CALENDAR

Feb. 7th - Murie's Annual Benefit Banquet - 5:30 pm - at the RADISSON HOTEL
Feb. 10th - Murie Bd. Mtg. - 7:30 pm - ARLC Bldg.
Feb. 13-16 - Great Backyard Bird Count
March 5th - Gen. Mtg.
March 6th - Owling Field Trip (Bad Weather date - March 13th)
April 10th - Field trip to Hat 6 Lek to see the strutting Greater sage-grouse.

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A FIELD GUY AND HIS FIELD GUIDES

The 18th annual Murie Audubon Society Banquet / Benefit will be held February 7, 2004 at the RADISSON HOTEL. The evening will begin with a social hour at 5:30 PM followed by dinner and program by John Acorn, The Nature Nut. A raffle and silent auction will also be held during the evening. Proceeds from the benefit go to Murie Audubon's environmental education projects and the Bird Hospital / Rehabilitation Program.

John Acorn was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1958. His interest in natural history began at an early age, and eventually led him to a B.S. in Zoology and an M.S. in Entomology, both from the University of Alberta. Since completing these degrees, he has worked as park interpreter, insect ecologist, and science consultant to The Canada-China Dinosaur Project. His publications include a series of best-selling children's books about dinosaurs (with Dale Russell), the well-received field guides "Bugs of Alberta," "Butterflies of Alberta," "Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast" (with Nancy Baron), and "Birds of Alberta" (with Chris Fisher). His latest contributions are "Tiger Beetles of Alberta: Killers on the Clay, Stalkers on the Sand" and "Bugs of Ontario."

John is perhaps best known as the writer and host of the television series "Acorn, The Nature Nut," a family-oriented, how-to-be-a-naturalist show that airs on Canadian Learning Television in Canada, Animal Planet in the U.S., and various other broadcasters around the world. He also hosted "Twits and Pishers," a travel show for bird watchers, which aired on Discovery Channel in Canada, and the Outdoor Life Network in the States. John also has two albums of original music to his credit, and is the official "video host" of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.

John is the recipient of the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Awards Foundation Prize for Excellence in Science and Technology Journalism, as well as two "Rosies" as Best Host, in the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards. He has twice been nominated for Canada's national television award, the Gemini, and his Tiny Perfect Dinosaur Book: Introducing Leptoceratops was the winner of the Parents' Choice Gold Award in the United States.  At the University of Alberta, John serves as a lecturer in the Department of Renewable Resources, and is an Associate of the E. H. Strickland Entomology Museum as well.

Banquet tickets are $25 each and can be purchased by calling 234-5692 or 234-7455. Please purchase your tickets by February 4th, as we need to turn in reservations to the RADISSON.

To peak your interest, here are some of the items we have for the raffle and silent auction.
1 - Brunton 8 X 32 Eterna Binoculars
1 - 1/2 day fishing trip form Crazy Rainbow Fly Fishing
1 - Gift Certificate for 2 Regular Prime Rib dinners from Goose Egg Inn
2 - Gift Certificates for 2 free meals at Egginton's
2003 Game and Fish Conservation Stamp and Print (Western Bluebirds)
Osprey Print from Birdwatcher's Digest
Watercolor of EKW Park by June Calmes
Bird Needlework from Frank and Joann Odasz
Conestoga Wagon Bird House from Montana
1 - Gift $25 Certificate from the Blue Heron - Wendy Lowe
5 - Christmas Card pkgs. (10 cards ea.) with a pine grosbeak on the front - Blue Heron - Wendy
     Lowe
1 - basket of notes cards (with birds/nests on the front - Ralph's Books - Tammy Fleetwood
1 - memo holder w/birds at the feeder - Ralph's Books - Tammy Fleetwood
1 - $50 gift certificate from the Casper Petroleum Club - Sandy DeFry, club manager
Trails to Rails by Robert A. King
Hand woven wool scarf - woven by Margaret Morris
1 - $25 gift certificate from Linton's Big R - Tom Fields General Manager.
Ducks Unlimited Statue
Membership to WySAC
1 - $15 gift certificate to Nolan's Feed Store

AND we welcome donations from those of you who haven't come forward yet. REMEMBER, we are raising funds to feed the raptors at Layton's Flight Barn, to pay for Audubon Adventures for classes not sponsored and to further our educational endeavors.

REMEMBER to bring your used printer ink cartridges to the banquet. There will be a box near the front door to drop the cartridges in. We have gotten a few and Rose-Mary King will be sending them to US Recycling for buy-back money soon.

FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK

I was curious about what was seen on the Yellowstone Christmas Bird Count, so I looked at the results listed on Murie's internet site. That was so interesting I ended up looking at all the counts listed. There are also some neat other web sites that can be obtained by just clicking the mouse. I am amazed at how easy it is to get around our web page. Most of the time when I actually find a web site that looks interesting it is so hard to look anything up I get frustrated and quit before I find anything of interest. Before tonight, I had not looked at anything on Murie's Web Page besides the newsletter. There is a lot more to the site than just the newsletter, and it is easy to do. Originally, I was in favor of setting up the site because it has the potential to save trees (paper is made from trees) and save money in postage if enough Murie members opt to receive the newsletter. Getting the newsletter via the internet works better than I thought it would, but the web site has much more. For those who are as computer illiterate as I am, you ought to go to http://www.murieaudubon.org/. But then you already know that because you are reading it HERE!  If you are receiving a paper copy of the newsletter and would like to save Murie printing and postage costs and be dropped from the newsletter mailing list, contact Rose-Mary King to request receiving your newsletter via the website. (Thanks, Stacey - from the Webmaster)

On February 7th we will have our annual banquet. This is a fun evening, and the speaker, John Acorn, should be very entertaining. Please note that this year we are at the Radisson. Remember this is our major fund-raiser of the year. Bring lots of friends and plan to spend lots of money.

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □  Stacey Scott

FIELD TRIPS

As I announced at the January membership meeting, the January Field Trip was to Gray Reef. The birds were very good, and I added the Pacific Loon to my Wyoming list. We also found both Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers along with quite a few ducks. The Red-breasted was a new Natrona County bird for me, so I had the most productive birding day I have had for many years in this county. February is a hard month to think of a good place for a field trip, and almost any field trip would be a disappointment after the January trip. We decided that we won't have a February Field Trip this year.

Saturday, March 6 - Meet at the Piggery at 7:30 pm, about half an hour after sunset, for an Owling Field Trip. Even though this Field Trip is dependent on good weather, standing still and quiet while we wait for owls to call is a very cold occupation. Layers of warm clothing are a good idea. If the weather is too stormy, we will postpone the trip to the following Friday night. The plan is to go down the Coal Mountain Road. When I lead an owling expedition, there are no guarantees that we will hear any owls. I won't use tape recorders because they cause such significant harm to the birds. For information about the trip, call me at 265-6213. Please note that I usually get up early in the spring, which means that I try to go to bed before 8:30.

Saturday, April 10 - Meet at 5:45 am at the East Side Safeway parking lot. This is our annual trip to see the Greater sage-grouse strutting at the Hat 6 Lek. If you haven't seen this show, you really ought to get up early and join us. You will discover why we adopted the sage grouse as our chapter symbol in the 1950's. After watching the sage-grouse display, we will probably go look for ducks at Grey Reef.

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ Stacey Scott

WYOMING COUNTY LIFE LISTS

It’s time to tally up your Wyoming county life list totals, thru December 2003, and send them in.  Count up all your species for each county, then send the total for each county in which you have 125 or more species to Donna  Walgren, 4311 S. Center St., Casper, WY 82602, or contact Bruce and Donna.   We do not need the annotated list, just the number – you can refer to your documentation if anyone has questions about species to find in a particular county.  (Do not include your additions for 2004.) 

Because many people have kept their list of sightings by trip and state, it may take a little longer to sort out your county sightings; so we have decided to extend the deadline to turn in numbers until February 29^th.  The problem Bruce and I found was that we hadn’t bothered to keep track of the more common birds in other counties – and consequently, we have no documentation for them there!  (So in 2004, we will also be working to pick up “everyday” birds – which at least, should be some easy numbers!)

Here are the county list totals received for through 12/31/02:

CONSERVATION ALERT

Vol. 8 No. 1

Junk comes in lots of forms and bedevils our lives in many ways.

Here are some actions all of us can take to stem this onslaught, ease the environmental burden as well as the prodigious waste of energy and resources, and simplify our lives in the process.

Junk Mail
First class mail: Cross out the address and bar code, circle the first class postage and write "refused: return to sender".

Bulk mail: The post office throws away bulk mail it can't deliver, so returning it does no good. Bulk mail is the hardest to deal with because the USPS actively provides addresses, support and encouragement to mailers. However, if "address correction requested" is written on the label: circle "address correction requested" and treat it like first class mail. (These suggestions are courtesy of Obvious Implementations Corporation).

