Redwood Region Audubon Society advocates for protection of birds and wildlife by supporting local conservation efforts to protect wildlife and their habitat.
In March we will be offering guided bird walks. Please check our calendar for dates. Covid protocols will be in place, including limited group size and social distancing. Details are available here! We will also be holding our 4th Saturday work day at Wigi Wetlands, focusing on restoration that will not impact nesting birds. Covid protocols will be followed. Stay healthy, enjoy our birds!
Friday, March 12, at 7:00 p.m. “How to ID those Raptorial
Masters of the Sky - Eagles, Hawks and Falcons in Flight” with Russ Namitz.
With practice and
experience, one can quickly separate different groups of raptors based on
flight style, gestalt and plumage characteristics. Learn some tips and tricks
about raptor identification on the wing, raptors at a distance and some local
raptor viewing spots to practice your skills.
Russ Namitz was born and
raised in Lincoln
City, Oregon. At age 9, he was captivated by the furtive Pacific Northwest denizen of dank woods, the Varied
Thrush. With a few stepping stones along the way, Russ really began
actively birding the summer after graduating from Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR. His first, of many seasonal biology
field jobs to follow, was searching for nesting Northern Goshawks in the
Okanogan NF in Washington.
In 2002, Russ finally took an
Ornithology class, coincidentally from Humboldt State University. He enjoyed a year of birding in
the area, meeting local celebrities and rubbing elbows with the talented
birders and riff raff (sometimes the same people) in the area. Russ is a
pelagic bird guide for Oregon Pelagic Tours and currently holds the Oregon Big
Year record of 381 species. Watch the recording of our Friday, February 12, presentation: “Of Puffins and Petrels: Conserving Seabirds of the Outer Coast of Washington” with
Dr. Peter Hodum. Here is the link. Passcode: %5wUa^Ey
Although Washington is blessed with a rich community of
breeding and wintering seabirds, relatively little is known about the ecology
and conservation status of many of the species, particularly the
burrow-nesters. This relative lack of knowledge extends to iconic species such as the Tufted Puffin, a species
recently listed as Endangered by Washington State.
Moving between islands, seascapes, and species of the Outer Coast, Peter
Hodum will share stories about a collaborative research program focused on
improving our understanding of the ecology and conservation status of species
such as the Tufted Puffin, Rhinoceros Auklet, Cassin’s Auklet and Leach’s and
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels. Dr. Peter Hodum
is an associate professor in the Biology Department and the Environmental
Policy and Decision Making Program at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA, and the Chile Program Director for
Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, a conservation non-profit organization. His
research focuses primarily on the conservation and ecology of threatened
seabirds and island ecosystems in Chile and Washington State.
His work also has a strong focus on community-based conservation,
including how communities can be more effectively and authentically involved in
conservation. For dial-in information for this presentation, please go here.
Friday, January 8, at 7:00 p.m. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife
Refuge: Old and New
Humboldt Bay NWR was established in 1971, to conserve precious habitat
for a diversity of wildlife. Learn more as retired Refuge Manager, Eric
Nelson and current Refuge Manager, Cashell Villa, discuss the history of
the National Wildlife Refuge System, key points
where Audubon fits in, the history HBNWR, and where HBNWR and the Refuge
System
might be headed into the future. 
Eric is from Sonoma County.
He received his BS and MS in Wildlife Management from HSU and worked at refuges
in AK, WA, OR, WY, and CA. The last 17 years of his career were spent as
Refuge Manager at Humboldt Bay NWR Complex. In retirement he’s enjoying
family, birding, traveling, hiking, camping, biking, and politics (just
kidding).
Cashell is from San Luis Obispo, California
and received her BS in Wildlife Biology from University
of Alaska, Fairbanks.
She has worked as a biologist in refuges across Alaska
including Arctic, Tetlin, Selawik and Yukon Delta
National Wildlife Refuges. She served as the Deputy Refuge Manager at
Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the Big Island of Hawaii until late
2019 when she accepted the Refuge Manager position at Humboldt Bay NWR Complex.
Cashell and her family enjoy hiking, biking, camping, traveling and exploring
their new Humboldt Bay home.
Friday, December 11, 7:00 p.m.: “Christmas Bird Count Prep Talk and Photo Sharing” with Ken Burton This program was recorded. Watch it here. Passcode: V7u1q=cy
Due
to the pandemic, this year's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be unlike
any other in the count's 120-year history - but it will happen! Veteran
CBCer, Ken Burton, will lead an interactive discussion via ZOOM of various
aspects of the CBC including its history, methodology, and scientific
value; this year's modified protocols; tips for counters, especially
effort tracking and estimating bird numbers; local counting
opportunities; and bird identification as requested.
The content and
direction of the program will be driven largely by participant input.
We can discuss anything relevant to the count; what would make you a
better counter? The program will conclude with an opportunity to share a
few of your local bird photos from the past year, so pick out your
favorites!
Ken Burton has been deeply involved with RRAS since
moving here in 2005. He is the author of Common Birds of Northwest
California and A Birding Guide to Humboldt County, both published by
RRAS. He coordinates the chapter's Saturday morning Arcata Marsh walk
program. He has participated in the CBC almost every year since the mid
1970s, including counts in Arizona, California, Indiana, Mexico, and
New York.
Join us via ZOOM. For dial-in info, click here.
Birdathon Teams Raised Over $10,000 This Year!
Every year, for the past six years, the
Northcoast Environmental Center (NEC) and Redwood Region Audubon Society
(RRAS) have held a fundraiser in honor of Tim McKay.
Tim was a great
friend to the environment and Executive Director of the NEC for thirty
years. While at the helm of that organization, Tim began holding annual
Birdathons and splitting the funds raised with RRAS. The money is donated by team sponsors who pledge to contribute a set amount for every species observed.
Tim had the
charisma to cajole many folks from the local birding community to
participate, which involves forming teams of birders whose goal is to
see, hear, and identify as many bird species as possible within a
24-hour period. After his untimely
death at the age of 59, the Birdathon lapsed for a while, but some of
his old friends rejuvenated it as a way of remembering him. The
Birdathon funds are vital to these two largely volunteer organizations.
The money is used to educate our community about the many challenges
facing our local ecosystems, and to lobby for the wild animals and
plants that have no voice.
Our Friday,
November 13 7:00 p.m. ZOOM program:
Status of Spotted Owls in Northwestern California and the Impact of Barred Owls with
Peter Carlson was recorded. Enjoy listening here. Passcode: FGLVo$61
Barred Owl populations have been increasing in the Pacific Northwest for several decades and are now
impacting Northern Spotted Owls throughout their range. To address this
problem, several Barred Owl removal studies have been initiated which included
areas of local long-term demographic studies on Green Diamond property, the
Hoopa Reservation, and the Six Rivers and Shasta-Trinity National Forests.
Peter Carlson, currently working for Colorado State University as a long-time member of the research
team for the studies on national forest lands, will discuss some of the impacts
of Barred Owls, the recent trends of the owls, and status of the removal
studies. While the impacts of Barred Owls are of real concern, that is only one
of several ongoing threats to the Spotted Owl. Peter will also discuss the Barred Owl issue in the context of multiple stressors.
Peter began studying Spotted Owls in the San Bernardino mountains in 1992, and has worked on the NW
California demography study since 1994. He has some fond memories of working
briefly with Barred Owls and other raptors, in native habitat, in Illinois in 1986, prior to beginning his MS work
in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Florida. He previously worked for Humboldt State University as the field coordinator for the
demography study, and since 2005, has worked through Colorado State University as a Research Associate for the study.
He lives in Arcata and has been involved with five Northern Spotted Owl
meta-analyses.
Friday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m ZOOM Presentation:
“From Field to Folio: Drawing Birds from Inspiration to Completion”
with local artist/illustrator, Gary Bloomfield.
