29 Nov December 2023 Yellowbill
Editor’s Note
The Yellowbill is published monthly except in June, July and August. It is edited by Robert Snow (drrsnow@mac.com) except for the Member Photos section, which is edited by Clayton Dahlen (mc_dahlen@yahoo.com). Archived issues are available at https://fresnoaudubon.org/the-yellowbill/.
President’s Message
Hello, FAS members and friends. I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season and the crisp temperatures it brings.
We have several exciting events scheduled for the month of December, which are listed below.
- Saturday, December 2⏤Bird walk at Sumner Peck Ranch, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Wednesday, December 6⏤Pinnacles National Park, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Wednesday, December 13⏤Bird Walk at Jensen River Ranch, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Saturday, December 16⏤Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count, sunrise to sundown
- Sunday, December 17⏤Introduction to Birding Class at the River Center, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Wednesday, December 20⏤Evening owl walk at Jensen River Ranch, 4:00 PM – 5:30 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 still require that participants of FAS in-person events 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 congratulate Dr. Joel Slade on being awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study urban finches. He is searching for community science volunteers to participate in the study. This is a great opportunity for participating in scientific research! Please see the story below to learn how to participate.
As I have previously mentioned, the 2023 Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for Saturday, December 16. Volunteers are still very much needed! Please note that the count circle covers not just Lost Lake itself, but also surrounding sections of both Fresno and Madera Counties. The count will last from sunrise to sundown, but participants can take part for as much or little as they’d like. There is certainly no obligation to count all day! Also, it is certainly not required that all participants be expert birders. In fact, we will gladly welcome new birders to the fold! Those who are less experienced can be paired with someone more experienced. Anyone who may be interested or might have any questions should reach out to me via email at tanagergirl@gmail.com. Please reach out to me as soon as possible if you are interested, and please pass the word along to anyone who might be interested!
We want to thank everyone who attended the general meeting on Tuesday, November 14. Gail Patricelli gave a presentation about Robots, Telemetry, and the Sex Lives of Birds. If you missed the meeting, you can view the presentation on the Fresno Audubon YouTube channel at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sdsxFn0vD4&t=5s
The next general meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 12. Rich Cimino, extraordinary birder and guide, will be talking to us about Birds of the Sierra Nevada. This should be a very exciting presentation! Here is the link for registration: https://conta.cc/3FmIe4B.
I wanted to make you all aware that there are some forthcoming changes among the FAS ranks. At the end of December, when my second term as FAS president comes to an end, I will be stepping down in order to devote more time and attention to other things in my life. It has certainly been a pleasure filling this role for the past four years, and I am definitely grateful for all of the wonderful people that have supported me along the way, as well as all those I’ve met and interacted with through these years. We do not yet know who the next FAS president will be, but more will be known after the board meeting at the end of December. Stay tuned for the announcement!
Please be sure to follow FAS on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) if you’re not already. This is the perfect way to keep up with current FAS events, view past general meetings, and view fun, educational content!
To end this message, I’d like to share some photos I recently took of the male Broad-billed Hummingbird that has been hanging out at the Clovis Botanical Garden. Note the long, dark wings, the notched tail, the broad, reddish base to the beak, the blue throat, and the blue-green feathers growing into the abdomen. Females of this species have duller beaks, dingy grayish undersides, a dark stripe through the eye and a white stripe behind the eye. In the US, this species occurs primarily in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico. Most of the Broad-billed Hummingbird’s range is in Mexico. It occurs more rarely in sections of southern and coastal California, as well as sections of the Gulf Coast. To see this species right here in town has been quite exciting for many people! Enjoy!
Have a great holiday season, and please take care of yourselves!
Rachel Clark
FAS President
Membership
Fresno Audubon Society membership levels are:
$15 Student
$25 Individual
$35 Family
$1000 Golden Eagle (Life)
Fresno Audubon Society
PO Box 3315
Fresno, CA 93650
Thank you for your continuing support of Fresno Audubon Society!
