Rainier Audubon Society February 2009

Monday, February 16, at 7:00 PM

Rainier Audubon Presents

Washington’s Not-So Common Loon

A presentation by Daniel Poleschook Jr. and Virginia

Daniel Poleschook, Jr. and
Virginia R. Gumm will present
“Washington’s Not-So Common
Loon” at Rainier’s February
program. The presentation
will feature Common Loon
description, behavior, ecology,
and the conservation measures
required to maintain or increase
its low breeding population of
less than 15 territorial pairs in
Washington.
Ginger and Daniel have both
been nature photographers since
the early 1970s. They met in
1992 at a nature photography
seminar Daniel was presenting
in Seattle; since then, they have
photographed together. From
1996 to the present, they have
specialized in capturing images
of Common Loons and other
water birds.
They have given nature
photography and conservation
presentations to organizations
and wildlife managers
throughout the U.S. Their
articles and images have been
used in many publications;
they were the exclusive
photographers for the book,
The Call of the Loon; their
images recently appeared
on the covers of BioScience
and The Journal of Wildlife
Management magazines. They
also maintain a website (www.
LoonConservation.org) that
includes description, behavior,
status, conservation, and a
comprehensive bibliography of
the Common Loon.
In addition, Daniel operates
Daniel Poleschook Nature
Photography, as well as a
new venture, the Loon Lake
Wildlife Gallery in Loon Lake,
Washington.
Please join Rainier Audubon
as we learn about the beautiful
and haunting loon. This will
be a program you will never
forget. Refreshments and good
conversation are available
before and after the program.

Federal Way United Methodist Church

29645 - 51st Ave. So.
(in unincorporated Auburn) 98001

Directions: In Federal Way, take 320th St. EAST past The Commons, crossing over I-5 and Military Rd. At
321st St, turn left. Stay on 321st as it becomes 51st Ave. So. Follow 51st Ave. to 296th. Church will be
on your left at 296th.
 Our Mission
To conserve and restore natural ecosystems and protect birds and other wildlife for the benefit of
humanity and biological diversity in South King County and the world we live in.

RAINIER AUDUBON OFFICERS

President Nancy Streiffert
Vice President Steve Feldman
Treasurer Jim Tooley
Program Chair Dale Meland
Field Trip Chair Carol Schulz
Backyard Habitat Chair Carol Stoner
Membership Chair Pat Toth
Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert
Mailing Chair Debra Russell
Hospitality JANE GARDNER
Newsletter Editor Nancy Hertzel
Education Chair Annette Tabor
Christmas Bird Count Coordinator Nancy Streiffert
Board Member Max Prinsen
Board Member Erin Wojewodski-Prinsen
Board Member Tricia MacLaren
Contact us at Info@RainierAudubon.org

FREE Rain Garden Workshops

Tuesday, March 3
Renton Technical College
A rain garden is a shallow depression in
a yard planted with a variety of flowers,
shrubs and grasses that “don’t mind getting
their feet wet.” Learn how rain gardens
help soak up rainwater from downspouts,
driveways, and sidewalks, while protecting
our local waterways. When planted with
the right types of plants, rain gardens also
attract birds, butterflies and bees. You’ll
receive a FREE rain garden manual and
additional materials.
You’ll also have
a chance to start
designing your own
rain garden during
the class!
Workshops are FREE, but advanced
registration is required. For more
information, workshop locations, or
to register, contact Becky Abbey at
Stewardship Partners, (206) 292-9875
or by email at ba@stewardshippartners.org.

