Echo President’s Message by Deb Nickerson

The US and China emit more carbon dioxide than anyone else. The US began much earlier, however, given the success of our industrial revolution. China is undergoing their own now, but is agreeing through international treaties to curb their carbon output.

The US military has acknowledged climate change and is working to reduce their energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. If all four branches of the service can tout their accomplishments in this arena, surely other institutions cannot be far behind. As I stated in the last issue, individual actions alone are simply not enough to thwart the damages of carbon buildup and destruction: we need large-scale efforts by business and governments, and political leaders such as President Obama, Senator Boxer, and our own Governor Inslee acknowledge our responsibility and are taking actions to reduce carbon output. Our members continue to be active on the “hill” giving testimony, providing written comments and showing up at hearings and events in great numbers. Showing up and speaking up are rights we have in this democracy, so we must continue to participate as much as we are able.

Saturday, March 7th, 5 p.m.

BHAS Annual Dinner And Auction Just Around the Corner

BHAS will be holding its Annual Dinner and Auction on Saturday, March 7th, at the Student Union Building at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). The dinner starts at 5:00 p.m. The deadline for making reservations has passed, so if you haven’t reserved your spot for this year’s event, we will hope to see you at next year’s dinner.

(Continued on page 7...)

Olympia, Washington Volume 2015, Number 2 March/April 2015 Our chapter has decided to focus on this issue. Attend our Climate Change Summit from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25th at the LOTT classroom to share and hear ideas for future steps we can take together. The recent book discussion of The Sixth Extinction evoked strong opinions. We decided to continue the topic and will read and discuss Diane Ackerman’s book The Human Age - The World Shaped by Us on April 17th at 6:30 p.m. at my house. Collaborating with other local organizations, we can host events to broaden awareness and action. Many of us, noting changes in some of our local bird species, are unnerved by the possible causes and consequences. Anything we can do individually and governmentally to reduce our use and dependence on fossil fuels is at least a step forward. Through united action, changing poor habits and further investing in political action, we can keep moving forward, step by tiny step. Indeed, looking ahead with hope and moving forward, however slowly, is the only direction to go - forward, ever forward.

Thursday, April 9th, 7 p.m.

Community Farm Land Trust

The South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust (SSCFLT) is a local organization working to promote sustainable, productive farmland. Addie Candib, Philanthropy and Outreach Coordinator for SSCFLT, will speak about the organization and provide information about its vision for the future and the organization’s efforts not just to protect farmland, but to provide a model for successful collaboration between advocates for farmland and advocates for the environment.

Monthly program meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at the First Christian Church meeting hall at 701 Franklin St. SE, in downtown Olympia. Arrive at 7 p.m. to socialize; programs begin promptly at 7:30.

Armchair Birding: by Anne Kilgannon Rambunctious Gardening, by Emma Marris. Bloomsbury, 2011 I remember the conversation, or at least the punch line my friend delivered: Did I know that here in the Pacific Northwest earthworms are an invasive species? As a gardener, my mind recoiled. But earthworms are good! I had just made the leap from “natural” to “good,” or flipside, “invasive” to “bad” that Emma Marris examines in her provocative book Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World. With the title Rambunctious, we anticipate we are in for a great ride, and so we are; one after another, Marris tosses up cherished foundational concepts anchoring the conservationist world-view and deals each a smart clap. She reminds us that we live in a new world, a post-wild one where Homo sapiens has changed all the rules. And that in what we fondly call Nature, “good” and “bad” are totally human constructs, much like “cute” and “charismatic.” Marris seeks a new language and understanding of how the world works because she wants to help save it, to do so with her eyes open. Her book dedication gives us the first clue: to her mother “for sending me to Audubon day camp.” The first point she makes is that we are losing the natural world at an extraordinary pace in two senses: species, habitats, and whole ecosystems are disappearing, but so is our firsthand experience of those creatures and places. Watching a nature show on television is not like going to camp - or simply going out into the woods and looking at things for yourself - and helps create the notion that Nature exists somewhere else, out there where we are not, “untouched by humanity’s great grubby hands.” To break us out of that mindset, she would have us look at that strip of weedy life by the sidewalk, the bit down by the river before the concrete takes over, or our own backyards where the sparrows have their coffee klatches every morning. She asks, are we seeing invasive species, dandelions, or evolution, life itself, pushing forward and thriving as best it can in a climate-changing world?

