A publication of

Pomona Valley Audubon Society

http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/

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

Hawk Mountain by Beryl Williams

It was August 16 and we found ourselves with spare time.
Hawk Mountain, we determined, would be our destination the
next day. The following paragraph is found on their website.
“Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is located along the Appalachian
Flyway in east-central PA. It offers mountaintop vistas with
8 miles of hiking trails, and the thrilling migration of nearly
20,000 hawks, eagles and falcons each autumn.”
The drive to H.M.S. is beautiful, taking you over small roads
with many views of tree-covered hills. Upon arrival, you
enter a large Visitor’s Center where, after paying the entrance
fee, you are given a trail map. We walked to the North
Lookout that has a naturalist on duty daily during migration
season. We were pushing the season as it runs from August
15 through December, but we were far from home. The
naturalist was infinitely patient, explaining what we were
seeing to an ever-changing number of tourists and dedicated
and a return visit is in order; hopefully deeper into the fall
birders while seldom taking her eyes off the sky. We were
migration season. Following are paragraphs that can be
enthralled by the sight of raptors soaring far overhead while
found at www.hawkmountain.org
no birds perched nearby. On our local hikes, we often sight
Red-tailed Hawks perched in a tall Eucalyptus tree. With “The Sanctuary’s annual counts of migrating raptors represent
the assistance of the naturalist, we identified Barn Swallow, the world’s longest record of raptor populations. These counts
Chimney Swift, Cedar Waxwing, Turkey Vulture, Red- (Continued on page 3)
tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. The naturalist kept
voluminous notes but only entered data on some species if IN THIS ISSUE...
they were traveling in a southerly direction. There are a few Hawk Mountain ........................................... Pg.1
Lone Rangers, she explained, who scout the area ahead of Village Venture Recap ................................... Pg. 2
mass migration. If they fly south one minute and north a few Introduction to Bird Watching - Part II ................. Pg. 3
minutes later, that bird won’t show up in the database. Conservation .............................................. Pg. 3
A spectacular sight is the river of rocks; a virtual river of Annual Report ............................................. Pg. 5
boulders that were deposited during the last glacial period. RSABG Birdfest ........................................... Pg. 6
Announcements ........................................... Pg. 7
It is so deep that no plants nor trees have grown there for
Field Trips ............................................Pgs. 6 & 8
ten thousand years. We hiked only a fraction of the trails
 Hawk Mountain (Cont.'d from pg. 1) migrating, raptors move along traditional flyways in
concentrated numbers. Because hundreds of thousands of
provide valuable information on changes in raptor numbers birds may be in the same place at the same time, threats in
in northeastern North America. In the 1960s, scientists the line of flight can endanger entire populations.
used this database to document declining populations of
Hawks Aloft Worldwide, the Sanctuary’s international
many raptor species. The causal agent would eventually
conservation initiative, helps identify partners and establish
be identified as the pesticide, DDT, the widespread use of
important migration watchsites, particularly in Latin
which was banned in the United States in 1972.
America. New watchsites in Cuba, Bolivia, Guatemala,
Today, populations of as many as two-thirds of all species Mexico and Costa Rica provide valuable information on
of migratory raptors are threatened by habitat loss, the numbers of migrants that breed in North America and
environmental contaminants, or trapping and shooting. migrate to Latin America. The new sites provide public
The Sanctuary’s raptor conservation efforts now focus on access to the grand spectacle of migration and replicate
monitoring and protecting birds of prey throughout their the successful combination of education, research and
long-distance journeys. monitoring programs used at Hawk Mountain in support
Migration is a vulnerable time in a bird’s life. When of conservation. H.M.S. was incorporated in 1938.”

