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Mission: To promote the awareness, appreciation and protection of native birds and their habitats through

education, research and environmental activities.

Program Meetings for the general community are normally held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. 8th St. In December the meeting is held on the second Monday and in July

and August there are no Program Meetings.

One of Our Own Says “Thanks”! The recent fires affected one of our most active birders, volunteers and good friends, Nancy Nelson. Her home and belongings were destroyed. Nancy is grateful for all the thoughts,

prayers and offers of assistance and passes on her thanks.

September Program - Birdwatching in Panamá with Altacal Audubon - Mike Fisher Monday, September 15, 6:30 p.m. at the Chico Creek Nature Center

Join us as we kick off the new season of programs by reporting on the 2008 Altacal Audubon birding trip to the Republic of Panamá. Mike will present highlights of the trip using photos, maps and stories. The goal will be to share the excitement of this amazing journey taken by twelve of our local chapter members. In just two weeks over 400 different species of birds were seen and heard. In addition, numerous mammals, reptiles and insects were encountered and photographed. You may even feel like you were there, as we explore the country from just inside Panama’s western border with Costa Rica, to the far eastern province of Darién, only 25 miles from the Colombian border. White-necked Puffbird – Pipeline Road We will re-live our visits to such diverse habitats as mangrove swamps, tidal marshes, primary rainforests, orchid farms, cloud forests, coffee plantations, city parks and the Panamá Canal.

Finally, we will share what for many of us was the highlight of the trip, our amazing experience staying with the indigenous Emberá people. The Emberá live in a very remote and roadless portion of eastern Panamá accessible only by a long boat ride up the Rio Bagre. We had the opportunity to spend a week living in their small isolated village of La Marea. I’m sure you too will be amazed by these beautiful people whose simple life remains much the same as it has been for centuries.

Children of La Marea

White-tailed Kite August/September, 2008

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Upcoming Bird Walks and Birding Trips

All of our field trips are open to beginning birders. Anyone with a sense of wonder is welcome to participate.

August 16, Saturday - Butte Meadows – Trip Leader: Skip Augur

Meet at the Park ‘n Ride at 8:00 a.m. and caravan to the Butte Meadows/Jonesville areas to look for warblers and other montaine species. Light hiking and carpooling. Bring a sack lunch. We will bird until about 3:00 p.m. and then return to Chico. For more information, contact Skip Augur at 893-9222.

September 21, Sunday - Upper Bidwell Park - Trip Leader: Skip Augur

We'll start by walking along North Rim, Upper, or Middle trail early to beat the heat; as the day warms up we'll head down and return along the Yahi trail. Some migrants are a possibility, as well as our resident species. No experience necessary. Bring your binoculars, a field guide if you have one, hiking shoes, water, and snacks if you need them. Meet at the parking lot by Horseshoe Lake at 8 a.m. and walk until about 11:30 a.m. (2-3 miles). Difficulty Level: some moderately steep trail sections. For more information, contact Skip at 893-9222.

Seasonal Creek near the Shooting Range

September 19-21, Friday-Sunday - Point Reyes National Seashore - Trip Leaders: Mike Fisher and Jennifer Patten

Point Reyes National Seashore is well-known for its excellent birding. The seashore and surrounding areas offer many different habitats from grasslands, estuaries, coastal scrub to forests. The projection of the Point Reyes peninsula some 10 miles seaward from the "mainland" makes Point Reyes National Seashore a landing spot for many vagrants - birds that may have made errors in navigation and thus are unexpected in this area. Point Reyes Headlands

Each fall these vagrants seek out resting spots along the peninsula on their way south. Some of these rarities have included Black-throated Blue Warbler, American Redstart, White-throated Sparrow, Palm Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler. We will visit places where these vagrant traps (resting spots) are, such as the Fish Docks, the lighthouse rocks and cliff areas, Abbott’s Lagoon, Tomales Bay, Drake’s Beach, Bear Valley, Olema Marsh and the famous historic ranches along the way.

We will camp Friday and Saturday night at Samuel P. Taylor State Park or Olema Ranch Campground. Please contact Mike or Jennifer if you are interested in going for more information on what to bring, directions, camping, etc.

Mike Fisher fisherml@pacbell.net 624-4777 Jennifer Patten jpchico@scbcglobal.net 345-9356

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October 4, Saturday – Packer and Sul Norte Units of the SRNWR – Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams

Join us as we explore two of the lesser-known units within the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, the Packer Unit and the Sul Norte Unit, both located near the Butte City area. We will meet at the Park ‘n Ride on 8th/9th Street in the lot nearest the freeway at 8 a.m. for carpooling. Remember to bring water, hiking shoes (modest flatland terrain 1.5-3 miles) and snacks. We'll be back around 1 p.m. For additional information call Gaylord at 872-0739.

The Packer Unit is located at River Mile 168-R, just south of Butte City and Highway 162 October 10-12, Friday-Sunday - Bodega Bay Terrestrial and Pelagic Birding Weekend. Trip Leaders: Scott Huber (terrestrial) and Rich Stallcup (pelagic)

The weekend of October 11-12 promises to be an exciting one for both Altacal members and our out-of-area friends as we combine a long-awaited Pelagic Trip led by the well-respected Rich Stallcup with a day of ‘land birding’ in the Bodega Bay area. We’ll depart mid-morning Friday arriving at the coast before dark where participants have the option of camping or staying at a local motel or Inn. If there’s time we’ll even bird a little in the late afternoon. Saturday Morning we’ll board the New Sea Angler for our trip to the Cordell Banks where we’ll hope to see an impressive array of pelagic birds. Sunday morning we’ll rise with the morning chorus and proceed to bird the many productive spots in the Bodega area including Bodega Head, the bay, the beaches and others. It’s quite likely that the afternoon will find some of us enjoying a bottle of fine wine around the campfire (weather permitting) or at The Tides.

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Participants will make their own arrangements for lodging and meals. Some Altacal members will be staying at Bodega Dunes Campground, please see www.bodegabay.com/discover/camping.html for more information and to make reservations. For a list of Bodega Bay Motels go to www.sonoma.com/lodging/sonoma_coastlistings.html .

Please contact Scott Huber at BirdTours@Altacal.org or (530) 321-5579 to let him know whether you’ll be camping or moteling and provide him with your contact information while in the Bodega area. The pelagic portion of this trip is full but if others would like to join us for the Saturday portion please let him know. Prepare for a variety of weather possibilities including ‘darn cold and wet’ on the water. Those departing from Chico should plan on meeting Friday October 10th at 10 a.m. at the Park ‘n Ride on Highway 32 (eastern-most lot, second lot from Highway 99). We’ll rendezvous with those coming from other areas at the Tides Wharf Restaurant in Bodega Bay between 5-6 p.m. Friday evening.

