aspian Terns in ellingham - Rainier Audubon · 2020. 10. 1. · 2012 Heron Herald as well as Page 7...

Rainier Audubon Society September, 2012

RAS Mission Statement

To conserve and restore natural ecosystems and protect birds

and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and biological

diversity in South King County and the world we live in.

September General Membership Meeting

Monday September 17, 2012 7:00 p.m.

Federal Way United Methodist Church

Caspian Terns in Bellingham

Joe Meche

C aspian Terns have been regular visitors to

Bellingham Bay for many years but there was

never confirmed evidence of nesting in the

area. In 2009, these magnificent birds found

suitable nesting habitat

only two blocks from

the downtown core at

the site of the aban-

doned Georgia-Pacific

paper mill. That year

250 terns established a

small nesting colony on

the site and 50 chicks

fledged. As word

spread through the avi-

an grapevine, the num-

ber of birds using the

site in 2010 increased to more than 3,000 individuals with

more than 1,000 chicks on site. Colored leg bands identi-

fied numerous birds from other sites throughout the

Northwest and from as far away as San Francisco Bay.

Joe Meche, then president of the North Cascades Audu-

bon Society, negotiated access to this highly-restricted

area as the tern numbers increased steadily from 600 in

early June to well over 1,000 by the end of the month. Re-

searchers at Oregon State University and Bird Research

Northwest were alerted to the success of this new colony,

which eventually precipitated the banding of 252 chicks on

July 30. Joe spent over four months monitoring the colony

on numerous on-site visits, and will summarize the colo-

ny’s success and the eventual demise at the hands of the

Port of Bellingham.

Joe Meche has been watching birds for more than 60 years

and served on the Board of Directors of North Cascades

Audubon for 16 years. He captures the beauty of birds

with his photographs and has plans to publish two books

in the near fu-

ture. He has also

written a month-

ly column about

birds, Beaks and

Bills, for a Bel-

lingham paper

for the past ten

years.

Please join us as

we welcome Joe

and begin a new

season. This promises to be a very interesting and in-

formative program and all are invited. Refreshments and

conversation are always available before and after the pro-

gram.

Rainier Audubon programs are held at

Federal Way United Methodist Church, 29645 - 51st Ave.

So. 98001 (in unincorporated Auburn)

Directions: In Federal Way, take 320th St. EAST past The

Commons, crossing over I-5 and Military Rd.

At 321st St, turn left. Stay on 321st as it becomes 51st Ave.

So. Follow 51st Ave. to 296th. Church will be on your left.

September 2012

Rainier Audubon Society Page 2

President’s Message by Dan Streiffert

RAINIER AUDUBON OFFICERS

President Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Vice President Steve Feldman* 360-802-5211

Treasurer Jim Tooley* 253-854-3070

Secretary Heather Gibson* 253-856-9812

Program Chair Dale Meland* 253-946-1637

Field Trip Chair Carol Schulz 206-824-7618

Membership Chair Pat Toth* 206-767-4944

Backyard Habitat Chair Open 253-854-3207

Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Mailing Chair Debra Russel 425-271-0682

Hospitality Sandra Embry

Newsletter Editor Dan Streiffert 253-796-2203

Webmaster Treesa Hertzel 253-255-1808

Ivy Eradication Coordinator Bernedine Lund 253-839-3729

Education Chair Annette Tabor* 253-927-3208

Christmas Bird Count Coordinator Nancy Streiffert 253-796-2203

Board Member Max Prinsen 425-432-9965

Board Member Erin Wojewodski-Prinsen 425-432-9965

Board Member Alex Juchems 253-529-8996

Board Member Lisa Mesplay

Board Member Ed Stanton 206-870-3107

Board Member Terry Thurber 206-450-5446

Publicity Tom Sernka 253-529-8970

*Also serves as Board Member.

Board meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the church conference room and are open to all members.

Volunteers Needed! Please contact a Board Member

Assistant Treasurer—need some-

one familiar with Quick Books to

work with Jim Tooley.

