January-February 2006 Chaparral Naturalist - Pomona Valley Audubon Society

8/8/2019 January-February 2006 Chaparral Naturalist - Pomona Valley Audubon Society

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Pomona Valley Audubon Societyhttp://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/

A publication of

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 A Chapter of the National Audubon Society Volume 45, No. 3

IN THIS ISSUE...

Hawk Mountain ...........................................Pg.1Village Venture Recap ................................... Pg. 2

Introduction to Bird Watching - Part II ................. Pg. 3

Conservation .............................................. Pg. 3

Annual Report ............................................. Pg. 5

RSABG Birdfest ........................................... Pg. 6

Announcements ........................................... Pg. 7

Field Trips ............................................Pgs. 6 & 8

(Continued on page 3)

Hawk MountainIt was August 16 and we found ourselves with spare time.Hawk Mountain, we determined, would be our destination thenext day. The following paragraph is found on their website.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is located along the AppalachianFlyway in east-central PA. It offers mountaintop vistas with8 miles of hiking trails, and the thrilling migration of nearly

20,000 hawks, eagles and falcons each autumn.

The drive to H.M.S. is beautiful, taking you over small roadswith many views of tree-covered hills. Upon arrival, youenter a large Visitors Center where, after paying the entrance

fee, you are given a trail map. We walked to the NorthLookout that has a naturalist on duty daily during migration

season. We were pushing the season as it runs from August15 through December, but we were far from home. The

naturalist was infinitely patient, explaining what we wereseeing to an ever-changing number of tourists and dedicated

birders while seldom taking her eyes off the sky. We wereenthralled by the sight of raptors soaring far overhead while

no birds perched nearby. On our local hikes, we often sightRed-tailed Hawks perched in a tall Eucalyptus tree. With

the assistance of the naturalist, we identified Barn Swallow,Chimney Swift, Cedar Waxwing, Turkey Vulture, Red-

tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. The naturalist keptvoluminous notes but only entered data on some species if

they were traveling in a southerly direction. There are a fewLone Rangers, she explained, who scout the area ahead of

mass migration. If they fly south one minute and north a fewminutes later, that bird wont show up in the database.

A spectacular sight is the river of rocks; a virtual river ofboulders that were deposited during the last glacial period.

It is so deep that no plants nor trees have grown there forten thousand years. We hiked only a fraction of the trails

and a return visit is in order; hopefully deeper into the fal

migration season. Following are paragraphs that can befound at www.hawkmountain.org

The Sanctuarys annual counts of migrating raptors representthe worlds longest record of raptor populations. These counts

by Beryl Williams


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provide valuable information on changes in raptor numbers

in northeastern North America. In the 1960s, scientistsused this database to document declining populations of

many raptor species. The causal agent would eventuallybe identified as the pesticide, DDT, the widespread use of

which was banned in the United States in 1972.Today, populations of as many as two-thirds of all speciesof migratory raptors are threatened by habitat loss,

environmental contaminants, or trapping and shooting.The Sanctuarys raptor conservation efforts now focus on

monitoring and protecting birds of prey throughout theirlong-distance journeys.

Migration is a vulnerable time in a birds life. When

Hawk Mountain (Cont.'d from pg. 1) migrating, raptors move along traditional flyways inconcentrated numbers. Because hundreds of thousands ofbirds may be in the same place at the same time, threats in

the line of flight can endanger entire populations.

Hawks Aloft Worldwide, the Sanctuarys internationalconservation initiative, helps identify partners and establish

important migration watchsites, particularly in Latin

America. New watchsites in Cuba, Bolivia, Guatemala,Mexico and Costa Rica provide valuable information onthe numbers of migrants that breed in North America and

migrate to Latin America. The new sites provide publicaccess to the grand spectacle of migration and replicate

the successful combination of education, research andmonitoring programs used at Hawk Mountain in support

of conservation. H.M.S. was incorporated in 1938.

Once again we joined forces with Wild Wings of California for our annual community outreach at the Claremonts VillageVenture Arts & Crafts Faire. The morning started early for Nancy & Bruce Strang, Fraser Pemberton, and from Wild Wings,

Craig Gerth and Bob Everett. They were on the scene at 7:00, setting up tables and literature. I arrived about 8:30 and found thamost of the set-up work was already done! The stars were waiting cozily in their carriers for the crowds to arrive. At 9:00 they

would take their places on the arms of competent handlers and commence wowing the crowds.

