BALD EAGLE DELISTING CELEBRATION!
“Living with Birds of Prey”
Presented by Birds of Prey Northwest and
Sponsored by the Post
Falls Library
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2007
Time: 11:00 A.M.
Place: Post Falls Library
Come
have “breakfast with the birds.” Enjoy
a free program showcasing Liberty, a female Bald Eagle. Learn about eagles,
hawks, falcons and owls and their role in our environment. Discover how you can help our birds of prey.
Refreshments will be provide
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BALD EAGLE REMOVED FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES
LIST
Kris Buchler
On June 28, 2007,
Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, announced the delisting of the Bald
Eagle from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
Plants. The final delisting rule was
published on July 9, 2007 and became effective on August 8, 2007. The USFWS will continue to work with state
wildlife agencies to monitor eagles for at least 5 years, as required by the
Endangered Species Act.
The Bald Eagle was first protected in
1940 under the later named, Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Additional protection was given by the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Even with
these in place, the population plunged in later decades due to widespread use
of the pesticide DDT after World War II.
DDT accumulated in the eagles, causing them to lay eggs with thin shells
resulting in minimal breeding success.
Some protections were instituted in 1967 and then the species was added
to the new Endangered Species Act in 1973.
DDT was banned in 1972 by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Recovery was
accelerated by captive breeding programs, reintroductions, law enforcement
efforts, education, protection of habitat around nest sites, and land purchase
and preservation activities. The
numbers of an all-time low of 417 breeding pairs in 1963 have increased to a
high of 9,789 pairs in the lower 48 states today. Bald Eagles in Alaska have never needed protection with an
estimated population of 50,000 to 70,000 birds.
Bald Eagles will
continue to be protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Both Federal
laws prohibit the “taking” of eagles – defined as killing, selling, or
otherwise harming eagles, their nests, or eggs. Please note: the USFWS is currently accepting public comments on a
proposed rule for managed take under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
that would allow a limited take of Bald and Golden Eagles.
Outdoor enthusiasts
have enjoyed the beauty our growing Bald Eagle population brings to our lake
country. It seems new nests are
established each year in our bays and along our rivers. Many private citizens as well as agency
employees participate in eagle monitoring.
Roger Young and I monitor nests each summer for IDFG. In the winter, Audubon members, Roland Craft
and Stephen Johnson, have assisted me in a midwinter Bald Eagle Count for the
BLM. Alert bird watchers discover new
nesting sites each spring and their reports to Audubon and IDFG enable nests to
be monitored. Hundreds of residents and
visitors to our state experience the migration
of Bald Eagles to Wolf Lodge Bay where they feed on
spawning kokanee salmon. This
magnificent species inspires awe with its beauty and majesty as our National
Bird. We trust citizens to be its
caretakers and guarantee that the Bald Eagle will be around for a very long
time.about other projects.
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ADOPT-A- HIGHWAY PROJECT A June Foray
Judy Waring
Saturday, May 5 was
our eighth time out to Mica grade for the clean up of two miles of accumulated
litter. We have consistently had good
luck with weather on these forays and this one was no different - cool to
start, turning sunny and pleasant.
The morning yielded
twenty-one bags of debris collected by fifteen Auduboners over 1 ½ hours. Using
the “minimum size” system, which is to pick up nothing smaller than a deck of
cards, we cover our ground in short order and leave the highway looking much
improved.
The fall pick up is scheduled for Saturday,
October 6. We meet at the Mica Grange at 8:30 am for the standard doughnuts and
juice. Come out and enjoy a guaranteed nice fall morning with the group. For
more info call Judy Waring at 765-5378.
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A MESSAGE FROM
CHAPTER
PRESIDENT
Lynn
Sheridan
I hope everyone had a
wonderful summer, although it has been very hot. It must be what the California
Quail like as I have had oodles of them, covies of 10 to 20.
Cute! I've enjoyed my first year and hope that the next will prove as
interesting. I appreciate the support and good advice from fellow
members.
One of our on-going
projects is the Susan Weller Memorial Fund of $500.00. This year it was awarded to Laura Hershberger, who is majoring in
forestry. She would like to help manage
our natural resources.
See you all at our
first September meeting, unless our paths cross sooner.
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Connect with Your Community
If you have an interest in education or
conservation issues, consider donating as little as a few hours of your time to
the work done by our local committees. Our volunteers work on a number of
projects, including giving presentations to schoolchildren, and researching the
science behind environ-mental issues.
Whoever you are, you
have skills and experience which would
benefit our local chapter. One
project with which we could use help is our bluebird trail monitoring project.
Volunteers make sure that each spring, the boxes are clean and ready to go.
Through the nesting season, the progress of the bluebirds from nest-building to
fledging of young is monitored.
Give a call to any of
our committee chairs to find out.
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CONSERVATION
COMMITTEE
Roland Craft
Persons with
conservation ideas pertaining to birds are welcome to attend our
meetings. They are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4:00 PM at
the Little Seattle Coffee shop on 4th Street.