From the President Let me start by thanking all of you for your ongoing support for Altacal. Your membership in this group really does make a difference. The membership dues that we all pay go toward a multitude of good things in this community. You are also of great moral support to us on the Board of Directors. You provide a lot of help for the lobbying efforts that we engage in throughout the year. And on top of that, it’s just plain fun to be associated with a group of people like you who appreciate the diversity of life on this planet.

We have just wrapped up our election cycle and will be starting another two-year term of our Board of Directors. Thanks to all of you who made it to the potluck and voted in the new board. Thanks, as well, for giving me the opportunity to serve another term as President. With all of the great things that are happening right now at Altacal, it is a privilege to hold that position.

So... what will we be doing for the next two years? More of the same, I hope. We have worked hard for the last several years to get our chapter active and running smoothly, and we are all pretty eager to keep up the great momentum. What will that look like? Well...

• Scott Huber put together a lot of great field trips in the last year, and you can expect more good ones to come. We will be visiting many of our old favorite spots, and also focusing on areas that have certain political significance. Look for some trips to new areas as well. Get ‘em on your calendars and join us.

• Mike Fisher and Jennifer Patten have been assembling a lot of great monthly programs at the Nature Center and City Hall. More and more folks have been showing up at these programs. You can expect to see more unique programs in the future. It is always great to see you all there and hear what birds and wildlife that you have been seeing. Let us know if you have any ideas for interesting programs.

• Carolyn Short has worked hard on ironing out our local membership transition, and it has been very successful. She watches the Butte County General Plan progress and Butte County water issues. She is also working on volunteer email lists. Please consider getting on our volunteer notification list.

• You have all watched this newsletter, in both its web-enabled and paper formats, develop and blossom over the last few years. We can all thank Tim Ruckle for that. Tim will continue to come up with interesting editions of the White-tailed Kite full of information that is relevant to our interests. We always welcome your ideas for articles, and always want to post your sightings.

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• John Oswald works quietly behind the scenes to balance our budgets and keeps us within our means. Altacal wears many hats. We run the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge bookstore, we give scholarships, we have an insurance policy under which the Snow Goose Festival operates, we run grants, we print and mail a newsletter, and we fund various projects in our community. All of the many efforts that we have launched (new and old) have created a need for good accounting, and John has been a great steward of our money.

• Dawn Garcia has been a very active Conservation Chairperson for Altacal. She has been involved in many different issues (Condor Lead Ban, M&T Gravel Mine, etc.) and been active in lobbying and letter-writing campaigns. She has started an email network for conservation issues that makes it easy for all of us to participate in the political process. Altacal hopes to continue voicing our concerns on important issues, and hopes that you will sign up to be on our contact lists and take part in these efforts.

• Apart from taking our meeting minutes, Kathyrn Hood, our Secretary, has always worked behind the scenes in many different ways to keep the momentum of our group going smoothly and in coordinating efforts involving the Endangered Species Faire.

• Ruth Kennedy has been watching our Sanctuary issues at Arneberg and doing some excellent education outreach at the Endangered Species Faire and elsewhere. When the Chico Water Pollution Control Plant expansion (the Oxidation Pond upgrade) is finished, watch for a celebration and some birding tours of our new city wetlands.

• Skip Augur does triple duty as the administrator of our web site, www.altacal.org, as our Publicity Chairman and as a Bird Walk leader.

• Our Directors-at-Large, John Merz, Jackson Shedd, Marilyn Gamette and Dave Tinker all have contributed to the mix, and we hope they’ll continue to do so for a long time to come.

We really want all of our hard work in the last few years to translate into progress for the coming years. We are striving toward more conservation efforts, more educational outreach, and more time enjoying the things we work to protect. And, of course, we always hope to see more of you all.

Phil Johnson, President, Altacal Audubon Society

Good for You! You Helped Defeat Proposition 98 Last issue we encouraged you to vote “No” on Proposition 98. It looks as though you and your neighbors across the State did just that. Here’s what Audubon California had to say about it on June 3rd:

Voter Defeat of Prop. 98 is a Tremendous Victory for Environmental Protection in California

Sacramento, CA – Representatives of Audubon California today declared the voters’ rejection of Proposition 98 as a tremendous victory for environmental protection in California. Audubon California had rallied Audubon members and allies to vote against the measure, and made a significant financial and organizational contribution to the opposition.

“If this proposition had passed, it would have been devastating to California communities and the environment,” said Dan Taylor, director of public policy for Audubon California. “This measure had a hidden and dangerous agenda to destroy important laws and regulations that protect California’s critical birds, wildlife and habitat, and we’re glad that voters saw through it.”

Proposition 98 would have prohibited laws and regulations that “transfer an economic benefit to one or more private persons at the expense of the private owner,” negating virtually all environmental regulations and land-use oversight. In short, the measure would have gutted environmental protections that Californians have come to depend upon to protect their natural treasures.

“This is a big win for anyone who cares deeply about the natural resources that are so vital to California’s identity,” added Taylor.

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Habitat Enhancement Guide

The Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) provides free on their web site, http://www.prbo.org/calpif/htmldocs/enhancement.htm a California Partners in Flight publication entitled A Guide to Habitat Enhancement for Birds in the Sacramento Valley that focuses on riparian (streamside) habitat throughout the Sacramento Valley. The guide provides landowners and managers with practical steps they can take to improve bird habitat and overall ecosystem health on their lands.

It begins with an introduction on the habitat type (or types) and provides some background information on bird conservation. It goes on to provide specific recommendations to benefit birds in these habitats, such as a list of suggested native plant species to plant, along with exotic

species that should be removed. It also contains a list of bird species to look for that will help indicate a successful habitat enhancement project. Finally, it includes information about agencies and organizations that can help with technical and financial assistance in habitat enhancement.

Conservation Corner

Dawn Garcia, Conservation Chair

Keeping Cats Indoors - Helping Birds, Wildlife and Cats Birders seem to appreciate and be fascinated by many other kinds of animals in addition to the feathered ones. And that includes our pets – primarily our cats and dogs. We should understand, though, that among the predators of birds (snakes, rats, parasites, etc.) cats are considered “super predators”. There are many more cats then natural native predators (such as bobcats) and they have a high reproductive rate, birthing up to several litters per year.

Millions of free-roaming domestic cats and feral cats kill hundreds of millions of birds and other wildlife a year. Cats are excellent hunters and even a well-fed friend often kills wildlife due to its predatory instincts. Migrating and backyard birds are at great risk in an environment where cats run free.