Village Venture a Great Success

for Pomona Valley Audubon!
by Valerie Wheeler
Once again we joined forces with Wild Wings of California for our annual community outreach at the Claremont’s Village
Venture Arts & Crafts Faire. The morning started early for Nancy & Bruce Strang, Fraser Pemberton, and from Wild Wings,
Craig Gerth and Bob Everett. They were on the scene at 7:00, setting up tables and literature. I arrived about 8:30 and found that
most of the set-up work was already done! The stars were waiting cozily in their carriers for the crowds to arrive. At 9:00 they
would take their places on the arms of competent handlers and commence wowing the crowds.
We answered many questions about the orphaned great-horned owl, Andrew, the beautiful peregrine falcon Adonis and the
active harris hawk, Timmy. Many people also asked about various types of bird behavior. Frequently we were asked to identify,
by verbal description, a bird that someone had seen in their own yard. We answered as best we could, but often advised people to
attend our beginner’s bird walk, held on the first Sunday of the month at 8:00 AM at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens.
Since many of the birds that frequent the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens also frequent yards
and parks, this walk is a great way to see and learn the names of some of our more common feathered
friends.
The community response was wonderful. Many people
donated money to help with the care and feeding of the
orphaned and injured birds that Wild Wings houses. A raffle,
featuring a brand new bicycle, certainly stirred some interest.
At the end of the day, we drew the lucky winning ticket
belonging to local Claremont residents, Becky and Don
Delano.
For working the booth and handling the birds, special thanks
go out to our dedicated volunteers Pam Kling, Richard
Trier, Karlene Campo, Pat Higbie, Dawn Hutchison, Mayf
and Cathy Reaves, Ellen Berke, Liza Alldredge and (as
mentioned earlier) those early risers from PVAS and Wild
Wings. To the delightful people of Claremont and the
surrounding areas, we thank you for your interest, curiosity
and generous donations.
To learn more about Wild Wings of California, visit their
website at www.wildwings.org.
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 Introduction To Bird Watching
- Part II
The focus of Part II is on water birds
and raptors. Water birds will include
those found on inland lakes, bays,
mud flats, and ocean shore. Visiting
winter raptors as well as locally
occurring ones will be studied. With
luck, we could have up to 14 species
of diurnal raptors, and up to three
species of owl. The recommended
text is The Sibley Field Guide to Review of PVAS
Birds of Western North America by
David Allen Sibley. Participants will Introduction to Bird Watching
need a pair of binoculars. Class will I just completed the Intro to birding class taught by Suzanne
be limited to 18 participants. Chapell at RSABG . The class was inspiring, stimulating, and
Class Meetings: 7:00-9:00 p.m., Tuesdays - Jan. 10, and Jan. 24. well organized. Classroom material included bird biology, field
markings, and slides of birds we would most likely see prior
Field Study: Saturdays - Jan. 14, Jan. 28, Feb. 11, and Feb. 25. to each field trip. The field trips to local birding hotspots were
Time: 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. great. Suzanne even managed to find us a rare bird in Bonelli,
Instructor: Suzanne Chappell, Pomona Valley Audubon Society a Painted Redstart. GlenChappell (Suzanne's husband), Carlene
Fee: $75.00 Kampo, and Pam Kling assisted our instructor and shared their
particular expertise, ie, calls and songs.
Class Meetings will be held at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical
Gardens in Claremont. To enroll contact Rancho Santa Ana Thank you Suzanne for your good work. Thank you PVAS for
offering us this great opportunity to enhance our skills at many
Botanical Gardens at (909) 625-8767, x224
levels of birding expertise. I look forward to the next class.
Gloria Slosberg, Claremont

Save Johnson's Pasture UPDATE!!!

