The September 2020 Issue of the |
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Our Mission: To conserve and restore natural ecosystems and protect birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and biological diversity in south King County and the world we live in. |
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Monthly Membership Meeting
Tahoma’s Biggest Stories
Monday September 21, 7 pm
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Did you know that Native Americans have traveled to Mount Rainier for over 9,000 years, to gather resources unavailable near their lowland villages? Did you know that the effects of climate change extend far beyond the mountain’s retreating glaciers? Join Jeff Antonelis-Lapp, Emeritus Faculty at The Evergreen State College, to learn more about these and other stories from Tahoma and Its People, his natural history of Mount Rainier National Park, published this spring by Washington State University Press. Learn more at https://jeffantonelis-lapp.com/.
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After graduating from college, Jeff Antonelis-Lapp worked two summers at Mount Rainier National Park, igniting a connection to the mountain that endures today. He has summited the mountain, hiked all of its mapped trails, and completed the 93-mile Wonderland Trail five times. |
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Rainier Audubon Presentation "Tahoma's Biggest Stories"
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LOCATION
Virtual Meeting
DATE AND TIME
09/21/20 7:00pm
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09/21/20 8:00pm
Are you comming?
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Covid 19 virus Update - August 17, 2020
Jay Galvin
Due to the continuing outbreak of the Covid 19 virus, the RAS Board is suspending all in person activities until further notice. We would like to thank those members who responded to our online and mail in survey on this matter. Your input did help the Board in making this decision.
We are planning to continue online monthly meetings on the third Monday of each month. The Board is also planning on other activities that can be done safely either online or individually. Online tools such as our National Website, You Tube, Facebook, etc. offer excellent ways to stay involved with Audubon.
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Upcoming Programs
- Dale Meland
- October 19th - Sally Vogel. - Ethiopia
- November 16th - Dennis Paulsen.- Changing World, Changing Birds
- December 21st - Open
- January 18th - Jay Galvin (no topic yet)
- February 15th - Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao.- High Politics and Bird Conservation: A View to International Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific and the Americas
- March 15th - Robert Howson - Galanatious Birds
- April 19th - Marcy Summers & Ellen Kirtzman.- AlTo (Alliance for Tompotika Conservation)
- May 17th - Open
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Save the dates!
Audubon Council of Washington - October 2 - 3
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Seen and Heard
by Calen Randall
Migration Forecasts: The Week of the Warblers
Back in April, I wrote a “Spring Migration” special report detailing the wonders of mass migration, meteorological influences on how birds migrate, and ongoing research into providing bird migration forecasts. Little did I know what special season of migration adventures lay in store. Here are a few of my favorite spring migration stories from 2020 and some things to look forward to this September in Fall Migration.
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Field Trips
by Heather Gibson
September is Monroe Vaux’s Swift month.
A self-guided field trip
Each September thousands of migrating Vaux’s Swifts pause to roost in the old brick chimney at Frank Wagner Elementary School in Monroe, a rest stop on their route from northwestern Canada to Central America and Venezuela. An unforgettable spectacle unfolds each evening when the Vaux’s are in town. About an hour before sunset they begin to gather, circling the chimney in growing numbers. All at once as the sun goes down, they whisk into the chimney – tails first! There can be as many as 20,000 Vaux’s on an evening during the first weeks of September, and the birds keep coming in smaller numbers even into early October.
Location:
Frank Wagner Elementary School
115 Dickinson Rd
Monroe, WA 98272
Basic Birding Class at Seahurst Park
with South Sound Nature School
Sat Oct 3rd & Sun Oct 4th
Kevin O'Malley and Barbara Petersen will be teaching a Basic Birding Class this October. Beginner, intermediate and expert birders will have an opportunity to expand the scope of their knowledge about birds and birding. Class will focus on bird language, behavior, habitats, nests and bird tracks. Birding is a fascinating recreational activity. Participants will learn to talk more in depth about the birds they see and hear.
Burien's Seahurst Park has both forest and saltwater habitats offering a great diversity of bird species. Binoculars are recommended but not required. Kevin is lead naturalist and founder of South South Nature School. Barbara has led bird walks and field trips for Wild Birds Unlimited and Rainier Audubon.
Class fee of $50.00 covers Sat and Sun. Maximum 8 participants, with two slots already taken. Wearing of masks and social distancing will occur at this outdoor class. Classes will be held rain or shine.
For more information and to register go to:
"More birding is good. I kinda think I am always birding in one way or another. Looking for mysteries, trying to identify something, listen for small sounds, paying attention to behavior, noticing my surroundings...life is birding ha!"
- Kevin O'Malley, South Sound Nature School
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Birding Courses with Thomas Bancroft
First, The Cornell University Press will publish a book titled, "When Birds are Near: Dispatches from Contemporary Writers," in October. It is available for preorder, and if you use the code 09FLYER, you can get a 30% discount. I'm honored to have one of my essays included in this collection. Cornellpress.cornell.edu. It is also available from other sources and may be less expensive there.
