Rainier Audubon Society September 2010

Rainier Audubon Presents

Monday September 20
6:30 PM

The White Swans of Winter

C ome, share and learn the facts,
myths, and legends of Washington’s
white birds of winter. Martha Jordan is a well-
known wildlife biologist and is impassioned
about swans. She will present a program
about our native trumpeter and tundra swans
and also shed some light on the problems and
controversies these birds face on their
wintering grounds and how we can insure their
future. She will talk about continuing lead
poisoning die-off and other survival issues to state and federal agencies on the status of Trumpeter Swans
swans face in Washington State as well as other parts of the in the state of Washington, including the first swan
country. She believes their beauty and grace instill in people a management plan. She has been a board member of The
sense of awe that makes us want to save them and their Trumpeter Swan Society from 1985-2009 and currently chairs
habitats. "Swans are ambassadors, bringing people together the Washington Swan Working Group. She is self-employed,
when other aspects of an issue would divide them." and works as a wildlife biologist as well as a human and animal
Martha has a degree in wildlife science from Oregon State massage therapist and Feldenkrais practitioner.
University. Her interest in swans began in the late 1970s and
she has been a major contributor of information

Join us for a hoppin’ good time at the 14 th

Rainier Audubon programs are held at
Annual Frog Frolic! !
Federal Way United Methodist Celebrate our community and environment with
Church family activities, bog tours, potluck, live music and
29645 - 51st Ave. So. 98001 raffle! Drinks & cake provided; potluck dishes
(in unincorporated Auburn) are always appreciated!
Directions:
WHEN: Sunday, September 18: 1-6pm
In Federal Way, take 320th St.
WHERE: Shadow Lake Bog , 21656 184th Avenue SE; Renton
EAST past The Commons,
crossing over I-5 and Military Rd. Please RSVP to [email protected] or 425-432-4914
At 321st St, turn left. Stay on 321st Save Habitat And Diversity Of Wetlands (SHADOW)
as it becomes 51st Ave. So. Follow www.shadowhabitat.org
51st Ave. to 296th. Church will be
on your left.
 President’s Message by Nancy Streiffert

