On February 21, 2017, ABC welcomed Eric Dudley, assisted by Mary Kay Elfman, to get his report on the Svalbard archipelago.

Birding Svalbard.  ABC’ers in screen reflection.

Eric reports on his arctic cruise, assisted by Mary Kay

What is the Svalbard archipelago near? Nothing!

In case you want to leave anytime soon…

Eric Dudley took a cruise through the Svalbard archipelago last summer, way above the Arctic Circle, to see some of the rarest sights on the planet.

Birds included Jaegers, Red Phalaropes, Ivory and Glaucous Gulls as well as Kittiwakes, Arctic Terns, Common Eiders, and thrilling colonies of Thick-billed Murres.

Common Eider females, of much interest to us in Puget Sound at the moment

Ivory Gull at 81 degrees latitude

Barnacle Goose family

Arctic Tern warnings

Trying to follow those instructions on Arctic Terns!

Eric’s presentation included short movies of the ship moving through the Murres’ cliffs as well as Kittiwakes and terns hunting among the ice floes alongside the ship.

Thick-billed Murres in their guano-striped cliff colony.

Mammals were thrilling as well, with this being one of the last best places to see Polar Bears, although no history of human/bear trauma, as well as Walruses, Arctic Foxes, and Reindeer. With plant life being rather sparse, the assortment of fauna was amazing.

Keeping a distance from the Polar Bear

Polar Bear on floe near ship

Walruses

Reindeer

The scenery itself with glacier after glacier surrounded by icebergs was stunning. Eric also provided a history of human settlement of these most northernmost towns on earth.

Glacier to left

Many ABC’ers asked questions that seemed to have to do with making plans to go there! Only Melissa and Dennis Sherwood had been there previously, and they also recommended it as a trip to remember.

Great photos, Eric!!

ABC held its annual celebration party on January 24, 2017, celebrating our uber-birders for 2016. Plus we had a neverending spread of goodies and much good cheer! Thanks to those who brought goodies!

Big Year group snacks before presentation (Laurel, Brian, Blair, Jerry, Ken, Mike, etc)

Those who told about their Big Years included guest star Blair Bernson from Edmonds (#2 in the state), our own Brian Pendleton who was NUMBER ONE in the state, Ed Pullen who was the only one of us to show up on the NATIONAL LIST (as well as high on the Pierce and Kitsap lists), Bruce LaBar (NUMBER ONE in PIERCE, #4 in the STATE), Mike Charest who blew the competition out of the water in 2014 for Pierce and helped start this ABC tradition before anyone knew who he was (but we sure know now!), Heather Voboril who once she realized her year was going to be big went REALLY BIG in Pierce (#2) and Kitsap (#4), Ken Brown who continued on his quest to own Kitsap County (#3) and break 200 in that county (203!), and John Riegsecker, the Mason County specialist who wants to do away with the concept that Mason County is a birding desert.

Brian, #1 in Washington, shows slides of his 2016 catches.

Heather Voboril managed to take photos of her Big Year birds!

After catching our breath from those reports on ambitious birding, we started to roll through everyone’s 5 best photos from 2016, but there were so many we ran out of time. Yes, we have THAT many great birders and great photographers!

Big Year presentations to ABC on January 24, 2017, with Brian Pendleton shown here.

Eric Dudley volunteered a little time from his presentation next Month (Feb 21, same time & place) to finish showing the 5 best photos that we didn’t get to, knowing what a hit they are with the group. Eric’s presentation will be on his trip to the Svalbard Archipelago. Dress warmly!! Read more: http://abcbirding.com/svalbard-archipelago-feb-21-2016/

Feb 21, 2016 – Virtual ecotour of the Svalbard Archipelago, 6:45 PM, University Place Library.

GOLDEN EAGLES OF WASHINGTON – POPULATION STATUS, ECOLOGY, & THREATS

Jim Watson, raptor researcher for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, educated ABCers on November 29, 2016, about one of our most iconic avian raptors, the Golden Eagle.

Jim Watson at ABC, Nov 29, 2016

First Jim covered the lore of this worldwide species, covering the gamut from love to hate, victim to villain. Myths about Goldens carrying off humans and large livestock much heavier than the their carrying capacity were dispelled, as well as other beliefs. Although they can kill large prey, they can’t carry it off. That story of the eagle taking all day to kill one weakened pronghorn was especially interesting.

