When and where do birds nest? The breeding season is from mid-March through July in California, with activity peaking in May and June. No surprises there. And they nest in trees, right? Well, no, not necessarily. They nest everywhere-some of our most common songbirds build their nests right on the ground.

This was one part of the nesting story brought to the attention of Madrone Audubon's members during a presentation by Point Reyes Bird Observatory's Education Coordinator, Melissa Pitkin, at the January General Meeting. Her talk, summarized below, gave an excellent introduction to the complex story of where and how birds nest and the importance to us of the success or failure of this crucial process.

A PRBO study of 548 nests showed that about 75% of the nests were found at heights of less than five meters and 25% of those were located between ground level or less than one meter off the ground. Ground nesters include the Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned Warbler and Western Meadowlark. The White-crowned Sparrow, Wrentit and Swainson's Thrush are shrub nesters. Typical tree nesters, such as the Warbling Vireo, Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Townsend's Warbler and Anna's Hummingbird, may also build their nests at heights of less than six feet.

The very fact that they occupy a variety of niches makes birds excellent indicators of the overall health of an ecosystem. They are the proverbial "canary in the coal mine", but in the widest sense, giving us information about the condition of our forests, waterways, grasslands and backyard suburban neighborhoods. Since they are easy to see and hear, particularly during the active breeding season, it is not difficult to monitor changes in their numbers that can point to changes in the environment. A Warbling Vireo study at PRBO between 1979 and 1997 showed a steady decline in captured birds during the breeding season, presumably due to declining habitat.

Declines in bird populations can be tied to nesting success or failure, as well as to failure to survive on wintering grounds or during migration. Loss of habitat for nesting purposes is a key element. Birds are dependent upon native plants for their food, and the "understory" of these plants within about three feet off the ground provides food as well as cover to protect nesting birds and their vulnerable young from predators. Nests are frequently found in native plants such as willows, sword ferns, red alder and the often-unwelcome California blackberry.

How can we help improve the chances of nesting success during the coming breeding season? Here are some of Melissa Pitkin's suggestions:

¨ Limit habitat disturbance by not doing restoration, mowing, spraying, etc. when nesting is in full swing. Use native plants for landscaping, and keep brush piles for cover and dead trees or limbs for cavity nesters whenever possible.

¨ Keep cats indoors, and don't leave pet food dishes out that will encourage predators such as raccoons and possums, crows and ravens. Keep garbage and compost in closed containers for the same reason.

¨ Don't feed birds during the nesting season, particularly on platform feeders that attract predators. Birds tend to feed more on insects at this time to provide more protein for their young.

¨ Discourage invasive non-native plants (eucalyptus, Scotch or French broom, pampas grass) and non-native birds (House Sparrows and European Starlings).

¨ Maintain fencing to keep cattle out of riparian areas, and line pastures and driveways to create corridors of native plants (see Judy Brinkerhoff's article on hedgerows in this issue).

The Birder's Handbook, a Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds, by Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye. Simon and Shuster, 1988.

Packed with information, this book is an invaluable resource for details about bird species that are not usually part of a field guide, such as courtship displays, nests, eggs, diet and conservation. No colored pictures, just drawings, most of them a set of symbols which will tell you at a glance, for example, where a bird usually builds its nest. It takes some patience to learn the symbols, but it's worth the effort.

The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, illustrated by David Allen Sibley, edited by Elphick, Dunning and Sibley. Published by Knopf under the auspices of the National Audubon Society, 2001.

Sibley II! A new and beautiful reference book, full of Sibley's incomparable color illustrations, mostly new detail drawings not part of his Guide to the Birds. More textual than encyclopedic, there are two major sections: "The World of Birds", a basic overview of bird biology; and "Bird Families of North America", which has a chapter on every family, exploring taxonomy, foraging, breeding biology and conservation status.

The Sonoma County Breeding Bird Atlas, edited by Betty Burridge. Published by Madrone Audubon Society, 1995.

Chances are if you are reading the Leaves, you already have this book. It is not only a wonderful reference for locating our local birds geographically, but also full of invaluable details about where and how these birds build their nests, feed and raise their young.

