If you’ve ever wondered what the annual Christmas Bird Count is all about, here’s your chance to find out and to participate! Murie Audubon Society is having a pre-count meeting to educate anyone interested in the Count. Topics included will be: what we do as we conduct the annual bird count; where the count is conducted; and what bird species we might see. The meeting will be held at 7 PM, December 8, 2004 at the Audubon Center at Garden Creek, 101 Garden Creek Road.

Christmas Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Surveys and other monitoring projects, help determine trends in bird populations. For example, range expansions of several dove species and population declines of grassland birds have been tracked with the results of these surveys.

For more information call Stacey Scott at 265-6213 or Bruce Walgren at 234-7455. Call Stacey Scott for information about Bates Holes CBC. Bruce Walgren

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

Murie’s 55th Christmas Bird Count will be held on December 18, 2004 which replaces our General Meeting for December. December 14, 2004 to January 5, 2005 is the count period established by National Audubon and this will be the 105th. Murie’s first CBC was held on January 2, 1949, five years before the present chapter was established.

Murie’s 19th Annual Banquet will be held on February 5, 2005 at the Parkway Plaza. Our guest speaker, Lynne Swanson, will perform a character presentation of Margaret “Mardy” Murie. Swanson has for years successfully assumed the identity of famous Wyoming women, making well-researched, true-to-life presentations of their thoughts and appearance in their times.

Margaret Murie and her husband, Olaus, were recognized for their efforts to preserve the Alaskan Frontier, their work with the elk herd at Jackson Hole, and their involvement with the Wilderness Society and passage of the National Wilderness Act. Mardy authored several books, including Two in the Far North, Island Between and, with her husband, Wapiti Wilderness. Her work continues through the Murie Center located in Moose, Wyoming.

Please contact Peg Cullen, Banquet Chair, to volunteer your time helping with banquet planning and preparations, as well as any silent auction or raffle items you would like to donate. Rose-Mary King, President

A Tour of Galápagos Islands

One of Bart and Liz Rea’s latest trips was a tour of the Galápagos Islands in the spring of 2003. The Reas gave us a sneak preview of their trip over coffee and rolls as they related their observations of Blue Footed Boobies, iguanas and giant tortoises. The Galápagos are remarkable for their biodiversity despite their remoteness and isolation; one example being the diversification pattern of its finches. Paul Ehrlich noted that Charles Darwin’s observations of birds on the Islands, and especially those finches, were important to the development of his evolutionary ideas. (Check out Darwin's finches HERE)

Join us on Friday, January 7th at 7 PM at the new Oil & Gas Conservation Commission Building at 2211 King Blvd. As always, the program is free and open to the public, so bring a friend and join us. Bruce Walgren, Program Chair

(Finch pictures from the above website or HERE)

Sunflower Seed Sale Thanks

This year's fall seed sale is again history and we offer our thanks to all those who purchased seeds. Thanks again go to Tim Schlager of Noland Feed for providing Murie Audubon the sunflower seeds at his cost and a place to have distribution. Thanks to Chris Michelson for helping with the seed distribution. Thanks also to Don Harris for donating seed to the Audubon Center at Garden Creek, Paul Kuecks for donating seed to Jay Butler's class in Douglas, and Merlyn Herold for donating a bag of seeds for Murie’s Banquet prizes. We anticipate having another sale in February or March of 2005. Bruce Walgren

BUFFALO – DESMET FIELD TRIP

On October 23^rd, a small, but adventurous group met at Casper’s Eastside Safeway parking lot – it was a windy, cool (40^o) and partly cloudy Saturday morning. Led by Chris Michelson, and with expectations of loons, grebes, and other possible unusual fall migrants, the birding party headed north to Buffalo. Between Casper and Kaycee, we sighted a flock of Horned Larks, 2 dark morph Red-tailed Hawks, and a couple Am. Crows. Between Kaycee and Buffalo were found 4 more crows, a male No. Harrier, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, a Common Raven, an adult Bald Eagle, and another dark morph Red-tail.

