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Rainier Audubon Society November 2008

Monday November 17, 7:00 PM


Rainier Audubon Presents

All About Optics


with Jim Danzenbaker and Jim Ullrich

Interpupillary distance ... Eye relief ... Exit pupil ... Diopter ... If these terms
make your 
head start to spin, attend this informative workshop which will
cover the how-to’s and whys of optics. We will discuss the questions you
need to ask yourself about your own optics usage, delve into the technical
terms used in the optics world, and finally, learn the best ways to test optics.
After this workshop, you will be armed with the information that you need
to make an
informed optics purchase and to more
effectively use the optics that you have.

Jim Danzenbaker is the Sales Manager at Kowa


Optimed, Inc. and has been in the optics
industry for
over five years. He has presented this workshop at many different venues
across the country. He is also a lifelong birder and a bird tour leader
since 1990.

Accompanying Jim will be Jim Ullrich, owner of Wild Birds
Unlimited in Gig Harbor and past
president of the Kitsap Audubon
Society. He will
be bringing a wide variety of optics, such as binoculars
and spotting scopes, that are
especially useful to birders, and which we can try out. 
Please join
Rainier Audubon as we welcome these optical experts.

Refreshments
are available before and during the program, while conversation is available
always.

THIS PROGRAM IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
 
 


Federal Way United Methodist Church


29645 - 51st Ave. So.
(Actually in Auburn) 98001

Directions: In Federal Way, take 320th St. EAST past The Commons, crossing over I-5 and Military Rd. At
321st St, turn left. Stay on 321st as it becomes 51st Ave. So. Follow 51st St. to 296th. Church will be on your left
Our Mission
To conserve and restore natural ecosystems and protect birds and other wildlife for the benefit of hu-
manity and biological diversity in South King County and the world we live in.

RAINIER AUDUBON OFFICERS


President OPEN
Vice President Steve Feldman (360) 802-5211
Treasurer Jim Tooley (253) 854-3070
Backyard Habitat Chair Carol Stoner (253) 854-3207
Christmas Bird Count Coordinator Nancy Streiffert (253) 796-2203
Program Chair Dale Meland (253) 946-1637
Membership Chair Pat Toth (206) 767-4944
Field Trip Chair Carol Schulz (206) 824-7618
Education Chair Annette Tabor (253) 927-3208
Conservation Chair Dan Streiffert (253) 796-2203
Newsletter Editor Nancy Hertzel (253) 255-1808
Mailing Crew Debra Russell (425) 271-0682
Board Member Max Prinsen (425) 432-9965
Board Member Erin Wojewodski-Prinsen (425) 432-9965
Board Member Tricia MacLaren (360) 802-0304

Rainier Audubon Society. PO Box 778. Auburn WA 98071


(253) 796-2203
www.RainierAudubon.org

Waste Free Holidays Program Finally, it’s not only easy on your pocketbook, but good
for local businesses.
It’s November - and that means it’s time for many
of us to start thinking about holiday gifts for our Through the Waste Free Holidays program, you can
nearest and dearest. This year, instead of buying receive a discount of between 15% and 50% on the
and wrapping gifts, consider the Waste Free Holidays price of a wide variety of activities, entertainment, and
Program. There are so many reasons to get on services.
board with King, Kitsap, and Thurston counties’
Waste Free Holidays Program and give experiences Because we are putting this newsletter together in
instead of “stuff” during the holidays! mid-October, the Waste Free Holidays Program has not
yet posted its business partners for 2008. But you can
First, it’s a joy for your loved ones to have a special check the program website at http://Your.KingCounty.
activity to look forward to during the dark days of gov/solidwaste/WasteFreeHolidays/index.asp in November
winter, especially one that someone else has been to see what the program will be offering this year.
kind enough to organize.

Second, experiences are good for the planet.


Consider this: Trash increases by 25% between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day every year!
Brown Bag Raffle at Our
November Program

We are delighted to announce that at our


November program (Monday, November 17,
at 7:00 PM), we will also be having our
annual Brown Bag Raffle!

As you arrive at the church that evening for


our wonderful program, you will see a display
of nature-related gifts and goodies lining the
tables against the walls. (Last year, among
other things, there were two now-famous
homemade apple pies, a basket of chocolate
treats, and original oil
paintings!) You can
purchase as many tickets
as you want, just $1 each.
Write your name on all
the tickets and drop them
into the brown bags next
to any items you can’t live
without. At the end of the
evening, we will draw one
ticket out of each bag
and the winner gets to
take the item home.

This year, we are also


adding a silent auction
to the Raffle. You can
write your bid on the
auction sheet beside the
item and take the item home if you are the
highest bidder.

Come early and browse the raffle items. And


don’t forget, the holidays are coming up and
it’s time to think about gift-giving!

