Zack and Rosie with 3rd graders and the Kestrel boxes they built. (see story)

Evening Programs Amargosa River Country; June Potluck, Isaac Walton Park Chapter Notes Garage Sale Huge Success; Birds in the Classroom; 2000 Birdathon; Eastern Sierra Birding Trail?? Color Photo of Garage Sale Crew Field Trips Spring and Summer Trips; Report Conservation Sage Grouse Concerns Birding Winter Birds in Inyo Back to Main Newsletter Page.

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Evening Programs

May 10

Refreshments: June Nelson

Main Program: Miriam Mim Romero, will present a slide-illustrated program, entitled, A Walk Back in Time-1972. Miriam will give us an historical look at the Amargosa River Country near Shoshone and Tecopa, California. In 1972, Miriam and her recently deceased husband, Ben, were instrumental in preserving the Amargosa River Canyon near Tecopa. There are many natural and cultural wonders in the area, and Mrs. Romero will share her experiences of discovering these treasures with us. Her current volunteer efforts, in which she is working in a cooperative effort with BLM and others in completing a management plan for the future, will further protect the area resources. The birds of the area will not be neglected in her presentation as we look at a unique corner of the desert: the Amargosa River Country-Crown Jewel of the Mojave Desert! All are welcome and refreshments will be served. For more information phone Jim at 760-872-4447.

June 14

Potluck Picnic Dinner, Isaac Walton Park, Bishop (across from Elks/Bulpitt Park out W. Line St.). MEET AT 6:00 PM. Bring a dish to share, something to drink, and your tableware. Come and enjoy fellowship, good food, and the election of officers for next year.

Chapter Notes

A warm Eastern Sierra Audubon welcome to the following new and transfer members:

Laura Cunningham
Toby and Pat Flanagan
Joe McIntyre
Gary Milano
James Miller
Landona Sauique
Ronald and Rachel Wann
Jerry Wise

Sandra Whitehouse

RECORD RESULTS FOR GARAGE SALE!

Osprey graces event

It was a sunny morning with fine items for sale spilling off of tables lining John and Dee Finkbeiner's front lawn and driveway. Audubon volunteers had been busy since early in the morning (the A team-John and Dee, Sandra Whitehouse, Dorothy Burnstrom and Mary Vocelka), setting up and pricing fine donated items for our annual and very important fundraiser. The B team (Jim and Debby Parker and Chris

Part of the garage sale crew; Jim and Debbie Parker, Sandra Whitehouse, Dee and John Finkbeiner, Dorothy Burnstrom, Mary Vocelka, and Chris Howard. The Saturday event brought in a record smashing $763.41.

Kudoos go to Kathy Duvall for stopping by the night before to price items, James Wilson for bringing really cool stuff and staying to help sell it, Larry Nahm for helping to set up the tents (which sold!), Robert and Jeannette Paschal for donating such a nice new tent, and everyone else who donated wonderful items for us to turn into money used for our bird work. Thanks to John Burnstrom for helping us clean up at the end! Thanks to all, including our neighbors and friends who stopped by to purchase items. It was a big success!

Debbie Parker

BIRDS IN THE CLASSROOM PROJECT

Third Grade students at Pine Street School in Rosanne Beach´s class built seven American Kestrel nesting boxes with the help of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society. With wood and hardware donated by ESAS, Zach Smith, a local bird biologist, precut and predrilled the wood used in construction of the boxes. Larry Blakey donated the use of his wood shop and tools. Zach brought all the materials ready to assemble to the third grade classroom where eager young hands awaited. The students, with the help of several parents, followed Zach´s step by step directions. The result was 7 beautiful nesting boxes, 20 satisfied grins on the kids faces, and some inspired pieces of writing that the children composed as a follow-up activity.

The children are taking weekly walks to observe the box in the large cottonwood near the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, Zach saw a European Starling fly out of it. The kids are very thankful for the 20 pair of Nikon binoculars as part of the ESAS education program.

Rosie Beach

2000 BIRDATHON

On Saturday, May 13th , the Eastern Sierra Audubon will once again be conducting our annual Bird-A-Thon, the marathon of birding. Last year´s Bird-A-Thon raised approximately $1,100, and we hope to exceed that this year. The funds raised will help support the chapter´s education program in the schools, sponsor Christmas bird counts, help with the chapter´s work on the Lower Owens River Project (which plans to rewater 60 miles of the river between Aberdeen and Owens Lake), and help us in our plans to create a Shorebird Conservation Area at Owens Lake now that the lake has been designated a Nationally Significant Important Bird Area. As usual, the Bird-A-Thon means our team of birders will go out and attempt to identify as many species of birds as possible in a 24 hour period. Eastern Sierra Audubon is asking you to pledge a small amount per species seen by the counters on May 13th. For example, if a pledge of $.25 per species was made, then that amount would be multiplied by the number of species seen on the Bird-A-Thon to arrive at the total. If we are able to identify 100 species in the Lone Pine area on the count day then a pledge of $.25 would be equal to $25.00. Last year we found 119 species of birds in 24 hours in the Lone Pine area.