So what is the solution? Keep cats indoors, under supervision or on a leash while you enjoy the yard together, or build an outdoor enclosure for your pet to enjoy the out-of-doors. I’ve seen many of these enclosures adorned with dangling kitty toys, carpeted platforms, hammocks, and views of bird feeders. Some are connected to windows or kitty-doors so cats have indoor and outdoor access whenever they please. Clever! Google “cat enclosures” and you will find many images of many happy cats and resources to buy an enclosure or build your own.

The American Bird Conservancy has a well-developed Cats Indoors! Campaign,

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/

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complete with tips on helping you keep your cat inside and links to how or where to buy outdoor enclosures. The National Audubon Society supports this program and advocates responsible ownership of all pets (http://www.audubon.org/bird/cat/).

Other supporters include the American Ornithologists' Union, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc., and the Cooper Ornithological Society. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that cats remain indoors for the health and safety of the cat. Indoor cats typically have a much longer lifespan then their free-roaming friends. Outdoor cats are exposed to cars, dogs, mean people, other cats, parasites, and disease. Although it is not an issue here yet, domestic cats in Germany and Austria have contracted the H5N1 avian influenza virus, presumably from feeding on infected birds.

Keeping an indoor cat will help protect all of our wildlife, furred, scaled and feathered, and your keep your cat healthier too.

Altacal Members Help Produce Results from Statewide Burrowing Owl and Tricolored Blackbird Survey Efforts

Many of our members contributed to survey efforts for the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) surveys and Audubon California’s Tricolored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) surveys. We gathered and summarized results from those efforts. Also we have included the links to both newsletters so you can read in more detail. Thank you members for your efforts!

Burrowing Owls 2006 and 2007 IBP reports on, and thanks 396 volunteers for surveying 860 census blocks across the state in 2006 and 2007. Results show that the Burrowing Owl population has contracted since the last census in 1990 - but not significantly so. As you can see from the table below, our Northern Central Valley appears to support only a few pairs of owls in recent years. In 2007, keen-eyed member Nancy Nelson found our only known breeding pairs of owls found in Butte County (not on a survey block) off of Durham-Pentz Road. We are happy to report that this pair is again active in 2008 and has produced at least four young, despite the nearby fires! For statewide details see: http://www.birdpop.org/DownloadDocuments/BUOW_ENEWSLETTER_spring_2008.pdf

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Tricolored Blackbird Surveys – April 2008 Audubon California’s Rodd Kelsey organized volunteers for this statewide census of the Tricolored Blackbird, 95% of the population of which occurs in California. He reports about 160 volunteers visiting 378 colony sites in 43 counties across California. Volunteers counted a total of 402,000 birds which is higher than 2005 results. A larger survey effort likely contributed to these higher numbers. As expected, most large colonies were found in the Central Valley: Kern, Merced and Tulare Counties supporting almost 80% of the state population. These colonies have adapted to nest in grain fields but are vulnerable as harvest often occurs before the young fledge. Audubon California is active in offering landowner incentives to farmers who wait to harvest post-fledging. You must visit the very cool Tricolored Blackbird Portal at: http://tricolor.ice.ucdavis.edu/

Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act

We just received an Audubon Advisory asking that we (all of us who love birds) support the reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, which is a USFWS administered program which contributes big $ (up to 4.5 mil this year) for various projects (this is not the International Migratory Bird Treaty Act). It "establishes a competitive, matching-grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean that promote the long-term conservation of Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats." If you want to know more about the act go to: http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/Grants/NMBCA/ Audubon has made it easy for you to contact Representative Wally Herger (or whoever your Representative is) to hear voices of support for conservation-oriented acts. To send your Representative a letter please go to: http://audubonaction.org/campaign/nmbca/forward

Sister Society (Cape Cod Bird Club) News

Members of our sister society have had lots of resident and visiting critters to wonder at lately.

A recent report on the activity at one of the Cape Cod Bird Club's Bluebird Trail sites shows that House Wrens have piled up sticks in 11 of the 24 nest boxes at Thompson's Field so the boxes couldn’t be used by other birds even though they didn’t use the boxes themselves. In another instance, they forced a Black-capped Chickadee family to abandon another nest box by using the same tactics. The Wren strategy seems to be to eliminate all competition in the neighborhood.

It’s a new year for the Mass Audubon breeding bird atlas, and there is much activity at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. American Robins and Common Grackles could be seen feeding fledglings. An American Woodcock with young has been on the Goose Pond Trail and Silver Spring several times.

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Both Baltimore and Orchard Orioles had nests with noisy young, as did several pairs of Eastern Towhees. Both Cuckoos, Yellow-billed and Black-billed, were also active on the sanctuary. Although no nesting behavior has been recorded, the search continues.

Besides birds, many turtles (Eastern Painted Turtles, Eastern Box Turtles, Snapping Turtles, and of course, the coveted Diamondback Terrapin) have been seen crossing trails, roads, and facing other dangers to lay their eggs. Nocturnal animal sightings seem to be in abundance. Eastern Screech-Owls, Whip-poor-wills and Southern Flying Squirrels have been heard and seen in Chatham and Wellfleet. The amount of insect song has increased on the Outer Cape, with numbers of Spring Field Crickets increasing. This is the first cricket heard in Massachusetts. It is often heard in many habitats including fields, forests, and in houses under refrigerators. In mid-July, these crickets are replaced by the very similar Fall Field Cricket. By now, the Katydids have appeared. Even though the dawn bird chorus is past its peak, the evening insect chorus is in full voice.

Miscellaneous sightings in late June included a Northern Bobwhite, 16 Purple Martins, and 8 Ovenbirds in Mashpee and 6 Orchard Orioles, an American Woodcock, 9 Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and a Northern Saw-whet Owl at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Since June 13th a Snow Goose has been summering near Wellfleet Harbor.

The staff of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge recently completed their annual census of the nesting birds of the island complex, and the results included close to 7000 Common Tern nests, 1400 Laughing Gull nests, and 144 Least Tern nests at South Monomoy, plus another 1200 Common Tern nests, 29 Roseate Tern nests, and 5 Black Skimmer nests at Minimoy Island. Another 70 common terns were nesting on North Monomoy Island along with a yet uncounted number of Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls, with many big, fuzzy chicks in tow.

A recent birding sweep of Wellfleet, Eastham, and Truro turned up 6 Common Eiders, 2 Surf Scoters, a Black Scoter, a Wild Turkey, 3 Common Loons, 4 Northern Gannets, 6 Osprey, 2 Fish Crows, 5 Prairie Warblers, a Black-and-white Warbler, 4 Ovenbirds, 2 Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and a Purple Finch.

Recent rains spurred Spadefoot Toads to emerge from their burrows in the Province Lands dunes at night in search of food. These desert-adapted amphibians can remain underground for very long periods between bouts of feeding and breeding, and will lay their fast-developing eggs in a road puddle if that’s what’s available.

