Membership Meeting - Thursday, September 19th @ 7:00 PM

“Birds of Prey (falconry & much more…)”

presented by Steve Siebert, Yakima Valley Falconer, & friends Hal Holmes Center ~ 201 N Ruby St. ~ Ellensburg, WA

A program not to be missed! September’s program will in-

clude several live birds of prey with a brief description of

each bird’s unique characteristics. Steve and friends will

also explain how the ancient sport of falconry has been inte-

grated into modern agriculture for the purpose of crop pro-

tection, describing how trained falcons are being used to

protect high dollar crops from depredating birds.

Steve Siebert has been a Yakima Valley falconer for more

that 30 years, and is a long time Board member of the

Washington Falconer's Association, as well as a member of

the North American Falconer's Association. His interest in

birds of prey began while studying wildlife biology at

WSU . He has been involved in raptor rehabilitation and

bird abatement using trained falcons.

Accompanying Steve with their birds will be Janet and

Maggie Briggs, a mother/daughter team who are also active

falconers. Maggie recently spent an internship at the Blue

Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Pendleton, OR,

working in the area of raptor rehabilitation. She is now in the final stages of the licensing process to

open her own raptor rehab center in Selah, and will briefly explain how her new rehab facility will help

meet the need for more trained care of injured wild birds and raptors in Central Washington.

The Hooter Kittitas Audubon September 2013

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!

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

conservation, with a focus on birds.

Steve and Bert the Owl

Page 2 The Hooter

Sorry I missed the August

picnic. I’ll find out all about

it at the board meeting but

I’m sure it went well. Next year I can make it (as Past

President). Every year I try to get to Kauai in August to

look for the last lingering Laysan’s Albatross chick and, if I

time it right I can witness the first returning Pacific Golden

Plover. The trip always seems to come up when the picnic

is scheduled. Thanks to the committee led by Tom

Gauron and hosts Hal and Gloria Lindstrom.

I talked with somebody who had jeeped into the area of

the Quilomene which was burned in the Colockum-Tarps

Fire…”. She said that all the riparian areas leading up the

draws from the Columbia River have been burned but the

fire petered out on top of the hills. So we will have to see

what next spring brings. I know there has been discus-

sion of feeding if the deer and elk seem to be running out

of forage. If this is the case, the WDFW will start early so

the deer and elk rumens can build up the appropriate mi-

croflora for a hay diet.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

At the September meeting we need to hold a short elec-

tion to confirm the 2013-14 officers. This is usually done

in May but was omitted as there were no new volunteers

for these positions and the present officers have agreed to

continue on. Now we will have a vacancy because Bud

Rechterman plans to resign his Vice President’s position

for medical reasons. So I would like to put forward this

roster of officers for a vote by the membership. Please

contact us if you or someone you know would be willing to

serve as Vice President.

President—Jim Briggs

Vice President—OPEN!

Secretary—Diane Gauron

Treasurer—Sharon Lumsden

DO YOU KNOW OF A POSSIBLE NEW VICE PRESIDENT??

Thank you all and I’ll see you September 19 at the mem-

bership meeting.

Jim Briggs, President

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Send in your stories & photos!

