mar 2013 stanislaus audubon

8/12/2019 Mar 2013 Stanislaus Audubon

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Valley Habitat 1

The Valley Hab itatMarch 2013

A Joint Pub l icati on of th e Sta n islaus Audubo n Soci ety

and the Yo kut s Group of th e Sie rra Clu b

View from the Chair by Anita Young

Just when things are looking up for the environment, it getsslammed again. The good news about expanding the SanJoaquin National Wildlife Refuge on the west side of Stani-slaus County is dimmed by the recent action of the Board ofSupervisors. On the advice of the Planning Commission,the Board voted to allow development of the Willms

Ranch, on the east side of the county near Knights Ferry.

Willms Ranch, 2,300 acres of rolling grazing land, hasbeen approved to be divided into 42 parcels, to be mar-keted as ranchettes. The sellers allege that the split will

still allow for productive agriculture, especially if devel-oped as vineyards or olive groves. The Sierra Club sees it

differently.

As stated in the official comments submitted to the BOS

by Yokuts Conservation Chair Brad Barker, This parcel

split allows the construction of some 84 residences, plusbarns and other outbuildings, plus a network of new

roads, driveways and fences on agricultural land. And, assuch, this split does not match the expressed goals and

policies in the [Stanislaus County] General Plan. The

General Plans Agriculture Element policy specifies To

reduce development pressures on agricultural lands, high-er density development and in-filling shall be encour-aged. A prominent goal of the GP isto Provide for the

long-term conservation and use of agricultural lands.

We see this land being removed from productive agricul-ture. Ranchettes, hobby farms, riding stables, but not viableag land. We see a demand for water for irrigation at a timewhen river flows are being reduced. We see increased trafficand air pollution from people commuting to remote jobsand services. We see fragmentation of wildlife habitat.The Stanislaus Audubon Society agrees with us on the loss

of wildlife habitat, and is appealing the decision to develop.

Ironically, the Modesto Bee had a lovely article about theWillms Ranch in its June 24, 2012 edition, headlinedWillms ranch near Knights Ferry thrives after 160

years. To quote John Hollands article, Another grand-

son, Clayton Willms, talked of his love for the landand his desire never to sellin a 1998 profile in TheModesto Bee. His obituary in 2008 expanded on it: He

was always checking fences, windmills, watering holesand the river The ranch was always his refuge where

the winds blew warm on the hills and the valleys glowgolden in the sun. The 1980 story quoted Gary Willms, a

great-grandson: We have a heritage to look out for, and

we're lucky to have had ancestors who hung on, just likewe are, to pass it along to us.

I guess times have changed.

To read the entire Modesto Bee article, go to:http://www.modbee.com/2012/06/24/2255979/willms-

ranch-thrives-after-160.html#storylink=cpy

March 15th, 2013 Yokuts Program: Mono Lake Vistas

Kathy and Jim Clarke are doing a presentation on their experiences as volunteer docents for Mono Lake.

Friday, March 15, 2013 at the Fellowship Hall of the College Ave. Church,

1341 College Ave. (at Orangeburg) in Modesto. Refreshments and socializing begin at 6:45 p.m.

The program starts at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
http://www.modbee.com/http://www.modbee.com/http://www.modbee.com/


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Valley Habitat 2

Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

RECENT SIGHTINGS OF RAREOR UNCOMMON BIRDS

MERCED COUNTY:Kent van Vuren found another male VERMILION FLYCATCHER on Gun Club Road on Jan-

uary 22. Gary Woods found a RUFF on January 24, also along Santa Fe Road.

A TALE OF TWO COUNTIES:

Monday, February 4 -Ralph Baker found a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE at Jacob Myers Park, most of

which is on the north side of the Stanislaus River, in San Joaquin County.

Thursday, February 7 - When Frances Oliver and several other birders saw this towhee, it flew south across

the river, thereby becoming a Stanislaus County bird, as well.

Sunday, February 10 - Ralph and Sal Salerno saw the towhee in the morning on the Stanislaus side. Laterthat afternoon, Harold and Sherrie Reeve, along with several other birders, saw this towhee on the San Joaquin side

of the park.

