Feb 2014 Stanislaus Audubon

Valley Habitat 1

The Valley Habitat February 2014

A Joint Publ icat ion of the Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

and the Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club

Trimming the Carbon Footprint

by Steve Tomlinson, Yokuts Treasurer

Hi folks. Needless to say there are several

transportation options which help to reduce the burn-

ing of fossil fuels. In our area this would include

Amtrak, bus services, hybrid vehicles, electric cars, or

bicycles. Personally I have not driven a car for over

eight years. My primary focus today will be on elec-

tric bikes or E-bikes. I recently spent a day in Sacra-

mento and purchased my third E-bike. It was quite

convenient as the bike shop is three blocks from the

Amtrak station and close to good food as well as a

Starbucks. I test drove a couple of bikes on an asphalt

trail along the Sacramento River. After the first ride

I said "It's FUN" when asked how the ride was. The

bike is a "pedal assist" bicycle in that you can regulate

how much the electric motor assists your pedaling. Or

you can go with throttle only. The range of mileage

on a battery charge ranges from about 10 to 25 miles.

Top speed is 20 m.p.h. There are lots of electric bikes

available with a range in prices as well.

I could talk for days about alternate transporta-

tion and E-bikes. I am more than open to anyone's

questions.

However the prevalent concern for me

is whether individuals are willing to make a change or

sacrifice to help save the planet.

The bike shop owner tells me that environ-

mental reasons account for about 5%-10% of E-bike

purchases. The #1 reason is to have "fun". Behind fun

are saving money and health. Of course change is not

always easy, even when done for good reasons. Re-

sistance, rationalizations and excuses are always easy

and convenient. My experience is that cutting the car-

bon or making a lifestyle change is not really that

hard. New habits can take the place of old ones.

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club Program 7p.m. Friday, February 21, 2014

Adam Blauert : New and Future Hiking Opportunities in California

Adam Blauert is a correspondent to the Merced Sun-Star. He's an avid outdoorsman who enjoys

fishing, backpacking, and exploring the western states.

His talk will center on new and future hiking opportunities in California. For those who want a sneak

preview of what Adam could present, take a look at

some of his columns in the Merced Sun-Star at mercedsunstar.com. His topics range from the dessert to the

coast, the mountains to the Central Valley.

Be sure to explore his galleries on Bodie, Death Valley and the Black Rock Dessert.

College Avenue Congregational Church 1341 College Avenue - Refreshments and socializing begin at 6:45 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. -Non-members are always welcome! The program is free and open to the public.

The beautiful 2014 Sierra Club Engagement Calendars and Wall Calendars will be sold, discounted, at the

Ferbruary 21st program or you can call Doug Hardie at (209) 524-6651 to order them.

Valley Habitat 2

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety RECENT SIGHTINGS OF RARE OR UNCOMMON BIRDS

MERCED COUNTY:

On November 30, Justin Bosler had a PALM WARBLER at Dinosaur Point in San Luis Reservoir; that is only the second Merced County record for this species. Kent van Vuren had three PECTO-RAL SANDPIPERS and a RUFF at the restricted access Los Baos Water Treatment Plant on De-cember 4. At that same location on December 18, Kent had a SAGEBRUSH SPARROW, a species which was split from the newly named Bells Sparrow last summer. Gary Woods saw six MOUN-TAIN PLOVERS off Sandy Mush Road on December 7. On December 28, another RUFF was found by Al DeMartini and Peter Metropulos at the Los Baos Water Treatment Facility ponds. Dale Swanberg found a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL at Henderson Park near Snelling on December 30.

Although not a county record, this was the first visual sighting of this species of owl in Merced County. On January 3, Kent van Vuren reported four BROWN PELICANS continuing at San Luis Reservoir. Also on January 3, Kent Johnson had a male adult VERMILION FLYCATCHER on Santa Fe Grade Road. This is possibly the same bird returning to that location over several previ-ous winters.

STANISLAUS COUNTY:

Harold Reeve, Bill Amundsen, Eric Caine, and Ralph Baker had a female GREATER SCAUP on December 8 at the

Modesto Water Quality Control Facility. On December 11, Sal Salerno had a TOWNSENDS SOLITAIRE in Del Puerto Canyon. Harold Reeve found a HERMIT WARBLER associating with Townsends Warblers at Tuolumne River Regional Park on December 24. While re-finding this warbler at that park on December 28, Frances Oliver had a

WESTERN TANAGER. The Hermit Warbler and tanager are apparently overwintering, which is possibly due to the

warm, dry climate that our county had in December.

