mar 2014 stanislaus audubon

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Valley Habitat 1

The Valley Hab itat March 2014

A Joi n t Pub l ic at io n of the St an is la us Au dub on So c ie ty

an d the Yo ku ts Gr oup of the S ie rr a Clu b

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood! By Maryann Hight Last year the Yokuts group president, Anita Young,

wrote about her experience riding her bicycle to work,and about a few people among her acquaintances who

are also bicycle commuters. Last month Steve Tomlin-

son expanded upon his experience using an electric bi-

cycle. This month, I am going to expand on my own ex-

periences over the last year as a bicycle commuter.

Like many people, the financial needs of my family and

circumstances weren’t always met by my income, and I

found myself with more debt than I wanted to be carry-

ing as I prepare for retirement. Since my plan to find a

rich benefactor or win the lottery had never worked out,

I decided I either had to get a second job or get rid of my

car in order to free up all the money I was spending on

car payments, insurance, gas and maintenance.

So I got rid of the car, and 18 months later I am debt

free. Being without a car changes life considerably, but

not, in my view, in negative ways. In fact, for me, the

changes in my habits and the way I experience my com-

munity has been positive, such as:

*I buy less stuff. When you have to load all your grocer-

ies into your bike baskets and your backpack, you

really think carefully about what you need to eat. If Iride over to TJ Maxx to buy pillows, then you can

bet I don’t buy lots of other stuff because then I

would have to carry it on my bike in some fashion!

*I am in better physical shape. Now this did take some

time. The first couple of times I had to ride into the

wind going to work there was some huffing and

puffing going on. However, now, the wind barely

slows me down.

*My life has become more local. I go to the Turlock

farmer’s market. I frequent the restaurants and

shops here in Turlock than I used to when I hopped

into my car for everything.

*I know more about my town. I often ride through parts

of town that car drivers would ignore because the

streets don’t provide a direct route to a destination,

(Continued on page 6.)

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club Program 7p.m. Friday, March 21, 2014

Member’s Slide Show

You, Sierra Club members, will be the feature of March’s Yokuts Program. Please bring your dvd’s

and thumb drives of your most recent backpacking and hiking trips, vacation adventures, your

bird and wildflower sightings and whatever you would like to share for the meeting on March 21st.

There will be a lap top and projector set up but come about 20 minutes early (about 6:25) so we can

work out any of the technical bugs.

Contact Linda Lagace at 863 9137 for any questions about the program.

College Avenue Congregational Church • 1341 College Avenue - Refreshments and socializing begin at 6:45 p.m.

and the meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. -Non-members are always welcome! The program is free and

open to the public.



Valley Habitat 2

Stan is laus Audubon SocietyRECENT SIGHTINGS OF RARE OR UNCOMMON BIRDS

MERCED COUNTY:

Bill Amundsen and other participants of an Audubon field trip saw a pair of BLUE-WINGED TEAL at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge on January 25. James Williams had a BREWER’S SPARROW at the same refuge on

February 5.

STANISLAUS COUNTY:

Harold Reeve and Sal Salerno had an adult LITTLE GULL at the restricted access Modesto Water Quality ControlFacility on January 26. The gull was re-found by other birders on February 8. Little Gull is a review species with theCalifornia Bird Records Committee, which means it is a species that averages only four or fewer occurrences per yearin California and has been recorded fewer than 100 times overall in the state. Eric Caine had the first Little Gull in ourcounty at this site in 2008; that first-summer bird was accepted by the California Bird Records Committee. Harold andSal saw two immature Little Gulls at those ponds in 2011; the status of that sighting is pending review by the C.B.R.C.

Jim Gain had a male adult RUFF at the Ceres Water Reclamation Facility on January 28. If accepted by the S.B.R.C.,this would be only the second county record; the first Ruff was found at the same ponds in 2008. On February 2, DaleSmith spotted a HORNED GREBE at Turlock Lake Fishing Access Area that was also seen by five other birders during

an Audubon field trip led by Ralph Baker. Bob Dunn had a SAGE THRASHER on Willms Road on February 6.

