Altacal Audubon Society

Support us by becoming a member: Membership Application (PDF)

Northern Saw-whet Owl project and ADOPT AN OWL!

Altacal Audubon Society is proudly sponsoring Dawn Garcia and her banding crew as they continue researching the migration ecology of the Northern Saw-whet Owl (ageolius acadicus). Their project was the recent focus of the Greenways Column in the Chico News and Review, (http://www.newsreview.com/chico/content?oid=1869662).

Dawn also recently launched an "Adopt an Owl" program that will help support the long-term monitoring of the owl. Check out her blog at http://birdbling.blogspot.com/, to learn more about the owl project and how to ADOPT AN OWL! The package includes a owl certificate, project brochure, and letter of thanks for your tax free donation.

It's a BIG YEAR for the 13th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway!

Greg Miller is joining our festival this year and causing some BIG excitement for everyone! Greg is one of the famed birders featured in the 2004 book, The Big Year by Mark Obmascik and portrayed by Jack Black in the recently-released movie. Greg will be our Keynote Speaker at the banquet on Saturday night, and is looking forward to coming to Chico and sharing his joy of birding.

Over 65 fieldtrips, workshops and presentations will be offered, along with lots of free activities and events for youth and families... something for everyone!

Join us for the ever-popular Art Reception and Exhibit of the Pacific Flyway featuring a new downtown location... the Chico Art Center. We've also partnered with The Chico Museum, whose exhibit "Amazing Grains: The Story of Rice and Beyond," will be a show-stoppper for many of our participants.

So save the date on your calendar and be sure not to miss out on the Snow Goose Festival's BIG YEAR this coming January 26-29!

Registration opens in December at http://www.snowgoosefestival.org/.

Program Meetings for the general community are normally held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Chico Creek Nature Center, 1968 E. 8th St.

In December the meeting is held on the second Monday and in July and August there are no Program Meetings.

Red-cheeked Waxbill by Roger Lederer

February Program - Monday, February 20, 6:30 p.m., Chico Creek Nature Center
UGANDA’S Extraordinary Birds & Gorillas Presented by DRS. ROGER LEDERER & CAROL BURR

Uganda is known for the vicious reign of Idi Amin from 1971-1979 and the 1976 hostage rescue by the Israeli Special Forces at the Entebbe Airport. Only recently has Uganda become a tourist destination, primarily because of its mountain gorilla population. Few people are aware that Uganda is also a world class birding destination, with 1100 species of birds to be found in a country the size of Oregon. The variety of birdlife is also spectacular, ranging from drongos, gonoleks, and waxbills, 22 species of cuckoos, 17 hornbills, and 25 barbets to the fan-tailed widowbird and the rare shoebill stork, “a most extraordinary bird.”

Join Drs. Roger Lederer and Carol Burr for a virtual trip through Uganda to visit some of these most amazing birds, and make a short visit to the mountain gorillas.

Roger Lederer is Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at California State University, Chico and has taught ornithology and ecology. He has published over thirty scientiﬁc papers and books; Ecology and Field Biology, Bird Finder, Amazing Birds, Birds of New England, and recently, Birds of Bidwell Park. He has consulted for governmental agencies, environmental organizations, schools and presented hundreds of public presentations. He has been contacted by many news organizations through his popular website Ornithology.com. Roger has birded in 90 countries and seen 3000 species.

Carol Burr, is Professor Emerita from California State University, Chico, where she taught literature in the English Department for 37 years. In retirement, she returned to a childhood love of drawing, taking oil painting classes. Married to Roger, an ornithologist, she learned about birds and became an active bird watcher on their travels around the world. In 2009 she illustrated Roger’s The Birds of Bidwell Park.

Mountain Gorillas by Roger Lederer

March Program - Monday, March 26, 6:30 p.m., Chico Creek Nature Center
Life Histories and Ecologies of SIX RIPARIAN BIRD SPECIES Presented by WILLIAM E. HAAS

Bill is the Executive Director of the Paciﬁc Coast Conservation Alliance, a non-proﬁt conservation group that designs and manages wildlife preserves and conducts ﬁeld research on threatened and endangered vertebrates. His primary focus is the study of riparian systems. He will describe in his talk a recent study to develop a simple model to predict occurrence and carrying capacity for six riparian obligate avian species. The challenge was to design and test a simple remote method of determining occurrence and breeding potential of the least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus), southwestern willow ﬂycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus),
summer tanager (Piranga rubra), yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), and yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens).

Three steps were involved in the creation of the model, which he tested using ﬁeld surveys to ascertain that the model was an effective predictor. The two data sets used to develop the model were 1.) extensive research (from ﬁeld studies and published literature) into the life histories and ecologies of each target species and 2.) a detailed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping of the study area. The study area was then divided into quadrats and then assigned a suite of species-speciﬁc indices that indicated for each species whether it could support breeding, use, or was simply unsuitable. By plotting each species index by quadrat and assessing area, volume, and contiguity, species richness and breeding potential could be predicted for each study site. The completed model was tested by conducting ﬁeld surveys to determine occurrence, distribution, and breeding status for each focus species at numerous study sites. The simple model in each case predicted well the occurrence (or absence) and approximate numbers of each focus species at each of the study sites.

Southwestern Willow Flycatcher

Upcoming Bird Walks and Birding Trips

All of our field trips are open to beginning birders. Anyone with a sense of wonder is welcome to participate.

