Heron Herald January 2016

The

Rainier Audubon Society January 2016

Rainier Audubon programs are held at 7:00 PM at the

Federal Way United Methodist Church29645 - 51st Ave. So. 98001 (in unincorporated Auburn)

RAS Membership MeetingJanuary 18, 2016

Bluebird Reintroduction ProgramThe Western Bluebird (Sialiamexicana) was a commoninhabitant in oak-prairie and otheropen habitats in westernWashington and southwesternBritish Columbia until the early-1900’s when habitat loss andfragmentation and competition fornest cavities from exotic speciestriggered a wave of extirpationsacross the region. Since 2007, theWestern Bluebird has been thesubject of a large-scalereintroduction project. Join us asGary Slater provides an update onthe reintroduction, discusses theprogress and setbacks to thisconservation program, anddescribes the important role thatSouth Puget Sound and privatelandowners play in the recovery ofthis iconic species.Gary Slater is an Avian Ecologistfor the Center for Natural LandsManagement (CNLM) and

research associate for Ecostudies Institute. His current research focuses on the reintroduction ecology of passerines andavian-habitat relationships in prairie-oak habitats in South Puget Sound.He received a B.S. in Wildlife Science from Purdue University (1989) and a M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University ofFlorida (1997).Join us at 6:30 for conversation and snacks.

Rainier Audubon Society

January 2016

RAS MissionStatement

To conserve and restore naturalecosystems and protect birds andother wildlife for the benefit ofhumanity and biological diversityin South King County and theworld we live in.

Rainier Audubon Officers

President Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Vice President Steve Feldman* 360-802-5211

Treasurer Laura Lavington* 253-941-7372

Secretary Heather Gibson* 253-856-9812

Program Chair Dale Meland 253-946-1637

Field Trip Chair Open

Membership Chair Pat Toth* 206-767-4944

Backyard Habitat Chair Marie West-Johnson 206-817-8754

Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Mailing Chair Debra Russell 425-271-0682

Hospitality Sandra Embrey 253-517-3363

Newsletter Editor Dan Streiffert* 253-796-2203

Webmaster Treesa Hertzel 253-255-1808

Education Chair Annette Tabor* 253-927-3208

Christmas Bird Count Coordinator Alex Juchems 253-529-8996

Board Member Max Prinsen 425-432-9965

Board Member Erin Wojewodski-Prinsen 425-432-9965

Publicity Tom Sernka 253-529-8970

*Also serves as Board Member

Board meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM at the FederalWay United Methodist Church, and are open to all members.

Sign up for our Googleemail list!

The intent of this site is to assist inpublicizing our activities to membersand the general public relating to ourclub activities. Anyone may join orleave the group at any time. You maysign up on at:

http://groups.google.com/group/ras-activites?hl=en

Taco TimeCoupon Books

for SaleRainier Audubon Society is going tobe selling Taco Time coupon books atthe welcome table at the membershipmeeting this month. They will also befor sale at the February and Marchmembership meetings. The books are$1.00 each, and they contain $5.00 worth of coupons. The coupons arevalid through April 30, 2016. You can buy as many coupon books as youwould like, and the entire $1.00 goes to Rainier Audubon. So, if you buy abook and use just one coupon, Rainier comes out ahead, and you comeout even. For more information, visit www.TacoTimeNW.com, or talk toLaura Lavington at the welcome table before or after membershipmeetings.

UpcomingPrograms

● 2/15/2016 Jay Galvin

● 3/21/2016 Shari Tarantino -Orca Conservancy

● 4/18/2016 Joy & Craig Johnson- Birds and Backyard WildlifeHabitat

● 5/16/2016 Peter Hodum -Plastic Debris in the Environment



www.RainierAudubon.org

January 2016

Seen & Heard by Calen Randall

Bio: Calen is a 16 year old birder. He enjoys birding in the Green River Valley and the Skagit Valley Flats. Calen is thrilled tocontinue the ‘Seen and Heard’ for a fifth year. When not birding, Calen can be seen flying up and down the ice at Kent Valley IceCenter or trekking to class at Highline Community College.