The Hooter is the newsletter of

Kittitas Audubon, published

monthly except for July.

~~~~~~~

Submissions from members &

other readers are most wel-

come and encouraged! The editor reserves the right to edit

for space, grammar, and/or suit-

ability. Email text and/or photos to

bobcat@kvalley.com or snail mail

to Jan Demorest, Hooter Editor,

712 E 2nd Ave, Ellensburg, WA

98926. Submissions need to be in

by the 20th of the preceding month.

KAS BOARD MEMBERS President – Jim Briggs 933-2231 Vice President – VACANT Secretary – Diane Bullock 968-3175 Treasurer – Sharon Lumsden 968-3889 Conservation – Beau Fairchild 435-602-2767 Education – Judy Hallisey 674-6858 Field Trips – Steve Moore 933-1179 *Newsletter – Jan Demorest 933-1179 *Historian – Gloria Lindstrom 925-1807 Programs – Jeb Baldi 933-1558 Publicity – Gerry Sorenson 968-4857 Wildlife Habitat – Joe Meuchel 933-3011 *Bluebird boxes – Jan Demorest 933-1179 Past President — Gloria Baldi 933-1158

Membership – Tuck Forsythe 925-2356

*Christmas Bird Count – Phil Mattocks 962-2191 Social/Greeter – Kay Forsythe 925-2356 *NON-VOTING POSITIONS

KAS Board Meetings are held at 4:30

PM on the 1st Thursday of each

month on the third floor of the CWU

Science Bldg, Room 301 (above the

elephant desk). 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, after which we all go out for a

sociable dinner ~ NO business discus-

sion allowed!

First Saturday BirdWalk on August 3rd

Eleven birders strolling in comfortable weather

found 31 species for the August First Saturday

Birdwalk. However, not only birds were spotted,

but also a cottontail rabbit, along with beautiful

Western Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, and the

magnificent blossoms of dark pink on a Locust

tree (Robinia). Bird species were: Cedar Wax-

wing, European Starling, Spotted Sandpiper, Tree

Swallow, American Goldfinch, Black-capped

Chickadee, American Robin, Western Wood-

Pewee, House Finch, Mourning Dove, Canada

Goose, Song Sparrow, Vaux Swift, Yellow War-

bler, Downy Woodpecker, Brewer’s Blackbird,

Barn Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Belted Kingfisher,

Red-winged Blackbird, Mallard, Killdeer, Black-

headed Grosbeak, Osprey, Bank Swallow, Calliope

Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Warbling Vireo,

California Quail (with 10 chicks), Bewick’s Wren

(heard only), and an unidentified warbler.

Of these sightings, we believed the most unusual

were the nesting Barn Swallows still feeding

young under the I-90 bridge on Reecer Creek.

With a little research, I found the following in

Birds of Washington, edited by Wahl, Tweit, &

Mlodinow (2005 page 275). “Barn swallows dou-

ble-brooded with a consequently protracted nest-

ing season, with young being fed as late as 4 Sep

(Stepniewski 1999), and at Longmire, Mt. Rainier,

on 15 Sep (in Smith et al. 1997). Recorded more

often in winter than other swallows. Numbers

varied but reports increased noticeably: two birds

were noted in Washington in Dec 2000, 62 were

found in Jan and 29 February 2001, compared

with just 26 total during the previous eight win-

ters. In winter 2002-03 about three times that

number of birds occurred, including a number (of

birds) east of the Cascades, where they were un-

recorded a year earlier.” Thus, our

discovery was not especially unique.

Come join First Saturday BirdWalk on

Saturday Sept 7th for an easy Saturday

morning hike in the park. Bring bin-

oculars. The fall migration has begun,

so let’s see what we can find.

Jeb Baldi

Wenas Lake, August 25. Late-

summer lake levels expose muddy

shores that migrating shorebirds flock

to as feeding sites. Only a few places

offer this nearby: a few farm ponds

around Kittitas Valley, possibly the restored Ree-

cer Creek floodplain, and Wenas Lake. Four of us

went to have a look on a Sunday morning. These

days much of the Wenas shoreline is covered by

Water Smartweed, a rosy-flowering submersible

that is native but is invasive at Wenas. From

above the lake, we scoped indistinct sandpipers in

the few shallow ponds with bare mud, as well as

about 30 plain-looking Mallards – young and

eclipse adults, and groups of geese. Down for a

closer look at the shoreline, we found a Pied-billed

Grebe, Killdeers, Least and Western Sandpiper in

summer plumage, a Wilson’s Phalarope in winter

plumage, Spotted Sandpiper (winter), Long-billed

Dowitchers, and a “lens-toting digi-scoper”. The

dowitchers like to feed in the greenery and are

not immediately visible, but eventually come out

in the open. Barn and Violet-green swallows and

a Belted Kingfisher combed the waters. Coming

and going along Umptanum and over Ellensburg

Pass, we tallied Black-headed Grosbeaks, Vesper

Sparrows, Red-tailed Hawks, Kestrels, Cedar

Waxwing and Osprey, for a total of 30 species.

Not a single bluebird along Umptanum road; they

have apparently all

scattered to the

woods.

Steve Moore

Mudflat-lovers: Least Sandpiper at Camion