Over the past year, the progress of the Russian River Watershed Council (RRWC) has been slow, but we are treading new territory in collaboration and the issues at stake are complicated.

On September 8, 2001, Phase II of the Russian River Watershed Management and Protection Study was initiated. Phase II involves developing a Plan of Action (POA) to clarify the future direction of the study. The end product for the POA is an effective watershed management plan, and its structure is being determined by the RRWC right now.

The POA strategy areas that have been identified by the RRWC are: stream channel restoration, species and habitat recovery, water supply; uplands restoration, land use, regulatory accountability, stewardship activities, public education and awareness, data collection, research and evaluation, long term funding, and organizational development.

The RRWC's Environmental Caucus is presently defining issues within each of the POA strategy areas. Here a few of them: development of riparian corridors to mimic natural stream processes, developing funding mechanisms for purchasing of conservation easements, reducing toxic runoff into sensitive aquatic areas, and creating consumer incentives for water conservation.

We need more community involvement to help formulate the final POA. If the Sonoma and Mendocino communities can't come together and help draft an effective POA, then we will be left with the same processes and ideas that have created the Russian River's present precarious status. We hope you will find the time to make your voice heard.

The RRWC meetings are open to the public, and everyone is invited to participate in the workgroup. Our next RRWC meetings are March 9 and May 11 at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 205 First Street in Cloverdale. The meetings run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For more information on the RRWC, its workgroups, and a full chronology of their meeting agendas and minutes, please visit the RRWC web site at www.rrwc.net.

Scott Barrow, Madrone Audubon's representative on the RRWC and an environmental caucus representative on the RRWC's Steering Committee, can be contacted at sbarrow@sonic.net or 876-3530.

I think of a hedge as a row of shrubs, all the same kind, used as a barrier, a divider, or a fence. A hedgerow IS a hedge, but its purpose in gardening for wildlife, for one thing, is to supply many types of food sources for wildlife: nectar, berries, fruits, insects. So you might have one or two shrubs of toyon, a wild rose and a manzanita, all growing in a line together. These also provide cover for nesting.

A hedgerow has another purpose in the grander scheme of things; it can link your yard to your neighbor's yard, and his yard to the next yard. This gives wildlife a corridor, a freeway, where it can safely travel under cover from one territory to the next. It is an interlace, rather than a divider, and helps wildlife maintain genetic diversity, so islands of populations don't become stranded in the midst of human disturbance.

More about Hedgerows

Recently, I attended a short seminar sponsored by CAFF (Community Alliance with Family Farmers). The speaker discussed and showed slides on work he had done with large farmers in the Santa Cruz/Hollister/Watsonville area. This work consisted of informing and educating farmers on the importance of installing native plant hedgerows around their agricultural fields.

Many of the farmers agreed to try the ideas and most of them have succeeded in making it work. Some of the issues they ran up against were human error, such as farm workers who mistakenly mowed the hedgerows or hedgerows being sprayed with herbicides. The depredations of deer and rodents were also a cause of failure. Signage helped with the first two problems; area fencing and gopher baskets helped with the last one.

Some of the most successful plants not only brought in and harbored beneficial insects, but also gave shelter, food and wildlife corridors for birds. Many reptiles and amphibians were able to take advantage of the low-growing native perennials as shelter and cover.

The following plants were used for tall hedgerows and windbreaks, and also fed and sheltered birds: Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman' (20 feet tall); Toyon (15'); Redbud; Buckeye; Shrub oaks; willows; holly-leaf cherry; California wax myrtle; the tall coffeeberry; and hawthorn. The shorter hedgerows consisted of: Ceanothus 'Yankee Point' and Ceanothus 'Sky Lark', coyote brush, and two coffeeberries (Mount Saint Bruno and Eve Case). Elderberries were not used, as they are now known to be able to harbor Pierce's Disease.

Yarrows, buckwheats and deergrass were also successful. They provided low cover for birds and animals and blossoms for insects. Native rye grass was used along some of the irrigation ditches to forestall erosion. Many other plants were tried, but these were especially successful.

The hedgerow plants were planted four to eight feet apart and were watered for the first two summers. Mulches were added and the only fertilizer used was a shovelful of compost or rock phosphate in the planting hole just to inoculate the soil.

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, January 16
Dennis Beall and thirty birders had a clear, beautiful day at Bodega
Bay with 83 species seen. The highlights were two Great Horned Owls, a
Peregrine Falcon, and lunch with the Emperor Goose.

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, January 30
Twenty birders braved a cold, yet clear day birding Bodega Bay and Harbor with Richard Hurley. We scoped out all six grebes, had a Semipalmated Plover at the Doran mudflats and spotted a White-crowned Sparrow (Gambel's race) at Campbell Cove. At Westside Park the cypress trees yielded a Townsend's Warbler and a Brown Creeper. Where was the Ruff we expected to see at the boat launch? In all, 83 species were seen.

The bird of the day was the Emperor Goose. This is the winter bird at Bodega Harbor; see Betty Burridge's article, "An Emperor Goose visits Bodega Harbor", in the February 2002 issue of Madrone Leaves. Everyone who enjoys watching birds should take advantage of this rare sighting.

Conn Dam and Lake Hennessey, Thursday, January 24
On a chilly but sunny day, 21 birders joined Lew Edmondson at the Conn Dam spillway to bird the Lake Hennessey area, finding 40 species. The highlight of the day was an immature Ferruginous Hawk. We needed six field guides and much discussion to reach agreement as to its identity. Unfortunately, the Bald Eagle and Osprey often seen in the area eluded us.

Bodega Bay, Saturday, January 26
Lured by the prospect of seeing a Ruff and an Emperor Goose reported to be in the area, seven birders joined Lew Edmondson at the Bodega Bay rail ponds despite a cold steady rain that persisted until noon. Fifty-four species were found including the Emperor Goose. It was observing us from 400 yards out on a mudflat at low tide. We were disappointed by the Ruff, which failed to put in an appearance during our visit.

Sebastopol, Thursday, February 7
Gay Bishop and 14 other birders braved a drizzly morning at the Laguna de Santa Rosa in Sebastopol, where 33 species of birds were seen. The highlights of the day were the 40-50 Black-crowned Night-Herons at their roosting site

.

Because butterfly habitat is slowly disappearing, many people in Sonoma County have started butterfly habitat gardens. The question is whether these gardens help or hurt. I am devoting my graduate study at San Francisco State to finding the answer.

This study will focus on the pipevine swallowtail in Bay Area counties. If you have planted their host-plant, Dutchman's pipe, in your garden, or would like to, you can help me. You don't need a background in science. You only need to commit to checking your plants each week for butterfly eggs and caterpillars and recording what you find. The study will run from March 10 through July 10.

If you would like to participate please contact me. Everything you need to know is posted on my webpage: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~jmlevy. If you don't have access to the Internet you can reach me, Jacqueline Levy, at my lab by phone: (415) 338-3873. Thank you for your interest in helping butterflies.

Your editors humbly apologize for the reproduction of an outdated staff listing on the back of the February Leaves. Please refer to this issue for the correct information.

We welcome John Kelly, Director of Research and Resource Management at Audubon Canyon Ranch in Marin County. He will give an overview of the work in progress there, such as recent findings on winter shorebird ecology, the waterbirds of Tomales Bay, the nesting activities of herons and egrets, and the regional status of ravens and crows. His illustrated talk will include an update on other ACR sanctuaries and Tomales Bay itself.

John Kelly has a Ph.D. in ecology from UC Davis and has been with ACR since 1988. He resides with his family at the Cypress Grove Research Station, and serves on the Tomales Bay Watershed Council and the Tomales Bay Advisory Committee.

First United Methodist Church, 1551 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa. See Madrone Leaves for details.

Coming in April--

"The Birds of the Lakes Basin and of the Sierra Valley" presented by John (Mac) McCormick.

Cotati: Alice Cordtz, John Delosso. Glen Ellen: William Lee. Healdsburg: John & August Ludwig. Mill Valley: E. Dorian Sweet. Penngrove: Jim Thomas. Petaluma: George Bishop, Ronald Storey, Marc Perl, Raye L. Thomas. Santa Rosa: Mrs. P. H. Brown, Sean Hackett, Odette Isaac, D. Kinney, David LaCasse, Linda Sotto, Tim Stewart. Sebastopol: Jo Bertz, Lisa Ruppenthal, Alan West. Sonoma: Helen Birtwhistle, Georgette Mafffei, Tom Takeuchi. St. Helena: Cathy Janis. Windsor: Willard Carle.

Sunday, April 7, 1-3 PM. Armstrong Woods State Park: Hike and pond exploration at Bullfrog Pond. Our leaders will be Doug and Debbie Eakins from SRJC. Doug is an expert on aquatic critters and Debbie specializes in plants. Spring flowers should be blooming, birds singing and tadpoles wiggling. Come at 12:30 if you'd like to picnic beforehand. Call Claire at 527-6118 for reservations and instructions.

Thank you for the bat presentation. My favorite parts were the live bats, satellite pictures, and the "bunny-looking" bat. I learned that bats help farmers by eating harmful insects. I also learned that bats are nothing to be afraid of!
Chris Danford

Thank you for putting on the bat show. I liked the slides best of all. The live bats were cool. I learned that bats help regrow the rainforests by spreading seeds. I also learned that most bats eat insects or fruit, not blood.
Tom Danford

It's that time of year. At the February Board meeting a nominating committee was selected to find candidates for next year's officers and committee chairs. They need your help! There are a variety of ways in which you can participate, and it can be FUN. If you are interested, please contact any one of these committee members: Kathy Angell, chair, reachable at 838-4041 or by e-mail at mkgangell@aol.com; Lew Edmondson at 763-9264; and Diane Hichwa at 579-1182.

The coordinator for our hosting weekends at Audubon Canyon Ranch will be Marilyn Edmondson. She would like help on the following dates: 3/23, 3/24, 4/13, 4/14, 5/11, 5/12 (Mother's Day), 5/25, 7/6, 7/7, and 7/13.
Sign yourself up or plan to do it with two or three friends for a pleasant day at the Ranch. You'll have time to explore a bit, too, and check out the progress of the nesting herons and egrets. Please contact Marilyn at 763-9264 or at landmed@juno.com.

Madrone Audubon will have an exhibit table at the California Parenting Institute's 13th Annual North Bay Family Exposition at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, March 9-10. If you would like to help out at our table for two or three hours either day, please call Outreach Chair Anne Hudgins at 538-8871.

There will NOT be a regional Audubon conference at Asilomar this year due to unavailability of the conference center. We feel strongly that the conference is very important to individual members and chapters and we would like one held in the near future. If you also want the conference to happen, put in a call to Dan Taylor at Audubon-California, (916) 481-5332.

A reminder to those who made pledges: please get your checks, made out to Madrone Audubon, back to the persons you sponsored as soon as possible. Birdathon results will be provided in the next issue of Madrone Leaves.

With the nesting season coming up, baby birds aren't far behind! If you would like to help out at the Bird Rescue Center with the ones that go astray, consider attending a training session. The training takes place on the first Saturday morning of every month at 9:30 AM and on the third Wednesday evening of every month at 7:00 PM, March through September at the Center, 3430 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa. Call 523-BIRD (523-2473) for further information.

Do you want to see the largest and most ecologically important estuary on the U.S. Pacific Coast restored? Are you tired of feeling like a small voice when it comes to bringing attention to an important piece of local land in the Bay Area?

Then… Join the Bay Area Activist Network and be in touch with what is happening locally and also regionally concerning the Bay. This bi-monthly e-mail of special alerts are focused and utilized for the restoration of the San Francisco Bay. The concerned citizens who sign-up for this free e-mail service will have up-to-date information on what is happening to a local or regional location around the bay.

Each alert will ask you to take just a couple minutes out of your day to take action on a pressing situation... and it could be right in your backyard!

If you have questions or would like to sign up for a stronger voice, please send an e-mail to: contact@audubonsfbay.org and provide your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address and become a partner in a team that is restoring your neighborhood and the entire Bay!

Laguna Docent Training: Mondays, 12:00 to 4:00 PM, from March 4 through May. The Laguna Foundation's docent program teaches 3rd and 4th graders about the Laguna de Santa Rosa-the largest fresh water wetland in Sonoma County. Ten sessions of training by experts in biology, natural history and environmental education. For information and application form, please call Raini at 829-5490 or CJ at 829-0635.

Classes offered by John Klobas:
The Wildlife of Grizzly Island. Saturday, March 16, 10 AM to 6 PM. Visits to Shollenberger Park and to Grizzly Island in Solano County for raptors, waterfowl, owls, and mammals. Contact SRJC Community Education, 527-4371
Owls of the Point Reyes Peninsula. Saturday, March 23. An evening owl prowl at Point Reyes. Contact Point Reyes Field Seminars, (415) 663-1200.

Park Volunteer and Docent Training. April 24-May 11. Trailside teaching techniques and natural history education, offered through the
SRJC Natural Resources Department.

Wild on Wetlands Weekend. March 9-10 in Los Banos. Discover the Grassland Ecological Area in the Central Valley and view many migrating bird species. Information at (800) 336-6354 or losbanos.com/wow.htm.

Aleutian Goose Festival: A Celebration of Wildness. March 22-24 in Crescent City, Del Norte County. Virtually the entire world population (40,000 +) of Aleutian Canada Geese, rescued from near extinction in 1967, arrives here in spring. It's also a great time to see winter-lingering waterfowl and experience the peak of whale migration. Registration information at (800) 343-8300 or redwoodlink.com/soar.

Heron Days. April 13-14 at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, Lower Lake. Festival includes pontoon boat rides, walking tours, and lectures, focusing on several heron rookeries. Information at (800) 525-3743, or www. lakecounty.com.

Coming up at the Bouverie Preserve:
Public Workday. March 9, 9:30 AM to 2 PM. Come for some work, play, and a free lunch. RSVP to the office (938-4554) so we can plan for enough food!
Resource Management Days. Mondays on March 25, April 15, and May 20, 8:15 AM to 12:30 PM.
Rebecca's Wildflower Seminar. April 13. Our delightful biologist, Rebecca Anderson-Jones, will lead you though the Preserve, giving tips for using field guides, teaching some field identification, characteristics and how to key a few common plant families. Call (415) 868-9244 to reserve.
Audubon Hike Day. May 18th, 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM. A special day reserved for our Audubon Chapter friends. Call the office (938-4554) as soon as possible for a lottery form.

The Winemaker's Marsh: Four Seasons in a Restored Wetlands, by Kenneth Brower (Sierra Club books,191 pp,$40) deserves to become a classic of nature writing. It is infused with an engaging sense of place, keen appreciation of climate and wildlife, and understated wit. Brower spent a year chronicling changes in a marsh-turned-hayfield-turned-marsh near Sonoma Creek at the top of San Pablo Bay in California. The marsh, a freshwater sink that fills up in winter and serves as a draw for migrating birds, otters and muskrats, was created in the 1990s after vintner Sam Sebastiani painstakingly obtained 404 permits from local, state and federal authorities to build dikes fringing a 90-acre field.

Brower's passages on irascible coots and formidable horned owls could stand alone, but they are seamlessly woven into the whole, as is his profile of Sebastiani. Michael Sewell's photographs, many printed full-page size or laid across two pages, are consistently good.

The book includes a short, spiky introduction by the late conservationist David Brower, the author's father.

[Editor's note: Sebastiani's marsh is the subject of a feature article in the November/December 2001 issue of Sierra magazine, also written by David Brower, with photographs by Michael Sewell.]