We answered many questions about the orphaned great-horned owl, Andrew, the beautiful peregrine falcon Adonis and theactive harris hawk, Timmy. Many people also asked about various types of bird behavior. Frequently we were asked to identify

by verbal description, a bird that someone had seen in their own yard. We answered as best we could, but often advised people toattend our beginners bird walk, held on the first Sunday of the month at 8:00 AM at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens.

Since many of the birds that frequent the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens also frequent yardsand parks, this walk is a great way to see and learn the names of some of our more common feathered

friends.

The community response was wonderful. Many peopledonated money to help with the care and feeding of the

orphaned and injured birds that Wild Wings houses. A raffle,featuring a brand new bicycle, certainly stirred some interest.

At the end of the day, we drew the lucky winning ticketbelonging to local Claremont residents, Becky and Don

Delano.

For working the booth and handling the birds, special thanksgo out to our dedicated volunteers Pam Kling, Richard

Trier, Karlene Campo, Pat Higbie, Dawn Hutchison, Mayfand Cathy Reaves, Ellen Berke, Liza Alldredge and (as

mentioned earlier) those early risers from PVAS and WildWings. To the delightful people of Claremont and the

surrounding areas, we thank you for your interest, curiosityand generous donations.

To learn more about Wild Wings of California, visit theirwebsite at www.wildwings.org.

Village Venture by Valerie Wheelera Great Success

for Pomona Valley Audubon!


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Review ofPVASIntroduction to Bird Watching

I just completed the Intro to birding class taught by SuzanneChapell at RSABG . The class was inspiring, stimulating, andwell organized. Classroom material included bird biology, fieldmarkings, and slides of birds we would most likely see prioto each field trip. The field trips to local birding hotspots wergreat. Suzanne even managed to find us a rare bird in Bonella Painted Redstart. GlenChappell (Suzanne's husband), CarlenKampo, and Pam Kling assisted our instructor and shared theparticular expertise, ie, calls and songs.

Thank you Suzanne for your good work. Thank you PVAS fooffering us this great opportunity to enhance our skills at manylevels of birding expertise. I look forward to the next class.

Gloria Slosberg, Claremont

Introduction To Bird Watching- Part II

The focus of Part II is on water birds

and raptors. Water birds will includethose found on inland lakes, bays,

mud flats, and ocean shore. Visiting

winter raptors as well as locallyoccurring ones will be studied. With

luck, we could have up to 14 speciesof diurnal raptors, and up to three

species of owl. The recommendedtext is The Sibley Field Guide to

Birds of Western North America byDavid Allen Sibley. Participants will

need a pair of binoculars. Class willbe limited to 18 participants.

Class Meetings: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Tuesdays - Jan. 10, and Jan. 24.

Field Study: Saturdays - Jan. 14, Jan. 28, Feb. 11, and Feb. 25.Time: 7:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m.

Instructor: Suzanne Chappell, Pomona Valley Audubon Society

Fee: $75.00

Class Meetings will be held at the Rancho Santa Ana BotanicalGardens in Claremont. To enroll contact Rancho Santa AnaBotanical Gardens at (909) 625-8767, x224

Save Johnson's Pasture UPDATE!!!Dear CWC Supporters,

The 11/22 City Council meeting went very well. Strong support for savingJohnsons Pasture was expressed by those who made public comments.

Thanks to all of you who attended the meeting!

The council voted unanimously to go ahead and hire a polling firm who willdetermine support for a ballot measure to fund the purchase of Johnsons

Pasture. CWC is partnering with the city on the polling and will pay halfof the costs. We want to make sure that we have a say in the wording of the

questions and the procedure so the polling will give us the most accuratepicture of how voters feel about different strategies for the city to pursue to

raise the money.

A Council meeting will be held on December 20 at 6:00 pm to review theresults of the polling and consider various ways to structure a ballot measure

(e.g., bond, assessment district, parcel tax). It is at a very busy time of year,but come if you can. It would be great to have another strong group of CWC

supporters at that meeting.

Suzanne ThompsonCWC, Chairman of the Board


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JANUARY

Saturday, January 7 at 7 a.m. - Big Day Trip to

Orange County Leader: Dan Guthrie

Sunday, January 8 at 8 a.m. - Beginners Bird Walk

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Wednesday, January 11 at 7:30 a.m. -

Prado County Park. Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, January 21 at 3:30 p.m. - Evening ParrotProwl Trip to Temple City Leader: Lee Swanberg

Sunday, January 22 at 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird

Walk. Leader: Rod Higbie

FEBRUARY

Sunday, February 5 at 8 a.m. - Beginners Bird Walk


Wednesday, February 8 at 7 a.m. - Lake Perris

Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday-Sunday, February 11-12 - Salton Sea

Weekend Leader: Dan Guthrie

Sunday, February 26 at 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird

Walk. Leader: Rod Higbie

MARCH

Sunday, March 5 at 8 a.m. - Beginners Bird Walk


Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. - Los Angeles

County Arboretum Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, March 25 @ 7 a.m. - Lake Perris, San

Jacinto Preserve. Leader to be announced

Sunday, March 26 @ 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird Walk.