December General Meeting
Rich Cimino
Favorite Birds of the Sierra Nevada
Tuesday, 12 November 2023
Speaker Bio
Rich lives in Larkspur and is an active member of the Marin Audubon Society, where he participates in three Marin CBC’s and the Marin County Breeding Bird Atlas. He has been birding Northern California for 55 years, leading Bay Area Audubon field trips for 43 years, and Marin Audubon field trips for 10 years. Having volunteered for GGRO Hawk Watch for 12 years and Audubon Canyon Ranch Heron and Egret counts, he now surveys for the Vaux’s Swift migration through Marin County. Habitat preservation is always on his mind, and he is currently active in different capacities with conservation groups in Northern California, emphasizing preserving habitat. He has led the Eastern Alameda Breeding Bird Atlas, The Altamont Pass Wind Turbine Area Golden Eagle & Raptor stakeholder group, and the Eastern Alameda County CBC as its compiler. He is the field guide for Yellowbilled Tours (www.yellowbilledtours.com), which offers annual birding tours to Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Belize, Guatemala, Panama, and France.
To receive the Zoom link for the meeting, please register here.
Bird feeders in the city
A request for help studying urban finches
Congratulations to Dr. Joel Slade and bird biology lab at CSU Fresno for being awarded the grant: Bird feeders in the city: the effect of urbanization on ecological immunology and microbiology in cardueline finches. To complete this study, Dr. Slade is looking for volunteers to install bird feeders in their yards and to let the researchers have access to their yard to capture the finches for study. Feeders and bird seed will be provided to participants. For more information on how you can help see Dr. Slade’s letter here. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact the head principal investigator Dr. Joel Slade (joelslade@csufresno.edu; 559-278-5242). Dr. Slade would be delighted to discuss the project further and answer any questions you may have.
2023 Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count
Saturday 16 December 2023
On Saturday, December 16, 2023, Fresno Audubon will be hosting the annual Lost Lake Christmas Bird Count, which covers sections of both Fresno and Madera Counties. Participants will be assigned to particular sections, and will count each of the birds they see and hear. Generally, the count lasts from dawn until dusk, but we understand that some people who wish to participate might not be able to devote that much time to the count, and that is perfectly alright! Participants can devote as much or as little time as they desire, so do not be deterred if you cannot count birds all day! Even if you are not a birding expert, you can still partake in the count if you are willing to pair up with an expert birder, so do not let that deter you, either!
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.
Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the Christmas Bird Count, held annually from December 14-January 5, is a time during which citizen scientists from all over the Americas turn out to count birds in designated areas, collecting valuable data on the long-term health and status of bird populations. For more information about the history of the Christmas Bird Count and how the data is used, follow this link: https://www.audubon.org/
Introduction to Birding Class
December Field Trips
FIELD TRIP GUIDELINES ⏤ 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.
- Participants must pre-register individually using the FAS event registration system.
- Participants must self-screen their own temperature before the outing and must not attend if they are feverish.
- Participants must consent to Fresno Audubon Society’s Liability Waiver by pre-registering.
- Social distancing is encouraged.
- Masks are not required, but participants are encouraged to wear a mask whenever they feel the need.
- 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.
- 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.
Saturday 2 December 2023 ⏤ Sumner-Peck Ranch with Susan Heidebrecht
Registration is required. Register here for the event here.
Join trip leader Susan Heidebrecht for birding along the San Joaquin River on the beautiful Sumner-Peck Ranch property. It is mostly flat terrain with good trails. The walk will be approximately 1 ½ miles each way. Expect to see a variety of waterfowl, warblers, raptors, Belted Kingfishers, and woodpeckers.
If you wish to bring lunch, there is a small picnic area near the parking lot. Seating, however, is limited, so it is recommended you bring a chair.
Participants should bring snacks, lunch (if desired), water, hat, sunscreen, and binoculars, and should dress in layers. Registration is required for this event. If you have any questions, please reach out to trip leader Susan Heidebrecht at sunheidebrecht@comcast.net or (559)313-1776.
