COMING: September 12, 2017, 6:45 PM, UPS Thompson Hall room 175. Suggested donation $10.

Prof Peter Hodum returns to ABC to bring us up to date on his conservation efforts on the Juan Fernandez islands.

Peter Hodum in the Juan Fernandez Islands

The Juan Fernandez Islands, Chile, are considered to be a globally significant and highly threatened biodiversity region. Our long-term conservation program in the islands focuses on conserving critically endangered and threatened bird species, many of which are found nowhere else in the world, controlling invasive species, restoring native habitat and building capacity, awareness and engagement in the local community.  In this talk, Peter Hodum will provide an update on recent projects led by Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge/Univ. of Puget Sound to advance community-based conservation and restoration in these uniquely special islands.

Peter Hodum originally spoke to Tahoma Audubon about this project several years ago, and we are anxious to hear the latest.  He also spoke to ABC recently about his work on seabirds off the Washington coast.

Melissa Sherwood’s now-famous Junco nestbox story that she told ABC about last year has now gone national.  This week, Cornell’s Living Bird Magazine, June 26, 2017, ran the article from their NestWatch program about it.

Melissa knew right away that something was different when she saw Juncos using one of the nestboxes on her Gig Harbor property, and she immediately let the NestWatch people know.  They coached her into getting more photos including the successful fledglings.  So add House Juncos to the list that includes House Finch, House Sparrow, and House Wren!

Read all about it in your copy of Living Bird or go directly to their NestWatch link here:  http://nestwatch.org/connect/news/nestwatcher-finds-first-dark-eyed-junco-nesting-in-a-birdhouse/?__hstc=75100365.ebf053831420272d508e86fe31317063.1473628434158.1497838879795.1498609836848.17&__hssc=75100365.4.1498609836848&__hsfp=3743668368#_ga=2.52654574.733933187.1498609834-300106280.1473628433

Cornell has announced that this will be published in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology in the near future, and we’ll let you know when that happens.

In the meantime, pay attention to ordinary birds doing extraordinary things!

Thanks to Ed Pullen for noticing this publication.

Come to our book discussion, August 14, 2017, 6:45 PM at the University Place Library.  Read the book or just come to find out what all the fuss is about.  This will be the third book that ABC has read together in the summer, and previous discussions have been fun and informative.

Cat Wars

Named one of Forbes.com’s 10 Best Conservation and Environment Books of 2016, CAT WARS was written by Peter Marra, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and coauthor of the authoritative Birds of Two Worlds: The Ecology and Evolution of Migration, and by prolific nature writer Chris Santella, author of Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die, etc.

 
This book has predictably drawn great praise and great hatred, illuminating the war between pet lovers and bird lovers. It has a definite western and northwest perspective, too, mentioning other such “wars,” such as Spotted Owls vs Barred Owls, as well as Double-crested Cormorants vs. salmon. Some of the best quotes are from noted California birder Rich Stallcup.  On-line reviews range from “great documentation with lots of studies,” to “this is just junk science.”

 
Sure, I know all about this, you might think. But think again. It’s much worse than previously thought. New information and conservative extrapolations of data are downright scary.

 
In the near future, ABC will welcome back Dr. Peter Hodum, who has previously spoken to ABC. Besides northwestern pelagics, he also studies birds on small islands off Chile, and he has had experiences with cats’ predation on rare seabirds there. So we expect to hear some first-hand information in connection with this book’s thesis.

 
The “other” ABC, American Bird Conservancy, also has been campaigning for years to keep your pet cats indoors and has issued at least two helpful brochures in the past. Their current information is here: https://abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors/

HOW TO GET THE BOOK: Although the list price is 24.95, it is readily available cheaper:

 
VIRTUAL: AMAZON KINDLE: 15.72
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VIRTUAL: BARNES & NOBLE NOOK: 17.99
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AMAZON 3rd PARTY USED: 10.72 + 3.99 S&H
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ABEBOOKS – 7.99 + 3.99 S&H
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On June 6, 2017, Joe and Maggie Tieger, both biologists, invited us to enjoy their recent adventure — South Georgia Island in October, spring in the Antarctic. What a surprise to find out that this was part of the UK, thanks to the interesting questions asked by the ABC’ers.

Joe and Maggie Tieger show us the maps

Their group made landfall up and down the east coast of the island via Zodiacs, but on the west coast the terrain was too difficult to land, so they had to be content with having the ship cruise the stunning glaciers and fiords on that side.

ABC’ers cool down with Joe and Maggie

Lacing their personal adventures on a Cheeseman’s cruise with Shackleton’s history made a very interesting story. Among the birders and photographers on board, there were also trekkers wanting to try their stamina on the harsh terrain, sometimes being picked up at a different spot than where they were dropped off, surviving Shackleton-style for a day. The whole shipload visited Shackleton’s grave, returning to luxury accommodations gratefully.