Rainier Audubon Society

PO Box 778
Auburn WA 98071
(253) 796-2203
www.RainierAudubon.org

FEBRUARY 2009 - PAGE 2

 2008 Kent/Auburn Christmas Bird Count Results
Common Loon 3 Mew Gull 222 Lincoln’s Sparrow 4
Pied-billed Grebe 48 Ring-billed Gull 6 Golden-crowned Sparrow 50
Horned Grebe 78 California Gull 6 White-crowned Sparrow 17
Red-necked Grebe 20 Herring Gull 1 Dark-eyed Junco 392
Dble-crested Cormorant 82 Thayer’s Gull 4 Slate-colored Junco 4
Amer. Bittern 2 Glaucous-winged Gull 764 Red-winged Blackbird 586
Great Blue Heron 28 West X Glauc-wing Gull 34 Western Meadowlark 17
Trumpeter Swan 51 Gull sp. 20
Gr Wht-fronted Goose 13 Pigeon Guillemot 5 Yellow-headed Blackbird 6
Snow Goose 1137 Brewer’s Blackbird 438
Cackling Goose 389 Rock Pigeon 609 Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Canada Goose 570 Band-tailed Pigeon 45 Purple Finch 28
Mourning Dove 86 House Finch 174
Wood Duck 20 Barn Owl 3 Red Crossbill 1
Green-winged Teal 50 W. Screech-Owl 1 Pine Siskin 327
Mallard 1654 Great Horned Owl 4 American Goldfinch 89
Northern Pintail 996 Northern Saw-whet Owl 1 House Sparrow 64
Northern Shoveler 185 Anna’s Hummingbird 26 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (New)
Gadwall 90 Belted Kingfisher 3 Bohemian Waxwing 2 (New)
Eurasian Wigeon 15 Red-breasted Sapsucker 9 Pine Grosbeak 1 (New)
American Wigeon 4113 Downy Woodpecker 35
Canvasback 9 Hairy Woodpecker 4 Total Birds 23,030
Redhead 11 Northern Flicker 108
Ring-necked Duck 433 Yellow-shafted 2 Total Species 126
Greater Scaup 40
Lesser Scaup 52 Pileated Woodpecker 7
Harlequin Duck 2 Steller’s Jay 92
W. Scrub Jay 8
Black Scoter 1 Common Raven 2
Surf Scoter 25 American Crow 2339 THANK YOU
White-winged Scoter 6 Black-capped Chickadee 410 to all who participated in
Common Goldeneye 40 Chestnut-backed Chickadee 92
Barrow’s Goldeneye 29 Bushtit 180
the Christmas Bird Count on
Bufflehead 331 Red-breasted Nuthatch 21 December 28, 2008!
Hooded Merganser 70 Brown Creeper 13
Common Merganser 92 Bewick’s Wren 51
Red-breasted Merganser 14 Winter Wren 39
More results and a list of
Ruddy Duck 155 Marsh Wren 9 participants
Bald Eagle 43 on pages 6 and 7.
Adult 27 American Dipper 1
Immature 9 Golden-crowned Kinglet 155
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 75
Northern Harrier 12 American Robin 479
Sharp-shinned Hawk 10 Varied Thrush 19
Cooper’s Hawk 13 Cedar Waxwing 50
Northern Goshawk 1 Northern Shrike 1
Red-tailed Hawk 73 European Starling 2611
American Kestrel 3 Hutton’s Vireo 2
Merlin 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 53
Peregrine Falcon 1 Audubon’s 36
California Quail 4 Myrtle 3
Virginia Rail 3 Townsend’s Warbler 3
American Coot 438 Spotted Towhee 137
Killdeer 28 Savannah Sparrow 7
Dunlin 3 Fox Sparrow 104
Wilson’s Snipe 15 Song Sparrow 290
Bonaparte’s Gull 2

