Pomona Valley Audubon Societyhttp://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/

A publication of

MARCH/APRIL 2006 A Chapter of the National Audubon Society Volume 45, No. 4

IN THIS ISSUE...Birders Love Lists ................................. Pg.1Orange County Big Day Recap ....................Pg. 2Birdathon 2006 ......................................Pg. 3Christmas Bird Count List ..........................Pg. 4Conservation .........................................Pg. 5Announcements .....................................Pg. 7Field Trips ..................................... Pgs. 6 & 8

(Continued on page 2)

D i d y o u k n o w that many birders keep multiple bird lists? Some lists are geographical a nd some a r e ch ronolog ica l . Some birders keep

lists of every field trip, although I guess you could say that is geographical.

We’ve all heard of the “Life List” which is a record of each species one has seen. Occasionally the Life List actually isn’t a list. It’s dates, and places noted next to each bird in the first field birding book they ever owned. (I say owned rather than used because some of us checked these books out from the library for a while.) However, not all birders are walking around with antiquated note-filled field guides because as they updated or changed field books, they carried over all the notations from their previous field book into their new field book. So they have new books containing all their old notations. I wish I had that kind of discipline. (I think)

Some birders keep annual lists. I learned about this type of list on a field trip when a fellow birder continually remarked, “that’s the first one I’ve seen this year.” I was quite impressed with his memory until he mentioned his penchant for annual lists. He starts his annual list each year on January 1st. Apparently, this is not an uncommon list. So now Dan Guthrie’s traditional January “Big Day” field trip makes a little more sense. You get a big jump on that annual list!

by Valerie WheelerBirders Love ListsNow here’s a twist on a list for the back yard bird loggers. Monthly! That’s right. List all the birds you see in each calendar month. Well I mean, you list each species once per month. This way you know who’s coming and going. You can have the suet feeder and the finch bars ready on time each year. No disappointing that hungry new arrival. You’ve got a historically correct monthly record that lets you know when to expect winter residents, spring migrants and breeding summer visitors.

There are also work place lists, vacation lists, county lists, state lists, country lists, and continent lists. I have a personal list, which I doubt few others have ever contemplated. It’s comprised of the 194 birds included in Herbert Clarke’s book, “An Introduction To Southern California Birds.” This book is a sentimental favorite, because as a lone beginning birder, I found this book very useful in identifying birds. For some reason it seemed that the field guides offered so many options that I actually turned finches into tanagers. When I got a bit better at birding I used the book like flash cards, glance at

Orange County Big Day TripJanuary 7, 2006

Our trip started at Huntington Central Park, where we were surprised to fi nd a white-throated sparrow along with some white and golden-crowns. We also met a group of Sea and Sage birders, who told us where to fi nd a great horned owl and a chestnut-sided warbler. We did not count the mandarin duck!

Next stop, the bluffs along the south side of Bolsa Chica with an overview of avocets, stilts and ducks. The Warner Ave end of Bolsa Chica produced a Reddish Egret and such niceties as knot, surf scoter and redheads. We then drove to Newport Environmental Area, next to Newport High School. Here we heard only a winter wren.

We had lunch at Upper Newport Bay, which produced more ducks and raptors but no

California gnatcatcher. Our next stop was Orange Coast College where,

with some effort, we found a black-throated green warbler. Also downy woodpecker. Our

fi nal stop was south in Mission Viejo. Here we had another chestnut-sided warbler and, more importantly, a broad-billed hummingbird. We managed just

over 100 species, including some very good birds for southern California.

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Birders Love Lists (Cont.'d from pg. 1)

Welcome New MembersWe extend a warm welcome to all new members. Subscribers to Audubon Magazine from our area are automatically enrolled in our chapter and receive the Chaparral Naturalist at no additional charge. You are welcome to all our events.