Sherrie and Harold Reeve found a juvenile female YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER on Sonora Road, one mile

west of Knights Ferry, on December 30. If this sapsucker is accepted by the S.B.R.C, it would be only the third record of this species since 1987. Jurgen Lehnert, a birder visiting California from Germany, found a BELLS SPARROW in Del Puerto Canyon on January 6.

(NOTE: The LARK BUNTING found on November 1 was still seen by several observers on the Caswell-Westley

Christmas Bird Count on January 5.)

HERMIT WARBLER

John Sterling YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER John Harris

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

Valley Habitat 3

All birdwatchers, from

backyard enthusiasts to ornithol-

ogists, began as beginners. During

that learning curve, each of them

has wondered, Why doesnt that bird in the field look like this one

in the book? Intermediates still get

stumped, and even advanced bird-

ers have been known to retract

their initial calls. In exploring

some reasons for misidentification,

I will have to state the obvious

again. But if we remember how

mistakes were made, we will not

only make fewer of them, but also

we will forgive ourselves, and each

other, when we inevitably stumble.

I would like to highlight

three issues with misidentification:

observers misinterpreting the bird,

the birds themselves being abnor-

mal, or books misaligning from

actual birds.

1. ITS NOT YOU, ITS ME! First, lets put observers

on the spot. Our minds often gain

an unfair advantage over our sens-

es. What we actually see is often

distorted by what we expect or

wish to see. If we swiftly assume

the bird we see is a particular com-

mon species, our minds will em-

phasize only marks that confirm

our assumption, while overlooking

other details that may actually be

there. That bird we dismiss as just

another Savannah Sparrow with a

glance may really be an uncom-

mon Vesper Sparrow with closer

scrutiny.

This observer bias can run

in the opposite direction, too. At

times, we may wish to see a rare

species so urgently that we may

temporarily turn a common bird into a rarity by bending what we

see and hear to our wishes. We

dont want to trust our senses be-cause of what is at stakeso much traveling, so much searchingso we allow our imagination to run,

like wild dogs rampant in the field.

It would seem these

perceptual errors would be reduced

with multiple observers, but there

is often a collective hypnosis among like-minded birders. If a

field trip leader (or someone who

just acts confidently) makes the

first call on a bird, nearly everyone

may not only believe that call, but

will choose to see what they have been told is there. Years ago, I

tramped in the rain with birders in

Humboldt County to see a Spotted

Owl that was called in, and merely

glanced at, by our leader, until an

astute birder borrowed my binocu-

lars and named it correctly as a

Barred Owl.

Yes, we should let our

senses get ahead of our minds, but

no, we cannot always trust our

senses. Optical illusions abound in

the field. Estimating a birds size is tough enough, but a dark back-

ground can make a pale bird ap-

pear larger than the others, while a

light background can cause a dark

bird to appear larger than the rest.

A bird viewed near the horizon

among trees, or seen flying through

fog, or even spotted through a

scope, may appear larger than a

bird flying directly overhead or

flying in a clear sky, or larger even

than a bird seen closer to us with

binoculars. One shorebird by itself

is often more difficult to size than one that is foraging with Dunlins

and Least Sandpipers, which can

provide helpful reference sizes for

comparison.

Judging a birds shape may be made more difficult by its

differing postures, not to mention

its constantly altering feather ar-

rangements. A perched bird facing

the wind may have a sleeker shape

than when foraging on the ground.

A bird may fluff up its feathers

when cold, pull its feathers down

when frightened, or raise its feath-

ers when annoyed, changing its

shape from its neutral position. A bird in flight will be constantly

moving its flight feathers and

body, making its actual shape

trickier to know. For example, one

of the field marks by which a

Common Raven can be known is a

wedge-shaped tail, but often the mercurial flight of ravens wont reveal that feature.

(Continued on page 6)

NOT LIKE THE ONE IN THE BOOK! (Part One) by Salvatore Salerno

What Bird? Joe Devine

Stanislaus Audubon Society

Board of Directors: Bill Amundsen, Ralph

Baker, Eric Caine, Lori Franzman, Jody Hall-

strom, David Froba, Jim Gain, Daniel Gilman,

John Harris, Harold Reeve, Salvatore Salerno.