A trip to South Beach in Chatham produced a few hints of the shorebird flood to come in a month or so, including 300 Black-bellied Plovers, 14 American Oystercatchers, 40 Willets, 11 Ruddy Turnstones, 140 Red Knots, 20 Least Sandpipers, 6 White-rumped Sandpipers, 150 Short-billed Dowitchers, plus 4 Snowy Egrets and 12 Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows. A month from now these numbers will swell into the thousands as adult shorebirds begin to move south from their arctic breeding grounds, leaving their youngsters behind.

Bewildered motorists were welcomed to the Cape recently by a bombardment of periodical Cicadas bouncing off of their cars as soon as they come over the bridge, but their season is beginning to wind down. The cicadas, that is, not the motorists. One observer noted a young Red-tailed Hawk hunting the large bugs.

Whales and seabirds were in abundance on recent whale watch trips to Stellwagen Bank, drawn by large schools of Sand Lance. Humpback and Fin Whales were joined by Wilson's Storm-Petrels, Greater Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters, Manx Shearwaters, and Northern Gannets, and off Race Point a Cory's Shearwater was seen, along with a Black-legged Kittiwake and an Iceland Gull

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Death Traps

Rex Burress

I noticed some splashing in a gallon jug of water on our patio, and when I investigated there was a tree frog trapped inside, treading water, unable to climb toward the small opening overhead. It would have perished in its beloved water element if the Good Gardener Jo hadn’t come to the rescue.

I have seen food containers scattered along roadways that become traps, and in the woods where an empty bottle or can was tossed aside it becomes a gruesome side of litter when an animal slips inside and can’t get out. You find it especially in rain-filled bottles where a creature was trying to get a drink and slipped into the pit of no return. Insects slide into that trap, too.

Mankind’s castoffs have endangered the lives of countless creatures, the real downside of litter. At Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge we were constantly seeing birds with their heads stuck in a plastic six-pack carrier. That is usually fatal as it interferes with feeding or it chokes the bird to death. When pop-top soda cans had the throwaway kind of tab, ducks would get their beaks stuck in the rings. It was an improvement when the pop-top stayed with the can.

Another wildlife peril is the monofilament fishing line that is strewn around waterways. It is indestructible and a bird that gets a loop around head or leg is doomed. It cuts off circulation, especially on legs. By the time they weaken to the point you can catch them, they are beyond recovery.

At camp one time, we found a housecat that had got an empty meat can stuck on its head and it had suffocated. I can still remember the gagging reaction of my seven-year-old son when he had the misfortune to see that tragedy. Garbage areas can be sites of mass destruction if that treacherous debris isn’t covered quickly. Birds run into a gauntlet of perils, or rather fly into destruction when they crash into a window thinking it an open avenue for flight. Those marvelous wings also carry countless birds, especially birds of prey, into energy-gathering windmills, a big problem in the Altamont Pass near the Bay Area. Some get electrocuted on power lines when wings touch two lines.

My cousin in a motor home in Colorado reported western bluebirds that had built a nest in their tailpipe! Luckily, they spotted the activity or it could have resulted in a death trap.

One of the biggest death traps, not only for animals but humans too, are the roadways where high-speed autos become lethal projectiles. Travel across several western states and you will encounter a variety of "flattened fauna," so called by a book of that name. In fact, the book made a kind of game out of identifying those deflated carcasses, which can be anything from jack rabbits, the most common, to snakes and even eagles. Scavengers try to feed on the dead bodies and they too, become victims of the speed trap.

I moan every time I see a car-struck gray squirrel around Oroville. The long-tailed beauties have a habit of pausing as if to evaluate oncoming traffic, and gallop to the side too late. Give wildlife a brake when you can. Simply slowing a few miles per hour will give them a chance. Snakes crawl out on the sun-warmed pavement after sundown and become struck, sometimes on purpose, as there are those who consider all snakes bad.

"Shakespeare says we are creatures that look before and after: the more surprising

that we do not look round a little, and see what is passing under our very eyes."

–Thomas Carlyle

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Altacal Community Contributions College Scholarships for High School Students

In support of its mission statement, to promote the awareness, appreciation, and protection of native birds and their habitats through education, research, and environmental activities, Altacal’s Scholarship Committee has chosen three college-bound, graduating high school seniors enrolled in Butte, Glenn, and Tehama County public high schools to receive $500 college scholarships. Students whose

educational goals are related to wildlife and habitat studies, ecology, conservation, and related earth sciences or environmental sciences were encouraged to apply. The students were Charlotte Wehmeyer from Willows High School and Austin Roughton and Nathan Giordano from Las Plumas High School in Oroville. Altacal Director, Marilyn Gamette, presented the award to Ms. Wehmeyer and Altacal President, Phil Johnson, presented the awards to Mr. Roughton and Mr. Giordano.

Marilyn Gamette presenting the award to Phil Johnson presenting the awards to Charlotte Wehmeyer at the Willows High Austin Roughton and Nathan Giordano School Senior Award Ceremony at the Las Plumas High Senior Awards Ceremony

May Program – Bruce Webb Presented Bird-watching from Sea Level to 10,000 Feet in a Day – Monday, May 19, 2008, Chico Creek Nature Center

“Back by popular demand” was the cry as longtime Altacal member, officer and activist, Bruce Webb, returned as the guest speaker for our May program. Bruce had last spoken at an Altacal program in May of 1973, exactly 35 years ago. Now living in Granite Bay, California, Bruce is a Field Technician for Swarvoski Optik USA, Distributor of Wildlife Recording Software and Bird Guide.

Birding in Mexico was his topic and Bruce is an expert on the subject, having taken more than 25 birding trips south of the border over the past 30 years. His passion for Mexico and its people was evident as he spoke of his favorite spots to bird. At the top of his list is Colima, the second-smallest Mexican State. It’s diversity of habitats and landscapes ranging from tropical beaches to the 13,000 foot Volcan de Fuego, are all within a few hours drive. Bruce explained the richness of birding is all about habitat diversity. Photo by Carolyn Short

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Colima’s position, lying just 19 degrees North within the Tropic of Cancer, gives it a strong neotropical influence. At the same time its high mountain ranges allow for a strong temperate influence. This mixing of neotropical and temperate climate creates the very high biodiversity found in Colima. Using many of his beautiful photos, Bruce gave the standing-room-only crowd an introduction to the 487 bird species that may be found in Colima. This abundance of wildlife extends beyond birds and includes butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects. On one of his recent trips to Colima, at a place called “Barranca El Tigre”, Bruce told of finding both Jaguar and Ocelot tracks. Also known to be in the area are Margays, and Jaguarundis and at higher elevations you can find Bobcats. It is no wonder that Colima is such a favorite destination for birding and wildlife touring. Bruce can be reached through his website http://www.geocities.com/placerbird/LakeTahoeRegion.htm

