The evening of June 25, 2013, 35 or so ABC’ers pressed into the Slater Museum at the University of Puget Sound and played with the collections of birds and birds’ wings. Director Peter Wimberger, also on the Board of Directors of Tahoma Audubon, gave us a great history starting with specimens 100 years old and going right up to the cutting-edge isotope studies that are happening now. From Passenger Pigeons to Anna’s Hummingbirds, we were educated by way of actual bird specimens. For more info, check out their website that includes info on how to handle dead birds you come across and donate them, as well as has links to photos of the collections including thousands of bird wings: http://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/academic-resources/slater-museum/ Also check out the upcoming August edition of The Towhee.

Below: Director Peter Wimberger of the Slader spreads his wings for ABC (Photo/Diane Y-Q)

June Night at the Museum — The Slater Museum at UPS

June 25 (4th Tuesday) Around 6:45 PM. We’ll meet at the Slater Museum at the University of Puget Sound and see their bird and wing collections, hosted by director Peter Wimberger, who is also on the board of Tahoma Audubon. Peter says, “The museum is Thompson 295 which is on the east side of the building on the 2nd floor. You can park in the lot to the south of Thompson and the cross streets are N 14th and Union. I’ll meet you at the SOUTHEAST door. Photography is allowed.”

Directions to the University of Puget Sound:

I-5 directions: Drive south or north on Interstate 5 until you reach Tacoma.

· Take the exit to downtown Tacoma or Tacoma City Center (also Rt 705, which is a little spur freeway); a very obvious landmark at the exit is the Tacoma Dome (just north of the exit – won’t see in time if coming from the south).

· Get in the right lane of Rt. 705.

· Take the Schuster Parkway exit, stay in the left lane of this smaller freeway and it will put you onto Schuster Parkway.

· Drive along the water and take the N. 30th St exit. The exit dumps you directly onto N 30th;

· You’ll go thru a light (in the Old Town district) and then up a long hill. About 7 or 8 blocks past the crest of the hill is Union Avenue (street divided by tree planted median).

· Go left on Union and head south on Union until you hit N 14th.

· Take a left at N 14th; this will put you in a UPS parking lot. The science building (Thompson Hall) is the building bordering the lot on the north side (older brick building).

· The Museum is Thompson 295. It is in the east wing of the building (the one on the right as you face the building from the parking lot) on the second floor.

From Gig Harbor or SR 16:

· Take SR 16 to Tacoma.

· Exit at Union Ave.

· Turn north onto Union and stay north past all the South numbered streets.

· The streets are labeled as “South” until they suddenly switch at North 6th Ave (a main E-W thoroughfare).

· Continue north to N 14th (past the UPS stadium and playing fields on your right) and turn right into the parking lot.

· The science building (Thompson Hall) is the older brick building bordering the lot on the north side.

July 25 (4th Thursday) – UPlace Library – 6:45: Malheur and other field trip reports, plus a look at Jamaican endemics courtesy of ABC member David Marshall who spends his winters there and is co-editor of their birding journal. He’ll have a riveting report on the bird smuggling trade there, too.

August: No meeting in August.