Alta Loma: Mr. & Mrs Robill Brannum, Ms Jo Ellen DuFresne, Patricia Morgan

Chino: Bryan Burton, Mr. Mrs. R. Lanzillotta, Ken Manusia, Eugene Rossel, Judy Szudy

Claremont: Jay Samson Altfeld, Karen Green, Evelyn Huston, Land T. Massage, Rosalia Rojo, Ruth Weigh, Jane Wolfe, Charles & Nancy Young

Corona: William Reinis, Ralph Saukko

Covina: Ms Katzi, M. Kayser

Diamond Bar: Lili Azimi, Lili Liu, William Silver

Etiwanda: Edward Molumby

Glendora: R.A. Manzo, James McIndoe, Dathy & Adrian Rudnyk, Lois Weeks

La Verne: Dr. Gary Cromwell, Inge Johnson, Victoria and Austin Rood, Carl Voien

Mira Loma; Ethel Kempton, Eva Rzepecki

Montclair: Shawn Guthrie, Johnny Odom, Jonella Ramsey, Jerome Skiba

Norco: Janet Griffi th,

Ontario: Garry Moore

Pomona: Mrs. Wilma Bouldin, George Lawton, Flow Stockton, Roger Yoshimura

Rancho Cucamonga: Mary P. Fletcher, Matthew Lee, Meri Ravenkamp, Brittany Stewart

San Dimas: Carol Bennetts, Donna & Colin Hill, Ms Robby Laird, Lori Melching, Ms Sherri Mello

Upland: Sheila Burge, Dawn Hutchinson,Betty Lackey

Walnut: Richard Kaplan, Lee Simpson

West Covina: Melody DeLeon, Lawrence Finders, Ms Rose Marie Gurr, Gerard J. McCartan Jr., James Taylor,

the picture and name the bird. At some point in time, it struck me that I should make a point of seeing all the birds in his book. That turned into a 194 species wish list (excluding the 21 birds mentioned in Chapter 6 titled “Specialized, Rare and Unusual Birds). I’ve seen 173 of the birds, which leaves 21 birds to check off the list. I’ll be sharing those 21 birds with all the field trip leaders next year.

I’ll also be starting an annual bird list and a monthly backyard bird log. Do birders love lists or what?

by Dan Guthrie

It’s Time for Birdathon 2006 Get Ready to Do Your Part!

Birdathon 2006 Sign-up Sheet I want to participate! Please sign me up to:

❏ Organize a team (2 or more birders) ❏ Be part of an established team

❏ Send in a contribution of $ ❏ Raise money for a team without participating

Name:_______________________________________________ Phone: (________)___________________

Address:____________________________________________________________________________________

City:_______________________________________________ State:_______ Zip:_____________________

Mail the completed form to: Neil Gilbert, 183 East Miramar Avenue, Claremont, California 91711Or hand it to any participating birder.

Yes, it’s almost time for our Annual Fund-raising Event – Birdathon 2006 – and we need you to do your part.

Birdathon! 2006 will be taking place Saturday, April 22 through Sunday, May 7, 2006, the height of Spring Migration. This is a great opportunity for you to be involved in PVAS and to support the conservation, environmental and educational programs in the area. You can help by:

1. Start a Birdathon Team of your own! (a team can be as few as 2)

2. Join a team and get contributions from your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

3. Sponsor a Birder or a Team 4. Make a cash contributionIn a Birdathon, teams of Birders search for the maximum number of bird species they can see (or hear) in a 24-hour time period. Team members solicit pledges either on a per-species basis or for a set amount of money for the day. Money raised through the Birdathon is used to support such activities as the Kern River Preserve, Endangered Habitat League and environmental programs and projects throughout Southern California. Some is used by our chapter for our own educational and conservation programs and projects. And, in these days of tight budgets, some must be used to meet the costs of running the Chapter, including the printing of this newsletter.

Teams have different goals: one team may start well before dawn and drive hundreds of miles in an effort to find the highest number of species, while another team might be satisfied with finding the highest number of species at Bonelli Park or Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Those goals aren’t as important as our other two goals: (1) having fun; and (2) raising as much money as we can for our projects.