One damp Decemberafternoon, as I walkedin the door back from

school, my gramma called from thekitchen table, “Look at that hawk overthere in your neighbor’s yard.” Sureenough, standing on a wooden perchin my neighbor’s yard was a Cooper’sHawk. The hawk’s mottled russet andwhite chest blended in smoothly withthe rich browns of the trees andbrambles behind her. If she had notmoved her head, she would havebeen nearly impossible to spot, eventhough she was perched in the open.As we pulled out the binoculars, wespotted an unfortunate unidentifiablelump of prey--another victim of thehawk’s “dash and grab”. Spotting thehawk just about to eat its lunch wasdifferent than spotting a raptor eatinga meal out in the field; this was mybackyard area, and I hoped that hiskill wasn’t one of our favorite backyardfrequenters like Piebald Pete, theJunco, or our squirrel, Fat and AgileIV (the latest descendent of the Fatand Agile line). Only a single featherremained on the kill, so my grammaand I chose to believe the kill was anunwanted rodent and not one of ourtreasured song birds.

We were quitelucky that the hawk was notin a hurry to eat, and forover an hour, we stared atthe accipiter through ourbirding scope and marveled at itshawkish majestic beauty. Though Ihad seen numerous Cooper’s Hawksgliding on air drafts in the valley andperched in trees scanning for prey, itwas spectacular to watch the

Cooper’s for such a long period oftime. I admired its stocky and powerfulbody, dappled with red and white onits chest, and coated with blue-greyon its back. Its broad chest and largebody was a telltale sign that she wasfemale. Accipiters like the Cooper’sHawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, andNorthern Goshawk exhibit reversesexual dimorphism, the females aremuch bigger than the males. Thiscauses confusion as the Cooper’smale and the Sharpie female arenearly the same size. Her piercingeyes were captivating. When theystruck the light, they flashed a deepclear orange, like the glowing moltenglass fresh out of the oven kiln. Icould make out a dark black slit onher curved beak, the rest was blood-stained from her recent kill. However,what entranced me most was herstriking rufous cheek.

After a while, theCooper’s had enough ofbeing observed andflapped back intothe berm todevour herprey. Asshegobbledup her

meal (she was the perfect zero-wastemachine, nothing of her kill went towaste), I wondered, when would hernext meal be? Would she eat againthat day, or would she be full enoughto wait until the next sunrise? I had

seen her fly over the house oncebefore. Would our backyard become aregular kill spot, or had she alreadyfrequented here without us knowing? Ienjoyed watching her up close, but Ireally didn’t want to start losing thefamiliar song birds of my yard!

As I searched through theinternet to find out more aboutCooper’s Hawk foraging behavior, Icame across an interesting study inVancouver, BC. Recently, Canadianresearchers were studying livercontaminants of Cooper’s Hawks andPeregrine Falcons. One Cooper’s inVancouver was found to have toxicitylevels over sixty times higher thanaverage. Scientists expected that thetoxicity was due to a diet rich onStarlings that lived around a landfill.Thankfully, the prey our Cooper’s atewas most likely “organic” compared to

the diet of a Cooper’s Hawkfrom the Vancouver landfill!(You can check out the articleathttp://www.audubon.org/news/the-most-polluted-bird-world)

Before our Cooper’s left theyard, she stopped one moretime at the top of a deciduoustree in my other neighbor’s

yard. Once again, like achameleon, she blended in with

her surroundings. This time it washer blue-grey back that meshed with

the dark trunk of the tree. Her longtail was in full view just before shetook off into the cloudy December

skies.

Recent BirdSightings:

Thanks to Dan Streiffert, LisaMesplayfor their (Continued on page 9)




January 2016

Field Trips

Weekly Birdwalks at NisquallyWednesdays 8:00 am to Noon

Leader: Phil KelleyJoin Phil Kelley on his weekly bird walks as he counts the birdsat Nisqually NWR. The group walks over to an area near thevisitor's center to view the entry road estuary, and then takesthe boardwalk/trail loop out to the Twin Barns, and the Nisquallyoverlook area. From there, the group walks the dike, and backto the Riparian Forest.

Some may choose to continue on the new boardwalk extensionwhich goes out toward the mouth of McAlister Creek. It hasbenches and covered viewing areas.

The walk totals 2.0 miles roundtrip to the boardwalk extension.In winter the estuary boardwalk will add an additional 1 3/4miles total, so the whole walk including the boardwalk extensionis up to 3 3/4 miles.

Bring: Good walking shoes or boots, rain gear, water, snacks,and $3 for entry fee unless you have a pass. Scopes arewelcome.

Meet: At the Visitor's Center Pond Overlook.

Directions: Take I-5 south from Tacoma and exit to NisquallyNWR at exit 114. Take a right at the light.