Packaging materials
The University of California at Santa Cruz tells us that about 9 % of the cost of a box of cereal is for the cereal the other 91 percent of the cost is for the package and advertising. Packaging makes up one-third of New York City's waste stream. The next time you go shopping, consider some of the following:  Buy items loose and avoid unnecessary packaging. Pay for the product, not the package! Buy the largest possible size. Avoid single-serve products like individually wrapped cereal boxes or fruit cups. Choose reusable or recyclable packaging. Say no bag, thanks, if you are buying only a few small items.

A recent study for Stonyfield Farm shows that their 32-oz. yogurt containers consume 27 percent less energy and produce 29 percent less waste than four 8-oz. individual servings. Larger packaging is more efficient. Try buying concentrates for items like juice or laundry detergent and add your own water. Bring your own reusable bag for your groceries. (Some of these ideas are courtesy of NYC Waste Less)

Let's overcome the junk all around us by avoiding it, reusing it, or recycling it, and help the environment by doing so.

(This Newsletter may be excerpted, reproduced or circulated without limitation.  Donald R. Dann. Forwarded from Bart Rea.)

CATCHING UP WITH THE DARK-EYED JUNCO

(NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:  I noticed when I was entering the CBC results that some counters were unable to distinguish the different sub-species of the Dark-eyed Junco.  Thought this would make interesting reading.)
 

The Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis, measures 5-1/2" - 6-3/4". Males tend to be slightly larger and more brightly colored than females. The basic junco color scheme is simple and elegant. It includes a pale bill, dark eyes and white belly. The tail shows off conspicuous white outer feathers, easy to spot in flight. The male has a uniform dark gray back and hood. The female's coloring is similar but slightly more tawny. There are no less than 15 described races of Dark-eyed Junco, and 5 recognized subspecies.

The "Slate-colored" Junco is common in the eastern states. The "White- winged" Junco is relatively rare breeding from southeastern Montana east through the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The "Oregon" Junco is common in the western states while the "Pink-sided" Junco is found in the northern Rocky Mountains. In the southern Rocky Mountains, the "Gray-headed" Junco is fairly common.

Taken together, the dark-eyed juncos' breeding range stretches from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland, south to mountains in Mexico and Georgia. Winter ranges reach south as far as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico.

Juncos are noted for their ringing call that is a metallic trill on the same pitch. Flocks tend to range and will keep in contact by constantly calling "tsick" or "tchet." In flight, they will often make a soft buzzing trill.

Nesting: Juncos tend to nest on the ground under a canopy of shrubs or roots. Their deep cup-shaped nests measure only about 4" in diameter. They are woven of grass, rootlets, shreds of bark, twigs, and mosses. Soft materials such as fur and hair are used for lining. The female lays 3 to 6 pale bluish or greenish eggs with variegated blotches concentrated at the larger end. She will incubate them by herself for just under two weeks. Juncos may have 1-3 broods per year.

Feeding: Year round, the junco's diet is made up mostly of weed seeds such as hairy vetch, sweet clover, foxtail, niger thistle, canary grass, white proso millet, flax and berries. They will also eat waste grain during the fall and winter. During nesting, insects are preferred for their high protein. Juncos spend most of the day foraging for food on forest litter, foliage, and bark.

(From the Audubon Workshop newsletter 1-06-2004)

THE TRUTH ABOUT SNOWFLAKES

A snowflake forms inside a cloud when a droplet of water freezes around a tiny particle of dust, salt, bacteria, smog, or some other substance. Most snow forms in supercooled water-droplet clouds of the middle and upper atmosphere, such as nimbostratus, cumulus congestus, or cumulonimbus. (Supercooled water can exist at subfreezing temperatures without freezing, but will freeze when it comes into contact with a particle.) In a supercooled atmosphere within a cloud, liquid water droplets and free ice crystals cannot coexist for long periods of time. The ice crystals rob the liquid droplets of their moisture and thereby grow continuously and rapidly. Some of these sizable ice crystals stick to each other to create a collection of ice crystals known as a snowflake.

The shape that an ice crystal takes depends on the temperature and moisture content in the cloud. The colder the air, the less water it contains. Warm air contains more moisture than cold air, allowing larger crystals to grow. Crystals that grow from the meager water supply at -20 degrees F or below form pencil-shaped hexagonal (six-sided) columns. At temperatures from -10 to 0 F, most crystals are flat, hexagonal plates. At temperatures of 0 to 20 degrees, crystals become large, delicate, six-pointed shapes called dendrites, a word derived from the Greek word for "branched." Warmer cloud-level temperatures (20-32 degrees) yield splinter-shaped crystals called needles.