For 2005, PVAS raised more than $10,000 through the Birdathon. It was a good showing, but we need to top it this year. You can do your part by soliciting your friends, neighbors, family members and co-workers. Start or join a team. Or if you are not up to the birding part, use a surrogate. Let someone else do the counting. The only requirement for being part of Birdathon is that you raise (or contribute) some money for the Chapter. After all, the main purpose for the Birdathon is fund raising. If you are interested in this opportunity for a little birding fun and a chance to help some very worthwhile causes, fill out the form below and hand it to someone you know is taking part, or return it to Neil Gilbert at the address shown.

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February 11 & 12 – Salton Sea Weekend by Dan Guthrie

Nine of us started the weekend at the Wister unit with an ovenbird, followed by a dusky capped fl ycatcher and a pair of American redstarts.

Driving towards the Calipatria prison produced 4 species of swallows, including bank. At the prison the pipits and horned larks were easy and the longspurs were very hard (Dan says he saw some) A nearby fl ooded fi eld had ibis and long-billed curlews and lots of cattle egret. Red Hill produced a peregrine, both yellowlegs and a stilt sandpiper but not the ruff. The Sonny Bono Headquarters was our lunch stop and home to a roadrunner. Obsidian Butte produced a yellow-footed gull, and our stop north of Calipatria found collared and inca doves easily and ruddy quail dove barely. Ramer and Finney Lake were nice but no special birds. We ended the day at Unit 1 off Vendel Road with lots of snow and Ross geese,a fl ock of sandhill cranes, and close looks at sora and Virginia rails!

Sunday morning we stopped at Cattle Call Park in Brawley for Gila woodpecker and a gray fl ycatcher. Another visit to

look for ruddy grown dove produced an ash-throated flycatcher, and nearby we found a vermillion fl ycatcher. Again to the prison for fairly close looks at a small flock of mountain plover. We also saw over 200 flying overhead headed north.

Our fi nal stop of the day was at Salt Creek at noon, where we had greater scaup, both goldeneye, a white-winged scoter and red-breasted merganser. I had about 110 species for the weekend (counting a couple of longspurs by tail pattern fl ying away from us. Pleasant company, temperatures in the low 80’s and sunny. A great time!

Burrowing Owl Study Seeks Volunteers

The Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) is excited to announce the initiation of a two-year, statewide Burrowing Owl survey. The survey is designed to:• Gather up-to-date information on the locations

of breeding pairs throughout CA;• Assess the extent and distribution of the

poorly known subpopulations breeding in the Great Basin and desert regions of the state;

• Assess regional changes in distribution and abundance over the past 13 years by comparing results with those from a similar survey we coordinated in the early 1990s.

Based on the success of the early 1990s volunteer-based survey, we are currently soliciting help from interested parties associated with local Audubon Society chapters, bird clubs, government agencies, and non-profit organizations throughout the state to help collect data. Although we will be augmenting survey efforts with IBP field crews in regions with sparse human populations, we are using a "citizen-science" model, relying on a network of volunteer surveyors and local area coordinators to collect the majority of these important data.

I have volunteered to serve as local coordinator for this effort. Our census area includes the Chino area and Lake Matthews, as well as the rest of the Pomona Valley. Packets of materials and maps will be available in April. If you are interested in participating, give me a call, Dan Guthrie, at (909) 607-2836.

SAVE THE DATE!

Our June Potluck

will be on

Friday, June 2

6:00 to 9:00 p.m.at the

Alexander Hughes Ctr.Claremont

More information to follow...

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Learn Outdoors in 2006 UCR Extension Classes

Register now for one of our upcoming field nature courses! Enrollment is limited in some courses. Send in your registration to guarantee your spot. Desert FloraBotany X420 (2 units)Date/Time: Fri. 5-8 pm, Mar. 3 / Sat. 8 am-5 pm, Mar. 4 / Sun. 8 am-4 pm, Mar. 5.Location: PALM DESERT: UCR Palm Desert, 75-080 Frank Sinatra Dr.Fee: $206 / $185 each for couples and family members / $165 each with PINE discount (3 meetings)REG #053-SCF-P68

Rocks and Minerals ofJoshua Tree National ParkGeosciences X425.1 (1.5 units)Date/Time: Fri. 6-9 pm, Mar. 3 / Sat. 8 am-5 pm, Mar. 4 / Sun. 8 am-4 pm, Mar. 5.Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS: Joshua Tree National Park.Enroll through the Desert Institute, 760-367-5535.