The Kings ignore our staging area with all of our gear in drysacks

Three species of penguins dominated their birding, King, Gentoo, and Chinstrap, with a single specimen of Macaroni, thought to actually be the most numerous. The penguins in general were doing well and increasing in numbers in spite of many predators including Skuas, Giant Petrels, Orcas, and the fearsome Leopard Seals. King Penguins are the king of this penguin kingdom and the second largest Penguin in the world, but it was hard to think of them like royalty once we saw the photos of Kings in molt! It’s amazing they survive since it takes forever and they lose 50% of their weight because they are prevented from going to sea to eat.

Fearsome Leopard Seal looking for fresh Penguin

Other wildlife included the previously endangered Fur Seals and the incredibly huge Elephant Seals. Another new word for me: Weaners! Young Elephant Seals being weaned by their mothers, often against their will, who will cuddle up to anything warm-blooded hoping for some comfort and feeding.

 
Although the Tiegers didn’t see whales, they’re there. Whaling was only shut down in this area in 1965.

More than just Penguins for the birders.

There are a number of different Albatrosses nesting on the island, but unlike the penguins, their numbers are gradually decreasing. Snowy Sheathbills and Antarctic Terns added to the interesting bird list, as well as the South Georgia Pipit, the ONLY passerine, brought back from the brink of extinction by solving the rat and reindeer problems.

Joe Tieger, looking for Albatross

All the wildlife was tame as far as humans were concerned, which made it a photographer’s paradise. Luckily Joe and Maggie are among the best when it comes to bird photography!

Everything “cute” is not a penguin

I was so surprised they actually came upon the edge of Gondwana, part of the almost mythical first big land mass on earth!

King Penguins with their gold jewelry glowing

When they packed up and boarded ship for the last time, they still weren’t finished, with the odd bird landing on the boat, as well as pretty good pelagic birding, considering they didn’t chum. Maggie was delighted to see up close and on board the usually very elusive South Georgia Diving-Petrel, a very tiny seemingly delicate seabird.

 
Joe and Maggie logged 2410 nautical miles! And yes, they have more adventures ahead!

All South Georgia Island photos are by Joe and/or Maggie Tieger.

A flash mob materialized after only 2 days’ notice on the evening of Memorial Day in downtown Tacoma to check on the happy family of peregrines, Murray and Harriet and their four chicks, three males and one female, Jake, Chris, Eeyore, and Hope. The names were picked in a contest drawing by Tahoma Audubon and were assigned after banding revealed the genders of the chicks.

Fergus Hyke, chief observer and photographer of this nest, at left with many of our group.

Lots of you came and were not disappointed! Guests of honor were Fergus Hyke, a professional-level photographer who has been monitoring the birds from his office in their building on behalf of FRG (Falcon Research Group, Bud Anderson’s organization), as well as TAS President Jerry Broadus and local raptor expert Roger Orness who participated in the banding operation.

Murray the Peregrine

This turned out to be one of the first days that the chicks left the nest, “branching” out onto the art-deco ledge of the 17th floor of the Heritage Bank Building, best viewed from various spots on 12th Street looking north. We were treated to Peregrines flying over our heads, negotiating the canyons of skyscrapers expertly, while Rock Pigeons went about their business with an eye to the sky. One of the falcons spent considerable time plucking a pigeon one building east of the nest, feathers snowing down like cottonwood seeds. Soon pieces were brought to the chicks, who were enthusiastic eaters. The parents used the food to lure the chicks ever further from the comfortable and luxurious penthouse provided by falcon lovers.

Jerry tells the group about banding the chicks at the nest (arrow)

This drama will be ongoing, and all of you are urged to look up from this intersection in Tacoma and see what’s happening and tell your friends, but soon!

Raptor expert Roger Orness with Willettes

It is thought that the chicks will fledge within a couple of weeks. This will be a time of vigilance for all of us, as we watch for chicks suddenly appearing on the busy roadway. Jerry says they are approachable and can be picked up at that stage. Take it into the building. The security people can get it to Fergus or someone to put it back in the nest box.

Some of Fergus’ great shots of this family close up, as well as by others who have been able to see these birds head to head are on the Tahoma Audubon website at http://www.tahomaaudubon.org/Peregrine-Falcons-Downtown-Tacoma, as well as on the TAS Facebook page.

More photos by others taken from the ground are on the TAS FLICKR site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tahomaaudubon/albums/72157681477342223

More photos have been added recently by Heather Roskelley, who seems to be specializing in bloody prey shots!!