Officers & Committee Chairs

President: Sal Salerno 985-1232

([email protected])

Vice President: Eric Caine 968-1302

([email protected])

Treasurer: David Froba 521-7265

([email protected])

Secretary: John Harris 848-1518

([email protected])

Membership: Revolving

San Joaquin River Refuge Field Trips:

Bill Amundsen 521-8256

([email protected])

Other Field Trips: David Froba 521-7265

([email protected])

Christmas Bird Counts Coordinator; Secre-

tary, Stanislaus Birds Records Committee:

Harold Reeve 538-0885

How to Join Audubon

To become a member of the National

Audubon Society, which entitles you

to receive Valley Habitat and Audubon

Magazine, send your check for $20.00 to:

National Audubon Society

Membership Data Center

P.O. Box 422250

Palm Coast, FL 32142

Visit our web site: www.stanislausbirds.org

Valley Habitat 4

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

AUDUBON FIELD TRIPS

February 2, Modesto Reservoir/Turlock Lake. In winter these lakes

can attract scores of waterfowl, grebes and the occasional loon. The

shoreline may have large numbers of shorebirds, while the surrounding

grasslands can be superb for raptors. If there is water in the Turlock Lake

outlet canal we may be lucky enough to find Barrows Goldeneye. We may also visit Joe Domecq Wilderness Area and Dawson Lake (time per-

mitting). This is a combined trip with San Joaquin Audubon so the start

time will be later than usual. Meet at the Stanislaus County Library park-

ing lot (1500 I Street) at 8:00a.m. Bring lunch. We will return to Modesto

mid-afternoon. Trip leader Ralph Baker. Please email Ralph

at [email protected] if you plan to go or if you have

any questions.

February 15 and March 16. San Joaquin River National Wildlife

Refuge is huge and offers the most diverse habitats in the area, including

mixed species transitional savannas, riparian forest, oak woodlands, grassland,

and seasonal wetlands. Trip leader, Bill Amundsen ( 521-8256, birdscouter-

@prodigy.net), chooses the particular habitats to visit each month based on

conditions and season. Meet at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500

I Street. at 7:00 a.m. Bring lunch. We will return to Modesto early after-

noon.

March 1. Ideal Duck Club, Los Banos. Duck club owner, Dale Azevedo,

is opening his duck club for us to bird after hunting season. After the sea-

son the water is drawn down, exposing large mud flats and attracting

shore birds by the tens of thousands. We'll be there to watch. Don't miss

this unique opportunity to bird an area seldom seen. Trip leader to be an-

nounced. For more information contact David Froba, [email protected],

521-7265. Meet at the Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500 I

Street, Modesto) at 7:00 a.m. Bring lunch. We will return to Modesto

mid-afternoon.

Audubon Field Trip Email List

If you would like to be on a group

email to advise you of all

Audubon field trips, please email:

Dave Froba at [email protected].

EARLY BIRDERS CLASS, WINTER 2014

Salvatore Salerno is offering another Early Birders class through the

M.J.C. Community Education Department. This course is designed for

the beginning or intermediate bird watcher in the identification and en-

joyment of birds.

The classroom session is on Thursday, February 6. The first field

trip is on February 8 to Merced National Wildlife Refuge. The sec-

ond field trip is on February 15 to San Luis National Wildlife Ref-

uge.

Look for Early Birders in the mailed class catalog or online at

www.mjc4life.org. For further information, call 575-6063.

Valley Habitat 5

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Dayhike 2B

Las Trampas Wilderness. We will

hike up from Bollinger Canyon to the

Las Trampas (eastern) ridge of this

East Bay Regional Park and continue

on trails part-way down the other side

to the Eugene ONeill historic site. The hike will be approximately

7-8 miles in length, and 900 ft in ele-

vation gain. For further information,

including the meet-up time and place,

please contact Yokuts trip leader Ran-

dall Brown at 209 632-5994.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

4-mile Dayhike 1A

Winter Hike Along the Tuolumne

River from Legion Park.

Meet at the parking lot by American

Legion Hall (1001 S.Santa Cruz Ave.)

at 9:30 AM. Dogs and children

welcome. No signup necessary.

Info: Dorothy 549-9155

Thursdays: Midweek Hikes in the

Groveland/Highway 120 Area

(Tuolumne Group, Motherlode

Chapter of the Sierra Club)

Each Thursday meet at Mary Laveroni

Park, Groveland at 9am for an ap-

proximate 6-mile hike. Bring a jacket,

water, sunscreen and a snack in a day-

pack and wear hiking boots. The hike

is generally followed by a YO sack

lunch. Call Frank Oyung for further

details, (209) 962-7585

Happy 2014 and Thanks to all who attended the

Yokuts Holiday Party this past December.

It was a GREAT party with wonderful food, happy friends, caroling

and a raffle for special baskets.

One basket was won by Dorothy Griggs!

We had such a good time.lets do it again next year. Mark your

calendars and watch the Habitat for the exact date.

