STERNTANAGER

Los Angeles Audubon Society volume 55 Number i Sept.-Oct. 1988

I t's that time of the year again. Birdersare preparing to go off to see spe-cialties all over America. One of the

most delightful and productive trips is toChurchill, Manitoba, with the prime objec-tive, the Ross's gull. If, like me, gullsoverall give you a big yawn, prepare fora surprise. The Ross's is a beautiful,delicate-looking bird, and unmistakable tospot. I saw it last year, and it was all andmore than I had hoped.

This isn't going to be a blow by blowaccount of all the birds seen on the trip,but enough, I hope, to set the juicesflowing. Like the Great Gray Owl sittingon its nest on top of a dead stump inRiding Mountain National Park, and theBufflehead flying into its nest hole in adead tree trunk, which stick out over thewater one one of the park's ponds. Thetour started in Winnipeg, where there'splenty of good birding, both in the cityparks and in the outlying areas. Of courseit's over 80 degrees there in June, and thenecessity for taking light summer clothing,along with warm thick layers and boots forChurchill, makes closing the suitcase achallenge.

Birding in the early morning S.E. ofWinnipeg in oak and jackpine forests, wehad excellent views of the Golden:wingedand Blackbumian Warblers. Driving alongwe heard a "thunk" and had a fleeting viewof a Ruffed Grouse as it veered off intothe woods. We had unwittingly flushed andhit the bird. Its tail feathers were in thegrill and on the ground. We gathered upthe feathers and felt glad that the bird hadobviously not been badly hurt.

Later in Shiloh Plains on the way toBrandon, we stopped by the side of theroad. There were Chestnut-collared Longs-purs perched on the barbed wire fenceedging a field. They were in gloriousbreeding plumage, so different from thedrab birds we see (if we're lucky) inSouthern California in winter.

Jan Pierson, one of our leaders, hearda Le Conte's sparrow out in the field andcalled it in. It approached little by little,running through the grass, as he said - justlike a mouse. We could see the movement,but not the bird. It stopped to look up asit neared the source of the call, and finallyit was only 12 feet away in the short grass,from where we stood. We had a great view.

DestinationHudson BayDorothy Dimsdale

September-October 1988

When the Le Conte's had flown weentered the field, being careful where westepped as this was a nesting area forLongspurs. We heard, then saw a Sprague'sPipit displaying. It soared way up high intothe sky, then with a series of fluttering andgliding from side to side, it slowly des-cended to earth. The display started almosttoo high to see, and took about 20 minutesfor the bird to reach the ground. Suddenlya Baird's Sparrow was heard singing. Thisis another very elusive bird. We walkedabout an eighth of a mile further into thefield and finally the bird came up on a lowshrub about a foot off the ground. It satwhile we all looked and silently cheered.This species is uncommon andunfortunately declining, so I was particu-larly glad to see it, though to the casualglance it's just another little brown job.

Treading carefully as we retraced oursteps, we accidentally flushed a Chestnut-collared Longspur which had been sittingon its nest. The nest was almost invisibleunder a few leaves of grass, but there layone chick, not more than a day old. Howvulnerable it looked, down by our heavyboots! We moved on even more carefullyand came upon another Chestnut-collaredLongspur nest. This one had six eggs init and I wondered how many had originallybeen in the first nest, and what hadhappened to them.

That evening we donned our waterproofboots and sprayed to fend off the mosqui-'tos which we expected to find at DouglasMarsh. We were going to look for theYellow Rail. It was about 9.p.m. when wegot there, and the marsh was very soggy,with water over a foot deep in places. Themosquitos began to swarm around us andgot thicker as we stepped from tussock totussock. This was a wetting procedure ifone became too energetic in waving offthe bugs. We walked in this fashion forabout a quarter of a mile to locate theYellow Rails, several of which were calling(as well as other marsh birds).

One rail was pinpointed, and sixteenof us made a circle around it, about 150feet in diameter. John Coons, our otherleader, played the tape with long pausesbetween plays. The rail gave occasionalreply calls. We stood this way for aboutforty minutes, still and quiet.. It wasinteresting, during this waiting period, tosee the varying intensity of the mosquitoclouds round each person. One poorwoman was almost invisible. I was justabout completely enveloped by my clo-thing, which made for heat of tropicalintensity, but at least I got no bites. Then,gradually, we closed in, until the circle wasvery small, maybe only 6 feet in diameter,at which point we saw the rail moving inthe reeds. It flushed and flew over ourheads, out of the circle to another spot,about 20 feet away. The white secondarieswere very clearly seen in flight. This timewe knew exactly where it had landed and

closed in quickly. There it was, in thereeds, directly below us, seeking an escaperoute.

I heard a whisper and suddenly, ArtEdwards, one of the men on our tour,dived for the rail, falling flat in the marsh,and caught it - unhurt - and lifted it forus all to see. He extended the wing fora moment as Jan held the flashlight (it wasnow almost dark), and we looked closelyat the secondaries. The bird seemedunafraid and even gave Art a gentle peck.This was a very rare, close look at a birdwhich affords one, at best, only a very briefglance, and is located, by and large, simplyby its calls. A couple of photos were taken,then Art held the bird high, opened hishands-the bird took off. Lovely! Webecame aware again of the mosquitos andthe soggy marsh, and strode back acrossthe tussocks to the road. It had been asuperb experience.

After we flew from Winnipeg to Thomp-son and birded round the incrediblybeautiful Pisew Falls, we had the goodfortune to be able to follow a RuffedGrouse and her six chicks a little way alongthe river. Those of us who had missedseeing the one struck by the van were veryhappy.

From Thompson we boarded an over-night train for Churchill. It was my firsttrain trip on the American continent andI was delighted with my single sleeper.There was a toilet and washbasin ensuite,and I lay in bed and looked out of the largewindow at my side, for hours. We had lotsof daylight now. I saw the transition to realtaiga landscape - unending miles of it, andan occasional caribou to add to the magic.

The following morning we had a superbreakfast on the train. While eating baconand eggs, saw our first Willow Ptarmigans.What a leisurely way to bird! All told wesaw twenty-one Willow Ptarmigans fromthe train. We passed close by and they werevery easy to see. Mostly the birds were intransition from the white winter, to therusty brown summer plumage. We sawsome of each, though most were piebald.In all plumages their strong feet and whitefeathered legs looked very powerful.

Churchill itself is a dreary looking townfrom a casual viewpoint, though to me, itlooked wonderful. We dropped ourbaggage at the Tundra Inn and imme-diately set out to seek the Ross's Gull. Wewere optimistic as it had been seen theprevious day at Granary Ponds. However,after a long search in every possible areathere was not a sign. The horrible thoughtthat of course, the bird couldn't beguaranteed and might just have taken off,was uncomfortably at the back of my mind.However we kept up the search. We sawsome lovely husky dogs on very longleashes, tied up near the ponds. Thebarked and wagged their tails as we droveby. We looked out over the broken icepack floating in the bay, and in the area

where the birds had tried to nest(unsuccessfully) the previous year. Still noRoss's gull.

The next day found us down by GranaryPonds early - no luck, but we sought andfound what must be the loveliest longspurof them all, in breeding plumage. TheSmith's Longspur is absolutelymagnificent. Its breeding plumage colorsare vivid and elegant. No field guidesketch, or even photograph, seems to beable to do it justice.