We begin our intellectual journey in Yellowstone, one of the country’s first laboratories of saving pristine wilderness, to examine that thorny notion of the wild. When this land was set aside in 1872 as “wild,” the designation, so full of promise, was already steeped in problematic thinking as the new park pushed out the Native Americans who had called it home and wolves who preyed on the deer and elk. We tried to freeze-frame

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the park in the image we desired but instead let loose an unbalanced system that led to something entirely unnatural. With this cautionary tale in mind, she discusses the quest for what conservation scientists call a biological restoration baseline. Creating a baseline involves deciding a sacrosanct beginning point, but will that be Columbus or pre-Clovis culture? Early humans set fires to encourage grasslands to lure the fauna they favored for dinner, so should we seek to return our wilderness to an age even before the spear-hunters appeared? But the mega-fauna of that era included giant sloths, mastodons and other creatures long lost to earth. We cannot do it, although Marris does chronicle some of the attempts to replicate or approximate life forms that give the nod to how it might have worked. She doesn’t have to spell out how ludicrous this thinking is, but asks instead if this is where we should be expending our resources.

Close examination of how the earth supports life and her probing questions that puncture all the bright balloons of our favorite ideas are the great strength of this book. Marris searches the valleys and mountaintops and interviews experts and advocates, digging into just how we think about Nature and whether or not our concepts help or blind us in our work to save the world. She asks again and again, “What is wilderness? What is biodiversity and what is its value? Are species the unit we should be saving, but what about how evolution charts its own path unanticipated by us? And what about those invasive species kudzu, starlings, zebra mussels and earthworms?” As conservationists, she challenges us to first learn the vocabulary and science, to think more deeply, to keep a wary eye on climate change, and to look again at burgeoning life everywhere we find it. Weeds break through concrete and pond scum, stretching gloriously toward the sun. Are they weeds or the life impulse unimpeded by our restrictive categories? I end here with Marris’s own statement of purpose. It doesn’t give away the plot but adds weight to my own recommendation: read this book and continue the conversation! “The rambunctious garden is this ahupua’a vision writ across the whole Earth.

(Continued on page 6...)

Black Hills Audubon Society

2014 Christmas Bird Count Results by Bill Shelmerdine The Olympia Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was conducted on December 14 under fantastic conditions. 87 participants in 16 parties tallied 133 species on count day. Three additional reports came from participants counting at residential bird feeders. This is an impressive number and well above the recent 20-year average of 127 species. The record high was 134 species seen in 1992 and in 1997. Only 6 of Olympia’s previous counts have recorded over 130 species on count day. This is the 115th annual CBC. The Olympia Count has been conducted since the early 1960s and pretty much continuously since 1979.

One key to a good count is calm conditions and participants willing to venture out into the dark of night, or morning, in search of owls. Conditions were good, and several counters were willing. So this great day began with Barn, Greathorned, Barred, Northern Saw-whet, and Northern Pygmy Owls all recorded before first light.

Weather conditions could not have been better—it was perhaps the best day of the entire count season in Western Washington. Our two boat crews covering the inland marine waters of South Puget Sound reported ideal, sunny conditions with little if any wind and flat seas. It was a pleasant surprise, at least to me, that fog was not a factor. In contrast, many of the other Pacific Northwest counts struggled with marginal weather that really affected count totals.

The list of species seen that are considered uncommon or unusual for the Olympia count included Snow Goose, Black Scoter, Rough-legged Hawk, Green Heron, Red Phalarope, Ancient Murrelet, and Orange-crowned Warbler. A Swamp Sparrow, reported a few days later from Nisqually Refuge, added one bird to the list of “count week” species. No real rarities or new species were reported on this year’s CBC. Several species were reported in historic high (and low) numbers on the 2014 count. In some cases they reflect recent trends. Among the waterfowl, Wood Duck (164), Bufflehead (4,697), and Common Goldeneye (1,603) were all reported in record high numbers. There has been a steadily increasing trend for Bald Eagle, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna’s Humming-

http://blackhills-audubon.org

bird, and Common Raven, which all achieved high counts in 2014; all of these except Bald Eagle had the previous high count reported in 2013. So high counts were recorded for 10 species:

҈҈ Bald Eagle, 186; previous high of 121 in 2010, steadily increasing trend ҈҈ Eurasian Collared Dove, 82; previous high of 58 in 2013, first reported in 2010 ҈҈ Mourning Dove, 101; previous high count of 95 in 2013 ҈҈ Merlin, 6; previous high count of 5 in multiple years ҈҈ Anna’s Hummingbird, 147; previous high count of 111 in 2013. ҈҈ Common Raven, 46; previous high count of 32 in 2013 ҈҈ Red-breasted Nuthatch, 202; previous high count of 146 in 1999 ҈҈ Second highest: Red Crossbill, 138; previous high count of 216 in 2012