Bird Walk and Birding Trip Reports

May 22-26, Thursday-Monday, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Princeton, Oregon – Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten

Despite the cool Memorial Day weekend weather, we Altacal birders made the trip to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon. The drive was long, but delightful, with new and surprising scenery and geology around every turn. The Refuge is a 30-plus mile series of meadows, wetlands, and ponds surrounded by sage uplands and basalt rimrock. There were birds galore, many that we see in Northern California, but here we got to see them on their breeding grounds with breeding plumages and behaviors. An auto tour runs through the Refuge and it’s okay to get out of your car anywhere along the way. Some of the birds that we saw along the auto tour were Black, Caspian, and Forster’s Terns, about a thousand Wilson’s Phalaropes in their beautiful breeding plumage,

Long-billed Curlews, Mallards, Northern Shovelers, Cinnamon Teals, Gadwalls, Great Horned Owls, Sandhill Cranes, American White Pelicans, Redheads, Lesser Scaups, lots of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Ruddy Ducks, American Avocets, Franklin’s Gulls, plus many more. But one of the most fascinating birds to see and especially hear was the male Wilson’s Snipe. During his erratic, swooping display flight, his tail feathers make a low whistled “winnowing” sound, which was heard day and night at the Refuge.

The Page Springs Campground was beautiful, well maintained, and very birdy. The Blitzen River runs along the west side of the campground and a smaller stream meandered through the camp, providing great habitat for lots of birds. Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chats, Bullock’s Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Song Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbirds were in great numbers along the willows, cottonwoods, and reeds. There are numerous hiking trails near the campground and a road that leads into Steens Mountain. Unfortunately, the road to Steens Mountain was closed due to heavy snow, so we’ll save that for the next trip. Steens Mountain snowmelt provides much of the water for the Blitzen Valley and river.

Our best birds for the trip were Bobolink and Eastern Kingbird. We tried twice, but missed the Hooded Warbler that was hanging around the refuge headquarters all weekend. In all, we had 104 species. We figured a 1000-mile trip with gas well over $4.00 a gallon equals about $2.00 per bird. They were all worth it.

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June 8, Sunday – Upper Bidwell Park – Trip Leader: Phil Johnson - About twenty folks showed up for this very pleasant stroll through Upper Bidwell Park. We started at Horseshoe Lake where we found Brown-headed Cowbirds and Brewer's Blackbirds. A lone Northern Pintail was resting on the lake. It was certainly not where it should be at this time of year. Walking towards the creek, we spotted several Northern Rough-winged Swallows, several of which appeared to be getting fed by adults. At the creek, we spotted a nest of a Red-tailed Hawk. Yellow-breasted Chats were singing, but not showing themselves. An Ash-throated Flycatcher was seen feeding in a small clearing. A Red-Shouldered Hawk was perched at eye level about 40 ft. from the trail, giving everybody great looks. California Quail chicks flushed from the stream-side vegetation. We witnessed many of our resident birds going about their breeding-season duties. No one kept a tally of species, too distracted by the beauty of the day, I guess.

Seasonal Creek Near the Shooting Range

June 14, Saturday – Rio Vista Unit of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge - It was simply a perfect morning for a hike through the beautifully restored Rio Vista Unit. Rio Vista is one of over 30 units (properties) that make up the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. Not all are open to the public yet and some are accessible only by boat. However, many including Rio Vista are easily accessed by car and then on foot. Currently, the Refuge is composed of 27 units along a 77-mile stretch of the Sacramento River between Red Bluff and Princeton. This riparian habitat along the Sacramento River is critically important for fish, migratory birds, plants, and river system health. It provides shelter for many songbirds and water-associated animals, including river otters, turtles, beavers, American White Pelicans, Ospreys, and Bank Swallows. A group of eight Altacal and Sacramento River Preservation Trust members hiked and birded our way out to and along the Sacramento River, and then back to the parking lot. Our focus this day was to search for neotropical migrants. These are birds that spend their summers in North America and their winters in the New World tropics of Central and South America, Mexico or the Caribbean. Within the uplands area of Rio Vista and away from the river we encountered Lazuli Bunting, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bullock’s Oriole, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Kingbird, and Western Wood-Pewee. Working the river’s edge we added Tree Swallow and Common Yellowthroat to our list. In addition to the migrants, many of the resident birds of this area made themselves known. Highlights included a flock of soaring American White Pelicans, an Osprey with baby on a nest and a Green Heron flying along the river.

Next time you are looking for a beautiful place to spend a couple of hours check out the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. One of these units will surely meet and maybe even exceed your expectations. A list of the units with maps can be found at: www.fws.gov/sacramentovalleyrefuges/sacriver.htm

June 13-15, Friday-Sunday – Sierra Valley/Yuba Pass – Trip Leader: Mac McCormick

The Sierra Valley and Yuba Pass areas offer great habitat for birds with many lakes, meadows, marshes, streams, rivers and trees. Nine Altacal birders made the trip to this area on the weekend of June 13-15 and were well rewarded, seeing 100 species of birds. Field trip leader, Mac McCormick, knew every birding hot spot in the area, having lived and worked near here since the 1980’s. Our campground was one of these hot spots, Salmon Creek, where we saw singing Warbling Vireos, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Yellow Warblers, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Hermit Thrush, Brown Creeper and Steller’s Jay. Saturday we traveled to Sierra Valley, which is an Audubon Society

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nationally designated Important Bird Area. With easy access for those who wish to bird by vehicle, roads such as Marble Hot Springs and many county roads take you to the heart of the valley wet meadows and wetlands.

There we spotted Yellow-headed Blackbirds, White-faced Ibis, Sandhill Cranes, American Bittern, Black-crowned Night-Herons, Canada Geese, Wilson’s Snipe, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Sage Thrasher, Wilson’s Warbler, a variety of ducks, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk and great looks at two Swainson’s Hawks. Sunday, we birded the higher elevations and saw Mountain Quail, Western Wood-Pewee, Anna’s and Calliope Hummingbirds, Hairy Woodpecker, Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Western Tanager, Fox Sparrow, Williamson’s Sapsucker and a nesting pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers.

