THE FISH HAWK
HERALD
Coeur
d’Alene Chapter of the National Audubon Society
November
2005
Volume 15 Issue 3
The annual subscription fee for a hard copy of The Fish
Hawk Herald is $15 for one year, or $25 for two years. To
subscribe to a mailed copy send a check payable to:
COEUR
D'ALENE AUDUBON CHAPTER,
c/o
Membership
P.O.
Box 361
Coeur
d'Alene, ID 83816
Go to
THANKSGIVING BIRD COUNT
November 24,
Thursday
AUDUBON CHAPTER
LIBRARY
Visit
our Chapter library on our webpage.
There are many good books, videos, cassettes, and software that you can
check out. Our library is located at
the Presbyterian Church. If you want to
check something out call me (Shirley 664-5318). One of our librarians will meet you at the church, or we
could bring the item to you at the next
regular meeting (if the meeting is other than the church). Click here to visit
library
Catbird
Janet Callen
It wasn’t a dark and stormy night, it was about
7:00 p.m. on the spring evening of May 31, 2005, the day of the Century
Count. Birders, who had begun the day
at 4:30 a.m. on the top of Schweitzer Mountain, were wending their way home
through the Hoodoo Valley. We added
Marsh Wren, House Wren and Sora at the marshy areas. And we were treated to the “oonk–a-lunk” (National Geographic)
call of an American Bittern. Sibley
describes the call as a deep, gulping, pounding Bloonk Adoonk repeated. Unforgettable and the highlight of the day.
As we proceeded to Granite Lake, Kris
and Stephen decided to try to call up a Rock Wren. We stopped at the boat launch at the west end of the lake. Kris
and Stephen proceeded about 200 ft. north of the road to a stand of trees at
the base of a cliff. I waited at the
car.
After a few minutes they returned and
Kris had a tiny blond striped kitten tucked in her coat. It had one eye stuck shut and was small
enough to hold in one hand. It was
trembling all over and complaining loudly.
I was told that as they played the Rock Wren call they kept getting an
answer that sounded like a Catbird. Then this little kitten came from behind a
rock, straight toward them, meowing all the time. I ended up with it (him) because I have two older cats, and cat
food. My passenger, Jan Severtson,
wrapped him a towel that was in the car and eventually he quit shaking and went
to sleep. We discussed a name,
Bluebird, Rocky, Catbird?
Because he was so small I had visions of
middle of the night feedings from a little bottle, but when I got home I gave
him a little warm milk in a dish. He didn’t know about lapping, so he stuck his chin in, drank and then
slept the night inside a cat carrier.
The next morning I tried a little canned food and he chewed and
swallowed with his baby teeth till his tummy was round. A trip to the vet comfirmed he was in good
physical shape, was about 4 weeks old, weighed less than a pound, and didn’t
need a bottle as long as he could eat solid food.
He was litter-box trained in five days,
learned to eat from a dish without standing in it, discovered the soft and
sunny places to sleep and terrorized my adult cats.
I planned to keep him a short while and
then find a good home for him. No one needs
three cats. Friend Judy found him a good home, but I felt he was too young to
leave, maybe when he was a little older .
He now weighs eight pounds and is still here. Both his eyes work well; the other night he watched a backyard
bird identification video with rapt attention, until he realized they weren’t
coming out of the TV. At the moment he
is outside on a leash and a long rope.
He does quite well, although he almost hung himself a couple of
times. He has no fear of the vacuum,
rides on my shoulder in the car, likes people and attention, hissed at a 60
pound dog when he was two months old, and walks quite well on a leash. He is still a kitten cute and lovable most
of the time. However, sometimes he acts
as though he was born in the wild. I named
him Catbird and he is my back-up cat.
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Audubon Members Make a Difference
GREEN TIPS
Green tips will be a monthly feature in our newsletter. It is designed to give you ideas for taking personal conservation action to
improve the environmental health and habitat quality of our yards and
neighborhoods. (Members are
encouraged to send tips to the editor for inclusion in future
newsletters.)
FOR COFFEE
LOVERS
Shirley Sturts
Why should we spend the big
dollars and buy organic shade gown coffee?