Door Greeters for Membership

Meetings

Articles for Heron Herald—send to

dan_streiffert#hotmail.com

“Swiftly as a swallow, autumn is swooping in on us. “ - Don’t I wish I

could come up with an opening sentence like that! Well I did not. This

is how our 13 year old Calen Randell begins this month’s “Seen and

Heard” column. Check it out and please send him you sightings.

I’d like to thank our new Board members (Lisa Mesplay, Ed Stanton and

Terry Thurber) for joining us at our August Retreat. Lisa gets first price

( a photo from Master Photographer Jay Galvin) for raising the most

money for the 2012 Birdathon. Terry has been helping with our snag

project at the GRNRA.

Dale Meland, our Program Chair has been busy lining up some very

interesting programs for the coming year (see sidebar).

Treesa Hertzel completely re-designed our website last spring. Check it

out at www.RainierAudubon.org.

Jim Tooley continues as our Treasurer. Jim is looking for someone to

assist him that is familiar with QuickBooks. Please talk to Jim if you are

interested.

Carol Stoner has moved to West Seattle, so we are looking for a new

Backyard Habitat Chair.

Amy Schillenger, Rodger Orness, Jay Galvin, Dan Streiffert and Terry

Thurber have been busy installing new snags at Kent Ponds as part of a

grant program we have in conjunction with Kent Parks. See the May,

2012 Heron Herald as well as Page 7 in this issue). We have additional

work parties scheduled on September 8 & 10. Please join us if you can.

Carol Schultz continues as our Field Trip Chair. Please let her know if

you have ideas for new trips, and are willing to lead them.

Steve Feldman is very concerned about our Washington State Parks. At

this time, there is NO funding authorized for these parks for 2013. The

legislature is asking the parks to come up with new revenue generating

ideas. This can mean everything from installation of cell towers to wind

farms. It’s a bad idea. The Discover Pass is not bringing in the needed

income. Steve wants to make an issue out of this by offering a free

Discover Pass to anyone who joins Rainier Audubon (see page 5).

Rainier Audubon is what you make it. We depend on our volunteers.

Please help us out

where you can.

Dan Streiffert

Upcoming Programs

10/15/2012—Olympic National Park

Ranger - Elwha River

11/19/2012—Aaron Baggenstos -Bird

Photography in Washington State

12/17/2012—Dan Streiffert - Photo

Show ?

1/21/2013—Jay Galvin - World of Small

Creatures

2/18/2013—Woody Wheeler - Conserva-

tion Catalyst Program ?

3/18/2013—Dennis Paulson - Butterflies

and Birds of Costa Rica

5/20/2013—Elena Fox - Crows (West

Sound Wildlife Center)

September 2012

Web: www.RainierAudubon.org Page 3 email: [email protected]

T his summer, SHADOW launched its cutting edge

Wilderness Adventure program, developed using the Coyote Mentoring style of learning. Three new programs were created: Outdoor Preschool, Nature Skills Camp, and Field Trips. To date, over 60 families have learned about wild edibles and medicinal plants, wetland ecology and function, and primitive hunter-gatherer skills such as “Fox walking & Owl Eyes”, bird language, animal tracking, expanding awareness, and the art of invisibility. This fall, SHADOW will continue providing quality educational programming with our Field Trips, with three new topics including Wonderful Wetlands, Water Works, and Wildlife and Wilderness. One teacher commented “I enjoyed the interactive walking tour of the bog, and watching the students be challenged to use multiple senses.” If your school, scouts, church group, or local community group are interested in participating in a field trip or stewardship project, call 425-432-4914 or email [email protected]. You can also visit www.shadowhabitat.org/teach to learn more about our Wilderness Adventure program.

SHADOW Lake Nature Preserve “Save Habitat And Diversity Of Wetlands”

http://www.RainierAudubon.orgmailto:%[email protected]:[email protected]://www.shadowhabitat.org/teach

September 2012


Seen and Heard by Calen Randall

Bio: Calen is a 13 year old birder. He enjoys birding around Lake Fenwick and Boeing Ponds—especially with Charlie Wright. Calen

is thrilled to revive Charlie’s ‘Seen and Heard’. When not birding, Calen can be seen flying up and down the ice at Kent Valley Ice

Center

S wiftly as a swallow, autumn is swooping in on us. The leaves are getting ready to turn vibrant red, shining gold, and flashy orange. It is now dark

at nine. Yes, fall is coming, and with it comes a

new Audubon season and another year of

Seen and Heard!