Dear CWC Supporters,
The 11/22 City Council meeting went very well. Strong support for saving
Johnson’s Pasture was expressed by those who made public comments.
Thanks to all of you who attended the meeting!
The council voted unanimously to go ahead and hire a polling firm who will
determine support for a ballot measure to fund the purchase of Johnsons’
Pasture. CWC is partnering with the city on the polling and will pay half
of the costs. We want to make sure that we have a say in the wording of the
questions and the procedure so the polling will give us the most accurate
picture of how voters feel about different strategies for the city to pursue to
raise the money.
A Council meeting will be held on December 20 at 6:00 pm to review the
results of the polling and consider various ways to structure a ballot measure
(e.g., bond, assessment district, parcel tax). It is at a very busy time of year,
but come if you can. It would be great to have another strong group of CWC
supporters at that meeting.
Suzanne Thompson
CWC, Chairman of the Board
3
Bonelli Park Monthly Walk Welcome New Members
4th Sunday of the Month We extend a warm welcome to all new members. Subscribers to
On the fourth Sunday of every month one of our PVAS Audubon Magazine from our area are automatically enrolled in our chapter
members, Rod Higbie, hosts a nature walk at Bonelli and receive the Chaparral Naturalist at no additional charge. You are
Park. The monthly walk starts at 8 A.M. Meet in the welcome to all our events.
parking lot at the Ranger Station on the right side of Via Chino: William Howard, Barbara George Pink
Verde (accessed from the 57 Frwy) just before the gated Long, Raymonde Schneider, La Verne: Robert Green
entrance. Rod is very knowledgeable about the plants Mrs Morgan Wasaki Mira Loma: Daniel Ortega
and animals there, but his favorite topic is the birds.
Claremont: Philip Anderson, Montclair: M.M.D. Jueck
Most of the walk focuses on the bird life. According to
Robin Mendoza, Francis Osborn, Ontario: Alfred Bayer, Rick and
the park’s pamphlet, over 200 species of birds have been
Frederick Sharp, Brooke Stevens Jeannie la Cues
observed at the park. The habitat in the 2,000 acre park
is primarily coastal sage with some mixed woodland, Corona: Cindy Gallaher Rancho Cucamonga: Denise Free
riparian and lake areas. The 250 acre Puddingstone Covina: Peggy Badgley, Erwin San Dimas: Benjamin Orfaly,
Reservoir supports a resident population of water birds Rommel Javier, Laura Lima, Deborah Soursby
as well as attracting migrating and wintering birds. The Sabrina Loesh Upland: Chuck and Jenny
endangered California Gnatcatcher nests and is found Diamond Bar: John Hamel, Antoniak, Betty Billings
in small numbers in suitable coastal sage habitat in the David Holdridge, Joey Menefee Walnut: Robert Lispi,
park. Glendora: Robert Moore, Jorge Martinez

PVAS WINTER/SPRING FIELD TRIPS 2006

JANUARY APRIL
Saturday, January 7 at 7 a.m. - Big Day Trip to Sunday, April 2 @ 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk,
Orange County Leader: Dan Guthrie Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Sunday, January 8 at 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk Wednesday. April 12 @ 8 a.m. - Living Desert
– Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Reserve Leader: Dan Gregory
Wednesday, January 11 at 7:30 a.m. - Saturday, April 22 @ 7:30 a.m. - Santiago Oaks.
Prado County Park. Leader: Dan Gregory Leader: Valerie Wheeler
Saturday, January 21 at 3:30 p.m. - Evening Parrot Sunday, April 23 @ 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird Walk.
Prowl Trip to Temple City Leader: Lee Swanberg Leader: Rod Higbie
Sunday, January 22 at 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird MAY
Walk. Leader: Rod Higbie Wednesday, May 3 - Big Morongo Nature Preserve
FEBRUARY Leader: Dan Gregory
Sunday, February 5 at 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk Sunday, May 7 @ 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk
– Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden – Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Wednesday, February 8 at 7 a.m. - Lake Perris Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21 - Kern River Valley
Leader: Dan Gregory and Butterbred Springs Leader: Dan Guthrie
Saturday-Sunday, February 11-12 - Salton Sea Saturday, May 21 - San Gabriel Mountains. @ 7 a.m.
Weekend Leader: Dan Guthrie Leader to be announced
Sunday, February 26 at 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird JUNE
Walk. Leader: Rod Higbie Sunday, June 4 at 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk
MARCH – Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Sunday, March 5 at 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk Wednesday, June 7 at 7: 30 a.m. - Carbon Canyon
– Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Regional Park. Leader: Dan Gregory
Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. - Los Angeles Saturday, June 10 @ 6 a.m. - Big Bear Lake Area
County Arboretum Leader: Dan Gregory Leader: Dan Guthrie
Saturday, March 25 @ 7 a.m. - Lake Perris, San One day and half day trips start at Memorial Park, Indian Hill
Jacinto Preserve. Leader to be announced Blvd at 10th Street, Claremont. Weekend trips usually start at the
destination on Saturday morning. The hikes at Bonelli Park meet at
Sunday, March 26 @ 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird Walk.
park headquarters on Via Verde, just off the 57 freeway.
Leader: Rod Higbie

4
 Happy New Year!
Annual Report to the Members of
Pomona Valley Audubon Society
Presented below is a summary of the income and expenses of Pomona Valley Audubon Society for the period of July
1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 as prepared by Neil Gilbert, Treasurer.
To the right is a statement of the assets and liabilities of the Society as of the end of our fiscal year. June 30, 2005.
Below that, is below that is a breakdown of the contributions made to various conservation programs and other causes
throughout the state.