W elcome back to Rainier Audubon's 2010 -

2011 season of monthly meetings. Our program
chair, Dale Meland, has scheduled interesting and
informative speakers I'm sure you will enjoy. Carol Schulz
will again teach her Beginning Birder class. The Christmas
Bird Count and Great Backyard Bird Counts will give you a
chance to contribute to citizen science projects important to
the future of the birds we love. Meet new friends and
renew old acquaintances at our meetings while enjoying
tasty snacks, thanks to our new hospitality chair, Sandra
Embry. Volunteer to host a table at a community event to
get the word out about Rainier Audubon and the wonderful
world of birding.
I hope you have all enjoyed our rather cool, cloudy, late
summer (at least as of this writing) and seen lots of birds here Chipmunk Eating Flowering Currant Berries
and afar. Personally, I've been thrilled with the success of the and gold finches, bushtits and even pileated woodpeckers have
native plant garden we started in 2004. Although it is less than taken advantage of the bounty. Please let us know what you've
half an acre, it is now more like a forest and needs constant been seeing - you can email Dan at
and vigorous pruning for the paths to remain passable for [email protected].
humans! Deer, coyote, raccoon and birds all frequent it. We Looking to the future: I know most of us joined Rainier
never had cedar waxwings come and stay until this year when I Audubon for our love of birds, not for our love of politics!
think a pair may have nested - they were gathering bits of Unfortunately, birds and politics (as well as almost every other
string and have been gorging daily on serviceberry, aspect of our lives) are intertwined. This is an election year.
twinberry, Oregon grape, and highbush cranberry but their all While few laws or court decisions deal directly with birds, many
time favorite is hawthorn! Robins, chickadees, juncoes, house do impact our environment directly or indirectly, and thus,
birds. Think of the Boldt decision on fishing, court decisions
about logging that affect spotted owls and marbled
murrelets, anything having to do with the Clean
Introduction to Birding Class Water, Clean Air or Endangered Species Acts and
This fall, Rainier Audubon will be offering an Introduction to Birding how they are enforced - or not! Educate yourself
class. This enjoyable class will consist of one lecture and two fun and about the issues and candidates on the ballot and
educational field trips. Class will be held at the Federal Way United VOTE. It's one of the easiest ways you can influence
Methodist Church (see address and directions on page 1) on Tuesday whether or not the birds we love will continue to
evening, October 26, 2010. Time 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm. Field trips will be amaze and delight us or whether they will go the way
Sat, Oct 30, and Sat, Nov 6, 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Your teachers will be of the passenger pigeon and dodo.
Master Birder Carol Schulz and Assistant Instructor Debra Russell. We will Looking forward to seeing you at our first
use the National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America (3rd, meeting, September 20.
4th, or 5th edition) as the class text. Please bring this guide to the class.
Cost will be $25 for Rainier members and $40 for non-members. For Heron Herald Needs Your Input
more information or to reserve a spot in the class, please call or email We need articles for future editions of the Heron
Carol Schulz at (206) 824-7618 or [email protected] Herald. If you’ve had an interesting birding
experience you’d like to write about, send it to us.
Would you like to see Charlie Wright’s Seen & Heard
column continued in the HH? Why not volunteer to
collect sightings and write the column? This is your
newsletter and it’s only as good as the input we
receive from our members.
Dan Streiffert – Interim editor.
The Heron Herald 2 September 2010
 Field Trips by Carol Schulz
Weekly Birdwalks at Nisqually Kent Ponds and Boeing Ponds
Wednesdays 8:00 A.M. to Noon Saturday, September 18
Leader: Phil Kelley 8:30 AM to Early Afternoon
Leader: Carol Schulz
Join Phil Kelley on his weekly bird walks as he counts the birds
at Nisqually NWR. [See new changes happening at Nisqually at Take a birdwalk in the Kent Valley where the birds gather in the
bottom of this field trip.] The group walks over to an area near early fall. Our first stop will be Kent Ponds and surrounding
the visitor's center to view the entry road estuary, and then areas. We will then travel north about 1 mile to Boeing Ponds.
takes the boardwalk/trail loop out to the Twin Barns, and the A short walk around the ponds should reveal ducks, herons,
Nisqually overlook area. From there, the group walks the new and other birds. We hope for a nice list of birds at this time of
dike, and back to the Riparian Forest. The walk totals about 2.5 year in the Kent Valley. People who want to leave early may do
miles. so. We'll walk on level trails up to 1 1/2 miles total. Bring
Bring: Good walking shoes or boots, raingear, water, snacks, walking shoes or boots, warm clothes, water, and snacks
and $3 for entry fee unless you have a pass. Scopes are or lunch. Scopes are welcome. Meet: At Wendy's Restaurant at
welcome. the corner of S 212th St, and 64th Ave S in north Kent at 8:00
Meet: At the Visitor's Center Pond Overlook. AM. (Restaurant now opens for breakfast.)
Directions: Take I-5 south from Tacoma and exit to Nisqually Directions: From I-5, take exit 152, Orillia Road. Turn east to
NWR at exit 114. Take a right at the light. go down into the Kent Valley. In the valley Orillia becomes S
Sign-up: Call or email Phil Kelley to confirm details. Phil Kelley, 212th St. Continue east on 212th about 1 mile. Wendy's is on
Lacey, (360) 459-1499, [email protected]. the right at the corner of 64th Ave S. From I-167, take the S
Birders have been enjoying a new dike that was completed in 212th St exit north of Kent, and turn west. Travel west across
Jan, 2010 at Nisqually. It can be seen from the Twin Barns, and the valley on S 212th about 1.5 miles. Turn left on 64th Ave S,
leads from the Nisqually River almost over to McAllister Creek. and take a right to double back into the Wendy's parking lot on
Now, a BRAND NEW boardwalk extension is being built. It will the corner.
provide access out to the mouth of McAllister Creek, and the Sign-up: Call or email Carol Schulz, [email protected],
tide flats, and may be complete by the end of 2010. 206-824-7618.
For information about the Nisqually NWR estuary
reconstruction project and more, go to
http://www.fws.gov/nisqually/ . Click on wildlife, or
on other sections.

Merlin at Kent Ponds

The Heron Herald 3 September 2010

 Field Trips by Carol Schulz (continued)
Mountain Ridge Hawkwatch Coastal Birding in the Fall
Sat Oct 2 Saturday, October 9
7:00 A.M. to late afternoon 7:00 AM to early evening
Leader: Roger Orness Leader: Jeff Cohen, Asst. Leader: Carol Schulz

