Published by the T ahoma Audubon Society: Connecting people with nature since 1969.Vol. 40 No. 6 July/August 2009 Cassin’s Auklet: Abundant yet inconspicuous seabirds Herons rule Story and photos by Diane Yorgason-Quinn s I drove along the Purdy spit on my way to meet Rolan Nelson’s field trip to north Kitsap on May 30, I glanced over sadly at the empty nests of the Burley Lagoon Great Blue Heronry . Almost forty nests are still standing after being abandoned two seasons ago, apparent victims of the local expanding population ofBald Eagles. “Where have they gone?” I wondered, not knowing I was about to find some of them. Our group stopped first at the famous Hansville store, where a Killdeer appeared to be defending a nest in the par king lot. As we never saw the nest, we hoped it was actually in a safer place. Killdeer seem only interested in the right kind of gravel to lay their eggs on, and if it’s in a heavily traveled area they make sure we know we’re trespassers. Curling around the coastline to arrive at Point-No-Point, we immediately spotted a pair of Marbled Murrelets in their brown breeding plumage bobbing together like two in North Kitsap ASee "Herons” on page 6By Paul Webster The roughly robin-sized Cassin’s Auklet is the most abundant and probably the least conspicuous ofWashington’s breeding seabirds. Rarely seen from shore, when they sometimes feed near their nesting colonies, they spend most daylight hours far out at sea. They breed exclusively on coastal islands where they scrape out nesting burrows by night with their sharp toenails. To a void the large gulls that prey on them they arrive at their burrows after dark with food for a single chick, and return to the ocean before dawn. Pelagic trips from Westport go out 40 miles to the edge of the continental shelf where Cassin’s Auklets feed on small fish, crustaceans, and squid. Birders on these trips usually see a few ofthem in flight, low over the water, looking “like a flying tennis ball,” and often heading directly away from the boat. When seen up close, the auklets are dark gray above, and lighter gray below, with a small white patch above the whitish eye. Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) is an alcid, See "Cassin’s Auklet” on page 11Some of the dozens of Herons that were circling the heronry. Bird Drawing cont est winners! See page 4. A Killdeer at Hansville, “Do these stripes make me look fat?”Common birds at risk, sharp decline of sea birds in Puget Sound, Global warming effects on habitat, and near extinction for the Spotted Owl. These are some of the recent headlines that add urgency to our work to preserve habitat for wildlife and humans. Your donation is critical to the success of our important work. Donate today! Your don ation is tax dedu ctible. Clickhere to go to our donation webpage. Donate to the Tahoma Audubon Society 25 years ago page 8 BirdSongs page 8 Calendar page 12 Conservation Matters page 3, 11 Education pages 4, 5 Executive Director’s column page 2 Field trips page 5 New members page 2 Quizical Owl page 8 Volunteer recognitio n page 10 In this issue:P h o t o / R o b e r t K e l t o n
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8/9/2019 07-2009 Towhee Newsletter Tahoma Audubon Society
s I drove along the Purdy spit on my way to meet Rolan Nelson’s field trip to
north Kitsap on May 30, I glanced over sadly at the empty nests of the Burley
Lagoon Great Blue Heronry. Almost forty nests are still standing after being
abandoned two seasons ago, apparent victims of the local expanding population of
Bald Eagles. “Where have they gone?” I wondered, not knowing I was about to find
some of them.
Our group stopped first at the famous Hansville store, where a Killdeer appeared
to be defending a nest in the parking lot. As we never saw the nest, we hoped it wasactually in a safer place. Killdeer seem only interested in the right kind of gravel to
lay their eggs on, and if it’s in a heavily traveled area they make sure we know we’re
trespassers.
Curling around the coastline to arrive at Point-No-Point, we immediately spotted a
pair of Marbled Murrelets in their brown breeding plumage bobbing together like two
in North Kitsap
A
See "Herons” on page 6
By Paul Webster
The roughly robin-sized Cassin’s Auklet is the mostabundant and probably the least conspicuous of
Washington’s breeding seabirds. Rarely seen from
shore, when they sometimes feed near their nesting
colonies, they spend most daylight hours far out at
sea. They breed exclusively on coastal islands where
they scrape out nesting burrows by night with their
sharp toenails. To avoid the large gulls that prey on
them they arrive at their burrows after dark with
food for a single chick, and return to the ocean
before dawn. Pelagic trips from Westport go out 40
miles to the edge of the continental shelf where
Cassin’s Auklets feed on small fish, crustaceans, and
squid. Birders on these trips usually see a few of
them in flight, low over the water, looking “like a
flying tennis ball,” and often heading directly away
from the boat. When seen up close, the auklets are
dark gray above, and lighter gray below, with a small
white patch above the whitish eye.
Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus ) is an alcid,
See "Cassin’s Auklet” on page 11
Some of the dozens of Herons that were circling the heronry.
Bird Drawingcontest winners!
See page 4.
A Killdeer at Hansville, “Do these stripes make me look fat?”
Common birds at risk, sharp decline of sea
birds in Puget Sound, Global warming effects
on habitat, and near extinction for the Spotted
Owl. These are some of the recent headlines that
add urgency to our work to preserve habitat for wildlife and humans.
Your donation is critical to the success of our important work. Donate today!
Your donation is tax deductible. Click here to go to our donation webpage.
Donate to theTahoma Audubon Society25 years ago page 8
Results havebeen pouring infrom the surveysent out with theJune issue of theTowhee. Thankyou to everyonewho has respond-ed on paper or on-line.
The results arepretty clear. One
thing is for sure; when Tahoma Audubon mem-bers speak, they speak loudly and with one voice.The response is gratifying and encouraging. You,the members and readers have said that you valueand enjoy the Towhee. “Informative and articlesin a nice layout. I really appreciate the effort!”said one respondent. That is great to hear.
Ninety-one percent of those who responded sofar read every issue of the Towhee.
For the vast majority of you, 84 percent, learn-ing about birds is an important part of your read-ing experience. Falling closely behind are thepictures with 73 percent and conservation newswith 72 percent. Field trips are also very im-portant and many love Diane Yorgason-Quinn’sregular eld trip stories. Frankly, all of the con-
tent area we put in the survey scored high. Whatis clear is that providing an outlet to learn aboutbirds, and the activity of watching them, has notgone out of style.
Many of you had very complementary thingsto say about the Towhee. Comments such as“please continue to publish,” and “thank you,”“ne as is” were typical of the written comments
that came back. Many had good suggestions forways to improve upon what you liked. Manyasked for more content on bird, both local andfar ung, such as “trip reports from outside the
US.” There were comments about timing, fre-quency and the usefulness of the calendar, suchas “publication needs to be more timely”. We willbe looking at all this feedback and suggestions tosee what we can do to keep a quality newslettercoming your way.
When it comes to delivery methods, you werepretty clear there; keep with the status quo. Al-most all of you want to continue to receive theTowhee in the mail – 68 percent. A small minor-ity of you wanted to receive the Towhee by email(20 percent) and stated so in your comments. Wewill be working in the near future to develop thebest way to deliver the newsletter by email tothose who want it. We will continue to mail toour members unless they specically ask to re -
ceive it by email.There are eight of you who claim to use ‘two
cups and a string’ on a daily basis to communi-cate. You must be the ones who said you actuallyread, and enjoy my monthly article.
The publication of the Towhee is almost com-pletely a volunteer effort. It is because of thevolunteers, supported by staff and our excellentdesigner Robert Kelton that we will continue todeliver the quality newsletter that you enjoy. Itis also because of your membership and dona-tion that we can afford to do so. With your greatfeedback, we have a renewed passion and focus.Thank you.
Page 2 www.tahomaaudubon.org July/August 2009
executive director’s Corner
July/August 2009 www.tahomaaudubon.org Page 3
The Towhee is a publication of the Tahoma Audubon Society .
The Tahoma Audubon Society was chartered in 1969. TAS advocates for the protec-
tion of wildlife and promotes conservation through education and activities that enrich its
member’s experiences in and with the natural world.
The Towhee is published monthly, ten times a year, with a combined Jul/Aug and Dec/
Jan issue. Submissions of articles and photographs of birds, bird lore, natural history,
conservation, and environmental education are reviewed and considered for inclusion by
the editor. Copy is due by the 15th of the month and may be sent by e-mail, disk, or
Just the other day... Tahoma Audubon in Summer of 1984
(Answers below.)
A n s w e r s : 1 . B r o o d p a t c h . 2 . N a s h v i l l e W a r b l e r . 3 . B l a c k S k i m m e r . 4 . R o c k W r e n 5 . t h r e e : B e l t e d , G r e e n , R i n g e d .
Helen Englefrom days of yore.
Gray Jay(Perisoreus canadensis)
A widespread and cond-ing denizen of boreal andsub-alpine forests, theGray Jay frequently ap-
proaches people for food.It may even land on yourhand for a morsel. Thistameness can also lead tothe pilferage of food notoffered, and is responsible
for the colloquial name of “camp robber.”
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology
http://www.allaboutbirds.org
ate summer is the perfect time to sleep under the stars – or better yet, stay awake under the stars!! Balmy, fragrant nightsin the sleeping bag or lawn chair can reward your senses inexciting ways only to be had in late summer in these climes.
Pick a night with no moon or little moon and
experience the Milky Way! Perfectly positioned
overhead at our declination/latitude in summertime,
it’s there for everyone to enjoy once all the lights are
turned out. Wait 20 minutes for your eyes to
become dark-adjusted and then be amazed at all
the stars up there! If your neighborhood is just too
bright, use this for an excuse for a camping trip and
head for the hills. Take your binoculars and aim idly
upward and be prepared to gasp with astonished
pleasure! You are looking outward through the
edge of your home galaxy!
Hunting for summer constellations can be fabu -
lous as well, but if you don’t know them, don’t fret!
In the summer, all you really need to know is the
Summer Triangle (just pick out the three brighteststars overhead, and you can be certain you have
them). If you want to know more, think birds! The
brightest of the three, blue-white Vega is almost
straight overhead when you face southeast. Vega
means swooping eagle in Arabic and is the brightest
star in the constellation Lyra, which represents a
harp or is sometimes pictured as a vulture! To your
left will be Deneb, the tail of Cygnus the Swan, and
to your right and a little lower will be Altair in Aquila
the Eagle. These stars and constellations were
named in ancient times by Greeks, Romans, and
Arabs, who all thought of birds whenever they
looked up, just like we do. If you’re interested in
sordid stories that would put modern soap operas to
shame, just do an Internet or library search for
these constellations to hear the old myths and leg-
ends; most of them are not
G-rated!
More bird-watching is at
hand if you want to get
more detailed than those
brightest stars. Corvus the
Crow appears as a small
quadrangle lying to the west
of Spica in Virgo and below
Leo the Lion. And if you visit
the southern hemisphere,
you’ll find lots of birds, but
most are pretty pitiful con-
stellations compared to our
northern summer triangle. Pavo the Peacock,
Tucana the Toucan, Grus the Crane and Apus theBird of Paradise are all great birds but make pitiful
constellations. Of c ourse there’s more up there than
birds. In fact, you can make up your own constella-
tions.
August 11/12!! The Perseids Meteor Shower!!
Lie way back, almost flat, facing southeast. Try to
cover as much of the sky as possible with your
peripheral vision! Then wait! Meteors will appear
as the night gets later. There are more after mid-
night, but the last quarter moon will also be rising at
that time and will drown out the fainter meteors.
Although the meteors appear to be emanating from
the constellation Perseus (rising in the east), they
can be in any part of the sky. The peak of this
meteor shower is Tuesday night and Wednesday
morning, Aug. 11-12. There will be plenty of mete-
ors in the nights leading up to it as well, but they fall
off pretty rapidly after Wednesday. Efforts to predicthow “good” a meteor shower will be in any particu-
lar year are notoriously incorrect, so the only way to
know for sure is to experience it yourself, and that
doesn’t take a rocket scientist.
If you would like a map to navigate your way
through the night sky, there are lots of them out
there, but two good ones are at these websites (as
well as at the library!): www.skyviewcafe.com or
www.mystarslive.com.
In the meantime, urge your neighbors to turn
their lights out when they go to bed. Light pollution
has robbed too many of us the experience, not to
mention the extra lights waste energy. More infor-
mation on responsible lighting practices can be
found on the website for the International Dark-Sky
Association at: www.darksky.org.