Second, I have some upcoming birding courses that will be taught over zoom. They are available to the public. Participants do not need to be members of the group. Danielle Graham and I will be teaching a class on Raptors in Washington in October. We will cover the 20 regularly occurring hawks, eagles, falcons, and their relatives that live in our state. I may repeat this course for Eastside Audubon in January but expand it to cover all 34 Raptors regularly found in the United States.
For Eastside Audubon, I will teach a course that explores the 100 or so most common birds found in the fall and winter in Western Washington. This course should be listed in the next week or so and will start in late October. https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/classes
I hope you are enjoying the birds. Stay safe and healthy. Thank you for all you do for Audubon and for Birds. Right now, birds are my closest companions, and I don’t know how I’d survive without their joy.
Tom
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G. Thomas Bancroft
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Jay’s Sojourn to Cabin Lake Bird Blinds and the Klamath Basin
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Prevent birds from flying into windows...
750 Feet of Paracord at the Streiffert's
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Rainier Audubon Nest Box Project
by Barbara Petersen
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Barbara, Ken and Dolly practicing safe nest box removal.
Rainier Audubon is excited about a new project this summer - building and installing Tree Swallow nest boxes at the Emerald Downs horse racing track in Auburn. These will replace the very old nest boxes that were still being used this spring and summer, along a fence between the race track and the 40-acre property just to the south.
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This project was set in motion by a phone call from RAS member Dolly Owen to the Rainier board, alerting us to the needed repairs of nest boxes at this site. Both Dolly and our chapter's membership chair, Ken Schroeder, have taken on key roles in the project, aided by chapter president Jay Galvin and board member Barbara Petersen. Dolly is volunteering as our liaison with race track personnel, including Jack Hodge who put up the existing boxes over two decades ago. Ken Schroeder has volunteered to build the new boxes, which has already included much design research, supply shopping and several trips to the site.
At this point we have removed from the site all old boxes not currently housing yellow jackets. Ken has built a couple of durable prototype swallow boxes, obtaining feedback from the committee. We'll begin with installing twelve nest boxes, adding more as needed. As we happily donate our time and effort on this project, we're discussing ways to cover the cost of supplies for the new boxes. It may be possible for Rainier Audubon members to help by sponsoring a nest box! Please check back at our Rainier Audubon web site for opportunities to support this valuable project. You'll be helping our local birds and the environment.
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Barbara removing old nest box. |
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Abandoned nest box has wasp combs and a garter snake shed skin in it |
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Decision made for Weyerhaeuser Campus Warehouse A appeal
Superior Court appeal success for SWC on critical legal issue
For the past four years, Rainier Audubon has been working in coalition with Save Weyerhaeuser Campus to ensure responsible development of the campus while protecting the environment, including the Hylebos Basin. The most recent progress in our endeavors is a decision at Superior Court on the first proposed development, Warehouse A.
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The Puget Sound Partnership
The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of governments, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.
In the coming months, partners and the public can participate in two ways:
We are holding this on two dates to allow you to pick the best option for your schedule; both workshops will have the same content.
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Lower Russell Levee Project
Rowena Valencia-Gica - Environmental Supervisor, City of Kent
Toby Hallock - Lower Russell Levee Project Manager
The Lower Russell Levee Setback project is a 1.4-mile-long levee improvement project that is part of a larger overall flood management strategy for the lower Green River. Phase 1 (floodwall and water main work) had been completed. Phase 2 (levee, habitat restoration, and park relocation) are ongoing with completion slated in Summer 2022.
Project highlights are:
- The new levee will be set back from the river, which will help reduce flood risk for residents and businesses in Kent Valley and also allow for riparian and aquatic habitat improvements
- A large back channel will be constructed, and large wood structures will be placed in the river as part of the habitat improvements
- New trails will be constructed to allow public access to view some of these new habitat features
- The Green River Trail will be separated from Russell Road to increase safety for pedestrians and cyclists
- A new Van Doren’s Landing Park will be constructed, with a Mount Rainier themed play structure and a new viewing tower closer to the river
- A new hand carry boat launch will be built to replace the failing existing launch
There will be no access to the GRNRA from Russell Road at all until the project is complete in Summer 2022. During construction, access to the GRNRA will be limited to the south tower which is accessible only from the Puget Sound Energy corridor trail and should be coordinated with Jennifer Harrell (City of Kent Nursery Manager) at 253-740-8477.
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September is the Best Time to renovate your Lawn!
by Tony Donati - Conservation Coordinator, City of Kent
Want a beautiful lawn by next spring without using chemicals? Just mow and follow these steps:
- Aerate – Rent an aerator from your local rental center and poke holes all over your yard – this reduces compaction and improves air, water and nutrient flow to your lawn’s roots.
- Top-dress – Spread ¼ - ½” of high quality compost over your lawn. This provides all the fertilizer that your lawn needs for the whole year!
- Overseed – Spread new grass seed over the compost topdressing and water it in. New grass will start popping up soon and provide you with a thicker, greener yard!
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Become a supporting member
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