All pledgers will receive a list of the birds seen and a narrative of the day´s birding. Send pledges to “Bird-A-Thon”, Drawer D, Lone Pine, CA 93545. PLEASE be generous and thank you for your support for Audubon´s cause.

Michael Prather, Bird-A-Thon Coordinator

PLEDGE FORM
Name ______________________________ Address ____________________________ ___________________________________ Pledge per species $______ or
 Lump sum $__________

EASTERN SIERRA BIRDING TRAIL??

My wife Nancy and I attended the National Audubon Conference at Asilomar April 14-18th and shared the chapter´s Lower Owens River Project and Owens Lake Important Bird Area displays. There was much interest in what our small isolated chapter was up to and general amazement in all that we accomplish. We heard “Nice website”, “Nice newsletter” and “Lots of fieldtrips”.

One of the most exciting presentations that we attended was on creating local birding trails. This concept has spread all across the country as birding has become the nation´s fastest growing spectator sport. Trails such as the Southeastern Arizona Birding Trail, the Texas Coast Birding Trail and the Central Coast Birding Trail in California draw many birders to rural areas, and the economic impact of these visitors is tremendous. Birders are well educated, have significant disposable income , are quiet, are tidy and often come in the off seasons. Perfect!

What suddenly rushed into my mind was how about an Eastern Sierra Birding Trail from Owens Lake to Mono Lake? Our fieldtrips go to many areas along Highway 395 as well as loops off of that main corridor and they could be put together into an exciting travel itinerary for visiting birders. I picked up examples of several of the trails and they vary greatly in terms of their detail and approach, but in general each is a color brochure with detailed locations and a map. Helpful extras include lodging information, bird hotlines, museums, parks and refuges and many contacts for local tourism offices and government agencies. This is something that our chapter could accomplish in partnership with local businesses, visitor service offices, local media, Federal and State land mangers, Cal Trans and the counties of Inyo and Mono.

I would like to hear from Eastern Sierra Audubon members who would enjoy beginning to conceptualize a birding trail for the eastern Sierra. Who should we contact outside the chapter in an effort to “partner up”? How can we raise the awareness in our communities about the importance of birds and the contribution that the Eastern Sierra Audubon plays in our region? What an exciting opportunity for us! Join us. Please contact Mike Prather, Drawer D, Lone Pine, CA 93545; 760-876-5807; prather@qnet.com.

Mike Prather

GOLDEN TROUT NATURAL HISTORY WORKSHOP

Hike-in wilderness camp at 10,000 feet near Mt. Whitney. Naturalist interpreted week sessions starting June 25, July 2, August 6. Reserve early - limited space - often full by April. For brochure call 909-798-3060. See Website.

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Field Trips

Sat., April 29th - Highway Cleanup with John and Ros Gorham. Meet at Toms Place Restaurant at 8:00AM for breakfast; 9:00AM for pickup. Doesn´t take more than a couple of hours at the most. Questions? Call John or Ros at 938-2023

Sat., May 6 - Baker Creek Birding with Earl Gann. See spring migration at its finest. Big Pine. Meet at Glacier View Campground at 7:00AM. Call Earl for information: 983-2916.

Sat., May 13 - International Migratory Bird Day

Sat., May 20th - Bishop Birding with John Finkbeiner. John knows the good spots for birds. Tanagers, Orioles, and Warblers should be out in numbers. Meet at Wye Rd. in Bishop at 8:00AM. Call John at 872-3603 for more info.

Sat., May 27th - Manzanar Birds and Cultural History. Help generate a bird list for this national historic site. Meet seasoned Eastern Sierra veteran Richard Potashin at 8:00AM at the main entrance off highway 395. Should last until 2:00PM. Bring lunch, binos, water, hat, camera. Questions? Call 878-2388.

