Editor’s Note

The Yellowbill is published monthly except in June, July and August. It is edited by Robert Snow (rsnow@fresnoaudubon.org) except for the Member Photos section, which is edited by Clayton Dahlen (dahlenmc@yahoo.com).

President’s Message

Greetings, FAS members and friends. I hope this message finds you well. The holiday season is upon us, and with that, colder weather. I hope that you are all able to enjoy some quality winter birding here in the San Joaquin Valley or wherever you may be!

November was a busy month with several successful events! We held Introduction to Birding classes at the River Center and the Intermountain Nursery. We held a potluck at Sumner Peck Ranch, and excursions to the Kings River Raptor Trail, Millerton Lake, and Lake Yosemite in Merced. Many thanks to all who participated!

We have some exciting events scheduled for the month of December as well, which are listed below.

• Wednesday, December 7⏤Evening Owl Walk at Jensen River Ranch, 4:00 – 5:30 PM
• Wednesday, December 14⏤Merced National Wildlife Refuge, 11:45 AM – 5:30 PM
• Saturday, December 17⏤Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count–see below for more information
• Sunday, December 18⏤Introduction to Birding class at the River Center, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Anyone interested in these and other upcoming events can check out the FAS event calendar for more information and links to registration: https://fresnoaudubon.org/event-calendar/.

We would like to remind everyone of the current requirements for attending FAS in-person field trips and classes. We are no longer requiring that participants be fully vaccinated. Masks are now optional for all FAS outdoor events. We still require that participants must not be exhibiting any symptoms of Covid-19. Registration is still REQUIRED for all in-person field trips, and participants must register individually. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

We would like to thank those who attended the November 8 general meeting. Birder extraordinaire Homer Hansen talked to us about fall raptors of Fresno County. If you missed Homer’s talk and would like to view it, you can find it and other general meeting presentations on our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/FresnoAudubon.

The next FAS general meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 13. Robert Groos will be talking to us about Wild Turkeys. Here is the link to registration: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejf2twr9144a2e12&oseq=&c=&ch=.

To end this message, I’d like to share a photo I took recently of a Sooty Fox Sparrow. Note the bi-colored beak, as well as the heavy, warm reddish-brown spotting on the throat, breast and belly. The Fox Sparrow comes in four different subspecies groups, and Sooty is one of three forms found regularly in California (the other two are Thick-billed, which are common breeders in the Sierra Nevada, and Slate-colored, which breed in the interior west and overwinter throughout a large section of California, as well as sections of Oregon, Arizona, and Baja California). Sooty Fox Sparrows are found along the Pacific Coast, breeding from southern Alaska to northern Washington, and overwintering from British Columbia to northern Baja California. Enjoy!

Membership

Thank you to all of you who generously support Fresno Audubon by paying annual membership dues. Your support makes it possible for FAS to host outstanding speakers on our Zoom General Meetings, maintain our website, conduct guided field trips, teach introductory birding classes, maintain the bird feeding station at the River Center, conduct multiple bird surveys, and advocate for regional and local bird-related issues. To learn more about our work, download our 2020 Annual Report.

December General Meeting

Speaker Bio

Robert received a PhD in French from the University of Wisconsin, became a university professor, but eventually left academia to pursue a career in computer technology consulting. He began photographing birds in preparation for a safari in Botswana. What better way to learn how to use a camera than photographing birds, he reasoned. Birds eventually became his favorite photographic subject. “I’ve never met a bird I didn’t want to photograph,” he admits. His photograph of a Cedar Waxwing was selected to appear in a special Audubon Photography Awards gallery of “our favorite female bird shots 2021.” Choosing to be a bird photographer necessitated becoming an avid birder, and that pursuit led to storytelling about his experiences observing birds. You can read FAS member Robert Groos’ stories on his website: robertgroosphotography.com.

Program Description

Wild Turkeys roam the foothills of Coarsegold. In early spring, an annual pageant unfolds: traveling leks of hopeful males seeking to mate with willing females. It is a wondrous exposition of biological desire, and much more. Robert has had the good fortune to observe and capture it all with photos and video. In this presentation, you will witness the phenomena of Wild Turkey leks, courtship displays, male to male combat, copulation, predation upon nests, and more. Don’t be a turkey and miss out on this opportunity to experience the thrill of seeing these magnificent birds at their wild best.

