Godwit Days Selects RRAS as Spotlight Organization
The theme of the 10th annual spring migration bird festival, to be held April 15-17 at the Arcata Community Center, is “Accomplishments in Citizen Science.” In keeping with that theme, Godwit Days has selected RRAS as this year’s “Spotlight Organization,” to receive a portion of each paid registration.
The designation both recognizes the many years of festival support by RRAS and the completion of a 10-year effort to create an atlas of the 181 species of birds that breed in Humboldt County. Nearly 300 people—most of them not professional biologists—either traveled to assigned areas in every corner of the county to look for bird behaviors that indicated nesting was occurring, contributed data from research studies, or reported sightings. Starting in 1995, 5 years of data collection were followed by 5 years of analysis, review, map creation, and writing of the accounts describing the habitat preferences and natural history of local breeding birds.
Adding to the appeal of the 450+-page book are over 50 original pen-and-ink bird portraits commissioned for the project. Acknowledging the hard work of the volunteer citizen-scientists who contributed their time and kept the faith, the hundreds of individual sightings mentioned are attributed to those who made them.
Atlas authors John Hunter and David Fix will talk about the project during a free public lecture following the Godwit Days opening reception on Friday, April 15. All four authors are expected to sign copies of the atlas that will be offered for sale by RRAS during the festival. Please visit www.godwitdays.com for complete festival information.
Reminder: HSU Research/Travel Grant Funding Available, Deadline Extended to February 18
Because the RRAS Banquet is later than usual this year, the application deadline to receive up to $300 to conduct a research project or attend and present research results at a scientific meeting has been extended to Friday, February 18. The research or presentation should focus on bird ecology, conservation, or evolutionary biology, with preference given to research conducted on birds in northern California.
Both undergraduate and graduate students at Humboldt State are eligible to apply; up to two proposals may be selected. Awards will be presented at the RRAS annual banquet on March 5. Winners are expected to give a 20- to 30‑minute presentation of his/her research, geared to the informed layperson, at the May 13 RRAS general meeting.
To receive an application form, contact Louise Bacon‑Ogden, Scholarship Chair, 2337 B Street, Eureka, CA 95501; phone 445‑8304; e‑mail sftb@juno.com. The following materials should be attached to the application form:
A 1-page synopsis of the research project or abstract of the scientific presentation
A budget of expected project or travel expenses
A resumé
A letter of recommendation from your advisor
Applications must be received by Wednesday, February 2, 2005. The awards will be presented at the RRAS annual banquet in March.
RRAS Sponsors Science Fair Award
Again this year, RRAS will be sponsoring an award at the Humboldt County Science Fair for the best project dealing with birds and their habitat. The event will be held in mid-March at Humboldt State University. RRAS volunteer judges will evaluate exhibits created by elementary, middle, and high school students to choose a winner. The prize is a $50 check and a 1-year local RRAS membership.
March 28 Deadline for Student Bird Art Contest Entries
For the second year, RRAS, in cooperation with Friends of the Arcata Marsh, is sponsoring an art contest this April. Last year, nearly 150 students responded to the call for drawings.
Some $300 in prizes will be awarded to students from kindergarten through high school. Competition divisions will be determined based on number of entries received for each grade. Winners will be announced at the Godwit Days opening reception on Friday, April 15 and all entries will be displayed at the Arcata Community Center during the festival.
Artwork may be in color or black and white. Any media may be used (e.g., crayons, pastels, paint, pencil, collage). Subject must be a rendering of bird(s) from a list of 40 species. Flyers with complete rules will be available at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center and Strictly for the Birds or by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the RRAS post office box.
Artwork may be dropped off at Strictly for the Birds, 123 F Street, Eureka, or the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, South G Street, Arcata; or mailed to RRAS, P.O. Box 1054, Eureka CA 95502. Entries must be received by Monday, March 28.
NEW! RULES for Art Contest - Click Here. (added February 21, 2005)
Donations of Goods & Services Sought for Silent Auction
For the fifth year, RRAS will be holding a Silent Auction at its Annual Banquet. This event has become the major fundraiser for our chapter.
If you work in a business, ask your employer to donate a gift certificate or merchandise. If you are an artist or photographer or needlecrafter, give a piece of your work. Offer to lead a birding trip or cook a dinner. Donate books, jewelry, CDs… there are many types of services and objects on which people would be willing to bid, so don’t be shy or uncreative!
To make a tax-deductible donation, call Sue Leskiw at 442-5444. All donors will be recognized at the banquet and in The Sandpiper as well as receive thank-you letters.
RRAS
Completes Successful Year of Field Trips
By Sue Leskiw
During 2004, RRAS volunteers led 41 field trips in addition to weekly walks at the Arcata Marsh. Nearly 350 attendees took advantage of the birding expertise of these dedicated field trip leaders. The most popular trip was the November monthly visit to the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge with David Fix and Jude Power (22 attendees), closely followed by Pablo Herrera’s Marbled Murrelet Solstice (20).
A new monthly walk at the Southern Humboldt Community Park in Garberville—led by Doug Wallace, Robert (Man Who Walks in the Woods) Sutherland, and Jay Sooter—was instituted, and a checklist of the birds seen there was published. Shana Stearn initiated a “Food & Feathers” outing that combined birding with a restaurant meal, and she plans to continue the idea at intervals throughout 2005. Board members Gary Bloomfield and Pablo Herrera led sessions on field sketching and bird monitoring, respectively, at a well-attended summer field trip series in Del Norte County organized by Sue Calla of the Lake Earl Branch.