Leader: Rod Higbie

PVAS WINTER/SPRING FIELD TRIPS 2006

APRIL

Sunday, April 2 @ 8 a.m. - Beginners Bird Walk,


Wednesday. April 12 @ 8 a.m. - Living Desert

Reserve Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, April 22 @ 7:30 a.m. - Santiago Oaks.

Leader: Valerie Wheeler

Sunday, April 23 @ 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird Walk.Leader: Rod Higbie

MAY

Wednesday, May 3 - Big Morongo Nature Preserve

Leader: Dan Gregory

Sunday, May 7 @ 8 a.m. - Beginners Bird Walk


Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21 - Kern River Valley

and Butterbred Springs Leader: Dan Guthrie

Saturday, May 21 - San Gabriel Mountains. @ 7 a.m.

Leader to be announced

JUNESunday, June 4 at 8 a.m. - Beginners Bird Walk


Wednesday, June 7 at 7: 30 a.m. - Carbon Canyon

Regional Park. Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, June 10 @ 6 a.m. - Big Bear Lake Area

Leader: Dan Guthrie

One day and half day trips start at Memorial Park, Indian Hill

Blvd at 10th Street, Claremont. Weekend trips usually start at the

destination on Saturday morning. The hikes at Bonelli Park meet at

park headquarters on Via Verde, just off the 57 freeway.

Bonelli Park Monthly Walk4th Sunday of the MonthOn the fourth Sunday of every month one of our PVASmembers, Rod Higbie, hosts a nature walk at BonelliPark. The monthly walk starts at 8 A.M. Meet in theparking lot at the Ranger Station on the right side of ViaVerde (accessed from the 57 Frwy) just before the gated

entrance. Rod is very knowledgeable about the plantsand animals there, but his favorite topic is the birds.Most of the walk focuses on the bird life. According tothe parks pamphlet, over 200 species of birds have beenobserved at the park. The habitat in the 2,000 acre parkis primarily coastal sage with some mixed woodland,riparian and lake areas. The 250 acre PuddingstoneReservoir supports a resident population of water birdsas well as attracting migrating and wintering birds. Theendangered California Gnatcatcher nests and is foundin small numbers in suitable coastal sage habitat in thepark.

Welcome New MembersWe extend a warm welcome to all new members. Subscribers to

Audubon Magazine from our area are automatically enrolled in our chapter

and receive the Chaparral Naturalist at no additional charge. You are

welcome to all our events.

Chino: William Howard, BarbaraLong, Raymonde Schneider,Mrs Morgan Wasaki

Claremont: Philip Anderson,Robin Mendoza, Francis Osborn,Frederick Sharp, Brooke Stevens

Corona: Cindy Gallaher

Covina: Peggy Badgley, ErwinRommel Javier, Laura Lima,Sabrina Loesh

Diamond Bar: John Hamel,David Holdridge, Joey Menefee

Glendora: Robert Moore,

George Pink

La Verne: Robert Green

Mira Loma: Daniel Ortega

Montclair: M.M.D. Jueck

Ontario: Alfred Bayer, Rick andJeannie la Cues

Rancho Cucamonga: Denise Free

San Dimas: Benjamin Orfaly,Deborah Soursby

Upland: Chuck and JennyAntoniak, Betty Billings

Walnut: Robert Lispi,Jorge Martinez


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Annual Report to the Members ofPomona Valley Audubon Society

Presented below is a summary of the income and expenses of Pomona Valley Audubon Society for the period of July

1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 as prepared by Neil Gilbert, Treasurer.

To the right is a statement of the assets and liabilities of the Society as of the end of our fiscal year. June 30, 2005.Below that, is below that is a breakdown of the contributions made to various conservation programs and other causes

throughout the state.

Happy New Year!


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Wednesday, February 8, 2006Lake PerrisMeet at 7 a.m. at Memorial Park for a half day trip to LakePerris in search of wintering ducks and raptors. Leader

Dan Gregory. (909) 626-0034

Saturday and Sunday,February 11-12, 2006

Salton Sea Weekend.Meet at 8 a.m. at the Headquartersof the Wister Wildlife Management

Area, Salton Sea (rte 111 and DavisRoad 4 miles north of Niland, Ca.)

