Back by popular acclaim! Local photographer Brendan Hutchinson's photography looks at nature on nature's terms. Working patiently to get his subjects acclimated to his presence, he is often able to develop ongoing relationships with individual animals. This "chapter" in his photographic journal features the best pictures from Annadel and Spring Lake Parks, Bodega Bay and Point Reyes.

Brendan lives in Santa Rosa. He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York with BA in biology, and earned an MA in fish and wildlife management from Cornell University. The alliterative subheading for his talk is a key to its scope: "Blackbirds and Blacktails, Egrets and Elk, Weasels and Woodpeckers, Hummers, Honkers and Hawks."

Please join us for the first of our 2004-2005 general meetings. Madrone Audubon's programs are free of charge, and the public is always invited to attend.

COMING OCTOBER 18: "The Glory, Wonder and Diversity of Birds" with Madrone past president and retired SRJC biology professor Peter Leveque.

Most of all, the Laguna de Santa Rosa is the domain of the birds. As the new research director of the Laguna Foundation, I have been out on the trails and trackless areas along the channel, familiarizing myself with the topography and the plant and animal communities and contemplating how we humans fit into the rest of the ecosystem. I cannot say which is more delightful, the startling herons and hawks, or the cryptic birds building thistle-down nests among the stalks of curly-dock… The Foundation is now in the process of writing a restoration and management plan for the Laguna Area (see related article on page 4), and as the members of Madrone Audubon may suspect, birds will play a central role in this plan.

Bird populations are one of the best known indicators of ecosystem health and habitat quality. Rather than using arbitrary ways to evaluate habitat, we ask which patches of forest, field and marshland are best from the point of view of the residents, based on the distribution and abundance of bird species. Such baseline information on bird populations will also be crucial for evaluating the success of restoration efforts over the long-term. To gather this information, the Laguna Foundation is partnering with the Sonoma County Open Space District and Point Reyes Bird Observatory to carry out a systematic inventory of birds in the Laguna area.

The Open Space District has begun trail-planning for the Laguna, on the City of Santa Rosa irrigation farms and on land soon to be acquired near the Laguna Wetlands Preserve. In order to balance outdoor recreation with protection of sensitive breeding habitats, they are keenly interested in the whereabouts of bird species. The District has contracted with PRBO to perform winter and summer surveys in 2004 and 2005 along the central reach of the Laguna. The Laguna Foundation hopes to use university students and volunteer birders to extend and elaborate these surveys in order to get a comprehensive picture of populations along the entire channel.

There is another emerging reason for surveying and monitoring bird populations and for acting swiftly to protect and restore the Laguna ecosystem. West Nile Virus has come to the North Bay. There is still little known about the effect this virus will have on wildlife, but it is critical to keep a close eye on our local birds. If it is inevitable that many birds will die from disease, then it is critical to enhance their breeding success and reduce their mortality from other causes. Diverse and healthy ecosystems provide food, nesting areas and refuge from predators. (See article on page 5 for more West Nile Virus information.)

In other bird news, the City of Santa Rosa has provided the Laguna Foundation with a grant to write a field guide for the Laguna ecosystem. Marian Parker, a Sonoma State University student, will be writing and compiling the guide, which is intended to be broad rather than comprehensive, including the common and notable bird, mammal and plant species of the Laguna. Marian was a lawyer in her former life, so she will combine her formidable research and organizational skills with her fierce enthusiasm as a naturalist to provide this much-needed guide.

There is a lot going on at the Laguna Foundation these days. For more information, please contact us at 527-9277, or visit the website at: <www.lagunadesantarosa.org>. If you have questions about the Open Space District's trail plans, please contact Kathleen Brennan-Hunter at 565-7360.

A couple of summers ago I toured Southeast Alaska and was delighted to see the natural splendor of this richly diversified country. The time of my trip coincided with the beginning of the salmon run. What a thrill to see the rivers and pools teaming with silver fish rushing headlong against the current. Birds, too, benefit from this annual flux-while waiting for a ferry crossing, I watched as a Bald Eagle swooped down into the waters, snatched up a ten-pound dinner, and carried it away in its talons as it labored to a nearby snag.

The Laguna Foundation is doing its part to ensure the survival of this natural phenomenon. We've labeled our latest project "RMP," a shortcut to its longer name, the Laguna Ecosystem Restoration and Management Plan. This effort is all about fundamental needs: our human need to put food on our tables, our agricultural needs related to producing that food, our societal need to create shared open space, nature's need for a healthy habitat, and our own deeply personal need to live in an environment that can nurture our souls. We're approaching this project with an open mind and heart, engaging landowners, public agencies, advocacy groups, trade associations, and the interested public in a conversation about the Laguna de Santa Rosa. We're confident that this inclusive approach will bring out the best in everyone.