Sat., June 3rd - Upper Harkless Flat joint Audubon/CNPS field trip. Meet at 9 AM at the Glacier View Campground, at the junction of Hwy.395 and 168, just north of Big Pine. Upper Harkless Flat is a lovely basin at about 8500' in the Inyo Mountains just north of Papoose Flat. The basin is noteworthy for its beautiful views, the numerous CNPS-listed species which grow there, as well as for the undisturbed quality of its vegetation. Unfortunately, the Owens Valley Radio Observatory is considering development of a new observatory in this pristine setting. We will leave vehicles in Harkless Flat and hike up a steep slope through pinyon pine forest to reach the site of the proposed observatory. A visit to a nearby disjunct, low-elevation stand of bristlecone pines will be one of the highlights of the trip. There will be some strenuous steep off-trail hiking. High clearance vehicles recommended, 4WD not necessary. Parkers - 872-4447.

Sat., June 24th - Birding Highway 120 with Eliot Gann. This all day adventure will tour Highway 120 between Benton and Mono Lake. Highlight birds may include grebes at Black Lake, crossbills in the conifers, and certainly many raptors. Not much walking involved. Meet at Wye Road at 8:00AM to carpool/caravan. Call Eliot at 872-4125 for more info.

Sat., July 15th - Tyee lakes hike with John and Dorothy Burnstorm Meet at the Bishop Y to carpool at 8:30AM, bring lunch, water, sturdy footware, binoculars, and bug repellent. Call John at 873-3091 for details or questions.

Chris Howard

REPORT

Winter Wildlife Trip

A large group of 29 enthusiastic people joined together to see what was going to be found this year on the Winter Wildlife trip near Big Pine on 26 Feb 2000. Fifty-eight species were found, which is a good number at this time of the year, with 11 of them the raptors that fascinate everyone. The trip started off at Klondike Lake, and, after half of the group departed, a White-tailed Kite was found. But no problem because both groups had radios and the group that left was able to find the south flying bird because of the excellent and continuing directions by Chris Howard. The other raptors were 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks, 8 Red-tailed Hawks, 2 Ferruginous Hawks, 2 Rough-legged Hawks, 1 Golden Eagle, a pair of American Kestrels and 3 Prairie Falcons. Last but not least were 2 Bald Eagles seen from the Tinemaha Overlook. An adult and a 3rd year immature were perched side by side in the “eagle” tree affording all participants a leisurely look through the scopes that were trained on them. Significant first of spring sightings were a Double-crested Cormorant and a Barn Swallow both at Tinemaha Reservoir. But kudos for most beautifully colored bird was won by the 126 Mountain Bluebirds that graced the fields south of Big Pine. This is an annual field trip, so if you missed out on this one there is always next year!

Tom and Jo Heindel

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Conservation

SAGE GROUSE

These three conservation articles share a Sage Grouse theme. Our chapter has been responsive to possible threats to the well-being of this species, which we marvel at in its mating rituals. Concerned about too many visitors to Sage Grouse leks (where they carry out those rituals - see following article), the BLM asked us to remove the directions to the large lek near Crowley Lake from our Birding Hotspots website <<http://www.wmrs.edu/birds/hot_spots/>>, now administered by Chris Howard. Go to <<http://www.wmrs.edu/birds/hot_spots/crowleygrouse.htm>> to see the new page; Chris has included a message from BLM Biologist Terry Russi, which expresses the reasons for well-merited concern. While you're browsing, another site with much Sage Grouse information is found here: <<http://www.rangenet.org/projects/grouse.html>>. Finally, with reference to the proposed gold mining in the Bodie Hills, which would impact Sage Grouse in that area, we would like to draw your attention to an overnight field trip to the site (Dry Lakes Plateau) being offered by the Bristlecone Chapter of the Calif. Native Plant Society this coming June 10-11; call Anne Halford at 873-6714 (e-mail: fkhalford@earthlink.net ) for more information.

Introducing a new series

Romantic? Exciting? Down-to-earth? All those things apply to the life of the wildlife biologist. Read all about it in this new series by BLM Biologist, Joy Fatooh. Thanks, Joy, for sharing!

IT'S A WILD LIFE

by Joy Fatooh

The first gray light of dawn seeps into the dark. You´ve been waiting, motionless but for shivering, hearing an excited gurgling and popping from many points at once. Now the sources are revealed: a hundred male sage grouse dancing on a frozen meadow, pivoting in place, fanning spiked tails, erecting long head plumes, dragging wingtips on the ground, and billowing huge white bibs to fill air sacs that make that indescribable sound. A group of small brown hens threads among the displaying males to evaluate their performance. Only a few exceptional males will father this year´s chicks.

It´s one of the grand spectacles of the animal world, and you yourself can witness it in a handful of places right here in the eastern Sierra – if you´re willing to wake up early one morning from March to late May, and follow these rules to help ensure this show will never close: Keep your group no bigger than four. Approach silently. Stay a few hundred yards away. Speak in whispers if at all. Never bring a dog, not even on a leash.