We will bird the south end of thesea all day, ending at the sandhill

crane roost at dusk. On Sunday wewill bird around Brawley and return around noon towards

Claremont. Spend the night in Brawley. Leader: DanGuthrie: (909) 607-2836.

Sunday, February 26, 2006Bonelli Bird WalkMeet at the Bonelli Park headquarters on Via Verde near the57 freeway at 8 a.m. Leader, Rod Higbie

Field Trips

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(Continued from pg. 8)

Saturday, January 21, 2006Temple City Evening Parrot Prowl TripMeet at Memorial Park at 3:30 p.m. for a search in TempleCity for up to 10 species of parrots! Leader, Lee Swanberg

(909) 989-1572.

Sunday, January 22, 2006Bonelli Bird Walk.Meet at the Bonelli Park headquarters on Via Verde near the

57 freeway at 8 a.m. Leader: Rod Higbie

Sunday, February 5, 2006Beginners Bird Walk,Rancho Santa Ana Botanic GardenJoin us for our monthly (first Sunday, Sept. through June)bird walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Bring

binoculars if you have them. Adults and children welcome.The walk is flat and slow and takes about two hours. Meet

at 8:00 a.m. at the front entry gate (north end of CollegeAve. north of Foothill Blvd. 1500 N. College Ave.) Leaders:

Fraser Pemberton (909) 624-6451.

Webmaster WantedDo you know how to build and maintain websites?Do you have 2-3 hours per month to help PomonaValley Audubon? We are seeking a volunteer

webmaster to help keep our site up to date withthe lastest information.

If youre a web whiz this is a simple andimportant way you can help PVAS. Pleaseemail Pamela Kling at [email protected] call 909-596-7604 if you would like moreinformation. Rancho Santa Ana Botanical

Gardens Winter Bird FestSunday, February 19, 2006

Come join us for our Winter Bird Festival on Sunday

February 19 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. The festival wilfeature bird walks around the gardens along with severa

activity stations designed to educate and enlighten peopleof all ages.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to help add to the

bird population at the Garden by participating in the GreatBackyard Bird Count.

Cost $5 per person or $20 per family and pre-registration is

recommended. For information or to register, contact theGarden at (909) 625-8767 x224

We Need Your Help!Would you like to receive an electronic versionof the Chaparral Naturalist and help save mailingcosts? Simply send an email to [email protected] and your email will be added to thedistribution lest. To view the newsletter, youmust have Acrobat Reader, which is availablefree of charge at www.adobe.com. We willalso be making the newsletter available onlineon our website at http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/.


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PVAS OFFICERS 2005-2006

President ......................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836Vice-President .............Bruce Strang ..... 626-339-6984Secretary .....................Pam Kling ...................596-7604Treasurer ......................Neil Gilbert ................626-0334Board Member ...........Nancy Strang .... 626-339-6984Board Member ............Dick Moore ......... 909-626-1127Board Member ............Pat Higbie .......... 909-599-6526Board Member ............Rod Higbie ........909-599-6526

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Conservation ...............Dick Moore ......... 909-626-1127

Education .....................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836

Field Trips ....................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836

Membership ................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836

Volunteers ....................Valerie Wheeler ......... 595-4200

Publications .................Neil Gilbert ................626-0334

Publicity .......................Shirley Harris ..............982-9727

Door Prizes ..................Karlene Campo .......... 627-8191

Hospitality ....................Cathy Reaves ............. 987-6197

Ellen Berke .................626-3041

Website ........................Available! Call Dan Guthrie

CHAPARRAL NATURALIST

Co-Editors ...................Pam Kling ...................596-7604

Chaparral Naturalist is published bi-monthly, except Julyand August by the Pomona Valley Audubon Society.Copy deadline is the last Thursday of the month.Articles may be reprinted without permission, but pleasegive credit to the author and the Chaparral Naturalist.We encourage members to submit articles and photosby email at [email protected].

Subscriptions to the newsletter are available for $10 peryear to non-members. Make checks payable to PVAS

and mail to W. M. Keck Science Center, 925 North MillsAvenue, Claremont, CA 91711.

National Audubon MembershipAnnual membership in the National Audubon Society is $30

per year. New membership dues are $20. Members receivetheAudubon Magazine andChaparral Naturalistnewsletter.Renewals of membership are computerized by NationalAudubon and should not be sent to PVAS. However, a newmembership may be sent directly to PVAS.