After lunch we drove to Point Merry, tolook for sea birds, shore birds, mammals,and of course, the Ross's Gull. I was reallybeginning to try to reconcile myself to notseeing the bird on this trip - it would notbe for want of trying, though it would bea big disappointment. Oh, pessimist thatI am! At that very moment Jan saw whathe termed "a possible Ross's" in thedistance, flying towards land. We leapedinto the vans and started off in differentdirections in an effort to cover all possiblelocations. As our van drove past GranaryPonds, we saw two small gulls, standingon a rock in the water. We yelled, "Stop!"though John Coons, who was driving,already had his foot on the break - andno doubt, a song in his heart.

There they were. A pair! John quicklycalled Jan over the intercom, and wewatched and prayed that the others wouldarrive in time to see the birds. They did.

The gulls slipped into the water, and itwas very evident that they were in acourting mood. They touched bills con-stantly and pushed their tails up out of thewater. Every second or two the male tooksips of water, all the while making little"tuck, tuck" sounds. At the approach of anyBonaparte's Gulls which inadvertentlycame their way, the male would aggres-sively chase them off. With each sip ofwater the male submerged his breast. Ashe surfaced, the pink blush became moreobvious, and was more so when the sunwas obscured by the clouds. The birds thenclimbed out again on the rock where wehad first seen them and the male regur-gitated, whereupon they both ate the messtogether (tea for two?). We were tooenchanted to even think "Yeck!" Theyreturned to the water and we continuedto watch them for an hour. They are, byfar, the most beautiful gulls I have evenseen. Our dinner that night was a gloriouscelebration.

The next day we saw Little Gulls atLanding Lake - they too are distinctive withtheir all dark underwings with whitetrailing edges. Nearby, outside theentrance to a fox's den we found wingsand feather's scattered about, together witha Mallard's head, but no sign of the fox.

Now there was time to visit the museum,which is small but gives a comprehensivedisplay of local history and in particularof the life cycle of the Polar Bear, togetherwith some impressive ancient ivory carv-

September-October 1988

ings. The Hudson Bay Company store was,for me, somewhat disappointing and, Isuspect, a shadow of its former grandeur.

That afternoon, at Point Merry, we sawthe first Beluga whales of the year arrive- the same day as they had reappeared theprevious year. These are small whitewhales and there were eight at first,including a couple of gray juveniles. Theyseemed to stay together in pods.

At Twin Lakes, we saw Bohemian Wax-wings and a Northern Shrike. Then we hada very unusual bird for Churchill. Walkingdaintily along the road we saw a MourningDove. Somehow I couldn't wax tooenthusiastic.

The rain started to pour down as we leftChurchill, wet and windy at 38 degrees toarrive at 90 degrees and sunny inWinnipeg. See what I mean about a varietyof clothing? The next morning we flewhome. What a trip!

WhittierNarrowsBird RecordsSoughtA complete annotated writeup on the birdsof the Whittier Narrows area, So. El Monteis now being finalized. This includes about262 bird species known from the WhittierNarrows Recreation Area from the 1930'sto present. Areas especially included arethe Nature Center-Wildlife Sanctuary,Mitigation Lakes (= New Lakes), Legg Lakesand the adjacent San Gabriel and RioHondo Rivers.

Names of a number of Los AngelesAudubon birders appear in the speciesfiles already but there are undoubtedlymore. I would appreciate hearing fromanyone with records of birds for the areawith special emphasis on early or late datesfor migrants, rare birds, unusual numbersof any species, any breeding/nestingobservations. Please include specificlocality, number of individuals, date andobserver. Observers for any records usedwill be acknowledged in the text.

Please send records to:

Mickey LongLos Angeles County Natural Areas1750 N. Altadena Dr.Pasadena, CA 91107

An InvitationIf you're a new member or just haven'tattended one of our monthly meetingsplease join us this Fall. The Society'smeetings are an entertaining and infor-mal way to spend a Tuesday evening.Catch up on the latest conservationissues and birding news, visit ourfamous bookstore, and enjoy anillustrated talk. The evening meetingsthis year will feature speakers from ourown backyard talking about local topicsto speakers from the ends of the earth(see this month's evening meetingannouncement!). From 7:30 to 8:00p.m., before the main speaker, wefeature an illustrated bird identificationworkshop (for all levels of birders)presented by a local expert. It's all freeand everyone is invited, even ifyou're not a member. So set aside thesecond Tuesday of the month and joinus in Plummer Park this Fall. If you needdirections call Audubon House at 876-0202, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tues.-Sat

September-October 1988

Costa Rica-A Birder's Paradiseby Olga L Clarke

C osta Rica is located in the south-eastern portion of the CentralAmerican landbridge, and

receives its avifaunal influence from bothNorth America and northern South America

at approximately San Jose, in the centralpart of the country where there is consid-erable overlap of species. The Cordilleras,(high range of mountains that divide thecountry), act as natural barriers to mostspecies of birds and animals on both theCaribbean and the Pacific slopes. Thisphenomenon results in small regions with

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completely different avifauna in closeproximity to one another.

This tiny country, about the size of WestVirginia, boasts a recorded 800 species ofbirds, almost 2000 species of plants andorchids, well over 300 species of reptilesand amphibians, along with numerousbutterflies.

Your first visit to this tropical paradise,will not at all be as preconceived. San Jose,the capitol, is a fairly modern, cleanbustling city. Although cars and busses jamthe narrow one-way streets, most peoplewalk because the cost of owning a car isso prohibitive. It is not unusual to see the"Ticos" standing in lines a block longwaiting for a bus. Everyone seems to bedashing to or from someplace with apurpose, not just "hanging around".

All major roads lead out from San Jose,and driving will take you by little villagesand through the countryside where cattleranching is predominant. Within an houror so's drive, no matter which directionyou choose, you will come to some typeof tropical forest. In Daniel Janzen's bookCOSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY, 19types of forest are indicated on theecological map of Costa Rica. Theseinclude lowland tropical, ranging fromvery wet to very dry; foothill and mountain,also receiving varying amounts of precip-itation; and at the higher elevations,subalpine rain paramo. My favorites are therain forests in the lowlands; the wet forestsat mid-elevations; cloud forests at about5,000 feet; and the paramo-like habitatswithout trees around 11,000 feet. All ofthese are rich not only in birdlife, but thisgreat diversity of habitats gives you anastounding wealth of other wildlife notfound in temperate climates.

Sadly, much of the land has now beendeforested. Extensive forests once contain-ing massive trees and a great variety ofother vegetation supported a delicatelybalanced ecosystem on relatively poor soil.Settlers cleared the land and for a shorttime grew crops of manioc and maize. Asthe soil died and crops failed, they movedon, destroying more forest and wildlife asthey went. Cattle ranchers then took overmost of the depleted land. However, theremaining protected forests, still demon-strate tropical nature at its best. At least 26national parks and preserves have beenestablished in Costa Rica, each on uniqueon its own right. So rich is the wildlife,one could spend days in each of thenational parks, preserves and reserves, andstill not have seen all that these areas haveto offer.