Golden Eagle attack on Pronghorn

Distribution across our state was interesting, since most of us only see this bird in eastern Washington. The Olympics and San Juans have continuing small populations, though seldom seen.

Using much of his own original research, Jim covered the alarming decreases in populations, especially in adult raptors in a species that takes at least 5 years to reach reproductive age. Official population statistics treat immatures and adults the same, so can be misleading about the condition of the species since they treat “normal” losses of young birds as equivalent to the dire losses of successful adults. With populations at historic lows in Washington, Jim had numbers for us on threats: Unspecified trauma (23%), lead poisoning (18%), electrocution (10%, perhaps lessening), wind turbines (8%, definitely increasing), etc. Shooting deaths still happen, but are slowly decreasing (3%). Jim gave actual mechanisms of lead poisoning on the isotope level for both direct ingestion and ingestion of poisoned prey. Wildfire has not been proven to significantly impact the birds, perhaps actually improves their ability to find prey sometimes, although this manifestation of a warming world needs to be watched.

Golden Eagle mortality in WA shrubsteppe-grasslands

The wind turbine story is disheartening, as wind farms tend to be erected along the same air current corridors that raptors use for lift, migration, etc. Many wind farms were licensed before there was any research available. Most licenses are for 30 years, so in Washington a lot more birds will die. There is much evidence of wind farm people downplaying raptor deaths, as well as passerine and bat mortality. Jim has been involved in much of the original research including 3 papers which studied 17 Golden Eagles in Washington from 2004 to 2013 near wind turbines. Regulations about placement of turbines near known nests fail to take into account the slopes and ridges that eagles need to fly, which we were able to enjoy in 3-D animations that Jim’s team had made. This topic really caught the attention of the ABCers, and there was some discussion of European model turbines which are much more benign and that the current industry in the U.S. may be too entrenched in its own more destructive models.

WDFW studies of Golden Eagles vs Wind Turbines

It was interesting to find that a few of these immature birds do travel, some south, some north, but usually do return to their birthplaces to settle down and raise their families. The adults in Washington are sedentary, however. Goldens have proved to be adaptable as to diet in this state where their favorite food, rabbit, has dwindled. Marmots are now 23% of their diet, deer fawns 13%, upland birds 12%, and coyote pups 8%.

Jim finished up with a fun “quiz” to help dispel the gloom and doom about these beautiful birds.

Golden Eagle Quiz – Fact or Fiction?

Jim also recommended the Smartphone app, Raptor ID, from Hawkwatch International. You can get it for iPhone or iPad from the iTunes marketplace and now for Android from Google Play. $9.99.

Jim Watson of WDFW at ABC with Cool Raptors fans (the Willettes)

Thanks, Jim Watson, for sharing your knowledge with us and leaving us hungering for more. It’s reassuring to us to know that people like you are out there actually working on the problems we know exist.

GOLDEN EAGLES!! 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016, 6:45 PM, Pierce County Library Administration Bldg, 3005 112th Street East, Tacoma, WA 98446-2215, near Hwy 512 & Waller Rd.  All are welcome.  $10. Honorarium

ABC (Advanced Birding Club) and Tahoma Audubon welcomes James Watson, raptor expert with the Department of Fish & Wildlife. James Watson will tell us the latest on Golden Eagles in Washington.

Banding a Golden Eagle

Ironically, recent interest in North America’s other eagle, the Golden Eagle, stems from impacts on this species from green energy development. Yet throughout history the species has continued to survive human interaction from their prized value and use in Native American cultures, large scale aerial gunning and poisoning in the mid-20th century, and ongoing impacts from electrocution and lead poisoning.  Join us as we explore what current research reveals about natural history of Golden Eagles in Washington including population dynamics, aspects of breeding and wintering ecology, and major threats potentially limiting the future population. Bring your questions, whether related to field identification or weight-lifting capacity of an eagle, and we’ll attempt to “de-myth” their secretive lifestyle.

Jim Watson is a Wildlife Research Scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the lead researcher for statewide raptor studies.  He has spent the past 40+ years studying raptors in the western United States and abroad.  Jim’s research focus includes raptor population dynamics, migration ecology, and management of raptors in human landscapes. His recent work evaluates impacts of wind energy and lead contaminants on golden eagles and ferruginous hawks. Come join us for this special presentation.

James Watson is a raptor expert with the Dept of Fish&Wildlife

BORNEO BIRDBANDING WITH JERRY & CLARICE, 10/24/16

Here’s where the banding station is!  Zoom in to see Jerry & Clarice.

