Sandy and Gene Bullock and Ann Sleight represented Kitsap
Audubon at the Spring 2008 Audubon Council of Washington
(ACOW) conference, along with some hundred leaders from the 26
State Audubon chapters and the staff of Audubon Washington.
The programs featured outstanding speakers on global warming,
the accelerating rate of species extinction and efforts to preserve
the forest canopy. Breakout sessions included advocacy/campaign development; fundraising; volunteer/chapter resource development; and Birding Trail-Eastern Loop. Sunday morning’s program consisted of a
choice of field trips in the area. Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat
in Leavenworth is a beautiful forested resort on Icicle River
at the foot of the Sleeping Lady Mountain. Rustic cabins clustered
around individual courtyards are scattered throughout the
grounds. The rooms offered log beds, down comforters – and
no TV. We walked a couple hundred yards through towering
firs to the conference center and to the restaurant, where they
served three gourmet meals a day. We kept binoculars handy
because the birds were active and relatively unafraid. A pair of
Pygmy Nuthatches nest in one of the snags next to the office and
a W. Screech Owl could usually be found behind the open grotto
hot tubs. We just followed the sounds of scolding Steller’s Jays.
A White-headed Woodpecker worked the snag and snow banks
near our cabin and both Redbreasted and White-breasted
Nuthatches were everywhere. The White-breasted Nuthatches
seemed almost tame as they circled tree trunks in plain view.
The restaurant overlooked the river, where we had an American
Dipper and nesting pair of Ospreys. We also had a resident
flock of Evening Grosbeaks. A $30,000 grant from two
foundations allowed ACOW to offer the facilities and meals for
half the normal rate. We were welcomed by Harriet Bullitt who
owns Sleeping Lady and one of the foundations that provided the
grants. The Fall 2008 ACOW will be at the Chautauqua Lodge Resort in
Long Beach, October 10-12. It’s in the Dunes with a walking path
to the beach.
 

Grounds of Change: Did you know that you can protect important bird habitat, promote healthy forests, and support the livelihood of farmers with one cup of coffee? Coffee is the second most widely-traded commodity in the world, behind oil, and it should come as no surprise that coffee drinkers in the U.S. account for the majority of coffee consumption. What would we all do without our morning caffeine buzz to get us going? So what does coffee have to do with birds? Much of the globe’s tropical waistline (between 20˚N and 20˚S latitude) provides the ideal climate and soils for coffee production. In the Americas, this is the same region that our migratory birds visit annually. Traditionally, coffee shrubs were planted under the diverse tropical forest canopy and were allowed to mature slowly to produce the best beans. However, with ever-increasing demand and global poverty, new, sun-tolerant species allow for higher yields on a shorter timeline. The majority of coffee sold today is of the robusta variety and is grown under direct sunlight in the open fields of Vietnam, Brazil and beyond. However, growing coffee quickly comes at a price. Habitat is removed, soil gives way to erosion, and more chemicals are added to the environment to ward away pests. Birds and other wildlife are forced to find new homes, though many habitat specialists simply can’t adapt. The shade coffee plantations of Latin America provide irreplaceable habitat for resident and neotropical migratory bird species. Local farmers also rely on these plantations for security, and various cash crops may be interspersed with coffee plants. As a consumer, your choice to purchase shade-grown coffee will help guarantee a future for coffee farmers while protecting healthy habitat for wildlife, including birds. When purchasing coffee, look for the Bird Friendly® certification seal to know that your coffee is shade-grown, or ask your roaster to learn more. Visit www.shadecoffee.org for more information. Lindsey Edwards, Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign

Global Warming Sustainability Four Thursdays, May 1-22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Stillwaters. Communities around the world are already experiencing severe effects from global warming. This course from the Northwest Earth Institute
will describe personal responses, complexities of climate change and actions that can be taken to create a sustainable future. Cost $30 per person or $40 per household. Call 360-297-2876 or email info@stillwatersenvironmentalcenter.org
 