This summer I traveled to Manitoba, Canada to

visit family. I was excited to be able to bird in a

totally new environment. At one of my

grandparents’ homes, I saw some Brown

Thrashers which excited me, because I had

never seen them before. Even more exciting

was what was hiding in the stand of

Cottonwoods that bordered my grandpa’s

farm--a family of Great-Horned Owls! The first

thing we heard when we got out of the car late

at night was the hoo-hoo-hoo of a Great-

Horned Owl. My grandpa had a twinkle in his

eye and could not wait to show me his

surprise. Early next morning, we waded

through the long grass and wood ticks until we

reached a couple of snags. There, perched on

the snag were three fledglings. Their parents

stood silently in the canopy overhead. I was

amazed how calm they were with my grandpa.

When we got too close for their liking, the

fledglings would clack their beaks, and tip

forward and raise their wings back to try and

make themselves bigger. Already about a foot

tall, they did look pretty menacing—like a trio

of feather dusters! The next day, the fledglings

had disappeared. As I walked down the back

road, I could see circles in the long grass like

mini crop circles. I stopped to take a closer

look and discovered one of the fledglings in

the middle of the circle devouring

grasshoppers. Over the week, we were able

to show all of our cousins, aunts and uncles

the owls. Like my grandparents, the owls had

picked a great place to raise a family. The trees

were great shelter. There was plenty of food in

the field. And it was peaceful.

A couple of weeks later, I talked to my

Grandpa. I asked him how the owls were

doing. He said that life for the owls was

wonderful. The fledglings were growing bigger

and more independent. He did mention,

however, that life for the chickens wasn’t so

wonderful--their numbers were dwindling and

the survivors were spending more time in the

chicken coop than they wanted. Guess Hoo?

Trouble.

What to look for in the month of

September: Many birds are preparing for migration south

for the winter. Here are a few to watch for:

During September, many birds of prey are

migrating south into the Pacific Northwest

area. These include Sharp-shinned Hawks,

Cooper`s hawks, Northern Harriers, and Turkey

Vultures. Most of our raptors that you see will

stay year round because of the mild

temperatures. Watching raptors from a hill is a

good way to observe them because you can

get closer to them, and watch them soar.

Soaring is good for birds of prey because they

can go drift over great distances while saving

energy. Raptors can only soar in air that is

rising, either when air bounces upward off a

mountain or hill, or when warm air rises—

which is a thermal. Hawk Watch International

and Okanogan and Wenatchee National

Forests monitor raptor migration through the

Eastern Cascade Mountains of Washington.

The Raptor Migration Project is from August

24th to the end of October. The raptor counts

range between 2,000-3,000 migrants of up to

17 species per season. To learn more go to

www.hawkwatch.org

Another fun sighting is to watch the Vaux’s Swift. The Vaux’s Swift is one of the fastest birds in the world—busy zipping around catching insects. Easy to miss when flying, swifts can be seen roosting in chimneys with large groups of over 2000. Watching the swifts gather to roost is said to be an incredible sight. The swifts gather in a swarm and dive into the chimney to sleep for the night. Probably the

largest swift roost in Washington is at Frank Wagner Elementary School in Monroe. September 15th is Swift Night Out. For more information about Monroe Swifts visit www.monroeswifts.org

Mystery Bird of the Month Several times this summer I spotted a pair of

these birds while kayaking on Lake Meridian.

Here are the clues:

I fly with a kink in my wings, making an M

shape to those below

I’m whiter than most raptors

I like to nest on open poles

My eggs do not hatch all at once

My outer toe is reversible, enabling me to

grab stably in flight

I have barbed pads that help me to grip

my prey

I mate for life, usually

Medieval people believed that fish turned

‘belly up’ to me in surrender

I`m not a Stellar’s Sea Eagle

Who am I?