Although, remarkably, no regular or expected species was missed on count day, low numbers among the grebes particularly reflect a disturbing recent trend for this group. Only 7 Red-necked Grebes were reported in 2014; the previous low of 27 happened last year. 138 Horned Grebes were reported this year, the second lowest count ever, and up only slightly from the historic low of 136 reported last year. Western (27) and Eared (1) Grebes continued in numbers well below average, reflecting a recent trend of low numbers wintering in the area. Ruddy Duck is the other species that jumps out as wintering in remarkably low numbers. 59 were recorded in 2014, the second lowest count ever, following the historic low of 56 recorded last year. This is the fifth year in a row with numbers below 100, with all 6 years below 100 taking place in the past 7 years. The count was followed by an evening compilation dinner and count-down of species seen. This year, another excellent chili dinner was put on by volunteers from Black Hills Audubon, the Olympia Count’s sponsor. This event would not be the same without the care and dedication of our most excellent volunteers. A sincere “Thank you!” to all the participants who made this event a success.

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Bird Box Successes, 2014

(Article on facing page) Photographs by Anne Van Sweringen

Bald-faced Hornet nest.

Maria Ruth holding Bald-faced Hornet nest.

Nest with 5 eggs and feathers.

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Tom Terry, Bob Wadsworth, and Maria Ruth stabilize post.

Black Hills Audubon Society

Bird Box Successes, 2014 By Anne Van Sweringen

We waited for the first good frost, when hornets would no longer be active. On a chilly December day, four intrepid members cleaned 40 bird boxes at Capitol Land Trust’s Twin Rivers Ranch preserve. Capitol Land Trust member Tom Terry led the way, assisted by BHAS members Maria Ruth, Bob Wadsworth, and myself. As we cleaned boxes and collected data, we marked each box with a global positioning system (GPS) location so we can find them next year. The bird box project is intended to create breeding bird opportunities until habitat is restored, with boxes built for swallows, chickadees, Purple Martins, Northern Flickers, Wood Ducks, and wrens. Nine Violet-green Swallow nests, covered with feathers and droppings (poop), showed the birds had successfully raised and fledged young there. One nest harbored four dead fledglings, perhaps due to an adjacent burn last summer. Another box contained five small white eggs in a many-feathered nest, while another held two nests, one on top of the other!

Critters other than birds, such as an unexpected deer mouse, occupied eight boxes. Three hornet and wasp nests also found homes in the boxes. Stacked neatly inside one swallow box were seven layers of little hexagonal cells belonging to bald-faced hornets, now vacated so we could safely remove them. Wasps are important pollinators who eat pests, including other wasps—but these hornets and wasps can find homes elsewhere! Now that the boxes are weathered and have been found by birds, we look forward to more occupants, and a more successful bird box breeding season, in 2015.

Western Field Ornithologists: Special Attention to Young People Will Be Focus at June Conference

Western Field Ornithologists (WFO) is planning a conference in Billings, MT on June 10-14, as they have done every other year in one of the Western states.

WFO, an organization of amateur and professional field ornithologists, promotes the study of birds throughout western North America, including Hawaii, the northeastern Pacific Ocean, and Western Mexico. The organization strives to increase knowledge, appreciation, and protection of birds and their habitats through annual meetings, field trips, and publications, primarily Western Birds, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal that focuses on field-oriented descriptive ornithology. WFO provides competitive scholarships to help young people who are interested in field ornithology attend birding trips or conferences. The Pasadena Audubon/WFO Youth Scholarship fund honors the memory of Mike San Miguel, a key contributor to - and beloved friend of - Pasadena Audubon and WFO. Applicants must be members of Western Field Ornithologists.

All students in grades 6 through 12 who attend their conferences automatically receive a scholarship waiver of the $95 conference registration fee. Up to four youth scholarships will be awarded prior to conference registration, but unfortunately the deadline for applications for these scholarships has passed. However, if you know of any student who would be interested in attending, or for any other information, please contact Frances Oliver at [email protected].