Our goal for the project is to create a blueprint for prioritizing restoration and preservation efforts for each section of the Laguna de Santa Rosa: from the headwaters in Cotati, through the Santa Rosa Plain near Rohnert Park, past the subregional water treatment area, along the skirts of the Sebastopol Railroad Forest, past the Delta Pond region, through the Mark West confluence, and out through Forestville to the Russian River. Our objectives for the project are: 1) to propose feasible alternatives to the ongoing sediment buildup in the slow moving reaches of the Laguna, 2) to establish a coordinated framework for the management of public lands within the Laguna's watershed, 3) to conduct research and develop protocols for the control of invasive exotic plants, 4) to collate existing data from multiple sources and use spatial analysis techniques to inform our decision making processes, and 5) to establish standards for habitat restoration and mitigation projects in the Laguna.

The results so far have been very encouraging. Everyone agrees that the Laguna needs to be preserved. Everyone recognizes the need to restore the degraded sections of the main channel. Everyone is cheering us on. And that is the message of hope that I want to share. With the support of so many energetic individuals behind us, maybe one day in my lifetime I'll see Bald Eagles dining on salmon right in my own backyard.

Additional information about the Laguna Restoration and Management Plan is available at <www.lagunadesantarosa.org/RMP/Project/default.htm>.

Hello, fellow Madrone members. I hope everyone enjoyed the summer months and made time to enjoy the natural world that surrounds us. I certainly did, and at the same time I have been thinking about the wonderful opportunity that I have, as President of Madrone Audubon, to help lead this organization in its mission of protecting our environment. It is my wish to accomplish this mission and make it enjoyable for all.

We work to protect the environment in many ways. Members of our Conservation Committee, for instance, pay attention to local issues of development and agriculture which may affect the environment and bring them to our Board for action. Pee Wee Audubon interacts with children and families, teaching them about nature and stewardship. Sometimes these efforts go largely unnoticed, but sometimes, as in Petaluma last year, Madrone's work to support the Petaluma Wetland Alliance had splashy (pun intended) results. Our efforts and advocacy encouraged the city to construct a new wetlands sanctuary next to Shollenberger Park, and we will continue to support the PWA as it trains docents and prepares other programs. Finally, when I look at Madrone's calendar of events, I am always amazed at the number of bird walks we offer, and I know that they are excellently led and well attended.

In order to continue these efforts and to do even more for the community, we need the continued support of our membership. Over the past year you have been very generous with financial gifts to help us bridge the gap left by the much-discussed change in our relationship with National Audubon, and I am thankful for this. Along with continued financial support, I am appealing to our membership to help us fill some needed positions in the organization. All of the positions listed below are important to the health and mission of Madrone Audubon, and many are both fun and rewarding. Much of this work can be shared with others, so a large time commitment is not required.

I am looking forward to meeting more and more of you in the coming year. I hope you will check the calendar and plan to attend our monthly general meetings. Those who have regularly attended these programs know how interesting and entertaining they can be, always with an excellent presentation, followed by the homemade cookies that our hospitality committee and generous members provide.

I look forward to a great year!
Sylvan Eidelman, MAS President

To truly increase our effectiveness in the local community we need that crucial "depth" in our committee positions, the occasional, once-a-month, every-now-and-then contribution of time and energy to get the job done well. Please consider joining our "team"-we need your help, and we can put it to very good use!

Here is a list of six areas where one or two more part-time volunteers can make a big difference:

¨ Pee Wee Audubon
Have you and your family been enjoying Pee Wee events? Our past president, Claire Shurvinton, who has been arranging these events for several years, needs to take some time off this fall. Consider how you could help by organizing an activity, fielding phone calls, or signing in participants. Claire will give you information and support-see the Pee Wee article on page 6 .

¨ Outreach
This is a way to present ourselves to the public and get the Audubon message out to the community at large. You can help staff a table once a month or once a year, answer questions or just chat with those who stop by. These are events you'll enjoy attending: Flyway Festival; Riverfest; Earth Day; Bodega Bay Art, Wine and Seafood; Migratory Bird Day-to name a few! Contact Diane Hichwa (579-1182).