Arctic Loon 12/14 Point Reyes CBC (continuing into January) M.OB. Red-necked Grebe (2) throughout Doran Beach, jetty area M.OB
Tundra Swan (1) 12/10 Post Street, Petaluma- (flyover) DN
Tundra Swan 1/13 Arnold Drive, at E. Bonness AW
Tundra Swan (2 ad.) 1/20 Chileno Valley (Marin Co.),with 12 Mute Swans DN
Cattle Egret (64) 12/15 Ludwig Ave., Santa Rosa CBC RR, DN
Ross' Goose (1) Jan. S. of Lakeville treatment ponds RL, DN
Canada Coose (leucistic) Jan. S. of Lakeville treatment ponds DN
"Aleutian" Canada Goose Jan. Shiloh Road DN
Emperor Goose 12/25-Feb. Westside of Bodega Harbor J.Luellen, DDeS, M.OB
Eurasian Wigeon 1/8 Off Hwy 121 at Roche Winery IM
Redhead Jan Seen behind Viansa, in wetlands LH
Blue-winged Teal (12) Jan. Shollenberger Park M.OB
Tufted Duck (1 male) Dec-Jan. Las Gallinas treatment ponds M.OB
Black Scoter (1) 1/10 Point Reyes BG, et al
Oldsquaw 1/21 Lakeville treatment ponds DN
Barrow's Goldeneye (2) 1/21 Lakeville treatment ponds DN
Hooded Merganser (2) 12/9-10 Laguna de Santa Rosa D.Hines
Osprey 12/26 Willowside Rd. LB Golden Eagle (imm.) 2/9 Shollenberger Park DN
Rough-legged Hawk 12/8 Estero Road LB
Ferruginous Hawk (2) 2/3 Estero Americano SK
Ferruginous Hawk (1 ad., 2 im.) 1/19 Marsh/ Middle Roads, s. of Valley Ford JH, LB Prairie Falcon 2/3 Estero Americano SK
White-tailed Kite (30-35+) Jan. Evening roost, w. of Lakeville treatment ponds DN
Cooper's Hawk 12/7 Petaluma; visiting feeder-birds H&GS
Wild Turkey (15) 2/9 San Antonio Road DN Clapper Rail (10+) Jan. W. of Lakeville treatment ponds DN
Black Rail (6-7) Jan. China Camp State Park. DN
Common Moorhen (2) 2/4 Spring Lake R.Sanborn Ruff (since Sept.) Jan. Bodega Harbor DN,et al
Pacific Golden-Plover (again) 2/9 Shollenberger Park, Lakeville treatment ponds DN
Snowy Plover (6) 11/18 Lawson's, Dillon Beach R. Sanborn
Long-billed Curlew (80+) Jan. Porto Sonoma DN
Burrowing Owl 12/28 Pine Flat Road BP, JD
Hammond's Flycatcher 2/? Point Reyes Station J.Evens
Barn Swallow 12/15 Alpha Pond, 1st ever on Santa Rosa CBC RR,DN Horned Lark (10+) 1/29 Spring Hill Road, Chileno Valley DN
Cassin's Vireo early Jan. Owl Canyon entrance RL
American Dipper 12/16-23 Sonoma Creek IM, LD
American Dipper 12/28 Dutch Bill Creek JM
Townsend's Solitaire (4) Jan. Mount Saint Helena PL
Yellow Warbler 1/22-2/10 Porto Sonoma, 1st rec. for Jan. in Sonoma Co. DN
Summer Tanager (imm.) Dec-Jan "Downtown Olema" RS
Savannah Sparrow (30+) Jan. Spring Hill Road DN
Vesper Sparrow (3) 12/15-1/9 Inverness Avenue, off Crane Canyon Road RM,RL; AW
Vesper Sparrow (1) Jan.- Feb Porto Sonoma LH,DN
White-throated Sparrow Jan.-Feb Porto Sonoma LH,DN
Common Grackle 12/24- Feb. Safeway area in Guerneville, 2nd County record PP, M.OB Great-tailed Grackle (fem) Jan.-Feb. Tiburon waterfront M.OB
Scott's Oriole (1st yr. male) Dec.-Jan. San Francisco, Golden Gate Park AH, DN
Scott's Oriole Dec-Jan Point.Reyes Station fide RS

CONTRIBUTORS: Larry Broderick, David DeSante, Joannie Dranginis, Liz Donath, Jules Evens, Betty Groce, David Hines, Jesse House, Lisa Hug, Sean Kalloway, Rick Lebadour, Peter Leveque, John Luellen, Richard Merriss, Jennifer Michaud, Ian Morrison, Dan Nelson, Bill Payne, Rhio Rey, Roger Sanborn, Rich Stallcup, Hope & Gordon Stewart, and Alan Wight.

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