North Central Washington Audubon Society
furthering the knowledge and the conservation of the environment of North Central Washington
Organizations and individuals are creatively delivering content when we can not get together face-to-face. Zoom meetings have become a common solution for speakers to present information.
We posted three Zoom opportunities in a previous blog. Two of the three are now complete. Luckily, the Audubon program titled Protecting Birds and the Places They Need was recorded and is now available to view. You can watch the one hour program here.
Submitted by Tim and Mary Gallagher. Reprinted from the Wild Phlox newsletter.
In the waning days of his administration, on December 6, 1960, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower designated 9 million acres in northeast Alaska as the Arctic National Wildlife Range.
Twenty years later, on November 12, 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed in the U.S. Congress and Democratic President Jimmy Carter signed it into law on December 2 in the last days of his administration. This doubled the size of the Arctic Range and renamed it the Arctic Refuge.
The 1970’s were a time of oil embargoes and long lines at gas stations, clearly still fresh in many legislator’s minds. Within the 1980 legislation 1.5 million acres of the coastal plain was portioned out for further study. This area called Section 1002 was to be studied for its wildlife and wilderness value but also oil and gas potential.
Decades have passed, and another administration is coming to an end. During this time, we have improved efficiency in vehicles and developed electric cars and trucks. We understand how important and fragile the coastal plain is to migrating nesting birds from all over the world. We know the critical nutrition it provides for the Porcupine Caribou herd, an animal essential to the survival of the indigenous Gwich’in people of Alaska and Canada. Most importantly we now understand the consequences of fossil fuel extraction and impacts to climate change. Over two-thirds of the American people oppose drilling in this unique wilderness.
Yet, this outgoing Administration just announced a “call for nominations” in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, asking oil companies to identify preferred areas on the Arctic Refuge’s ecologically sensitive coastal plain to lease for oil drilling. The current Interior Department has set in motion the process for approving a massive new seismic testing program for nearly a half million acres of the coastal plain. Their proposal would involve hundreds of miles of “roads”, resulting from 90,000-pound seismic vehicles traveling with bulldozer convoys. These conveys will carry supplies for up to 180 workers, threatening denning polar bears.
With the continued volatility in oil markets and major U.S. and international banks unwilling to invest in Arctic oil, the economic argument no longer is valid. This combined with significant environmental and social impacts should require an environmental review.
What can you do to celebrate the 60th Anniversary?
We need to come together and protecting the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for future generations would be a good start.
“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”
President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat from Texas, when he signed the Wilderness Act into law in 1964.
The year 2020 marked the fourth nesting season I have operated a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) bird banding station in the Methow Valley. MAPS is administered by the Institute for Bird Populations and is a continent-wide collaborative banding program that contributes to the conservation of birds and their habitats by monitoring key demographic parameters such as productivity, recruitment, and survival. During a MAPS banding session, birds are captured in mist nets, extracted and placed in cloth holding bags (1 bird per bag), and brought to a central processing location where they are identified to species and banded on the right leg with a uniquely numbered band issued by the Federal Bird Banding Laboratory. Data on age, sex, breeding condition, weight, fat, molt, and feather wear are recorded for each bird before it is released. You can learn more about the MAPS program by visiting the Institute for Bird Populations’ web site.
Like everything else in 2020, the ability to operate the MAPS station in the midst of a global pandemic was questionable. Would the landowners allow me to band on their property? Would any volunteers be willing to help? And would it be possible to capture, band, and process birds while wearing a mask? Fortunately, the landowners and volunteers said yes, and with some trial and error we adapted to wearing masks and safely completed all 7 of the required MAPS banding sessions.
I have been banding birds for 14 years, and despite the questionable start 2020 turned out to be my most productive MAPS season ever with a total of 195 captured birds and 32 different species! The most commonly captured species were MacGillivray’s Warbler (25 captures), Yellow Warbler (22 captures), and Purple Finch (16 captures). Other notable species included American Redstart, Nashville Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, and Red-naped Sapsucker.
MacGillivray’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Purple Finch. Photos by Julie Hovis.