Tuesday, February 12Jim Gain had the towhee in San Joaquin County and Stanislaus County.These sightings will probably continue, since the towhee appears to be wintering on the Central Valley floor

instead of down in Mexico. If this Green-tailed Towhee is accepted by the S.B.R.C., it will be only the fourth record

for Stanislaus County since the 1980s.

ONLINE NEWSLETTER REQUEST CONTINUES

Stanislaus Audubon Society is continuing to collect email addresses from those members who would prefer toreceive Valley Habitat in color online. This option would not only reduce paper, but it would also cut the cost of print-

ing and mailing.

If you want to receive this newsletter electronically, then send an email [email protected] OnlineNewsletter in the subject line. Put your membership name in the body of the textAND YOUR POSTAL ZIP CODE.By including your zip code, you will make it easier for membership staff to remove your label from the mailing list that

is sent from National Audubon Society.

Early Birders with Geese, Merced NWR, February 9, 2013

Bonapartes Gull Swimming, Ceres, 11/15/2012

(See page 8)

Jim Gain
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety

Valley Habitat 3

Lets imagine that a team ofengineers is challenged to design amaterial that is lightweight and soft,

yet firm and durable. This materialmust provide insulation from ex-tremes of cold and heat. It must alsobe waterproof and wind resistant,easily cleaned and colorfast. Finally,this material must have aerodynamicqualities. If these engineers had com-mon sense, theyd look out a windowor walk outdoors to find its prototype

upon the next bird they see.

The presence of feathers isthe chief defining feature of birds.

Many insects and bats also fly, fishand reptiles lay eggs, humans cansing, but only birds can wear and

grow feathers.

ORIGINS

Bird evolution is inextricablyentwined with feather evolution. Ar-chaeopteryxfossils discovered in the19thcentury provided proof of a tran-sitional creature between dinosaursand modern birds, but its highly de-

veloped flight feathersshowed it wasan early bird, not a feathered dino-saur. The breakthrough came in the1990s, in the Liaoning Province ofChina, when Li Yumin discoveredfossils of theropod dinosaurs that

possessed rudimentary feathers.

How did feathers developfrom scales? Structural changes inanimals usually confer some survivalbenefitthat is, form follows func-tion. One increasingly accepted theo-ry proposes several stages of featherdevelopment, from quills to fila-ments, from rachises to barbules andvanes, to the supreme novelty of

asymmetrical flight feathers.

Why did feathers developfrom scales? The functionalists be-lieve that feathers evolved for flight,

while others maintain that other func-tions pre-dated flightinsulation,waterproofing, colors for courtship

display, or even heat shields to shadeeggs and hatchlings.

How did feathers lead to

flight? The ground-up theory pro-posed that theropods flapped andleaped to catch prey, refining theirsteering and balancing from the safe-ty of earth, and thentook flight. Thetree-down theory posited that ar-boreal dwellers extended their hopsfrom branch to branch, eventuallygliding from tree to tree or onto the

ground, and thentook flight.

Recent experiments may pro-vide a link between those theories.Ornithologist Ken Dial observed thatwhile ground birds travel and forageon the ground, they prefer to climband rest on perches. He discoveredthat Chukars used their wings andlegs together cooperatively to climbinclines. This technique, wing-assisted incline running (WAIR),

may satisfy both ground-up andtree-down proponents. Feathereddinosaurs had the means to performWAIR to get into trees, after whichthey could jump and flap their waydown againall this in incrementaladaptations, over eons. Just imagine,the process that culminates in Bar-headed Geese flying 30,000 feet overthe Himalayan Mountains may have

begun with fuzzy dinosaurs scram-

bling up stones and tree trunks!

INSULATION

Not all feathers are createdequal, though. I would be gettingahead of the story to examine onlyflight feathers, while ignoring theother kinds of coverings on birds. Aprimary function of feathers is ther-moregulation of warm-blooded birds,which is performed superbly by

down and contour feathers.