Downtown Tacoma has been the site of almost continuous Peregrine nesting attempts since the 1990s, first on the Murray Morgan 11th Street bridge, just a stone’s throw from the current nest. In fact, the dad of the current family, “Murray,” was fledged and banded on that bridge 13 years ago, so he’s getting to be an old guy. He’s had many mates over the years and has had great success at the present nest box site for the past several years. Jerry tells us there is another Peregrine family under the highway 509 bridge right now who also have 4 chicks.

Happy Peregrine family shares dinner

Dad Murray goes to work after dinner

What a wonderful adaptation this proud species of raptor has made since coming back from the brink during the DDT years!
Go there! See them!

NEWS FLASH!  Just after this was posted, the Tacoma News Tribune published a story on the Peregrine family:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/outdoors/article153431734.html

UPDATE – JUNE 16, 2017:  After Chris’ sad demise, it was heartening today from Jerry & Fergus to hear that Hope was out of rehab after her fledging misadventure.  Roger is also out there, still waiting to see whether she’ll be okay.  A watcher in a nearby building said she was holding her wing a little askew.  X-rays have shown no break.

Yesterday during the Tall Ships’ arrival, a Peregrine was seen flying in the area by Diane and Adam, although they were not very close.

New photos have been posted on both websites above (Tahoma Audubon and FLICKR).

ABC teamed with Tahoma Audubon and the Slater Museum at UPS to bring back one of our favorite speakers from 2015, Sievert Rohwer of UW/Burke Museum, to explain molt migration to us. He decided we understood his previous talk on types of molt, so instead of reviewing, he plunged directly into molt migration. It was a privilege to have him return to see us, as we learned a lot last time and felt we had made a friend.

Sievert Rohwer and Peter Wimberger with ABCers

Peter Wimberger, director of the Slater Museum, introduced his previous professor to the crowd and presented him with a Slater Museum T-shirt!

ABCers Diane & Faye assist Sievert with his new Slater Museum shirt

Professor Rohwer got right into it with evidence that previous researchers had gotten it wrong, assuming that since they knew the pattern of molt migration in eastern species — that western species would have a similar pattern. Wrong! Turns out Sievert’s team found Lucy’s Warbler molts on its wintering grounds in Mexico and not in the U.S. before migration, and they were just the first inkling of a larger pattern. The Adolfo study turned over the old paradigm by studying specimens from every collection they could get, showing western molting birds to be much more likely in Mexico than the U.S.

Western molt migration discovery

And these passerines weren’t just molting in Mexico, but in the coastal lowlands. Some older studies had been skewed by the fact that collectors liked the mountains, but birds didn’t. There was a true difference from eastern U.S. neotropical migrants who molted before flying south. Our western birds followed the Mexican monsoons. Sievert vividly recounted how rich in birds an area would be, then his team would go elsewhere, only to return 2 weeks later and find the area devoid of birds after the swarms stripped monsoon growth bare. Many of the birds had the ability to put on huge stores of fat overnight that allowed them to lead this kind of life.

Coastal lowlands species richness

Seasonal monsoon precipitation

Painted Buntings’ migration patterns showed molting grounds and wintering grounds that didn’t match up, as shown by new monthly population maps. These are more up-slope movements, and again the maps show this trend when overlaid by elevation and moisture. (See https://peerj.com/articles/1871/#supp-1)

Painted Bunting migration animation

A disturbing piece of research has revealed that passerine females who molt down south have a rougher time of it than the males, arriving later for a shorter molt cycle, finding the males have eaten all the best food, and then being stuck having to grow a set of primaries simultaneously instead of taking their time.

Sievert spiced up his slide show with giant grasshoppers being eaten by beetles and other grasshoppers, as well as tarantulas and instructions on how to catch them!

Sievert offered instructions on catching tarantulas like this

Species discussed included Lucy’s Warbler, Lazuli Bunting, Indigo Bunting, Bullock’s Oriole, and then when Sievert was trying to tie up his talk, he started in on Yellow-billed Cuckoos. Apparently they used to breed all over the western U.S., but they really haven’t decreased in the way we think up here in Washington. Instead, cuckoos found lots of food closer to where they molted and quit coming north. Unless you’re talking strictly about Washington State, these birds are not endangered at all, but very common! We need to know more about this, Sievert!

Sievert’s last slide posed the question, “How did collections fail us?” This turned out to be a major theme for this research. Numbers of specimens and times of collection in the past bore little correlation to where the most birds were and what they were doing. Thanks to Sievert Rohwer, that is changing.

Sievert Rohwer with ABC program whiz, Kay Pullen

Spring is here and I reviewed the nice article by Cox in American Birding on ID of the Common Peeps using primarily clues other than plumage, like structure, behavior, etc. Here are my study notes from that review for anyone interested.