We will meet at the parking area at the end of the drive (do not turn left into the parking lot near the entrance, but drive straight ahead).
Meeting location
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, dress in layers
Wednesday 6 December 2023 ⏤ Pinnacles National Park with George Folsom
Registration is required. Register here for the event here.
Join George Folsom for a trip to Pinnacles National Park; there’s good chance you will see California Condors. We will meet in the parking lot at the Target Store located in the Marketplace at El Paseo (Herndon and Golden State Blvd.) at 7:00 AM and carpool to the park. The trip will take 2.5 hours of drive time, so we will stop along the way to bird and stretch our legs. We will meet at the Camp Ground Store parking lot in the Park. For those who choose to spend the night near the Park, we should arrive about 9:30 AM depending on traffic. Please note that this is a national park, and thus a fee is charged. Bring your National Park Pass, if you have one. This will be a long day trip, returning around 5 pm, so plan accordingly.
Checklist: binoculars, scope, field guide, snacks, lunch, water, sunscreen, hat, radios.
Contact:
The Panicles National Park Campground Store meeting location is here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/
Wednesday 13 December 2023 ⏤ Jensen River Ranch with Wes Beal
Join trip leader Wes Beal to explore Jensen River Ranch. We will meet at 8:00 AM at the Art of Life Healing Garden next to the north east parking lot in Woodward Park.
From there we will walk down the Tom MacMichael Senior Trail to the San Joaquin River and along its bank upstream until we meet the Flood Control District’s ditch. We will continue along the MacMichael Trail following the ditch back toward the bluff, and circle back to the parking area. We hope to see many of our usual suspects including scrub jays, Black Phoebes, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Turkey Vultures, American Kestrel, Great Blue Herons, Double-crested Cormorants and Great Egrets. Some of the fall returnees may show up as well, including Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flickers, various and sundry sparrows as well as migrating waterfowl.
Depending on time and interest, we may walk over to the large pond near the Park entrance, which should be populated with Canada Geese, Mallards, American Coots, and Pied-billed Grebes, among others.
The $5.00 City entrance fee applies if you park in Woodward Park. Alternative parking may be available in the Fort Washington Shopping Center.
Registration is required for this event. If you have any questions, please reach out to trip leader Wes Beal at ( 559) 250-2988 or beal4farms@gmail.com
Wednesday 20 December 2023 ⏤ Evening Owl Walk at Jensen River Ranch with Larry Cusick
Registration required: Please register here.
Join FAS for an evening Owl Walk on the Jensen Trail. We plan to start close to sunset to be on the Jensen Trail at dusk when the Great Horned Owls and Barn Owls come out to hunt. The outing should take about 1 1/2 hours. We will meet at 4:00 PM in the parking lot adjacent to the Art of Life Healing Garden in Woodward Park.
Map to meeting place
The $5.00 City entrance fee applies if you park in Woodward Park. Alternative parking may be available in the Fort Washington Shopping Center.
Registration is required for this event. Any questions, please contact trip leader Larry Cusick at (559) 313-1777, larrywcusick@gmail.com.
Registration required: Please register here.
Checklist: binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras, jackets, snacks, water.
Saturday 23 December 2023 ⏤ Lost Lake/FINS Trail with Lynda Schafhauser
Lost Lake Audubon Field Trip
Registration is required for this event.
Location: Lost Lake, Fresno County Park
Lost Lake Rd, Friant, CA 93626
Date and Meeting time:
Meeting location in park: Audubon Trailhead at the west end (down stream end) of the park. There is a small parking area at the trailhead, and a larger one a few hundred yards further into the park.
TBD, visit to FINS ( Friant Interactive Nature Site, 0.2 miles east of Lost Lake Park) after birding Lost Lake location.
Map to meeting place
Duration of walk: 8:30 am – 12 pm
Special instructions: the park entrance fee is usually enforced. Fee is $5. Please follow instructions at the entry kiosk if there is no attendant at the kiosk.
