RAS Membership MeetingMay 18, 2015

“Yellowstone inFebruary”

Dan StreiffertMeeting begins at 7:00 PM.

This presentation is from a trip I made in February, 2015to West Yellowstone. I spent 5 days on a photographytour with John and Barbara Gerlach. Each day we touredthe park via two snow coaches. Our destinations weredependent on wildlife and weather. We visited OldFaithful, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, andNorris Hot Springs. Following this, we drove to Gardiner,MT and spent two additional days touring the LamarValley and Mammoth Hot Springs by car.

This was a lowsnow year withvery mildtemperatures, butwe still managedto get some goodphotos. Weencountered elk,bison, beaver,coyotes, abobcat, wolves,wild turkeys, andmuch more.

Join us at 6:30 forcoffee andconversation.

The

Rainier Audubon Society May 2015

Rainier Audubon programs are held at

Federal Way United Methodist Church29645 - 51st Ave. So. 98001 (in unincorporated Auburn)

Rainier Audubon Society Page 2

May 2015

RAS MissionStatement

To conserve and restore naturalecosystems and protect birds andother wildlife for the benefit ofhumanity and biological diversityin South King County and theworld we live in.

Rainier Audubon Officers

President Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Vice President Steve Feldman* 360-802-5211

Treasurer Laura Lavington* 253-941-7372

Secretary Heather Gibson* 253-856-9812

Program Chair Dale Meland 253-946-1637

Field Trip Chair Michele Phiffer 206-246-0873

Membership Chair Pat Toth* 206-767-4944

Backyard Habitat Chair Marie West-Johnson 206-817-8754

Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Mailing Chair Debra Russell 425-271-0682

Hospitality Sandra Embrey 253-517-3363

Newsletter Editor Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Webmaster Treesa Hertzel 253-255-1808

Education Chair Annette Tabor* 253-927-3208

Christmas Bird Count Coordinator Alex Juchems 253-529-8996

Board Member Max Prinsen 425-432-9965

Board Member Erin Wojewodski-Prinsen 425-432-9965

Board Member Lisa Mesplay 253-946-3820

Board Member Ed Stanton 206-870-3107

Publicity Tom  Sernka 253-529-8970

*Also serves as Board Member

Board meetings are held the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Federal WayUnited Methodist Church, and are open to all members.

Upcoming Programsby Dale Meland

● June 15 - Volunteer AppreciationPotluck

Sign up for our Googleemail list!

The intent of this site is to assist inpublicizing our activities to membersand the general public relating to ourclub activities. Anyone may join orleave the group at any time. You maysign up on at:

http://groups.google.com/group/ras-activites?hl=en

In case you haven’t heard the news, the state Fish and WildlifeCommission voted on Friday to list the tufted puffin as a stateendangered species. I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to youand your board members for taking the time to let the Commissionknow the importance of this step. Having testified along with BlackHills Audubon member Elizabeth Rodrick at the Commissionmeeting back in February, I can tell you that WDFW staff were verygrateful for our involvement.

Of course the reasons behind the puffin’s decline are complex andsimply listing the bird won’t erase this fact. However, we can usethis listing to help bring attention to the plight of this bird and tohighlight its existence in our region. It also means we have work yetto do – our next step will be to ensure that the department movesquickly to develop and enact a recovery plan for this iconic bird.

Here’s a link to the tufted puffin status review in case you’d likemore information.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01642/wdfw01642.pdf

All the best,

Trina

Trina Bayard, Ph.D. | Director of Bird ConservationAudubon Washington | wa.audubon.org5902 Lake Washington Blvd S, Seattle, WA 98118tbayard@audubon.org | 206.652.2444 x109

Tufted puffin listed as state endangered species

www.rainieraudubon.org Page 3 info@rainieraudubon.org

May 2015

I have a new bird hanging out in myyard whom I have named PiebaldPete. He is a leucistic Dark-eyed

Junco. His abnormal white nape featherslook like he has eyes in the back of hishead. Watching him, I wondered about hispigment challenged feathers and howexactly it happened? I wanted to learnmore about leucism and I found aninteresting discussion about it in the newsecond edition of David Sibley’s TheSibley Guide to Birds.