To receive the Zoom link for the meeting, please register here.

General Meeting Speaker Schedule

Following is the schedule for future speakers. This schedule is subject to change due to cancelations. Check the FAS events calendar for the latest information: https://fresnoaudubon.org/events.

Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count

Saturday, December 17, 2022

If you are interested in participating, or have any questions, please reach out to Lost Lake CBC compiler/Fresno Audubon president Rachel Clark at tanagergirl@gmail.com.

FAS Fall Pot Luck Report

Saturday, November 5, 2022

by Maureen Walsh

Introduction to Birding Classes at the River Center

December Field Trips

FIELD TRIP GUIDELINES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ⏤ Fresno Audubon Society is offering field trips during the now-endemic COVID-19, subject to the following rules. With the continuing risks of exposure and potential illness, everyone must determine their own level of risk aversion. The CDC has recommended that masks should be optional when outdoors. It has been shown that a well-fitting N95 mask protects the wearer for several hours from an infectious dose of virus, so anyone concerned about exposure can choose to wear a mask near others if they feel at risk. Following are our current guidelines for our field trips.

1. Participants must pre-register individually using the FAS event registration system.
2. Participants must self-screen their own temperature before the outing and must not attend if they are feverish.
3. Participants must consent to Fresno Audubon Society’s Liability Waiver by pre-registering.
4. Social distancing is encouraged.
5. Masks are not required, but participants are encouraged to wear a mask whenever they feel the need.
6. Some field trips meet up at a central point before traveling to the field trip location. Participants may form their own car pools at these meetup points.
   
7. Participants must contact their trip leader should they test positive for COVID-19 within three days following the outing so that we can notify others who attended the trip.

Wednesday 7 December 2022 ⏤ Evening Owl Walk at Jensen River Ranch with Larry Cusick – Registration Full

–

The $5.00 City entrance fee applies if you park in Woodward Park. Alternative parking may be available in the Fort Washington Shopping Center.

Checklist: Binoculars, bird guide, water.

Registration is required for this event. Any questions, please contact trip leader Larry Cusick at (559) 313-1777, larrywcusick@gmail.com. Register Here.

Wednesday 14 December 2022 ⏤ Merced National Wildlife Refuge with Judy Johnson

With winter migrants filling local refuges and putting on a tremendous show, it is a wonderful time to bird Central Valley wetlands. Join Fresno Audubon on Wednesday, December 14 for a tour of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. We will meet at the MacDonald’s parking lot in the Marketplace at El Paseo (6741 N Riverside Dr, Fresno, CA 93722, see map below) at 11:45 for a noon start.

Secondary meet up is at the first parking lot of the refuge, near the bathrooms and the first observation deck, at 1:00pm (see map). After driving the auto tour, we will gather at the second observation deck at sundown for the spectacular crane fly-in, which should end around 5:30pm.

Target birds include Lesser Sandhill Cranes, Black and Say’s Phoebes, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, American Pipits, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, Gadwalls, Green-winged and Cinnamon Teals, Greater White-fronted Geese, Snow Geese, Ross’s Geese, American White Pelicans, Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons, American Coots, Black-necked Stilts, White-faced Ibis, Long-billed Dowitchers, Dunlin, Wilson’s Snipe, Least Sandpipers, Long-billed Curlews, Red-tailed Hawks, and Northern Harriers. Also possible are Cackling Geese, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Bald Eagles, Kestrels, and Great-horned Owls. Both a Burrowing Owl and female Vermillion Flycatcher have recently been seen at the refuge as well.

Participants should bring day packs, hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, plenty of water, snacks, lunch (if desired), and binoculars, and should dress in layers. We probably will not be doing much hiking, but comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Please bring radios (walky-talkies) if you have them. Registration is required for this event. Register Here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the trip leader.

Judy Johnson

(559) 977-2787‬

email: jajohn1@comcast.net

Field Trip Schedule

This schedule is subject to change due to cancelations. Check the FAS events calendar for the latest information: https://fresnoaudubon.org/events.

November field trip reports

Fresno-Madera Birds

by Jeff Davis
Including reports for the period of
October 16 to November 15, 2022

Establishing the first record of 2022, a Vermilion Flycatcher, a first-year male, visited a private residence along North Indianola Ave in southeast Fresno October 22 – November 14 (ph. ED). Since 2015, we’ve averaged about one occurrence per year.

A Cassin’s Vireo at Lost Lake Park November 6 (JM) provided our first ever November record.

Cited Observers: Ellen Davies and John McLaughlin. ph. = photographed by

If you make an interesting observation, we’d love to hear about it. We are especially interested in birds listed as casual or rare on the Fresno Audubon checklist and those found out of season, out of normal habitat, or in unusually large numbers. Please submit reports to eBird, the Fresno County Birders e-mail list, or Jeff Davis (jndavis@ucsc.edu).

Member Photographs

Please send your photos in jpeg format with a width of 1024 pixels and a resolution of 72 pixels/inch to dahlenmc@yahoo.com with how you want the photo credit to read. Birds may be from anywhere. Limited space may restrict publication to a later issue. We will also showcase your photos on our social media.

Jim Curnyn

Larry Cusick

Clayton Dahlen

George Folsom

Stephanie Doria

Aaron Ng

Rick Sexty

Birds in the News

Links to Recent Articles on Birds

Birds getting smaller, ‘wingier’ as planet warms, research finds

A UCLA-led study published today reveals that migratory birds across North America are getting smaller, a change the researchers attribute to the rapidly warming climate. The research, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, found that over the past three decades, the body mass of 105 bird species in the analysis declined by an average of 0.6%—but by as much as 3.0% in some species. Tree swallows, for example got 2.8% smaller, American robins got 1.2% smaller and downy woodpeckers got 2.2% smaller.

Read more...

Birds Have Self-control, Just Like Humans

Birds have self-control, just like humans, according to new research. A study found jays can resist a tempting snack – when they know waiting will bring an even better one. They were presented with mealworms or bread with cheese – their first and second favorite foods. All passed the challenge by ignoring the immediately available treat – until a Perspex screen was raised to allow access to the preferred choice.

Read more…

New Audubon Study Reveals Discrepancies in Conservation Planning Methods

Researchers at the National Audubon Society published a study that evaluated different approaches to climate-informed bird conservation in the United States. Using data from Audubon’s Survival by Degrees report, researchers compared two widely used conservation planning methods and determined that they identify different priority areas, with only 40 percent consensus on average across species groups. Published in Ecography, the study offers important insights on how to strategically conserve more natural habitats that will help birds adapt to a changing climate now and in the future.

Read more…

Birds evolve different body temperatures in different climates: study

During the northern hemisphere summer of 2022, yet another round of extreme heat waves roasted Eurasia, North America and northern Africa – a stark reminder that these conditions are becoming the new normal. Intriguingly, when we conducted a study to measure how much heat 53 bird species in southern Africa could stand, we found that species vary greatly in the way they handle heat.

Read more…

Faithful mates, hot tempers form primal life for gannets

Northern gannets share two maxims familiar to humans: “home sweet home” and “don’t tread on me.” They pack together on a Bonaventure Island plateau like New York commuters jamming a subway, only they’re louder. They are devoted parents and could teach humans a thing or two about loyalty in marriage.

Read more…

Scientists Suggest a New Layer to Crows’ Cognitive Complexity

Alameda has been invaded by turkeys. They’re jerks. And also beloved

Eric Case was bicycling through Alameda on a recent afternoon when he saw a cluster of wild turkeys, walking at their usual subglacial speed across one of the city’s busiest intersections. They were holding up an Alameda Police Department officer in a marked car. And they did not care, or seem to notice. “Eventually the cop car starts honking, laying on the horn repeatedly,” Case said, pointing as he re-enacted the scene near the same intersection on a recent Tuesday. “And the turkey’s like, ‘Nope, I’m doing my thing.’ Alameda turkeys obey their own laws.”

Read more…

World’s heaviest flying bird uses plants to self-medicate, scientists say

Taking drugs if you’re feeling under the weather is old news for humans, but new research shows that the world’s heaviest bird capable of flight could be the latest animal to use plants as a form of medication. Researchers from Madrid in Spain studied data on 619 droppings belonging to great bustards and discovered that the two species of plants that were eaten more than other foods in their diet had “antiparasitic effects.” “Here we show that great bustards prefer to eat plants with chemical compounds with antiparasitic effects,” Luis M. Bautista-Sopelana, a scientist at Madrid’s National Museum of Natural Sciences and lead author, said in a news release Wednesday.

Read more…