Horned Grebe Diving

© Dale Smith

RUFF© Jim Gain

Horned Grebe Swimming

© Dale Smith

Little Gull in Flight

© Harold Reeve

Bonaparte’s Gull and Little Gull

© Harold Reeve



Stan is laus Audubon Society

Valley Habitat 3

1. IT’S NOT ME, IT’S YOU! When trying to identify

birds, sometimes you can do every-thing right and still get it wrong.Even when you’re cautious in not prejudging your perceptions, eventhough you make allowances forobserver biases, optical or lightingillusions, somehow the bird in frontof you still may not seem to ‘fit.’It’s time then to ease up yourselfand admit it’s the bird, not you,

that poses the problem.

For beginners or those whodon’t bird often, one persistent is-sue is that of distinguishing juvenile birds. The juvenal plumage ofmany birds is often characterized by streaking and spotting, markedlydifferent from subsequent adult plumages. The first time you see animmature Spotted Towhee, youmay be confused, until you notice

its foraging behavior or the adultcompany it keeps. Complicatingthis issue, many hawks, gulls, andother bird families undergo changesin coloration of their eyes, bills andlegs as they grow from juveniles toadults. In addition, many smallerfield guides don’t even show juve-niles of many species at all. True,you can search images online, butnot everyone has the Internet al-ways at their fingertips, so a search

may not be possible until you gethome.

Often you will encounter birds with plumage patterns thatdiffer from the basic or alternate plumages shown in field guides.It’s crucial to remember that molt-ing is a dynamic process, with

feathers often undergoing transi-tional phases between one plumageand the next. In such cases, youshould verify only the pattern thatyou understand, and concentrateupon the other field marks of the

birds, to reach a conclusion.

Sometimes you will see birds that have abnormal colorationin their feathers. They may bestreaked with white patches(leucism), washed with grayishtones (dilute plumage), or lackingany pigmentation at all (albinism.)Feathers can be bleached out bywear or sunlight, appearing palerthan they would be otherwise. Ele-ments in the environment may alsocause unusual colors. There may bestains on a bird’s head or chin fromfruit or pollen; a water bird may bediscolored from mud, oil, or otherchemicals in the water. In thesecases, you should focus more on

shape, size, posture and vocaliza-tions, and less upon the aberrant

colors.

Then there is the problemof hybrids. Although separate birdspecies seldom interbreed, that‘rule’ has so many exceptions inwild nature that ornithologists ad-mit hybridization probably occursmore often than we know. It isgenerally accepted that about 10%

of distinct bird species hybridize.Songbirds do not hybridize often, but gulls have a high rate of hybrid-ization between similar species. Ifyou go birding long enough, youwill eventually see a hybrid birdwhich exhibits field marks of both parental species in varying degrees.The mixture of characteristics may

suggest another species entirely, somuch so that you may have to writedown ‘possible hybrid’ and just let

it go.

What about the true‘oddballs’? In California, there areexotic birds of more than 100 spe-cies (ducks to parrots to canaries,and anything in between) that haveeither escaped from zoos and pri-vate collections or were released bytheir owners. If one of these birdslands in your backyard, just enjoyit. Then there is the slight butmeasurable chance (more than 0%)that, any time you go birding, youcould discover an actual rarity; afterall, rare birds use the same habitatsthat common birds do. If this hap- pens, enjoy the bird, make somerecord of it, and then contact other

local birders with urgent speed.

2. IS IT THE BOOK? What fault is there in books?

The medium is not always the mes-sage that nature delivers. We must balance our reliance on externaltools with our internal senses.Books are symbols that representthe world, not the world itself.Words and images of birds are aids

to our primary contact with variablecreatures, not substitutes for them.The photographs in Kaufman Field

Guide to North America are of spe-cific individuals. The paintings inThe Sibley Guide to Birds are artis-tic renderings of types. Real birdsinhabit the messy realms of organiclife between an isolated example

and a generic type.