An ethereal feeling overcomes you whenyou first enter a primeval forest such asat Rara Avis on the Caribbean slopes, orLas Ventanas de Osa Wildlife Refuge in thePacific southwest. The giant trees reaching150 feet up into the canopy, the absolutegreenness that surrounds you, the flutelikecalls of the wrens, the blue of the Morpho

September-October 1988

Butterflies, and the jewel like colors of thebirds that challenge identification, is anexperience not to be missed.

The cloud forest at Monteverde, with itsforest clothed in mist from the trade windsblown in from the Caribbean, is anotherhigh point for birders. At times the treesliterally drip not only with moisture, butwith birds as well. Laden with ferns,mosses, orchids, and epiphytes, forests arevirtually growing on top of forests.

Tree-fall gaps in a Costa Rican rain forestare responsible for many trees becomingestablished and reaching maturity.Penetrating sunlight produces micro-habitats on the fallen logs themselves, andin the immediate vicinity. Seedlingsstruggling to reach to canopy, grow rapidlyand spread their leaves into a broad crownto catch maximum sunlight. Unusualflowers, and fruiting and flowering trees,all well adapted to living in the shadowsof tropical forests, take advantage of birds,insects and animals by offering thesemobile creatures nectar and nutrients, inexchange for pollination and seeddispersal.

Strangler figs, one of the most charac-teristic trees in the neotropical forest,begin their lives by bird or animaldispersed seeds high up in the canopy.Receiving more sunlight, these seedlingssend down roots at an enormous rate ofspeed. Some roots attach themselves to thehost tree, others root in the ground,usurping the host tree of its nutrients andeventually killing it. Since the lumber isof poor quality, good for little else thanfirewood, it is sometimes the only tree leftafter a forest is cleared. The ficus, of whichthere are probably 900 species, providesshade, food and homes to untold numbersof birds and mammals. A tree laden withfruit can be a spectacle unsurpassed, withthe sights and sound of noisy flocks ofparrots, tanagers, and monkeys.

Ants play a dominant role in a rain forest.There are many different kinds of antsfound in the tropics, and it is wise to lookbefore you step, lean, or sit. Leafcutter orparasol ants are usually the most visible,and frequently you see them marchingacross your path carrying bits of leaves and̂flowers many times larger than they are.Their colonies sometimes contain over amillion workers, with different sizesspecializing in certain functions. Thesmallest care for the eggs and larvae, themedium-sized one forage, while the largesoldiers with huge heads and mandiblesdefend the nest.

Army ants present an awesome sight ina rain forest. Columns of hunters andsoldiers advance on the forest floor, andone can hear scuffling of insects trying toget out of the way of the oncoming hordes,as well as the sounds of the chattering andpeeping of attendant birds as they pick offthe fleeing insects. These columns, consisting of hundreds of thousands of ants,

can sometimes grow into a fan-shapedswarm up to a hundred feet wide at thefront. Several species of woodcreepers,cuckoos, motmots and members of thelarge antbird family are the most conspic-uous army ant followers, gleaning insectsflushed by the advancing swarms.

Even beautiful butterflies can be seenhovering around the area of an army antinvasion. Some of these butterflies have anunpleasant taste so the birds don't eatthem. The odor of the ants is a signal thatthere will be a trail of antbird droppingsin the vicinity that provide nitrogen-richfood for the butterflies.

One butterfly that attracts your attentionwinging its way along forest trails, is thespectacular blue Morpho. This sight mustalso catch the eyes of predators. In orderto protect itself, the Morpho caterpillar eatsmilkweeds, storing the toxins in its tissues,rendering both caterpillar and adult veryunpalatable to birds.

The apparent scarcity of large animalscan be disappointing, because most ofthem are nocturnal, and unless perhapssearching for owls, one does not unneces-sarily wander around in a rain forest in thedark to look for animals. But even in thedaytime there are smaller creatures allaround you, may of them so camouflagedthey can easily be overlooked.

There are insects and frogs so brilliantlycolored with reds, yellows and oranges,they cannot escape attention. Generally,these beauties feed on poison-ladenplants, concentrating the toxin in theirbodies, or some have glands in their skinto produce defensive toxins. The tinypoison-arrow frogs are known to carryenough toxin to kill a thousand people.Consequently these spectacular, eyecatching creatures have no fear ofpredators and not only make no attemptto remain out of sight, but rather seem todraw attention to themselves. In addition,other butterflies and frogs mimic theirdistasteful relatives by sporting the samecolors in order to hopefully escape pre-dation. Birds have evolved remarkablysharp vision, about eight times greater thanour own, in order to cope with such crypticprey.

A first-timer visiting the tropics in ourwinter season will be surprised at thenumber of warblers, tanagers and fly-catchers with which he is familiar at homein spring and summer, not realizing thatthese species are actually residents of thetropics most of their lives. Ecologists havefound that there is no simple explanationto the phenomenon of the arduous twicea year migration. But the probable reasonis the availability of food. In our temperatezone, there is an abundance of prey in thespringtime as well as new plant growth,providing food for greater numbers ofyoung. Most birds hunt during daylighthours. Day length is constant in the tropics(6:00 am to 6:00 pm) and there is no

lingering dawn or dusk regardless ofseason or habitat. It stands to reasontherefore, that about 18 hours of daylightwould afford birds much more time toattend to parental duties. Lowland tropicalrain forests do not experience seasonalchanges that produce this tremendousburst of productivity. Although rainfallvaries from season to season, temperaturesare generally constant throughout the year.

Birding in a rain forest can be a frus-trating, and at the same time an exhilar-ating experience. After spending fruitlesshours walking through habitats that shouldbe teaming with birds, suddenly, there isa chattering, buzzing, whistling flurry ofactivity. Everywhere you look tanagers,woodcreepers, flycatchers, antbirds, andmyriads of other birds, are flitting by,constantly in and out of sight, untilsuddenly they are gone. There is no timeto stop to check your field guide (if thereis one), or you miss the whole thing. Youhave to zero in on any and every speciesthat you can get in your binoculars, makingmental notes as you savor each jewel. Ifyou happen to be with a group or people,everyone will be excitedly describing adifferent bird. When the flock has disap-peared, you will be left with a feeling of"run that by me again" because you mayonly have identified ten percent of thebirds. How thrilling! Fron the ecstasy to theagony and back again in a twinkling of aneye.

These mixed-species foraging flocks areone of the most exciting aspects of birdingin the tropics, to actually see with yourown eyes the beautiful colors of such avariety of avian creatures against thegreenery of the forests, is something noone should miss.

All of this, coupled with the friendlinessof the Costa Rican people, will keep youlonging to return once you have expe-rienced it. Don't wait until it is all goneand you have missed a high point of yourlifetime. Now is the time to visit Costa Rica--A Birder's Paradise.

September-October 1988

ConservationConversationby Sandy Wohlgemuth

I n the midst of a blizzard of electioncampaign charges and promisesperhaps a chilly survey of the envir

onmental snows of yesteryear is in order.How has the climate of the last eight yearsaffected us?

Before we pull on our galoshes andventure into the snow drifts, let's considerthe philosophy of the Reagan era. Govern-ment should be mimimal; the armedforces, international relations, maybe eventhe post office are legitimate functions ofgovernment- but not much more. "Free-dom" is emblazoned on the banners.Freedom from taxes, from bureaucraticsnoopers, freedom to do anything youplease with your own property. Businessmust be liberated from insidious govern-ment regulations and that will cause athousand flowers to bloom-for all Amer-icans. If we grant this basic "ideology"then the environmental atrocities of thisadministration begin to make some sense.