Steward Needed to Monitor Bird Boxes

Capitol Land Trust is looking for a volunteer steward to monitor 40 bird boxes at Twin Rivers Ranch Preserve this coming spring and summer. Twin Rivers Ranch Preserve is located at the end of Oakland Bay, north of Shelton on Hwy 3. Annual bird box monitoring will begin the first week of April or earlier. The boxes are to be checked for activity and/or nesting every week to ten days throughout the breeding season. The steward will fill in a monitoring report. Interested? Contact Mike Leigh at [email protected] or (360) 943-3012.

http:/blackhills-audubon.org

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Olympic Peninsula Birdfest, April 10-12, 2015

by Bonnie Wood

Black Hills Audubon is tentatively organizing a group to go to the Olympic Peninsula to synchronize with the Olympic Birdfest, April 10-12, 2015. The Olympic Peninsula is home to many birding hotspots on the Great Washington State Birding Trail and many Important Bird Areas (IBAs). The northeast Olympia Peninsula is also an easy jumping-off point to Olympic National Park, the San Juans, and Vancouver Island and Victoria.

Our (tentative) plan is to caravan up to the Peninsula on Thursday, April 9, stopping to bird at sites along the Hood Canal on the way. BHAS would host a reception on Thursday night for BHAS members and their friends. On Friday, the festival's field trips begin: there are a plethora of field trips to choose from, led by local birding experts. See www.olympicbirdfest.org for the full schedule of events and to register. Many of the field trips do have a fee; these proceeds go to support the education programs at the Dungeness River Audubon Center. Birders of all levels are welcome to join us.

Choose and arrange your own lodging plans— Port Townsend, Sequim, and Port Angeles have myriad lodging options. Good detailed information about lodging, the festival's field trips, and other offerings is on the Internet and the Olympic Birdfest website, www.olympicbirdfest.org.

If you are interested in this trip, please contact Bonnie Wood at 360-943-4612 or bwood2800@ gmail.com, so we can get a sense of numbers. If enough people wish to go, we can do this as a BHAS trip. If you leave a message, please leave your phone number and e-mail address. I will get back to you promptly with details about where and when to meet and other information (are not yet concrete). Thanks!

Black Hills Book Group April Discussion

The discussion of the first book went so well, we are continuing to read and discuss books of note to our members. Next up is The Human Age by Diane Ackerman. Read it by April 17th so you can come discuss it with us. We will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Deb Nickerson’s house. Contact her at [email protected] if you have questions.

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Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival Friday, May 1-Sunday, May 3 Event: Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival 2015 Location: Hoquiam, Washington Each spring, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stop to rest and feed in Grays Harbor estuary on their migration northward. Coming from as far south as Argentina, these Arctic-bound shorebirds are among the world’s greatest migrants. Some birds travel over 15,000 miles round trip! Tens of thousands of shorebirds feed on the open mudflats in the estuary. This concentration of birds offers people a great chance to view a number of shorebird species, and with luck, to see the birds fly together in beautiful formations while trying to escape the fastest creature on earth, the Peregrine Falcon. For full information about festival events, see www.shorebirdfestival.com. At Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge (GHNWR), shorebirds can be viewed best during the period about two hours before high tide to two hours after. During high tide, birds are closer and more concentrated for better viewing. The peak in migration typically occurs the last week in April. Best viewing times at GHNWR during the 2015 festival are: Friday, May 1

Saturday, May 2 Sunday, May 3

High tide Best viewing 12:30 p.m. 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 1:20 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

11:20 a.m. - 3:20 p.m. 12 noon - 4 p.m.

NOTE: Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is open from sunrise to sunset.

Armchair Birding: by Anne Kilgannon

(Cont’d from page 2)

In different places, in different chunks, we can manage nature for different ends - for historical restoration, for species preservation, for selfwilled wildness, for ecosystem services, for food and fiber and fish and flame trees and frogs. We’ve forever altered the Earth, and so now we cannot abandon it to a random fate. It is our duty to manage it. Luckily, it can be a pleasant, even joyful task if we embrace it in the right spirit. Let the rambunctious gardening begin.” For additional reading on this subject, see Where Do Camels Belong? : Why Invasive Species Aren’t All Bad, by Ken Thompson, 2014.

Black Hills Audubon Society

Go Auks! Marbled Murrelets in Washington by Maria M. Ruth

The fan base for the Marbled Murrelet has been growing steadily over the past few years, thanks to Audubon chapters state-wide and Washington Audubon. Now, as major decisions are being made about the fate of this seabird on 1.3 million acres of state land, fans and advocates are needed to fly the flag for this threatened species of the auk family. The 1.3 million acres in western Washington, managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is forested state trust land that provides the mature, old-growth conifers that Marbled Murrelets depend on for nesting. The DNR harvests timber on these lands under a Habitat Conservation Plan and an interim Longterm Conservation Strategy, which is now being updated after its creation in 1997. Developing this Strategy is a complex, lengthy process, now moving forward in fits and starts. The DNR has decided to work on its equally complex Sustainable Harvest Calculation at the same time, though it is slowing down progress on the murrelet conservation strategy. Because DNR is required