(Continued on page 6)

NOT LIKE THE ONE IN THE BOOK! Part Two by Salvatore Salerno

Note: The bird in last month’s photograph was a bedraggled Orange-Crowned Warbler.



Stanislaus Audubon Society

Board of Directors: Bill Amundsen, Ralph

Baker, Eric Caine, Lori Franzman, Jody Hall-

strom, 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; Secre-

tary, Stanislaus Birds Records Committee:

Harold Reeve 538-0885

How to Join Audubon

To become a member of the National

Audubon Society, which entitles you

to receive Valley Habitat and AudubonMagazine, send your check for $20.00 to:

National Audubon Society

Membership Data Center

P.O. Box 422246

Palm Coast, FL 32142-6714

Visit our web site:

www.stanislausbirds.org

Valley Habitat 4

Stan is laus Audubon Society

AUDUBON FIELD TRIPS

March 1. Ideal Duck Club, Los Banos. Duck club owner, Dale Azevedo,is opening his duck club for us to bird after hunting season. After the sea-son the water is drawn down, exposing large mud flats and attracting

shore birds by the tens of thousands. We'll be there to watch. Don't missthis unique opportunity to bird an area seldom seen. Trip leader to be an-nounced. For more information contact David Froba, [email protected], 521-7265. Meet at the Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500 IStreet, Modesto) at 7:00 a.m. Bring lunch. We will return to Modesto

mid-afternoon.

March 16 and April 20. San Joaquin River National Wildlife Ref-

uge is huge and offers the most diverse habitats in the area, includingmixed species transitional savannas, riparian forest, oak woodlands, grassland,and seasonal wetlands. Trip leader, Ralph Baker

(at [email protected]) chooses the particular habitats

to visit each month based on conditions and season. Meet at the Stani-slaus Library parking lot at 1500 I Street. at 7:00 a.m. Bring lunch. We

will return to Modesto early afternoon.

CHANGE IN FIELD TRIP LEADER

During the January board meeting of Stanislaus Audubon Society, BillAmundsen announced that he wished to step down as leader of the SanJoaquin River National Wildlife Refuge field trips. Beginning in March,that position will be filled by Ralph Baker, who has assisted with many

refuge trips. The members of the board wish to express their apprecia-tion and gratitude to Bill, not only for his dedication on behalf of therefuge, but also for his help with the birders who accompanied him on

those trips over the past fifteen years.

California Wetlands and Waterfowl—Two Centuries of Loss

and Recovery: Tales from the Central Valley, Philip Garone

Sunday, March 2, Carnegie Arts Center, 250 North Broadway,

Turlock at 2 pm, Free

CSU Stanislaus History Professor Philip Garone will discuss the envi-ronmental history of our region. Roman Loranc’s evocative photographsof our valley landscape will serve as a visual touchstone for this in-formative presentation. We will take a look at why the valley’s formerlyextensive wetlands—and the wildlife they support—were almost all lost by the early 20th century, and how, for the past several generations,Californians have been successfully restoring and protecting our wet-

land heritage. hp://www.carnegieartsturlock.org/page55.html

Audubon Field Trip Email

List If you would like to be on a group

email to advise you of allAudubon field trips, please email:

Dave Froba at [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.carnegieartsturlock.org/page55.html










Valley Habitat 5

Yokuts Group of the Sierra ClubSaturday, March 15, 2014Dayhike 2BLas Trampas Wilderness. We will hikeup from Bollinger Canyon to the LasTrampas (eastern) ridge of this East

Bay Regional Park and continue ontrails part-way down the other side tothe Eugene O’Neill historic site. Thehike will be approximately 7-8 miles inlength, and 1,000 ft in elevationgain. For further information, includingthe meet-up time and place, please con-tact Yokuts trip leader Randall Brown

at 209 632-5994.