I would like to thank the following birders who

sent in reports last season: Dan Streiffert (DS),

Barbra Peterson (BP), Ralph and Sandra

Embrey (SE), Etta Cosey (EC), Marylin Hobbs-

Gibson (MH-G), Ross and Annette Tabor (AT),

Lisa Mesplay (LM), Linda Bartlett (LB), Bob

Bartlett (BB), Debbie and AJ Fisher (DF), Alex

and Sara Juchems (SJ), Pat Toth (PT), Heather

Raeburn (HR), and Debbie Kraft (DK). Your

reports are what make The Seen and Heard so

successful.

Send your sightings/hearings to [email protected] I love reading your reports!

Answer: Osprey

http://www.hawkwatch.orghttp://www.monroeswifts.orgmailto:[email protected]

September 2012


Field Trips by Carol Schulz

Weekly Birdwalks at Nisqually Wednesdays 8:00 am to Noon

Leader: Phil Kelley

Join Phil Kelley on his weekly bird walks as he counts the birds at

Nisqually NWR. The group walks over to an area near the visitor's

center to view the entry road estuary, and then takes the boardwalk/

trail loop out to the Twin Barns, and the Nisqually overlook area. From

there, the group walks the dike, and back to the Riparian Forest. Some

may choose to continue on the new boardwalk extension which goes

out toward the mouth of McAlister Creek. It has benches and covered

viewing areas. The walk totals

2.0 miles roundtrip to the

boardwalk extension. The

extension adds an additional

2.0 miles total, so the whole

walk including the boardwalk

extension is now 4.0 miles.

Bring: Good walking shoes or

boots, raingear, water,

snacks, and $3 for entry fee

unless you have a pass.

Scopes are welcome.

Meet: At the Visitor's Center

Pond Overlook.

Directions: Take I-5 south from Tacoma

and exit to Nisqually NWR at exit 114. Take a right at the light.

Sign-up is not necessary. Call or email Phil Kelley if you have

questions. Phil Kelley, Lacey, (360) 459-1499, [email protected]

Kent Ponds and Boeing Ponds Saturday, September 15

8:30 AM to Early Afternoon

Leader: Carol Schulz

Take a birdwalk in the Kent Valley where the birds gather in the early

fall. This trip is always a lot of fun, and we see good birds. We'll meet

near Kent Ponds and drive to where ducks, herons, songbirds, and

other birds should be in surrounding areas. People who want to leave

early may do so. We'll walk on level trails up to 1 1/2 miles total.

Bring walking shoes or boots, warm clothes, water, and snacks or

lunch. Scopes are welcome.

Meet: At Wendy's Restaurant at

the corner of S 212th St, and 64th

Ave S in north Kent at 8:00 AM.

(Restaurant now opens for

breakfast.)

Directions: From I-5, take exit 152,

Orillia Road. Turn east to go down

into the Kent Valley. In the valley

Orillia becomes S 212th St.

Continue east on 212th about 1

mile. Wendy's is on the right at

the corner of 64th Ave S by the

gas station. From I-167, take the S 212th St exit

north of Kent, and turn west. Travel west

across the valley on S 212th about 1.5 miles. Turn left on 64th Ave S,

and take a right to double back into the Wendy's/gas station parking

lot on the corner.

Sign-up: Call or email Carol Schulz, [email protected], 206-

824-7618.

FREE DISCOVER PASSES FOR MEMBERS OF RAINIER AUDUBON SOCIETY To support our state parks – and to boost membership - the local chapter of the Audubon Society, called the Rainier Audubon Society, is giving away free Discover Passes to any new member who joins Rainier Audubon during 2012.

All you have to do is come to a meeting, join up and get your free Discover Pass. The cost of joining is $20.00. The cost of a Discover Pass is normally $35.00 dollars so you’ve just saved $15.00 and you have a year’s membership in the Audubon Society and a year’s free access to all of the state parks in Washington.

Each Discover Pass can be used for any two vehicles you own. Just fill out two license plate numbers on the Pass, hang it from the rear view mirror of whichever car you’re taking, and you’re good to go for a full year of state park recreation.