Sibley points out that many birders usethe term leucistic to refer to birds that lackmelanin from some or all feathers, as wellas using leucism to refer to birds that havedilute plumage (which gives the fadedlook). However, current scholarlypublications (Buckley 1982, van Grouw2006) define leucism as total lack ofmelanin from some or all feathers. Sibleycomments that we lack a simple umbrellaterm encompassing all forms of reductionof pigment in birds. Sibley puts forth anargument that the term partial albino,would be more accurate than leucism,seeing as albinism is already usedcommonly for non-melanin producingbirds. Sibley states that when one is out inthe field and spots a bird with abnormalplumage, identifying whether a bird is notproducing melanin pigment, has areduction of melanin pigment, or has aproblem depositing melanin on newfeathers is impossible. Many conditionscan cause abnormal plumage likeenvironmental and genetic factors. Aswell, the conditions can be temporary orpermanent. Often we only see a bird in thefield for a short while and identifying theunderlying cause is difficult.

Considering Sibley’s argument, Irecognize that simply saying that PiebaldPete is leucistic is not necessarilyaccurate. By just observing him, I don’tknow why he has a reduced amount ofcoloration. I would be more accurate insaying that Piebald Pete is a partial albino.I can assume that Piedbald Pete’sabnormal coloration is not from a trauma,as his white pigmentation is bilaterallysymmetrical. However, I cannot specifywhether the white pigmentation is due toinability to produce melanin, or inability todeposit the melanin in the new feathers.

Though Pete was singing away, he didn’tseem to be having any luck garnering amate. I wonder if his lack of coloration inhis plumage feathers is affecting his lovelife. Luckily for Pete, the location of hisabnormal feathers is not on his wings asthe feathers lacking melanin are weakerand wear down more easily, which couldhave an impact on his flying. Regardlessof the underlying nature of Piebald Pete’slack of coloration, it was a treat to havehim visit our yard.

Recent Bird Sightings:Thanks to this month’s reporters Ralphand Sandra Embrey, Ross and AnnetteTabor, and Pamela Phillips.

March 19th, 2015 The Embreys had a lateseason surprise visitor. A female VariedThrush stopped to have a sip of waterfrom their pond before flying on. Sandrasaid “I can’t remember seeing thethrushes in March; usually they are in ourbackyard during November-January.”

March 26th, 2015 Ross and Annette Taborspotted a Townsend’s Warbler in thebushes in their backyard.

March 27th, 2015 Pamela Phillips reportedof spotting Pine Siskins in her yard again.Pamela also saw Downy and HairyWoodpeckers, White-crownedSparrows, Violet-green Swallows, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and a BrownCreeper.

April 8th, 2015 Ralph and SandraEmbrey’s yard remains a popular place forowls. This month, a Barn Owl frequentedtheir yard, “cruising the hillslope andfairway below the house.” Reportedly, theowl has shown up repeatedly between8:15 to 8:20 PM. Sandra commented “Iwonder how many more times I will seethe little brown bunny that has beenhanging around here too.” Other regularvisitors to the Embrey yard this monthwere Golden-crowned Sparrows,Anna’s Hummingbirds, and Downy andHairy Woodpeckers.

Mystery Bird of theMonthThis bird is commonly seen on coniferoustrees. Can you guess the bird? Here arethe clues:

● A group of me is known as a “spiral”.● When threatened, I can freeze and

stand motionless for several minutes.Sometime this can fool predators be-cause I can camouflage with my brownplumage.

● I build a hammock-like nest, under-neath a loose flap of bark.

● Sometimes I nest in odd places such aswindow shutters, fence posts, boxes,and even in concrete blocks.

● Some of my nests can have a pair ofopenings, an entrance and an exit.

● I am a great conserver of energy, foodenergy. On a given day I burn barely 10calories, as opposed to a human whoburns about 2,000. One spider givesme enough energy to nearly climb atree.

● As opposed to my cousin, when forag-ing I hop up a tree and flit down to thebottom of the next tree. My cousinpasses me hopping down the tree.

Who am I? Answer Page 9.

Send your sightings/hearings tocalenbirds@hotmail.com

I love reading your reports.

Bio: Calen is a 16 year old birder. He enjoys birding around Lake Fenwick, Frager Road, and Boeing Ponds—especially with CharlieWright. Calen is thrilled to revive Charlie’s ‘Seen and Heard’. When not birding, Calen can be seen flying up and down the ice atKent Valley Ice Center

Seen & Heard by Calen Randall

Rainier Audubon Society Page 4

May 2015

Field Trips by Michele Phiffer

Weekly Birdwalks atNisqually

Wednesdays 8:00 am to NoonLeader: Phil Kelley

Join Phil Kelley on his weekly bird walksas he counts the birds at NisquallyNWR. The group walks over to an areanear the visitor's center to view the entryroad estuary, and then takes theboardwalk/trail loop out to the TwinBarns, and the Nisqually overlook area.From there, the group walks the dike,and back to the Riparian Forest.