Karen Laslo, Ruth Kennedy, Jennifer Patten and Nancy Nelson at Lower Sardine Lake

July 11-14, Thursday-Sunday - Ruby Mountains: Himalayan Snowcock and Black Rosy-Finch Trip Leaders: Scott and Liam Huber – Chief Trip Reporter: Liam Huber - A group of eleven hardy birders went in search of the hard-to-reach Himalayan Snowcocks, birds that live at 10,000 feet above sea level in the bare, stony regions of the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada. On the first day they drove to Elko, Nevada and birded a pond on the salt flats which contained a couple of Virginia Rails, Vesper Sparrows and a Semipalmated Sandpiper. A number of Common Nighthawks darted above the freeway near dusk.

After staying overnight in Elko they headed for Ruby Lake where they spotted Trumpeter Swans, Golden Eagles, a

Standing: Mike Skram, Bill Oliver, Mike Fisher, Jennifer Patten, Liam Huber, George Horn, Ken Bachman, Scott Huber – Seated/Kneeling: Nancy Nelson, Pam Hansen, Skip Augur

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Common Nighthawk, Red-necked Phalaropes, Franklin's Gulls, Plumbeous Vireos, Sage Thrashers, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Vesper Sparrows, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and a Blue-winged Teal.

On day three they hiked up the mountain hoping to see Snowcocks and sure enough, saw not just one or two but seven of them! Among other birds seen that day were Golden Eagles, a Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Mountain Bluebirds, Townsend's Solitaires, Green-tailed Towhees, Cassin's Finches and a larger, paler sub-species of Hermit Thrush (auduboni) with

chicks.

Their final day included hiking near the campground and driving home. During the day they saw Common Nighthawks, a Calliope Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Cordilleran Flycatchers, Bank Swallows, Mountain Bluebirds, Cassin's Finches, Vesper Sparrows - and best of all, BOBOLINKS.

A “catch-as-catch-can” photo taken at a far distance by a hand-held camera through a spotting scope eyepiece - but a good docu-shot of the elusive birds Photo by Mike Fisher

Bobolink – A Rare Nevada Breeder

(a necessarily hurried, but useful docu-shot) Photo by Liam Huber

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June Program Member Potluck Dinner and Altacal Board of Directors Elections

Monday, June 16, 6:00 p.m. at the Chico Creek Nature Center

If you didn’t make it to the annual Altacal Audubon potluck, you missed out! Those who did attend enjoyed socializing, playing bird bingo, bird trivia, getting wet with the water balloon toss and shared a feast of fresh foods. Thank you so much to everyone for bringing the delicious food. Elections were also conducted during the potluck for Altacal’s Board of Directors. Newly elected members will serve for the next two years. Those newly elected are Phil Johnson, President, Mike Fisher and Jennifer Patten, Co-Vice Presidents, Kathryn Hood, Secretary, and John Oswald, Treasurer. Congratulations to all. These positions will officially begin in September 2008.

Margaret Rader helps Mike Fisher play Bird Bingo game at annual members' potluck. Background: L-R, Mike Skram and J.T. Lewis

Photo by Carolyn Short

Opportunities and Events

10th Annual Kern River Valley Hummingbird Celebration, August 9, 2008

The Kern River Valley - "Hummingbird Viewing Capital of California"

Learn how to photograph, feed, identify and garden for hummingbirds. You might even get to release newly banded hummingbirds after researchers gather data about the Kern River Preserve's hummingbirds. For more information, go to: http://kern.audubon.org/hummer_fest.htm Hummingbirds of the Kern River Valley and Southern Sierra Nevada

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San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory’s 12th Annual California Fall Challenge! The 12th Annual California Fall Challenge is just around the corner. The California Fall Challenge is the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's only fundraiser. It is a classic "birdathon" where participants gather pledges from friends, family and co-workers and then count the number of bird species they hear or see in a 24-hour period, within one California County any time between September 13th and October 12th. The Fall Challenge supports the programs that apply science to the mission of saving birds and their habitats. As the date approaches you’ll find more information at: http://www.sfbbo.org/

Bidwell Park & Chico Creeks Cleanup

Butte Environmental Council will be hosting the Bidwell Park and Chico Creeks Cleanup on Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Cleanup will focus on heavily impacted areas of Bidwell Park, Lindo Channel, Big Chico Creek, Little Chico Creek, and Comanche Creek. This annual cleanup clears thousands of pounds of trash from Chico’s park and creeks. Please meet at 9 a.m. at the Hooker Oak Recreation Area overflow parking (off Manzanita) for park cleaning or at the Chico Country Day School’s Parking Lot (11th Street and Broadway) for the creeks cleaning. Please bring sturdy gloves and shoes. BEC hosts this event on California Coastal Cleanup Day, the premier volunteer event focused on state waters. The Guinness Book of Records hailed this event as "the largest garbage collection" (1993), and each year more than 40,000 volunteers turn out to over 400 cleanup sites statewide. Refreshments will be available to start and end the day. There will also be a chance for all participants to win prizes from local merchants in a drawing that will occur at the picnic (volunteers need not be present to win).

Sept. 26-27-28, 2008 Pajaro Dunes and Watsonville, CA

The Pajaro Valley and the Monterey Bay region are home to an incredible diversity of habitats -- wetlands, sloughs, beaches, ocean, rivers and forest -- and bird species. Over 600 species of birds have been found in California, and the vast majority of these species can be seen in the Monterey Bay area. The Birding Festival has something for everyone, especially beginning birders.

More than 70 activities are planned, highlighted with a number of beginner’s field trips. They will be workshops, vendors and featured speakers at beautiful Pajaro Dunes, headquarters for this year’s festival. In conjunction with the festival, the City of Watsonville’s Wetlands of Watsonville Nature Center at Ramsay Park invites you and your children to the free, bilingual Family Days on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Don’t miss the opportunity to see some of the world’s most spectacular habitats and diversity of species in the Pajaro Valley and the Monterey Bay region. For more information, check the web site at: http://montereybaybirding.org/

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13th Annual Kern River Valley

Turkey Vulture Festival Saturday-Sunday, September 27-28, 2008

Weldon, CA

The Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival celebrates the height of fall Turkey Vulture migration through California's "Valley Wild", the Kern River Valley. One of the two largest known migration sites in North America (north of Mexico) - Seven-thousand six-hundred sixty-four Turkey Vultures were counted during the four-day festival in 2004. The 2004 count period from September 14th through October 14th tallied 23,898 vultures. The magnitude of the migration over this southern Sierra Nevada count site is awe inspiring.