What to bring: Binoculars, check weather report for comfortable clothing, (almost any weather is possible), walking shoes, sunscreen / hat, water, snacks ( or lunch if staying beyond noon), free downloads of Audubon and/or Merlin Apps are very useful, western bird identification field guides are also useful. Be advised , there may be insects such as mosquitos, gnats etc.
Walk Description: walking on mostly flat park grass, or on paved park road, from west ( at the trailhead) to east ( toward Friant Dam and the park campground). We will bird river, river lined grass/ shrub and oak tree habitat, and on the upper road the grassland leading into the park, using binoculars but also using the Merlin Sound ID app as an enhanced identification tool. In the park, there are picnic benches for rest stops, and the restrooms are usually open.
Possible birds: Egrets (several species), Cedar Waxwing, Hawks (several species) Varied Thrush, Bald Eagle, Common Merganser, Acorn Woodpecker, Canada Goose, Ring-necked Duck, Anna’s Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Phainopepla, Black Phoebe, and many others.
Other possible sightings…Coyotes, Bobcats…on the other side of the river.
Hard Rain or flooding cancels this walk.
Registration required: Please register here.
Checklist: binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras, jackets, snacks, water.
November Field Trip Reports
Yokohl Valley with Kevin Enns-Rempel
About a dozen birders joined the FAS trip to Yokohl Valley on Saturday, November 4. The weather was very pleasant and the group enjoyed finding some great birds. Highlights included 2 Sora (that kindly came out of the reeds along Rocky Hill Drive to give everyone very good looks), 3 Prairie Falcons, 1 Ferruginous Hawk, at least 2 Vesper Sparrows, and several Golden Eagles. Total number of species seen was 47.
Millerton Lake Madera Side with Larry Parmeter
On Wednesday 8 November, fourteen birders from Fresno Audubon left from Riverpark to visit the west (Madera) side of Millerton State Park. Our first stop was at the bridge spanning the San Joaquin River below Millerton Dam in Friant. There, we had good looks at several Buffleheads, Orange-crowned Warblers, Red-tailed Hawks, Spotted Towhees, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a Kingfisher. Then, just past the entrance kiosk to Millerton Lake, the rocky area above the lake displayed several Rock Wrens, quail, an Osprey, Say’s Phoebes, and more Red-tailed Hawks, among many other species. Finally, a walk through the campgrounds yielded a Kestrel, a Shrike, two Cooper’s Hawks, another Say’s Phoebe, more Rock Wrens, and a Titmouse. All in all, 44 species were seen, a good tally on a beautiful fall day.
#Opt Outside with Rachel Clark
On Friday, November 24, 11 birders gathered together to take part in the 2023 #OptOutside event. We began the day at Friant Cove, where early arriving birders were treated to the sight of a flyover Bald Eagle. Our next stop was the Friant Interactive Nature Site, where we encountered a flock of Western Bluebirds right in the parking lot! On the trail, we saw many of the usual suspects for this time of year, such as Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Orange-crowned Warbler. The next leg of the excursion took us to Lost Lake Park, where highlights included Red-breasted Nuthatch, Phainopepla, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, Lark Sparrow, and a young Red-shouldered Hawk. For the last part of the trip, we decided to visit the Clovis Botanical Garden to look for the continuing Broad-billed Hummingbird. It took a little longer than we’d hoped, but with some patience the target bird was spotted in the bush he’d originally been reported in. The Broad-billed Hummingbird was a lifer for a handful of members of the group, so this was a worthwhile stop! All told, we tallied 62 species throughout the day. Many thanks to all who took part and made the event a success!
Here is link to the eBird trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/175174
Merced National Wildlife Refuge with Judy Johnson
Member Photographs
Huskamute Admins
Patrick Cassen
Alford McNew
Judy Smith
Birds in the News
Links to Recent Articles on Birds
These American birds and dozens more will be renamed, to remove human monikers
Get ready to say goodbye to a lot of familiar bird names, like Anna’s Hummingbird, Gambel’s Quail, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Bewick’s Wren, Bullock’s Oriole, and more. That’s because the American Ornithological Society has vowed to change the English names of all bird species currently named after people, along with any other bird names deemed offensive or exclusionary. “Names have power and power can be for the good or it can be for the bad,” says Colleen Handel, the society’s president and a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska. “We want these names to be powerful in a really good way.”
