Swift chimney at the old Northern Hospital in Sedro-Woolley: September 21, 2013: We’ll meet in Tacoma (where, to be decided by those who sign up by September 15th) and travel the 2-1/2 hours to the biggest (physically) Swift chimney in the state or maybe anywhere, leaving around 4:00 or so. We’ll meet the Skagit Audubon field trip group who have made arrangements for our admittance into the closed Job Corps site that now occupies this campus and enjoy the spectacle! Contact Diane Yorgason-Quinn to sign up (avosetta@hotmail.com) or (253) 857-3367. We’ll be home late. For a closer-in chimney, sign up for the Tahoma Audubon field trip to Selleck on September 14th. More details in the Towhee. Also sign up with Diane for this one.

The ABC meeting on July 25, 2013, was fascinating, presented by our own members!

First David Marshall, who winters in Jamaica and has recently been made co-editor of the birding publication there, the Broadsheet, gave us a rundown on Jamaican endemics, Jamaican endemic subspecies, as well as some of his favorite Jamaican birds, and familiarized us with the layout of this beautiful island. For copies of the Broadsheet as well as David’s summary of these birds, ask him or ask me (Avosetta@hotmail.com) to e-mail them to you.

Then the large group who went to Malheur in May gave their report of many amorous Avocets, Willets, and a bunch of other birds, seen against beautiful blue skies. Leaders Shelly Parker and Carolyn Berry reported, along with help from Malheur volunteer Jerry Broadus and photographs from Pat Damron and Laurel Parshall. Pat’s and Laurel’s photographs can be seen online at: Laurel: http://www.flickr.com/photos/llp_unesolitaire/sets/72157633757413804/ Pat: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNHLJq2bNmbCSg

Pictured below are the evening’s talent, including a group photo of half the Malheur participants were attended the meeting, since they didn’t get a group photo during the trip! Click to enlarge.

Woodpecker Trip Report, June 29, 2013:

Leader Rolan Nelson says, “The whole idea of leading a trip was a ploy to make sure that I actually got to go on one! There were nine of us, and we were amazed at the number of vocalizing songbirds there were at our stops along Camas Meadows. Almost too many to sort out, but excellent looks at MacGillivray’s Warblers and Lazuli Buntings. Many of our birds were heard but not seen, which was a disappointment. Too many leaves! Five woodpeckers presented themselves; Acorn, Hairy, Pileated, Flicker, and a very cooperative Red-naped Sapsucker. Just about every passerine family had a least one representative. By the end of the day we had tallied 43 species; not many, but a good mix and beautiful weather.

Click below to enlarge photos taken by participants:

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.

We had a great meeting tonight reviewing some of the rare and unusual birds we’ve seen lately. At least one member of our group has seen each of the following lately:

Citrine Wagtail Red-Flanked Bluetail Brambling White-Winged Crossbills Thick-Billed Murre Horned Puffin Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker Black-Necked Stilt, out of range (ocean) Hermit Warbler, out of range Slaty-Backed Gull Glaucous Gull White-Breasted Nuthatch (in Pierce County) Semi-Palmated Sandpiper

Eyewitness reports and/or photos were presented by Ed Pullen, Faye McAdams Hands, Ryan Wiese, Brian Pendleton, Rolan Nelson, Carol Smith, and Ken Brown (and photos in absentia from Laurel Parshall, Vicki Biltz, Heather Roskelley, and Wayne Sladek). Difficult bird ID photo on Least Sandpipers was provided by John Riegsecker. Historical background was also provided by Ruth Sullivan on the Gulls.

Thanks to all. It was lively!

May 20, 2013: – ABC Meeting at UPlace Library – 6:45. We’ll be reviewing the amazing parade of rare birds that have visited our area in the past few months with eyewitness reports from many of you. If you have photos of some recent rarities or stories, bring them!

June meeting – (fourth week in June, actual date to be announced): We’ll visit 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. Stay tuned for particulars.

July 25, 2013: (4th Thursday) – UPlace Library – 6:34: 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.

We may take the month of August off unless someone has a program they’re burning to present.

Birdathon Report 2013- Ed Pullen & Ryan Wiese

3:05 PM May 3 until  2:40 PM May 4, 2013

Ryan and I had no one sign up for our TAS overnight birdathon trip this year, and we so enjoyed the time together and the ability to both move quickly and yet have plenty of time to enjoy the birding. We are contemplating just doing private birdathon’s in years to come. The weather was perfect, high 60’s on Friday afternoon and in the 70’s most of Saturday.  A strong offshore breeze kept it cool, and migration kept it fun.

We saw 119 species, with just the highlights mentioned, the full list to follow.  We started at Steilacoom Park and found mostly expected species, but no House wren this year.  The waters off Steilacoom were very quiet, and we missed most of the expected water birds there, but picked nearly all of them up at later times.  Not even  a Pigeon guillemot seen from the ferry terminal, but we did pick up Common merganser and Common Goldeneye in Chamber’s creek.

Nisqually NWR was beautiful, and two bright male Yellow-headed blackbirds that had been reported for a week or so were obliging and flew in on our walk back off the marsh to the base of the trail.  After a few minutes they flew back out toward the sound and disappeared. We did do well on ducks, and heard and saw both Dowicher species as well as both yellow-legs species there.  Not a single rail was heard or seen though. Across McAlister creek at Luir beach we got Purple martins, and as they sang away we found Brant (geese) and Caspian terns.

Then as it started to get dark we dashed to Elma, where at the new access off Wenzel Slough Rd we saw two Barn owls flying over the fields and heard American bittern calling as Wilson’s snipe winnowed overhead.

After a short sleep in Ocean Shores we were at the Jetty just after daybreak, and watched migration happening.  Highlights were 3 “rock birds”.   Ruddy and Black turnstones and Surfbirds were easily seen at the base of the jetty, and many Pacific loons flew north, mixed with some Common and Red-throated loons.  Boneparte’s gulls fed in the turbulent water off the “bar” and Sooty shearwaters used the offshore wind to swoop over the waves.  Later, just before the 9AM high tide at Bill’s spit were large numbers of shorebirds, and Ryan found one Red knot by sorting through an estimated 3-4000 other shorebirds.  We squinted to make out two distant Whimbrel before turning around and getting great looks at three on our walk back to the car.

At Ocean City State Park we had plenty of time to be sure the Black-throated gray warblers were were hearing were not the similar sounding Townsend’s warbler, and added Golden-crowned kinglets and Stellar’s jays.  On the ride back east we stopped at Burrow’s road, Hoquiam’s Bowerman basin, Brady Loop, Schouweiler marsh and ended our day enjoying being in tee-shirts and counting at least 100 Whimbrel in a freshly mowed field off the west end of Wenzel Slough Rd.   Overall we had a great trip.  Thanks to anyone who chooses to donate to the Tahoma Audubon Society.  You can donate at my First Giving site by clicking on this link.  Good birding.

See the trip list below: