At the heart of Southeast Oregon's "sagebrush ocean" lies a special place called Malheur. Expansive marshland is surrounded by miles of forbidding desert. Upland, riparian, and grassland habitats broaden the invitation to a huge diversity of birds and mammals. Join Oregon naturalist Stephen Shunk for a beautiful slide show-the grand tour of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and Steens Mountain. Steve will share with us the courtship of the Sage Grouse and the antics of the Yellow-breasted Chat, along with the sunsets and scenic vistas that make the magic of Malheur.

Steve Shunk began birding in the Santa Clara Valley in the late 1980s. In 1992, he was teaching birding classes in the South Bay area, and by 1997, he had started his own birding tour company, Paradise Birding. Since moving to Oregon, he has co-founded the Oregon Birding Trails Working Group and the East Cascades Bird Conservancy. He currently leads a variety of field studies in Central Oregon's forests and high desert.

Coming in February--

"Alaska, America's Last Great Birding Adventure," with Diane and Bryant Hichwa and Betty Burridge

Madrone Audubon's Conservation Committee members work quietly. Their work is subtle-they study, educate, guide, and influence our community and government leaders. They inform our board and our friends on important positions. They act by writing letters, attending meetings, and exchanging viewpoints. Since the committee's work is done behind the scenes, here is an effort to present some of the issues and participants in this vital part of our chapter's activity.

Audubon's credibility in the local and national community on matters of environmental concern is a valued asset, developed through a long history of responsible action based on scientific and factual foundation. Issues are chosen carefully. Sometimes they arise out of a member's concerns, or another environmental group's call for help, or a community member's telephone call seeking advice. Committee members are regularly contacted about local wildlife and agricultural practices.

At the regular monthly meetings, held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, the committee brainstorms to develop strategies. Members share contacts who might help with uncovering facts or providing scientific background-all-important elements in forming a coherent description of a conservation concern. A relevant government agency might be contacted, or a letter outlining a reasoned position or supporting another organization's position might be written. In a rare case a lawsuit might be funded, such as when Sonoma County was considering a real estate development on Saddle Mountain in the Mark West Creek watershed. The county was basing its decision on an old environmental impact report and one of the concerns was that a truly informed decision by the County on such an important development should be based on up-to-date scientific data.

Diane Hichwa, along with Clyde Nance, facilitates the committee meetings each month and also writes many of the committee's letters. This past year the committee wrote letters expressing concerns about the following issues: the logging of old growth forest on Haupt Creek, wetland loss in both the Laguna de Santa Rosa and in a development project north of Sonoma State University, and the Graton Rancheria casino proposal. Another letter expressed support of Willow Creek becoming a state park. Diane also gave a talk to high school students about how birds interact with vineyards.

Another committee member is Joannie Dranginis, who has been attending strategy team meetings on the tiger salamander this past year. She continues to monitor the Saddle Mountain property. Bird conservation and the Laguna are topics of special interest to committee member and MAS Vice-President Veronica Bowers, who rehabilitates sick and injured birds in her wildlife hospital in Sebastopol. This year she has attended meetings about the wetlands mitigation banks, vernal pools and development in the Laguna area. Martha Bentley and Ernestine Smith provide invaluable insight on the history of recurring issues. Their involvement in local conservation efforts stretches back to the inception of Madrone Audubon in the 1960s.

MAS President Sylvan Eidelman, who received an Audubon Bay Champion award for 2004, worked for the protection of the Petaluma Wetlands, and while doing so forged relationships with the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance-now a new Madrone Audubon committee. The Alliance and the conservation committee actively oppose expansion of the Redwood Landfill on the Petaluma Slough in Novato. David Yearsley is the point-person concerning the landfill adjacent to the Petaluma Marsh.

Conservation committee meetings are open to anyone, no experience necessary. Often someone is needed just to follow an issue and keep the committee informed, or to observe and report back from a public meeting. In our large, diverse county we always welcome people calling, sending e-mails or dropping in at the meetings to talk to us about an environmental concern. There is always a lot to learn and a lot of work still to be done.