For information about our activities call me at 457-8894
Activities this past year:
1. Attended meetings
with the USFS concerning the travel management plan for the Coeur d'Alene Ranger District. The
environmental assessment should be coming out in
September.
2. Attended meetings
with BLM about their management plan for land they own in the Blue Creek area.
3. Worked with the
Fernan Lake Conservation group on the reconstruction of the Fernan Lake road
and the proposed development above the heron rookery.
4. Discussed a visit
to the Ulm Creek forest fire to determine the impact on birds.
5. Attended meetings
related to the cleanup of the Coeur d'Alene River basin.
6. Worked with other
Audubon members to record bird development in bird boxes on the Resort and
Avondale golf courses, Hoodoo Valley, Mica Bay and Higgens Point.
7. Attended Kootenai
County Comprehensive Plan meetings.
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Education Committee
Janet Callen
I believe the purpose
of Audubon education is to connect with the public and create an interest in
all things related to birds. To that
end, last year we had a display table at the Kootenai Farmer’s Market in
August; we traveled to a grade school in Kellogg to present a program
appropriate to third-grade students; we were represented at the Earth Day Fair
in April with a display about bird, bat and butterfly friendly yards; on
International Migratory Bird Day we helped with a trash pickup on Fernan Lake
and then conducted a short beginning birders walk; and two members led a
bird-watching and plant identification walk on Tubb’s Hill with Coeur d Alene’s
city forester. Lastly, but not least we
placed Audubon Adventures newsletters in 137 classrooms in Kootenai,
Shoshone and Benewah counties. Coeur d'
Alene was first among Audubon chapters throughout the United States in the
number of classrooms reached, but we could not have done so without the
generous financial support of Mary Lou and Scott Reed.
My goals for the Education Committee in the upcoming fiscal year are first, to
have all classrooms contacted and the Adventures packets ordered by the
first week of November. My second
priority is to place Idaho Birding Trail Guides in the new Chamber of Commerce
office. We’ll see if it can be done. I
am working on an idea for International Migratory Bird Day that differs from
what we’ve done previously. If anyone
has ideas for education outreach, please call me at 664-1085. Our activities are not exclusive and
volunteers are always welcome. Thanks
to all who have helped on our projects this year, with a special thanks to Kris
Buchler.
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MILES TRAVELED
BIRDS SEEN
A DIARY OF PAST FIELD TRIPS
"In order to see birds it is
necessary to become part of the silence
-- Robert
Lynd (187-1949)
-- Irish Journalist
Coulee Corridor Trip April 28-30, 2007
Janet Callen
Ten members of Coeur d Alene Audubon traveled to Moses Lake
on April 28 to begin a bird-watching trip following the Washing Coulee Corridor
map. We met Doug and Barb Schonewald
who graciously offered to be our guides for the next two days. On Saturday, we traveled south of Moses Lake
where we had sightings of Black-necked Stilt, Cinnamon Teal, and White-throated
Swift, among just a few. One of the
highlights of this day was an extensive grove of cottonwood trees with nesting
Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, and Great Egret. There must have
been at least 200 birds throughout the trees.
And there was the mystery of
the golden birds. We first spotted them
on the road ahead as we walked a willow-lined road between two bodies of
water. They shone golden in the
sunlight, but Doug kept insisting they were White-crowned Sparrows. They had been eating the pollen-laden seed
pods hanging on the willows and were covered in pollen. Some had so much pollen
on them that their white heads was golden.
April 29 saw two travelers
return to Coeur d Alene and the rest of us traveled north with a side trip west
of Highway 17 and then to Soap Lake .
We stopped at Lake Lenore and
Sun Lakes State Park searching for more birds. Some highlights of this journey was a Loggerhead Shrike (a first
for me) a Sage Sparrow, Long-billed Curlew, and American Avocet at Soap
Lake. On Lake Lenore we had wonderful
close viewings of Barrow's Goldeneye.
Barrow's nest at Lake Lenore in the cliffs. After a stop to view Dry Falls, Doug and Barb returned home and
our group continued north to Grand Coulee where we spent the night.
On Monday, two more travelers
returned to CDA and the rest of the group went to Steamboat State Park and
climbed to the top. Wildflowers, Canyon
Wren, Rock Wren,
Say’s Phoebe, and a Western
Meadowlark, defending a nest site,
entertained us on the climb. The
five-mile hike was not particularly difficult except for the places where we
walked on loose rocks. The weather for
the three days was perfect and so was the company. Ronn & Roberta Rich, Judy Waring, Nancy Mertz, Bill &
Joan Gundlach, Jan Severtson, Roland and Pat Craft and myself made the
trip. We owe Doug and Barb Schonewald a
special thanks.
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International
Migratory Bird Day
May 12, 2007
Janet Callen
This year five members of
Audubon joined the Fernan Lake Conservation Recreation Association and picked up trash from the west-end boat launch to the east
end. Yes, we found fishing line tangled
along the banks and in the shrubs. At
10:30 a.m. we departed the trash pick-up and went back to the west-end boat launch. A
two-hour birding expedition was planned, following the same path we’d
taken previously. We were joined by a
couple from Spokane and a home-schooling family of son, mother and grandmother. We also met a woman and her daughter
who’d been waiting in that area for us.