The American Bird
Conservancy website has this to say about the importance of supporting farmers
that produce shade grown coffee:
"About 40 percent of the permanent cropland in Mexico, Central
America, and the Caribbean is planted in coffee. On traditional shade
plantations, coffee shrubs are grown under a natural canopy of trees, the
layers and diversity of which offer shelter and food for migratory birds and
other wildlife. Economic pressure to produce higher yields has resulted in the
conversion of many coffee farms to varieties planted densely in the sun. These
"sun" farms produce more coffee, but at great environmental cost:
when trees are removed, more chemical fertilizers and pesticides are required,
farms are more susceptible to drought and erosion, and wildlife habitat is destroyed, especially for migratory birds. The benefits of
shade coffee versus sun coffee have gained the attention of conservationists,
birdwatchers, and ecologists, and the number of programs designed to encourage
the production and sale of shade coffee have escalated in the past five
years."
According to the
American Bird Conservancy all organic coffee is shade grown. However, several brands that I have found
are labeled "organic" but say nothing about being "shade
grown". Why is this?
Equal Exchange, a coffee brand that I
recently purchased at the Pilgrim's
Natural Foods Market, is labeled
organic and fair trade certified but there is
nothing to indicate that it is
shade grown. I visited their website www.equalexchange
.com and looked under the frequently asked question, "Is your coffee shade grown?" Their answer is as follows: "Equal Exchange is committed to supporting sustainable
agriculture practices. For over 19 years we’ve developed relationships with
small farmer co-ops—currently with 28 cooperatives in 13 countries. Each of
these co-ops has its own unique social, political and ecological history and is
engaged in fostering sustainable agricultural production systems. Our mission
to work with small farmer cooperatives has led us to work in regions with
extensive landscape degradation. The market access we provide to producers in
these regions is critical to restoring these landscapes.
Over 90% of Equal
Exchange coffees are certified organic by volume. The majority of these organic
coffees are shade grown. Some of the coffees that are not, are produced in
locales where deforestation has occurred. The land in these areas is in
transition; it is in the process of being restored with agro-forestry systems
using coffee as the principal crop.
Up until now, Equal Exchange has
not applied for certification for its shade grown coffees. The shade grown
certification process is a relatively recent development which is extremely
labor intensive and costly for farmers and co-ops. This seal along with our
other certifications would have resulted in a prohibitive cost to consumers. In
the past, the market demand didn’t justify the expense.
However, the
increased interest in organic certification and the resulting increase in trained
organic inspectors has stimulated the demand for shade grown certification and
is making it operationally more accessible to Equal Exchange. We are currently
exploring the range of options for shade grown certification that are now
available to us."
Where can one buy organic shade grown coffee in the Coeur
d'Alene area?
There
are several locations in Coeur d'Alene where organic shade grown coffee is
available. The following are ones that
I have found. I am not a big shopper, so please email me s.sturts@verizon.net
for ones you know about and I will put them in the December newsletter. Some of the following are certified while
others just say organic.
Stores
1) Fred Meyer, in their health food section,
offer two brands: (a) "Bird
Friendly Javatopia" (Certified Organic Shade Grown Coffee) and
(b) Green Mountain (some blends
are organic but not certified shade grown).
2)
Pilgrim's Health Foods Market carries (a) Equal Exchange (mentioned above) and
(b) Doma (organic but not certified
shade grown)
Coffee Houses
1) Belle Rose Bakery Café, 213 Sherman Ave,
offers Batdorf Bronson (Certified Fair Trade, Shade Grown and Organic)
2) Café Doma, 501 E. Sherman, (some blends
are organic)
3) Starbucks has at least 1 blend of shade
grown coffee from Mexico; however, it is
not always available and they don't promote it. I was told that you can request a cup of coffee from any of their
blends and they will make you a cup.
Next time you visit a Starbucks, you might ask for a cup of their shade
grown coffee. I plan to do just
that.
volunteer
opportunities
Field Trip
Leaders - We are always looking for
more field trip leaders, a good knowledge of the area is all that is required.
You do not need to be an expert in bird identification. Contact Dick Cripe 665-0010 or email racripe@adelphia.net or Roland Craft 457-8894 or email rolcra@adelphia.net
Conservation
Committee
We need new members with fresh ideas and solutions to the many problems
concerning birds and other wildlife. The Conservation Committee will meet on
the second Tuesday of the month at Little Seattle Coffeehouse. All interested
persons are welcome. Contact Roland Craft, 457-8894 or email rolcra@adelphia.net
Education Committee .