Kathy Weise

Yokuts Sierra Club Joins Meetup

The Yokuts Sierra Club group, along with the Delta Sierra and

Tuolumne groups have formed a Stockton-Modesto-Sonora

Meetup group that includes Sierra Club outings and events. Its

easy and free to join this Meetup, just go to the link below and sign

up. Its not necessary to be a Sierra Club member to join. Once

you sign up, you will automatically be sent announcements of new

and upcoming Meetup events. Join the fun and get active in the Si-

erra Club.

http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-

Club/

Valley Habitat 6

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety & Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

NOT LIKE THE ONE IN THE BOOK! (Part One) (Continued from page 3)

Judging a birds color is often complicated by the quality and direction of light on the subject. A bird that is

backlit by sunlight will appear as a silhouette, with virtually

all its colors dissolving to shades. Strong, direct sunlight

will enable us to see the bird well, but surprisingly, only

strongly contrasting colors will emerge, not the subtler tones

of the feathers. The light on an overcast day, however, may

enable you to see traces of yellow, olive, and green more

readily. The slanting light of sunrise or sunset may lend red

or orange shadings that really arent on the bird, or it may put highlights on a birds plumage, making it appear whiter than it really is. We must also be aware that the light shed

onto a bird may have been reflected off a surface like snow,

water, foliage in trees, thereby transferring some of its color

onto that bird. Even the angle from which we see the bird

can appear to alter its color; for one example, grayish-

backed gulls appear darker as they turn away from our view.

What can observers do to lessen these confusions?

Look long and well at many individuals of the same bird,

and at many different kinds of birds, under as many differ-

ent field conditions as possible.

(NEXT MONTH: ITS NOT ME, ITS YOU!)

Online Valley Habitat for Yokuts

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club members who want to receive the color version of the Valley Habitat online can sent an

email to this address to opt-in: [email protected]

Type SUBSCRIBE MOTHERLODE-YOKUTS-NEWS first name last name in the body of the mesage.

Recycle

At the 7 p.m. Friday, February 21, Yokuts

Program

College Avenue Congregational Church 1341 College Avenue - Refreshments and socializing

begin at 6:45 p.m.

Recycle receptacles will be available

to capture your contributions of used house-

hold batteries, used CFL Lightbulbs, old eye-

glasses, and old cellphones.

Lets all do our bit to keep hazardous stuff out

of the trash.

Eyeglasses are turned in to The Lions Club for

distribution to those who can use them.

Used Cellphones are converted to Telephone

Calling Cards for overseas military personnel.

If you have too many magazines and books,

you can bring those, too. They are distributed

to local homebound Veterans.

ONLINE NEWSLETTER REQUEST CONTINUES

Stanislaus Audubon Society is still collecting email addresses from S.A.S. members who wish to receive

Valley Habitat online. You can email [email protected] with Online Newsletter as the subject. Put

your membership name in the body of the text WITH YOUR POSTAL ZIP CODE.

Valley Habitat 7



Management Committee

Co-Chairs Anita Young & Candy Klaschus

Treasurer Steve Tomlinson 544-1617

(steve.tomlinson97@gmail,com)

Secretary Maryann Hight 417-9114

([email protected])

Programs Linda Lagace 863-9137

([email protected])

Conservation Brad Barker 526-5281

([email protected])

Membership Anita Young 529-2300

([email protected])

Hospitality Candy Klaschus 632-5473

([email protected])

Publicity Dorothy Griggs 549-9155

([email protected])

Outings Randall Brown 632-5994

([email protected])

Newsletter Nancy Jewett 664-9422

([email protected])

Mailing Kathy Weise 545-5948

([email protected])

Population Milt Trieweiler 535-1274

([email protected])

Fundraising Leonard Choate 524-3659

Website Jason Tyree

([email protected])

Check out our Website:

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts

To send stories to the Habitat, e-mail:

[email protected]

Sierra Club Membership

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Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support

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Enclose payment information and mail to:

P.O. Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041

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Link to

the

Yokuts

Web-

Rim Fire Recovery and More:

Tuolumne River Trust

http://www.tuolumne.org/content/

The Valley Habitat February 2014

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts

Yokuts Group

Mother Lode Chapter

Sierra Club

P.O. Box 855

Modesto, CA 95353

Non-Profit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Modesto, CA

Permit No. 139

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

http://stanislausbirds.org

Home Landscaping Ideas for Drought-Stricken California: Maybe take out the thirsty lawn? Above, low-

water-use home in Turlock, CA. with > 80% native plants: Left photo Summer 2013 (N. Jewett); Right photo Jan-

uary 2014. See http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/view-gardens for more ideas and pictures.

Feb 2014 Stanislaus Audubon

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Transcript of Feb 2014 Stanislaus Audubon