to generate revenue for the state’s schools, hospitals, and timber-dependent counties, DNR is faced with seemingly mutually exclusive goals: to log their forests while also conserving them for murrelet habitat. Its Long-Term Conservation Strategy must significantly contribute to recovery of the declining Marbled Murrelet populations, but public input is vital to ensuring that it is actually a conservation strategy and not a Short-Term Extinction Plan. Since November, 2014, DNR staff has been presenting its progress on the strategy at monthly Board of Natural Resources meetings in Olympia. Members of the Audubon community and other conservation groups always attend and have been providing valuable input during the public comment period. If you are interested in murrelet conservation in Washington, the 2-hour meetings are at 9 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month, in the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E., Olympia, Rm. 172. Public comments are encouraged, but just listening is important, too. Stomping, cheering, and flag waving for the murrelet are not permitted.

Local Community Land Trust A Partner in Conservation

Auction and Annual Dinner Just Around the Corner (Cont’d from page 1)

The South of the Sound Community Farm Land Trust (SSCFLT) believes that productive and sustainable local farmland is critical to a vibrant and viable farm economy. SSCFLT envisions a future in which healthy local food is abundant and accessible to the community. That’s why, for nearly 20 years, SSCFLT has worked to preserve working farmland in the South Sound, and to keep it affordable for the people who want to farm it.

For those of you who are planning to attend the dinner and auction, here are a few last-minute reminders for the evening: • SPSCC is a non-smoking campus. This means you need to either smoke in your car with the windows closed or leave the campus in order to smoke. • Purchases at the dinner/auction must be made using cash or check only. There is an ATM machine in the lobby of the Student Union Building available for use. • Driving directions to SPSCC and the Student Union Building can be found at the BHAS website and are also enclosed in your invitation. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the Dinner and Auction!

SSCFLT uses community-supported farmland preservation strategies, educational outreach, and partnerships with state and local government, other nonprofits, and small businesses, to work toward the mission of preserving working, affordable farmland. In 2013, SSCFLT partnered with the Heernett Environmental Foundation and Kirsop Farm to preserve a 147-acre farm near Rochester. 99 acres of that property, now called the Scatter Creek Farm & Conservancy, will be farmed forever. The remaining 48 acres, which border the Chehalis River, are set aside as habitat for salmon, birds, and other wildlife. Information about SSCFLT will be presented at the April BHAS meeting.

http://blackhills-audubon.org

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Field Trips and Events Field Trips and Events Capsule MARCH

APRIL

Every Wednesday—Bird walks, Nisqually NWR

Every Wednesday—Bird walks, Nisqually NWR 4 Field Trip & Event: Birding & Breakfast 9 Event: Monthly program meeting 9 Field Trip: Caravan to Olympic Peninsula (?) 10-12 Event: Olympic Peninsula Birdfest 16 Field Trip: Eagle’s Pride Golf Course, JBLM 17 Event: Book group discussion, The Human Age 19 Event: Birds and Beer, Olympia 25 Field Trip: Twin Rivers Ranch 29 Event: Birds and Beer, Shelton 30 Event: Outreach meeting

7 Field Trip & Event: Birding & Breakfast 7 Evening Event: Auction and annual dinner 12 Event: Monthly program meeting 13-15 Event: Wings over Washington Festival, Blaine 16 Event: Birds and Beer, Olympia 19 Field Trip: Eagle’s Pride Gold Course, JBLM 25 Event: Birds and Beer, Shelton 25 Evening Event: Climate Change Summit, LOTT 27-29 Event: Othello Sandhill Crane Festival 28 Field Trip: Theler Wetland & Belfair State Park

May 1-3 Event: Gray’s Harbor Shorebird Festival

Recurring Field Trips & Events Birding & Breakfast Want to get a head start on your weekend? Join us for Birding and Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month. Bird with us, then enjoy breakfast at a local restaurant at 9:00 a.m. Or, if you’re a late riser, just join us for breakfast and we’ll give you the run-down on what birds are in the area. Beginning birders are welcome. Share what you know, connect, enjoy. No expert guide. Meet-up locations are below followed by breakfast sites. For more information, contact Black Hills Audubon Society at 360-352-7299 unless otherwise specified.