Geology and Natural History of Death ValleyGeosciences X451 (1.5 units)Date/Time: Sat. 9 am-6 pm, Mar. 11 / Sun. 8 am-4 pm, Mar. 12.Location: DEATH VALLEYFee: $159 / $140 each for couples and family members / $125 each with PINE discount (2 meetings)REG #053-SCF-N33

Botanical Illustration of Desert FloraArt X454.5 (1 unit)Date/Time: Fri. 6-8 pm, Mar. 17 / Sat. 8 am-5 pm, Mar. 18 / Sun. 8 am- 4 pm, Mar. 19.Location: MORONGO VALLEY: Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, 11055 East Dr.Fee: $219 / $205 each for couples and family members / $189 each with PINE discount (3 meetings)REG #053-SCF-N30

Flora of Joshua Tree National ParkBotany X420.5 (1.5 units)Date/Time: Sat., Sun. 8 am-5 pm, Mar. 25, 26.Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS: Joshua Tree National Park.Enroll through the Desert Institute, 760-367-5535.

Natural and Cultural History of the Mojave National Preserve: Soda Lake to Kelso Dunes – The Low CountryBiology X425.28A (1.5 units)Date/Time: Fri. 8-10 pm, Mar. 31 / Sat. 8 am-5 pm, Apr. 1 / Sun. 8 am-3 pm, Apr. 2.Location: SODA SPRINGS: Desert Studies Center.Fee: $285 / $271 each for couples and family members / $258 each with PINE discount (3 meetings)Preregistration requested by March 27.REG #053-SCF-N36

Wildfl owers of the Desert Foothills of the San Bernardino MountainsBotany X421.1 (1.5 units)The north slope of the San Bernardino Mountains holds many surprises for the botanical explorer. Visit the best areas to view and inspect the wildfl owers of this region, some of which are rare and endemic. Search for wildfl owers such as scarlet milk-vetch, Mojave ghost fl ower, desert bells and various cacti. The route follows old trails of the Serrano Indians and the botanical explorer, John C. Fremont. Along the way, explore ghost towns, old mines and historic Indian sites and gain an appreciation for this little-traveled area between mountain resort communities and Joshua Tree National Park.Note: Course involves moderate hikes and driving over dirt roads. Vehicles should be somewhat sturdy, but a four-wheel drive is not required. Visitors not permitted. Botany course for Certifi cate in Field Ecology Botany course for Certifi cate in Desert Ecology Elective for Specialized Study Program in Field BotanyDate/Time: Fri. 6-8 pm, Mar. 31 / Sat., Sun. 8 am-4 pm, Apr. 1, 2.Location: UC RIVERSIDE: Extension Center, 1200 University Ave. Fee: $165 / $155 each for couples and family members / $140 each with PINE discountREG #053-SCF-N32

Birds of Joshua Tree National ParkBiology X404 (1 unit)Date/Time: Fri. 6-8 pm, May 5 / Sat. 7:30 am-4 pm, May 6 / Sun. 7 am-noon, May 7.Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS: Joshua Tree National Park.Enroll through the Desert Institute, 760-367-5535.

Complete course information, including course descriptions and instructors, is available on our web site a www.extension.ucr.edu and in our current catalog. To enroll in these courses, please call (800) 442-4990 or (951) 827-4105.