Some may choose to continue on thenew boardwalk extension which goesout toward the mouth of McAlisterCreek. It has benches and coveredviewing areas.

The walk totals 2.0 miles roundtrip to theboardwalk extension. In winter theestuary boardwalk will add an additional1 3/4 miles total, so the whole walkincluding the boardwalk extension is upto 3 3/4 miles.

Bring: Good walking shoes or boots,rain gear, water, snacks, and $3 forentry fee unless you have a pass.Scopes are welcome.

Meet: At the Visitor's Center PondOverlook.

Directions: Take I-5 south from Tacomaand exit to Nisqually NWR at exit 114.Take a right at the light.

Sign-up is not necessary. Call or emailPhil Kelley if you have questions. PhilKelley, Lacey, (360) 459 1499,scrubjay323@aol.com

______________________________

2015 Grays HarborShorebird & Nature

FestivalMay 1-3, 2015Hoquiam, WA

EACH SPRING, hundreds of thousandsof shorebirds stop to rest and feed inGrays Harbor estuary on their migrationnorthward. Coming from as far south asArgentina, these Arctic-boundshorebirds are among the world'sgreatest migrants. Some birds travel

over 15,000 miles round trip! Tens ofthousands of shorebirds feed on the openmudflats in the estuary. This concentrationof birds offers people a great chance toview a number of shorebird species, andwith luck, to see the birds fly together inbeautiful formations while trying to escapethe fastest creature on earth, thePeregrine Falcon.

For more information call 360-289-5048 orsee www.shorebirdfestival.com

______________________________

15th Annual BackyardWildlife Festival

Saturday, May 9th, 2015

9:00 am to 3:00 pmTukwila Community Center

A free, all-day event to educate andinspire people to welcome wildlife - suchas birds and butterflies - into theirbackyards, gardens and communities.Join us as we celebrate wildlife, natureand gardening at the 15th AnnualBackyard Wildlife Festival!

Here is the festival website:http://backyardwildlifefestival.org.

This event features a 9:25 AM Birdwalkled by a Rainier Audubon member,presentations from local experts includingSue Goetz and Marianne Binetti, and avariety of educational exhibitors, arts &craft vendors and native plant sales.

Don't leave the kids at home... there isplenty to keep the entire family entertainedat this event - make sure you check outthe Kids Garden Party area.

More information is athttp://backyardwildlifefestival.org.

______________________________

Fauntleroy to VashonIsland with Ed Swan

Monday, May 11, 2015

We will meet on the 8:25 AM ferry fromFauntleroy.

We will start birding from the Fauntleroyferry! There may still be Rhino Auklets andCommon Murre on the way over. We'llbird a little at the dock on the Vashon side,catching the last of the water birds inbreeding plumage such as the bright white

plumes on the Brandt's Cormorant. We'llhead to Fisher Pond, which may becovered with Wood Duck and Mallardbroods. We'll also visit Mukai Pond tolook and listen for flycatchers andwarblers.

Let Nature Shop know if you can drivewhen you sign up - we'll need 2 cars(plus Ed's car). You can park for 4 hoursin the southern-most parking lot atLincoln Park (1 block north of the ferrydock) or find parking on nearbyneighborhood streets. Do not park onFauntleroy Way or you risk gettingtowed.

Participants should plan to arrive earlyenough to park, purchase a ticket, andboard the 8:25 AM ferry. Ed will meet upwith participants on the ferry.

Carpool cost: $5.20 passenger ticket,share of $13.95 car ticket, share of gascosts to driver.

Contact Ed to sign up: (206) 949.3545 oremail edswan@theswancompany.com.

______________________________

WENAS AUDUBONCAMPOUT

Memorial Day Weekend (May 22-25,2014) | Wenas Creek Campground

(SW of Ellensburg)

You’re invited to attend a celebration ofbirds, botany, and the beauty of spring ineastern Washington.

The annual Wenas Audubon Campouttakes place on Memorial DayWeekend (May 23-26) at the WenasCreek Campground. This casual andfriendly gathering offers a variety ofactivities, including birding field trips,flower walks, field sketching, and batand owl prowls. You do not need to bean Audubon member to attend. All arewelcome.

Visit the Wenas Audubon website(www.wenasaudubon.org) for directions,an outline of field trips andprogramming, and more information.Pre-registration is not required. Thecampout is free and open to all ages;however, donations are encouraged.

Every vehicle must display aWashington State Discover Pass(http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/).

(Continued on page 9)

www.rainieraudubon.org Page 5 info@rainieraudubon.org

May 2015

Book Reviews by Laura Lavington

Last year I visited Mexico twice, and oneach trip I visited a botanical garden.Naturally, I took my binoculars with meand kept my eyes open for birds. As youshall see, the two botanical gardens werequite distinct, and my experiencesdiffered.

In late February last year my momand I flew down to Puerto Vallarta onMexico’s Pacific coast to celebrate mybirthday. After seeing a poster in theairport, I decided that for my birthday itselfI wanted to visit Vallarta Jardín Botánico(maybe because the poster had ahummingbird on it). I was prepared: a fewdays before I had picked up PrincetonIllustrated Checklists’ Birds of Mexico andCentral America by Ber Van Perlo, whichcovers more than 1,500 species. On theflight down I had looked through thepages, reading out loud names of exoticspecies and getting excited. But first,before I could see any unfamiliar specieson my birthday, we had to get to thegarden.

In Puerto Vallarta my mom and I didnot rent a car, but the garden’s websitewas helpful and told exactly how to get tothe garden by bus (the botanical garden isdown the coast a little bit). If you havenever been on a Mexican bus, it can be abit of a cultural experience. The publicbuses in Mexico—or at least in the resortareas—don’t resemble the buses in theUnited States: either the Mexicans like avintage look, or that bus predated WorldWar Two. Anyhow, I’ll let you imagine thetwisting, the turning, and the shaking asthe bus slowly followed the coastline, andI’ll merely say we got to the garden fine.

The bus stopped right in front of thegarden, and an employee immediatelygestured to me to come see a nest. Hedidn’t seem to know much English, but Iknew the Spanish word for hummingbird,and I asked him if that’s what it was.Indeed! The mother had built the nestquite low, and I could look in at the twobabies who filled the nest. Of course, Iwas careful to not get too close, although Idid wonder why she had built it in such alow spot. Later I saw the mother, but I’mnot quite sure what species she was—females are tricky to identify, and theregion has more different species than thetwo we have up here. Oh, before I moveon to telling you about the relaxing lunchwe had several stories up in thehacienda’s restaurant, I’ll mention that aswe bought our entrance tickets I shelledout two hundred pesos for a plasticizedchart of the birds of the Puerto Vallartaregion. Also important: we bought some

insect repellent, as we were advised todo.

My mom and I wandered leisurelyalong the trails for a while, during whichtime I saw an elegant trogon and agolden-cheeked woodpecker. The bestbirdwatching was during lunch, however,for there were feeders a short distancefrom the restaurant. We were up severalfloors looking down at the San Blas jaysand yellow-winged caciques that came tothe fruit that the botanical garden had sokindly provided. There were also severalhummingbird feeders, but I had a hardtime getting photographs of the birds. I’mpretty sure I glimpsed plain-cappedstarthroats and cinnamon hummingbirds.After lunch we wandered around somemore, and even walked down the hill tothe riverside, and I also saw either tropicalkingbirds or great kiskadees (my picturesaren’t great, and my notes are a littleunclear). As we were leaving, I saw agroup of stripe-headed sparrows. Oh,according to my notes I also saw acrested caracara. I definitely enjoyed thevisit to the botanical garden, and I waspleased with the amount we saw. It waspretty hot, though, so after a while wetook the bus back to town.

The trip to the botanical gardenoutside Cancun (on Mexico’s Caribbeancoast) last December was quite different.First of all, I remembered mybinoculars, but I forgot my Mexicanbird book! I was quite frustratedwhen I realized that. I tried to takephotos of the birds I saw so I couldidentify them later, but that systemonly sometimes works. The areahad great promise, too, for I figuredthat the birds we would see wouldoften be different from the ones wesaw on the Pacific coast.

I had found out about theJardín Botánico – Dr. AlfredoBarrera Marin when we only hadone full day left, so the visit therekind of had to be squeezed into theitinerary (we went snorkeling in themorning and didn’t get to the botanical

garden untilmidafternoon).On that tripto Cancunmy sisteraccompanied my momand me, andwow! I feltlike one ofthe three stooges trying to find thebotanical garden (oh, yes, we had a rentalcar—which it seems like would havemake things easy). The garden’s websitedidn’t give directions, and my Garmindidn’t really like the address. I knew abouthow far south the place was supposed tobe, but I had hoped for a sign orsomething. In the end, after we got off thefreeway and back on going in the oppositedirection several times (after I had said “Ithink we’ve gone too far”), we determinedthat the entrance was literally on an off-ramp (of course, we had already passed itthen, and we didn’t dare back up to it). So,by the time we got to the botanicalgarden, the day was significantly into theafternoon (it was December, after all, andeven in Mexico the days are shorter in thewinter). I think we might have seen morebirds had we visited the garden in themorning, but we really couldn’t do muchabout it at that point.