¨ Publicity
The basic idea here is very simple-sending the general meeting announcement and the bird walk schedules out to the local papers. It requires e-mail or fax capability, but can be done at home in a jiffy once a month when the information and recipient list is in place. Our past publicity chair, Julie Hahn (527-8260, jmhah@earthlink.net) has the necessary contacts to pass on.

¨ Membership
The membership committee greets new members, helps with renewal letters, mailing, and record-keeping. There's plenty of room here for small jobs and big jobs, but above all we really do need help with this! Contact Kathy Angell (838-4041) or Bryant Hichwa (579-1182).

¨ Conservation
Conservation issues are always many more than one can tackle, so letting us know what issue you care about and what community you watch is most important. If you can write a letter, this can make us more effective, too. Contact Diane Hichwa at 579-1182, or attend the Conservation Committee meeting on the fourth Tuesday of every month (see Calendar for time and place).

¨ Education
Education needs a general coordinator to keep the programs on track. We would also like to develop a CD on the birds of Sonoma County to be available to local classrooms. Any special talents out there? Call Sylvan Eidelman at 528-2916.

Spring Lake Park, Wednesday, June 2
The heat of the day did not deter fifteen birders and leader Richard Hurley from their self-appointed rounds at Spring Lake Park. The bird of the day was a Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Four species of swallows were seen: Tree, Violet-green, Cliff, and Northern Rough-winged. We heard, thanks to Jean Tonascia's ears, Yellow Warbler, Hutton's Vireo and Swainson's Thrush. Birding in June is slow (34 species total) but always a pleasure in the company of birders.

Annadel State Park, Thursday, June 10
On an overcast, and later sunny, day, seventeen birders joined leader Jean Tonascia to bird at Annadel State Park. Once the sun came out we saw and heard more birds. A total of forty-nine species were observed, including the Pileated Woodpecker and five other species of woodpeckers. Highlight of the day was seeing two Vaux's Swifts near Wild Oak at the end of Channel Drive.

Statewide Audubon Assembly in November
Audubon California will be hosting an Audubon Assembly at the Radisson Hotel in Stockton on Wednesday and Thursday, November 17 and 18. The Assembly is a statewide meeting open to all members to discuss conservation challenges in California and adopt a common set of priorities for meeting those challenges. It is a chance for activists from throughout the state to gather, meet and collaborate. It is also an opportunity for Audubon members to gather and learn more about the birds, wildlife and habitat of California and what Audubon is doing to protect them.

The Assembly will include a range of practical workshops led by experienced chapter leaders and Audubon staff. It will also feature interesting speakers, and some great field trips. For more information contact Jill Shirley at (530) 795-0550 or at jshirley@audubon.org.

MAS Christmas Bird Count to be January 2
Madrone Audubon's Christmas Bird Count, traditionally held the last Sunday of December, will be a week later this winter in order to avoid conflict with Christmas plans. The count will be held on Sunday, January 2, 2005. Please make a note of this change and mark your calendars now so that you can join us for this very important birding day!

Attention teachers, parents, grandparents or scout leaders! Here are some suggestions for materials and/or programs that would interest and inform young people about nature:

1) Audubon Adventures Newspaper
An Audubon Adventures Classroom Resource Kit contains supplies for up to 32 students. This includes four editions of Audubon's tabloid-style newspaper for students, a resource manual for teachers, and a few other teaching aids. Four new themes will be released this fall: Sharing the Earth, Butterflies, Birds of Prey and The Secret World of Plants. Madrone Audubon will fund a limited number of subscriptions this fall. Contact Phyllis Schmitt at 544-1029 before October 1 if you would like to receive one of these subscriptions.

2) Education Kits
Madrone Audubon has suitcase "kits" of materials you can borrow on topics such as birds, butterflies, bats, owls, and nest boxes. Contact Shirley Spina at 542-8447, or send her an e-mail at sspina@pon.net.

3) Classroom Presentations and Field Trips
You can contact a local organization like the Bird Rescue Center or Sonoma Wildlife Rescue for a classroom presentation. The BRC will come with live birds! Or plan a field trip with docents at the Shollenberger Wetlands in Petaluma (contact Gerald Moore at 763-3577), the Laguna de Santa Rosa near Sebastopol (527-9277) or the Bouverie Preserve near Glen Ellen (938-4554).