"Government is not the solution to ourproblem; government is the problem."(Ronald Reagan, Jan. 20, 1981.) There itis, straight from the horse's mouth--and oninauguration day! So an early start wasmade toward a wistful dream reminiscentof the days of the robber barons of the 19thcentury, when competitors were literallysabotaged before they were driven out ofbusiness. When workers asking for aneight-hour day were shot down when theywent on strike. When ten-year old kidsworked in the coal mines. Of course therewas no expectation of achieving thisdreadful scenario in the 1980s. But thenostalgia for this kind of unhampered"freedom" was related to drive to DEREG-ULATE, to remove controls that protect thepowerless. To the "malefactors of greatwealth" (Teddy Roosevelt, Republican)their new freedom meant not only.lowertaxes in the upper brackets but an envir-onmental field day.

The public lands--forests, grasslands,coal and oil resources belonging to all ofus--were given away at bargain prices toprivate interests. Roadless areas beingconsidered for wilderness were turnedover to the timber companies for exploi-tation. Not only did the taxpayer foot thebill for most of the logging roads but helost money when the trees were soldbelow cost. The effect on wildlife habitatand the future of our wild heritage washardly given a second thought.

The Superfund law was passed byCongress in 1980 in an attempt to cleanup toxic dumps that poisoned ground

water and streams and permitted abomi-nations like the miscarriages, deformitiesand cancers at Love Canal. Lack of enthu-siasm for the job, underfunding andundermanning of this enormous projecthas cleaned up a mere handful of thethousands of affected dumps. This illus-trates a tactic that has become all toofamiliar. When the regulatory agencies arein place and cannot be eliminated becauseof widespread public support, leave themin place but castrate them by cutting offtheir funds. Environmental ProtectionAgency administrator, Anne Gorsuch Bur;

ford, in the name of the sacred budget,reduced her spending by 40% so that herdedicated staff was decimated and unableto accomplish anything of consequence. Inthe words of the unlamented formerSecretary on the Interior, James Watt, "wewill use the budget system as an excuseto make major policy decisions." .

Watt and Gorsuch came to symbolize thecontemptuous attitude of the Administra-tion toward the environment and environ-mentalists. Said Watt, "[environmentalists]are political activists, a left-wing cult whichseeks to- bring down the kind of govern-ment I believe in." They use their issues" . . . as a tool to achieve a greater objec-tive" which is "centralized planning andcontrol of society." It is interesting thatWatt lost his job not because of hisoutrageous acts but because he insulted apopular icon, the Beach Boys. When bothWatt and Burford resigned, the Presidentpraised them highly and regretted theirdeparture.

The smoke pouring from midwesternplants contains sulfur dioxide which,blowing across the continent, forms acidrain that destroys lakes and forests inCanada and our northeastern states.

September-October 1988

Despite anguished cries from governors ofthose states and the Prime Minister ofCanada, Mr. Reagan asked for moreresearch: a classic stalling device. Why thereluctance to act? Curbing the acid pollu-tants requires expensive equipment andthe owners of the factories and utilities arereluctant to spend the money. Like thetobacco executives who are still denyingthe hazards of their product, the midwes-terners are saying there is yet no conclu-sive proof of their responsibility for acidrain. In the interim, the President, with achoice between the public welfare andprivate gain, lines up with his friends whilemore trees and lakes expire.

Mr. Hodel, our current Interior Secretary,seems to be a worthy successor to Mr. Watt,though apparently he is not concernedabout the return of the Messiah in the nearfuture. His predecessor told Congress thatwith a straight face, saying that there wasno point in worrying about the environ-ment, Judgement Day was coming. Apolitical cartoon of the day showed Wattcarrying a sign reading, "Why save it? THEEND IS NEAR" The caption read, "OnwardChristian Soldier!" Hodel exhibits anunconquerable drive to see that oil rigsdecorate all our coastlines and invade theAlaskan wildlife refuges. He became thelaughing stock of the editorial pages when

his answer to the global danger of the lossof the protective ozone layer was that allyou needed were hats, sunglasses andsuntan oil. The Administration did not takea particularly aggressive role at the UNMontreal meeting that placed some mild,inadequate curbs on the production ofCFCs, the chemicals responsible for theproblem.

However, in another international arena,a most aggressive position was taken. TheUnited States had for years supportedfamily planning around the world, espe-cially in Third World countries where thebirthrate is highest. In response to itsconstituency in the Radical Right, theAdministration refused to contribute to anyorganization which in any way suggestedabortion as a last-resort alternative to birthcontrol. Our official delegate to thisinternational assembly astonished theworld by denying that there was anoverpopulation problem. Most reasonablepeople agree that overpopulation is per-haps the primary cause of the world'sdifficulties: hunger, the energy crunch, thegreenhouse effect, water shortages, home-lessness, pollution, rain-forest decline -adinjinitum.

Much more could be said about thedisaster of the last eight years. There isn'ttime or space to do more than make a list:

endangered species, refusal to acquire newparkland, relaxation of auto emissionstandards, nuclear wastes, the fox-guarding-the-henhouse syndrome, refusalto enforce environmental laws, etcetera,etcetera, etcetera. From inside the govern-ment, Anne Burford said it best: "TheAdministration has no commitment to theenvironment and no environmental pol-icy." From the outside, listen to StewartUdall, Interior Secretary in the KennedyAdministration. In a new edition of "TheQuiet Crisis" coming out this year, hewrites, "It is clear that on environmentalissues, Ronald Reagan rowed against theAmerican mainstream for eight years." And,"I am convinced historians will not onlyindict the Reagan administration for itslack of vision concerning resources and itsabdication of the traditional U.S. role ofleadership in global environmental mat-ters, but will conclude that Ronald Rea-gan's negative legacy is a gargantuan debtthat restricts the action options of hissuccessor and of the American People."*

*Quoted in The AmicusJournal, Summer 1988,quarterly publication of the Natural ResourcesDefense Council.

A Changing Policy onPredators in SequoiaGeorge L San Miguel

F rom our earliest childhood years,we were taught to fear wildbeasts. Our culture retains admi

ration for "useful" animals such as deer,waterfowl and fish and dreads the flesheaters like wolves, bears and snakes.During the early years of Sequoia andGeneral Grant National Parks, wildljfemanagement reflected society's view of"good" and "bad" animals. Most otherparks followed this philosophy. Predationwas looked upon with horror as evil,wasteful and repulsive. In time, the parksshed this antiquated and emotionalapproach in favor of a scientifically soundpolicy. Preserving wilderness in today'snational parks would be a failure withouta strategy which includes protecting allindigenous organisms including thepredators.

When the first national park, Yellow-stone, was established in 1872, park landwas set aside to be " . . . maintained in anatural condition . . . " to save " . . . thenatural curiosities and wonders." Wildlifemanagement was important, but secon-

dary. Without a park service agency,stewardship fell upon the army. In 1890,the primary task in newly created Sequoiaand General Grant National Parks was tosave the spectacular Giant Sequoias fromlumbermen.

The military superintendents realized,however, that the wildlife could not beprotected in the tiny, fledgling parks. Muchmore land was needed and soon. Since the1870's, literally hundreds of thousands ofdomestic sheep roamed over the highermountains each summer, land destined tolater be added to the parks. Backcountrytravelers on horseback often had to turnback or risk starving their horses since thesheep had cropped virtually all the avail-able wild forage. The stockman's rifleswere also responsible for declines in localdeer, populations. Furthermore, severehunting and trapping persisted on adjoin-

ing lands where park wildlife mightseasonally wander. Poaching within theparks was also a big problem since thetroopers did not stay the whole year.

The cavalry officers in charge saw thewildlife role of national parks as fullyprotected reserves for game animals.Poaching problems relaxed as the yearspassed. Attention was then focused onthose carnivores which were thought toheavily prey upon game. In 1904, permis-sion was given to park guardians to killcoyotes, bobcats and mountain lions. By1910, wolverines, foxes, skunks, snakes,even porcupines were added to the"vermin" hit list. Owls, hawks and eagleswere also thought of as undesirable.Recognizing black bears as little more thanoccasionally bothersome, they were usu-ally treated with indifference, but were

September-October 1988

persecuted never the less. Based onignorance, prejudice, folklore and hearsay,predators were systematicallyexterminated.

Meanwhile, the game animals, mainlydeer, quail, doves and grouse, were strictlyprotected. In addition, alien game specieswere actively introduced to the parks'habitats. Hundreds of thousands of troutwere planted in high country lakes andstreams that were naturally barren of fish.Asian pheasants and wild turkeys were setfree in the foothills. A herd of elk wastranslocated to the Potwisha area and plansfor adding bison and pronghorn wereendorsed. Wildlife management in the twoparks ironically encouraged the propaga-tion of game which no one was allowedto hunt. The national parks certainlyneeded better direction with a much moresound and consistent plan for wildlife.

The National Park Service was estab-lished in 1916 to staff the parks withdedicated, civilian professioanls. Clarifica-tion of park goals was also provided:" . . . to conserve the scenery and thenatural historic objects and the wildlifetherein . . . "

It was not until 1918 that wholesalepredator eradication finally ceased inSequoia. Over the next fifteen years,predator control was gradually phased outof all national parks. Wildlife conservationin the parks was to preserve primitiveAmerica rather than an arbitrary ideal.Carnivorous animals would now berecognized as intrinsic parts of the wildliferesource protected within national parks.In 1931, predator protection becameofficial policy except in individual caseswhere public safety or a rare species wasthreatened by a particular animal.

But old ideas die hard. When Sequoiabegan protecting predators, an immediatestorm of opposition arose from local stockranchers, farmers, hunting clubs anddevelopers despite ample contemporary,scientific studies which had alreadyshowed that widespread predator controlis usually unnecessary and, in nationalparks, inappropriate. One of the majorobjections to the creation of Kings CanyonNational Park (1940) was the policy ofpredator protection. For the two parks, thisemotionally charged issue was difficult toexplain to a misinformed public.

Modern ecological principles werealready formulated and understood amongmost biologists in the mid-1930's. Naturewas seen in a state of balance which couldbe ruined by man's tampering. Unforeseenside effects would then create moreproblems than were originally faced. It waswith this knowledge that superintendentJohn R. White successfully fended offnumerous attempts to reinstate predatorcontrol in Sequoia from 1918 into the1940's.

In more recent times, National ParkService goals became even more specific.The landmark Leopold Report of 1963recommended " . . . the biotic associationswithin each park be maintained, or wherenecessary, recreated, as nearly as possiblein the condition when the area was firstvisited by the white man." However, muchhad changed in those first one hundredyears including the drastic reduction ofmany predator populations within andimmediately adjacent to the national parks.During the winter of 1924-1925, a singletrap line in Mineral King (long before itfinally became part of Sequoia in 1978)killed 2 wolverines, 6 fishers, 13 mountaincoyotes, and 96 pine martens! A few yearsbefore Kings Canyon National Park wasestablished, one trapper took over 200pine martens in this area over one winter!

Today's goal in the national parksemphasizes allowing natural, ecologicalprocesses to continue without interfer-ence. Simply stated, Nature is permitted totake her course whenever possible. Eventspreviously considered alarming such ascougars hunting deer, insects nibbling ontrees and fires consuming fuel may nowbe termed natural phenomena. Nature isalways ready to counterbalance each event.Without these endemic processes, wecould not experience the natural scenerythe parks try to preserve.

Even without predator control, the parkshave some of the healthiest populations of"game" left in California. Think about thispoint. Left to their own devices, flesheating animals rarely wipe out their prey.Their presence also adds to our experiencewhen we visit national parks.

National park policy has now come fullcircle. Yellowstone and Glacier NationalParks and other wildlife agencies andconservation groups are trying hard to findways to save the grizzly bear both insideand outside the parks. Serious plans arebeing drawn up to bring wolves back toYellowstone at the same time that wolveshave recolonized Glacier on their ownfrom Canada. Even introduced gamespecies, such as the Rocky Mountain goats

in Olympic National Park, are seen for whatthey are; aliens disruptive to the localecosystems.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon NationalParks have long been without grizzly bearsand will not likely ever support themagain. Though more research is needed, itis quite possible that the wolverine and thenative race of the red fox may soonbecome extirpated from these parks.Fortunately, the introduced elk, turkeysand pheasants did not survive. A verybright note is that Peregrine Falcons areonce again taking up residence among thetowering cliffs of Kings Canyon. Signsindicate that breeding may take place in1988. Perhaps, with a lot of luck, we mayeven see the California Condor fly againover the wild Sierra Nevada one day.

With growing scarcity of wilderness,people now actively seek these sanctuariesto enjoy the fascinating wildlike that wasonce persecuted. Sequoia and KingsCanyon are wild places and remain everexciting to explore. In these rugged,evergreen canyons one may still hear thethrilling sounds of howling coyotes, thebarking hoots of Spotted Owls and thepiercing cries of the Northern Goshawk.Anyone can still come here and watch amajestic, soaring eagle, glimpse a swiftlyrunning fox, or perhaps encounter thedeep malevolent stare of a mountain lion.Now, more than ever, predators are anational resource well worth preserving.

September October 1988

BookstoreNews

Y our bookstore continues to growapace: new titles are constantlybeing added in order to keep up

with the proliferation of birdfinding andbird identification guides. The sport/hobby continues its extraordinary rise inpopularity as more and more peoplebecome environmentally aware and takeup a pastime that is both conscientious andfun. As we become more skilfull atidentification, the demand for moresophisticated guidance grows. Simultane-ously, the broadening high standards ofliving and the shifting of our nationaldemography toward the retirement end ofthe age scale expands the market forguides to birding around the world.

Of course, with this plethora of popularliterature, the birder must become moreselective in his purchases, from both thequalitative and financial standpoints. Inpurchasing for the bookstore stock, weexamine as many of these new publica-tions as we can obtain, looking for thosethat offer our members value for dollar interms of completeness of coverage, accu-racy of text and illustration, and produc-tion quality.

Following are new titles that havebecome available since the issuance of ourlatest saleslist (May '88):

Bird-Walker, Jean Roche. A set of threecassettes covering bird sounds of 400species in Britain, Europe and North Africa.$29.95

A Dictionary of American Bird Names,Choate. An interesting little volume for theetymolophile-the meaning and derivationof birds' common and Latin names, andmini-biographies of the people many werenamed after. 226 pp. hdbd. $9.95

A Guide to North American BirdClubs, Rickert. Published in 1978 and stilla valuable reference for the travelingbirder. Out of print; limited supply. 565pp. hdbd. $4.67.

Birds of Sonoma County, CA, Bolander& Parmeter. An annotated checklist andbirding gazetteer at last back in print. Briefsummaries and bar graphs of seasonaldistribution, relative abundance, breedingstatus and habitat for all species recordedin the county, plus a dozen pages ofbirding spots. 93 pp. $5.50.

The Birder's Handbook, Ehrlich, Dobkin& Wheye. This exciting manual is theessential companion to your North Amer-ican field guide. Using Bent's monumentalvolumes as a basis and updating fromnumerous sources, the authors haveencapsulated on the left hand pages the

natural history of all our breeding birds,supplying the information on display, nest,eggs, diet and behaviour that indentifica-tion guides omit. Meanwhile, on the righthand pages run fascinating essays onvirtually every aspect of avian biology. Allof this in a manageable and reasonably-priced single volume! 785 pp. $14.95softcover and $24.95 hdbd.

Bird Songs of Southeastern Arizonaand Southern Texas, Keller. Voicerecordings of all those specialty birdsyou're after.Record or cassette $12.95.

Birds of Prey of the World, Weick andBrown. A concise guide to all the world'sdiurnal raptors. Forty coloured plates of1144 figures, including distinctive races,sexes, and adult and immature plumages.Brief tabulated text in German and English.160 pp. hdbd. $48.00 Special order.

A Birdwatcher's Guide to Japan, MarkBrazil. An excellent new birdfinding guideto this archipelago, by one of its mostexperienced birders. Covers 60 principalsites, primarily on the main islands, withinformation for each on species, birding

season, transportation and accommoda-tion, and a map of each site. Also includesa checklist current to July 1987. Softcoverpocket guide $13-95. (Special order).

Birds of the Middle East and NorthAfrica, P.AD. Hollom, R.F. Porter, et. al.This is subtitled and intended as a com-panion volume to the field guides toBritain and Europe (in particular thePeterson Series guide). It covers fartherafield to all of Africa north of the Sahara,Saudi Arabia, and Iran. 700 species, 350colour illustrations, 510 maps. Price TBA.(Special order).

Hawks in Flight, Pete Dunne, et.al. Thisis a 'holistic' guide to field identificationof all the widespread North Americandiurnal raptors, showing you the approachto identification at great distances andunder adverse conditions. Excellent read-ing! 254 pp. hdbd. $17.95.

In addition, we continue to offer a revolv-ing and evolving stock of out-of-print andhard-to-find volumes, as well as binocularsand scopes, other birding aids, and giftitems; so come and see us, or call at(213) 876-0202.

Book ReviewThe Complete Birderby Jack Connor

Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston 1988.$8.95 softcover.

Review by Charles Harper

T he unimaginative title is a facadefor this excellent little book. It isnot comlete, but it certainly hits

the high points, and well: it is concise,lucid, witty and informative. The newbirder will find answers to many of hisbasic questions about the hobby, andconsolation for many of his fears. Theintermediate birder will pick up somegood pointers toward refining his skills,and a few warnings which he might wellheed.

A chapter on optics is a good overviewof how' binoculars, scopes and tripodsfunction, and how to judge them. A chapteron acoustics will get you comfortablystarted into learning birdsong. Threechapters ('Migration' 'Summer' and 'Win-ter') introduce you to the strategies ofbirdfinding; they include such topics asmigration traps, corridors and funnels,species irruptions, expansions and con-tractions, and ornithometeorology.

Half of the book (Chapters 7-11) is abold plunge into learning how to approach

identification within our most difficultgroups: the warblers, hawks, shorebirds,gulls and terns. The author helps youmentally organize the members of thesegroups, sorting shorebirds into sizes,clarifying gull plumage sequences, coiningmnemonic phrases to remind you whichspecies show which characters; he boostsyou over that wall of panic created whenyou find yourself alone with a beachful ofpeeps or a tree flickering with warblers,not merely by supplying a comprehensivelist of fieldmarks, but by preparing youpsychologically for the frustration ofuncertainty that is inherent in the sport.

In fact, Connor's final chapter, 'TheInner Game' is an elegant summation ofhis raison d'etre for writing the book: toget you well started into the 'sportingscience' but with the warning and assu-rance that in birding as in bodybuilding-no pain, no gain.

10 September-October 1988

Birds of the SeasonHank Brodkin

Records of rare and unusual bird sightingsreported in this column should be consi-dered tentative until they have beenreviewd by the American Birds regionaleditors or, if appropriate, by theCalifornia Bird Records Committee.

I would like to begin this, my firstcolumn, with a short discussionof the above disclaimer. I cer-

tainly do not wish to discourage any of youfrom sending your sightings into Birds ofthe Season. Indeed, without your cooper-ation there would be no column. So pleasesend me your observations--not only ofrarities but anything in the local bird worldthat strikes you as interesting or unusual--with as many details as you can remember.

American Birds also deserves our sup-port. This magazine, published by NationalAudubon, documents the ebb and flow ofNorth American bird life and containsmany articles of interest to birders. GuyMcCaskie is the Southern Pacific CoastRegional Editor. You can send your obser-vations with documentation of all raritiesto him at the San Diego Natural HistoryMuseum, PO Box 1390, San Diego, CA .92112. L A. County sightings should besent to Kimball Garrett, the L.A. CountyCoordinator, at the Natural HistoryMuseum of Los Angeles County. 900Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007.Guy will forward a copy of documentationof really rare birds to the California BirdRecords Committee.

Remember, the more observers who canverify your rarity the better. Please call L.A.Audubon (213) 876-0202, of Jean Brandtor myself (phone numbers below) as soonas possible after the sighting.

This has been quite a summer. The mostexciting bird was a dark phase Wedge-tailed Shearwater, found July 31 at thenorth end of the Salton Sea by GuyMcCaskie and Richard Webster. It was notrefound. This is only the second Californiarecord of this warm water species.

Almost as unusual was the adult LittleStint found at Upper Newport Bay on July9 by Matt Heindel. This bird proved justas elusive as the shearwater and could notbe found again in spite of a large crowdof eager birders. There were two sightingsof the uncommon Sharp-tailed Sand-piper, one in Santa Barbara on July 21 andanother (the same bird?) seen at Batequi-tas Lagoon by many observers on July 24and 25. Both sightings were of adult birdsand are the first summer sightings of thisspecies in California. An atypically largenumber of 4 Solitary Sandpipers werefound at the Baker sewage ponds August11 by Charles Hood. About 10Semipalmated Sandpipers were

reported--about usual for this time of year--the first one by Jon Dunn at the LancasterSewage Ponds on July 30, and BairdsSandpipers were right on schedule withthe first reported by Bruce Broadbooks atEdwards Air Force Base on July 28.

