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

Greetings members and friends of Fresno Audubon,

I hope you are enjoying these beautiful late winter days that bring buds and blossoms to our neck of the woods. The birds can sense the longer days, and soon the trees will bustle with nest building and rolling songs. Just this week, while walking the dogs, I had the joyful surprise of hearing the hollow bouncing ball song of a Western Screech-Owl–right in the heart of the Tower District! It was a lifer for me. If you’re unfamiliar with this owl’s song, take a listen to a recording on the Merlin, Audubon, or Sibley app, and keep an ear peeled next time you’re on an evening stroll. 

If you have any avian encounters you’d like to share with us, post them on our Facebook page or tag us on social media. Our social media team is awesome. They post fun and fascinating content and respond to questions and comments. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest posts. 

The late winter field trips are going very well, with many birders of all backgrounds and experience levels getting great bird sightings. There are still more trips coming as we head into spring. They can fill up, so don’t hesitate to check the events calendar soon to find one that fits your schedule. Remember, registration is required for all participants. It’s quick and easy. We hope you join us for some outdoor fun.

As you may know by now, some local and state chapters of the National Audubon Society are changing their names. We would like to hear members’ thoughts as the issue pertains to our chapter. As an organization centered around its community, we believe it’s important to survey our members before considering any such decisions. If you’re a member of FAS, be on the lookout for a survey coming soon to your inbox. If you’re not a current member, please consider joining. Your support helps make possible our efforts outlined in our mission. Members also get special perks such as early registration on some of our most popular field trips. 

Thank you for your support. Happy reading, and happy birding!

Rick Grijalva

FAS President

Update on Nest Box Project and Monitoring Opportunities

by Bill Ralph

Monitoring:  This last year Barn Owls had the highest number of owlets fledge, 406 from 92 successful nests. 4.41 owlets per successful nest. This was a long breeding season going from January through August. There were a lot of new nest boxes being installed in the spring as the ground was too wet for equipment access. Four ranches had nest boxes removed from the power poles due to replacement of those poles. New boxes were added to ranches that previously did not have usable nest boxes.

In 2022, there was an apparent eruption of Botta’s Pocket Gophers from at least the Fresno River to the Merced River. From 70 successful nests, 401 owlets fledged for 5.73 owlets per successful nests. What was interesting was with food available, many nests had the number of eggs equal the number of nestlings equal the number fledged. Five nests successfully fledged all nine! If I clipped the number off fledged to a maximum of 5 per nest, the larger nest numbers were 29 percent of the total!

American Kestrels ended up with 156 fledged from 39 successful nests. Three years following the last decade’s drought had higher numbers.

Western Screech-owl nesting in my nest boxes increased to four nests with 11 owlets fledge. One location had a shortage of Barn Owls and two Screech-owls and six Wood Ducks used their Barn Owl Boxes.

Wood Ducks had 20 successful nests with 114 ducklings fledge.  For the first time, song bird monitoring took a back seat to the kestrels and Barn Owls, and with longer gaps between visits, I do not know the numbers fledged.

Science:  This year Jeanette Hanneman and I worked under a grant from RATS, Raptors are the Solution, to get samples to test for anticoagulant rodenticides, (AR).  We tested three deceased Barn Owls from three nests and 16 owl pellets from another three nests. No poisons were detected in these samples!

HawkWatch International, as part of their continuing research on kestrels are collecting blood samples to look at AR in nestlings.  Samples were collected from 8 nests on one ranch.  To date, these samples have not been tested.

Past work from 4 years of collecting a couple of kestrel nestling breast feathers per bird, was used in   The American Kestrel Genoscape project using DNA to identify 5 separate genoscapes in the two sub-species residing in the USA and Canada.

https://www.birdgenoscape.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ornithology_2020.pdf

Dr. Matt Johnson, Cal Poly Humboldt, is working on a paper using data form our monitoring Barn Owls in 2021 and 20222. Initial data analysis in 2021 was done by a volunteer, Rebecca Wang.

Volunteering:  I am interested in adult volunteers who would be able to visit one ranch every three weeks through the monitoring season. These ranches have barn owl nest boxes in Madera County East of the BNSF tracks.  I have a side-by-side UTV for ranches where nest boxes are in the middle of the rows. Kestrel nest boxes are visited every two week and are located near Le Grand, Merced and Mariposa counties.   Further away are two ranches near Snelling on the Merced River with barn owls and Wood Ducks. Birds will be banded, and owlets weigher to determine hatch order.