Give
or help with educational programs for children and/or adult groups. Help at
special events such as the Farmer's Market, Earth Day, International Migratory
Bird Day etc.. Contact Janet Callen,
664-1085,
or email
jgoldfinch@adelphia.net
Attend Board Meetings
Board meetings are open to all members.
Come and share your ideas - we are always looking for input from
members.
Positions open:
Vice President
Hospitality chair
Board Member
Contact Lisa
Hardy, 682-4808 or email basalt@earthlink.net
Eagle Watch -
Wolf Lodge Bay
December
26-January 1
Helpers are
needed at viewing stations set up by the BLM.
Contact Scott Robinson, 769-5048
THE RESORT GOLF COURSE PLAN
Lynn Sheridan
On October 7 five of us went to the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course to
pick up a hodge-podge of nest boxes they had stored there. We took them to Roger Young for repair and
advice on how to mount them. With the
assistance of Kevin Hicks, the golf course maintenance chief, we will be
putting the boxes up around the golf course at the end of October. Thank you Roland Craft, Roger Young, and
Wendy and Clark Sheridan (from California).
Board
Meeting summary
Lisa Hardy
October
17. We discussed mileage
compensation to drivers on field trips, and settled on a rate of $0.25/mile,
with the trip leader responsible for collection and distribution of the
compensation.
We also reviewed the perennial problem of a location for our general
meetings. Our usual location has started to charge us $40 per meeting, and
while the IDFG building is free, it is only available in the fall and there is
no place to store the library. We will continue to look for a location that
costs less, and would allow us to store the library. It was also suggested that
the library be stored somewhere where it would be available between meetings.
BIRD TRACKS
"If I were to make a study of the tracks of animals and
represent them by plates, I should conclude with the tracks of man"
Henry David Thoreau
Top of Page
3rd in a series of articles about lawn
care
The Beautiful Lawn
Judy Waring, Janet
Callen
with assistance from
Lisa Hardy
Is there a difference
between chemical (inorganic) fertilizers and organic fertilizers? Chemical fertilizers are highly concentrated
and provide instant results immediately to the plants. However, they add no nutrients to the soil,
they destroy beneficial organisms that create the soil’s natural nutrients and
when used exclusively will build up in the soil and actually hinder plant
growth.
Organic or natural
fertilizers are recommended. They don’t
directly feed the plants. Instead they add essential nutrients to the soil for
plants to use. Hence, results will be slower to show. In addition, they encourage beneficial microorganisms and promote
soil health. The downside is they are
usually more costly. In organic
fertilizers the nitrogen (N) is provided by cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal or
fish emulsion, the phosphorus (P) by poultry manure, rock phosphate or bone
meal and the potassium (K) by granite meal, kelp meal or dairy manure.
Combination
fertilizer-weed killer products are never recommended. (2) The harmful chemicals in these
products will be discussed in another segment.
Dethatching is
generally not necessary for an Idaho lawn and is often too hard on the turf.
One should consider de-thatching if the
thatch layer is thicker than ¾”. Thatch
problems can start with the overuse of synthetic chemical fertilizers. If one truly has a thatch problem, power (or
hand) raking in early spring is advised, but not every year.
Core aeration is
recommended, particularly for heavy soils.
It opens up avenues for water and fertilizer to reach the root zone,
promoting root growth. Lawns that have
never been aerated, or those that get heavy foot traffic may benefit by
aerating twice a year. This may need to
be done for one to two more years, with
aeration once a year. Leave the plugs
on the lawn, they’ll decompose naturally.
An application of no more than ¼ inch of compost after spring aeration is
beneficial for all lawns.
In addition to
organic fertilizers such as steer manure, chicken manure, peat moss, bone meal
and fish meal, we located two formulated organic fertilizers in our area: 1)
Ringer All Natural Lawn Restore sold at Home Depot and 2) Worry Free
Lilly-Miller Spring and Summer Lawn Food sold at Lowe's. These products may be
available at other locations.
An interesting
product named Nitro Cal is manufactured at Greenacres Plant Food Center, 4301
W. Seltice Way, Post Falls, ID. It is
advertised as an early fall fertilizer and is made from Gypsum (an organic
product) and Urea (considered non-organic.)
This combination provides Nitrogen, Calcium and Sulfur. Note, no phosphorus. The company states this product will not
change the pH of the soil.