Now picture this. The first gray light of dawn seeps into the dark. You turn away from your bedroom window and close your eyes. It´s been a long, cold, rewarding night. You and your colleagues have captured three sage grouse and released them unharmed, but now each bird wears a slender collar with a radio transmitter the size of a pea. A few more nights and all fifteen radios will be installed. You look forward to tracking their signals year-round in the worst possible weather. Later. Now, warm at last, you sleep….

You yourself are less likely to experience this. This is the privilege of the wildlife biologist, a profession that offers countless opportunities to freeze our tail feathers under novel circumstances. What are we learning, and why? That´s the topic of this column. Each issue will give you a glimpse into what we´re up to: public agency biologists like myself and private researchers, piecing together the ecosystem puzzle.

Sage grouse are hot right now. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has received petitions to consider “endangered” listing for two populations elsewhere in the West; other petitions may follow, possibly including the eastern Sierra at some future time. Sage grouse occupy sagebrush lands in many parts of Mono County and even high in the White Mountains in Inyo County. Little is known about those in the Whites, but we´ve been watching the others closely for many years.

The best way to estimate population size is to count males on strutting grounds. We have data back to the 1950s, and especially good data from the concentrated interagency efforts of the last two decades. The numbers look fairly stable at present, allowing for normal fluctuations – in fact, this year they seem to be on an upswing in what may be a ten-year cycle. Further analysis will bring the picture into focus.

But sage grouse face many disturbances. Fences kill if grouse fly into them, and offer hunting perches for raptors; a fence near a strutting ground is very bad news. Power lines are almost equally bad. Recreation in vital habitat areas is a problem, especially when dogs run free. Snowmobiles can create havoc on wintering grounds. Grazing may be detrimental if grasses are left too short to screen nests from ground-based predators. And fire or development may erase sagebrush land.
The key is knowing where those vital habitat areas are. Strutting, nesting, brood-rearing and wintering areas: all are indispensable. That´s the reason for the radio collars. California Department of Fish and Game and the Bureau of Land Management are collaborating to learn where grouse that strut in the Bodie Hills go when the seasons change.

That´s why we´re up around the clock some days, counting in the morning, collaring at night. That´s why we´ll be tracking when the weather´s at its worst. Where does a grouse go in a blizzard? There´s one way to find out. Brrrr! See you when I thaw…

ESAS LETTER ON BODIE HILLS

President Jim Parker sent the following letter to Steve Addington, Field Office Manager of the Bureau of Land Management in Bishop, on April 6, 2000:

Dear Mr. Addington:

I am writing to express the Audubon Society´s concern about impacts to sage grouse in the Bodie Hills that could ensue if large drilling rigs pass through the Dry Lakes Plateau in the process of minerals exploration. Sage grouse populations are declining throughout their range and we are in danger of losing these birds completely out of Eastern California in the near future. The habitat damage, road widening and increased traffic through the Dry Lakes Plateau sage grouse strutting grounds, due to access for minerals exploration, can only be seen as a significant downgrading of scarce wildlife resources in the Bodie Hills.
New research has found that sage grouse can nest up to 25 miles from their strutting grounds. This may indicate that, even if the Dry Lakes Plateau strutting grounds are spared any increased disturbance, peripheral areas with no known lek sites should also be considered to be critical sage grouse habitat. Therefore, any projects that have the potential to affect this habitat should avoid impacts during strutting, nesting and brood seasons, i.e., between early spring and end of summer.
Eastern Sierra Audubon Society greatly appreciates the efforts made by BLM to monitor and protect sage grouse in our area. Thank you for listening to our concerns.

Sincerely.

Jim Parker, President

BODIE HILLS THREATENED BY GOLD MINE

Following are excerpts from an article by Mono Co. resident Mark Langner ; he may be contacted at 647-6142 for more information.

The Bodie Hills, if you´re not familiar with them, are one of the West´s best kept secrets. Roosting high in Mono County, where the Great Basin´s high-desert butts up against the rugged Sierra, they are a spectacular meeting of two great land forms. They are geologically, culturally, biologically and recreationally outstanding. Species diversity is exceptionally rich; pronghorn, sage grouse, pika, mountain bluebirds, bob-cat, mountain lion, bear, badger, ringtail, weasel, eagles and abundance of wildflowers fill the hillsides and canyons. Peaking at over 10,000 feet, the scenic backdrop - the Sierra crest, Mono Lake, the Sweetwaters, the White Mountains, Bodie and Potato Peaks and various Nevada Ranges, is stunning. Culturally, Native American artifacts, from rock art to arrow-heads, are abundant. Bodie State Historic Park, a near neighbor, preserves in ruins, what was once California´s second largest city. ...