March 7: Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, (100 Brown Farm Rd. N.E., Olympia); breakfast at Panera Bread, 1320 Marvin Rd. N.E., Lacey April 4: Tenino’s Mull Street marsh and Heernet Foundation woods. Paul Hicks will lead. Meet at Scotty B’s Diner (500 Sussex Avenue East), on the corner of the shopping center at the intersection of Route 507 and Old Highway 99. We’ll carpool from there. Contact Bonnie Wood at 360-943-4612 with questions.

Birds and Beer

Join birders each month at two different locations and times. People will share their “best birding spots in our area.” Birders gather at 4:30 p.m. in Olympia on the 3rd Monday of the month at the Fish Tale Brewpub, 515 Jefferson St. S.E., Olympia, where they meet at the couches in the back. Birders also gather in Shelton at 5:00 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at Smoking Mo’s, corner of Railroad Ave. & 2nd Street.

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Field Trip, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Every Wednesday, 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. Join Phil Kelley to see native birds and early migrants at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. March and April are excellent months to see diverse waterfowl, raptors, songbirds, and others. Be prepared for any kind of weather and for walking. Bring water and snacks as needed.

The Refuge has a $3.00 entrance fee, which is waived if you have a Golden Eagle Pass, federal interagency pass, or other applicable pass.

Field Trip, Eagle’s Pride Golf Course, JBLM Third Thursday each month, 8:00 a.m. - Noon March 19 and April 16, 2015 Leaders: Denis DeSilva, David Wienecke, and Valerie Elliott

Spring is upon us, and Eagle Pride Golf Course’s ponds, thick, diverse habitat, and location - only a half mile from Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge - make it a great place to spot many bird species, especially now that migrants will be trickling in. Last spring, for example, five swallow species abounded and nested at the course, and over 70 species of birds were documented in the last year. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the driving range parking spaces. Take exit 116 off I-5N. Turn north off the ramp and then right into the golf course. The driving range access road, a narrow gravel road, is an immediate left, or you can park in the main lot and easily walk up to the driving range. As always, dress for the weather and bring water and snacks as needed. Contact David Wienecke at [email protected] or call 253-964-0341 (office) if you have questions.

Black Hills Audubon Society

Field Trip Details Field Trips 2015

After a spirited brainstorming session in January, Black Hills field trip leaders are excited to offer members some new field trips in 2015, as well as tried and true outings that are always popular. Keep abreast of these offerings by reading The Echo, checking our website regularly, and registering on meetup.com, where we will now also try to list our current field trips.

Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival Friday, May 1-Sunday, May 3 (See page 6 for information)

Friday, March 27 – Sunday, March 29 Event: Othello Sandhill Crane Festival Location: Othello, Washington This annual birding festival celebrates the incredible variety of migratory birds that visit Blaine, Semiahmoo, Birch Bay, and Drayton Harbor, located on the Pacific Flyway in the Northwest corner of Washington State, with field trips, nature cruises, wildlife demonstrations, arts & crafts, kid's activities, expert wildlife speakers and more. For full details, including places and times, see www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org

We always welcome your thoughts and ideas about field trips. We welcome anyone who would like to lead or help organize a field trip! Is that you? Black Hills Audubon would love to have new leaders anytime!

Friday, April 10-Sunday, April 12 Event: Olympic Peninsula Birdfest Location: Sequim, Washington

Friday, March 13-Sunday, March 15 Event: Wings over Water Festival Location: Blaine, Washington

This festival provides opportunities to see birds normally seen on the Olympic Peninsula, which includes many locations on the Great Washington State Birding Trail and IBAs (Important Bird Areas). Field trips are planned to Sequim Bay, Port Angeles Harbor, Ediz Hook, Dungeness Spit, the Elwha River, Salt Creek, and Neah Bay. Boat trips to Protection Island are also planned. For full information about the festival, go to www.olympicbirdfest.org. Black Hills Audubon hopes to organize a group to go up to the Peninsula on Thursday, stopping to bird along the way. Black Hills Audubon will host a reception on Thursday night. See the accompanying article in this issue of The Echo (page 6).

We want also to emphasize that leading a field trip does not mean you have to be an expert birder! It means only that you are there at the appointed time and place to greet people and keep track of them (more or less) during the outing. We can enlist expert birders to accompany you, if you would like to lead a group to a birdy place you are fond of. Yet often a nice thing about a birding field trip is welcoming, eliciting, and pooling everyone's knowledge, even if inexpert. It gives participants, especially beginners, a bit more confidence.