Thursdays: Midweek Hikes in

Groveland/Highway 120 AreaTuolumne Group, Motherlode Chap-ter of the Sierra Club. Each Thurs-day meet at Mary Laveroni Park,Groveland at 9am for an approximate6-mile hike. Bring a jacket, water,sunscreen and a snack in a daypackand wear hiking boots. The hike isgenerally followed by a YO sacklunch. Call Frank Oyung for further

details, (209) 962-7585

Landscape Photography Exhibi-

tion at the Carnegie Landscape photographer Roman Loranc is the

Carnegie Art Center’s Distinguished Artist

for 2014. More than sixty of his photos will

be on display at the Carnegie Art Center in

Turlock from January 29-March 23. A native

of Poland, Loranc moved to California in

1984 and fell in love with the Central Valley;

the exhibit is comprehensive and many of the

photos were taken in our area. Also included

are scenes of Mt. Shasta and some cityscapes

from recent trips to Eastern Europe. Entry fee

for the exhibition is $5. See page 4 for Dr.

Philip Garone’s talk (author of The Fall and

Rise of the Wetlands of California’s Great

Central Valley) on Central Valley wetlands

at the Carnegie on Sunday, March 2nd, at 2

pm. This is free.

February 8, 2014 Tuolumne River Hike Report

A hearty, hardy group of hikers braved the elements to enjoy a

beautiful morning on Saturday. Joining Dorothy were 12 humans,

including 4 children, and two dogs. The wind and rain did not pre-

vent us from appreciating the beauties of nature. The river was quite

low, of course. There were quite a number of trees with broken

branches, some quite large. Also, a duck was spotted sitting high on

a tree branch! All told, it was an exhilarating trek with much enjoy-

able conversation and new friends.

The Yokuts will be tabling at two Earth Day events in April. This is a

time when you can help other people learn about conservation and sus-

tainability.

One event will be held at MJC on Wed. April 16 , the second at

Graceada Park on Sat. April 19. To participate at these tabling events

see Milt Trieweiler at one of our meeting or call him at 535-1274. Sign

up to help other people learn about the plight of our Planet.



Valley Habitat 6

Stan is laus Audubon Society & Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

NOT LIKE THE ONE IN THE BOOK!Part Two

(Continued from page 3)

Whether because of incom- plete knowledge or insufficientlooks, we have to accept that some birds will remain Unidentified Fly-ing Organisms. Birders who givethe impression of knowing all the

birds they see are more invested intheir egos than in the truth. Kauf-man said it well: “When faced witha bird that doesn’t seem to add up,there’s no reason why we have to put a name on it.” For those com- pelled with having to get every-thing right, repeat this after me: I

don’t know. You can thank me lat-

er.

Identifying birds shouldn’t be a goalpost, but a portal to under-standing and appreciation. Fieldguides are wonderful, but evenwithout them, nature can amplyfulfill our capacity for wonder. Ifwe can shuttle between What is

that beautiful bird? and What a

beautiful bird that is, then we willretain intact the passion of our

quest.

Online Valley Habitat for Yokuts

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club members who want to re-

ceive the color version of the Valley Habitat online can sent

an email to this address to opt-in:

[email protected]

Type “SUBSCRIBE MOTHERLODE-YOKUTS- NEWS

first name last name” in the body of the mesage.

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

(Continued from page 6.)

or because of their perception that a neighborhood is

“bad.” I see lots of the same people every morning

and evening as I pedal along, and they nod and

wave. They know me now; I know them. It’s nice.

*The richness of the natural environment is more obvi-

ous. I have become acutely aware of the birds along

my bike route. The flocks of sparrows that scurry

ahead of me in the bushes by houses. The crows and

doves that gather in the evenings along telephone

wires. The hawks patrolling the skies above thehouses. The same mocking bird that sings to me

each evening on the same stretch of road.

*Riding a bicycle has changed my fashion choices for

work. Sometimes if I feel very French, I will wear

dresses and skirts (with biking pants underneath),

but I mostly don’t. My fashion choices are more cas-

ual. And I discovered, no one in my organization

really cares!

When I speak to people about my bike riding, they usu-

ally recite a long list of why they can’t do what I am do-ing. It is too hot in summer. They have kids and they

need to get places. They would be going to the grocery

store all the time. Place of employment is too far away,

and so on.

