inches beyond the end

of the bill to snare prey. Other invertebrates eaten

include flies, butterflies, moths, and snails. Flickers also eat

berries and seeds, especially in winter, including poison oak

and ivy, dogwood, sumac, wild cherry and grape, bayberries,

hackberries, and elderberries, and sunflower and thistle seeds.

Northern Flickers don’t act like typical woodpeckers. They

mainly forage on the ground, sometimes among sparrows

and blackbirds. When flushed, flickers often perch erect on

thin horizontal branches rather than hitching up or around

a tree trunk. Flickers do fly like most woodpeckers do, ris-

ing and falling smoothly as they intersperse periods of

flapping with gliding. Early in spring and summer, rivals

may face off in a display sometimes called a “fencing du-

el,” while a prospective mate looks on. Two birds face

each other on a branch, bills pointed upward, and bob

their heads in time while drawing a loop or figure-eight

pattern in the air, often giving rhythmic wicka calls at the

same time.

~ From Cornell Lab of Ornithology website:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/

lifehistory

Membership Thanks!!!

Donna & Jim Read

~ new family

membership

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jud & Muriel Weaver ~ renewal at Hawk Level + generous

donations to Field Trips,

Scholarships, and General Fund

Northern Flicker female

Gloria Lindstrom photo

Northern Flicker male

Notice the bright red malar brushstroke on the male; the female lacks this flashy adornment, for better cam-ouflage during nesting season.

Page 6 Hooter Climate Change News

Corrections

It looks like I’m still getting used to this new thing called the Internet. In the Dec Hooter, I included some URLs that look right on the page, but clicking on them and/or copying and pasting them, reveal some unfortunate hidden characters, and don’t take us to the right webpages. In order to minimize such glitches in the future, I’ll start (i) consistently resorting to brevity, and (ii) putting links on a separate line.

The URL in “Three cheers for Eunice Foote” looks correct, but won’t work. Try this one:

https://tinyurl.com/ycuqfebr

The URL in “Three cheers for Katherine Kayhoe” looks correct, but won’t work. Try this one:

https://tinyurl.com/ybh2lwso

The URL in “Three cheers for Ben Santer” actually works if you copy and paste it into a

browser, but doesn’t work for me when clicked. Try this one:

https://tinyurl.com/y7ryj629

Oddly, the URL in the “Climate Change Q&A” section works when I click on it, but not when I copy and

paste! Try this one:

https://tinyurl.com/y88z4sne

Jet stream

The jet stream plays a major role in bird migration. More extreme weather events* of all kinds—

including blizzards and floods—are among the multitude of consequences of climate change we can

expect. An explanation of how this happens has to do with weakening of the jet stream. For a non-wonkish ac-count, go to the 28 Mar 2017 weather.com article at:

https://tinyurl.com/yamqjhds

(That article includes a link to a distinctly wonkish peer-reviewed article.) For more on why a weakening jet stream could lead to more extreme weather events, see the earlier (2013) article:

https://tinyurl.com/y6we9h2n

Along related lines, see the 6 Dec 2017 Washington Post article that links the raging California fires with frigid northeast weather, and the jet stream:

https://tinyurl.com/ycnjp25h

_____________

* Grammar purists would be justified in asking whether that refers to (i) weather events that are more

extreme, or (ii) more of the things we call “extreme weather events”. The answer is, most definitely, both: more

extreme, and more of them!

Barry Brunson, Climate Change Committee Chair

Membership Form ~ Kittitas Audubon Society

Please make checks payable to: Kittitas Audubon Society, P.O. Box 1443, Ellensburg, WA 98926

Name __________________________________________Phone___________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________________

City___________________________________________State________Zip___________________

Email Address____________________________________________________________________

Is this a renewal or a new membership? New_____ Renewal______

Would you like to receive occasional emails related to Audubon issues? Yes ___ No___

Join with any of these Annual Membership Options: (check your option below)

Kittitas Audubon Society Individual Membership $20 ____ Family Membership $30 ____

Premium Memberships: Bluebird $50 ____ Kestrel $75 ____ Hawk $100 ____

Lifetime Individual Membership: $300 ____ Lifetime Family Membership $500 ____

Business Membership $200 ____ Business Lifetime Membership $1000 ____

Make a Charitable Donation: What interests you? We want to know!

Please enter dollar amount donation below:

Scholarship Fund $______________ Nest Boxes $_____________

Bird Surveys $_______________ General Interest $______________

Community Education $_______________ Special Committees $______________

May we list your name in The Hooter to acknowledge your membership/donation? Yes ___ No___

Your generous donation to a specific project is symbolic. Kittitas Audubon is a chapter of National Audubon Society serving the communities of Kittitas County, Washington. Go to kittitasaudubon.org for more information. KAS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Give the Gift of Kittitas Audubon for a year! This gift membership is for:

Name ________________________________________Phone_____________________

Address_____________________________________________________________

City _________________________________State________Zip________________

Email Address________________________________________________________

You may join National Audubon Society separately by visiting their website at: http://www.audubon.org

YES: I want to 'Go Green' by receiving The Hooter Newsletter online version only

Choosing the online newsletter option saves KAS $15 Annually in printing/mailing costs!

Go Green and enjoy the online version in Color!

KAS Calendar for January 2018

January 6th, Saturday ~ First Saturday BirdWalk, Irene Rinehart Park. January’s walk is preced-ed by a hearty warm-up: gather first at Irene Rinehart parking lot at 8 AM, then head for breakfast at the Bar 14 Restaurant, finally re-assemble afterward at 9 am back at Irene Rine-hart parking lot for a 2½-hour walk. Winter won-derland specialties to look for are ducks on the ponds and river, Brown Creeper, Dippers and ea-gles. Frosty foliage and riverside ice are frequent photogenic sidelights. Dress for conditions. Warm layers! Leaders Steve & Jan, 933-1179.

18th, Thursday evening 7:00 PM ~ Program Please join us for a brief business meeting fol-lowed by an expert presentation on “Forest Health” in our area. See Page 1 for details. We hope you join us—cookies, juice, and pickles af-terwards!

There could be longer field trip in mid-January - A notice will be sent out to all who get the eHooter or who have signed up for Audubon emails—stay tuned! Check website!

Kittitas Audubon

P.O. Box 1443

Ellensburg WA

98926

The Hooter ~ January 2018 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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Save paper, printing, postage.

If you would prefer to receive

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At the beginning of each month, we’ll send

you an email with a quick link to the new

Hooter.

Forest Health

Photo by Rose Piccinini