This annual birding festival celebrates the incredible variety of migratory birds that visit Blaine, Semiahmoo, Birch Bay, and Drayton Harbor, located on the Pacific Flyway in the Northwest corner of Washington State, with field trips, nature cruises, wildlife demonstrations, arts & crafts, kid's activities, expert wildlife speakers and more. For full details, including places and times, see www.wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival. com.

Saturday, March 28, 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Field trip: Theler Wetland, Belfair State Park, and Mountain Quail sites Leaders: Gary Wiles and Paul Hicks This trip will visit several sites at the far southeast end of Hood Canal in Mason County, including Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve and Belfair State Park. Both locations should be good for a mix of water birds, songbirds, and perhaps lingering shorebirds. We'll also be searching for Mountain Quail in the same vicinity. Meet at the Mud Bay Park-and-Ride. Bring lunch and drinks. Dress for the weather and expect to walk one to two miles during the day. Group size is limited to 12 people and 3 cars, and all vehicles need a Discover Pass. Call Gary at 360-943-8786 for reservations.

http://blackhills-audubon.org

Saturday, April 25, 8:30 a.m. Field Trip: Twin Rivers Ranch Leaders: Whittier Johnson and Capitol Land Trust’s Mike Leigh Black Hills Audubon and Capitol Land Trust are pleased to offer their members a joint field trip to one of Capitol Land Trust's properties, Twin Rivers Ranch. This property in Shelton, on Oakland Bay, provides open saltwater, wetland, estuarine, riparian, forested, and open field habitat for an incredible variety of birds: waterfowl, shorebirds, and over 83 species of land-birds. Expect to be at Twin Rivers Ranch for the morning. Expect the drive to Twin Rivers Ranch to take a good 45 minutes from Olympia. Dress for the weather and bring water and snacks as needed. To reach Twin Rivers Ranch, take US 101 towards Shelton and then the exit for Highway 3 (S.E. Olympic Highway South) toward Shelton/Bremerton. Continue on Highway 3 through downtown Shelton and along Oakland Bay for about six miles. Twin Rivers ranch will be on your right just after Ecler Road. Look for a white CLT EVENT sign on the road. (Google map directions are at http://goo.gl/maps/DWZUO.) Follow the driveway over the bridge, past the house, and park by the barn.

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Black Hills Audubon Society Contacts Mailing Address: PO Box 2524, Olympia, WA 98507 BHAS Message Phone: 360-352-7299 Website: www.blackhills-audubon.org E-mail: [email protected]

BHAS Officers:

President: Deb Nickerson..................360-754-5397 [email protected] Vice-President: Elizabeth Rodrick.......................... [email protected] Secretary: Tracey Scalici......................................... [email protected] Treasurer: Susan Markey..................360-438-5663 [email protected]

Other Board Members (At Large): Margery Beeler, Shelley Horn, Deb Jaqua, Leslie Lynam, Craig Merkel, Sam Merrill, Paul Moody, Mary Russell, Kris Schoyen, Bob Wadsworth, Anne Van Sweringen.

Committee Chairs:

Conservation: Sam Merrill.................360-866-8839 [email protected] CBC & Bird ID: Bill Shelmerdine.........360-866-9106 [email protected] Education: Mary Russell........................................... [email protected] Field Trips: Bonnie Wood..................360-352-7299 [email protected] Membership: Margery Beeler............360-352-5437 [email protected] Hospitality/Outreach: Leslie Lynam..360-402-9513 Programs: Kris Schoyen.....................360-754-1710 Publications Chair/Webmaster: Deb Jaqua............. 360-491-3325 /[email protected] Echo Editor: Burt Guttman.....................360-456-8447 [email protected] Echo Layout: Jim [email protected]

The Echo is published bi-monthly. The Editor welcomes articles, photographs, artwork, etc. for the newsletter.

Graphics by Nature Icons/Ultimate Symbol unless otherwise noted.

Audubon’s Mission

The deadline for the next issue will be April 1st for the May-June issue of the Echo.

To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. BHAS Chapter goals are to maintain, restore, and protect our ecosystems for future generations; and to promote environmental education and nature-based recreation.

Audubon Outreach

Audubon Outreach welcomes new members, creates opportunities to bird and socialize together, assists with chapter projects and events, and organizes educational experiences for Thurston, Lewis, and Mason counties. By volunteering alongside others we get to know each other better.  1) Help with Annual Dinner in March of each year 2) Come to First Saturday Birding and Breakfast and answer questions about Black Hills Audubon 3) Greet or bring refreshments at a Program meeting on the 2nd Thursday of the month.