First major stop was the Buffalo waste water treatment facility (where we were pleasantly surprised to find very little wind!!). We found some interesting ducks here – 2 Surf Scoters!! We also saw a Horned Grebe, several Bufflehead, plus Mallards, Gadwalls, No. Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, and Am. Coots. We then proceeded to Healy Reservoir where we found at least 6 Common Loons, Horned Grebes, Western Grebes, Pied-billed Grebes, 150+ Am. Coots, a few Double-crested Cormorants, Canada Geese, an ad. Bald Eagle, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Ducks, Mallards, Ring-billed Gulls, and a Herring Gull.

Taking Kumor Rd. north to Lake DeSmet, we saw more dark morph Red-tails, Hooded Mergansers, Pied-billed Grebes, and a Great Blue Heron. Lake DeSmet yielded more Common Loons (which we all checked carefully, hoping to find an additional species – a Pacific perhaps? – but no luck). Also seen here – Killdeer, a large raft of Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, Ring-billed Gulls, 2 Herring Gulls, No. Shovelers, Mallards, Horned Larks, 11 Am. Crows, and a female No. Harrier that appeared to be very interested in a Red-winged Blackbird.

We then headed back to Buffalo, where we stopped at the Buffalo Wildlife Habitat Area. There we found a lot of Am. Wigeon, along with Mallards and Am. Coots. Driving back to Casper, in ponds along Wyo. Hwy #196 were seen Green-winged Teal along with more puddle ducks. Sightings between Buffalo and Casper included Rough-legged Hawks, Golden Eagles, Am. Kestrels, another Raven, more Red-tailed Hawks, and a Black-billed Magpie.

Arriving back in Casper, we again encountered the winds that we had enjoyed NOT having on our trip to the Buffalo area. All in all, it was an enjoyable day, and for those who were counting – we found a total of 34 species. Thanks again to Chris for guiding us on this birding adventure!! Donna Walgren

Fort Collins Field Trip

A hardy group of 6 Casper area birders, 3 Cheyenne area birders, 2 Fort Collins area birders and our leaders, Doug Faulkner and Tony Leukering of Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, met under cold, cloudy and foggy skies Saturday morning (Nov. 13th) in Fort Collins. Although the conditions were not great to start with, they did improve during the day. We started at Long Pond north of Fort Collins and ended the day at Boyd Lake in Loveland. Other locations visited included Terry Lake, Douglass Lake, Smith Lake State Wildlife Area, Fossil Creek Reservoir and Horseshoe Lake. We also looked a number of smaller bodies of water. In various locations there were many Herring Gulls, Ring-bill Gulls and still a few California Gulls. At Long Pond there was a 2nd year Great Black-backed Gull. There were also numerous Common Mergansers. Many of the males had pink feathers rather than white. This is caused by something in their diet. At Douglass Lake there was a Glaucous Gull. At Fossil Creek there were about 1,500 Cackling geese. This a recently split species from the Canada Goose. One had a neck band whose numbers and letters were recorded to see where and when it was banded. There was also a goose which was not identified. It may have been a hybrid or a eastern form of the Brant or a Canada goose without the white chinstrap. At the Smith Lake State Wildlife Area there was a very late Snowy Egret present. There were a selection of duck species found in various locations. Despite the cold start a good time was had by all. Chris Michelson

BIRD NOTES

Fall is fading into winter, most, if not all, of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain region has had significant snowfalls by now. Waterfowl species are making their way south and sightings of the winter passerine species are increasing. Mountain Chickadees, Steller’s Jays, Evening Grosbeaks, and Cassin’s Finches have been coming down from the mountains. Common Loons have been reported on lakes and reservoirs around the state, also of note are the Surf Scoters seen at the Buffalo water treatment facility. Rough-legged Hawks have also been sighted, though not in significant numbers. Some unusual gulls have also been seen in the Casper area: 2 Glaucous Gulls at Amoco Pond, a Mew Gull at Alcova, and a Thayer’s Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull at the JTL Ponds.