Most ice crystals form as six-sided plates, as they replicate the shape of water molecules, but all snowflakes don't retain this shape. During their "lifetime" they may crash into other ice crystals and break; partially melt and refreeze; or they may be misshapen by dirt or other impurities. By the time the millions of snowflakes in a snowstorm reach the ground, they may be shattered, half-melted, or fused with others. Under such circumstances it would be difficult to find two that are completely identical. But considering the billions upon billions that have fallen in the history of the world, there remains a chance that over all of time, two identical snowflakes may have fallen. In 1986, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research is reported to have photographed a pair of column-shaped snowflakes that looked exactly alike. But whether they were truly identical remains the question.
(From eNature.com)

THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Scientists and bird enthusiasts can learn a lot by knowing where the birds are. Now that winter has gripped much of the continent, what are our birds doing? Bird populations are dynamic, they are constantly in flux. We want to take a snapshot of North American bird populations and YOU can help us. Everyone's contribution is important. It doesn't matter whether you identify, count, and report the 5 species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge. Your data can help us answer many questions: 1) How will this winter's snow and cold temperatures influence bird populations? 2) Where are the WINTER finches and other irruptive species? 3) Will late winter movements of many SONGBIRD and waterfowl species be as far north as they were last year?

The data that you collect will be combined with Christmas Bird Count and Project FeederWatch data to give us an immense picture of our winter birds. Each year that these data are collected makes them more important and meaningful. So as we see patterns, discover new questions and insights, we'll update you. And we'll ask for your help again.

Statistics from 2003: Total Checklists Submitted: 47,740; Total Species Observed: 573; Total Individual Birds Counted: 4,204,058

(From Cornell Lab of Ornithology website - http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/)

APPRECIATION FROM THE ROGNSTAD FAMILY

Anne Rognstad wishes to convey the thanks and appreciation of the Rognstad Family for all the kind thoughts and memories expressed in tribute to Lucy and to Bob Lang; they were greatly appreciated!!

Ronald Royce Lund, M.D.

Murie Audubon Chapter extends their heartfelt sympathies to the family of Ronald Royce Lund, M.D. Dr. Lund was an active participant in our chapter for many years. He will be greatly missed!

Second Chance

You came to me often wet and cold
Hungry, scared and all alone
Young, or old and in need of care
I did my best to always be there.

Sometimes it was hard to know what to do
But your eyes would always give me a clue
How to give you a second chance at life
And once again make the universe right.
My days and nights were often sad and long
As I watch to see how you are coming along
Often filled with tears, hopes and prayers
Knowing you would much rather be off somewhere.

As I watched you grow and learn to run or fly
I know I would have to soon say good-bye
My heart would fill with joy and sorrow as I knew
I would have to let you go tomorrow.
As I opened the cage to set you free
You looked back as if to say to me
Thank you for caring in a loving way
You gave me a second chance at life today.

Lynn Herold

(Reprinted with permission from the author)

Rohrbecks visit Ridgefield, WA Wildlife Refuge

After Christmas Bonnie & I visited a Peace Corps friend who is involved in support of the Ridgefield, WA Wildlife Refuge on the Columbia River. We spent a great afternoon viewing the waterfowl and Prairie Falcon. The most notable species was the dusky Canada goose for which the refuge was established. On New Years day we followed the upper Skagit River and saw 40 wintering Bald Eagles. Recent Eagle counts have been 1500 to 2500 in Jan/Feb. The next day we saw about 150 swans in a farm field. About 1500 Trumpeter Swans winter in this valley. They have both the Tundra and the Trumpeter. However, we did not want to disturb them so we did not get out of the vehicle to ID the species. Later that day near Conner, on a State Wildlife Refuge we saw thousands of Snow Geese. A little north of LaConner we saw many species of waterfowl on Padilla Bay at the Padilla Bay Estuarine Research Reserve which has a wonderful Interpretive Center.

The Ridgefield Refuge is just north of Vancouver, WA. The Skagit River is north of Seattle and Mount Vernon, WA. Conner, LaConner, and the Padilla Estuary are all near Mount Vernon. If anyone is interested, we have newspaper articles and brochures about the area. These include phone numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gene Rohrbeck

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