As you may have gathered, theCancun-area botanical garden is a bit off

the beaten track, and we never sawany other visitors there. When wearrived we saw two employees, whotook our money and gave us birdbrochures (in English!), and Iunderstood from them that the gardenclosed in about an hour, but we didn’thave to leave by then… hmm, is thatwhat they said? Then who shuts thegate? There was a general vaguenessabout everything. Well, everythingexcept the (Continued on page 8)

Native Songbird Rehabilitationfeatherhavennsr@gmail.com

P.O. Box 242, Enumclaw, WA 98022

Rainier Audubon Society Page 6

May 2015

Bird of the Month: American GoldfinchReprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

● Goldfinches are found across North America. The threespecies include the American, Lesser and Lawrence’sGoldfinch.

● Goldfinches are sometimes referred to as wild canaries. Theyare actually in the finch family as their name suggests.

● Northern populations of the American Goldfinch are mostlymigratory and southern populations are mostly residential.

● Banding studies have revealed that some AmericanGoldfinch in Ontario migrate more than a 1,000 miles toLouisiana.

● Female American Goldfinch will stay further south during thewinter than males and younger males will winter further norththan adult males.

● American Goldfinch rarely over-winter in northern areaswhere temperatures fall below 0°F for extended periods.

● Residential flocks of American Goldfinch roam widelybetween food supplies during the winter and have beenrecorded moving over 4 miles between multiple feedingstations in a single day. Other records show movements ofover 30 miles in a single winter.

● American Goldfinch have an interesting flight call consistingof four syllables that can be likened to “po-ta-to-chip.”

● The genus name, Caruelis, is from the Latin word carduus,which means “thistle.” Goldfinches are very dependent onthistles for food and even use thistledown to line their nests.

● The American Goldfinch is one of the latest breedingsongbirds, waiting to nest until mid-to-late summer whenthistle seeds and down are readily available.

● When breeding for the first time, young American Goldfinchwill begin nesting at least two weeks later than experiencedadults.

● Unlike many birds, the American Goldfinch undergoes acomplete molt each spring. This molt requires a large amountof nutrients and energy which probably diminishes theirability to nest earlier in the season.

● American Goldfinch typically have only one brood per year,although veteran females may produce an additional brood.To facilitate a second nesting, a female will leave her originalmate in care of the first brood and find a new male as herpartner for the second nesting.

● It is estimated that there are three males for every twofemales in the population of American Goldfinch. Thisimbalanced ratio may be due to the fact that male goldfinchlive longer than their female counterparts.

● The female American Goldfinch chooses the nest site, buildsthe nest and incubates the eggs all on her own. The malefeeds the female on the nest throughout incubation and takeson an ever increasing role in feeding the nestlings as theygrow older.

● American Goldfinch can weave their nest so tightly that it willtemporarily hold water.

● American Goldfinch attach their nest to supporting twigs withspider web.

● American Goldfinches prefer to nest in habitats with treesand shrubs and usually place their nest 4-10 feet high, oftennear a water source. They will sometimes nest in a loosecolony.

● Goldfinches usually lay 5 pale-blue or greenish-blue eggsthat will hatch in about 12 days. Nestlings will fledge about 12days after that.

● While most Brown-headed Cowbird eggs fool the femaleAmerican Goldfinch and are incubated to hatching, fewcowbird chicks live longer than three or four days. This is dueto the low amounts of protein found in the vegetarian diet ofthe goldfinch.

● Young American Goldfinch are dependent on their parentsfor at least three weeks after fledging. Be sure to watch andlisten for their energetic begging as they harass their parentsfor food at your feeders.

● Female American Goldfinch are dominant over males in thesummer and appear to be subservient to them in the winter.See if you call tell a difference at your feeders.

● American Goldfinch will use almost any feeder, includingones that require them to hang upside down to eat. Studieshave shown their preference is to sit upright at perches onfeeders that are hung in trees above head height.

● American Goldfinch are dominated by Pine Siskin and HouseFinch during the winter and play second fiddle to them atfeeders.

● American Goldfinch are common feeder visitors and preferthistle (nyjer) and shelled sunflower seeds.