The late September festival dates also correspond with what is historically one of the finest weekends for observing fall land bird migration in California. In addition to the presence of many western migrants attractive to eastern birders, there are excellent chances for observing eastern rarities at nearby desert oases. This year we offer Booths/Exhibits/Children’s Activities at the Kern River Preserve as well as field trips. For updated information, see the web site at: http://kern.audubon.org/tvfest.htm

Western Field Ornithologists Conference Friday-Sunday, October 9-12, 2008

Western Field Ornithologists will hold its annual meeting in San Mateo, California, this fall. If you're a birder with an interest in ornithology or an ornithologist with an interest in birding, this is a meeting you won't want to miss. There will be field trips to many of the SF Bay Area’s hotspots. Workshops will cover topics like sketching birds and using GPS in the field. Al Jaramillo will lead an ecological transect of the San Mateo Peninsula. Scientific sessions will give you a glimpse into the most current ornithological research and expert photo and birdsong ID panels will educate and amaze, and vendors will be showing the latest birding goodies.

The Saturday evening banquet will feature keynote speaker Carla Cicero of UC Berkeley, whose topic will be The Grinnell Resurvey Project: A Century of Avifaunal Change in California. Full-day field trips

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on Thursday and Sunday will visit Point Reyes, Half Moon Bay, the Hayward Shoreline, and the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory’s hawk monitoring site in the Marin Headlands.

Shearwater Journeys will offer two different pelagic trips in conjunction with the WFO meeting, one trip departing from Bodega Bay (north of San Francisco) on Thursday, October 9, and one trip departing from Santa Cruz (south of San Mateo) on Monterey Bay on Sunday, October 12. Fall is the peak of the seabird migration and also a great time to see a variety of marine mammals. There will be a $30 discount for WFO members on each trip. Pre-registration begins June 16, 2008 and closes October 3, 2008. For more specific information see the WFO web site at: http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/08ac.php

Sightings (If you have any interesting sightings in your yard, on the way to work, or in the Butte, Glenn or Tehama counties area in general in late,

July, August or September you can send them to the Newsletter Editor at Editor@altacal.org by March 7 for possible inclusion in the next newsletter.)

June 11 – Mike Fisher found a Hooded Oriole in South Chico on McIntosh Road at Dayton Road. It flew into a fruit tree across the road from the palm trees. Photo by Mike Fisher June 23 – Jennifer Patten, Mike Fisher and Tim Ruckle saw thousands of Cliff Swallows (with a few Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows mixed in) on power lines and in Cottonwood trees on Nelson Road off 7-Mile Lane near the second bridge. None of them had ever seen so many swallows in one place at one time – possibly 10,000. On the same day, Mike and Jennifer saw two Black Terns on Aguas Frias Road just inside of Butte County. Mike took a movie of the swallows. You can see it on the web-linked version of the newsletter on the Altacal web site, www.altacal.org .

Peregrinations

[Peregrinations reports on birds seen on trips outside the Butte/Glenn/Tehama counties area except for those sponsored by the Altacal Audubon Society or other local birding groups - Ed]

May 25-28 – Tim Ruckle kept Scott Huber company as Scott did a four-day scouting run for several birding tours he was to lead in early June in Nome, Alaska. The inveterate Altacalers birded in some nasty weather (one day saw the most snowfall Nome had ever experienced for that date) and spotted some beautiful birds. Even birds we are used to seeing in Butte County were in magnificent breeding colors in the Nome area. Tim had 17 life birds on the trip - Willow Ptarmigan, American- and Pacific Golden-Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwit, Slaty-backed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Aleutian Tern, Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers, Northern Shrike, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Lapland Longspur, Rusty Blackbird and Common and Hoary Redpolls. Tim also did not get eaten by a grizzly. You can read about the experience and see some photos of the birds on Scott’s blog at: http://www.bigbirder.blogspot.com/

Meanwhile, just for the AWWW!! Quotient, here’s a photo Tim took of some Musk Ox calves.

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June 6/7 – Tim Ruckle birded Big Sur and the Channel Islands with Mike Simms (Ohlone Audubon) and Ann Ruffer (Golden Gate Audubon). On the way to the Los Angeles Audubon-sponsored trip to Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands they stopped in Big Sur and saw a dozen California Condors at Grimes Point. Magnificent creatures - five feet high with a wingspan of nine to nine-and-a-half feet!

On Santa Cruz Island they saw an Island Scrub-Jay and on the way back to the port at Ventura they passed Anacapa Island and saw Xantus’s Murrelets and a South Polar Skua. Here are a couple of photos Tim took of the Condors.

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June 26 – After a group from the Sierra Nevada Field Campus found an unexpected bird, they notified Mac McCormick who was at his cabin in the area, and Mac then took this photo of a Common Grackle [enhanced, enlarged and cropped by editor] coming to the seed feeder at Bassett's Station, Sierra County at the junction of Hwy 49 and Gold Lake Rd. It was a new record for Sierra County. Mac, who authors the Sierra County bird species list, added it as number 267. Exciting, Mac! Way to go!

Common Grackle – Photo by Mac McCormick

June 26 – Tim Ruckle, while driving through Lassen Volcanic National Park with his daughter Suzanne, saw two Clark’s Nutcrackers near Lake Helen. They also met up with Michelle Ocken who is working for the Department of the Interior at the park on a Spotted Owl project. On other days and other trips Dawn Garcia, Mike Fisher, Liam Huber and Scott Huber saw Nutcrackers there too, as well as other birds.

June 30 – Biologist Trish Ladd, while working on a project near Marysville, came across some Swainson’s Hawks in the area and was helping to monitor and prevent disturbance to the nests. She reported that “One nest I was watching finally hatched out a single chick about 2 ½ weeks ago. I was really excited to be able to watch it grow, but unfortunately I went to check it yesterday and as I was driving up I saw the weirdest looking bird walking along the side of the road. Immediately I stopped and grabbed my binoculars only to discover that it was my Swainson’s chick on the side of the road about 150 feet from its nest.

Ernie, the Swainson’s Hawk Chick

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The nest being 75 feet high and in an area not easy to get to, DFG biologists decided I needed to take it to the U.C. Davis Raptor Center. I hated taking it from the parents (who were freaking out above me), but it wasn’t feasible to get it in the nest, so I picked him up and took him to Davis. The DFG biologist said had it been later in the season and he was close to fledging they would have left him alone as the mother will continue to feed it on the ground, but he was only 2 ½ weeks old and would have had a long season plus he was within a ¼ mile of construction activities.”

Trish “named him Ernie and explained the plan to him. We were to leave immediately for Davis where he was to be banded and placed in a large cage with a foster Swainson’s mom and two other Swainson’s chicks that were just recently orphaned themselves. Ernie was very quiet and never made a noise and hardly moved (no broken bones, both I and the Davis people checked). Ernie and I were both informed that he would be released when he was old enough to fly and forage for himself. I’m not sure of the survival rate for the little ones, and the people at Davis weren’t too sure either. They only know if somebody calls in the band if found. I think the weirdest thing for me was the feel of his down feathers. They always look so soft from a distance, but when I touched Ernie’s little head it felt like wool!! I never knew that. Sad that Ernie can’t grow up like a normal little guy, but good that the coyotes don’t get to have him for an hors’devour!”