 If interested, give me a call at (559) 676-0291. – Bill Ralph

Membership

General Meeting

Introduction to Birding Class

March 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.

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 6 March 2024 ⏤ River West Madera with John McDaniel

Registration required for all FAS field trips.

Register here!

We will meet at 8:00 a.m. just outside the Valley Golf Center (which is south and down the hill from Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera County). The walk will mostly follow along the San Joaquin River downstream toward Sycamore Island. Although the river is also accessible from Wildwood Native Park, we will start from the Golf Center as the status of the Park is uncertain at this time.

We plan to take Palm Avenue south toward the river from the golf course, past the pipe gate, then following the river downstream, first on the service road to Sycamore Island, then along the Riverfront Trail, ultimately emerging at a grouping of several ponds and a large lagoon just north of the river channel. The Riverfront Trail follows a berm next to the river and is somewhat narrow and uneven. For anyone not comfortable with it, the Sycamore Island road can be followed instead. Total distance is about 3.5 miles.

We hope to see a variety of waterfowl, raptors, swallows, sparrows, kinglets, bluebirds, meadowlark and warblers. We will be on special lookout for nesting activity, as this has been an active area for breeding osprey, red-tailed hawks, and great-horned owls in recent years.

Bring suitable clothing (layers) and walking shoes, snacks, water, head covering, sunscreen, and binoculars. The ponds and lagoon will be quite amenable to spotting scopes, although they are more than a mile and a half from the assembly area.

Directions: Take Highway 41 north from Fresno, to the first exit north of the San Joaquin River (Exit 138A). Turn right at the intersection and follow Cobb Ranch Road back toward Fresno until you get to the first intersection. Turn right and proceed under the Highway 41 bridges to the parking area just outside the golf course where we will assemble.

Leader: John McDaniel

Phone: (559) 779-7186

Email: mandomac@comcast.net

Register here!

Saturday 9 March 2024 ⏤ Elkhorn Slough with Maureen Walsh (Trip is FULL)

Event is full.

If you would like to be placed on a waiting list, please send an email to admin@fresnoaudubon.org with the subject line- Elkhorn Waiting List.

When: Saturday, March 9, 2024
Time: 1:15 on the Private Chartered Boat (22 people)

Cost: $40 per person (NON-REFUNDABLE) Does not include gratuity for Naturalist.

Please Note: Registration Closes February 15, 2024

HOW LONG?

Our tours take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.

WHERE & WHEN
Please check in with your naturalist, 30 minutes prior to the departure time, at our Office/Gift Shop located at 7981 MOSS LANDING ROAD, STE.E., AT THE CROSSROAD OF SANDHOLDT RD. The naturalist on duty will get you checked in and tell you where to go from there. It’s a short, 1 minute to walk from our Gift Shop to our boat in the harbor.

PARKING
FREE PARKING is available on Moss Landing Rd., near our Office/Gift Shop at 7981 Moss Landing Rd. Ste E. As long as you park on the shoulder of the road, without blocking any entrances to the local businesses, parking will be free all day. Parking is also available in the Moss Landing Harbor lot at 7881 SANDHOLDT RD., MOSS LANDING, CA. The cost is $12.00, payable at the harbor office near the flag poles. Parking in the harbor lot is free with a handicap placard.

DO NOT ENTER “ELKHORN SLOUGH” INTO GOOGLE MAPS, THIS WILL DIRECT YOU AWAY FROM OUR LOCATION AND WE WILL NOT BE ABLE HOLD THE DEPARTURE IF YOU ARE LATE.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING? -BE SURE TO CHECK THE WEATHER THE DAY OF YOUR TOUR -DRESS IN LAYERS, even on warm days it can get quite chilly on the water, be prepared so you stay warm and comfortable. -BINOCULARS, We do offer complimentary binoculars for our guests to use during their tour, but do bring your own if you have a pair. -We recommend comfortable, closed toed shoes. Please, no high heels. -Sunscreen -Blanket, for extra warmth or to cushion your seat -Camera -No food or drink on board please. Bottled water is ok.

Please keep in mind that there are NO restrooms on the boat, consuming lots of beverages before the tour is not recommended. There are public restrooms available at the Moss Landing Harbor parking lot, as well as at our Office/Gift Shop.

We look forward to showing you the wonders of Elkhorn Slough!

Elkhorn Slough Safari
www.elkhornslough.com
831-633-5555

Contact: Maureen Walsh
mewnew10@yahoo.com
(559) 706-4980

Checklist: binoculars, bird guide, water, layered clothing and sun protection.