NOVEMBER 2008 - PAGE 3


Field Trips by Carol Schulz

White-tailed Kites in the Fall Weekly Bird Walks at Nisqually


Sunday, November 16 Wednesdays
7:30 AM to Late Afternoon 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Leader: Roger Orness Leader: Phil Kelley

White-tailed Kites are not known to migrate, but Big changes are happening at Nisqually NWR!
the dispersal of the young and the possibility of late
nesting pairs can be found in fall. Our trip will take Join Phil on his weekly bird walk as he counts the
us through several valleys where kites nested in the birds at Nisqually NWR. The group may walk out
past, and we will also seek kites in new areas. Our to McAllister Creek if that trail is open, then take
main target bird will be a fresh plumaged juvenile. the boardwalk/trail loop out to the Twin Barns, the
We also should see good numbers of other raptors. Nisqually overlook area, and the riparian area, totaling
This trip is limited to seven people and two vehicles, about three miles.
so sign up early to secure a spot.
Bring: Good walking shoes or boots, raingear, water,
BRING: Scopes, binoculars, lunch, and snacks. Be snacks, and $3 entry fee unless you have a pass. Scopes
prepared for a long drive and a long day, returning to are welcome.
Tacoma in late afternoon.
Meet: At the Visitor’s Center.
MEET: At the McDonald’s Restaurant at the Hwy.
512 Park & Ride at 7:30 AM. Depart promptly. Directions: Take I-5 south from Tacoma and exit
to Nisqually NWR at exit 114. Take a right at the light.
DIRECTIONS: Take I-5 to Hwy. 512 south of
Tacoma. Turn right and take an immediate left on Sign-up: Call or email Phil to confirm details
South Tacoma Way. Travel south one block, and turn (especially during the trail construction period): (360)
left into the Park & Ride. Meet near McDonalds. 459-1499, scrubjay323@aol.com.

SIGN-UP: Call or email Roger Orness, [Construction has begun on some of the trails, during
(253) 922-7516, or at r.orness@comcast.net a 3-4 year estuary reconstruction project. For more
information about trail closures for the dike removal
and reconstruction project, go to http://www.fws.gov/
nisqually/ and click on Events and News.] During the
reconstruction, some trails may be closed temporarily.

Make a Button at Our November Meeting!


Looking for a unique personalized gift or accessory? We have been
offering professional-looking buttons at our outreach events such
as the Tukwila Backyard Wildlife Festival and King County Fair.
Now, we have decided to offer these same buttons to our valued
members at our monthly programs! Come and browse through more than a hundred
pictures of birds, flowers, and animals, and select your favorite picture to turn into a
button. Or bring in a favorite photo of your grandkids, pet, or anything else, and we
will turn it into a 2-inch laminated button! $1 per button for our members.

NOVEMBER 2008 - PAGE 4


Field Trips, cont.

Olympia Area Birding Kittitas County Birding in Winter


Saturday, November 29 Sunday, December 7
8:30 AM to Mid Afternoon 6:30 AM to Evening
Leader: Carol Schulz Co-Leaders: Charlie Wright and Roger Orness

After Thanksgiving “Walk-Off-The-Calories” Trip Come enjoy a day of winter-season birding in central
Washington. We will venture over Snoqualmie Pass
Fall is a nice time to visit Olympia and surrounding and visit areas including Swauk Prairie and South
areas. Our state’s capital offers a variety of waterbirds Cle Elum along our route. Large numbers of raptors
both on saltwater and at Capitol Lake. This weekend including Rough-legged Hawks and Prairie Falcons
trip after Thanksgiving features some walks to wear are seen wintering in the open snow-covered fields of
off the calories and see some good birds, too. Some Kittitas. Proceeding east, we will reach the Columbia
folks call this our “Diet Trip!” We will walk about two River at Vantage, where waterfowl are sometimes
miles or so. Our first stop will be on the way. We’ll present in vast numbers.
stop at the Nisqually Visitors Center, and walk out Some target species will
to the Twin Barns in search of hawks and ducks. We include unusual loons,
may get to see some of the estuary reconstruction ducks, American White
project. Then we will travel to Olympia to walk a Pelicans, and possibly
portion of the Capitol Lake Trail at the wetland, and rare gulls. Chukar are
at other trail viewpoints. There is a nice view of the occasionally seen in
Capitol building from the lake. We will also visit the basalt outcroppings
some favorite saltwater viewpoints in Olympia. We here. Sign up early;
will be looking for diving ducks, grebes, loons, and space is limited.
other birds and ducks at the lake and on saltwater.
BRING: Many layers
BRING: Warm clothes, lunch (turkey sandwiches?), of clothing for cold
hot drinks, snacks, and water. Scopes are welcome. weather conditions,
a lunch, and snacks.
MEET: 8:30 AM at the Hwy. 512 Park & Ride in Scopes are welcome.
Tacoma.
MEET: At 6:30 AM at Auburn Safeway, at Auburn Way
DIRECTIONS: Take I-5 south through Tacoma and Main St.
to exit 127 (the Hwy. 512 exit). Turn right and
immediately get into the left lane. Turn left onto So. DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy. 18 to Auburn and exit
Tacoma Way. Travel 1/2 block south, and turn left at Auburn Way (Hwy. 164). Turn north (right) onto
into the Park & Ride. Meet near McDonalds. Auburn Way and drive three blocks north. Safeway
sign and gas station will be on the left. Park in the
SIGN-UP: Call or email Carol Schulz at (206) Safeway lot just beyond the gas station and straight
824-7618, linusq@att.net. Email is preferred. out from the Safeway door. We will meet and carpool
promptly from there.

SIGN-UP: Contact Roger Orness (r.orness@comcast.


net) or by phone at (253) 922-7516. Email is preferred.

NOVEMBER 2008 - PAGE 5


Nisqually Wildlife Refuge Estuary Restoration Update
October 16, 2008
By Merlin Wiese
If you have been to Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge any time in the last few months, you couldn’t help but
notice all the digging, plowing, and rearranging that is going on. Construction for this year is almost completed and
should cease by the end of October.

The new inner dike that encloses both the Visitor Center and 250 acres of freshwater wetlands has been
completed. Grooming and hydro-seeding of the dike’s flanks,
as well as the placing of water control fixtures inside the dike,
are still in progress. A one- to two-foot cap for the dike will be
added next year after the dike has settled; that work should
commence next spring or early summer. Removal of the outer
dike is scheduled to start next summer, which means it will be
closed permanently.

Presently, the outer dike trail is closed for the winter duck-
hunting season; it will remain closed until January 26. If and
how long it may be open after that is dependent on the future
construction work.

The trail to McAllister Creek will remain open during the


hunting season, as will the boardwalk and trail along the
Nisqually River. The McAllister Trail has been groomed to
remove damage caused by the heavy construction equipment
and the crushed rock that was added on the ramp over the new dike. Ponds and standing water are not evident
because the marshes have been drained to facilitate the construction process. Winter rains should restore some
ponds and Refuge Management is discussing with the project engineers the possibility of flooding some areas,
particularly inside the new dike, to facilitate waterfowl viewing. On the River Trail, the gate that was previously
at the north end of the ring dike has been moved further north to a point just south of the Primitive Trail. This
should provide a quarter mile or so of additional trail during the hunting season. Although the ring dike itself has
been removed, the pond is still there and will not be filled in until next year.

Because construction plans are always in a state of flux, it is wise to check witht the refuge before visiting. This can
be done by visiting their website at www.fws.gov/Nisqually or by calling (360) 753-0467.

Upcoming RaInier Programs


December 2008: Getting Started with Gull Identification: How to Find the Gull of Your Dreams
Mike Donahue

JANuary 2009: Nature and Bird Photography


Paul Bannick

February 2009: Washington’s Not-So-Common Loon


Ginger Gumm and Daniel Poleshook, Jr

APRIL 2009: Townsend’s Shearwater of Isla Sorroca, Mexico


Peter Hodum

NOVEMBER 2008 - PAGE 6


PLACES TO GO, THINGS TO DO
Friends of Hylebos Wetlands

West Milton Tree Planting West Hylebos Wetlands Tree Planting


November 8, 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM November 15, 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
West Milton Nature Preserve West Hylebos Wetlands

Contact: Hillary Kleeb at (253) 874-2005


streamteam@hylebos.org


SIERRA CLUB, SOUTH KING COUNTY CHAPTER
Alaska’s Arctic Lands
November 11, Tuesday, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Wesley Gardens
815 So. 216th St, Des Moines
Contact: Mark at (253) 639-3862

Please join us for a presentation on Alaska’s North Slope, a vast wild and unique area
containing millions of acres of ecological resources unlike anywhere else on earth. We will
discuss a balanced land management approach for the North Slope including permanent
wilderness protection for the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Joint Meeting of Sierra Club and Rainier Audubon: Setting Legislative Priorities
November 19, Wednesday, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Kent Senior Center
600 E. Smith St, Kent
Contact: Dan Streiffert at (253) 796-2203
Speakers include: Peter Orth, Chair of the Cascade Chapter’s Legislative Committee, and
State Representative Dave Upthegrove, 33rd Legislative District. Following the speakers,
there will be an open discussion of what we would like to focus on and how we might best
meet our goals.

NOVEMBER - PAGE 7
Rainier Audubon Membership Subscription Form
One-year Membership in Rainier Audubon — $15
To join, mail this application with your payment to:

Rainier Audubon Society - Membership


PO Box 778
Auburn, WA 98071

Name _______________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________________ State ______________ Zip ______________

Email _______________________________________________________________________________

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