● American Goldfinch are rather acrobatic, often dipping upsidedown while feeding on weed seeds such as coneflowers andsunflowers.

● To stay warm on a cold winter’s night, American Goldfincheshave been known to burrow under the snow to form a cozysleeping cavity. They will also roost together in coniferoustrees.

● Unlike many birds, Goldfinches completely molt their featherstwice a year, before breeding in the spring and after nestingin the fall.

(Continued on page 7)

www.rainieraudubon.org Page 7 info@rainieraudubon.org

May 2015

Hello and welcome back to mymusings!

I was pawing through some issues ofBirdWatching magazine and noticed anarticle entitled Amazing Birds. It waswritten by Eldon Greij, the founding editorof Birder's World magazine. He exploresand explains fascinating aspects of birdsand their world.

For example, did you know that long agoin prehistoric times birds had teeth? Asbirds evolved and modified their bodiesfor flight, bones were lost, some werefused together and heavy, compact bonewas replaced by lighter, spongy bone.This was most evident in the skull. Thejaws of birds became smaller and moredelicate meaning the teeth had to go. Themolars were replaced by the muscularorgan called the gizzard which grindsfood. This trade off of the teeth and skullfor a gizzard was a smart thing as itdecreased body weight and moved thecenter of gravity under the wings creatinga more aerodynamic weight distribution.

The gizzard is just one part of a bird'sstomach. The other section is in front ofthe gizzard. It's a small, thin-walledglandular chamber that secretes digestiveenzymes and acid.

Fruit- eating birds have weakly developedgizzards. Seed and insect eaters, on theother hand, have a gizzard with thickmasses of muscle that can contract withtremendous force. It is lined with a tough,

grooved and ridged layer of keratin whichis constantly being regenerated.

Birds that have well developed gizzardsinclude turkeys, pheasants, pigeons,doves, ducks and many finches. Seaducks such as eiders and inland diverslike scaup eat mussels and other shellfishthat are easily ground up.

Turkeys can crush pecans, shell and all,in an hour. It has also been reported thata person back in the 17th century tried anexperiment in which glass balls, leadcubes and chunks of wood wereintroduced into a turkeys stomach. Thefollowing day the glass was pulverized,the lead cubes flattened and the woodbadly worn. When a modern researchertried to duplicate these feats with a visehe needed to apply a force of 437pounds!

In birds of prey the gizzard has a differentfunction. Many owls and hawks swallowsmall rodents and birds whole. The non-digestible feathers, bones and fur remainin the gizzard and are compacted into apellet and regurgitated. Grebes ingestfeathers (did you know they feed feathersto their young?!) which settle in thebottom of the gizzard and prevent fishbones from moving into the intestine.

You may have heard that sometimesbirds eat pebbles. These are kept in thegizzard to increase its pulverizing ability.Pebble munching has had someinteresting results. In India, ruby mines

were discovered after a ruby was found inthe gizzard of a pheasant and inOklahoma, a minor gold rush occurredwhen gold nuggets were found in duckgizzards. I guess you could say that theevolution of the gizzard was a gem of anidea!

It seems strange and somewhatoutlandish that losing teeth anddeveloping a powerful, muscular grindingorgan would be associated with the abilityto fly but as Mr. Greij exclaims, "...nothingshould be a surprise when it comes tothe amazing lives of birds."

Until next time,

Millie

The Muse of Mews

Mewsings from MillieReprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

● During their fall feather molting, AmericanGoldfinches grow a new set of feathersthat are much denser than their summerplumage. These soft feathers provide anadditional layer of insulation to help keepthem warm throughout the winter.

● The color of the legs, feet and bill of theAmerican Goldfinch change with eachfeather molt. In winter plumage, their legs,feet and bill are dark grayish brown. Inbreeding plumage they change to a buffyyellow orange color.

● The American Goldfinch is the state bird ofNew Jersey, Iowa and Washington.

● Of the more than 3 million bandedAmerican Goldfinches, the oldest one everrecaptured in the wild was at least 10years and 5 months old.

Bird of the Month (Continued from page 6)

Check out the new RainierAudubon Meetup Group at

http://www.meetup.com/Rainier-Audubon-Society/

Judy CollinsSusan QuinzelTom & Ann ChurchJan WilsonBarbara Taylor & Richard DePoppeJim Flynn and Marissa Benavente

Simon LeeKen SteffensonAnn PetersenPenny WellerPamela ReavilleAniko Juhasz

Rainier Audubon Society Page 8

May 2015

The Month of May is

BIRDATHONWhat is it?It’s “birding for dollars!” Count as many bird species in one day asyou can! Choose any day in May. Get family, friends and co-work-ers to sponsor you, then go birding! Afterwards, send them a list ofwhat birds you saw, and they will donate X amount for each speciesyou saw (i.e. 25 cents). Or they can just donate a flat fee. 100% of theproceeds support Rainier Audubon activities in south King County.