The Rainier Audubon Society meets monthly at the United Methodist Church in Federal Way, and presents programs on all aspects of nature, birding, conservation, outdoor photography, and many other topics that adults and children who love the outdoors enjoy. The next meeting is September 17, 2012. For more information go to www.RainierAudubon.org.

Common Yellowthroat—Kent Ponds

http://www.RainierAudubon.orgmailto:%[email protected]

September 2012


BIRD OF THE MONTH: American Goldfinch

Reprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

Goldfinches are found across

North America. The three species

include the American, Lesser and

Lawrence’s Goldfinch.

Goldfinches are sometimes re-

ferred to as wild canaries. They

are actually in the finch family as

their name suggests.

Northern populations of the

American Goldfinch are mostly

migratory and southern popula-

tions are mostly residential.

Banding studies have revealed

that some American Goldfinch in

Ontario migrate more than a

1,000 miles to Louisiana.

Female American Goldfinch will stay

further south during the winter than

males and younger males will winter

further north than adult males.

American Goldfinch rarely over-

winter in northern areas where tem-

peratures fall below 0°F for extended

periods.

Residential flocks of American Gold-

finch roam widely between food

supplies during the winter and have

been recorded moving over 4 miles

between multiple feeding stations in

a single day. Other records show

movements of over 30 miles in a

single winter.

American Goldfinch have an inter-

esting flight call consisting of four

syllables that can be likened to “po-

ta-to-chip.”

The genus name, Caruelis, is from

the Latin word carduus, which means

“thistle.” Goldfinches are very de-

pendent on thistles for food and

even use thistledown to line their

nests.

The American Goldfinch is one of the

latest breeding songbirds, waiting to

nest until mid-to-late summer when

thistle seeds and down are readily

available.

When breeding for the first time,

young American Goldfinch will begin

nesting at least two weeks later than

experienced adults.

Unlike many birds, the American

Goldfinch undergoes a complete

molt each spring. This molt requires

a large amount of nutrients and en-

ergy which probably diminishes their

ability to nest earlier in the season.

American Goldfinch typically have

only one brood per year, although

veteran females may produce an

additional brood. To facilitate a se-

cond nesting, a female will leave her

original mate in care of the first

brood and find a new male as her

partner for the second nesting.

It is estimated that there are three

males for every two females in the

population of American Goldfinch.

This imbalanced ratio may be due to

the fact that male goldfinch live long-

er than their female counterparts.

The female American Goldfinch

chooses the nest site, builds the nest

and incubates the eggs all on her

own. The male feeds the female on

the nest throghout incubation and

takes on an ever increasing role in

feeding the nestlings as they grow

older.

American Goldfinch can weave their

nest so tightly that it will temporarily

hold water.

American Goldfinch attach their nest

to supporting twigs with spider web.

American Goldfinches prefer to nest

in habitats with trees and shrubs and

usually place their nest 4-10 feet

high, often near a water source. They

(Continued on page 8)

September 2012


E arly this year I applied for King Counties ‘Wild Spaces in Urban Places’ grant. The intent was to use the grant money for the

installation of several artificial snags within the

Green River Natural Resources Area (GRNRA).

The GRNRA, or Kent ponds to many of you, has

lost almost all of the 29 snags that used to

stand as important vertical habitat within the

wetlands. The hope is that our artificial snags

will act as suitable substitutes until nature

creates its own from the emerging forests on

the site. In July I was informed that the grant

was secured and that we could begin our

project immediately! The Wild Spaces grant

has given Rainier Audubon, the City of Kent,

and myself (A Green Kent Steward) the unique

opportunity to take our conceptual plans to

build and install these six additional artificial

snags and make them a reality. This is citizen

science at its best as we want to research how

well these artificial snags hold up to

weathering as well as the number of species

that will accept and use them.

We began our day early last Friday to beat the

heat. Matt Knox-Environmental Ecologist for

GRNRA and several members of Rainier

Audubon harvested several storm damaged

cottonwood trees to use in our

project. The next morning, several of

us formed a work party, complete

with boats and tools, and

transported all of our equipment out

to the island in the main lagoon.