5
 Field Trips
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
(Continued from pg. 8)
Lake Perris
Meet at 7 a.m. at Memorial Park for a half day trip to Lake
Saturday, January 21, 2006 Perris in search of wintering ducks and raptors. Leader:
Temple City Evening Parrot Prowl Trip Dan Gregory. (909) 626-0034
Meet at Memorial Park at 3:30 p.m. for a search in Temple
City for up to 10 species of parrots! Leader, Lee Swanberg Saturday and Sunday,
(909) 989-1572. February 11-12, 2006
Salton Sea Weekend.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Meet at 8 a.m. at the Headquarters
Bonelli Bird Walk. of the Wister Wildlife Management
Meet at the Bonelli Park headquarters on Via Verde near the Area, Salton Sea (rte 111 and Davis
57 freeway at 8 a.m. Leader: Rod Higbie Road 4 miles north of Niland, Ca.)
Sunday, February 5, 2006 We will bird the south end of the
sea all day, ending at the sandhill
Beginner’s Bird Walk,
crane roost at dusk. On Sunday we
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden will bird around Brawley and return around noon towards
Join us for our monthly (first Sunday, Sept. through June) Claremont. Spend the night in Brawley. Leader: Dan
bird walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Bring Guthrie: (909) 607-2836.
binoculars if you have them. Adults and children welcome.
The walk is flat and slow and takes about two hours. Meet Sunday, February 26, 2006
at 8:00 a.m. at the front entry gate (north end of College Bonelli Bird Walk
Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. 1500 N. College Ave.) Leaders: Meet at the Bonelli Park headquarters on Via Verde near the
Fraser Pemberton (909) 624-6451. 57 freeway at 8 a.m. Leader, Rod Higbie

Webmaster Wanted
Do you know how to build and maintain websites?
Do you have 2-3 hours per month to help Pomona
Valley Audubon? We are seeking a volunteer
webmaster to help keep our site up to date with
the lastest information.
If you’re a web whiz this is a simple and
important way you can help PVAS. Please
email Pamela Kling at [email protected]
or call 909-596-7604 if you would like more
information. Rancho Santa Ana Botanical
Gardens Winter Bird Fest
We Need Your Help! Sunday, February 19, 2006
Would you like to receive an electronic version Come join us for our Winter Bird Festival on Sunday,
of the Chaparral Naturalist and help save mailing February 19 from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm. The festival will
costs? Simply send an email to pantone@aol. feature bird walks around the gardens along with several
com and your email will be added to the activity stations designed to educate and enlighten people
distribution lest. To view the newsletter, you of all ages.
must have Acrobat Reader, which is available Attendees will also have the opportunity to help add to the
free of charge at www.adobe.com. We will bird population at the Garden by participating in the Great
also be making the newsletter available online Backyard Bird Count.
on our website at http://faculty.jsd.claremont. Cost $5 per person or $20 per family and pre-registration is
edu/dguthrie/pvas/. recommended. For information or to register, contact the
Garden at (909) 625-8767 x224