I began keeping a journal of the birds around our home in Sebastopol about five years ago. Diane Hichwa's "Sonoma Mountain Journal" was my source of inspiration.

The idea of keeping a journal was a little intimidating at first. My initial journal entries started out as simple notes like "9/23/00: Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows have arrived, the flickers, juncos and kinglets are soon to follow" or "4/26/01: Violet-green and Tree Swallows are scouting out nest boxes, seems to be a disagreement over who will occupy the box under the big live oak next to the house." Now I'm a little more prolific; I'll write a couple of sentences and on occasion even a paragraph or two.

What I enjoy most about keeping my bird journal is that it has evolved into a special calendar of events. Each May I eagerly await the arrival of the Swainson's Thrush who takes up residence by the creek at the end of our field during the breeding season. I look forward to beginning and ending each day of the late spring and summer with his beautiful song. During the later half of June and early July I start to keep an eye (and ear) out for the Ash-throated Flycatchers who for the past four years-as noted in my journal-have brought their fledglings to the same place in the vegetable garden to learn how to hunt. As the youngsters become more adept at their flycatching skills and more independent, they will begin to take up stations on the fence posts in the open field.

As a birder and wildlife rehabilitator, I'm especially interested in the natural history of our birds. Many of the observations recorded in my journal lead to questions, which lead to answers and then result in a good source of information. During spring and summer, if I'm birding in a habitat similar to that of our property, I know to look high in the canopy of the trees when I hear a Warbling Vireo and mid-to-low in the canopy for a Pacific Slope Flycatcher. When there is dead silence in the woods and an absence of busy songbirds flitting about, I know that a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk may be nearby-not a good time to release a recently rehabilitated young songbird back to the free world.

Last spring I made daily notes about a pair of Bushtits who built their nest in the big live oak by the house. At some point after the nestlings hatched, it appeared that there were more than two adults bringing food to the nest. I made note of this in my journal and later mentioned it to a friend who was doing a study on Bushtits in Tilden Park. He confirmed that this was possible, as it is common for a pair of breeding Bushtits to employ the help of one or more adults to assist in caring for their young. It's cooperative nesting and the helpers will continue to help even after the young fledge the nest. Fantastic!

The strong connections with certain plants and trees and the birds in our yard have become more apparent as I read through the notes made in my journal. The Western Scrub Jays become more vociferous (if that is possible) when the acorns are ripe in late August and a manic display of "forage and cache" begins. In late October, the berries on the Pacific wax myrtle always seem to ripen just in time for the arrival of the Yellow-rumped Warblers. And each night as I drift off to sleep I find joy in knowing that on a ledge under the eave just outside the bedroom window sleeps our resident Black Phoebe.

If you don't have one already, I hope you'll be inspired to start a backyard bird journal of your own-make it a New Year's resolution! It's a wonderful way to become more aware of the birds and the environment around you.

Willowside Road and Ragle Park, Wednesday, October 13
On a sunny morning, Neal Conner led 14 birdwatchers along Santa Rosa Creek at Willowside Road, followed by a trip to Ragle Regional Park in Sebastopol. Along Santa Rosa Creek a variety of wintering birds had already returned, including Yellow-rumped Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, and huge numbers of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. We also sighted large numbers of herons, egrets, and hawks along the creek. During lunch and a stroll in Ragle Regional Park, where the mid-afternoon temperature reached 98 degrees, we enjoyed nuthatches, creepers, warblers and superabundant bluebirds, along with a variety of other passerines.

Tomales Bay State Park and Abbott's Lagoon, Thursday, October 21
Ten Madrone Audubon members with leader Tom McCuller birded the woodlands of Tomales Bay State Park and other areas near Tomales Bay during the morning. One of their most interesting sightings, among the large variety of passerines spotted in the woodlands, was a couple of quick looks at an immature sapsucker, which did not appear to be a Red-breasted. After lunch in the park, the group unsuccessfully sought a reported Red-throated Pipit at Abbott's Lagoon. However, they did find an extremely large group of Snowy Plovers near the ocean beach. The most unexpected sighting was of a jaeger, which was harassing a gull a short distance off the beach.