Sign-up is not necessary. Call or email Phil Kelley if you havequestions. Phil Kelley, Lacey, (360) 459 1499,[email protected]

_______________________________________________________

Raptors of the Auburn/KentValley

Sunday, Feb 14, 2016; 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.Leader: Roger Orness

Roger Orness will take us to prime raptor viewing spots in thevalley during this very-popular field trip. Past trips have beenproductive for falcons, accipiters and many red-tails to comparethe different color morphs. Eagles could be occupying their nestand there is a chance for an early nesting red-tail, if we arelucky.

Meet: We will meet at the Auburn Super Mall parking lot northof McDonalds on 15th SW off I-167 at 08:00 and start at 08:30.We will carpool and return by 2 PM.

Bring: Bring your lunch, drinks and snacks, dress warmly forthe weather and be prepared for a short walk on a level gravelroad inside a closed area of the Kent ponds.

Space is limited, so email or call Roger soon to reserve yourspot.

Roger Orness, [email protected], 253-922-7516, 253-312-6561(cell)

___________________________________________________

Soos Creek Owl ProwlsSaturday Night, Feb 27, 2016 -

or Sat. Night, Mar 26, 2016;10:00 PM to 1:00 AM

Leaders: Joe and Liz Miles

Join Friends of Soos Creek Parkvolunteers Joe and Liz Miles for thislate night program and walk exploringthe world of owls. We'll startindoors for the first hour learningcalls, ID, and info about ourlocal owls, then ventureoutdoors to prowl for owls.

There is limited spacefor this program.Reservations arerequired. Best foradults and childrenover 13 years. Groupsize is limited to 15. Theowls program is sponsored by Kent City RecreationDept.

Meet: Meet at the Soos Creek Park Maintenance Shop. SoosCreek Park/Trail 24810 148th Avenue SE, Kent.

Directions: Take James Street east from Kent. To reachJames St, exit I-167 at Willis, turn east to Central, and North toJames. Travel east on James as it becomes SE 240th St.Travel about 4 miles, as 240th dips and turns downhill. Turnright (south) on 148th Ave near the bottom of the hill. The SoosCreek maintenance yard will be down the road about 1/4 mileon the left at a barn and chainlink-fenced parking lot.

Sign-up: Call Kent Commons, Kent City Parks and Recreation,253-856-5000. This trip FILLS EARLY. Please register inadvance.

For further info: E-mail or call Joe Miles,([email protected]), (253) 639-0123. Joe cananswer your questions but cannot arrange the sign-ups.

mailto:[email protected]





January 2016

Birding Rochester - by Laura Lavington

Native Songbird [email protected]

P.O. Box 242, Enumclaw, WA 98022

In September, I took a trip toUpstate New York. In severalof my travel articles for the

Heron Herald, I’ve made thedisclaimer that, while I did see birds,I was not specifically on a birdingtrip. Well, the trip to New Yorkdefinitely was not a birding trip. Andyet, sometimes birding just happens,doesn’t it?

I found out about a Septemberediting conference in New Yorksometime in late August. When Iread the list of session topics, I wasimmediately interested. I thought,“Oh, Alaska Airlines flies to NewYork City now, and my mom worksfor Alaska Airlines, so maybe I cango standby…” However, right after Ihad that thought, I realized that theconference was actually in UpstateNew York, and Alaska Airlines mostcertainly does not fly to Rochester.Well, the short version is that Ifound out about someoneattending the conference whowas driving from New YorkCity, so I contacted her aboutcarpooling. Pretty normalsounding, huh? Well, thestressful part was that, when Iinitially began planning this, Idid not realize that the Popewas going to be arriving inNew York City the same daythat I planned to arrive. Eventhe same airport! I was goingstandby, so that means therehas to be an empty seat…when I initially looked at theflight loads a couple of weeksbefore, there were plenty of seats. Iguess everyone else got the newsabout the Pope late, too, becauseseats started filling like crazy rightbefore I was set to leave, and I had

already paid forthe conference!Well, it was allright: my scheduleis pretty flexible,so I flew to JFK ona red-eye a dayearlier. Because ofthat, I got to visitManhattan for afew hours, andthings werecertainly abuzzabout the Pope!(The plane was fullof folks onpilgrimage to seethe Pope, too.)Yes, I definitely did buy some Popemerchandise.