An important aspect of banding is age determination. In general, birds can be aged as being in their hatch year (HY), second year (SY), or after second year (ASY) by examining the color and condition of their flight feathers. The Lazuli Bunting provides an excellent example of how feathers are used to age a bird. Pictured below on the left is the wing of a SY male; the retained brown juvenile feathers indicate this bird hatched in the previous year. The wing on the right is an ASY male; the lack of brown feathers indicates this bird hatched prior to the previous year. It’s not always that easy, and for some species it’s downright impossible, but with practice many species can be aged accurately.
SY (left) and ASY (right) male Lazuli Buntings. Photos by Julie Hovis.
For species where the males and females look alike, banding also provides an opportunity to determine a bird’s sex, such as the brood patch on this female Song Sparrow.
One of the perks of bird banding is being able to see things up close and personal. This year we caught several Cedar Waxwings and the detail of the waxy tips on the secondary feathers was amazing.
Cedar Waxwing. Photos by Julie Hovis.
My banding activities are over for this year, but I am planning to operate the MAPS station again in 2021 (hopefully in a world free of COVID-19). I’ll post updates starting in June, so if you’re interested be sure to check back then.
10-1-20
The sun rose today like a tomato, edging up from a horizon veiled in California’s smoke. I thought we were done with that —this being central Washington and October. I thought our scorched shrub-steppe land, leveled homes, and blackened wheat fields were behind us. The sage grouse and the pygmy rabbits were losers, but plans to reseed the burnt land and cheat the cheat grass were progressing. We could replant sagebrush and rabbit brush and bitter brush. We have done that before even though we know it will be years before the obligates are able to shelter in and nibble those shrubs, returning to their one-time habitats.
I learned that the redwoods in California will be sprouting new growth from their blackened trunks and new infant trees from around their bases. Within three or four years the redwoods will look like their old old selves again. There is hope for the same in our burnt lands.
Merry Roy
Starting in 1992, Make A Difference Day is the largest day of community service across the United States. Millions of people unite in the common mission to improve the lives of others. You can find more information about the history of Make A Difference Day here.
October 24, 2020 is the date for Make A Difference activities in our area. The NCWAS has been asked to help with two great volunteer projects – one is being organized by Team Naturaleza and the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. The other is in the Bridgeport area and is being organized by the Foster Creek Conservation District.
Team Naturaleza and the CDLT are joining forces to prepare the trails in the Jacobson Preserve for the coming winter weather conditions. You can sign up to help here.
The recent fires near Bridgeport consumed vast areas of key habitat for grouse and other bird and wildlife species. The Foster Creek Conservation District hopes to get some help planting 2,500 native plants along West Foster Creek. You can learn the details of this project here.
Please look for an opportunity to volunteer your time on October 24, 2020 to Make A Difference! Thanks.
Wildfire is a common disturbance in North Central Washington. There is very little of the four counties within the NCWAS area that has not burned at one time or another. The recent fires inspired concerns for birds and wildlife within the area. The National Audubon Society provides some insight into the possible effects of wildfire on birds.
The Pearl Hill and Cold Springs Fires, below, burned over 410,000 acres in 2020. Much of the area burned was in shrub-steppe plant communities.
Lynda Mapes, an environmental reporter for the Seattle Times, summarized the burns in a recent article. She points to impacts to Sharp-tailed and Sage Grouse, as well as, pygmy rabbits. Managers in the area predict a Sage Grouse population decline of 30%-70%. We will continue to learn about the character of these fires and their effects on bird and wildlife habitat and populations.
Kim Marie Thornburn, M.D. and member of the Fish and Wildlife Commission of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, presented a sober assessment of the conditions in the fire at a recent meeting of the Washington Ornithological Society. Sharp-tailed and Sage Grouse habitat and leks were consumed. A pygmy rabbit enclosure and a release area were lost.
Wildfires are, in themselves, subject to controversy. Land managers are faced with critical decisions about how to minimize future fires while confronting the reality of a blaze raging through the area they manage. Protection of structures, saving lives of people who refuse to evacuate, looking ahead to the next day – these are not easy, fun, or without consequence. It is well known that forests in the west are in need of treatments to minimize future risk of wildfire, loss of life, and property. Decisions about how to manage a forest stand are never easy. Add in the uncertainty about the degree of climate change effects, and the decision space shrinks.