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4) Staff a table at local events to provide Black Hills Audubon informational materials. 5) Post birding events on website event calendars of local radio stations, newspapers, Chamber of Commerce and others. 6) Post Birding and Breakfast and Birding and Beer posters at local libraries and businesses. Newcomers are welcome! • The Outreach/Hospitality Committee meets the last Thursday of September, January, and April. • The next Outreach meeting is April 30. • Time: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. • Place: Deb Nickerson’s house, 3013 Azalea Court S.E., Olympia, WA.

Black Hills Audubon Society

Black Hills Audubon Society (Bhas) Membership Form Become A Member Or Renew Your Membership Please check the appropriate box, complete, and mail:

Option 1. BHAS Chapter-Only Membership: (includes individual or household):

This membership is intended for those NOT wishing to be a member of the National Audubon Society. As a chapter-only member, you receive the BHAS newsletter, The ECHO; all of your dues go directly to BHAS for its programs. Please make check payable to Black Hills Audubon Society. Regular Member: Senior/Student:

1 year: $20

1 year: $15

2 year: $35

2 years: $25

3 year: $50

3 years: $35

Option 2. National Audubon Society Membership: Chapter C9ZY12OZ If you live in Thurston, Lewis, or Mason County, your NAS membership includes your BHAS membership. Most of your dues go to support national efforts. You receive Audubon magazine and The Echo. Please make check payable to National Audubon Society. [Use this form only for new NAS memberships. Make NAS renewals using the forms sent to you by NAS and send directly to them.] Regular Member:

$20

Senior/Student: $15

I would like to help Black Hills Audubon’s education and conservation programs. Enclosed is an additional tax-deductible donation of $ __________ [Please make checks payable to Black Hills Audubon Society.] Name:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address_________________________City/State/zip:_____________________________________________________________

Phone/email:_________________________________________________________________________________________________ My check for $____________ is enclosed. Mail to: BHAS Membership PO Box 2524, Olympia WA 98507

Black Hills Audubon Society, a member chapter of National Audubon Society, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with members in Lewis, Mason and Thurston counties. Contributions are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Reminders About Your Membership: • If you are a National Audubon Society member, you do not need a separate BHAS Chapter membership: your chapter membership is included in your NAS membership. • If you wonder when your membership is up for renewal, check the label on your ECHO. Above your name, you should see a number such as 201609. This means your membership expires in September 2016. National Audubon members should renew through NAS which often offers special promotional rates.

http://blackhills-audubon.org

• BHAS gives you a grace period of 6 months after your renewal date. You will receive the ECHO and other mailings in this period. • BHAS only sends renewal notices to those who are ‘chapter only’ members. • If you and your spouse or partner reside in the same household, you do not need two individual memberships for either NAS or BHAS. If you have any questions about your membership, please feel free to contact Margery Beeler, Membership Chair; (360)352-5437; [email protected].

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Nonprofit Org US Postage PAID Olympia WA Permit #107

PO Box 2524 • Olympia WA 98507-2524

Return service requested

Printed on recycled paper with soy based ink

Nominations for the BHAS Board

Our chapter elects new Board members each year at our May program meeting. The Nomination Committee will be working to present a slate of officers and at-large board members to you then. If you would like to serve on the Board or wish to nominate someone to the position, please contact one of the committee members - Leslie Lynam, Elizabeth Rodrick and Bob Wadsworth - before March 31st. BHAS message line: 360 352-7299.

Shorebirds! Saturday, March 21

by Mary Russell Vanessa Loverti, Regional Shorebird Biologist from USFWS Division of Migratory Birds, will teach a class about shorebirds just in time for spring. She will discuss shorebird identification, current monitoring projects, the status of shorebirds within the Pacific Flyway and opportunities to increase habitat for shorebirds in Washington and Oregon. The class will include a half day presentation with an optional field trip. Please check the website for specifics such as class time, location and sign up information.

Bird-banding Training BHAS is excited to offer two scholarships for birdbanding training this coming spring—one scholarship for an adult and one for a teenager/student. The six days of training will be presented on May 22-25 and May 30-June 1 by the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM). The cost for training each person is $450; BHAS will provide $400 of the fee for each scholarship recipient, so each participant will have to provide the remaining $50. After the training, each recipient will be expected to make a short presentation at a BHAS program meeting and participate in volunteer bird-banding using her/his new skills. If you are interested in attending this camp and applying for one of the scholarships, please provide a statement explaining (1) why you would best be suited to receive the training and (2) how this training will be applied to your professional work, personal pursuits, and/or interests. Send your statement to Sam Merrill, Conservation Committee Chair, BHAS, at [email protected]. More information is available at BHAS website.