Well, the car ride to Rochesterwas about five hours, and theweather was absolutely perfect. It

was late September, and the colorswere turning on the deciduous trees.You may think from all of my recentarticles in the Heron Herald abouttravel that I surely have been

everywhere, but in fact, I’dnever been to the northeastbefore this trip. Theconference went well, butthere was something that Iwanted to do: Rochester is soclose to Lake Ontario, and Ihad never seen a Great Lakebefore (yes, never!), so Ihoped my driver would be

able to take a couple of us there. Itworked out: the conference endedearly enough on the last day that wewere able to drive across town to apark on Lake Ontario. And that, myfriends, is how this trip got its birding

element.

When I first asked aboutdriving to the lake, I wasn’tthinking about birds, really. Iguess that is pretty disloyal ofme, because I suppose truebirders are constantly thinkingabout birds. Well, blame it onthe red-eye flight and thesubsequent modest amount ofsleep I had been getting, but Ikind of forgot about birds. I justthought that it would be ashame to come so close to aGreat Lake and not see one.However, once we arrived atOntario Beach Park and

walked to the beach, I no longercould forget to remember the birds.The sandy beach was covered withgulls! I didn’t see many other birds,perhaps because as we got there,the late afternoon turned intoevening, but I certainly did see gulls.

Now, before I became abirder a few years ago, I thought thatthe things were “seagulls.” I nowknow that that terms is frownedupon in birding circles, for gulls, ofcourse, are not just on the coast.Eventhough (Continued on page 8)






January 2016

Bird of the Month: ChickadeesReprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

Found across much of North America,the chickadee is a favorite bird ofmany people. In Washington, we havethree kinds of chickadees: Blackcapped, Chestnut-backed and Moun-tain.

The Black-capped Chickadeehas an oversized round headwith a black cap and bib. It haswhite cheeks, a gray back, wingsand tail and whitish underside.

The Chestnut-backed Chickadeeis boldly black and white on thehead but the back is a rich chest-nut brown instead of gray.

The Mountain Chickadee is foundin the evergreen forests of thewestern mountains. It is alsoblack and white on the head andgray elsewhere but it has a distinctivewhite stripe over each eye that distin-

guishes it from other chicka-dees.

Chickadees are cavity nest-ers and will use nesting box-es. They mate for life andcan live upwards to 10 - 12

years.

The female will lay 6-8speckled eggs which willhatch in about 12 days.The chicks will fledgethe nest about 21 days later.

Although chickadees visit seedand suet feeders readily and reg-ularly, research has shown thatover 75-80% of their winter foodsupply still comes from natural

sources. They will supplement theirfeeder diet with spiders, dormant in-

sects and even carrion. Research hasalso shown that having access tofeeders during the winter almost dou-bles the chickadees' survival rate.

Weighing less than half an ounce,chickadees are tough little birds that

do not migrate. During coldweather, they need twenty timesas much food as they do in thesummer. A chickadee can gainas much as 10% of its bodyweight each day and lose it dur-ing a cold winter night.

Chickadees are excellent "cach-ers". They will hide hundreds ofseeds and be able to locate themlater to dine on.

The Black-capped Chickadee isthe state bird of Massachusetts

and Maine.

FREE DISCOVER PASSES FOR MEMBERS OF RAINIER AUDUBONSOCIETY

To support our state parks – and to boost membership - the local chapter of the Audubon Society, called the Rainier AudubonSociety, is giving away free Discover Passes to any new member who joins Rainier Audubon during 2014.

All you have to do is come to a meeting, join up and get your free Discover Pass. The cost of joining is $25.00/individual and$30/family. The cost of a Discover Pass is normally $35.00 dollars so you’ve just saved $10.00 and you have a year’smembership in the Audubon Society and a year’s free access to all of the state parks in Washington.

Each Discover Pass can be used for any two vehicles you own. Just fill out two license plate numbers on the Pass, hang it fromthe rear view mirror of whichever car you’re taking, and you’re good to go for a full year of state park recreation.

The Rainier Audubon Society meets monthly at the United Methodist Church in Federal Way, and presents programs on allaspects of nature, birding, conservation, outdoor photography, and many other topics that adults and children who love theoutdoors enjoy. For more information go to www.RainierAudubon.org.


January 2016

Mewsings from MillieReprint Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien

Ochre-breasted Antpitta and Giant Antpitta

As some of you know, a coupleof my people had the excitingopportunity to go on a birding

tour in Ecuador recently. Yes, like inSouth America! As it turned out thisadventure was so much more thanthat.