Band-tailed Pigeon Telemetry--Mary Hrudkaj
Late July a posting on Tweeters from the USGS Western Ecological Research Center in California asked if anyone knew where bandtailed pigeons could be found regularly. They were putting on satellite transmitters to monitor the
migration patterns so that the birds’ wintering areas could be protected.
I replied since I, at that time, had about three dozen band-tailed pigeons coming in daily to feed. On August 4, two gentlemen in a government truck arrived around 6:30 a.m. High tech met low tech as they set out wood and wire traps activated by a pull to some fishline. The traps were baited with cracked corn. Birds came and went but didn’t go under the traps. A sharp-shinned
hawk patrolling the area kept all the birds unsettled while it played tag with the jays. The morning passed with no pigeons getting caught, thanks to the hawk. One trap was left set so I could use it in case the pigeons returned. I was to call
the guys to return but, thanks to the hawk, good looks were all we got that day. The traps were closed for the night to prevent other animals or birds inadvertently getting caught.

Sunday morning arrived and I could again hear the sharpshinned in the area. Around 7:00 the fellows returned and the traps
were reset. The hawk decided too many people were around and left. Around 8:15 three pigeons entered one trap and were caught. They were transferred to a smaller holding cage to prevent them from harm while being handled, and the
cage was covered to reduce stress. Throughout the entire process of catch, handling, tagging and release, the health and well-being of the birds were foremost in mind. Each bird was weighed, sexed (males are a bit more purple in
summer than females), measured and aged before having transmitters attached. All three birds tagged were males and heavy for their size, probably from eating daily food I put out. The satellite transmitters were about 1 ½ by ¾ inch and had a wire antenna angling up from the end. The transmitters were solar powered and had been left in the sun to activate prior to attaching
to the birds. The transmitters were attached by looping Teflon tape (used to reduce friction on the feathers) under the wings and across the breast then tied and the knot secured forming a harness of sorts. The Teflon tape is designed
to erode over a couple years so the birds do not have to be recaught to remove the device. One bird’s harness was a bit misaligned, causing the bird to not want to move about, so it was redone, taking over an hour total for harnessing this bird alone. After letting the birds calm they were hand released.

The satellite data is updated every 2-3 days. Anyone can monitor it by going to the Western Ecological Research Center’s website: www.werc.usgs.gov. Click on “Satellite Telemetry,” then choose “Band-tailed Pigeons.” Near the top of the next page click on “Maps.” The birds tagged at my place outside of Belfair
are numbers 75691, 75701 and 75702. About 15 birds have been tagged. One of my birds is now in the Vancouver, WA, area and the other two are in
the northwestern hills of California and have been there for several weeks. Someone recently asked me if bandtailed pigeons migrate. The answer is yes and no. Some do and some don’t. We always find some in the Kitsap CBC. Why they don’t migrate and others do is anyone’s guess.

Olympic BirdFest 2008 Sequim, Washington, April 4-6, 2008
Grab your binoculars and join the Olympic BirdFest 2008 celebration at
the Dungeness River Audubon Center, April 4-6, 2008.
Enjoy guided birding trips, boat tours; and a traditional salmon bake
at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center.
New this year! Follow your BirdFest weekend with a three-day,
two night birding cruise of the spectacular San Juan Islands on April 6-
8, 2008. Visit San Juan, Orcas, and Sucia Islands, and more. Stay at the
historic Roche Harbor Resort. Get program information and registration
forms online at: http://www.olympicbirdfest.org. Or contact us by phone, at 360-681-4076; E-mail us at info@olympicbirdfest.org; Or write to us at: Dungeness River Audubon Center, P.O. Box 2450, Sequim, WA 98382.

Spring ACOW
The spring Audubon Council of Washington conference is set for
April 11 through 13, 2008, at the Sleeping Lady Resort in Leave3nworth.
ACOW conferences draw a hundred or more leaders from all 26
chapters in Washington State.

Scrub-Jay Monitoring Ends–John McDonald