An Osprey survey of the Gig Harbor peninsula and environs was undertaken July 20 and 21 by Diane Yorgason-Quinn and Adam Trent. *********************** 1. The brand new nest at Victor on North Bay (Mason County) has 3 chicks in it, all of which are busy stretching their wings. This is a brand new artificial platform erected as mitigation for the removal of the power towers in the water of North Bay between Victor and Allyn which had hosted 2 Osprey nests and a small heronry of perhaps 8 nests in recent times. The Osprey at first didn’t like the new platform, but needing to nest, one couple took it. The heron nests were not mitigated. *********************** 2. The Osprey nest on the power tower at the Purdy spit has young, and both parents were seen. Unknown how many young. *********************** 3. The cell tower nest on Peacock Hill Blvd around 156th sounds like it has young in it. One bird was seen perched above the nest. Eagles didn’t get this nest this year! *********************** 4. This is the Wollochet Bay nest which was originally constructed by the Osprey on a TV antenna mounted high in an evergreen, but last year was repaired and outfitted with a camera which refreshes every 12 seconds: http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/ospreycam/still_image.html. There are 3 large young well seen from the ground as well as on the cam. An adult was in the nest with them when we visited. ************************ 5. The Inn at Gig Harbor has screaming young in the cell tower nest, but impossible to count them because of the angle. An adult was seen. ************************ 6. While we were at the Inn, a patron of the restaurant across the street (Tanglewood) where we were standing informed us that he enjoys seeing the Osprey nest at the Little League field. I asked him whether he had seen this nest this year, since it had burnt up last year and killed the nestlings (thanks to Melissa Sherwood for the news report at that time). He said he’d seen it recently, so we headed over there, but saw no nests, no Osprey. It must have been a long time since he went to a game there. ************************* 7. Seen fleetingly from the freeway (W16) just north of the cemetery and city center, there is a cell tower behind the sculptor’s site and Budget Truck Rental. I drove in there and observed 2 adult Osprey and heard lots of begging noise from the yard at JMS Wood Sculptures. Again too tall to peer into. ************************* Photo 7/21/2014 from the JMS Wood Sculpture yard off of W16 north of city center (click to enlarge):

Some great meetings coming up at ABC! We are fortunate to have some of the best researchers in the country close at hand, as well as the contacts to bring them to us (thanks, Kay!): ———————————————————————- September 29, 2014 (a Monday), UPlace library, 6:45 PM: Julie Smith of PLU will speak on the Red Crossbill subspecies (possible future full species), a topic that intrigues and frustrates northwest birders. Learn the thinking behind the separations, what will happen next, and how to tell one from another! ——————————————————————— Tentatively October 23, 2014 (fourth Thursday), UPlace library, 6:45 PM (Check back for reconfirmation of date after July 1): Peter Hodum of UPS will speak on his research on Puffins and Rhinos in our water plus his more exotic research in Chile.

GREETINGS FROM HAWAII: *************** The ABC Club had the good fortune to be addressed by Alex Wang a year ago last December when he was home on break from college in Hawaii. He’s now almost through with his Master’s and looking for where he wants to take his Doctorate. His subject: BIRDS! At the time he addressed us, he mentioned he’d be happy to show any of us around if we came over there, but little did he imagine he was going to get The Willettes!! On June 1, 2014, he took 6 of us into the closed Waikamoi Preserve (Nature Conservancy) on the eastern slope of the volcano to study the very hard-to-get Akohekohe (his study bird) and Maui Parrotbill (his hobby study bird) and lots of other endemics there. The next day he spared his morning for more local birding and shave ice! As we went by his lodgings just downslope from the preserve, we found Nene just lying around waiting for someone to ooh and aah over them! ****************************************** Photo below at Hosmer Grove before setting off down the Waikamoi trail. Click picture to enlarge. Showing Melissa Sherwood, Dorothy Husband, Faye McAdams Hands, Alex Wang, Diane Kerlin, Carol Smith, and Diane Yorgason-Quinn

On May 19, 2014, we had a rowdy session at the ABC meeting, starting out with a spirited discussion on oil trains, terminals, and barges proposed for Grays Harbor adjacent to staging areas for a huge proportion of the world’s Western Sandpipers as well as several other species which must have this for their fueling station. Bruce Hoeft has been working on this project and urged us all to send postcards (provided) or letters in the next week to be in time for the public input deadline. Ed Pullen has posted a sample letter on the ABC site along with the address. See it here: http://abcbirding.com/birderspecificlettergraysharborcrudeoilterminals#comment-1152 ********************************************* Next, we all said farewell to Rolan Nelson who has been an integral member of our birding community for 20 years, leading field trips and teaching classes, and just plain fun to bird with. We expect a field trip sometime in the next year to Spokane to see what great birding he’s turned up in his new territory. ****************************************** Spring is busy birding, and we more than filled out our remaining time with trip reports! Presenters included Rolan, Ken Brown, Ryan Wiese, Ed Pullen, Faye McAdams Hands, Laurel Parshall, and Diane Yorgason-Quinn. ************************* Photos: Laurel Parshall laughs with her flock (click to enlarge):