(This program was recorded. Click here to watch it, using the passcode dp79r#m%)
Have you been wondering how to either start or improve on
sketching birds? In this presentation, Gary will give a crash course on bird anatomy and explore how to apply this knowledge to
sketching birds in the field or from your own photo and video
references. Have a sketchbook handy!

He will present examples of his field sketches and finished
paintings and demonstrate how to use your smartphone to “digiscope” photos to
get useful references. (Digiscoping is taking digital photos through the
eyepiece of a telescope).
Gary is a
wildlife artist and illustrator, working primarily in ink and/or transparent
watercolor and specializing in birds.
His published work appears in educational coloring books, various brochures,
pamphlets, posters, maps, interpretive signs and displays, and books. His
work can also be found on numerous T-shirts.
Interested in birds for almost as long as he can remember, Gary
started actively birding when he was nine, and since then he has been
an
avid birder and occasional field ornithologist. He holds a bachelor's
degree in scientific illustration from Humboldt State University.
He has lived in Arcata,
CA since 1980.
Friday, September 11, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Heather Kenny presented a ZOOM program (pass code for recorded program: 0FA=WpxY) on her research evidence that
Female bluebirds with high aggression
are better at coping with noise pollution.
She found that female
aggression levels influenced whether bluebirds settled in noisy or quiet
breeding sites, and partly determined the effect of traffic noise on
parental care of nestlings. More details here.
August 14, 2020 7:00 pm
This program was recorded. You can watch it here. The password: R&&45%YA.
Planning
Future Restoration for Long-Term Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse with Beth Fitzpatrick.
Populations
of Greater Sage-Grouse, the largest grouse in North America,
have been declining across the West; its distribution reduced by about 50%
since European settlement. In the spring, sage-grouse males dance and display
at sites called leks in an attempt to attract females. If sage-grouse are to
survive, their lek sites, nesting sites, wintering sites, and the landscape connections
between them need to remain intact. More details here.
The Ecological Role of Raptors and the Impacts of Rat Poison, presented by Jaime Carlino.
This ZOOM meeting was recorded. If you missed it, or want to watch it again, here's your link.
Rodenticide use is pervasive world-wide
and the costs to
rodent-consuming wildlife species such as raptors, as
well as pets and children, are high.
 Raptors Are The
Solution (RATS) is a
non-profit organization working with a coalition of
NGOs, agencies, scientists,
municipalities, and individuals to eliminate toxic
rodenticides from the food
web. RATS and its regional chapters encourage people
to be proactive in
managing rodent issues without the use of poisons.More details here.
.
Jaime will give a brief
overview of rodenticides, their effects on a variety
of non-target species,
describe what RATS and HUM-RATS are doing to address
this issue, and provide
information on how to manage rodent issues without
using poisons.
In this year of the coronavirus pandemic, 160 home-from-school kids pulled out paints, pencils, pastels, or paste to enter the Student Bird Art Contest.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, entries for the Student Nature Writing Contest were down this year, but 23 students submitted works of prose
and poetry.
 The ko' ko', a flightless bird native to Guam was exinct in the wild, and is now returned and thriving! Photo from the San Diego Zoo.
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The March 2021 Sandpiper
is available. Read about the aphrodisiac of avocets, protecting birds
from window collisions, the risks and rewards of bird banding, and more! Deadline for both contests is March 26.
Get the great new birding guide by Ken Burton and Leslie Scopes Anderson! It links well-known and obscure
birding sites, some of them only recently opened to the public, into 25 routes
spanning the entire county.
The 3rd edition of RRAS’ Common Birds of Northwest California by
local birder Kenneth Burton and photographer Leslie Anderson is now
available!
Keep Up to Date Via RRAS Listserve
Be reminded about field trips and programs and learn about upcoming
meetings, public hearings, and symposia of interest to RRAS members and
other concerned nature lovers.
Create an account at https://groups.io/ if you don't already have one, then search for rras and join us!
Looking for inspiration while practicing social distancing? Try Audubon's Joy of Birds for ideas and wonderful photos!
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