Birds have a high metabolicrate, and their average body tempera-

ture is 105 Fahrenheit. Hundreds ofbird species have adapted to frigidhabitats; they must be able to preventfreezing during sub-zero winter nights.Not only that, but all birds must possessa ready protection from sudden snow-falls, rainstorms, or wind chills that

can deliver a spontaneous winter.

How do feathers keep birdswarm? The secret of insulation lies intrapping pockets of air and making

them stay, thus forming a barrierfrom the cold. Fluffy down feathershave a lot of surface area to trap air,and birds can fluff them up at will,rendering them even more efficient.These down feathers are tucked be-neath a weatherproof layer of contourfeathers. Figuratively, birds can wrapthemselves tightly in blankets thatare also wrapped around down sleep-

ing-bags.

Of course, many birds have adapted

to equatorial climates, deserts andsemi-arid habitats, too. Birds mustnot only have available strategies torespond to rapid heat events, but theymust also control the internal heatthey generate from their frenetic life-styles. Birds often operate just a few

degrees below potential heat stroke.

(Continued on page 4)

BIRDS ARE OF FEATHERS by Salvatore Salerno

Tom Grey


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StanislausAudubon Society

Board of Directors: Bill Amundsen, Ralph

Baker, Eric Caine, Lori Franzman, Jody

Hallstrom, David Froba, Jim Gain, Daniel

Gilman, John Harris, Harold Reeve, Salvatore

Salerno.

Officers & Committee Chairs

President: Sal Salerno 985-1232

([email protected])

Vice President: Eric Caine 968-1302

([email protected])

Treasurer: David Froba 521-7265

([email protected])

Secretary: John Harris 848-1518

([email protected])

Membership: Revolving

San Joaquin River Refuge Field Trips:

Bill Amundsen 521-8256

([email protected])

Other Field Trips: David Froba 521-7265([email protected])

Christmas Bird Counts Coordinator;

Secretary, Stanislaus Bird Records Committee:

Harold Reeve 538-0885

How To Join Audubon:

To become a member of National AudubonSociety, which entitles you to receiveValley Habitat and Audubon Magazine, send

your check for $20.00 to:

National Audubon SocietyMembership Data CenterP.O. Box 422250

Palm Coast, FL 32142

If you are a current member, please check theexpiration date on the mailing label, so thatyou may rejoin in time to continue receiving

our publications.

Visit our website: www.stanislausbirds.org

Valley Habitat 4

Stan islaus Audubon Soc ietyAudubon Field Trips

February 23. Merced National Wildlife Refuge.For all-around bird-ing (water birds, shorebirds, perching birds, raptors) this may be the bestplace to bird near Modesto and it will be in high season. Meet at 7:00

a.m. at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 I Street. Trip lead-er, Bill Amundsen ( 521-8256,[email protected]). We'll be back

mid afternoon.

March 9. San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and Santa Fe Grade

Road. These two birding jewels near Los Banos offer wetlands andgrasslands habitats that can be expected to be rich in their respectivebirds this time of the year. Trip leader, Dave Froba, 209-521-7265, [email protected] at the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500

I Street. at 7:00 a.m. We'll be back mid afternoon.

Sunday, March 17, and Saturday, April 20. San Joaquin River

National Wildlife Refugeis huge and offers the most diverse habitatsin the area, including mixed species transitional savannahs, riparian for-est, oak woodlands, grassland, and seasonal wetland. Trip leader, BillAmundsen ( 521-8256,[email protected]),chooses the particularhabitats to visit each month based on conditions and season. Meet at theStanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 I Street. at 7:00 a.m. We'll be

back early afternoon.

April 27. String of Pearl Parks. This trip to the series of parks alongthe Stanislaus River between Oakdale and Knights Ferry will get you tothe right place and at the right time to see the newly arriving spring mi-grants from the tropics to the south. Trip leader to be announced. Meetat the Stanislaus Library parking lot at 1500 I Street. at 7:00 a.m. We'll

be back early afternoon.