Jerry Broadus and Clarice Clark went birdbanding in Borneo and joined long-time friend and Morse Preserve bander, Suzanne Tomassi, who is running a 10-year study and banding project in the Danum Valley in northern Borneo, an unforgettable and remote area with perhaps the oldest rainforest in the world with many species still unrecorded by Science. They were there through SEARRP (South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership http://www.searrp.org/) and Suzanne’s group, the Borneo Rainforest Project.

The Sabah region, featuring the Danum Valley where the banding was done on the right.

Being in Borneo near the end of Ramadan

Suzanne has a fundraising website for the Borneo Rainforest Project wtih an entertaining video that you should watch — both to understand what they need and for the sheer enjoyment of vicariously visiting the place, as we did with Jerry and Clarice. If you send in any amount to them through INDIEGOGO, they will give you a token gift that you couldn’t get anywhere else: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/borneo-rainforest-project#/backers

Jerry and Clarice vividly protrayed the highs (the birds) and the lows (leeches and bad trails with disappearing bridges and slimy mud) and the interesting facilities and accommodations. It’s not the Ritz (though the only other place you can stay in the vicinity is — the very expensive Borneo Rainforest Lodge). They also talked about the available bird books with their competing sets of Latin names for the birds. With all the photos they took, Jerry and Clarice practically made a new field guide, judging by the many great slides they showed us.

Some trails were washed away

Apparently not the first to get lost here.

Concerning bird stories they told us concerned Hornbills (the Chinese have now turned to Hornbills’ bills since Rhino horns have become so hard to obtain) and Swifts with edible nests, now “farmed” and sold in grocery stores.

Bushy-crested Hornbills.

Swiftlet nests on special at the grocery store.

These can cling to branches, so not too closely related to North American swifts.

They recommended if you hire guides to be sure to get the Sticky Rice Guide Service for real birders. Other “guides” available are only there to keep you from getting lost, but not to help in any other way.

 
Banders are forging new territory, as there nothing like the Pyle guides to help them catalog what they’re banding. They take blank bird drawings and fill them in as they go along, basically making the banding guide as they go.

No Pyle guide. Had to take blanks and make the guide themselves as they banded.

Other great birds they interacted with included Kingfishers and Trogons and many many more!  It was interesting to hear that Kingfishers just lie still for banding as long as they’re on their backs.

Oriental Dwarf and Blue-eared Kingfisher

Not your western hemisphere trogons!

It’s not just birds in Borneo! Insects, reptiles, and mammals were everywhere! The logo of SEARRP is one of those unforgettable tiny Tarsiers (pause for people to say “aaaahhh!”). And Orangutans are the critters most people think of when they think of Borneo, and they deserve some thought and protection.

Cute Tarsier decorates Jerry’s SEARRP shirt.

Orangutan, a Borneo specialty, eating a tree (not just the fruit!)

Flying lizards? Stuff of nightmares.

Watch out in the leaf litter!

Not a friendly guy. Jerry has good movie footage of him.

Botanists go crazy there, too! Of course there were plenty of Clarice’s favorites, native Rhododendrons (check out her bumpersticker), including Vireyas, among others. Some of these rhodies are actually epiphytes, and many of them dangle from trees above the trail. Of interest was that many trees have smooth bark (koompassias, for example), which protect the trees and nesters from climbing vines. Eyecatching Durian fruit are loved by Orangutans and people, but are outlawed in hotel rooms due to a lingering odor.

Yes, Clarice has a bumpersticker on her car that she brakes for rhodies.

Clarice always likes to end her presentations with a diabolical quiz, but this time it was like no other. She wasn’t trying to catch us or teach us, but rather she was hoping WE could help HER identify a bird! She and Jerry have a difference of opinion what it could be, and the references available differ widely in possible plumages. I’m afraid we didn’t give them a definitive answer. Hey, it COULD be a bird not previously described to Science, even though it did appear just outside the dining hall…

Kitsap Author Leigh Calvez will discuss her new book, The Hidden Lives of Owls, tomorrow night (Sept 27) at The Tacoma Library, sponsored by King’s Books in Tacoma at 7 PM.  For more info:  http://www.kingsbookstore.com/event/owls.

Several of us had already heard her talk about The Hidden Lives of Owls  and sign it when she appeared at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge, her home base, on 9/15/16, as well as having heard her speak about it pre-publication at the WOS conference this year.  That event in Bainbridge was an overflow crowd that included many of her friends including Washington owl expert Jamie Acker.