FEBRUARY 2009 - PAGE 3

 Field Trips - By Carol Schulz
Weekly Bird Walks
at Nisqually
Wednesdays
8:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Leader: Phil Kelley
Join Phil on his weekly bird walk
as he counts the birds at Nisqually
NWR. On the first Wednesday of
the month, the group takes a longer
hike on the full loop (at least for
awhile this spring, depending on
construction). The other weeks, the
trip is shorter, totaling about four
miles. On these weeks, the group
walks out to McAllister Creek via
the new cross-dike trail, then walks
the boardwalk/trail to the Twin
Barns, the Nisqually overlook area,
and out past where the ring dike
used to be.
Bring: Good walking shoes or
boots, raingear, water, snacks, and
$3 for entry fee unless you have a
pass. Scopes are welcome.
Meet: At the Visitors Center.
Directions: Take I-5 south from
Tacoma and exit to Nisqually NWR
at exit 114. Take a right at the light.
Sign-up: Call or email Phil to
confirm details: (360) 459-1499, or
scrubjay323@aol.com.
[Note: Big changes are
happening at Nisqually! Over the
next 3-4 years, while the estuary
reconstruction project is going on,
check www.fws.gov/nisqually and
click on “Events and News.” During
the reconstruction, some trails may
be closed temporarily.]
FEBRUARY 2009 - PAGE 4
Skagit and Samish
Flats
Sunday, February 8
7:00 AM to Late Afternoon
Leader: Carol Schulz
We haven’t done a Skagit trip for
a few years, and we want to see all
those wonderful birds again! Our
target birds are raptors, Snow Geese,
swans, and Short-eared Owls. We
are hoping for good looks at falcons.
Rough-legged Hawks should be
hunting and perching in these areas.
A WA Fish & Wildlife Vehicle Use
Permit is required if you are taking a
car. Limit 8. We will carpool.
BRING: VERY warm and
waterproof clothes. It can be cold
and windy on the flats. Also bring
lunch, drinks, and waterproof boots
or shoes. We will walk up to one
mile. Scopes are very welcome.
MEET: Des Moines Park & Ride by
7:00 AM, leave promptly at 7:05!
DIRECTIONS: Take I-5 to exit
149. Turn east about one block to
Military Rd. Turn north (left) on
Military. Park & Ride is on the left.
SIGN-UP: Call Carol at
(206) 824-7618, or email to linusq@
att.net. Email is preferred.
Gig Harbor
Exploration
Saturday, February 21
7:30 AM to Mid Afternoon
Leader: Jeff Cohen
Join Jeff as we explore parks,
beaches, and trails in the Gig Harbor
area. We will visit the Tacoma
Narrows, Pt. Fosdick, Raft Island
(with permission), and Kopachuk
State Park. We will look for seabirds
and waterfowl, loons, and woodland
birds. We hope to see all five
woodpeckers, and even a possible
Mute Swan. We may hear some early
spring bird song. We may walk up to
1.5 miles. We will stop at a restaurant
for lunch, or you can bring your own
lunch.
BRING: Warm clothes, lunch
if desired (or some money for a
restaurant lunch), snacks, drinks.
MEET: Carpool if desired with Carol
Schulz from McDonalds in Fife at
7:30. Her cell phone that morning is
(206) 953-7204.
DIRECTIONS to McDonalds in Fife:
Take I-5 south to exit 137 in Fife.
Turn right and get into the left lane.
Turn left (south) and go two blocks
on Hwy. 99. Turn left at the light and
drive about 1/2 block to McDonalds.
ALTERNATE MEETING SPOT:
Jeff says that people coming from
the south can met him in Gig Harbor.
Talk to Jeff for details.
SIGN-UP: Email or call Jeff at
(206) 354-5542, or kokobean2@
hotmail.com
 Field Trips, cont.
Two Winter Owl Prowls at Soos Creek
Saturday Night, February 7, 2009
Saturday Night, March 7, 2009
10:30 PM to 1:30 AM
Leaders: Joe and Liz Miles

Join Friends of Soos Creek Park volunteers Joe and Liz Miles for either one of these late-
night programs and walks exploring the world of owls! We’ll start indoors for the first hour,
learning their calls, ID, and info about our local owl species, then venture outdoors to prowl
for owls.

Group size is limited to 15 and reservations are required. Best for adults and children over 13 years. The owls program
is sponsored by Kent City Recreation Dept.

MEET: Soos Creek Park Maintenance Shop. Soos Creek Park/Trail. 24810 - 148th Ave. SE in Kent

DIRECTIONS: Take James St. east from Kent. To reach James St, exit 167 at Willis, turn east to Central and north to
James. Go east on James as it becomes SE 240th St. Travel about four miles, as 240th dips and turns downhill. Turn
right on 148th at the bottom of the hill. The Soos Creek maintenance yard will be down the road about 1/4 mile on the
left at a barn and chainlink-fenced parking lot.

SIGN-UP: Call Kent Commons at (253) 856-5000. These trips FILL EARLY. For further information, email or call Joe
Miles at (253) 629-00123 or at joe.miles@att.net. Joe can answer your questions, but cannot arrange the sign-ups.

Othello Sandhill Crane Festival

Friday through Sunday, March 20 - 22
Othello, WA
Reported by Carol Schulz

The Othello Sandhill Crane Festival is a wonderful birding festival

in eastern Washington. The FIELD TRIPS, lectures, and banquet
served at the high school are all famous now; and quite a few
participants and speakers come from out of state. The field trips
leave in school buses, vans, and cars from the high school.

Registration information and tour info is available at

www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org
or by calling (866) 726-3445 toll-free after 4 pm.

The most popular trips and accommodations fill early, so register ASAP. For more information about the
festival, call or email Carol at (206) 827-7618 or linusq@att.net. Email is preferred.