In the fall, eagles, hawks, and falcons migrate south along Come to the ocean with us this fall when shorebirds and
mountain ridges. Watchers travel to sites in our state to ID and seabirds are migrating south. We'll check bird reports and
count the raptors during a hawkwatch. weather, and journey to the areas where the birds are
For the first time, Roger Orness is leading a hawkwatch field being found, either Ocean Shores/Hoquiam (to the North from
trip. We will travel to where raptors are being seen. Aberdeen), or Bottle Beach, Westport, and Tokeland to the
This could be an exciting trip. We hope to observe hawks and South. The trip will be at the perfect time of year for fall
their behavior, possibly see them fly fairly close, and we'll try to shorebirds such as sandpipers, large shorebirds, and plovers.
ID distant birds. (With Roger's help.) Sea birds will also be returning.
We hope to see other birds, beautiful scenery, and fall colors. Bring: Plenty of food including lunches, snacks, and beverages.
Bring: Clothes for changeable weather in the mountains. (It will be a long day.) Bring gear and clothing for changeable,
It may be windy. Bring sturdy shoes or boots, lunch, drinks, windy weather. Bring rubber boots if you
and snacks. Bring a scope if you have one. have them, for walking on sand beaches, or going into the
Meet: 7:00am SHARP at the Auburn Safeway store at Auburn Ocean Shores game range. If you don't have tall boots, bring
Way and Main St. waterproof boots, or old extra tennis shoes. Bring a scope if
Directions: Take Hwy. 18 to Auburn and exit at Auburn Way you have one. We may walk up to 2 miles. These coastal sites
(Hwy 164). Turn north (right) on Auburn Way and drive three are well-described in "A Birder's Guide To Washington".
blocks. Safeway sign and gas station will be on the left. Park in Meet: At 7:00 SHARP at McDonald's Restaurant in Fife. Take I-
the Safeway lot just beyond the gas station and straight out 5 south to exit 137, turn left on hwy 99, and go about 1 1/2
from the Safeway door. We will meet and carpool (promptly) blocks. Turn left at the light to McDonald's. Drive all the way
from there. back to the McD's restaurant.
Sign Up: Contact Roger at [email protected] or 253-922- Sign Up: Contact Jeff Cohen, [email protected], 206-
7516. Email is preferred. 354-5542. Email is preferred.
This trip is limited to 8 people in 2 or 3 high-clearance vehicles, [If you wish, you can us meet at the Bakery at Mud Bay, west of
so sign up early. We will carpool. Olympia as you head toward the coast. Ask Jeff for details.]
Our destination site will be determined later in September.
Contact Roger for more information.

The Quizzical Owl By Thais Block

1. Name a large shorebird with bright red legs
2. What are the tail feathers of a bird called?
3. Flightless ducks are said to be in ______________ (2 words)
4. The word “plover” from the Latin “pluvial” means ___________.
5. This swallow wears a dark breastband.
Answers are on bottom of page 6
Reprinted with permission from Djana Block

The Heron Herald 4 September 2010

 and the name Catskill does not appear on paper until 1655,
Musings from Millie more than forty years later! I didn't see any bobcats but I did
see some wonderful birds while I was there including a red-
shouldered hawk, a northern cardinal, a northern goshawk,
Bicknell's thrush, a black-throated green warbler, a mourning
warbler and a yellow-bellied flycatcher.
It was exciting and great fun seeing all of these birds many
of them for the first time ever since they don't live in our part

H ello! As some of you may know, I have been on

vacation for a little while. I have now returned and
would like to share some of my travels with you.
of the country. It really made my vacation that much more
special!
And now for your monthly lesson regarding collective nouns
I began my journey with a stay in Kitty Hawk which is that describe groups of birds: a cover of coots, a band of jays, a
located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When Orville and loft of pigeons, and a muster of storks.
Wilbur Wright were seeking privacy to work on their plans for Until next time,
the first manned flight, they came to the isolated fishing village
Millie, the Muse of Mews
of Kitty Hawk. Now it is a thriving summer resort with sunny,
blue skies and beautiful sandy beaches. It is also part of the
Atlantic Flyway which means thousands of migratory birds pass
Thank yous and Welcomes
through each year. During my stay there I saw plovers, As we begin our new season, it is time to thank the people
who make Rainier Audubon Society a great organization:
sandpipers, terns, loons, ruddy turnstones, osprey and many
 Board members: Steve Feldman, Dale Meland, Carol
different kinds of gulls.
Stoner, Dan Streiffert, Annette Tabor, Jim Tooley,
I then ventured west to an interesting location, Cat Island, Pat Toth
Misssissippi. It is off the Gulf Coast and is named for the  Newsletter editor: Nancy Hertzel who has been doing
raccoons that wander the island which Spanish explorers our printed newsletter and our web page. Nancy has
mistook for cats. It has a unique "T-shape" created by colliding resigned as Heron Herald editor while she continues to
currents. It is unique among the gulf islands because its sandy be our webmaster. Thank you for your years of
beaches are backed by dense forests of slash pine and iron oak. beautiful newsletters!
 Field trip chair and Birding class instructor: Carol
It is a refuge for migratory birds and on October 27, 2000, Cat
Schulz
Island National Wildlife Refuge was established. The refuge  Hospitality: Jane Gardner has been supplying treats.
covers 9,623 acres and is the home to a variety of wildlife Jane has resigned. Thank you for all the goodies!
including black bears, white-tailed deer, bobcats, minks and  Alex Gitman, our administrative assistant/secretary,
river otters. Cat Island is located within an area of high this past year, is now a student in Bellingham. Many
importance for neotropical migratory birds including the thanks for her help with meeting minutes, the
swallow-tailed kite which is a species of special concern. While I Christmas Bird Count and the Tukwila Wildlife
was there I spotted these birds: yellow-crowned night heron, Festival. As a person who had never used binoculars
yellow-billed cuckoo, white-eyed vireo, carolina chickadee, or birded, she learned on the job! We wish her well in
carolina wren, a stunning blue-gray gnatcatcher and an her studies.
awesome painted bunting.  Our new Hospitality person is Sandra Embry - welcome
Finally, I decided to go up north and spend some time in the and thank you. Please notice the sign up sheet on the
lush Catskill Mountains in New York State. They are about 100 snack table where you can help Sandra and share your
miles northwest of New York City and southwest of favorite goodies with us!
Albany. Although they are nothing like the mountains we have  Our interim Heron Herald editor is Dan Streiffert -
Welcome and thank you.
out here, there are a dozen peaks that are more than 3,500
 Our new Board Secretary is Heather Gibson.
feet tall and the area is rich in woodlands and wildlife. The Please contact me or a board member if you have questions
name "Catskill" comes from the Dutch meaning "cat creek" but about Rainier, birds or anything - we may not know the answer
why the area was given this name remains a mystery. One but we'll try to aim you in the right direction to find out!
explanation is that bobcats were seen near Catskill Creek and Thank you to all the unmentioned folks who make this a fun
the present-day village of Catskill and the name followed from place to be!
there. However, there is no record of bobcats ever having been Nancy Streiffert
seen in significant numbers on the banks of the Hudson River

The Heron Herald 5 September 2010

 Great Washington State Birding Trail - Puget Loop

W e are finally working on the last map in Audubon's

terrific Great Washington State Birding Trail series.
It's called the PUGET LOOP, and it includes our area! Rainier
map, the committee will now know about the area, and can ask
more questions about it. The site may even be posted onto the
Rainier Audubon website, or onto the websites of the other
Audubon is within the loop boundaries. We can send in Audubon chapters in the Loop.
nominations for our favorite birding sites until the end of
September. To view the boundaries of the Puget Loop
and all 6 previous maps in the series, click on
http://wa.audubon.org/birds_GreatWABirdingTrail_Puget
Loop.html.
Many of you have seen at least one of the six maps in
Washington already published. The first one was the
Cascade Loop and featured a Pileated Woodpecker on its
cover. The 68 sites on that map had been recommended
by Audubon members and other birders; they included
favorite sites such as Skagit Flats, Samish Flats, Blaine,
Leavenworth, and Wenatchee areas.
Rainier is one of several Audubon chapters in the new
Puget Loop, and we have a committee to take
suggestions for favorite sites. Our committee chairman is
Carol Schulz, who is also our Field Trip chair. She will take
all your suggestions!
The Grt. WA. St. Birding Trail maps are tours for
driving our state, and visiting birding "hot spots". Most of
the sites feature quite a few birds that can be viewed
within 15 to 20 minutes of arriving during recommended
seasons. Most do not involve a lot of strenuous walking
from parking areas, and may even include pullouts
along some roads. The maps are used by visitors to our
state, and are increasingly being used by local residents.
They can be bought online from WA Audubon, from
Seattle Audubon, and from Tahoma Audubon. Best of all,
you can click on the maps online (see website above), and
then click within the map on a number within an area.
For instance, if you are going on a driving trip to the estuary Please send all your suggestions to: Carol Schulz, Puget
where Hood Canal starts, you can click on the the main website Loop Chairman [email protected] (206-824-7618).
(see above), then Olympic Loop, and continue clicking on the Email is preferred.
following: See the trail, Section of state, Click somewhere
within the loop, Move bars at bottom and side of map, and
Click on the site. Up pops the description of Theler Wetlands
with directions for driving to it. But if you'd like the big picture,
you will probably want to purchase a map which you can take
on your trip.
To send in your suggestions for favorite birding areas in the
loop boundaries, please send an area or suggestion to Carol
Schulz. Even if the site is not included on the final Puget Loop

Answers to Quizzical Owl: 1. Black-necked Stilt, 2. Rectrices, 3. Eclipse plumage, 4. Rain, 5. Bank Swallow
The Heron Herald 6 September 2010
 Stamps for Albatrosses Audubon State Office Chapter
Rainier Audubon Society has been participating for years Proposal
in a project to protect the world’s 7 species of albatrosses with At the March Audubon Council of Washington (ACOW)
the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in England. The meeting held in Leavenworth, an Ad-Hoc committee was put
Society was founded as a protest to the millinery plume trade together to explore the possibility of re-establishing an
in 1889, just as the National Audubon Society in the U.S. Audubon state office presence and developing a proposal for
originated with this movement. At first, it was a women-only Chapters to consider voting on during the October, 2010 ACOW
organization and included wealthy and aristocratic women such meeting. The current proposal is to Structure of Statewide
as the Duchess of Portland – the kind of women who might be council meetings that will include:
expected to wear plumes on their hats.  One ACOW meeting per year
Originally called the Society for the Protection of Birds, their  Organized Chapters by region (4-6 regions)
success in greatly diminishing the plume trade lead to a Royal  One day vs. weekend meeting
Charter in 1904 – when “Royal” was added to their name.  Identify a Fiscal Sponsor by a chapter for first two
The Society’s Albatross Task Force funds a global team that years
works with fishermen around the world, teaching them  Agreement to hire staff
techniques to prevent the birds being caught in cables and
 Financial commitment to raise funds to hire initial
nets. The birds’ long wings can be snagged in such equipment,
staff member
dragging them underwater. All 7 species are at risk of
 Choose members for an Executive Committee and
becoming “by-catch” in this way.
Chapter Services Committee to oversee the new
Funding for the task force comes from postage stamps
State Office Staff
which are collected around the world, sent to England, and sold
Funding for this is expected to be about $3.00/member. As
to stamp dealers. Thais Bock has been doing this for many
the only state wide organization with active membership in
years, with the help of Fred Ritsema. Thais’ daughter told
every corner of the state we hold our future in our hands.
Rainier’s board that Thais would have wanted this project to
Please discuss this proposal at your board meetings and come
continue after she died. Sara Slater volunteered to work with
to the October council meeting ready to represent your
Fred to keep this valuable program going. The stamps have to
chapter and the future of Audubon in Washington State.
be removed in a certain way from the
envelopes and handled properly to ensure RAINIER AUDUBON OFFICERS
their value to dealers. Barbara Petersen was President Nancy Streiffert 253-796-2203
instrumental in helping connect the people Vice President Steve Feldman* 360-802-5211
and information to do this. Treasurer Jim Tooley* 253-854-3070
You can help! Bring your used postage
Secretary Heather Gibson 253-856-9812
stamps – still on the envelopes – to our
Program Chair Dale Meland* 253-946-1637
meetings and they will be passed on! Thank
you. Nancy Streiffert Field Trip Chair Carol Schulz 206-824-7618
Backyard Habitat Chair Pat Toth* 206-767-4944
Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203
Mailing Chair Debra Russel 425-271-0682
Hospitality Sandra Embry
Newsletter Editor Dan Streiffert 253-796-2203
Webmaster Nancy Hertzel 253-255-1808
Rainier Audubon Society Ivy Iradication Coordinator Bernedine Lund 253-839-3729
PO Box 778. Auburn WA 98071.
Education Chair Annette Tabor* 253-927-3208
(253) 796-2203
Christmas Bird Count Coordinator Nancy Streiffert 253-796-2203
website:
www.RainierAudubon.org Board Member Max Prinsen* 425-432-9965
email: [email protected] Board Member Erin Wojewodski-Prinsen* 425-432-9965
*Also serves as Board Member.

The Heron Herald 7 September 2010

 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Rainier Audubon Membership Subscription or Renewal Form

One-year Membership in Rainier Audubon — $15

To join or renew, mail this application with your payment to:
Rainier Audubon Society - Membership
PO Box 778
Auburn, WA 98071
Or go to http://www.rainieraudubon.org/ to enroll online.

Name:________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________ State ______________ Zip ______________
Email _________________________________________________________________________
RAS Chapter membership includes 9 issues of the Heron Herald annually but does not include
AUDUBONThemagazine.
Heron Herald 8 September 2010