pond (east Kittitas Val-ley), spotted by Gerry Sorensen late last month along with Long-billed Dowitchers and Killdeers.

Field Trip Reports Page 3 The Hooter

Wilson’s Phalarope

Least Sandpiper

Held in Hal and Gloria Lindstrom’s garden yard on August

15th, KAS provided burgers and buns, while members

brought all other fixings to the Summer Potluck/Social.

Great company and wonderful food meant varied and

interesting conversation among the forty attendees.

The only business was the awarding of Blue Ribbons to

volunteers who have spent many hours doing tasks that

have enhanced KAS, and therefore, have helped birds.

Kittitas Audubon says “Thank You” to the people that

help keep our chapter active and productive. Volunteers

present who received a Blue Ribbon were:

GINGER JENSEN ~ for her many years of folding, stamping, and labeling The Hooter for mailing!

GERRY SORENSON ~ who has single-handedly collected owl pellets for the CWU Biology Depart-ment. Can you believe that collected number is about 1500?? This represents a tremendous dollar savings for the University!

TOM GAURON ~ who frequently opens his wood shop with equipment, wood, pattern and all sup-plies needed to make bird boxes, bat boxes, perch poles, and Mason Bee blocks!

JANET NELSON ~ for consistently monitoring the Vaux’s Swift count. This year has been more dif-ficult because of the demolition of the old hospi-tal chimney. Janet is now pursuing the possibil-ity of constructing a chimney!

HAL LINDSTROM ~ for the twenty-five years of be-ing the KAS Conservation Chair. The many is-sues, letters, and hearings over the years which Hal has overseen has required so much time!

GLORIA LINDSTROM ~ for representing KAS at Audubon Washington meetings and functions for more than 25 years….and for providing the “picnic yard”!

BUD RECHTERMAN ~ for placement and upkeep of the kiosk at Irene Riverfront Park with bird data replaced every three months; building and erecting perch poles for raptors throughout the valley; and increasing awareness of the baling twine dangers for Ospreys through education !

JEB BALDI ~ Responsible for so many programs and field trips over the past fifteen years as chairman of each. First Saturday BirdWalk organizer and often the leader for eleven years!

And GLORIA BALDI ~ for being the “go-to lady” for Kittitas Audubon. When anyone has a ques-

tion she usually has the answer from her years of experience as president to field trip leader. The questions can be on subjects from birds to organizational knowledge of the chapter.

Look for more Blue Ribbons at the September meeting!!

Page 4 Hooter Kittitas Audubon’s Summer Social/Potluck

Tom minds the grill; Jason and Janet sample his wares.

Coming in October! (mark your calendar!) October 17th: Join us when Maria Ruth Mudd,

author of Rare Bird - Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet, will illuminate the secret life

of this endangered seabird. She has written more than a dozen books on such subjects as birds, bee-

tles, butterflies, and ecosystems of the North American desert, the tundra, the Mississippi River, and

the Pacific Coast (which is where she first met her ‘rare bird’).

Coal Export ...Why We Should Care Page 5 The Hooter

by Jim Briggs, Kittitas Audubon

This is based on discussion at a

workshop, National Audubon

Conference ~ July 2013

The good news is that America

is weaning itself from burning

coal. The bad news is that we

aren’t weaning ourselves from

mining it. The coal producers

are looking to Asia to market

their product and here is how it

affects us in the Northwest.

The biggest coal mining region

is the Powder River Basin in

Wyoming and Montana.

The plan is to ship the

coal by rail to the West

coast for shipment to

China, Korea and other

Asian nations.

Ambre Energy, a com-

pany based in Australia,

has proposed using the

Port of Morrow (adjacent

to the town of Boardman,

Oregon, in north-central

Oregon along Interstate

84 south of the Columbia

River) as a transfer point for

shipping U.S. coal to Asia. Am-

bre wants to export up to 8.8

million short tons (8,000,000 t)

of coal per year from the Pow-

der River Basin in Wyoming

and Montana. It would ship the

coal by train to Boardman,

where it would be loaded into

barges and ferried 219 miles

downstream to Port St. Helens

(about 60 miles from the

mouth of the Columbia be-

tween Portland and Vancouver,

WA) and/or Longview Wash-

ington, where it would be

transferred onto ocean-going

ships headed for China, South

Korea, Japan, and other Asian

countries. What could possibly

go wrong there?

The Ambre plan has generated

controversy among proponents

touting economic benefits and

opponents fearing environ-

mental damage. After the pub-

lic-comment period ends on

August 12, 2013, the Oregon

Department of Environmental

Quality will decide whether to

grant Ambre's request for per-

mits to proceed. To export coal

across Oregon in the way Am-

bre proposes, the company will

also need approval from the

Oregon Department of State