6
 Announcements PVAS OFFICERS 2005-2006
President......................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836
Vice-President .............Bruce Strang ..... 626-339-6984
Secretary .....................Pam Kling ...................596-7604
San Diego Bird Festival Treasurer ......................Neil Gilbert ................ 626-0334
Board Member ...........Nancy Strang .... 626-339-6984
February 9 – 12, 2006 Board Member ............Dick Moore ......... 909-626-1127
Board Member ............Pat Higbie .......... 909-599-6526
Board Member ............Rod Higbie ........ 909-599-6526
Feature Speaker - Pete Dunne
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
The tenth annual Bird Festival will be Conservation ...............Dick Moore ......... 909-626-1127
sponsored by San Diego Audubon and Education.....................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836
held at Marina Village on Mission Field Trips ....................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836
Bay. Visit SDAS web site at www. Membership ................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836
sandiegoaudubon.org/birdfest.htm Volunteers ....................Valerie Wheeler ......... 595-4200
for information, registration and to Publications .................Neil Gilbert ................ 626-0334
request a program. Or you may call Publicity .......................Shirley Harris ..............982-9727
Door Prizes ..................Karlene Campo .......... 627-8191
619-682-7200. Hope to see you
Hospitality ....................Cathy Reaves ............. 987-6197
on one of the many planned trips, Ellen Berke .................626-3041
which include Baja California, Website ........................Available! Call Dan Guthrie
Anza Borrego Desert, Cuyamaca
Mountains, Pelagic trips, and San Diego’s CHAPARRAL NATURALIST
renowned beaches and wetlands. There will Co-Editors ...................Pam Kling ...................596-7604
be live raptors, optic workshops, vendors, a Chaparral Naturalist is published bi-monthly, except July
Friday night mixer and Saturday night banquet and August by the Pomona Valley Audubon Society.
with Pete Dunne as feature speaker. Copy deadline is the last Thursday of the month.
Articles may be reprinted without permission, but please
give credit to the author and the Chaparral Naturalist.
We encourage members to submit articles and photos
by email at [email protected].
Subscriptions to the newsletter are available for $10 per
Reprinted from the Hillside Herald, year to non-members. Make checks payable to PVAS
and mail to W. M. Keck Science Center, 925 North Mills
November 22, 2005 Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711.
Chino Hills State Park National Audubon Membership
Awarded Special Grant Annual membership in the National Audubon Society is $30
Established in 1965, this year marks the 40th anniversary per year. New membership dues are $20. Members receive
the Audubon Magazine and Chaparral Naturalist newsletter.
of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Renewals of membership are computerized by National
The money that supplies this conservation fund comes from Audubon and should not be sent to PVAS. However, a new
the revenue of offshore oil leases. The 40,000 th grant of the membership may be sent directly to PVAS.
LWCF has been awarded in the amount of $4.2 million to Make checks payable to National Audubon Society. Mail
Chino Hills State Park for the only paved access road into payment with membership form below and mail to PVAS,
the State Park. Among other things this road will allow W. M. Keck Science Center, 925 North Mills Avenue, Cla-
access by busses for school children to visit the park. remont, CA 91711. (Please note chapter code number,
CO8, 7XCH on your check.)
The awarding of the grant was celebrated at a special
ceremony on Wednesday, November 30 at 11:00 a.m. Name__________________________________________
near the new campground at the State Park on the Chino
Address________________________________________
Hills side. California Department of Parks and Recreation
Director Ruth Coleman and National Park Service Deputy City, State, Zip___________________________________
Director Donald Murphy were the honored guests along Chapter Code: Pomona Valley Audubon CO8, 7XCH
with several Federal, state, and local elected officials. You may also join National Audubon via our website at:
http://www.ca.audubon.org/chapters.html/

7
 Calendar and Field Trips
Membership Meetings Saturday, January 7, 2006
Big Day Birding Trip
Thursday, January 5, 2006 Start the year off with 100 plus birds on your year list! We
Herb Clarke will visit the wetlands of Orange County and also search
for any special birds found on various Christmas Censuses.
"An Introduction to Meet at Memorial Park at 7 a.m. and bring a lunch. Leader:
Southern California Birds" Dan Guthrie (909) 607-2836.
Herb Clarke, renowned bird photographer (and butterflies!)
will present our program for January. The program will
be based on his book by the same name and should be Sunday, January 8, 2006
an excellent introduction to the birding variety of our Beginner’s Bird Walk
area. Herb’s wife, Olga, who is in charge of Los Angeles Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Audubon’s foreign travel (to such places as Costa Rica, Join us for our monthly (first Sunday, Sept. through June)
Morocco, Thailand, etc.) will also be there and can inform bird walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Bring
you about very reasonable travel tours for birds. binoculars if you have them. Adults and children welcome.
The walk is flat and slow and takes about two hours. Meet
Thursday, February 2, 2006 at 8:00 a.m. at the front entry gate (north end of College
Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. 1500 N. College Ave.) Leaders:
Marius van der Merwe Fraser Pemberton (909) 624-6451.
"Prince Edward Island, South Africa"
Marius van der Merwe, a visiting professor at the Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Claremont Colleges this year, worked as a graduate
student at the Prince Edward Islands research station
Prado County Park
of South Africa. This island is one of the subantarctic A visit to this popular spot in Chino for vermillion flycatcher
islands and as such is full of penguins, seals and other neat and a variety of ducks, geese, hawks, and perhaps such other
things. Marius will give us an introduction to the island, wintering specialties such as bald eagle. Meet at Memorial
its wildlife and the research programs under way there. Park at 7:30 a.m. for a half day trip. Leader: Dan Gregory
(909) 626-0034.

Meetings are held in Bauer Forum of Claremont McKenna

College. Evenings begin with a bird identification session
at 7:00 p.m., followed by refreshments, a short business (Field trips continued on page 6)
meeting, and our evening program.

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