February 11, Saturday - SECOND SATURDAY - UPPER BIDWELL PARK
Trip Leaders: Steve King and Raina King

Our Second Saturday trip in February will be in Upper Bidwell Park. Even this early in the new year, some birds will be thinking of spring. We could get nesting Great Horned Owls, Western Bluebird, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Oak Titmouse, lots of Acorn Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Nuttall’s Woodpecker. After birding Horseshoe Lake and around the parking lot, we will head up the canyon to the Yahi Trail, follow it along Big Chico Creek, as far as time permits (2 -3 mi, round trip). We usually turn around at the Day Camp parking lot and choose a different trail and get back to the cars by 12:30pm.

Meet at 9 am at the parking lot on the left just past the gun club and Horseshoe Lake. Follow Wildwood Ave for 1.75 miles and turn left just before the gate. Bring binoculars, water, snacks, walking shoes and proper clothing for weather. Rain cancels.

Contact Steve King at 530-566-6136.

February 18, Saturday - GRAY LODGE WILDLIFE AREA

Trip Leader: Mauricio Schrader

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/wa/region2/graylodge/index.html) is the largest wildlife refuge in Butte County and has huge ﬂocks of migratory waterfowl at this time of year. This is also a good trip for raptors, sparrows, and other wintering songbirds. We will hike some of the trails and do the auto tour loop. Meet at the Chico Park & Ride (lot nearest the freeway) at 9 am and return by 3 pm. Bring binoculars, ﬁeld guide, warm clothes, water, and a snack or lunch. There is a $4 admission fee per person and you will need exact change. For more information, contact Mauricio Schrader at 530-894-4025 or mschrader@nsradiology.com. Rain cancels.

March 10, Saturday - SECOND SATURDAY - CHICO OXIDATION PONDS WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
Trip Leaders: Steve King and Raina King

This month is the Oxidation Ponds, west of Chico, for our Second Saturday ﬁeld trip in March. Birds are starting to move north, so this should be a fun month. The walk is a little under 2 miles and
usually lasts about 3 hours. If you prefer to keep the walk shorter, you can just walk out to the viewing blind and enjoy the birds from the blind and not do the full loop. This will shorten the walk to about
a mile. The walk is ﬂat and graveled to the viewing blind.

Let's meet at the Oxidation Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary at 3 pm. Walking in the afternoon keeps the sun mostly at our back and the temperatures warmer. We should be back to the parking lot around 6 pm (sunset is 6:10 pm).

To get to the Oxidation Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary, go west on W 5th Street from Hwy 32 in Chico. Follow W 5th Street (which becomes Chico River Road) for 3.9 miles. The wildlife viewing parking area is 300 yards past the main entrance to the water treatment plant, on the left.

Bring binoculars, spotting scopes, water, walking shoes and proper clothing for the expected weather conditions. There is a chemical toilet on the way out to the viewing blind. Rain cancels.

Contact Steve King at 530-566-6136.

March 30 - April 1, Friday - Sunday - PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT
JOINT TRIP / MOUNT LASSEN CHAPTERCALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
Trip Leaders: Jennifer Patten and Woody Elliott

Late March is a great time for wildﬂowers and nesting song birds at Pinnacles NM, south of Hollister in San Benito County. Come together with wildﬂower and avian enthusiasts to soar with California condors after hiking the well groomed, 2 mile trail to the “High Peaks”. Then look west across the Salinas Valley toward the Ventana Range and elsewhere across the green, rolling ridges of the inner Coast Range. Shorter trails access upland habitat and through a jumble of boulders that create cool caves along a water course tumbling from an upper reservoir where waterfowl
are found. Nesting habitat for easy bird watching is abundant in the stream wash next to the campground on the east side of the Monument. Condors can be seen at dawn roosting in the conifers on the ridge above.

The Monument’s large campground for tents and RVs (full hookups available) is a 5 hour drive from Chico down I-5 and via Hwy 152 over Pacheco Pass. Reservations for a group campsite or circle of campsites will be made. Please contact Woody at woodyelliott@gmail.com or 530 342-6053 to SIGN UP.

April 14, Saturday - SECOND SATURDAY UPPER BIDWELL PARK
Trip Leader: Jon Aull

April 14th is our monthly ﬁeld trip to Upper Bidwell Park. Birders of all levels are welcome! Let’s meet at 9 am at the parking lot on the left just past the gun club (follow Wildwood Ave for 1.75 miles and turn left just before the gate). We will walk from Horseshoe Lake, up the canyon and then follow the Yahi Trail along the creek as far as time permits (2-3 miles roundtrip) and will be back to the cars by about 12:30 pm. Bring binoculars, water, snacks walking shoes and proper clothing for expected weather conditions. Rain cancels. Contact Steve King at 530-566-6136.

Note: This is our second to last Second Saturday ﬁeld trip. May 12 to the Oxidation Ponds will be the last for this season.

Tom Rodgers Uncommon Birds
(2 MB download)

Altacal Audubon Society has had an exciting opportunity to create an educational brochure to inform landowners along the Sacramento River about Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), their nesting habitat, and incentive programs to help protect them. Members Carolyn Short, Raina King and I were awarded a grant to create the brochure and companion website by the Fund for Wild Nature. Go to Bankswallows.org to learn more about this species population on the Sacramento River.

Local Blogs
North-state Naturalists http://northstatenaturalists.blogspot.com/ Liam Huber's banding experiences http://bandingadventures.blogspot.com/ Dawn Garcia's BirdBling Blog Those Amazing Birds

Notices or articles submitted for publication consideration should be sent by e-mail message to the newsletter editor as Microsoft Word (if possible) attachments by the 1st of the month for the next issue of the newsletter (i.e., Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep and Nov 1st) - editor@altacal.org – Thanks.

Attention Libraries!
If you would like to receive the White-tailed Kite for distribution to your patrons, please email membership@altacal.org to let us know how many copies you'd like.

Altacal Audubon Society

A California Chapter of the National Audubon Society