Besides seeing many awesomebirds, they also met some fascinatingand inspiring people not the leastbeing Paul J. Greenfield whoillustrated and helped author "TheBirds of Ecuador Field Guide". Hewas a co-leader on the trip! He is alsothe executive director of the MindoCloudforest Foundation. Along withhis friend and colleague, JuanVeintimilla, he also co-owns the MindoCloudforest Reservewhich includes theMilpe and RioSilanche birdsanctuaries.

Some years ago,Paul, Juan and a fewother like-mindedpeople bandedtogether to fight theoil companies whowanted to buildpipelines throughthe jungle. As aresult, much of theland on thenorthwest slopes of the AndesMountains is owned, managed andprotected by local people and otherswho are interested in preserving andrestoring habitat. Where jungle habitathad been mowed down to create ill-conceived cow pastures, nativespecies are being planted and areasare being reforested.

There are people like Richard andGloria Parsons who foundedBellavista Cloudforest Reserve byacquiring 136 acres of land back in1991. Today, Bellavista isapproximately 2000 acres in size andis a certified ecolodge with 10kilometers of trails and otheramenities. It is home to an enormousvariety of bird species and otherwildlife including the endangered

spectacled bear, the puma, theAndean coati and the tayra.

My people visited the humble home ofRolando near Mindo. He has createdan incredible haven for tanagers andhummingbirds in his back yard anddelights birders and tourists from allover the world.

Likewise, Rafael has developed abiodiversity corridor at his RanchoSuamox by reforesting his land withnative species and creating a gardenparadise that prevents the advance ofagricultural and ranching practices.

My people were honored to travel toRefugio Paz de las Aves and betreated by host, Angel Paz and his

brother, Rodrigo, to excellent views ofan Andean Cock of the Rock lek. Inaddition, they experienced up closeand personal encounters with Carinoand his world-famous girlfriend, Maria,a pair of Giant Antpittas; Willemina, aYellow-breasted Antpitta; Susannah,a Moustached Antpitta; Shakira, anOchre-Breasted Antpitta and Pepitaand Pepito, a pair of Rufous-breastedAntthrushes. They said it was nothingshort of miraculous as the two mencoaxed these shy, skulky birds outinto the open by offering food andcalling the birds gently by name!

My people said Tony Nunnery andBarbara Boltz must also be mentionedfor the amazing work they have done.These two diligent, hard-workingpeople have taken scores of uselessacres of cow pasture and over the last

twenty years transformed the land intoa totally native and natural habitat,Pacha de Quinde (HummingbirdWoods). The feeders they had set uparound their yard behind their housewere absolutely swarming with allkinds of hummingbirds. It must havebeen something to see!

Last but not least, my people learnedthat Ecuador has a road that is

unequivocally dedicatedto birding. The 50kilometer Nono-MindoRoad is now the EcorutaEl Paseo del Quindeotherwise known as TheHummingbirds Trail orsimply the Ecoroute. Thetraditional purpose of thisroad is to develop theeconomy of the localcommunities and createjobs in activitiesdirectly and indirectlyrelated to bird tourismand ecotourism. Is thatinspired or what?

So besides seeing a huge variety andnumber of birds, my people werecertainly educated about the fantasticefforts being made by everydaypeople to preserve and restore habitatin the beautiful country of Ecuador.

If you would like to learn more and/orsupport these types of efforts, pleasevisit www.mindocloudforest.org.

Until next time,

Millie, the Muse of Mews


January 2016

I was aware of that, it was stillstriking to see so many gulls inland.In fact, the lake didn’t look a wholelot different from the ocean. Thebeach was sand (I collected somesand for my sand collection), therewere waves, and there was asignificant amount of breeze createdby the lake (perhaps one might evencall it “windy”). I was plenty aware,however, that I was inland, and Ilooked at the gulls, thinking “you slycreatures, you really aren’tseagulls.” The grass beside thebeach was completely blanketed inwhite or light gray feathers. One ofmy companions commented on thefact, and I realized that thosefeathers belonged to the gulls. Iguess the wind blew massive

amounts of feathers into the grassypicnic area of the park.