Lands and the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers.

Other plans call for up to 30

coal-loaded trains a day to

travel all the way through the

gorge then up to several possi-

ble ports in the Salish Sea (an

increasingly used term for the

aquatic ecosystem of Puget

Sound, the Strait of Juan de

Fuca, the San Juan Islands and

British Columbia’s Strait of

Georgia and Gulf Islands).

The trains would have to use

the Gorge route when loaded

with coal, but they can return

for another load by way of El-

lensburg. To many of us the

sound of the train horns is ro-

mantic—a couple of times a

night. But the number would

increase considerably and de-

posit diesel smoke and its par-

ticulates along the way. Oh,

and the loaded cars cannot be

covered or else they risk spon-

taneous combustion. So coal

dust, which is toxic, erodes all

along the way. One estimate

is that 500 pounds to a ton of

coal dust can escape from a

fully loaded train. The mint

farmers in the Yakima Valley

might not like this because it

cannot be washed off mint or

raspberry crops. And isn’t Ore-

gon the place where those su-

per blackberries, called Marion-

berries, are grown?

Now the potential environ-

mental impact gets really seri-

ous. The ships planned

for the shipment of the

coal are Cape Size Bulk

Carriers. They are half

again larger than oil

tankers and take six

miles to stop. How wide

is the Strait of Juan de

Fuca? Eight miles and

the ship channel is much

more narrow than that.

What could go wrong

there? And what if one

of them piled up? We don’t

know what all that coal

(180,000 tons) would mean to

the Salish ecosystem but we

do know what the 1.6 million

gallons of bunker fuel would

do.

Then there is the impact of

having to enlarge the ports at

Bellingham and other possible

terminals. First there is the

displacement of eelgrass which

is one of the primary producers

for the Salish ecosystem. It

provides a home for the very

important next link, the herring

which feed into the next link,

salmon and fish-eating sea

birds. Do you see where this is

going? Next to suffer would be

the resident Orcas, and then

the tourism potential of the

Salish would suffer. And how

clean would the transferring

(Continued on page 6)

Page 6 Hooter This & That…

process be? How long before the eelgrass that

wasn’t displaced by the dredging is covered by

coal dust? I don’t even know if it floats or sinks

but either way it would not be good.

I realize the potential economic benefit to Wash-

ington from increased coal shipment would be

huge. But the potential loss of economic benefit

from the status quo should be considered. A

group called Friends of the San Juans lists the

current economic value as follows:

$3.8 billion ~ the value of Washington State’s

commercial fishing industry

60,000 yearly jobs provided by fishing industry

$1.1 billion ~ estimated value of recreational

fishing

$1.5 billion from wildlife viewing

San Juan County alone takes in $158 million

annually from tourism

So isn’t this the classic environmental dilemma?

We are being asked to substitute one economy

for another. As a conservationist, I say let’s

keep what we have. This is one change we don’t

want.

After all the environmental risk of shipping the

coal to Asia, we get back the externality of their

burning it. They are putting our fossil carbon

dioxide into the atmosphere. If we make the

acquisition of coal a little more expensive and a

little less dependable, maybe they will speed up

finding alternatives like we are doing.

Oh, and one more thing. All of these ships trav-

elling from the Northwest must pass through one

of the holy grails for birders—Unimak Pass in the

Aleutian Islands. According to Stephanie Buffum

from the Safe Shipping Alliance, the Aleutians

are best known for their birds. “Over two million

nest on the islands each summer. Puffins, auk-

lets, gulls, Storm Petrels, cormorants, terns,

kittiwakes, murres, Pigeon Guillemots, and mur-

relets are among the most abundant species.

The largest known colony of Northern Fulmars in

America—topping a half million—nest on Chagu-

lak Island. Half of the world’s Emperor Geese

spend their winters in the Aleutians. Once en-

dangered with extinction, the American Cackling

Goose is now considered recovered and contin-

ues to re-colonize former nesting islands. No-

where else in North America can you find

Whooper Swans, Tufted Ducks, Siberian Ruby-

throats, Wood Sandpipers, Far Eastern Curlews

and Black-headed Gulls.”

Now imagine what the wreck of one of these

mega-menaces could cause. I really want to see

a Tufted Duck someday.

Check out: www.sanjuans.org/safeshipping and Powerpastcoal.org

http://www.sanjuans.org/safeshipping/documents/SalishSeaInfographic_001.pdf

(copy and paste into your web browser)

Coal Trains (Continued from page 5)

“Climb the mountains and

get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow

into you as sunshine flows into trees.