Unusual Larid sightings were anotherhighlight. Doug Willick found an adultLong-tailed Jaeger on August 14 and anadult Laughing Gull on August 16, bothon the Santa Ana River in Anaheim. At leastthree juvenile Franklin Gulls-one atBolsa Chica on July 17, one at Edwards,July 23 through at least August 18, and oneat Malibu on August 9 (Kimball Garrett).But the most exciting for an inland areawas the adult Sabine's Gull found onAugust 13 at Tinemaha Resevoir near BigPine by Tom and Joe Heindel. 1500Elegant Terns were seen at Malibu onAugust 10 by Bob Hoffman, perhapsreflecting the successsful breeding seasonto the south. Information from Bolsa Chicabiologist Bill Shew through Loren Hayesdescribes 426 successful breeding pairs ofForsters, and 3 pairs of Royal Ternsrepresenting the first successful breedingof Royals north of San Diego. These ternsalong with 80 pairs of Black Skimmerssomewhat inundated the usual nestingcolony of Least Terns at Bolsa Chica,forcing them to nest in an area where mostof the young were destroyed by predators.Hopefully they did better elsewhere. A pairof Gull-billed Terns nested successfullyin southern San Diego Bay for the firstcoastal California breeding record.

Apparently White-faced Ibis has bredin Los Angeles County for the first time.In late Spring Arnold Small noted courtingpairs at the Edwards Air Force Base marsh,and only July 28 three newly fledged birdswere found here by Bruce Broadbooks.

These overcast morningswe should keep oureye on the skywhereverwe are.

On August 1 Kimball Garrett saw a pair ofChimney Swifts over the Rose Garden inExposition Park.

Our last group of sightings have to dowith "Eastern" warblers that apparentlyspent all or at least part of the summer inour area. The most interesting of these isthe male Chestnut-sided Warbler thathas been at Turtle Rock Nature Center inOrange County since June 29 and has not(August 18) molted into basic plumage. Ayoung male American Redstart spentJuly 18 through 28 at Cal State, Long Beach(Brian Daniels) and a female has been inthe willows at the mouth of Zuma Creeksince July 31- Also a Black-and-WhiteWarbler was reported from the L.A.County Arboretum on July 30 by LoisFulmer.

The challenging Fall season is now uponus. This is the most rewarding and excitingtime of the year to be in the field, whenat any moment that rare and usuallycryptically marked immature vagrant maypop out of the next bush. The coastalcanyons, especially where there is a littlewater, will be best, but wherever you are-be alert and have your notebook ready!

Before I close I'd like to recommendTHE BIRDER'S HANDBOOK, by PaulEhrlich, et al. For $14.95 you get 785 pagescrammed with more information aboutNorth American birds than I've ever seenin any book. This is not an identificationor distribution guide-that information youcan find in your field guide-but almosteverything else you may have wonderedabout the birds you see plus a lot you'venever thought of is in this book. It isavailable at L.A. Audubon.

Send your bird observations with asmany details as you can to:

Hank Brodkin27% Mast StreetMarina Del Rey, CA 90292Phone (213) 827-0407

or call Jean Brandt at(818) 788-5188.

Elegant Terns—Illustration by Lee Jones fromBirds of Southern California

11 September October 1988

From theEditor

F irst I want to explain that thedelay in the Tanager schedule hasbeen occasioned by my illness

and subsequent surgery, plus the need torecover to a degree before assumingeditorial duties and efforts again.Therehave also been complexities in theprinting.

I am doing better now, and hope andexpect that in the future we will be ableto keep the publication of our journal onschedule. All our LAAS members arecertainly entitled to this, and that is ourintention and effort. Occasionally, asexplained above, emergencies may and dooverride the planned regularity.

Due to severe schedule constrictionsKimball Garrett will no longer be able toauthor the BIRDS OF THE SEASON. We willall miss Kimball's lucid and scholarlytreatment of this TANAGER tradition andstill look forward to other work by himfrom time to time.

Taking over will be Hank Brodkin, anold friend of LAAS, who started birding in1946. Please send your bird observationsto Hank at 27 1/2 Mast Street, Marina DelRey, CA, 90292 or call (213) 827-0407. Oryou may call Jean Brandt (who will helpHank gather information for the column aswell as for the Bird Tape) at (181) 788-5188. Please leave a phone number whereyou can be reached and include as manydetails as you can. The success of thiscolumn depends on you, and it is one ofthe Tanager's most valuable features.

Even as the redoubtable Fred Heath, theprevious editor, I find that the insatiablerequirements of the TANAGER for articlesand useful material require constantattention and effort by the editor.

We are gratified to have such a splendidreplacement; our society is fortunate tohave so much talent.

This thought leads naturally into thenext topic of this column.

AS ALWAYS, WE NEED ARTICLES.

WE NEED ARTICLES.

IN FACT, WE DO NEED ARTICLES.

Although occasionally we do run articlesby outside authors, a substantial majorityof our materials come directly from ourmembership. Such articles, and of courseour regular features, are the lifeblood ofthe TANAGER, and always will be.

We have so many capable people withinour own thousands of members thatpotentially we can thus fulfil and over-fulfilour needs.

I do have promises of several excellentplanned articles already; but timing is a

problem, and in any case there will be thecontinuing need.

What sort of articles do we need, andwhat would we like from you - and you- and you? Yes, specifically you.

The field is quite broad, and I willmention only a few types. One is studiesof local birding areas. Another is scientificmaterial on breeding, bird behaviour, andstatus and distribution of various speciesin the area. The exciting tales of greatsafaris in Africa, Canada, South America,and Asia, etc, are always welcome. And somany more, on conservation, equipment,books, and on and on ...

We accept, lots of articles that have neverbeen prediscussed. But if you wish, I willbe delighted to discuss ideas with anyonewho wants to write an article. Publicationis satisfying, and a source of pride; pitchingin makes you feel good.

and remember -WE NEED ARTICLES.I await your response expectantly.

-PReservation Policy and Procedures:

Reservations will be accepted ONLY if ALLthe following information is supplied;

(1) Trip desired,(2) Names of people in your party,(3) Phone numbers

(a) usual and(b) evening before event, in case of

emergency cancellation;(4) Separate check (no cash please) to LAAS

for exact amount for each trip;(5) Self-addressed stamped envelope for

confirmation and associated trip informa-tion. Send to:

Charles Harper, Reservations ChairLAAS7377 Santa Monica Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90046.

If there is insufficient response, the trip willbe cancelled two weeks prior to the sche-duled date (four weeks for pelagics) and youwill be. so notified and your fee returned.Your cancellation during that time will bringa refund only if there is a paid replacement.

If you desire to carpool to an event, Mr.Harper can provide information for you tomake contact and possible arrangements.

RESERVATION TRIPS:(Limited Participation)

Monterey Pelagic trips will be offered regularlythrough the Fall by Debra Love Shearwater.We do not yet have the schedule for her 1989trips. Most trips are around $44; some overnightexcursions are $120. Trip dates are too numerousto allow listing them. Write or phone ShearwaterJourneys, P.O. Box 1445, Soquel, CA 95073,phone #(408) 688-1990 for a listing andspecifics.

MembershipMemo

A recent letter from National Audubonadvises of a new policy that has beenenforced since September, 1987. Chaptermemberships have been changed automat-ically, when a person moves into the areaof another chapter.

It is suggested that if you move, and wishto remain affiliated with Los AngelesAudubon, you request that your chapter notbe changed when you send in your addresschange.