The lake’s enchantment waspretty convincing—I almost felt like Iwas at the ocean—but the smellwasn’t right at all. When I go to thecoast, I hear the sounds of the wavesand gulls at the same time that I smellthe salty scent of the sea. Instead,Lake Ontario mostly smelled likegasoline from all the boats on it (it wasa Saturday, and the place was quitebustling). Also, there were signseverywhere about how it wasforbidden to bring dogs into the parkbecause their waste polluted the lake(the signs gave some shockingstatistic about the pollution caused bydogs), but I still saw lots of dogs.Hmm. Fishermen were on the piertrying to catch salmon (and to confirmthat, I did see a dead salmon floatingby), but I just didn’t feel like the

salmon should be there, so farinland, so far from the sea. It waslike the whole short experience wasa juxtaposition of conflictingobservations: is it the coast, or is itan inland lake? I did, however, enjoyseeing the gray squirrelsscampering about within their nativerange. Oh, some people wereswimming that evening, but Isuspect it was mighty freakin’ cold.

I had to look up the gullswhen I got home, for as fond as Isometimes am of gulls (andsometimes am not), I am not quiteyet a “gull expert.” I saw ring-billedgulls and herring gulls. I likedlooking at them, with the surf behindthem, as the sun set amidst abeautiful sunset. We certainly didhave wonderful weather on that trip.

Birding Rochester(Continued from page 5)

The MessengerI work for The Grand Cinema, and I wanted to be sure that you had heard about the conservation documentary, TheMessenger, that will play in Tacoma as part of our Tuesday Film Series only on January 5 at 1:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.

With stunning imagery, The Messenger is an artful investigation into the causes of songbird mass depletion and thepeople working to turn the tide. Ultimately, the film reveals what birds have to tell us about the state of our planet andour shared future.

Watch the Trailer at : http://www.grandcinema.com/tuesday-film-series-1/the-messenger/

There will be a post-film discussion hosted by the Audubon Society’s, Art Wang after the 6:45 p.m. screening.

Please consider joining us for this special event to help raise awareness around the need for conservation and landstewardship.

Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 matinee.

Sincerely,

Darcy Nelson

Director of Marketing and Communications

606 S. Fawcett Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402

Ph: 253.572.6062


January 2016

Answer: Cactus Wren

reports this month. What have youbeen seeing lately? Send yourreports to [email protected].

November 16th, 2015 LisaMesplay was pleased to spot herfirst Townsend’s Warbler of theseason. According to Lisa, usuallytwo or three are sporadically seen inher backyard around the winter. Lisaalso spotted several Bushtits in heryard

December 5th, 2015 DanStreiffert had several great birdsightings over the Thanksgivingweek. Just west of the Green RiverNatural Resource Area’s SouthTower, Dan viewed a NorthernShrike. Nice spot, Dan! Duringsome of the colder days, a trio ofMourning Doves frequented theStreiffert’s feeders. At the tail end ofthe month, Dan watched a HermitThrush catching bugs on the SoosCreek Trail just north of James St.

Mystery Bird of theMonthI spotted this bird at Taliesin West inScottsdale, Arizona. Can you guessthe bird? Here are the clues:

• A group of me is called a“chime”, a “flight”, a “flock”, ora “herd”.

• Like Bushtits, I will build addi-tional “decoy” nests to con-fuse predators. I build mynests high in thorny bushesand trees, with only a slimgap as my entrance.

• Nest predators beware, I willmob squirrels, birds, and oth-er animals that intrude uponmy real nest and young.

• On the flip side,occasionally I havedestroyed otherbird’s eggs andnests to eliminatecompetition forfood. It’s a toughlife in the desert.

• I am the largest ofthe family Troglo-dytidae

• I’m not from amarsh, I don’t livein Carolina, and Idon’t like canyons. Ido like Cactithough.

• I am a bird of thedesert, as I cansurvive without free-standingwater.

• I am the state bird of Arizona.

Who am I?

Seen & Heard (Continuedfrom page 3)

Rainier Audubon Membership Subscription or Renewal Form

One-year Membership in Rainier Audubon$25—Individual Membership / $30—Family Membership

Circle one New / RenewalFor new members: How did you hear about Rainier Audubon Society? _________________________________________

To join or renew, mail this application with your payment to:Rainier Audubon Society - MembershipPO Box 778Auburn, WA 98071

Name:_______________________________________________________________________Address ______________________________________________________________________City ______________________________________ State ______________ Zip _____________Email __________________________________________________ Phone________________

RAS Chapter membership includes 9 issues of the Heron Herald annually but does not include AUDUBON magazine.

The

Rainier Audubon SocietyAddress Line 1Address Line 2

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidKent, WA 98031Permit No. 441

Climate change is a terrible problem, and itabsolutely needs to be solved. It deserves tobe a huge priority. -Bill Gates

Heron Herald January 2016

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Transcript of Heron Herald January 2016