Ferrying the nearly 20 foot metal

pole and equally as long tree snag

was quite a job, but thankfully all

parties remained dry! The island was

planted many years ago with native

plants but large walls of persistent

Himalayan blackberry had to be cut

out to make room in either direction

to both lay the snag out on one side

and to give us room for leverage on

the other. Nearly four hours later the

snag was raised and bolted in place

and we celebrated with a much

deserved lunch break before using

the boats for a leisurely paddle in the

lagoon. While paddling the lagoon I

took in the views of the ponds from a

different perspective. From the water

the ponds felt so much more remote

that it seemed as if

I were far away

from the city. On

my paddle back to

the shore I looked

up and smiled.

Two Cedar

Waxwings were

perched in the

snag we had just

erected only thirty

minutes before!

Our plans to install

the remaining five

snags are in the

works. We have

work parties

scheduled for

Saturday, September 8th at 9:00am and

Monday, September 10th at 9:00am. Any and

all help is welcome and needed.

I found the experience so inspiring and

rewarding that I will appreciate the ponds even

more now. When I visit the ponds l will look at

those snags and think to myself, ‘ hey, I did

that! You’re welcome birds! ‘ Come and help us

and you can too.

If you would like more information or would

like to help please contact Amy Schillinger at

[email protected]

Additional snags to be installed at Kent Ponds By Amy Schillinger

http://www.RainierAudubon.orgmailto:%[email protected]

September 2012


Jeanie Sumner passed away June 20, 2012

at age 78. She will always be remembered

by Rainier Audubon for her energy,

friendliness, and intelligence. She and her

husband Vern were both teachers at PLU

until they retired. Jeannie had two

masters and a doctorate in business and

finance. Vern and Jeanie's blended family

has 5 children, and there now are

grandchildren. They were married for 45

years, after meeting when Jeanie's

youngest child was 3 years old.

They lived in a beautiful house in Graham

on a hill with a large yard, wildlife

sanctuary, gardens, and orchard. Vern still

lives there, and continues to keep the yard

and house in great shape. Jeanie and Vern

designed and then pretty much built the

house themselves. They joined Rainier in

2003 and a large group of us visited their

house, yard, and surrounding area in

2004 on an April field trip. We still

remember that trip! The house is very

beautiful with carved and stained

woodwork created by Vern and Jeanie,

and with many windows for outdoor

viewing. Their wildlife sanctuary includes

feeders, birdhouses, water-features, trees,

bushes and much more. Vern has

installed pumps and large underground

tanks to store roof water for summer use

in the gardens. Our visit was wonderful,

giving a lot of us ideas about yard and

house design. After we toured the yard,

and watched the birds, we ate goodies.

Jeanie was a great cook, often cooking

with food from their yard. The yard also

includes her lovely English flower garden.

The Sumner's were very active, and

traveled to many places in the world.

They often traveled on Elderhostel trips,

continuing their education and

knowledge. Many of their trips were to

birding areas. Some of their favorite trips

were with Elderhostel and on their own to

Malheur, OR; Coeur D'Alene, ID; Madison,

Wisconsin; SE Arizona, Europe, Costa Rica,

and Mexico. They often rode their bikes

on trails and tours. One of their favorite

bike trails was the Foothills Trail in S.

Prairie, WA. They also did many other

activities for fun including freshwater and

salt water kayaking, canoeing, rafting on

rivers, and sailing in both the San Juans

and the Caribbean.

The Sumner's came to many of our RAS

meetings. Sometimes they spoke about

Malheur, and about destination spots.

Vern took care of Jeanie this past year as

she suffered several illnesses. She passed

away in June after a lung illness. Vern

continues to do many projects to help him

get past this time of grieving. He says he

will continue to attend our popular RAS

general meetings and the activities coming

up again this fall.

- Carol Schultz

Jeanie Sumner Remembrance

will sometimes nest in a loose colony.

Goldfinches usually lay 5 pale-blue or

greenish-blue eggs that will hatch in

about 12 days. Nestlings will fledge

about 12 days after that.