The American Ornithologists’ Union has been busy “splitting and lumping” – it announced its new classification changes. Of particular interest is the Canada Goose division; the small race previously referred to as Richardson’s Canada Goose has been split from the larger Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis) to become the Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii). This split was based on genetic studies and differences in nesting habits, migration timing, voice, color and size. One individual of this new species was seen at Amoco Pond north of Casper. Also of note: the Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) is being split into a possible four species, the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) into two or more species, Fuertes’s Oriole (Icterus fuertesi) – a paler form of the Orchard Oriole that breeds along the east coast of Mexico – has been split from the Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurious), and the Bicknell’s and Gray-cheeked Thrushes have been merged.

Yard Birds – Wayne and I received 189 yard bird selections from 22 states, Prince Edward Island, the Yukon, and France for the month of October. Apparently a lot of Blue Jays have been visiting our yards because this species was the top pick – with 33 reports!! In second place was Steller’s Jay, with Evening Grosbeak coming in third.

Casper: Lois Layton – Lincoln’s Sparrow, Frank Layton – White-throated Sparrow, Jim Herold – Steller’s Jay, Pat Classen – Black-capped Chickadee, Cecil Foote – Blue Jay, Gloria/Jim Lawrence – Wood Thrush, Chris Michelson – White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-Mary King – No. Flicker (red-sh.), Joanne Odasz – Song Sparrow, Frank Odasz –White-throated Sparrow, Stacey/Jan Scott – Steller’s Jay, Bruce Walgren – Black-billed Magpie, Donna Walgren – Cedar Waxwing; Buffalo: Deane Bjerke – Mountain Chickadee; Cheyenne: Barb Gorges – Mountain Chickadee; Douglas: Billie Snell – Evening Grosbeak; Evanston: Patti Gorman – Mountain Chickadee, Tim Gorman – No. Flicker (red-sh.); Riverton: Suzanne Hargis – Blue Jay, Bob Hargis – No. Shrike.

Thanks to all who helped with the Yard Bird Project in October!! To take part, pick the species you most enjoyed seeing in, over, or from your yard during the month of November, and send your choice to Donna Walgren (ph. 234-7455), 4311 S. Center St., Casper 82601, or email to bwalgren@coffey.com. Donna Walgren

Note from the Editor—In last month’s Bird Notes, I edited Donna’s article using the Alpha Codes for the bird species to save space. Donna received a few calls wondering why she had done this. I apologize for the confusion and as you can see, this month’s article has recognizable names.

NOTES FROM NOVEMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The strategic planning sessions, facilitated by Dennis Sun, are scheduled for Sat., Feb. 12, 2005, 1 pm to 4 pm, and Wed., Feb. 16, 7 pm to 9 pm.
Casper’s Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for Sat., Dec.18; there will be a pre-count meeting on Wed., Dec. 8 at 7 pm at the Audubon Center at Garden Creek. Everyone interested is invited to come to this meeting to help plan the “Count Day strategy!!”
Our January 7, 2005 program will feature Bart and Liz Rea and their trip to the Galápagos Islands. There will be a field trip to Grey Reef on the next day.
Mike Szymczak and Lynn Herold have volunteered to serve on the Conservation Committee.
Stacey Scott reported that the Treasurer’s Books are in order.
Tickets for the “Evening of Giving” at Eastridge Mall are now available ($5 each); contact Peg Cullen, Rose-Mary King, or Bruce Walgren.
Financial assistance for Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation was discussed; it was suggested that it may be necessary to look into the legal aspects – what are the obligations of both organizations, what Murie can afford, how things may need to be reported, etc.
Stacey reported that the draft of the Sage Grouse conservation plan will be ready in January.
Chris Michelson presented the budget for 7/1/2004 – 6/30/2005 for review; this budget was approved by the Board. The approved 04-05 budget is presented below:

Income Expenses

Fund Raising Audubon Adventures $ 300

Sunflower Seeds $ 500 Bird Hotline 1000

Banquet 2000 Insurance 600

Other 100 Office 400

Donations CBC 100

Friend of Murie 500 Bird Hospital 2000

Other 500 Newsletter 2000

Rent 900 Total $6400

Dues Share 1200

Birdathon 1000

Total $6700 Donna Walgren, Secretary

CONSERVATION NOTES

Environmental giving rose to record $6.95 billion in 2003, a 5.4% increase over 2002 and nearly double the previous year’s increase of 2.8%. Overall giving rose 2.8%, according to Giving USA 2004. Donations by individuals rose 2.5%, bequests increased 12.8%. (from The Conservation Fund’s newsletter, Common Ground)

Wild bees can boost the income at a coffee farm in Costa Rica by $62,000 annually because of their pollination services, according to a study in the August 24 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This study illustrates that there are compelling economic reasons for conserving native ecosystems,” said Taylor Ricketts, principle author and director of the conservation science program at World Wildlife Fund. Ricketts’ team investigated pollination on coffee plants at 330 ft., ½ mile, and a mile away from a tropical forest. The closest areas experienced more pollination, which increased yields and decreased the number of deformed beans. Hand pollinated branches served as experimental controls.

The value of the forest would be even greater if water purification and pollination benefits to other farms were quantified, said co-author Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University. The value of tropical forest is likely greater than other land uses for which the forests are often destroyed, according to “Economic Value of Tropical Forest to Coffee Production” (worldwildlife.org/forests/results/coffee.cfm). Cattle pasture, for example, would yield approximately $24,000 a year less than half of what pollination services provides to the coffee plantation, the researchers found.

Utah National Monument upheld – A federal district court judge in Utah recently upheld President Clinton’s establishment of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996. The Utah Association of Counties and Mountain States Legal Foundation has been fighting Clinton’s use of the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the monument, 1.7 million acres in southern Utah’s canyon country that joins the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau and the Canyons of the Escalante. The Foundation has appealed the decision to the 10^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which could hear the case next year, said Stephen Bloch of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Last year Americans recovered half of all paper consumed in the U.S. for recycling, according to the American Forest and Paper Association (afandpa.org). Recovery of old corrugated containers rose to 76%, recovery of old newspapers climbed to 73%, and recovery of office paper rose to 48%, all record high percentages, the group reported.

In the forests of West Africa, Diana monkeys make one kind of bark when they spot a crowned eagle, another when they see a leopard. Both animals prey on Dianas, and so the distinctive warnings provide crucial information to troopmates. Now Hugo J. Rainey and the two other biologists at the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland show the Dianas’ code can also be deciphered by eavesdropping birds.

Hornbills are large, canopy-dwelling birds that fear eagles but don’t mind leopards – after all, the birds fly and the leopards don’t. When biologists played back the Dianas’ two different alarm calls for hornbills to hear, the birds reacted only to ‘eagle nearby’!

It was already known that various species of monkeys can distinguish between different alarm calls of birds, but this study is the first to show that the tables can be turned. It is still unclear, though, how any of the eavesdroppers learns another species’ vocabulary. (“Hornbills can distinguish between primate alarm calls,” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, April 7, 2004) (from Natural History, June 2004) Donna Walgren

UPCOMING EVENTS AND BIRDING INFO

Great Back Yard Bird Count - Feb. 18-21, 2005
Wyoming’s Watchlist Birds - Lewis’s Woodpeckers, Rufous Hummingbirds, Trumpeter Swans, Greater Sage-Grouse, Ferruginous Hawks, Brewer’s Sparrows, Mountain Plovers, and McCown’s Longspurs. (from National Audubon: Birds & Science website.)
Wings and Wetlands Weekend at Great Bend, KS, April 29-May 1, 2005 With Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge just moments away, Great Bend, KS is always a great place for birds, birders and birding. For more information or to receive a registration packet, contact the Great Bend Convention & Visitors Bureau at 620-792-2750, or e-mail the Bureau at information@visitgreatbend.com, or go to Wings and Wetlands Weekend.
New Birding Website - Focusing on Idaho specifically, but has information that can be informative for all the Northwest and Great Basin. Much useful information has been added during including many pictures of rarities, a section devoted entirely to distribution, the Idaho Bird Records Committee pages, identification issue articles, and more. Contributions and suggestions are always welcome. Visit website at Idaho Birds. Harry Krueger and Stacy Peterson - Webmasters
The Great Pikes Peak Birding Trail (GPPBT) is pleased to announce the launch of their new website, located at Great Pikes Peak Birding Trail, designed to help bird watchers far and near enjoy the recreation of Colorado's birds. Contact the GPPBT: Gary T. Lefko, Director, (970) 897-2454.
Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival - Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, AZ, April 21-24, 2005, Field Trips, Workshops, Special Events. Information at Verde Valley Birding, or email info@birdyverde.org, or call (928) 282-2202. Registration starts Feb. 1st. (Website does not have the 2005 festival information available yet, however you can look at the 2004 Festival information.)