June - Mauricio and Susan Schrader had some great New York State birding this June - Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows on Long Island, Bicknell’s Thrush in the Adirondack Mountains, and a dozen warblers as well as rain and ticks.

Early July – Liam Huber reported that he and his dad, Scott, took a drive to Sacramento and on the way there, saw hundreds of Cliff Swallows and White-faced Ibises as well as Great Egrets, Western Kingbirds, Red-tailed Hawks, Black-necked Stilts, Snowy Egrets, Swainson’s Hawks, and an American Pipit. On the way back to Chico they spotted American Goldfinches, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Mountain Chickadees, a Western Wood-Pewee and a Killdeer.

July 5 – Mike Fisher, Scott Huber, Liam Huber and Tim Ruckle birded Lassen Volcanic National Park on their way to McArthur-Burney Falls to look for Black Swifts. Along the way, through Butte, Tehama and Shasta counties they identified a total of 83 species of birds. At beautiful Burney Falls they had a rare spotting of a Black Swift perching behind the falls.

July 11/12 – Shelly Kirn informed us that, while on a family camping trip at Lassen Volcanic National Park, she and Jay Bogiatto managed to see some great birds. “Interestingly, the most notable were found literally within our campsite (Summit Lake North B-16, right next to the 'comfort station').” They had great looks at three individual Black-backed Woodpeckers both days; a new California bird for Shelly. They had a single Gray Jay on the morning of the 11th, also right in our camp. “In addition to the usual cast of characters at this elevation, they found the number of Western Tanagers overwhelming - they were thick! Vocal Green-tailed Towhees were viewed easily at the Sulphur Works. A fairly large (and seemingly leery) black bear was seen crossing the road a mile or so south of Summit Lake mid-day (about 2 p.m.) on Friday July 11”.

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Submission of Articles

(Notices or articles submitted for publication consideration should be sent by e-mail message to the newsletter editor as Microsoft Word (if possible) attachments by the 7th of the month prior to the next issue of the newsletter (i.e., Jan, Mar, May,

Jul, Sep and Nov 7th) - Editor@altacal.org – Thanks, Ed.)

Altacal Board of Directors President Phil Johnson 570-7139/ptjptj@gmail.com Co-Vice-Presidents Jennifer Patten 345-9356/jpchico@sbcglobal.net Mike Fisher 624-4777/fisherml@pacbell.net Secretary Kathryn Hood 342-9112/kathrynhood@sbcglobal.net Treasurer John Oswald 342-1651/amoent@aol.com Membership Carolyn Short 345-4224/carolynshort@mac.com Finance Mike Fisher 624-4777/fisherml@pacbell.net Publications/ Tim Ruckle 566-9693/Editor@altacal.org Newsletter Publicity/Web Site Wayland Augur 893-9222/wba@acm.org Field Trips Scott Huber 321-5579/BirdTours@Altacal.org Sanctuary, Lands Ruth Kennedy 899-9631/rken1733@sunset.net and Refuge Conservation Dawn Garcia 872-2165/mel.dawn@sbcglobal.net Education vacant Directors-at-Large John Merz 345-4050/jbmerz@sbcglobal.net Jackson Shedd 342-5144/jackson_shedd@sbcglobal.net Marilyn Gamette 343-3154/gamettec@aol.com Dave Tinker 824-0253/dtinker@cuhsd.tehama.k12.ca.us Board meetings are held at 5:15 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of each month. The usual meeting place is the Altacal Audubon

Society/Snow Goose Festival office at 635 Flume St., Chico. The public is welcome to attend.

Local Chapter Membership Application

Please join us! Your membership will help Altacal Audubon Society (AAS) continue its important work. Altacal is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. In addition, it is a separately incorporated non-profit organization. With a local chapter membership, 100% of your membership dues goes to support local projects and activities. AAS is an all-volunteer organization that conducts all of its programs with no paid staff. We offer regularly scheduled field trips focused on birds and bird habitats, our own website, www.altacal.org/, a bi-monthly newsletter (White-tailed Kite), monthly membership meetings which include lectures and media presentations on birds and other natural history-related topics, and advocacy to protect and conserve local habitats as well as special projects and programs. Other AAS activities include:

• sponsoring and participating in the annual Snow Goose Festival • sponsoring and participating in the annual Endangered Species Faire • founding and providing continued support to the Chico Creek Nature Center • owning and managing the Arneberg Sanctuary as a wildlife habitat and research area • helping to monitor the bird populations at the Del Rio Wildland Preserve near the Sacramento

River • paying to maintain public access and a wildlife viewing blind at the Chico Oxidation Ponds • leading annual Christmas Bird Counts in Chico and Oroville for the past 51 years

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Welcome to the Altacal Audubon Society! Please indicate your choice of membership options:

$20 Basic Membership $10 Low Income/Student $35 Family

$50 Sponsor $100 Sustaining $500 Patron $1000 Benefactor Payment method: Cash Check Date: ______________ Important: Membership in Altacal Audubon does not include membership in the National Audubon Society. We encourage you to also support National Audubon in their important education and lobbying efforts. To join the National Audubon Society contact them at their website www.audubon.org/ Name: Phone: (_____) _______________

Address: _________________________________ E-mail Address: ____________________________

City: ________________State: ____ Zip Code: _______

Save paper! Send me an e-mail version only Notify me by E-mail about upcoming programs and events I would be interested in volunteering to help

Please make checks payable to Altacal Audubon Society, and mail to: AAS, P.O. Box 3671, Chico, CA 95927

Dates to Remember August 9, Saturday – 10th Annual Kern River Valley Hummingbird Celebration August 16, Saturday - Butte Meadows – Trip Leader: Skip Augur September 13-October 12 – San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory “birdathon” September 15, Altacal Program Meeting, CCNC September 21, Sunday - Upper Bidwell Park - Trip Leader: Skip Augur September 19-21, Friday-Sunday – Point Reyes (camping) – Trip Leader: Jennifer Patten September 20, Saturday - Bidwell Park & Chico Creeks Cleanup September 26-28, Friday-Sunday – Monterey Bay Birding Festival September 27-28, Saturday-Sunday - 13th Annual Kern River Valley Turkey Vulture Festival October 4, Saturday – Packer & Sul Norte Units of the SRNWR – Trip Leader: Gaylord Grams October 10-12, Friday-Sunday - Bodega Bay Terrestrial and Pelagic Birding Weekend.

Trip Leaders: Scott Huber & Rich Stallcup October 9-12, Thursday-Sunday – Western Field Ornithologists Conference