ABC Vashon Field Trip: Ed Swan, author of “The Birds of Vashon Island,” led a full field trip to Vashon Island on April 29, 2014. He reported on the field trip to Tweeters thusly: Had beautiful weather for the Tahoma Audubon ABC group on Vashon yesterday. Numbers of individual species, especially the new incoming warblers, seemed really low and slow, but adding up the species seen I was surprised to find the species list reach 70. A few of many of the saltwater birds were still present as well as the incoming migrants. We had a few good highlights. At Pt. Robinson, we saw a first of season Western Tanager in the trees at the base of the bluff. On the radar towers, Steller’s Jays bunched up to attempt migrating across the channel to the mainland but gave up part way out each time. Yesterday there were only 10-12, but in some years I’ve seen as many as 30-40 trying it. At this time of year, migration means Pt. Robinson can have just about anything might show up, especially if the weather has birds on the move. Yesterday was beautiful but so calm it kept the birds pretty quiet. At Tramp Harbor, a female Black Scoter was still present and a leucistic crow that was a very pale light brown latte color. I’ve been getting lots of calls about this bird over the last couple of months but saw it myself for the first time yesterday. At Fisher Pond, one of the Pied-billed Grebes sat on a reed nest, a first time view for many on the field trip. ***************************** Click on Photos to enlarge. Leucistic Crow by Richard Smethurst, the remainder by Diane Yorgason-Quinn. That warbler is an Orange-Crowned, and the butterfly is a Pine Elfin:

THELER WETLANDS – May 1, 2014: On May 1st, John Riegsecker and Faye McAdams Hands led a walk around Theler Wetlands in Belfair on the hottest day of the year. They were joined by Diane Y-Q and Rosanne Becker and later by photographer Larry from the Kitsap Sun who did a photo spread featuring us and other users of Theler that day. A few winter stragglers helped pad out the count to 51. Two of us had an Osprey just after leaving to add to the count. **************************************** The Kitsap Sun photo spread is here: http://www.kitsapsun.com/photos/galleries/2014/may/01/scenes-from-theler/42501/#section_header **************************************** Highlights were 2 Virginia Rails, one seen well by all, plus a Marsh Wren in the process of housebuilding right in front of us. ***************************** Click on photo to enlarge it. Marsh Wren in nest by John Riegsecker, the remainder by Diane Yorgason-Quinn.

ABC MEETING – April 24, 2014: We had trip reports on Shep’s walk at Swan Creek from Laurel Parshall and Ken Brown’s trip to Colorado and surrounding states with Ed & Kay Pullen where he actually got life birds (Prairie Chickens!) and ran into birders from home! Then a short side show of the recent lunar eclipse as seen by Diane Y-Q from Utah (clouded out in this neighborhood). Ryan Wiese then presented the film, “My Life as a Turkey,” a beautifully photographed saga of naturalist Joe Hutto’s experiment with having himself imprinted as the “mother” of an incubator full of turkey chicks. You’ll never think of Turkeys as dumb birds again or as Joe Hutto as a normal human being again. He’s apparently just finished living for several years with Mule Deer as one of them. **************** Next ABC meetings: May 19 July 24 **************************

ABC Meeting – January 23, 2014 – BIG YEAR! ************************************ Ryan Wiese was fresh off the plane from Arizona where he did nothing but twitch, but with great success (all of the Thrashers!). ********************************* Mike Charest managed to find just about every bird that landed in Pierce County in 2013 plus more! It all started at a prepossessing industrial site called Gog-Le-Hi-Te… His Flickr site is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecharest/ ******************************** Laurel Parshall didn’t know she was doing a big Washington year until suddenly she realized how close she was to 300 and set her sights on that number! Swamp Sparrow caught her eye just as time was running out! Her Flickr site is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/llp_unesolitaire/ **************************** Brian Pendleton really twitched towards the end of the year and hit the big time, reaching 350. It takes someone who knows their Gulls! His Flickr site is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianpen286/ **************************** These birders are all accomplished photographers as well. What a combination! A great program! Click on photos to enlarge: