Charles Sibley was a world-renowned ornithologist who died in Santa Rosa in 1998 and left his unique book collection to the Sonoma State University Library. A five-part lecture series on birds and birding and an art exhibit will be held at the university in November and December to commemorate this valuable gift-a "rare treasure," according to SSU Provost Bernie Goldstein. (Please see details of the event.)

Sibley, unrelated to author David Allen Sibley, was born and raised in California, and as a boy living in the San Joaquin Valley, he became fascinated with birds. He went on to study natural sciences at the University of California, where he earned a Ph.D. in zoology in 1948, after serving in the Navy during World War II. He had a distinguished career in teaching and research, spending over 12 years at Cornell and then 21 years at Yale, where he was a professor of biology. He was also Curator of Birds at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale, and Director of that museum for six years.

Along the way Charles Sibley taught briefly at San Jose State University and San Francisco State University, and also at Sonoma State University after he retired to Santa Rosa in 1993. According to his daughter, Barbara, he was motivated to donate his book collection to Sonoma State because of how much he felt he owed to the California public education system for the success he had achieved in his career.

Sibley published extensively and is best known for his research in the fields of evolutionary biology and molecular systematics: biochemical and molecular studies of proteins and DNAs of birds and mammals. He made many changes in the taxonomic orders and helped initiate the trend toward splitting as subspecies turned out, with DNA analysis, to actually be distinct species. One of Sibley's well-known discoveries was that New World vultures, such as the Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture and condors, are more closely related to storks than to Old World vultures.

Perhaps his best-known work is Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World, which he co-authored with Burt Monroe and published in 1990, a compendium of scientific information on all the bird species-numbering almost 10,000-recognized at that time.

Local birder and Madrone Audubon member Richard Merriss remembers Sibley well. He worked with him in Santa Rosa on a project to put the Distribution and Taxonomy into a Thayer Birding Software Checklist under the title, "Birds of the World by Dr. Charles Sibley." For Merriss he was a "true scientist," in contact through the Internet with experts all over the world. Invited to teach at SSU, Sibley became a great friend of the late SSU Biology Professor Jack Arnold, and Merriss recalls their competitive bantering with each other at SSU presentations.

In addition to many extraordinary field guides, Sibley's collection contains numerous important works of ornithological research. Another attraction is the artistic quality of the illustrations and plates in the books. Beginning in November, many of these books will be on display in the University Library, the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center.

From Paleolithic times on, birds have been depicted in every conceivable art form (mosaic, sculpture, tapestry, canvas, pottery, cartoon and fresco) from the time of the ancient Anatolians, Egyptians and Chinese to the present day. In this presentation Ted Pierce uses a stunning collection of illustrations spanning 20 millennia to elaborate the enormous impact that birds, as symbols of the beauty and mystery of the natural world, have had on human culture and art.

Ted Pierce has been a birder for 25 years. He has taught birding classes in the Bay Area for the last 10 years, though his early interest in nature and birding came from living near and spearheading conservation efforts for Inwood Hill Park in Manhattan. He combines his love of birds with a lifelong interest in archeology, literature, art and mythology.

All of the lectures below will be held in the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center, Room 3001. They are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, November 6, Noon and 7:00 PM
"The Glory, Wonder, and Diversity of Birds," by Peter Leveque, Retired Professor of Biology, Santa Rosa Junior College.

Wednesday, November 13, Noon and 7:00 PM
"Myth of the Feathered Dinosaur-Part II," by Nick Geist, Assistant Professor, SSU Biology Department.

Wednesday, November 20, 7:00 PM only
"Shared Habitat: Humans and Birds," by Diane Hichwa of the Sonoma County Bird Rescue and author and expert birder Betty Burridge, with feathered guests from Sonoma County Bird Rescue.

Wednesday, December 4, Noon and 7:00 PM
"What Can Genetics Tell Us about Avian Migratory Behavior in North America?" by Derek Girman, Assistant Professor, SSU Biology Department.

Wednesday, December 11, 7:00 PM only
"Birding in Sonoma County and Northern California: an Armchair Birdwalk," Mike Parmeter, author and expert birder.

Opening Monday, November 4, at the University Library Art Gallery, this exhibition, curated by Gregory Roberts, SSU Assistant Professor of Ceramics, will display the works of contemporary artists who use birds as a symbol for examining man's relationship with the natural world.

The Dr. John R. Arnold Memorial at Sonoma State University will be dedicated on Saturday, November 16, at 2:00 PM. in the lobby of Darwin Hall on the SSU campus. All of Jack's friends are welcome. Please bring memories to share.

Duncans Mills, Thursday, September 12
Dennis Beall and seventeen birders observed 52 species at Duncans Mills and vicinity under a foggy sky that cleared in the afternoon. Highlights were Peregrine Falcon and Say's Phoebe on Willow Creek Road, but eight river otters playing, feeding, and cavorting on the Russian River captured THE highlight of the day.

Point Reyes, Wednesday, September 18
It was an absolutely beautiful day at Point Reyes and that was the problem. Birds migrate in good weather. Richard Hurley and twelve birders nevertheless saw 53 species, including two young Great Horned Owls on the lighthouse cliffs and an Eastern Kingbird at the fish docks. The abandoned ranch gave us the Yellow Warbler and a Barn owl.

Howarth Park and Spring Lake, Thursday, September 26
Twenty-three birders joined leader Betty Groce on a very gray, overcast day at Howarth Park. The group welcomed a couple new to birding, a couple of home-schooled youngsters who've been with us before, and a visiting birder from San Francisco. We observed 42 species at the two locations. We had a couple of species that generated a lot of discussion. At Spring Lake we found a partially albinistic California Towhee which was truly a sight to see with all the white splotches scattered over its head and body. We also saw a female or juvenile selasphorous hummer which we could not positively identify as to Rufous or Allen's. However; upon checking Mike Parmeter's Birds of Sonoma County, we discovered that there are no records for Rufous Hummingbirds in the county in September, so it will be recorded as an Allen's. Mystery solved, birders.
[Betty Groce was kind enough to enlighten your scientifically challenged editor about another "mystery"-that long word used above: 'Selasphorous' refers to the Latin name of both Allen's and Rufous Hummingbirds. Allen's is Selasphorous sasin and Rufous (oddly enough!) is Selasphorous rufus.]

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, October 2
On a cloudless sunny day, 26 birders led by Lew Edmondson and Betty
Groce birded the Bodega Harbor area finding 74 species. Highlights
included a Black-throated Gray Warbler in Owl Canyon, a Merlin, a Marbled
Murrelet, several Lincoln's Sparrows and a Peregrine Falcon.

Point Reyes, Thursday, October 10
A large group of 23 birders and leader George Batchelder had a good day of birding with 62 species identified. In spite of persistent high overcast, there was plenty of activity on the Earthquake Trail, topped by a flock of six to ten Townsend's Warblers and a Downy Woodpecker. Next, the cypress trees near the lighthouse yielded three Golden-crowned Kinglets, some showing off brilliant golden crowns, but no rarities and a near zero fog ceiling. Lunch at Drake's Beach was brightened with a nice variety of birds-White-winged and Surf Scoters, Red-throated and Common Loons, Red-necked and Western Grebes, and an Elegant Tern, among others. A stop at the abandoned ranch rewarded us with a nice view of a Great Horned Owl. A very good day!

Yes, we've said it before, but it's still true-Rekha Agrawal has found she has too many out-of-town commitments to keep this post. So we are again looking for someone with a knowledge of accounting and an interest in helping out our organization.

Madrone's assistant treasurer, Becky Olsen, takes care of the weekly banking and check writing-the treasurer' job involves doing a monthly update of the spreadsheet and making a quarterly report to the Board. It's not as time-consuming as it might appear, but a very important contribution to the chapter.

Don't be shy! If you think you might be able to help, please contact MAS President Claire Shurvinton at 527-6118 right away.

Restoration of the Mayacamas Mountains Audubon Sanctuary by the Geysers Recharge Project has begun. Hanford Applied Restoration and Conservation of Sonoma is in the process of putting things back together. A rather hot and dry October has afforded Hanford a bit of welcome extra time, since the construction project is not far ahead of the restoration effort.

It still seems unlikely that the pipeline construction project will finish work on the Sanctuary before they must shut down for winter. Fortunately, it looks as if the unfinished construction will be restricted to less disruptive activity, plus a short run of digging and pipe-laying in Pine Flat Road from near Little Sulphur Creek to our northern property line-300 feet or so.

Construction on the Mayacamas Pump Station will continue through the winter months as weather permits. The building is nearly enclosed, but there is a lot of dirt work to do before restoration and landscaping can begin.

Public access into the area is improving, but construction is still a flurry of activity Monday through Saturday. Sunday is generally a good day to take a drive up Pine Flat Road, which has been repaved with a temporary cap in the worst spots. Please note that a security check station is set up at the lower end of Pine Flat Road-the guard on duty will be able to provide the latest information on access restrictions and road closures. If you park along the road or in a turnout on the Sanctuary to look around, make sure you are not blocking any construction access points or equipment. The contractors frequently do some work on Sunday, such as repairing equipment or moving it from one work site to another.

"If even a fraction of America's 38 million gardeners turned a quarter of their landscapes into a wild garden (only one tenth of an acre each), there would be a measurable impact…a tremendously positive gain for America's, and the world's, ecology."
-Ken Druse, author of "The Natural Habitat Garden

From a small backyard, a local park, to an entire community, there are many places to make wildlife more welcome in our surroundings.

Two programs of the National Wildlife Federation seek to encourage the idea of creating and maintaining beneficial habitat: the Backyard Wildlife Habitat program and the Habitat Stewards program. The first provides a starter kit to help individuals evaluate their yards and apply some basic principles (see checklist) to provide habitat for resident and migrating wildlife while conserving natural resources. A portion or all of someone's yard can become a NWF-certified habitat site.

The Habitat Stewards program trains volunteers to become mentors who can help others create and restore habitat, not only in backyards, but also in public spaces throughout a community. In this case the NWF works in partnership with a local host group providing materials and eventual certification of the stewards and their projects.

The Habitat Network of Sonoma is a local group that "graduated" 27 stewards in September of last year after three days of workshops in habitat management. The Harvest for the Hungry Gardens in Santa Rosa, under the leadership of Nancy Bauer, Lyn Howe and Becky Montgomery, became the local host, and volunteers such as Madrone Audubon members Judy Brinkerhoff, Anne Hudgins, and Wade Belew helped out, leading seminars in habitat garden basics (providing food, cover and water) and specific topics such as gardening for butterflies and other beneficial insects, bird boxes and composting.

Four Madrone Audubon members were among those who completed the training: Joannie Dranginis, Celeste Murad, Linda Ross and Jan Woodard. According to Joannie Dranginis, the training was just the first step in becoming certified as a Habitat Steward by the NWF-some 50 hours of community service is required subsequently, helping to spread the word about improving habitat in local yards and parks.

Joannie and others first formed an informal group helping each other improve their own yards. Recently she, Linda Ross and Becky Montgomery have been developing and nurturing a habitat garden for the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery off Franklin Avenue, using plants chosen to provide nectar and berries for foraging birds. Becky Montgomery, Lyn Houser of the Native Plant Society and other volunteers have met to set up a project at Doyle Park in Santa Rosa. There, the Habitat Network and the Native Plant Society are teaming up under the "Adopt-a-Park" plan of the Santa Rosa Parks Department to establish a native plant demonstration garden with eventual NWF Habitat certification.

The Habitat Network did not conduct a stewardship training program this fall, but more are planned. Anyone interested in attending a future session should contact Becky Montgomery at 573-0103. For more information about either of the National Wildlife Federation habitat programs, consult their website at www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/.

The Habitat Garden Book: Wildlife Landscaping for the San Francisco Bay Region. This a very valuable resource book by Sebastopol writer and Habitat Network co-founder Nancy Bauer. It is available in local bookstores.
Flora for Fauna, another useful guide book written by Leana Sims, president of the Milo Baker Chapter of the Native Plant Society. Available at Wayward Gardens Nursery in Sebastopol.

* Re-create the multiple layers of plant growth found in natural areas.
* Select plants to provide nutritional foods during different seasons.
* Plant shrubs and small trees in same-species clumps for adequate pollination of fruits.
* Provide at least one clump of conifers (evergreens).
* Leave dead trees, standing or fallen, to provide nesting and foraging sites. Consider topping dead trees rather than removing the whole tree if safety is an issue.
* Leave vines, or plant native additions.
* Limit the size of your lawn for less mowing, less fertilizing, less watering and less pollution.
* Avoid invasive exotic (non-native) plants.
* Supply a source of water-dripping or running water is a better attractant than still water.
* Provide and monitor nest boxes of various sizes.
* Leave some leaf litter on the ground.
* Stop using pesticides in your yard.
* Use only organic, slow release fertilizers, preferably your own compost, if needed.

New National Audubon Members:
Bodega Bay: Holly Mendonca. Cotati: Debby Swan. Forestville: Elizabeth Theiss. Glen Ellen: Phyllis Ellman, Nancy Erickson. Guerneville: Marja Dhollosy. Healdsburg: Will Tuttle, Nancy Jarrett, Gail Dewitt, Healdsburg Senior Center. Kenwood: Aspen Myers. Monte Rio: Gary Getchell. Occidental: Nancy Urdan. Petaluma: Louise Leff, Matthew Luoma, Holly Michaels, Beverly Morrison, David Welsh, Alan Wight. Santa Rosa: Leonard Bodin, Barbara Bray, Inoel Castellanos, Sarah Congdon, Lela Emad, Gordon & Natalie Griffith, Mary Anne Hertenstein, Jim Kirk, Roberta Lieben, George McKinney, Norman Mochel, Barbara Senkir, Henry Trione, Noreen Wahl, Gordon Weir, Laraine Woitke, Verna Hartley, Theresa Miller. Sebastopol: Kenneth Guyer, Kathryn Harder, Rainbow Refrigeration, Dennis Tapley, Megan Dana Wallace, Cynthia Newcomb. Sonoma: Diane Barbera, Marie Makela, Nancy J. Remail, J B Franzini. Windsor: Ray Steensma.

New Local Members:
Santa Rosa: Mary Guido, William Payne, Kenneth Ackerman, Calvin J. Strobel. Kenwood: Linda Allen. Sebastopol: Eloise van Tassel. Magalia: Harlin Perryman. Hebron, Kentucky: Joan & Jim Clapp (a gift membership from Margery Bushman).

November's Pee Wee event will be building bird boxes with Peter Leveque and Doug and Debbie Eakins. The pieces will be precut and there will be plenty of technical assistance for budding carpenters, plus advice on how to set up the boxes to attract the birds you would like. We will also be making other bird-related crafts, and if the weather is fine we can take a stroll around campus to see if there are any birds out and about.

To sign up for this event and get directions, please call Shona at 869-1577.

Madrone Audubon Society will hold its 36th annual West Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 29. This count has consistently registered a high number of species-enough to often be placed in the top ten counts for North America. We would like to have your help to continue the tradition. If you have counted before, we will send you an invitation in the mail. If you have not counted with us before or have changed your address since last year, please contact Russ Agnew at 823-7555 or Ken Wilson at 795-7547.

Our count center is in the Salmon Creek watershed. It ranges from west of Sebastopol to the coast and from just north of the Russian River down to the Estero Americana. We expect to divide about 140 counters among 20 groups. Join us for a great day of birding.-we will finish the day with a delightful potluck at the Sebastopol Community Center.

The 2002 Santa Rosa area Christmas Bird Count, run by the Redwood Region Ornithological Society, will take place on Sunday, December 15. If you would like to participate and are not yet signed up with one of the principal counters, please call Ted Eliot at 9354-3410 or Bob Evans at 823-0609.

Every year on New Year's Day a group of dedicated birders spends the first day of the year in the field, counting birds for the Angwin Christmas Bird Count. It is a great way to start the New Year. If you would like to join us for the 2003 count, please contact Wendy Cole at <beehaven@jps.net> or 963-2331.

Blue-winged Teal 9/28 Shollenberger Park RL,DN,BDP,AW
White-winged Scoter 10/1 Off Bodega Head DN
Wood Duck (pair) 9/28 Austin Creek RL,DN,BDP,AW
Greater White-fronted Goose (70+) 10/3 Over Nunes Ranch, Point Reyes DN Greater White-fronted Goose (60+) 10/5 Over Doran Pond DN
Greater White-fronted Goose (flock) 10/6 Over Penngrove RL
American Bittern (2) 10/6 West end of Spring Lake SB
Common Moorhen 9/28 Shollenberger Park RL,DN,BDP,AW
Virginia Rail 9/28 Bridgehaven pond RL,DN,BDP,AW
Sora 9/28 Bridgehaven pond RL,DN,BDP,AW
Clapper Rail 9/28 W. of Lakeville treatment ponds RL,DN,BDP,AW
Marbled Murrelet (4) 9/28 Off mouth of Russian River RL,DN,BDP,AW Sabine's Gull (2) 9/28 Off Bodega Head RR
Rough-legged Hawk 9/11 Freezeout Road DB
Ferruginous Hawk (1st arr.) 9/25 Bay Hill Road DN
Broad-winged Hawk (imm, lt. mrph.) 9/30 Bay Hill Road DN,BDP
Golden Eagle (pair, adults) 9/25 Bay Hill Road DN
Peregrine Falcon 9/12 Willow Creek Road DB
Burrowing Owl (2) 9/21-27 Bodega Head BDP,DH,DN
Purple Martin (2 ad. males) 9/26 Bodega Head DN
Tropical Kingbird 10/12 Bodega Harbor estates BB
Say's Phoebe 9/12 Willow Creek Road DB
Varied Thrush (5-6) 9/28 King Ridge Road RL,DN,BDP,AW
Dipper 9/28 King Ridge Road RL,DN,BDP,AW
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 10/8 Bay Hill Road DN
Hooded Warbler (ad. male) 9/ Cheney Creek DN
Magnolia Warbler 9/27-28 Owl Canyon DN,BDP,DH
Blackpoll Warbler 9/27 Owl Canyon DN
Palm Warbler 9/27 Owl Canyon (in scrub above) DN
Chestnut-sided Warbler 9/27 Campbell Cove BDP,DH DN
Northern Waterthrush 9/ Campbell Cove BDP,DH,DN
Golden-winged Warbler (ad.male) 9/27-10/2 Nunes Ranch, Point Reyes M.Ob Orchard Oriole (imm.) 10/3 Nunes Ranch DN Clay-colored Sparrow 10/3 Nunes Ranch DN White-throated Sparrow (2) 10/3 Nunes Ranch DN White-throated Sparrow (1) 10/5 Post St, Petaluma (yard) DN Fox Sparrow (hundreds) 10/2 Nunes Ranch (nearly all gone on 10/3 DN
Lark Sparrow (1) 9/30 Campbell Cove "feeder" DH,DN
Vesper Sparrow (1) 9/28 King Ridge Road RL,DN,BDP,AW
Note: This bird was associating with Lark Sparrows (top of road) and was
seen here last September as well. Has it been over-wintering here? Very likely. DN.

CONTRIBUTORS: Dennis Beall, Sara Blauman, Betty Burridge, David Hofmann, Rick Lebadour, Tyler Cannon-Nelson, Dan Nelson, Benjamin D. Parmeter, and Ruth Rudesill.

It's not too late to order Audubon Adventures for your classroom, or your child's or grandchild's classroom. All four sets of the student newspapers and resource materials from National Audubon are sent together so that they can be used whenever the teacher wishes during the year. This year's theme is "Exploring Four of Earth's Biomes: Freshwater Wetlands, Deciduous Forests, Coastal Environments and Deserts."