Saturday 23 March 2024 ⏤ Clovis Botanical Gardens: Dry Creek Park and Cottonwood Park with Susan Heidebrecht

Clovis Botanical Garden: Dry Creek Park and Cottonwood Park

Register Here

The Fresno Audubon Society will be hosting a Bird Walk on Saturday March 23,  at the Clovis Botanical Gardens. The walk will include the Botanical Gardens, Dry Creek Park as well as Cottonwood Park and ponding basin.

The walk will be about 1-1/2 hours and will be led by Susan Heidebrecht.

We expect to see a good variety of birds including warblers, bushtits, raptors and waterfowl.

We will meet for the walk at the entrance to the Botanical Gardens.

Registration is required.

Register Here

Contact Info:

Susan Heidebrecht sunheidebrecht@comcast.net (559) 313-1776

Wednesday 27 March 2024 ⏤ Lake Yosemite in Merced with Lynda Schafhauser

The Fresno Audubon Society Wednesday Walk to Lake Yosemite in Merced will be on March 27. Registration is required for this event.

Register Here

To get there-Take Hwy 99 north to Campus Parkway/Mission Road, turn right, go east on Campus Parkway past one roundabout, at the second roundabout, go north on Lake Avenue all the way to the UC Merced campus-just beyond it is Lake Yosemite Park-

Register Here

February Field Trip Reports

San Luis NWR with Judy Johnson

River West Fresno with Wes Beal

Member Photographs

Pat Cassel

John Cline

Jim Curnyn

Sherry Ferber

Dean Goerzen

Tukta Phetasa

Desiree Phillips

Dawn Marie Smith

Birds in the News

Links to Recent Articles on Birds

A Third Of American Adults Are Birdwatchers, According To Nationwide Survey

Around 96 million people in the U.S. closely observed, fed, or photographed birds; visited public parks to view birds; or maintained plantings and natural areas around the home for the benefit of birds in 2022. That’s more than 35% of the nation’s population aged 16 and over.

The eye-popping figures come from the latest Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The estimated total number of birdwatchers is more than double the figure cited in the previous USFWS survey, conducted in 2016.

Read more...

A new book explores the transformative power of bird-watching

Birding to Change the World
Trish O’Kane
Ecco, $29.99

A “spark bird” is the species that inspires someone to start bird-watching. For Trish O’Kane, that bird was the northern cardinal. The backyard regular caught her eye while she was living with a friend in New Orleans, five months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the region and her house in August 2005. Hearing cardinals’ chipping calls was an initial step toward over 1,960 hours of birding, 33 field notebooks filled with avian antics and a career change.

Read more...

Birds have been adapting to human activity for millennia, research suggests

Roughly 14,500 to 10,500 years ago, in the transition from the last glacial period, Epipaleolithic and Neolithic peoples harvesting vegetation from the wetlands of eastern Jordan created a habitat for birds that would otherwise have migrated, a new study published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory reveals.

Read more...

These Birds Score as High as Primates in a Puzzling Cognitive Test

Read more…

Flight feather discovery — and what it reveals about flying dinosaurs

Read more…

Bird Species Decimated: Humans Responsible for 1,400 Extinctions, Double Previous Estimates

Read more…

How to stop birds from flying into your windows, according to experts

For many of us, the sound of a bird crashing into a nearby window might be an unfortunately common occurrence. As unpleasant as it is to think about, hundreds of millions of birds die annually due to window collisions, but there is something we can do about it. While large-scale construction changes can have the largest impact, everyday homeowners and apartment dwellers can take a few small steps to help prevent bird collisions at home.

Applying window decals is one way to help prevent window collisions, but they must be installed properly. Dr. Christine Sheppard, director of the glass collisions program at the American Bird Conservancy, says that you can use any kind of decal — or anything that will stick to the window, for that matter — as long as you keep a few things in mind.

Read more…

New study suggests birds began diversifying long before dinosaurs went extinct

A multi-institutional, international team of evolutionary biologists, genetics specialists and phylogenomicists has found evidence that bird species began diversifying long before the dinosaurs went extinct.

Read more…

The hidden rule for flight feathers and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly

Birds can fly—at least, most of them can. Flightless birds like penguins and ostriches have evolved lifestyles that don’t require flight. However, there’s a lot that scientists don’t know about how the wings and feathers of flightless birds differ from their airborne cousins.

Read more…