Owl author Leigh Calvez discusses her new book 9-15-16.

Leigh Calvez’s (pronounced Cal-VAY) previous history is as a naturalist studying marine mammals.  This seeming stretch to owls came about slowly until one day she realized she was obsessed with owls and needed to follow that obsession.  As a naturalist, she knew it would take expert guidance, and she also knew how to find those experts and cajole them into bringing her along.  The resultant book is therefore a combination of the most up-to-date knowledge on several critical species as well as a personal odyssey.  She didn’t just interview the experts — She went with them.  She experienced the same cold, wet, dark, afraid-to-breathe, long and sometimes boring stakeouts and now knows how hard it is to study owls first-hand.

Spotted, Great Grays, and Flammulated Owls are among the hardest to find and are covered in the book with a sense of adventure, as well as many others.

Line drawings by noted local bird artist Tony Angell are added for each species, in a more whimsical style than he usually employs, somewhat reminiscent of his own recent owl book, The House of Owls (thanks for loaning this to me, Vera!).

This is an easy-to-read book that will leave you educated effortlessly as you hurry to turn the page.

By the way, Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge will be hosting Paul Bannick on October 30th 4-5 PM when his new book, OWL, comes out.  His photographic study will be a good companion book to Leigh Calvez’s book.

John Klicka explains it all to ABC on September 22, 2016.

JOHN KLICKA AT ABC! 9/22/16

ABC welcomed Burke Museum curator of birds and intense researcher, John Klicka, on September 22nd. The new director of Tahoma Audubon, Emily Kalnicky, was also introduced to the group by TAS president (and noted birder/bander) Jerry Broadus. We are happy she made her debut public appearance to the birders!

Professor Klicka is a dedicated researcher with very specific points of view on recent taxonomy work on birds due to his personal hands-on  research.  After Kay Pullen asked him to tell us about the changes going on at the Burke (all new facilities in new building!), he was eager to show us what he has been up to, studying genomes of House Wrens and other birds and discovering temporal, geographical, and geological connections, some of which was very surprising!

ABC group soaks up Prof Klicka’s morsels of knowledge on 9/22/16

Before getting down to the specifics of the House Wren, Prof Klicka touched on how modern technology has discovered major diet changes (smaller prey) in the Marbled Murrelet that may be as important, or more so, than habitat loss. This was possible through the specimens collected over a hundred years ago looked at with new technology. Thus, specimens collected now by the museum may seem more important at some unforeseen time in the future, making growing and preserving museum collections their #1 purpose. #2 and #3 are the obvious purposes of education and research.

A discussion of genetic mutations followed with numerous examples, the most “colorful” of which was Trogon species color differences. Doing the molecular analysis shows that it is the head/breast hue and not the belly color that distinguishes different clades (descendants of the same ancestor). The other fascinating finding is that there is a molecular clock, which shows within 2% in millions of years when two descendants diverged.

Molecular research found that it was the head/breast color, not the belly, that was species-related.

That molecular clock leads directly to the profound theory of the Great American Interchange — the period of time when species from the north pioneered south and vice versa. It turns out that there is much correlation here with the point 3-1/2 million years ago when the Panama isthmus filled in. Even though birds can fly, they apparently still want to see the land below them when they move their households.

Check out what happened after Panama solidified 3-1/2 million years ago!

Troglodytes aedon might really be a bunch of different species spread throughout the Americas including some strange strains endemic to small islands off the north coast of South America. They are of temperate origin, but once pioneers cleared that isthmus, they radiated enthusiastically and now live in every corner of South America. Of the 75 Troglodytes species, 45 now inhabit the southern continent.

All the same species? These and many more show major diversifications.

An even more extreme case is the true Tanagers, of which all 413 species crossed that Panamanian landbridge from the north and never looked back. One of the ah-hah moments was realizing that once they’ve tasted the tropics, they never want to leave. The reverse is rare.

Thanks, Professor Klicka for a peek into molecular taxonomy! We are discussing visiting your museum in 2017 and look forward to seeing you again.

John Klicka takes questions from Diane Y-Q, Laurel Parshall, and ABC program director Kay Pullen

OCT 24, 2016, 6:45 PM, UPlace Library: Borneo Bird Monitoring by Jerry Broadus & Clarice Clark!