Climate change, wildfires, and forest management are frequent topics in the western United States, especially during periods when wildfires are raging across the land and through towns. The finger-pointing about responsibility after a major fire often lands on forest management. Simplification of the complex physical, socio-economic, and climatic conditions is rarely sufficient for understanding or recovery. Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of wildfires in the west. Population sprawl into the urban interface areas of forested areas is guilty of placing people and property at high risk of loss due to fires. It’s a complicated and diverse situation across the western United States. A recent article in Adventure Journal addresses climate change and forest management.
Moses Coulee and Jameson Lake are known for exceptional birding opportunities. The Pearl Hill fire burned north of Highway 2, sparing all the shrub-steppe to the south and down through Palisades. The fire in Moses Coulee north of Highway 2 resulted in a mosaic of burn patterns. An aerial view shows how the fire, driven by hurricane-strength winds, swept down the coulee floor.
On-the-ground photos provide a different perspective. The following images were taken on September 20, 2020. In general, the coulee floor appears to have burned with less intensity than the upper elevations of the BLM Jameson Lake area. However, plants that look to have survived thanks to fast-moving flames or by being in a lower elevation channel on the coulee floor, have been severely desiccated.
After a fire, the discussion turns to long-term recovery. Sage is notoriously slow to recover. A recent article published by the U.S. Geological Survey helps clarify the recovery of Big Sage after a fire. Numerous post-fire attempts to seed areas with sage seed have not been entirely successful. There is a well-founded concern that weeds will be quick to establish throughout the area, cheatgrass being a primary invader. Only time will tell.
The Two Steppe Natural Area Preserve is very close to Moses Coulee. As pointed out by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Two Steppe area “…contains the largest remaining area of high-quality shrub-grassland ecosystems in the northwest portion of the Columbia Basin.” Much of the area burned in 2015 which gives the benefit of being able to see how natural recovery has proceeded in the last 5 years. This could be the same path that recovery in Mose Coulee will follow. Photo monitoring within Moses Coulee, when coupled with an assessment of the recovery within the Two Steppe area, would benefit our understanding of the reality of recovery of shrub-steppe areas after a fire.
The loss of habitat in Moses Coulee is a significant setback for birds and wildlife. Luckily, the edges of Jameson Lake did not burn. Coots, Pied-bill Grebes, Mallards, Great Blue Heron, and Black-billed Magpies were using the area on September 20, 2020. A Sage Thrasher was seen on a burned sage plant in the moonscape area above Jameson Lake. Horned Larks were in the area as well. It will be very interesting to see how the vegetation responds and how birds and wildlife adapt.
The North Central Washington Audubon Society has temporarily suspended all of our regular activities that require face-to-face gatherings. While we regret the need to do this, we will continue to follow CDC and State guidelines for activities during these trying times. We look forward to reinitiating our activities as soon as we are allowed to safely do so.
Activities you can look forward to in the post-pandemic world:
Regularly scheduled bird walks in the Horan Natural Area and at Beebe Springs
Expertly led field trips to visit a variety of habitats in our area.
Programs hosted at the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center as part of their Environmental Film and Speaker Series
We are pleased to announce that the NCWAS Friends of Horan monthly bird walks through Walla Walla Point Park and the Horan Natural Area are beginning again after months of pandemic denial. We follow the latest CDC guidelines for Covid protection. If you are vaccinated, you can participate in these bird walks without using a mask. Carpooling to the parking area is fine if everyone is vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated, please wear a mask and do not carpool to the parking area. Simple, right?
The Friends of Horan bird walk takes place the first Wednesday of each month. There is no registration required for these walks. Just show up, be prepared for the weather and, walk about 2.5 miles on easy, gravel trails. Each of the walks begins at 07:30 and ends by 10:00. It is fine to leave the walk early if you have limited time. The walks begin at the north-most parking lot in Walla Walla Point Park near the restrooms. Parking does not require a Discovery Pass and is free (thank you Chelan PUD).
Every walk follows a protocol to visit several sites and the bird sightings are entered into eBird. This ensures that bird use in the Horan area and in Walla Walla Point Park are consistently documented.