Field Trips

6

(Continued from pg. 8)

MARCH

Sunday, March 5 at 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk – Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. - Los Angeles County Arboretum Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, March 25 @ 7 a.m. - Lake Perris, San Jacinto Preserve. Leader to be announced

Sunday, March 26 @ 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird Walk Leader: Rod Higbie

APRIL

Sunday, April 2 @ 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Wednesday. April 12 @ 8 a.m. - Living Desert Reserve Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, April 29 @ 7:00 a.m. - Santiago Oaks. Leader: Valerie Wheeler

Sunday, April 23 @ 8 a.m. - Bonelli Park Bird Walk. Leader: Rod Higbie

PVAS WINTER/SPRING FIELD TRIPS 2006

MAY

Wednesday, May 3 - Big Morongo Nature Preserve Leader: Dan Gregory

Sunday, May 7 @ 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk – Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21 - Kern River Valley and Butterbred Springs Leader: Dan Guthrie

Saturday, May 21 - San Gabriel Mountains. @ 7 a.m. Leader to be announced

JUNE

Sunday, June 4 at 8 a.m. - Beginner’s Bird Walk – Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden

Wednesday, June 7 at 7: 30 a.m. - Carbon Canyon Regional Park. Leader: Dan Gregory

Saturday, June 10 @ 6 a.m. - Big Bear Lake Area Leader: Dan Guthrie

One day and half day trips start at Memorial Park, Indian Hill Blvd at 10th Street, Claremont. Weekend trips usually meet at the destination on Saturday morning. Bonelli Park trips meet at park headquarters on Via Verde, just off the 57 freeway.

Sunday, March 26, 2006 Bonelli Bird Walk Meet at the Bonelli Park headquarters on Via Verde near the 57 freeway at 8 a.m. Leader: Rod Higbie

Sunday, April 2, 2006Beginner’s Bird WalkRancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Join us

for our monthly (fi rst Sunday, Sept. through June) bird

walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Bring binoculars if you

have them. Adults and children welcome.

The walk is fl at and slow and takes about two

hours. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the front entry gate (north end of College Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. 1500 N. College Ave.) Leaders: Fraser Pemberton (909) 624-6451.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006Living Desert PreserveA visit to Palm Springs for desert birds . Meet at Memorial Park at 8. a.m. Leader, Dan Gregory: (909) 626-0034.

Sunday, April 23, 2006Bonelli Bird Walk Meet at the Bonelli Park headquarters on Via Verde near the 57 freeway at 8 a.m. Leader: Rod Higbie

Saturday, April 29, 2006Santiago OaksA visit to north Orange County for nesting oak woodland species. Meet at 7 a.m. at Memorial Park. Trip Coordinator: Valerie Wheeler

PVAS OFFICERS 2005-2006President ......................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836Vice-President .............Bruce Strang ..... 626-339-6984Secretary .....................Pam Kling ...................596-7604 Treasurer ......................Neil Gilbert ................ 626-0334 Board Member ...........Nancy Strang .... 626-339-6984Board Member ............Dick Moore ......... 909-626-1127Board Member ............Pat Higbie .......... 909-599-6526Board Member ............Rod Higbie ........ 909-599-6526

COMMITTEE CHAIRSConservation ...............Dick Moore ......... 909-626-1127Education .....................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836Field Trips ....................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836Membership ................Dan Guthrie ................607-2836Volunteers ....................Valerie Wheeler ......... 595-4200Publications .................Neil Gilbert ................ 626-0334Publicity .......................Shirley Harris ..............982-9727Door Prizes ..................Karlene Campo .......... 627-8191Hospitality ....................Cathy Reaves ............. 987-6197 Ellen Berke .................626-3041Website ........................Available! Call Dan Guthrie

CHAPARRAL NATURALIST Co-Editors ...................Pam Kling ...................596-7604

Chaparral Naturalist is published bi-monthly, ex cept July and August by the Pomona Valley Audubon So ci ety. Copy deadline is the last Thursday of the month. Articles may be reprinted with out per mis sion, but please give credit to the author and the Chaparral Nat u ral ist. We encourage members to submit articles and photos by email at pamtone@verizon.net.

Subscriptions to the newsletter are available for $10 per year to non-members. Make checks payable to PVAS and mail to W. M. Keck Science Center, 925 North Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711.

National Audubon MembershipAnnual membership in the National Audubon So ci ety is $30 per year. New membership dues are $20. Mem bers receive the Audubon Magazine and Chap ar ral Naturalist news let ter. Re new als of mem ber ship are computerized by National Audubon and should not be sent to PVAS. How ev er, a new membership may be sent directly to PVAS.