Audubon Field Trip Email List

If you would like to be on a groupemail to advise you of all Audu-

bon field trips, please email:

Dave Froba at [email protected]

BIRDS ARE OF FEATHERS (Continued from page 3)

How do feathers keep birds cool? For one thing, their outer feathers can reduceheat conduction. Thor Hanson, author of the book Feathers,placed a Northern

Flicker specimen and a ceramic tile under the sun. The flickers plumageproved much better than an insulating tile in keeping the lower layer cooler.Other techniques include lifting and adjusting their feathers at will, in order tolet air and wind reduce body heat. Birds have other strategies unrelated tofeathers, though, from panting to the most sensible solution of allresting in

the shade.

The momentum of my subject has carried me to a second page, so Ill

continue next time.
http://www.stanislausbirds.org/http://www.stanislausbirds.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.stanislausbirds.org/


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Valley Habitat 5

Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club

July 30thAug 4th

Backpack (2B)

19thAnnual Summer Back-

pack

Save the dates: The YokutsGroup annual backpack trip is inthe planning stages. Dates for the 6day trip will be: Tues July 30th

Sunday Aug 4th.

Modesto Earth Day event

Mark your Calendar.

Please help out with the SierraClub's booth at the Modesto EarthDay celebration on Saturday April

20.

This event will be held from 10AM. to 4 PM. at Graceada Park,Needham and Sycamore Ave. Wewill have a signup sheet at ourmonthly meeting for all who would

like to help out.

Sierra Club Calendars

Sierra Club Calendars will be forsale at meetings. There are twochoices, Wilderness Wall Calen-dar, $14, and Engagement Calen-dar, $15. Calendars may be pur-chased by mailing an order to:

Sierra Club Calendars, P O Box 855,Modesto CA 95353, or by phoningDoug at 209-524-6651. These calen-dars make great gifts and are alwaysappreciated the first of the year. Thisis a great fund raiser for the Yokuts.

An owl species called a Long-earedOwl has been making local appear-ances lately in a lot of urban com-

munities. Jim Gain saw this one inStockton November 27, 2012, atthe Rural Cemetery.

You can bring recyclables to

our Sierra Club meetings

These are the things that RaymondNichols will recycle for you, if youwill bring them to the Yokutsmonthly programs: (Look for thereceptacles. They look like cut-offGallon Milk Containers.)

Household Batteries, including coin-types,CFL's (Compact FluorescentBulb's),Old Eyeglasses,Old Cell-Telephones,Magazines,Books.

The hazardous things will bedropped off at the Morgan RoadRecycle Center, whenever Ray is inthat area and they are open, whichis only 9AM - 1PM on Fridays andSaturdays.

You cannot put these things in thetrash.It is I-L-L-E-G-A-L, and by your-self you probably wont use enoughto warrant a drive to the Recycle

Center.

Old Eyeglasses will be given toThe Lions Club for distribution tothose who need them.

Old Cell-Telephones are convertedto Telephone Calling Cards foroverseas military personnel.

Magazines and books are distribut-ed to local area house-bound Veter-ans, by The American Legion, andalso to The Vet Center. When thenew Veterans AdministrationCenter opens in early 2013 theywill also get some.


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Valley Habitat 6

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Vernal Pools Trip

Here's an invitation to see some flowers and vernal

pools. The Great Valley Museum has organized a

FIELD TRIP TO JEPSON PRAIRIE.

This is Saturday March 30 7:30 am to 4 pm.

A docent will lead as the group explores the clay-pan

vernal pools and native bunch grass prairie. Cost: $20

Great Valley Museum members and $25 non mem-

bers.

Call ( 575-6196) or come into the museum, 1100

Stoddard Ave, Modesto, CA, to register.