While most Brown-headed Cowbird

eggs fool the female American Gold-

finch and are incubated to hatching,

few cowbird chicks live longer than

three or four days. This is due to the

low amounts of protein found in the

vegetarian diet of the goldfinch.

Young American Goldfinch are de-

pendent on their parents for at least

three weeks after fledging. Be sure to

watch and listen for their energetic

begging as they harass their parents

for food at your feeders.

Female American Goldfinch are domi-

nant over males in the summer and

appear to be subservient to them in

the winter. See if you call tell a differ-

ence at your feeders.

American Goldfinch will use almost

any feeder, including ones that re-

quire them to hang upside down to

eat. Studies have shown their prefer-

ence is to sit upright at perches on

feeders that are hung in trees above

head height.

American Goldfinch are dominated by

Pine Siskin and House Finch during

the winter and play second fiddle to

them at feeders.

American Goldfinch are common

feeder visitors and prefer thistle

(nyjer) and sunflower seeds.

American Goldfinch are rather acro-

batic, often dipping upside down

while feeding on weed seeds such as

coneflowers and sunflowers.

To stay warm on a cold winter’s night,

American Goldfinches have been

known to burrow under the snow to

form a cozy sleeping cavity. They will

also roost together in coniferous

trees.

(Continued from page 6)

September 2012


Mewsings from Millie

Hello and welcome once again.

Hello once again and welcome back to

my musings!

One of my people has begun reading a

very interesting and entertaining

book, "Wesley the Owl" by Stacey

O'Brien. It's the story of a four-day old

barn owl with an injured wing that is

adopted by a biologist.

Reading about the antics of the

incredibly curious and intelligent

Wesley and some of the bizarre

characters at CalTech and elsewhere

have certainly created chuckles for my

person. The book, however, is also

proving to be quite educational.

For instance, did you know that barn

owls first started to appear in the

fossil record 65 - 57.8 million years

ago? Makes me wonder all the more

about the theory that birds evolved

from dinosaurs.

American barn owls entire physiology

is based on a mouse-only diet. They

get all the nutrition and hydration

they need from eating mice. Over an

average life time, a single owl may

consume up to 28,000 mice.

During nesting time, poor dad owl has

to hunt relentlessly. An average brood

for an owl pair is five babies. Each

baby needs about six mice a night and

mom owl, who doesn't leave the nest,

needs three mice per day. Dad needs

to eat too, so that means he's hunting

down an average of 37 mice a day

until the babies fledge! That's a lot of

work!

All barn owls have two sets of eyelids:

the sky blue nictitating membrane

underneath the regular eyelid that

serves to protect and moisturize the

eye and the regular pink eyelid lined

with tiny white feather "lashes".

Barn owls don't hover for very long

because it is quite exhausting. They do

need to be able to hover, however, to

be able to spot prey in an area where

there is nowhere to perch and to be

able to offer mice to their babies.

Unlike most birds, barn owls do not

produce a glandular oil for preening

their feathers. Therefore, they are not

"water-proofed" like other birds. If a

barn owl becomes soaking wet it can

become so weighed down that it is

unable to fly making it vulnerable to

predators. In addition, if an owl is not

able to dry off quickly, it can become

so cold it can die.

Barn owls have exceptional hearing.

Wesley was able to hear a bug

crawling on a piece of paper inside a

garbage can and could hear a spider

walking up a wall!

From the age of two, barn owls molt

every year. About one third of the

owl's feathers fall out and new

feathers grow back in. It takes a lot of

energy to grow new feathers and an

owl will prepare for molting by eating

at least seven mice a day for over a

month.

Ah, such fascinating information! Yet

this book about Wesley the owl and his

human friend, Stacey, is not only

about his adventures and care

growing up but about loyalty, trust

and the bonds that connect all life,

animal and human, that exists on our

planet.

My person has certainly enjoyed

reading this book about Wesley and

his friend. I think I'll read it, too.

Until next time,

Millie, the Muse of Mews

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our club activities. Anyone may join or

leave the group at any time. You may

sign up on our website or at:

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