If you have a particular school or perhaps a scout or other youth group in mind, send the school name or group name and address and the name of the teacher/leader to Kathy Angell at mkangell@aol.com, or call her at 838-4041. Each classroom set costs $35 and individual sets are available for $19 each, plus shipping.

Madrone Audubon also welcomes donations for this purpose. We will be happy to award a gift subscription in your name to a local school. Just send a check to our post office box address and label your donation, "Audubon Adventures".

These are large boxed kits for nature education which can be borrowed free of charge for use by teachers, parents, scout leaders-anyone who wants to introduce children to the natural world. The kits include reference materials, a teacher's guide, videos and hands-on materials such as owl pellets and bird study skins. For more information call Judy Hartwig at 823-1821.

Sebastopol Laguna Keeper Day. Saturday, November 2, 9 AM to Noon.
Volunteers meet at the parking lot next to the Chevron on Highway 12 coming into Sebastopol. We will be putting up a bluebird trail, doing some trail maintenance and generally putting the trail to bed for the winter. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Laguna lands and work with kindred spirits. Bring water, gloves and extra tools. Questions? Call Mary Abbott, City of Sebastopol, 823-5331.

Sandhill Crane Festival. November 8 through 11, Hutchins Street Square in Lodi. Tours, workshops and more. For information, call (209) 367-7840 or consult the website: www.lodichamber.com.

Field Workshops in November at the Fairfield Osborn Preserve on Sonoma Mountain. Preregistration required; call 795-5069 for information.
Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Preserve. Saturday, November 9, 10 AM to 2 PM. Leader: Autumn Summers.

Eggs to Ensatinas: Newts, salamanders and frogs. Saturday, November 16, 10 AM to 2 PM. Leader: Dave Cook.

Secret Life of Fungi: Walk for wild mushrooms. Sunday, November 24, 10 AM to 2 PM. Leader: Charmoon Richardson.

Also at FOP: "Wilderness Rambles." Naturalist-led hikes every Saturday at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM through December 14 (no hike on November 30). Two to three hour hikes, appropriate for families, no reservations required. Meet at the Preserve parking lot at 9:50 AM. For directions, consult www.sonoma.edu/org/preserve, or call 795-5069.

Christmas Crafts Faire 2002. Two weekends, November 9-10 and November 29-December 1, at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building. Sponsored by the Russian River Watershed Protection Committee. For information call Brenda Adelman at 869-0054.

Sixth Annual Central Valley Birding Symposium. November 21-24. Hosted by the Central Valley Bird Club at the Radisson Hotel in Stockton. We have field trips, workshops, and a "Birder's Market" with vendors and artists selling birding related items. We have activities and classes for beginners as well as more advanced birders. Schedule and registration information is at http://cvbs.org, or call (209) 369-2010.

Sonoma County Tomorrow-Then and Now. Saturday, November 23, from 11:30 AM to 2 PM at the Environmental Center, 404 A Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa: "Being Thankful for Dick Day." Everyone is welcome to share their memories of Dick acting as the legal defense for local environmental issues and their favorite story of Dick's legendary humor and ability to engage different kinds of people. For more information, contact Linda Curry at 526-7865.

Grants for Open Space-the California Wildlands Grassroots Fund

Efforts to preserve wildlands and biological diversity in the Golden State are being given a boost with the launch of a new grants program, the California Wildlands Grassroots Fund (CWGF), a fund of the Tides Foundation. The CWGF has been established to support the efforts of community-based activists to preserve California's open space.

CWGF will provide a broad range of traditional and non-traditional support to small nonprofit organizations (annual budgets of less than $100,000), and individual activists with a demonstrated ability and commitment to conserve California's natural landscapes, ecosystems, plants and wildlife. CWGF will particularly target geographic areas and advocacy efforts that have not received significant foundation support.

Tides Foundation, which has partnered with donors to increase and organize resources for social change since 1976, plans to award over $100,000 annually through this fund. Applications for grants of up to $7,500 will be accepted on an ongoing basis. For guidelines and application, please go to www.calwildlands.org or contact hnguyen@tides.org.

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