Make checks payable to National Audubon So ci ety. Mail pay ment with membership form below and mail to PVAS, W. M. Keck Sci ence Center, 925 North Mills Avenue, Cla-remont, CA 91711. (Please note chapter code number, CO8, 7XCH on your check.)

Name__________________________________________

Address________________________________________

City, State, Zip___________________________________Chapter Code: Pomona Valley Audubon CO8, 7XCH

You may also join National Audubon via our website at:http://www.ca.audubon.org/chapters.html/

Announcements

7

Bird Class at the GardenIntroduction to Bird Watching – Part IIIBird Classification and BehaviorThis will consist of 4 lectures designed to explain the basics of bird classification and relationships (why are the loons at the beginning of most bird books!) and some of the basic behaviors of birds, including feeding, courtship, territoriality, and migration. There will be four consecutive Wednesday evening sessions and four Saturday morning field trips to the shore, mountains and a desert migrant trap will illustrate the material of the course. Class meetings will be held at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. To enroll, please contact Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden at (909) 625-8767, x224.Instructor: Dan Guthrie, Pomona Valley Audubon Society and Professor of Biology, Claremont McKenna CollegeFee: $80.00Classroom Sessions: Wednesdays, March 29, April 5,12, and 19 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.Field Trips: Saturdays, 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.April 1 - Bays and shoreline of Orange County (focus

on classification)April 8 - Desert to the Mountains; Palmdale to

Wrightwood. (habitat partitioning)April 15 - Local parks: Claremont and San Dimas

(courtship and territory)April 22 - Morongo Valley Preserve (migration)

8th Annual Aleutian Goose FestivalMarch 31-April3, 2006

Crescent City, Californiawww.aleutiangoosefestival.org

707-465-0888

11th Annual Godwit Days Bird Festival

April 21-23, 2006Arcata, California

www.godwitdays.com800-908-WING or 707-444-2938

Calendar and Field Trips

Pomona Valley Audubon SocietyW.M. Keck Science Center925 North Mills AvenueClaremont, CA 91711

Printed on recycled paper by Moore-Bergstrom Co., 1341 W. Brooks, Ontario , CA

Return Service Requested

http://faculty.jsd.claremont.edu/dguthrie/pvas/

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S .POSTAGE

PAIDCLAREMONT, CA.PERMIT NO. 240

(Field trips continued on page 6)

Membership Meetings

Thursday, March 2, 2006

Laura Hoopes"Cranes and Conservation in China"Laura Hoopes, emeritus faculty member of Pomona College will present a program based on her trip to China under the auspices of the Avery Foundation. This will be an introduction to China, its people, and the awakening conservation efforts in that country.

Thursday, April 6, 2006

Dan Guthrie"Conservation and Bird Life of New Zealand"Chapter president Dan Guthrie will present a program based on his recent visit to New Zealand. The talk will present the wildlife of the country, its history, and current efforts to preserve this unique collection of animals.

Meetings are held in Bauer Forum of Claremont McKenna College. Evenings begin with a bird identification session at 7:00 p.m., followed by refreshments, a short business meeting, and our evening program.

Sunday, March 5, 2006 Beginner’s Bird Walk Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Join us for our monthly (first Sunday, Sept. through June) bird walk at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Bring binoculars if you have them. Adults and children welcome. The walk is flat and slow and takes about two hours. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the front entry gate (north end of College Ave. north of Foothill Blvd. 1500 N. College Ave.) Leaders: Fraser Pemberton (909) 624-6451.

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 Los Angeles County ArboretumA visit to this popular spot in Pasadena for wintering birds and the ever popular red-vented bulbul. Meet at Memorial Park at 7:30 a.m. for a half day trip. Leader: Dan Gregory (909) 626-0034.

Saturday, March 18, 2006 Lake Perris and San Jacinto Wildlife ReserveRaptors and waterbirds with the possibility of owls. Meet at Memorial park at 7 a.m. and bring a lunch. Leader: Dan Guthrie (909) 607-2836.

Drawing by Pauline Ross