Make checks payable to National Audubon Society. Mailpayment with membership form below and mail to PVAS,

W. M. Keck Science Center, 925 North Mills Avenue, Cla-remont, CA 91711. (Please note chapter code number,CO8, 7XCH on your check.)

Name__________________________________________

Address________________________________________

City, State, Zip___________________________________

Chapter Code: Pomona Valley Audubon CO8, 7XCHYou may also join National Audubon via our website at:

http://www.ca.audubon.org/chapters.html/

Announcements

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San Diego Bird FestivalFebruary 9 12, 2006

Feature Speaker - Pete Dunne

The tenth annual Bird Festival will besponsored by San Diego Audubon andheld at Marina Village on Mission

Bay. Visit SDAS web site at www.

sandiegoaudubon.org/birdfest.htm

for information, registration and torequest a program. Or you may call

619-682-7200. Hope to see youon one of the many planned trips,

which include Baja California,Anza Borrego Desert, Cuyamaca

Mountains, Pelagic trips, and San Diegosrenowned beaches and wetlands. There will

be live raptors, optic workshops, vendors, aFriday night mixer and Saturday night banquet

with Pete Dunne as feature speaker.

Reprinted from the Hillside Herald,

November 22, 2005

Chino Hills State ParkAwarded Special Grant

Established in 1965, this year marks the 40th anniversaryof the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The money that supplies this conservation fund comes fromthe revenue of offshore oil leases. The 40,000 th grant of theLWCF has been awarded in the amount of $4.2 million to

Chino Hills State Park for the only paved access road into

the State Park. Among other things this road will allowaccess by busses for school children to visit the park.

The awarding of the grant was celebrated at a special

ceremony on Wednesday, November 30 at 11:00 a.m.near the new campground at the State Park on the Chino

Hills side. California Department of Parks and RecreationDirector Ruth Coleman and National Park Service Deputy

Director Donald Murphy were the honored guests alongwith several Federal, state, and local elected officials.


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Calendar and Field Trips

Pomona Valley Audubon SocietyW.M. Keck Science Center925 North Mills AvenueClaremont, CA 91711

Printed on recycled paper by Moore-Bergstrom Co., 1341 W. Brooks, Ontario , CA

Return Service Requestedhttp://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S .POSTAGE

PAIDCLAREMONT, CA.

PERMIT NO. 240

(Field trips continued on page 6

Saturday, January 7, 2006Big Day Birding TripStart the year off with 100 plus birds on your year list! We

will visit the wetlands of Orange County and also search

for any special birds found on various Christmas CensusesMeet at Memorial Park at 7 a.m. and bring a lunch. Leader

Dan Guthrie (909) 607-2836.

Sunday, January 8, 2006Beginners Bird WalkRancho Santa Ana Botanic GardenJoin us for our monthly (first Sunday, Sept. through June)

bird walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Bring

binoculars if you have them. Adults and children welcome

The walk is flat and slow and takes about two hours. Meeat 8:00 a.m. at the front entry gate (north end of College

Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. 1500 N. College Ave.) Leaders

Fraser Pemberton (909) 624-6451.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006Prado County ParkA visit to this popular spot in Chino for vermillion flycatcher

and a variety of ducks, geese, hawks, and perhaps such other

wintering specialties such as bald eagle. Meet at Memorial

Park at 7:30 a.m. for a half day trip. Leader: Dan Gregory(909) 626-0034.

Membership Meetings

Thursday, January 5, 2006

Herb Clarke

"An Introduction toSouthern California Birds"Herb Clarke, renowned bird photographer (and butterflies!)will present our program for January. The program willbe based on his book by the same name and should bean excellent introduction to the birding variety of ourarea. Herbs wife, Olga, who is in charge of Los AngelesAudubons foreign travel (to such places as Costa Rica,Morocco, Thailand, etc.) will also be there and can informyou about very reasonable travel tours for birds.

Thursday, February 2, 2006

Marius van der Merwe

"Prince Edward Island, South Africa"Marius van der Merwe, a visiting professor at theClaremont Colleges this year, worked as a graduatestudent at the Prince Edward Islands research stationof South Africa. This island is one of the subantarcticislands and as such is full of penguins, seals and other neatthings. Marius will give us an introduction to the island,

its wildlife and the research programs under way there.

Meetings are held in Bauer Forum of Claremont McKennaCollege. Evenings begin with a bird identification sessionat 7:00 p.m., followed by refreshments, a short businessmeeting, and our evening program.

January-February 2006 Chaparral Naturalist - Pomona Valley Audubon Society

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