BIRD HOSPITAL REPORT

The following report was received from Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center covering 2004 up to mid-October. No data is available from Frank & Lois Layton; it will be reported in a future issue.

American Crow—1 rec., 1 rel.
American Goldfinch—1 rec., 1 died; American Kestrel—1 rec., 1 rel.
American Robin—71 rec., 7—DOA, 8—euth., 27 died, 29 rel.
American White Pelican—2 rec., 1 DOA, 1 rel.
Black-billed Magpie—1 rec., 1 rel.
Black-capped Chickadee—1 rec., 1 died
Blue Jay—13 rec., 1 DOA, 8 died, 4 rel.
Blue-winged Teal—1 rec., 1 died
Broad-tailed Hummingbird—2 rec., 2 died
California Gull—4 rec., 1 DOA, 1 euth., 2 rel.
Canada Goose—4 rec., 1 DOA, 1 euth., 2 rel.
Cedar Waxwing—1 rec., 1 died
Cliff Swallow—2 rec., 1 died, 1 rel.
Common Grackle—14 rec., 6 died, 8 rel.
Common Nighthawk—1 rec., 1 died
Domestic Ducks—6 rec., 6 rel.
Domestic Geese—4 rec., 4 rel.
Eastern Kingbird—1 rec., 1 died
Eurasian Collared-Dove—1 rec., 1 rel.
Evening Grosbeak—2 rec., 1 DOA, 1 rel.
Ferruginous Hawk—2 rec., 1 died, 1 rel.
Gray Catbird—2 rec., 1 died, 1 rel.
Great Blue Heron—1 rec., 1 died
Great Horned Owl—1 rec., 1 rel.
Horned Lark—1 rec., 1 DOA
House Finch—17 rec., 1 DOA, 1 euth., 9 died, 6 rel.
Killdeer—1rec., 1died
Lark Sparrow—1 rec., 1 rel.
Long-eared Owl—2 rec., 1 DOA, 1 died
Mallard—3 rec., 1 died, 2 rel.
Merlin—2 rec., 1 euth., 1 rel.
Mountain Chickadee—1 rec., 1 died
Mourning Dove—14 rec., 1 DOA, 3 euth., 1 died, 9 rel.
Northern Flicker—3 rec., 2 DOA, 1 rel.
Pine Siskin—1 rec., 1 died
Prairie Falcon—1 rec., 1 rel.
Red-breasted Nuthatch—1 rec., 1 died
Redhead—1 rec., 1 rel.
Red-naped Sapsucker—1 rec., 1 died
Rough-legged Hawk—1 rec., 1 rel.
Sandhill Crane—1 rec., 1 died
Say’s Phoebe—7 rec., 4 died, 3 rel.
Short-eared Owl—1 rec., 1 rel.
Virginia Rail—1 rec., 1 died
Warbling Vireo—1 rec., 1 rel.
Western Grebe—1 rec., 1 rel.
Wood Duck—7 rec., 5 DOA, 2 rel.
Yellow Warbler—5 rec., 1 DOA, 1 died, 3 rel.

Totals—215 birds received, 24 DOA, 14 euthanized, 76 died, 100 released.

Abbreviations: rec—received; rel—released; DOA—dead on arrival; euth—euthanized

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