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,

while cares will drop off

like autumn leaves.”

~ John Muir

C. C. Long Home Geography for Primary Grades (New York: American Book Company, 1894)

Page 7 Hooter

Darling Bird Studios, ©2007 UNA

Membership & other news!

BECOME A KITTITAS AUDUBON MEMBER!! (Or renew your membership)

Receive The Hooter ~ help support education and conservation activities and projects!

Two options are available:

OPTION 1: Membership in National Audubon includes a subscription to the magazine, Audubon, membership in the local chapter (KAS), and KAS monthly newsletter, THE HOOTER

____ Join as a new National Audubon member $20 (includes KAS membership)

____ Renew a National Audubon membership $35

Make check payable to: National Audubon Society Include this form and mail to: Membership Data Center, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235

Name ___________________________ Address __________________________________________

City _____________________________ State, ZIP _________________________________________

Chapter Code COZY220Z

OPTION 2: Membership in only the local chapter, KAS, includes the monthly newsletter, THE HOOTER

____ Join the local Kittitas Audubon Society (KAS) chapter $20

____ Renew your KAS membership $20

____ Make a donation to KAS $______ (amount)

Make check payable to KAS and mail to: KAS, P.O. Box 1443, Ellensburg, WA 98926

Name ____________________________________ Phone __________________________________

Address __________________________________ Cell _____________________________________

City _____________________________________ Email ____________________________________

State, ZIP _________________________________ Would you like to receive The Hooter electronically?

May we print your name in The Hooter as a new, Yes ____ No, prefer paper edition ____

renewing, or donating member? Yes ___ No ____

Kittitas Audubon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational society.

All memberships and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

Membership forms are also available on our Web site: Kittitasaudubon.org.

For membership information contact Membership Chair, Tuck Forsythe ~ forsythe@fairpoint.net

Check out BirdKitt!! Get the latest news on bird sightings in Kittitas County from our very own regional “BirdKitt”, an online “listserve” for all persons inter-ested in bird sightings in Kittitas County. You can post your own sightings and sign on to have new postings sent directly to your email address.

If you are not already signed up, here’s how to do it: send an email

to subscribe@yahoogroups.com . Reply to the first email about Bird-kitt that you receive from “yahoogroups”. To unsubscribe: send email to birdkitt- unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com . If you have difficulty, contact Chris Caviezel chris.caviezel@gmail.com

This is a great resource for finding places

to look for birds in the valley.

GET “THE

HOOTER” ONLINE

Save paper, printing,

postage. If you would

prefer to receive the

electronic version,

send your name, mailing address, &

email address to:

info@kittitasaudubon.org

At the beginning of each month,

we’ll send you an email with a quick

link to the new Hooter.

Upcoming KAS Field Trips

THANKS 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

and prints our county bird lists. Get your bird seed here!

Kittitas Audubon

P.O. Box 1443

Ellensburg WA 98926

September

7th, Saturday ~ First Saturday BirdWalk,

Rinehart Park. Fall migration is in progress:

maybe a chance to spot a shorebird at the Reecer

Creek restoration area. 2-3 hour walk. Meet at

the Irene Rinehart riverside parking lot off of Um-

tanum Rd at 8 AM. Leader Jim Briggs; phone 933

-2231 for further info.

October

5th, Saturday ~ First Saturday BirdWalk,

Rinehart Park. It’s the tail end of the migrant

songbirds of summer, but October is a good time

to spot a few ducks and grebes arriving, and per-

haps an unusual hawk. 2-3 hour walk. Meet at

the Irene Rinehart riverside parking lot off of Um-

tanum Rd at 8 AM. Gloria and Jeb Baldi lead;

933-1558 for info.

26th-27th, Saturday-Sunday ~ Bellingham

Adventure. Exploring the northwest corner of

the state, we’ll scout habitats from the shore of

the Sound to urban fall color, including Semiahoo

Spit, Birch Bay, and city parks and trails. Motel

overnight in Bellingham; location TBD. Early Sat-

urday departure. Call Steve Moore for info, 933-

1179.

November

2nd, Saturday ~ First Saturday BirdWalk,

Rinehart Park. Leaves have turned, and the

first Bald Eagles are arriving. Juncos are back in

the woods after a summer absence, and creepers

and wrens could be active. 2-3 hour walk (before

you have to go home and rake leaves.) Meet at

the Irene Rinehart riverside parking lot off of Um-

tanum Rd at 8 AM. Jeb and Gloria Baldi lead;

933-1558 for info.

The Hooter - September 2013 The Newsletter of Kittitas Audubon - http://www.kittitasaudubon.org

Vintage drawing 1885 by Harrison Weir