Valley Habitat in an

electronic format

We are making slow progress towards offering the

Valley Habitat in an electronic format. Please bear

with us as we give members the opportunity to "opt-

in" to receive monthly links to our beautiful color

version of the Habitat online at our website. Send an e

-mail to this address to opt-in:

[email protected] the body of the mes-

sage type SUBSCRIBE MOTHERLODE-YOKUTS-

NEWS first name lastname. For a look at our website use the following

link:

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/

Home.html

Paddle to the Sea

This May and June join Paddle to the Sea the Tuolumne River Trusts popular paddle-a-thon where hun-dreds of river lovers and boating enthusiasts raft, canoe and kayak from the Sierra to San Francisco Bay.There is adventurous whitewater and mellow flat-water; fun one-day trips, or going the distance; people ofall skills and ages are encouraged to join. Paddlers raise money and awareness for our Tuolumne River andcompete for great prizes. To learn more, visit www.paddletothesea.orgor call toll-free 1-888-994-3344. Reg-

ister today!
http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAhttp://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAhttp://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://www.paddletothesea.org/http://www.paddletothesea.org/http://www.paddletothesea.org/http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlhttp://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts/Yokuts/Home.htmlmailto:[email protected]://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCAhttp://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdWDOGf1QIXsALb1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB2bDFxNjhiBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDE5OV8yMTM-/SIG=12u7dl725/EXP=1358793294/**http%3a/maps.yahoo.com/dd%3ftaddr=1100%2bStoddard%2bAve%26tcsz=Modesto%2bCA


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Valley Habitat 7

Yokuts Group of the S ierra Club

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Management Committee

Chair Anita Young 529-2300

([email protected])

Treasurer Steve Tomlinson([email protected])

Secretary Maryann Hight 417-9114

([email protected])

Programs This could be you

Conservation Brad Barker 526-5281([email protected])

Membership Kathy Clarke 575-2174([email protected])

Hospitality Candy Klaschus 632-5473([email protected])

Publicity Dorothy Griggs 549-9155([email protected])

Outings Randall Brown 632-5994([email protected])

Newsletter Nancy Jewett 664-9422

([email protected])

Mailing Kathy Weise 545-5948

([email protected])

Population Milt Trieweiler 664-1181

([email protected])Fundraising Leonard Choate 524-3659

Website Jason Tyree

([email protected])

Check out our Website:

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts

To send stories to the Habitat, e-mail:

[email protected]

Sierra Club Membership

Enrollment Form

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Limited Income $25 $35

Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support

our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Your dues include $7.50

for a subscription to SIERRA magazine and $1 for your Chapter newsletter.

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Enclose payment information and mail to:

P.O. Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041

Yokuts Sierra Club joins MeetupThe Yokuts Sierra Club group, along with the Delta Sier-ra and Tuolumne Groups have formed a Stockton-Modesto-Sonora Meetup group that includes Sierra Cluboutingsand events. Its easy and free to join this Meetup,

just go to the link below and sign up. Its not necessary tobe a Sierra Club member to join. Once you sign up, youwill automatically be sent announcements of new and up-coming Meetup events. Join the fun and get active in theSierra Club. http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/

Link to the

Yokuts

website

Yokuts Group

F94QN09051
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The Valley Habitat March 2013http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts http://stanislausbirds.org/

Yokuts Group

Mother Lode Chapter

Sierra Club

P.O. Box 855

Modesto, CA 95353

Non-Profit

Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Modesto, CA

Permit No. 139

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Species AccountBonapartes Gull

The Bonapartes Gull is the smallest, regularly foundgull species in Stanislaus County. (Only the LittleGull is smaller and there are only 2 records of it in thecounty.) The Bonapartes Gull is tern-like in flight andvery graceful. Their body is mainly white with a palegrey back and upper wings. The wing feathers have awhite leading edge and black tips. The bill is small,black and pin-like. In the summer their heads areblack, but in the winter, (as these photo shows), iswhite with a black spot behind the eye. The Bona-partes Gull reach maturity in two years, unlike the

larger gull species such as the Herring Gulls whichtake four. Also unlike its larger family members, theBonapartes Gull is not a scavenger and prefers to

feed on little bugs and fish. They can be foundthroughout Stanislaus County anywhere there is open

water such as lakes, wetlands or water treatment facil-ities. This species was named after Napoleons neph-ew, Charles Bonaparte. Photo taken at the Ceres Wa-

ter Treatment Facility.

Jim Gain, Modesto

Bonapartes Gull Flying, Ceres, 11/15/2012

mar 2013 stanislaus audubon

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