FEBRUARY 2009 - PAGE 5

Christmas Bird Count Summary
By Charlie Wright
Some great birds were found on our Kent-
Auburn CBC this year. Thanks to Mark Freeland
for compiling all of our bird data (page 3).
Three first-ever species were added to our count
in 2008. The Kent Ponds Red-shouldered Hawk,
which evaded us the last two CBCs, cooperated
this time. Two Bohemian Waxwings were at
snowy Boulevard Lane Park at the north end of
Soos Creek, and a Pine Grosbeak was “pished in”
near Maple Valley. Other great species included
Northern Goshawk and Long-tailed Duck
(count week only).
Some trends are obvious and worthy of
mention here.
The most phenomenal observations were those
of Snow Geese. In normal years, we may
see a small flock of these Skagit-wintering birds
in the valley, but any count over 20 would be
exceptional. With the snow this year, the flocks
were displaced and we enumerated a whopping
1137, including a flock of 650 at Smith Brothers
Farm.
We counted more Redheads in our area than
Canvasbacks, the latter of which used to be
much more common in the west. Western
Grebes were again not found in our area’s
saltwater, where they used to be abundant.
Anna’s Hummingbirds and Western Scrub-Jays
are both doing very well, judging by our record
numbers of both.

JOIN THE 12th ANNUAL GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

FEBRUARY 13 - 16

A joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society,
this free event is an opportunity for families, students, and people of all ages to
discover the wonders of nature in backyards, schoolyards, and local parks, and, at
the same time, make an important contribution to conservation.

Participants count birds and report their sightings online at www.birdcount.org.

Anyone can take part, from novice bird watchers to experts, by counting birds for as little as 15 minutes or
as long as they wish, on one or more days of the event and reporting their sightings. Participants can also
explore what birds others are finding in their backyards—whether in their own neighborhood or thousands of
miles away.

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, February 13–16, 2009. You can
count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one
day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than
one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time.

3. When you’re finished, enter your results through our web page at www.birdcount.org. You’ll see a button
marked “Enter Your Checklists!” on the home page beginning on the first day of the count (February 13). It will
remain active until the deadline for data submission on March 1, 2009.

FEBRUARY 2009 - PAGE 6

 Thank you to all who participated in Rainier Audubon’s 2008 Christmas Bird
Count! After weeks of snow and freezing weather, December 28th was cold (upper 30s and
low 40s), but no rain until late afternoon when the snow was almost all melted and the sun
made a welcome, if weak appearance. Nature’s miracle was the number of birds that had
survived the cold snap and came out to be counted!

A special thank you to Vern and Jean Sumner, who helped coordinate the count by calling
feeder watchers, Annette Tabor who not only arranged for the room at the Federal Way
United Methodist Church for our after-count potluck, but also set up the kitchen for dinner,
where the count leaders and counters gathered. Good food and hot drinks accompanied
Charlie Wright’s “count down.”

Thanks to all!
Nancy Streiffert
Kent/Auburn Christmas Bird Count Coordinator

Participants in the 2008 Kent/Auburn Christmas Bird Count

Feeder Watchers Field Counters

Thais Bock Caren Adams Debra Russell
Bernedine Lund Bob Bennett Kirk Scarbrough
Elaine and Henry Maros Merri Berg Amy Schillinger
Edward Moore Tom Bowden Carol Schulz
Barbara Nylund Ken Brunner Bonnie Scott
Cathea Stanley Jeff Cohen Donna Seegmueller
Lillian Stephens Joanne Cormier Carol Stoner
Dan Streiffert Liz Cormier Ross Tabor
Nancy Streiffert Sharon Cormier-Aaaard Joe and Ruth Terlouw
Carolina Wagemans Lucia Faithful Terry Thurber
Jim Flynn Michele Tirhi
Deanna Hamilton Brenda Tom
Gene Hunn Jim Tooley
Carol Johnson Ron Toonen
Steve Johnson Pat Toth
Nancy Lander-Bennett Mike Westerby
Roger Orness Cheryl White
Barbara Petersen Ryan Wiese
Ted and Kris Ripley Charlie Wright
Gordon Wright

FEBRUARY 2009 - PAGE 7

 Rainier Audubon Membership Subscription Form
One-year Membership in Rainier Audubon — $15
To join, mail this application with your payment to:

Rainier Audubon Society - Membership

PO Box 778
Auburn, WA 98071

Name _______________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________________ State ______________ Zip ______________

Email _______________________________________________________________________________