We birded around the boat launch area, pointing out the nesting pair of
Red-necked Grebe and the Great Blue Heron rookery, and then traveled on to the
eastern boat launch. The highlight in
this area was Wood Ducks, including a
female with chicks. A Yellow Warbler
and a Belted Kingfisher were found in the willows. Audubon members participating were Roland Craft (in the boat),
Kris Buchler, Lynn Sheridan and Jonathan Breneke.
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NOON TIME BIRDING
May 15
(This
popular one hour event led by Lynn Sheridan is a good way to get to know
what our chapter is all about. Below is her account of the May trip on
Tubbs Hill. See Field Trips for Noon
Time Birding scheduled for the coming
year)
Lynn Sheridan
Dale Horst, Judy
Waring and I enjoyed our walk on Tubbs Hill. We thought we heard a Yellow
Warbler, and finally we saw 2 fly in front of us. A Downy Woodpecker was conspicuous, and flocks of Violet-green
and Tree Swallows swarmed over the water.
We heard a clear
American Robin song and then a slightly different song, with a burr at end, and
faintly "per-chik". We hoped
it was a Western Tanager but couldn't find it. Other "heard
only birds" were: Northern Flicker,
Common Raven and Osprey.
Flowers were
plentiful among the lush greenery:
shooting star, pink and white phlox, starflower, Oregon grape, arrowleaf
balsam root, larkspur, wild hyacinth, chocolate lily, and lomatium.
Thank you, friends.
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Beginning birdwatching
June 25, 2007
Janet Callen
New member, Adela Sussman, and I traveled to Fernan Lake to participate
in the last beginning birdwatching field trip of a series in June. We found no one at the boat launch, and no
one ten minutes later at the Fernan Ranger Station so we traveled to the other
end of the lake. We stopped once to
view the Bald Eagles, and then
proceeded to the boat launch area. We
were greeted with the loud, continuous "MEOW" of a cat somewhere on
the hillside. I climbed part way up,
but couldn’t see the creature. It was
obviously in distress. And then Shirley
Sturts and Kathy Erickson appeared (we’d missed them at the ranger station) and
we discussed the cat. Shirley climbed
the hill and shortly thereafter called, “I’m petting it” and I could see a tail
moving back and forth. She came down
the hill, and kitty was right behind.
It was a young, yellow-gold unaltered male with amber-colored eyes and
very skinny. We couldn’t leave it. Shirley has dogs, I have three cats already
but Adela who loves cats, while being
extremely allergic to them, said she’d take him for the night. It was obviously not a feral cat, and it was
extremely in need of affection. We
stopped at my house, gathered food and a carrier, and litter and she took him home.
The Humane Society couldn’t take him immediately, and Adela was put on a
waiting list. She searched the lost & found list posted by the
society. She took him to the vet, paid
for him to be neutered, have rabies and
feline leukemia shots, and fortunately found him a home. Kitty was just what her asthma didn’t need
because he wanted to be with her constantly, held and loved.
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Shoshone Ridge Hike
August 1
Dick
Cripe
A little of everything it was: a little hiking, a little birding, a little
huckleberry picking, a little dog walking, and a lot of conversation. Six of us made our way along a mostly level
trail that cut through a steep slope with great views of the North Fork Canyon
and the CDA Mountains to the west. From
the top of the ridge we also had extensive views of the Cabinet Range to the
east.
Birds included Ruffed
and Spruce Grouse, Clark's Nut-cracker,
Chestnut-backed and Mountain Chickadees, and various sparrow and finch species
(probably indistinct juveniles) - (Roland, what else is on your list?) We made our way casually past Downey and
Bennet Peaks and had lunch on Little Sentinel Peak. We went on over Sentinel Peak, but didn't make it to Pond Peak
and didn't care. After huckleberry
picking our way back we considered ending the day with a dip
in the river, but settled for ice cream at Babin's Store. Participants were Shirley Sturts, Lisa
Hardy, Roland Craft, Janet Callen, Jan Severtson, Dick Cripe, and dogs: Daisy,
Ben and Kip.
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Observaton
Post
From
the Journals of Roland Craft, Theresa Potts, Shirley Sturts
Hoo
Doo Bluebird Trail
Western Bluebirds: boxes used 13 (3 twice) - fledged 59 -
failed nesting attempts 2
Mountain Bluebird: Boxes used 1 - nesting attempt failed
Tree Swallow: boxes used 38 - fledged
109 - failed nesting attempts 10
Mountain Chickadee: boxes used 1 - fledged 5
House Wren: boxes used 1 - fledged
unknown number
Mica
Bay/Flats Trail Western Bluebird:
boxes used 3 (2 used twice) - fledged 15
Tree
Swallow: boxes used 18 - fledged 58 - failed nesting
attempts 6
Thank you
to those who helped us with the surveys.
THE FISH HAWK 