In Focus: 40 Beautiful Bird Photographs Demonstrating The Decisive Moment
Bird photography stands as the epitome of natural beauty captured through a lens. For any nature enthusiast or avid bird photographer, the expectation lies in a collection that transcends the mundane. Personally, I grew weary of perusing endless bird portraits devoid of vitality, lacking the essence of action, emotion, or delightful surprises.
Point Pinos: ‘One of the greatest avian crossroads in the world’
Social media helping to protect biodiversity, study finds
In the age of digital connectivity, social media platforms have evolved into more than just platforms for sharing personal anecdotes and vacation photos. They have become powerful tools for scientific research and conservation efforts, as demonstrated by a groundbreaking study led by Dr. Shawan Chowdhury from the University of Queensland’s School of the Environment. This international research endeavor has tapped into the wealth of nature photographs shared on Facebook in South Asia to significantly enhance biodiversity conservation mapping,
Heard but not seen
“Speak softly and carry a big stick”, said Theodore Roosevelt. But a Darwinian might regard this as bad advice, as demonstrated by W. T. Fitch’s explanation of the unusually long tracheae of some birds (J. Zool. Lond. 248, 31-49; 1999).
In at least 60 bird species — including the trumpeter swan shown here — the trachea is thrown into coils or loops instead of taking a direct route between the throat and the lungs. The trait shows a puzzling diversity: it is found in six avian orders, and has probably evolved several times. It occurs in migratory cranes and swans, and in large, sedentary rainforest dwellers such as currassows. Closely related species show large variation in trachea length. In some species, only the males possess elongated tracheae, whereas in others both sexes do.
Freakishly smart falcons run these islands
If you heard there were faraway islands full of hyperintelligent birds, you would be forgiven for assuming that they must be parrots or crows – the superstars of the brainy bird world. But travel to the Falkland Islands near the Argentine coast, and you’ll find not parrots or crows but freakishly smart falcons called striated caracaras. “I kind of had a hunch that there is something special about these birds,” said Katie Harrington, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. By adapting a series of tests originally designed to assess cockatoo cognition, Harrington found that the caracaras can problem-solve as well as parrots. The results were published Monday in the journal Current Biology.
Scientists thankful for waterfowl and raptor population increases
There is much to be thankful for in the world of bird conservation, but there is far more that can be improved. Anyone who lived through the 20th century remembers raptor populations plummeting worldwide and severely diminished waterfowl with closed hunting seasons.
The decline of hawk and eagle populations was primarily the result of shooting and poisoning by farmers and hunters who did not want competitors for their crops and quarry. DDT finished off much of what was left as this insecticide worked its way up the food chain and weakened the shells of bird eggs.
Waterfowl populations declined throughout the last century as wetlands were drained for agriculture, especially the hundreds of thousands of small glacial ponds known as prairie potholes. Hunting bag limits were not well-regulated, and ironically, lead poisoning from ingested duck hunter shotgun pellets was killing huge numbers of ducks.
Tracking bird migration with radio-based technology
Twice each year, members of a subspecies of red knots—salmon-colored sandpipers—migrate thousands of miles between their wintering grounds in northern Mexico and breeding sites in the Arctic tundra, encountering myriad obstacles along the way. Thought to migrate during both day and night, brightly lit cities likely disrupt their nighttime journeys, and rising sea levels and invasive species threaten the wetlands they rely on for refueling at stopover sites.
The red knot is one of some 350 North American bird species that migrate. Yet there remains much to learn about the details of their journeys. It’s a critical information gap given the loss of an estimated 3 billion birds in North America since 1970, according to a 2019 study.
“The only way to think about conservation of migratory birds is to consider their full annual cycles,” including their migration routes and wintering sites, said Bill DeLuca, a senior migration ecologist with the National Audubon Society.
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