Another product
found at Lowe's is Revive Granules, designated as a soil treatment that
increases water penetration, breaks up hard soils and contains organic
material. Gypsum is also a soil
amendment that improves the soil structure and provides calcium and sulfur and
is recommended for alkaline soils. Dolomitic limestone is a soil amendment for
acid soils and some Idaho soils are acidic enough to require the application of
lime. If soil pH is less than 5.1, apply lime.. If soil pH is greater than 7, apply Gypsum. Soil amendments are
best applied in the fall. Soil pH can
be tested, and the University of Idaho Extension Bulletin 704 has information
on collecting and processing a soil sample, if one is so inclined.
Next month, the
dysfunc- tional lawn (i.e. weeds, bugs and fungus).
(2) “Audubon at Home” www.Audubon.orgwww.grassrootsinfo.org
and University of Idaho Extension
Top of Page
BIRD
QUOTE
CORNER
"Few forms of
life are so engaging as birds"
\
Top of Page
Dr. Rember's
fossil trip
September 17th
Roland Craft
The archeological dig for fossils at Dr. Rember's property near Clarkia was a very interest-ing field
trip. The fossils in this area
occurred during the Miocene Epoch (that's what the dictionary called it)
and dated about 14 million years
ago. Dr. Rember said it is rare to find insects, fish or animals on his
property, but many plants were found. What is amazing is that many of the plants survive as closely related
species of today. A few of the tree fossils we found are Dawn Redwood,
Port Orford Cedar, Red Cedar. Bald Cypress, a fir species, Tuliptree, Sycamore,
Sweet Gum, Maple, Oak in the Red Oak family, Poplar, Magnolia, Poplar that looked
like our aspen, and Birch. These
fossils occur in a clay-like rock that has many thin layers and often different
plants can be found in a layer one-eighth
inch away from another. All in all it was a fine trip.
The members attending were Janet Callen, Judy Waring and Roland Craft.
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BROWN
BAG BIRDING
Lynn Sheridan
I was met at the 11th Street entrance to Tubbs Hill, by Rochelle
Fairfield and Sue Gibson. Both are alpaca breeders and live by Mica
Flats. This was their first walk on the hill.
At first the birds were quiet as the noise of dump trucks on the
maintenance road drowned out all. Very high above were a few gulls--flying on
thermals? Gradually we began to hear
twitters, took a few false paths, but found the suspension bridge. Best
sightings were a pair of Downy Woodpecker going from tree to tree, quite close,
and a flock of Black-capped Chickadees. Two chipmunks were visibly squabbling.
Heard were Pygmy and Red-breasted Nuthatch, a Northern Flicker and a few
tantalizing voices that I couldn't ID. Autumn colors, balmy weather and a
variety of passing dogs pleased us all. Thank you Rochelle and Sue for
joining me.
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Observaton
Post
Shirley Sturts
2005 Kootenai County Big Year -
196 species as of October we have
Shoshone has 152 as of October 25. Check out our website to see county lists.
OTHER SIGHTINGS
Common Loon 23 Bell Bay, Coeur
d'Alene Lake, Oct. 18, Jan and Herb Severtson: 4 Coeur d'Alene River Delta
(Harrison), Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Horned Grebe 5+ Coeur d'Alene River
Delta (Harrison), Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Tundra Swan 2 Coeur d'Alene River Delta (Harrison), Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Hooded Merganser 10-20 Coeur d'Alene River Delta (Harrison), Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Ruddy Duck 1 Cave Lake, Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Dowitchers Lane Marsh, Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Bonaparte's Gull 8 Sandpoint City Beach,
Sept. 20, Charles Swift and Sept. 30 Kris Buchler:
7+ Coeur d'Alene River Delta (Harrison), Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Rough-legged Hawk 1 Harrison Flats,
Oct. 23, Lisa Hardy
Steller's Jay 1 outside my window eating peanuts that I just now put out, Oct. 28, Fernan Lake home, Shirley Sturts
White-throated Sparrow: 1adult with several White-crowned
Sparrow (mostly juveniles), North Fork of the Coeur
d'Alene River, September 25, Lisa Hardy
American Pipit: 4 Coeur d'Alene River, September 25, Lisa Hardy
Top of Page
I could email this form as an
attachment if you wish me to:
s.sturts@verizon.net
THANKSGIVING BIRD COUNT