Our own Jerry and Clarice spent three weeks recently in Sabah, Malaysia, Island of Borneo. The primary reason for the visit was to help with a 10-year project monitoring bird populations in old growth and secondary jungle rainforest. We helped with the project in the old growth area, the famous Danum Valley Conservation Area.

Borneo birds as photographed by Jerry Broadus & Clarice Clark, 2016

We stayed at the Danum Valley Field Station with the research staff and met with scientists from around the world working on projects such as carbon sequestration from the atmosphere. Danum Valley is one of the oldest rain forests still standing on earth. It houses several primates including Orangutans, reptiles such as Monitors, and species of birds such as you will never see in the Americas.

Orangutan as photographed by Jerry Broadus & Clarice Clark, Borneo 2016

We spent some time helping with the project banding birds and some time birding with an excellent local guide. After leaving Danum we also birded (and botanized) in Kinabalu National Park.

Birds of Borneo as photographed by Jerry Broadus & Clarice Clark, 2016

This slide show will feature all three–primates, reptiles, and birds. We will show birds in the hand as well as in the bush. We will also show the terrain and forest types. You can expect a short “little brown job” quiz at the end.

Osprey nests on the peninsula had some good news compared to last year, but some bad news, too.

The Purdy Osprey nest almost completely disappeared for the first time in the 28 years I’ve watched it.  Tacoma Water’s website claimed they were using deterrents to discourage Osprey from nesting since they would be tearing those power towers down after osprey season.  When Laurel Parshall and I went to their informational meeting we found that the timeline had been extended over a year and that the osprey could have nested.  Furthermore, the Tacoma Water biologist at the meeting said he knew of no deterrents that had been used and didn’t know why they hadn’t nested.  We have photos of the spikes placed on the towers.  Because of the extended timeline, they could still nest next year if the deterrents don’t work.  The birds have been able to use the towers as fishing perches.  Tacoma Water claims they will “relocate” the osprey, although in the past a tower they put up on the Purdy side was spurned by the birds.  It seems to me that “relocation” can only be done by the Osprey themselves.  More info: https://www.mytpu.org/tacomapower/fish-wildlife-environment/cushman-hydro-project/henderson-bay-project.htm

Osprey will feeble attempt at nest amid spikes

Speaking of Tacoma Water’s power tower project, the Victor/Allyn nests were part of that same project.  Two nests were lost (plus the Heronry on one set of towers), and one platform was erected on the Victor side.  That platform was successful for the second year in 2016, and there was one ready-to-fledge chick seen on 7/24/16 and again on 7/28/16.  Due to extreme height of the platform, no birds were seen prior to that except the occasional adult flyby.

Ready to fledge on Victor mitigation tower,7-28-16

A suspected nesting site from last year on the very tall cell tower at the corner of Highway 302 and Elgin-Clifton Road on the Key Peninsula was confirmed this year, but possibly unsuccessful.   An osprey has been seen there frequently, but the bird there on July 28^th was an adult.  That cell tower was filled with random sticks and one smallish nest.  The traffic pattern and no pullouts make this one very difficult to view.  Of course, they could have already fledged by then.

This Osprey on the Key Peninsula likely did not succeed this year.

Meanwhile, there was Osprey success at the cell tower off north Peacock Hill Road for the first time in 3 years or so.  On July 30, there was lots of flapping going on from at least 2 hard-to-see birds with a possible adult there as well tearing apart a fish.

On July 30, 2016, appeared to be 2 or 3 birds, an adult eating and up to 2 kids flapping

Good news at the Wollochet Bay nest.  Last year, this WDFW-Cam nest featured a dead Osprey chick on its photo feed, which was then stopped.  This year, there was 1 young ready to fledge and 1 adult in the nest on July 28, but the webcam has remained turned off (according to WDFW: “out of alignment and cannot be repaired this season”).

Adult and ready-to-fledge chick smile for camera

Lastly, the nest on the cell tower by the Inn at Gig Harbor has been active again.  Due to the angle of this tall tower, no chicks were observed until August 1, although an adult was frequently on guard there.  On August 1, at least one chick was flapping like crazy in the nest, so success, but no camera with me!

Osprey nest on left tower, adult on guard on right tower.

Still no nests at all on the cell tower off Highway 16 just north of the cemetery on the east side and no nest in Port Orchard in the subdivision cell tower east of the China Sun buffet on Bethel-Burley Road.  These were undoubtedly removed by the cell companies.