EDITOR Larry SteinbergASSOCIATE EDITOR Doni Kendig

TYPESETTING & LAYOUT Etcetera GraphicsPRINTING Beacon Litho

CONSERVATION EDITOR Sandy WohlgemuthORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT Kimball Garrett

Published ten times a year by theLos Angeles Audubon Society. 7377 Santa Monica

Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046.

PRESIDENT Ellsworth Kendig1st VICE PRESIDENT Bob Van Meter

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Andrea Kaufman

Audubon membership (local and national) is$30 per year (individual), $38 (Family), $18(student), $21 (senior citizen) or $23 (seniorcitizen family) including AUDUBON Magazine andTHE WESTERN TANAGER. To join, make checkspayable to the National Audubon Society, and sendthem to Audubon House at the above address.Members wishing to receive the TANAGER by firstclass must send checks for $5 to Los AngelesAudubon Society.

THE WESTERN TANAGER received the 1987Special Conservation Award and 2nd place honorsfor Newsletter, Chapter with more than 900members from the National Audubon Society.

Subscriptions to the THE WESTERN TANAGERseparately are $12 per year (Bulk Rate) or $17 (FirstClass, mailed in an envelope). To subscribe, makechecks payable to Los Angeles Audubon Society.

«L.A Audubon 1988

Los Angeles Audubon Headquarters, Library,Bookstore and Nature Museum are located atAudubon House, Plummer Park, 7377 Santa MonicaBlvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046. Telephone: (213) 876-0202. Hours: 10-3 Tuesday through Saturday.

^-ANNOUNCEMENTSSeptember-October 1988

EVENING MEETINGSMeet at 8:00 p.m. in Plummer Park

Tuesday, September 13-Ian Strange willpresent The Falkland Islands and TheirNatural History. Ian Strange has resided in theFalkland Islands for nearly 30 years. During thistime he has been deeply involved with thecontinuing conservation of the unique wildlifeof this remote archipelago. He is knownthroughout the world as the author of severaldefinitive books on the Falklands and, as a CrownStamp designer, has designed some 100 stamps,most of them focusing on the wildlife of theFalkland Islands. Please join us for this specialevening: a tour of the Falklands with the manwho knows them most intimately.

Ian Strange

Tuesday, October 11-Arnold Small will presentBirding on the Edge of the Arctic, featuring workfrom his recent photographic expedition to theChurchill region, located on the Hudson Bay. Arnold,whose skills as a photographer, teacher and writer arenationally known, will show us why the Churchillregion is considered one of the premier birdinglocations in North America.

IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOPSPrecede the regular evening meetings,

7:30-8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 13- Back by populardemand, Kimball Garrett will present thismonth's ID Workshop. His topic will beannounced on the bird tape (213-874-1318) theweek prior to the meeting.

Tuesday, October 11— to be announced.

FIELD TRIPSCALL THE TAPE!

Before setting out for any field trip, call theAudubon bird tape, (213) 874-1318 for specialinstructions or possible emergency cancellationsthat may have occurred by the Thursday beforethe trip.

Saturday, September 24-San Diego. Join therecently departed (from the area!), but still quiteactive Fred Heath in a morning of birding rifewith potential. Peaceful Pt. Loma is well notedas a migrant trap, providing a stopover fornumerous western and bagrant eastern specieseach year. Other spots visited may include SanDiego Bay and the Tijuana River, depending onFred's intuitive whimsey. Meet at 8:00 at theMission Bay Visitor's Center lot, and bring alunch. To get to the Visitor's Center, take the5 Fwy. to Clairemont Drive by the Bay. Turn right(west) and parking will be on your right at theend.

Saturday, September 24-Pelagic Trip out ofMorro Bay. Leader Brad Schram of MorroCoast Audubon Society will be scanning theouter waters of Estero Bay for a myriad ofpossible seabirds including storm petrels,jeagers, skua, and 6(!) possible shearwaters.Birds should be plentiful all day long. The boatwill leave from Bob's Landing on the Morro Bay

Embarcadero at 7 a.m., and return at 3 p.m. Toreserve, send a self-addressed stamped envelopeand a 125 check filled out to M.C.A.S. to TomEdell at 46 8th. Street, Cayucos CA. 93430;directions, etc. will be mailed with confirmation.For more information, call Tom at(805) 995-1691.

Sunday, October 2-Coastal San Luis ObispoCounty. Join leader Brad Schram, previouslyof LAAS, as he paruses his present environs formigrating waterfowl, migrants, and misguidedvagrants. Oceano, Morro Bay, Montagna DeOro, and other local birding sites are famoushotspots for eastern vagrants, having producedGreat-Crested Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo,and a myriad of unlikely warblers in past years.Brad's knowledge and experience in the areashould make this an enjoyable, productive andmemorable day. Trip participation is limited, socall Audubon House for reservations and aninformative mailer on specifics of lodging,directions, etc. f 15 fee.

Sunday, October 2-Topanga State Park.Meet leader Gerry Haigh at 8 a.m. For details,see Sept. 4 trip.

Monday, October 3-Malibu Lagoon toMcGrath State Beach. Ed Navojosky will beleading this annual jaunt for the seventeenth yearrunning! This is a good time of year to observe

Los Angeles Audubon Society7377 Santa Monica Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90046

Non -Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 26974Los Angeles, CA

a variety of fall migrants, resident species andearly wintering birds. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in thenorth corner of the Hughes Market lot acrossfrom the Lagoon. After taking in Malibu, thegroup will stop at Big Sycamore Cyn. for a picniclunch, and finish up at McGrath with other stopsalong the way. If this seems a bit much, feelfree to wrap up your birding early.

Saturday, October 8-Ballona Wetlands.Meet leader Bob Shanman or Ian Austin at8 a.m. For details, see Sept. 10 trip.

Saturday, October 8-Lake Palmdale. Jona-than Alderfer will lead a select few on a tourof Lake Palmdale in the Antelope Valley. Phonereservations to Audubon House to bird thislimited access area for waterfowl, migrants andpossible vagrants. Take the 5 Fwy. to the 14 Fwy.to the La Mont / Odett Overlook just beforePalmdale. Meet here at 7 a.m. sharp, and finishat 1 p.m. Bring a lunch or hit a Palmdale bun-and run later.

Sunday, October 23--Whittier Narrows. Meetleader David White at 8 a.m. For details, seeSept. 17 trip. Please note date change.

Sunday, November 6-Topanga State Park.Meet leader Gerry Haigh at 8 a.m. For details,see Sept. 4 trip.

Saturday, November 12-Ballona Wetlands.Meet leader Bob Shanman / Ian Austin at 8a.m. For details, see Sept. 10 trip.

Sunday, November 19-Whittler Narrows.Meet leader David White at 8 a.m. For details,see Sept. 17 trip. Please note date change.

Bird Class-Dr. Arnold Small will again beconducting his UCLA extension class know tobirders as Field I.D. of California Birds, andknown to clerical sorts as Biology 401.1(EDP#B2560). Enlightening and enjoyable forall levels of birders. All five lectures will beWednesday 7 9:30 p.m. on campus, startingSept. 28. All four field trips will be on Saturdaysaboard a chartered bus. INquire about seniorsdiscount. To enroll or for information, call LifeSciences (213) 825-9971. ($265.00 includingbus.)

RESERVATION TRIPS:see page 11 for details