Docent Training at Shollenberger Park
Would you like to lead tours for adults and/or school groups around Petaluma's public wetlands? A new DOCENT TRAINING COURSE will be offered on four consecutive Saturday mornings (8:30 AM to Noon) starting on October 16. Each class will begin with a two-hour classroom session and end with a one-hour walk around the wetlands at Shollenberger Park. We need docents for both weekdays and weekends. Bilingual skills helpful but not required. If you would like to become part of this fun and rewarding activity, please call Bob Dyer (763-2934) or Gerald Moore (763-3577).

Docent training with WildCare at Spring Lake
Join the Sonoma County WildCare team and learn to guide school children on nature walks at Spring Lake Park in Santa Rosa, using the multi-sensory approach of Bay Area naturalist Elizabeth Terwilliger. Fall training begins Saturday, September 18 and ends Saturday, November 20. Training sessions take place at the WildCare Center in San Rafael, with field trip observations at Spring Lake on Wednesdays during the training period. For more information contact Maria Rowell at 829-3792, or at maria@sonomakids.com.

Birding Class: "Discovering Local Bird Life"
Enjoy your Saturday mornings this fall by taking a birding expedition to a different locality in Sonoma or Marin County each week. Learn about raptors, shorebirds, warblers, ducks and much more. This is a Petaluma Adult School class with instructor Lisa Hug. The class will meet for five Saturdays, September 18 to October 16. For more information contact the school at 778-4633 or go to <www.petalumacityschools.org>.

September means celebrating "our" river!
Many activities are planned from September 11 through 19 (including a Madrone Audubon bird walk on September 15-see Calendar for details) during the 7th Annual Russian River Watershed Celebration. Check out the website, <www.russianrivercelebration.org>, for a complete listing of events or call 829-6884 for a brochure.

Claire Shurvinton, Madrone's Pee Wee chair for the last three years, is taking a short hiatus for family and health reasons. In lieu of organized Pee Wee activities for the next few months she has suggested places (see below) where you can take your family for interesting nature experiences this fall. If another Madrone member would like to organize a Pee Wee event or two in her absence, Claire will be happy to offer help and support. She can be contacted at 527-6118, or at cshurvin@earthlink.net.

Vaux Swifts in Healdsburg
September 15 through 22 (approximately)
Each fall thousands of Vaux's Swifts converge on a chimney at the Rio Lindo Academy in Healdsburg. The swifts migrate en masse down the California Coast on their way to spend the winter in South America and we have one of their staging areas in our backyard here in Sonoma County. The swifts enter the chimney at dusk. Plan to arrive at 6:30 PM and watch in amazement as several thousand of the tiny birds come in to roost for the night.

Directions: From Highway 101, exit at Old Redwood Highway/Healdsburg Ave, south of the Central Healdsburg exit. Go North to Bailhache Avenue, turn right on Bailhache, which becomes Rio Lindo Avenue, and follow it about three miles to the Academy's main entrance. Turn left at the first stop sign, and left again just before the dormitory. After half a block turn right toward the rear of the campus. The chimney (which is part of an old heating system and is quite substantial) is on a side street west of the athletic field.

Raptor Watch at Hawk Hill
Any weekend from now through the end of October
The Golden Gate Raptor Observatory has hawk watchers stationed atop Hawk Hill in Marin County, counting the various raptors migrating down the California coast. On a clear day hundreds of hawks may be seen from their vantage point above the Golden Gate Bridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. On Saturdays and Sundays during September and October (weather permitting) the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory sponsors a "HawkTalk" at noon and a banding demonstration at 1:00 PM on Hawk Hill. They usually, but not always, have a recently banded Raptor that they release during the "Banding Demo". For details and directions see the GGRO website: <www.ggro.org>.

West Nile Virus arrived in August in Sonoma County and other parts of Northern California.

There are several things we need to understand about this disease and its relationship with birds. Over 150 species of birds can carry the virus, but many are unaffected by it. Some species get sick, but the Corvid Family of birds are the most susceptible and the most likely to die from it. Corvids include crows, ravens, magpies and jays. The main carriers of West Nile are birds, but the disease is only transmitted from one infected bird to another bird or mammal by a mosquito bite (though raptors may become infected by eating an infected bird). Humans, horses, cats and certain other mammals get West Nile from the bites of infected mosquitoes, NOT casual contact with each other or with birds.

The two principal mosquito species that carry the virus are Culex pipiens and Culex tarsalis, both of which are freshwater mosquitoes. Culex pipiens is called the "House Mosquito" because it prefers to live in small containers of water in or around human dwellings. Culex tarsalis likes large bodies of water and lives in freshwater wetlands, agricultural fields, swimming pools or horse troughs. The saltwater wetlands in the Bay Area do not contain these two species and are basically West Nile safe. A freshwater wetland, in proper ecological balance, contains many animal species that consume mosquito larvae. This can help reduce the West Nile Virus risk in these wetlands.