Bodega Bay, Wednesday, October 27
Twenty-six birders joined leader Betty Groce at Bodega Bay for a fabulous day of birding. We were pleased to have four new local birders and three from other states join us. Excitement gripped the group when David Hofmann alerted us to a Long-eared Owl perched low in a cypress tree near the entrance to the Marine Lab. We rushed down from Bodega Head and everybody got great looks at it! It was definitely the bird of the day as it was a lifer for most of the group and a county bird for the rest of us. Other highlights: two Brant, many Brown Pelicans, a Red Knot, a flock of Surfbirds, a Marbled Murrelet, a Pigeon Guillemot, a big flock of Heerman's Gulls, a Barn Owl, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. A total of 89 species were tallied. All in all, a GREAT day!

Stafford Lake and Las Gallinas Ponds, Wednesday, November 10
Six intrepid birders, led by George Batchelder, outlasted a light drizzle at Stafford Lake for a very successful day. In all honesty, a stop for hot chocolate in Novato was a great lift for damp spirits as the group headed for phase two at Las Gallinas, where it was cloudy but dry, fortunately. The total of 65 species found included Spotted Sandpiper, Common Yellowthroat, Townsend's Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Fox Sparrow, and many Black-necked Stilts and Bonaparte's Gulls. All birders were damp but happy!

The Mayacamas Mountains Audubon Sanctuary is in the early stages of recovery following the Geysers Wildfire on September 4, 2004. The outlook for recovery is still bright, but the fire took a much greater toll on our forest than was initially thought.

Much like a Christmas tree can remain green and lush for a month after being cut, many of our pine, cypress, and fir trees looked like they had survived. However, several weeks after the fire their needles turned brown and fell to the ground. It seems that the fire was very hot in our heavily forested areas-we lost many of our big conifers and even more of those less than 12 inches in diameter. The loss of so many of our conifers would not have occurred had the intensity of the fire been less severe.

We are still unsure how the fire has affected the hardwood species such as the oaks, madrone, and maple trees. Many of these lost their leaves immediately following the fire and there are some obvious losses, but we will need to wait until winter or spring to know which individual trees have survived.

The intensity of the fire was a result of both high fuel load and weather conditions. The high fuel load was primarily the result of fire suppression practices during the last 100 years, which allowed a buildup of underbrush and forest floor litter. Weather conditions were a big contributing factor as well; most natural (lightning strike) fires are followed by precipitation and/or cool weather, resulting in a slower, less intense fire. This was not a naturally caused fire, and while the weather conditions were not as bad as they could have been, they were not ideal. We are presently evaluating the potential for accelerating forest succession through replanting large numbers of native tree seedlings to reestablish the forest habitat for the birds and wildlife of the area.

As to grassland recovery, the fire has provided a great starting point for grassland restoration efforts. Like many California grasslands, ours were suffering from non-native species invasions, but we are fortunate that a good mix of natives remain established throughout. The non-natives impacting the Sanctuary include grasses such as medusahead, tall fescue, slender oat, ripgut brome, and foxtail chess, along with other grasses of European and African origin, and many non-native broadleaf weeds, including yellowstar thistle, Italian thistle, black mustard, and filaree. The fire had a bit of a cleansing effect, but it also provided open ground for expansion of the non-native weeds. The recovery plans currently under development call for controlling the non-natives in order to allow the existing natives to reestablish a stronger foothold. If we find that the populations of the native species are insufficient to fill the gaps left by non-native removal, we may choose to replant natives using either seed collected on site or purchased from a commercial native seed supplier.

I want to thank those who have begun to monitor and document the recovery-especially Madrone Audubon members Tom McCuller, Peter Leveque, Bill Payne, and Ian Morrison. We will be looking for lots of volunteer help as our recovery plan moves into the implementation phase. The outlook for recovery remains bright, but it will take a phenomenal effort to keep things on track.

Madrone Audubon's "fun" fundraiser is the annual February Birdathon. Again, we'll need teams of birders and lots of wonderful sponsors to make it successful in 2005.