Birds and stars in the summer nights l
l
By DianeYorgason-Quinn
LOne of Tahoma Audubon’s founding
fathers and veteran trip leader wrote
an extensive report on the birding
expedition he led to the Nome, Alaska
area in 1984. Six birders traveled about
4,000 miles by air, 1,500 by van and only a few
miles on foot to see birds, plants and animals and
learn something of Alaska history. Members of this
Snake Lake Alaska Nature Tour were Leader Bob
Ramsey and his wife Georgia, Evelyn Peaslee,
Betty Heitman, Thelma Reinbold and Glenda
Power.
A glowing book review was submitted by Nature
Guides from Nokomis, Florida, for the 8th edition of
Tahoma Audubon’s, Nature Guide. Created by
Ilene Marckx and sponsored by Tahoma Audubon,
our booklet listed names and contacts for local
birders and guides in the US and 30 other countries
in South and Central America,
Europe, the Middle East,
Western Pacic and Africa.
Founded on the cooperative
spirit of local volunteers
assisting visiting volunteers to
nd birds, butteries, botany,
animals, and other items of
interest, Nature Guide was a
helpful addition to any trip.
Summer eld trips included
close-to-home trips: Green
Lake in Mt Rainier National Park (M RNP)
led by Pat Perry; three Nisqually
National Wildlife Refuge censuses led
by Norris Cone and Jim Scearce
andThais Bock ; Tacoma Community
College Trail and Swan Creek with
Thelma Gilmur; Hylebos Marsh, Ilene
Marckx; Kids’ Picnic & Birdwatching in
Helen Engle’s woods; Fort Steilacoom
County Park and also a trip to Van Trump
Park in MRNP with Walt Adams; Titlow
Beach walk with Kris Quinn; bus trip to
Sunrise Park in MRNP with Elmer Price;
Clearwater Wilderness Area led by Tom
Campion.
There were also auto trips to Columbia Gorge
Scenic Area with Cathy Jerbic; and to Cusick
Flats in Pend Oreille County with Bart Whelton;
Hurricane Ridge in Olympic NP with Elmer Price;
Whidbey Island led by Tom Schooley; Spokane
and Lincolcn County with
Jim Action.
Tahoma Audubon was
involved in the creation of
a new state park when our
charter members Francis
and Ilene Marckx asked
us to help them. For years
they had been seeking
to have a green belt
permanently secured in their
area of the West Hylebos
Creek headwaters in south
King County. Many people
in Federal Way joined the
effort and sought to have
an urban environmental
education center such
as Tacoma’s Snake Lake
Nature Center
(now named Tacoma
Nature Center). The
Marckx family offered to donate 34 acres of
their property, with its marsh and woodlands.
Hylebos Creek runs along I-5 in the Milton
area and ends in Commencement Bay as an
important part of the Port of Tacoma. Dr.
A. R. Kruckeberg, well-respected plant
ecologist and botany professor at UW stated that this
wetland is ”one of the best wetlands where enclaves
scription, free family events, birding trip invitations, class & book dis-
counts, conservation activities, annual celebrations and more. Joint TAS/
National Audubon membership includes: Chapter membership, National
membership, annual Audubon Magazine subscription, and support of
Important Bird Areas (IBA) and state and national conservation agendas. C h e c k s p a y a b l e t o : T a h o m a A u d u b o n 2 9 1 7 M o r r i s o n
R d . W .
U n i v e r s i t y P l a c e ,
9 8 4 6 6 T a h o m a A u d u b o n
S o c i e t y , e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1 9 6 9 , i s a 5 0 1 ( c ) ( 3 ) n o n p r o f i t
o r g a n i z a t i o n . D o n a t i o n s a r e t a x d e d u c t i b l e .
Wed July 1, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Weekly Bird Walks at
Nisqually.
Wed July 1, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers Ca.m.p
“Explore the Backyard.” Young explorers will nd this small
nature park in University Place just the right size for outdoordiscovery and play. Kids play and explore while learningabout the diversity of nature in their own backyards. $30 non-
refundable deposit required to reserve a roster spot. Full paymentdue six days prior to ca.m.p start date. Audubon Center Staff.
Adriana Hess Audubon Center Fee: $90.00 Call the TacomaNature Center to register. 591-6439.
Fri July 3, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. TGIF Conservation with
Conversation atAdriana Hess Wetland Park.