So far activities have been limited to surface work using hand tools. [But the Colorado mining company which holds a prospecting permit from the State Land Commission wants to] ... widen (by around four feet!) and “improve" an existing crummy, rutted and seldom used 4x4 route. ... Because the area of permitted ... activity is surrounded by the Bodie Wilderness Study Area (and visible from other WSAs), is in close proximity to Bodie State Historic Park, is adjacent to Rough Creek (a possible Wild and Scenic River candidate), is a Sage Grouse (a candidate for Federal listing) lek and nesting area and pronghorn habitat, and is very rich in Native American cultural resources, any mining development in this area would significantly degrade or destroy Wilderness values, recreation opportunities, cultural resources, water and air quality, important habitat and the integrity of surrounding public and private land. ... This is no way to treat a WSA!

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Birding

by Tom & Jo Heindel

The winter of 1999-2000 has been a relatively mild one east of the Sierra. It has also been a relatively dry season with late storms leaving the area with below normal precipitation levels but not the disaster predicted by some. Winter is ornithologically our most unpredictable season, and we are never able to say which northern visitors will arrive and in what numbers. It would be easy to try to correlate winter bird distribution to the weather, but the formula is far more complex than that. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS appeared in Nov, and a few were found throughout the period. One particularly interesting bird, a rare dark morph individual, was found by Jon Dunn at Fish Springs in late Nov and was seen almost every day on the same telephone pole until mid Jan. A few remained into Mar before returning to the Arctic where they breed. NORTHERN SHRIKE, another winter visitor from the far north went unrecorded. One was reported from near Lake Isabella, Kern County, but none from Inyo. They are expected in very small numbers about 75% of the winters in our area. A GREAT EGRET, found by John & Ros Gorham on the Bishop Christmas Count, apparently wintered as there were reports of this bird through Feb. They are unrecorded most winters so this was a treat. Unprecedented was a SNOWY EGRET, found by Phill Kiddoo, at Furnace Creek Ranch 2 Feb and later seen there 18-20 Feb by Chris Howard. The earliest spring migrant is 26 Mar 1991 at the Bishop Sewer Ponds. This was an amazing discovery, and Phill and Chris are to be commended for documenting this sighting well enough that it is now considered a scientific record. ROSSS GEESE put in a spectacular showing with birds all through the season remaining into spring later than ever before. Jim & Debby Parker found an amazing flock of 23 at the Bishop Sewer Ponds in Mar increasing the county maxima from eight! TUNDRA SWANS were present in very small numbers from 29 Nov until 10 Jan which is the earliest departure in recent history. A WHITE-TAILED KITE was found 29 Jan at Klondike Lake and reports indicated a pair were in north Bishop by mid Feb. At least one has been seen regularly north of Hwy 395 near Brockman Lane and the hope is that the other is incubating. If you are lucky enough to see it/them please keep your distance so as not to make them decide to breed elsewhere. This species has tried on a couple of other occasions to breed in the Owens Valley and has not yet been successful. One to two BALD EAGLES remained at Tinemaha Reservoir throughout the winter and a few sub-adults persisted into Apr at Crowley Lake. Very rare in winter was an immature PEREGRINE FALCON at Tinemaha Reservoir 24 Dec, and an adult was found at Klondike Lake 10 Jan by Bob Maurer (Bird Bob of Saline Valley). A rarely reported SHORT-EARED OWL was found by Chris Howard in northwest Bishop 11 Feb. It was reported periodically into late Mar. Because of its crepuscular habits this species may occur more regularly than the reports suggest. A SWAMP SPARROW was at Furnace Creek Ranch 29 Jan (Jon Dunn) and 20 Feb (Chris Howard) as was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. These are regular winter visitors but in very small numbers and almost all are from Death Valley. The last report of the NORTHERN CARDINAL at China Ranch, near Tecopa, was in late Feb, and by all accounts the bird was doing well. Finally, a GRAY FLYCATCHER was first reported at Thanksgiving at Furnace Creek Ranch by Guy McCaskie. It was reported each month since then through Feb and is the first recent winter record which is extremely unusual for a bird that usually spends its winter in the land of cerveza and frijoles. Each season brings us nuggets of excitement, and this winter was no exception. Spring migration is well underway and will, no doubt, bring a few more. Get your binocs and go out panning as you may very well find the bird of the season!

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