The most likely place to encounter a mosquito carrying the virus is in your house or yard. To reduce the risk in your yard, eliminate standing water such as found in the trays under flower pots (eliminate the tray) and rinse out your birdbath every 1-3 days. Remember the four D's for your defense against West Nile: DRAIN standing water, DRESS in long pants and long sleeves, avoid DAWN/DUSK exposure outdoors and use mosquito repellent that contains DEET. "Harmless" chemicals are available for killing mosquito larvae in standing water. The primary agency to contact regarding mosquitoes or West Nile Virus issues is the Marin-Sonoma Mosquito Abatement District, (800) 231-3236.

If there is any consolation in the West Nile threat, it is the statistics that indicate that only 20% of the people who get the virus will even know it. In addition, only about one out of every 150 people who get sick will get the more severe symptoms that can be fatal. For additional information see several good articles on the San Francisco Bay Joint Ventures Website at <www.sfbayjv.org>.

A FURTHER NOTE (compiled from the Santa Rosa Bird Rescue Center's Summer, 2004 issue): West Nile Virus is worrisome in its threat to humans and other animals as well as birds, but good sanitary conditions are always important in the feeders and water dishes that we put out for wild birds. Other diseases, such as conjunctivitis, salmonellosis, and trichomoniasis are known to cause fatal diseases in some species-finches, Mourning Doves and Band-tailed Pigeons, for example.

Feeders, including (especially) sugar water put out for hummingbirds and orioles, and the surrounding areas need to be cleaned at least once a week and water changed every 2 or 3 days. Feeders can be cleaned with a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water, and then rinsed and left to dry completely before refilling.

It is better not to feed and water wild birds if regular maintenance cannot be provided, and absolutely necessary to remove feed and water containers altogether if sick and dying birds or any signs of disease are present.

New National Members:
CAZADERO: Catherine M Heater. COTATI: Maria Alvarez, Charles Daymond, Alison Grady, Vicki Klinzman, Roy Pisetsky, Donna Stegman. FORESTVILLE: Allene Kennedy. GUERNEVILLE: Philip Tymon. HEALDSBURG: Susanne Levie, Susan Macaluso. KENWOOD: Diane Asken. MONTE RIO: Lilith Rogers. OCCIDENTAL: Maria Gonzalez-Blue, Harlan Kant, Barry R. Wood. PENNGROVE: Rosemary Hardy. PETALUMA: Rainer Biela, Cynthia Fox, Maureen Gomez, Joan Healy, Eleanor Hodge, David Joseph, John Kehoe, Jae & Mina Kim, Carleen Leiss, Janet L. Lynch, Harold Olson, Jessica Radin, Janet Seddon, Emily Smith, Duffy Stewart, Eddie Story, Diana Thomas. ROHNERT PARK: Lois Starbuck, Ron Turnbull, Kathy L Weinberg. SANTA ROSA: SANTA ROSA: Sheila D. Anderson, Joan Art, Marcia Barlow, Eileen Bill, Michelle Blanc, Norma Brannan, Christian Brumund, Donna Cadwell, Mrs Kirby Clark, Jo Crose, Larry De Bini, Lela Emad, Flora Ganzler, Prudence Hewitt, Lyn Houser, James Johnson, Gordon Larsen, Tim Lemos, Karin Liedtke, Kay May, Carol McCounell, Lucas Miller, Ruth Misevic, Eileen Mitro, Michael Murphy, Robert Nicholson, William Norton, Emily Ramey Novak, Daphne Parson, Lisa Peters, David Rawle, Joan Raymond, Ellis Reno, April Rossi, Allan Sandridge, Robert Shepard, Judith Sibley, Desta Stoner, Michael Terwilliger, Norwood Tye, Rosalinda Ullman, Victoria Von Keyserling. SEBASTOPOL: Ann Bingham, James Brown, Ralph Carlson, Robert Clement, Henry Denicola, Maxine Hlavac, Richard Humphrey, Paul Kolling, Marlene Lennon, Chester Moore, Maria Rowell, Steve Sherman, Joni Silver. SONOMA: Diane Celi, Marjorie Clark, Florence Gillespie, Carol Kelley, Carolyn Richardson, Pete Ruggeri. VILLA GRANDE: Maggie Nicholson. WINDSOR: Dawn Hubbard, Mary McClure.

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