Mon July 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers
Ca.m.p: Big, Small, Long, Tall. Age 4 - 6 At this small park
in University Place the wildlife comes in all shapes and sizes!Stories, songs, crafts and ga.m.es bring children closer to
nature as they share a sense of wonder with new friends. $30non-refundable deposit required to reserve a roster spot. Full
payment due six days prior to ca.m.p start date. Audubon Center
Staff Adriana Hess Audubon Center Fee: $90.00 Call the natureCenter to Register 591-6439.
Mon July 6, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Adriana Hess Park
Photography class. An adult progra.m. encouraging people
to appreciate nature and how they can incorporate it into theirphotography. Call Dixie Harris for details 564-6373.
Tue July 7, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers Ca.m.p:
Big, Small, Long, Tall. See above.
Wed July 8, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Weekly Bird Walks at
Nisqually.
Wed July 8, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers Ca.m.p:
Big, Small, Long, Tall. See above.
Thu July 9, 6:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m. TAS Board Meeting.Location: Adriana Hess Audubon Center. Monthly Meeting of
Mon Aug 17, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers Ca.m.p:
Skipping, sliding, dipping, diving. Find out how wild it can bein your own neighborhood by rst exploring the pond and trails
at Adriana Hess Audubon Center. Take a skip, a swoop, and adip as you discover how animals move and get around through
hikes, ga.m.es, crafts and stories. $30 non-refundable depositrequired to reserve a roster spot. Full payment due six days prior
to ca.m.p start date. Audubon Center Staff. Fee: $90.00. Call theTacoma nature Center to register, 591-6439
Tue Aug 18, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers Ca.m.p:
Skipping, sliding, dipping, diving. See above.
Wed Aug 19, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.. Weekly Bird Walks at
Nisqually.
Wed Aug 19, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Little Explorers Ca.m.p:Skipping, sliding, dipping, diving. See above.
Fri Aug 21, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. TGIF Conservation with
Conversation atAdriana Hess Wetland Park.
Sun Aug 23, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fa.m.ily Walk at Adriana
Hess Park. A fa.m.ily progra.m. to encourage fa.m.ilies toappreciate the park by providing information and opportunities
with a guided walking tour. Call Dixie Harris for details 564-6373
Wed Aug 26, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Weekly Bird Walks at
Nisqually.
Fri Aug 28, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. TGIF Conservation with
Conversation atAdriana Hess Wetland Park.
Wed Sept 2, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Weekly Bird Walks at
Nisqually.
Fri Sept 4, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. TGIF Conservation with
Conversation atAdriana Hess Wetland Park.
Mon Sept 7, 12:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. Adriana Hess Park
Photography class. An adult progra.m. encouraging people
to appreciate nature and how they can incorporate it into theirphotography. Call Dixie Harris for details 564-6373.
Tue Sept 8, 2009 from 4:00 p.m to 5:30 p.m. Conservation
Committee. Adriana Hess Wetland Park, 2917 Morrison RoadW, University Place, WA 98466
Wed Sept 9, 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Weekly Bird Walks at
Nisqually.
Thur Sept 10, 6:30 p.m to 8:30 p.m. TAS Board Meeting atAdriana Hess Audubon Center. Monthly Meeting of the Tahoma
Audubon Board. Guests Welcome, please call ahead at (253)565-9278.
Fri Sept 11, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. TGIF Conservation with
Conversation atAdriana Hess Wetland Park.
Fri Sept 11, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Membership Meeting at Tacoma Nature Center, 1919 S. Tylor Street. Monthly
membership meeting of Tahoma Audubon. All welcome.Check web site for progra.m. - www.TahomaAudubon.org. Call
(253) 565-9278
For additional information:Tahoma Audubon - 253-565-9278; or www.tahomaaudubon.org Or The Tacoma Nature Center:253-591-6439 or www.metroparkstacoma.org
Calendartas prograMsjuly 2009
august 2009
septeMber 2009
Fri July 10, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Membership Meeting. Location: Tacoma Nature Center, 1919 S. Tylor St.
Fri Aug 14, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Membership Meeting
Fri Sept 11, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Membership Meeting
Check web site for programs -www.TahomaAudubon.org. Call (253) 565-9278