RRAS would like to send out a heartfelt “Thank you” to the special field trip leaders who were willing to share their expertise with local residents (and many tourists) during 2004: Laura Bradley, Elias Elias, David Fix & Jude Power, Rob Fowler, Pablo Herrera, Rob Hewitt, John Hewston, Jherime Kellerman, Gary Lester, Mark Morrissette, Kerry Ross, Jay Sooter, Shana Stearn, Robert Sutherland, Matt Wachs, and Doug Wallace.
And let’s not forget those stalwarts who, during the past year, escorted birders through the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, rain or shine, every Saturday at 8:30 a.m.: Frank Anderson, Jim & Donna Clark, Elias Elias, Esther Gilcrist, Stan Harris, Larry Karsteadt, Paul Lohse, Carl Meyers, Michael Morris, Chet Ogan, Bill Rodstrom, Mary Severdia, Paul & Virginia Springer, Pete & Nancy Spruance, and Jim Tietz.
Purchase Banquet Tickets by February 28
Please join RRAS on Saturday, March 5, at the North Coast Inn for our annual banquet and auctions. The featured speaker will be David Craig from Willamette University. Dr. Craig will talk on “The Growing War Between Waterbirds & Wild Salmon: An Ancient Cycle In a Conflicted Conservation World.” His current field-oriented research combines life history and physiological and ecological information to address questions of predation upon endangered fish by colonial waterbirds such as Caspian terns, double-crested Cormorants, and gulls.
The Banquet will feature a buffet dinner (chicken and vegetarian entrees), Silent and Live Auctions, and award presentations. A no-host social hour from 5:30-6:30 p.m. will be followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the speaker at 7:30 pm. Payment for auction items is by check or cash (no credit cards).
Tickets must be purchased in advance, with checks received at the RRAS post office box by Monday, February 28. Last year’s banquet sold out, so make your reservations early! Tickets are on a sliding scale from $30-$50, with a $25 rate for students. You must purchase a banquet ticket to attend the lecture.
Checks should be made payable to RRAS, with “Banquet” in the notation line, and mailed to P.O. Box 1054, Eureka 95502. Indicate the names of the persons attending for your payment. Printed tickets will not be mailed; names will be placed on a check-in list.
The North Coast Inn is located at 4975 Valley West Boulevard, Arcata.
For more information, call Chet Ogan at 442-9353.
New Marbled Murrelet T-shirts Available
RRAS has reprinted the popular Gary Bloomfield design on 100% cotton preshrunk short-sleeved shirts. We are offering two colors, blue and brown, in sizes S through XXL. The $12 price includes tax. Available at RRAS programs and at the Godwit Café at Godwit Days, April 16-17.
Conservation Committee Report: Gulls and Boys
By Chet Ogan
Gulls: How many of you have been galled by gulls? How many of you have been pestered by rock pigeons? How many have felt cursed by crows?
These birds are considered nuisance species in many areas. Gulls and crows are native species, but rock pigeons are introduced from Europe. These birds are drawn to humans by food—our scraps and waste, our trash. We have created this nuisance, and now we are plagued by its curse.
Last month at the mall while Christmas shopping, I talked with a Robert Childs, a high school biology instructor. He had taken his class to the Klamath Wildlife Refuge recently and got several of the class members turned onto looking at birds. The Klamath Refuge is known for its large numbers of ducks, geese, and shorebirds and therefore the birds that prey on them, such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons. When Mr. Childs asked his students why he could not get them interested in birds in the classroom, they responded by telling him it was because of the gulls. Gulls are constantly harassing the students—looking for a handout: a scrap of a sandwich, a potato chip, whatever is tossed to them or left on the ground. Knowing high school students and having once been a boy myself, I can also imagine that high school boys could aggravate the problem and the fear factor by throwing food scraps toward groups of girls.
Mr. Childs wrote a grant proposal to help solve this trash problem by providing recycling containers. He is involving youth to help solve a problem. Bird awareness can also involve youth in other ways. Tom and Sue Leskiw hosted a 12-year old birder, Lauren, on the Arcata and Centerville Christmas Bird Counts (see picture in Field Notes). Lauren got her start in birding last year when she entered her drawing in the Godwit Days children’s art contest and won! Tom and I helped with a Boy Scout merit badge jamboree last year. Two boys were working toward their Bird Study merit badge. One boy breezed through the requirements, but Wesley Freitas was struggling a little. I give him credit for sticking with it and finally finishing up the requirements by going out on his own, studying the birds, making observations, and taking notes.
Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomes the following new members and subscribers:
Arcata – Gigi Floyd
Crescent City – C.J. Nitschke, Zina Razavi
Eureka – Mr & Mrs Kevin Yokoyama
Ferndale – Audrey Miller
Fortuna – Terri Butts, Edwin Heeszel, D. Mucenieks, Jorn Muller
Garberville – Robie Tenorio
Klamath – Diane Brown
Kneeland – Peter Hewson
McKinleyville – John Pelafigue, Sharon Powers
Myers Flat – Diane McQuinn
Redway – Bill Rogers
Trinidad – Wendy Ewals
We look forward to seeing you on field trips and at our monthly programs.