You can also conduct your Birdathon birding on one of our field trips.Earn money for chapter activities while enjoying a great field trip ledby an expert birder. Or just stay at home and count bird species atyour feeder. Or be creative and come up with your own Birdathonexperience!

Sponsors are happy to support your efforts, and many look forwardto being asked again the following year. They especially enjoy yourlist of bird species seen. We will provide helpful hints, examples ofsolicitation and report letters, prizes for birders, thank-you gifts forsponsors, and one-on-one help as needed.

Why do it? Rainier Audubon needs the money! The portion of yourmembership dues to Rainier Audubon covers only a portion of thecosts associated with running a successful Audubon chapter. Birda-thon is our largest fundraiser, and we depend on it to provide a sta-

ble funding base for our manyactivities and services such as: printingand mailing our chapter’s newsletter,general administrative costs, pro-grams (speaker fees), environmentaleducation activities, conservationcommittee activities, etc., Wewouldn’t want to have to cut back onany of our activities due to lack offunds!

Our goal for Birdathon 2015 is $5,000,which is attainable if everyone helps!

Stay tuned for prize announcements such as most money raised, firsttime birder, and most species seen.

Sponsor sheetsare available atRainier Audubonmembershipmeetings or on-line atwww.RainierAudubon.org.

-Alex Juchems

mosquitos: they were out in full force.The Cancun botanical garden isevidently a smaller affair than the one Ihad visited in Puerto Vallarta, and theydid not sell insect repellent. Hmm, abouta half hour after trudging along the pathwe found that we were literally in amangrove swamp—yep! A perfect placefor mosquitos. In fact, we spent so muchtime fighting the mosquitos that it washard to use our binoculars: every time Iraised either my binoculars or mycamera, I ended up with a bite or four.That kind of scenario makes it hard tospot a lot of birds. I was wearing shortsthat day, and I got so eaten bymosquitos that my legs were polka-dotted—the kind of look that actuallymakes strangers stare.

I actually feel a little cautious aboutcalling that place a “botanical garden” inthat it more resembled the jungle withpaths. At times there were dilapidatedsigns telling what a fern or other was,but I more felt like I was on a hikethrough the jungle. Oh, well, I think my

mom and my sister were wondering“where in the hell has Laura brought us?”but I tried to stay positive. After all, thewooden towers, platforms, and bridgeswere exciting… if less than safe. At onepoint when we were several stories up mysister was clutching the edge of the towerand asked me to take some pictures—evidently she didn’t dare let go. Also, therewere tall skinny trees growing up betweenthe planks of the wooden suspensionbridges—at what point do they remove thetrees?

I did see a few birds on the hikethrough the jungle that shadowyafternoon, though, despite the forcesworking against me. The trogon I saw andphotographed from the back, and I am notsure if it was a female violaceous trogonor a female black-headed trogon (drat!).Also, early on we were nearly knockedover by a speedy hummingbird, but Inever got a good look at the fellow (I knowit wasn’t a mosquito: mosquitos don’tmove that fast). I also have recorded in mynotebook that I saw a commonyellowthroat and a northern waterthrush

(not too exotic there). Actually, theneatest thing I saw was the coatis (or atleast that’s what I think they were).Cat/raccoon-like with long striped tailsstanding up tall. I didn’t get a picture ofthem, though—they moved too fast.Come to find out that the things are ascommon there as raccoons here (andequally crafty).

Lest my recollections of theCancun-area botanical garden make youfeel like it’s not worth visiting theYucatan Peninsula, I will say this: theYucatan is incredibly rich in bird life(albeit birds are hard to spot in thejungle), but you may actually do bettervisiting Chichen Itza or anotherarcheological site than you would visitingthe botanical garden. It was at ChichenItza that I saw the melodious blackbirds,the yellow-backed oriole, and the greatkiskadees—and that was even amongstall the crowds! I think next time I go toCancun I will visit one of the less-visitedMayan sites and look for birds there—but most of all, next time I’ll remembermy bird field guide!

Book Reviews (Continued from page 5)

Nashville Warbler photographed by MickThompson at Streiffert’s Birdathon on April

18��.

www.rainieraudubon.org Page 9 info@rainieraudubon.org

May 2015

"Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary

& Garden Tour"Backyard ‘n Birds

Excitement for the month of June!