Birdathon revenue supports Madrone Audubon's focus on education and conservation. It provides support for Pee Wee Audubon programs, excellent teacher resource kits on such topics as birds, butterflies, bats and more; sends Audubon Adventures newsletters into classrooms, and gives a big boost to our efforts to study environmental issues.

Game Plan
Teams of birders, or just a motivated individual or two, race the clock on a given day in February to spot the most species, after having solicited pledges from friends, co-workers and family members sympathetic to the cause. Sponsors pledge a wide range of per-species amounts, from pennies to dollars, or simply a flat sum for the day's birding. Here are the details:

For birders:
¨ Contact Birdathon Coordinator Carol Orme at 546-2324, or at cjaorme@aol.com. She will send you a sponsor sign-up sheet. It's not too early to start signing up your sponsors now!
¨ Pick a day in February and have a great time birding.
¨ Tell your sponsors how many species you saw and how much they owe you.
¨ TEAMS should send their names to Carol in early January for publication in the February issue of the Leaves.
.
For sponsors:
Say, "Yes!" to anyone who asks you to pledge. If no one asks, you can sign up to support one of the Birdathon teams at the January membership meeting. THANKS!!!!

NOTE TO BIRDERS AND SPONSORS: Please send your checks this year to Carol Orme, 3805 Zieber Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, and make them out to Madrone Audubon Society.

On Sunday, January 2, 2005, Madrone Audubon will hold its 38th annual Christmas Bird Count. Last year, counters in 1,996 circles in North America found 63,523,744 birds. In our own count, 124 counters found 38,974 birds and identified 178 species-a slightly higher number of species than we have recorded in the past two years. We would like to see as many members as possible join the count this year. This is one way to help protect the species diversity of this wonderful area we call home.

Our counters cover the full spectrum of birding skills from beginner to expert, with each level of expertise filling an important niche. Whether your strength lies in identifying "peeps" or passerines, there's bound to be an area to suit your birding interests with the diverse habitats included in our West Sonoma County count circle (see map).

The count begins at approximately 7:30 AM, depending upon your leader, (unless you wish to count owls), and continues until about 4:00 PM. Following the count, there will be our traditional potluck at the Sebastopol Community Center. Coffee, tea, cocoa and cups will be provided (bring your own cup and save a forest). Please bring your own plates or bowls, utensils and a supper dish for six. Hot food if at all possible is a plus-there are limited kitchen facilities available to heat things up.

If you are unable to count but would like to help out, we can use some help to set up the room for the potluck and give a welcome to those potentially cold and exuberant, but weary birders at the end of the day. To help at the potluck please contact Peter Leveque at 542-8946.

The Christmas Count is a great way to meet up with old friends and to make new ones, so don't be shy about joining in. What better way to ring in the New Year than to spend the day doing something you really enjoy with others who share your zeal? For further information or to sign up, please contact Joy Mander at 778-7865 or send her an e-mail: wscbc@aol.com.

The Redwood Region Ornithological Society is offering a special "Bird ID Workshop" with Madrone's Observations editor Dan Nelson. The workshop will be held at 7:30 PM on Thursday, December 9, at the Administration Building of the Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant, 4100 Llano Road, Santa Rosa. BRING YOUR BINOCULARS! This is a great way to hone your birding skills for the upcoming MAS and RROS Christmas Counts. Non-members welcome.

Directions: From Highway 101 take Highway 116 west toward Sebastopol. Turn right (north) on Llano Road and go about one mile to an open gate on the right. Turn in and proceed to the administration building at the southeast corner of the plant.

Pee Wee Audubon events will be returning in the New Year. The first event will be a walk at Shollenberger Park on Saturday, February 12, at 10 AM, led by Claire Shurvinton. This beautiful wetlands park is located just outside Petaluma and features a two-mile, flat loop trail around the main pond. We will concentrate on looking for the various marsh and water birds that are easily visible from the trail and our bird list will be submitted as part of Madrone's annual Birdathon. We may also see turtles, muskrats and other denizens of the park.