All these reasons to keep a car are valid. However, the

easily obtained resources that created the car culture are

in dwindling supply, and the consequences of our ener-

gy and resource addiction are reflected in our health, the

mounds of trash we produce, and of course climate

change. I challenge all the members of the Sierra Club

and the Audubon Society to rethink the paradigm of

modern living, and enjoy the benefits of the less hectic

life you will have without a car.

If you are interested in finding out more about commuter

cycling, see this list of bicycle blogs at carbusters.org:

http://carbusters.org/2011/02/14/top-50- bike-commuting

ONLINE NEWSLETTER REQUEST CONTINUES Stanislaus Audubon Society is still collecting

email addresses from S.A.S. members who wish toreceive Valley Habitat online. You can email [email protected] with “Online Newsletter” as

the subject. Put your membership name in the body of the text WITH YOUR POSTAL ZIP CODE.

http://carbusters.org/2011/02/14/top-50-bike-commuting-blogs/















Valley Habitat 7

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Management Committee Co-Chairs Anita Young & Candy Klaschus

Treasurer Steve Tomlinson 544-1617

(steve.tomlinson97@gmail,com)

Secretary Maryann Hight 417-9114

([email protected])

Programs Linda Lagace 863-9137

([email protected])

Conservation Brad Barker 526-5281

([email protected])

Membership Anita Young 529-2300

([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 535-1274

([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

Yes, I want to be a member of the Sierra Club!

Yes, I want to give a gift membership!

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If you prefer your name not be included, please check here.

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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.

PAYMENT METHOD: (check one)

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Enclose payment information and mail to:

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

Yokuts Group F94QN09051

Link to

the

Yokuts

Web-

Yokuts Sierra Club Joins Meetup

The Yokuts Sierra Club group, along wit h the Delta

Sierra and Tuolumne groups have formed a Stockton-

Modesto-Sonora Meetup group that includes Sierra Club

outings and events. It’s easy and free to join this Meetup,

just go to the link below and sign up. It’s not necessary

to be a Sierra Club member to join. Once you sign up,

you will automatically be sent announcements of new and

upcoming Meetup events. http://www.meetup.com/

Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/



The Valley Habitat March 2 14

http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/yokuts

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

http://stanislausbirds.org

Zero Waste Home, by Bea Johnson

reviewed by Steve Tomlinson, Yokuts Treasurer "Zero Waste Home" is probably one of the more thor-

ough guides you will see for reducing waste and having an

impact on individual consumerism. It is clear that Ms.

Johnson's motivation for personal change and for writing

this book emanates from concern about excess use of re-

sources. The principles are simple enough and designated

as the "five R's". These are "Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Re-

cycle, and Rot". Everything from "Kitchen and Grocery

Shopping" to "Holidays and Gifts" is covered. Like many,

the author and her family formerly had a lot of "stuff". In

time, they grew a need to simplify and shift the energyfrom maintaining possessions to a more meaningful quali-

ty of life. This is a shift I personally have needed and im-

plemented to a degree as I'm sure many of you have. Ms.

Johnson spends time citing the intangible/internal benefits

of this shift and the tangible ones such as lowered expens-

es and more time to spend at a reduced pace with family

and friends, and other recharging activities. She fully rec-

ognizes that zero waste is not an overnight project and

cites the possibility of entering "eco-depression" followed

by "action paralysis". With change of such magnitude, a

little at a time seems a prudent and effective way. The

book has no shortage of methods and resources for doing

this. One of Ms. Johnson's citations fits well as she quotes

Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world".

On March 15th, Sierra Club will join with our friendsat Californians Against Fracking, and thousands offolks from all over the state to send a message to Gov.

Brown, bigger and louder than ever: It's time to stopfracking in California!What: Governor Brown: Don’t Frack California

When: Saturday, March 15th, 12pm-5pmWhere: The Capitol Lawn, Sacramento, CA

mar 2014 stanislaus audubon

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