Save the date! Saturday June 20th from 9 AM to 5 PM is theBackyard Habitat and Garden Tour. The tour will be fun andeducational for all ages.

Hosting their properties are:

● The Frey’s at 23329 – 172nd Ave SE

● The Bartlett’s at 24433 – 156th Ave SE

● The Streiffert’s at 10102 SE 270th Place.

The addresses are all in Kent. Save these addresses to googleor GPS.

Powellswood is participating. Their address is 430 SouthDash Point Road in Federal Way. Their hours on Saturday willbe 10 AM to 3 PM. The admission fee for adults will be $3.00and children under 12 free. This is an exciting property, plan on

spending 45 minutes to 2 hours at Powellswood. To find outmore go to their website: http://www.powellswood.org.

As an added bonus for our tour, FeatherHaven is featuringtheir property. Their address is 46119 – 284th Ave SE inEnumclaw. It is a bit out of the way, but well worth the visit.Their hours will be noon to 4 PM. Entrance is free, howeverthey do except donations for their bird rehabilitation program.Their property has an aviary with educational birds. This isanother exceptional location, plan on spending at least onehour here. A FeatherHaven volunteer will be there to help you.To learn more about FeatherHaven go to their website:http://www.featherhaven.org.

To ensure everyone is able to participate in the fun, we willneed at least 6 volunteers. The volunteers are needed tohelp property owners so they can get away and enjoy touringother properties. Volunteers are needed for 4 hour shifts, 9am -1pm and 2pm - 5pm. If you would like to volunteer to “pair up”with a hosting property please contact me at 206-817-8754 oremail me at: crgrie123@yahoo.com. I need volunteers by mid-May. If you personally know the property owners, you maycontact them directly,then let me know.

Thanks! Marie

Contacts:

Doris Johnson, dellenj@comcast.net

Green Valley in EarlySummer

Saturday, June 6th8:00 AM to Early Afternoon

Leader: Steve Johnson

In June, the migrant birds should besinging on their territory near Auburnand in the beautiful Green Valleyeast of Auburn. We'll visit AcademyDrive, Green Valley Road, andFlaming Geyser State Park. We maysee and hear warblers, thrushes,vireos, Red-breasted Sapsuckers,Virginia Rail, flycatchers, and more.We may walk up to 2 miles on trailsand roads.

People who bring their own cars,and want to leave early may do so.

Bring: Lunch, snacks, drinks, hikingshoes. Scopes welcome.

Meet: Auburn Safeway at AuburnAve & Main at 8:00 AM.

Directions: Take hwy 18 to Auburn,and exit at Auburn Ave (hwy 164).Turn north (right) on Auburn Wayand drive 3 blocks north. Safewaysign and gas station is on the left.Park in the lot just beyond the gasstation straight out from the rightentry door at Safeway at 8:00 am.

Sign-up: Call or email SteveJohnson, 253-941-9852.johnsonsj5@msn.com

Field Trips (Continued from page 4)

Bird Word Nerd Where did the prothonotary warbler get itsname? I’d read in a novel that prothonotarywas the title of a clerk of the church who worebright yellow robes like the bright yellowfeathers of the warbler. I assumed theCatholic church and did find 2 levels of thistype of office but they wear black and red withpurple capes – no warbler like that! The wordoriginated with the Byzantine court and was inuse from the 7th to the 10th century but I didnot find anything about what color they wore!The word is still in use, sometimes spelledprotonotary, for various clerk positions inAustralia and other countries. The folks whonamed many of our birds were very well-read,well-traveled, well-educated men (yes, usuallymen!) who used their knowledge to distinguisheven small feathered creatures in noble ways!Enjoy!

-Nancy Streiffert

Answer: Brown Creeper

Rainier Audubon Membership Subscription or Renewal Form

One-year Membership in Rainier Audubon● $25—Individual Membership

● $30—Family Membership

To join or renew, mail this application with your payment to:Rainier Audubon Society - MembershipPO Box 778Auburn, WA 98071

Name:_______________________________________________________________________Address ______________________________________________________________________City ______________________________________ State ______________ Zip _____________Email __________________________________________________ Phone________________

RAS Chapter membership includes 9 issues of the Heron Herald annually but does not include AUDUBON magazine.

Circle one New / Renewal

The

Rainier Audubon SocietyPO Box 778Auburn, WA 98071

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidKent, WA 98031Permit No. 441

“The good man is the friend of all living things.”

—Gandhi