I know that many of you will not have your 2005 calendars out yet, so this event will be re-advertised in the February Leaves, with directions to the Park, and details will also be provided on Madrone's website. You can register to attend now, or wait until the New Year, by calling Claire at 527-6118.

Look out for more Pee Wee events in the spring including an owl program, an outdoor bat watch, an amphibian walk and tidepooling.

Wetlands Lecture, Tuesday, December 7, 7:00 PM. NOTE LOCATION CHANGE from the November Leaves announcement. The talk, "Marshes Matter: Tracking the Health of Tidal Wetlands in San Pablo Bay," will be held at the LUCCHESI COMMUNITY CENTER, 320 NORTH MCDOWELL BLVD., PETALUMA.
Please plan to attend and learn more about the exciting programs for monitoring and restoration of our bay area wetlands.
For information contact Gerald Moore at 763-3577.

Guided Walks in the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Two Saturdays, December 11 and January 8 at 9:15 AM. Meet behind the Youth Annex at 425 Morris Street in Sebastopol. Heavy rain cancels. For information and reservations contact Mary Abbott at 527-9277. Visit <www.lagunadesantarosa.org> to learn more about the Laguna.

8th Annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, January 14-17. Come to where the birds are! Morro Bay on California's scenic Central Coast is an important stop on the Pacific Flyway. The festival is sponsored by the Morro Coast Audubon Society. Registration deadline is December 31. For information and a festival brochure, check out the website at <www.morro-bay.net/birds>.

9th Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival, January 21-23. A popular festival held in and around Mare Island, in Vallejo. It will include tours of the Viansa Wetlands in Sonoma County. Contact Festival Coordinator Myrna Hayes at 557-9816 for more information.

European birdwatchers are scratching their heads over why a particular species of bird, the Booted Eagle, is migrating north this winter instead of toward the balmier south.

According to the Bird Protection League (LPO), nearly 1,000 of the rare eagles have been spotted in southern France over the past two weeks-more than 30 times the normal number-after reversing their normal September movement which should see them head to Africa and India.

The bizarre phenomenon has never been seen before, the LPO stressed. Speculation that the birds, which have a wingspan of up to 1.3 meters (4.3 feet), might have been affected by weather disturbances linked to global warming has butted up against the fact that no other species appears to be having the same navigation trouble.

Normally, the Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), an endangered species, spends the warmer months of the northern hemisphere breeding in southern Europe and parts of north Africa. Come September, the raptor flies south to escape the chill, with a migratory peak around the middle of the month.

(Un)timely Deliveries…
Regrettably, delivery times for the Leaves continue to vary widely. October's issue languished in the postal system for almost two weeks-November's seems to have been generally received before November 5. We contacted the postal service's bulk mail department, and could only learn that "it depends upon the local post offices and the individual carriers."

We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause to our readers. We will always print a calendar that includes activities scheduled well into the next month. You can also consult Madrone's website, <http://audubon.sonoma.net>, where the Leaves copy will regularly appear before the first of every month.

And from Our President:

Unusual gift opportunity!
Sylvan would like to remind our members that Madrone Audubon was given a very special illustrated bird book, Wild Birds of America-The Art of Basil Ede, to sell for the benefit of the chapter. Information and photos of this limited edition book can be found at this very long, but efficient web address: <www.picturethisframing.com/content/Basil_Ede/Basil_Ede_Book/basil_ede_book.htm>. Contact Sylvan for purchase details at 528-2916.

Veronica Bowers, MAS Vice-President and owner of La Dolce V Chocolates, is selling "Songbird Bars" again this holiday season and will donate a portion of the proceeds to Madrone, to be augmented by a matching gift from Adobe Systems. Here's how it works:

Double, or even triple, your gift to Madrone Audubon by having your employer match your contribution. For example, your gift of $100 could be a $300 gift to Audubon if your company has a 2 to 1 match! Matching gifts are a valuable source of funds for non-profits. More than 9,000 companies (including parent companies and their subsidiaries) in the U.S. provide support to non-profit organizations through employee matching gift programs.

Contact your company's personnel or human resources office to see if your company has a corporate matching gift program.

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