The CHATTER December 2021
SAVE THE DATE!
ECAS Annual Membership Meeting
December 16, 7 p.m.
Please plan to join us on Thursday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m. for the 2021 Annual Membership Meeting. This year’s meeting will take place virtually via Zoom and replaces the monthly Birders’ Night. At this meeting we will be reflecting on the previous year, looking ahead, and electing new board members. There will be another notice sent out by Member Planet with information about the Board of Directors candidates and a Zoom meeting access link.
Upcoming Events
Sunriver Nature Center Virtual Lecture
Assessing Arctic Health with Gyrfalcons
Tuesday, December 14, 6:30 p.m.
As predators and arctic specialists, Gyrfalcons are excellent indicator species for how climate change may be impacting habitat and food webs in arctic environments. During this virtual lecture, Michaela Gustafson will share her work with the Peregrine Fund to identify what landscape features are important to Gyrfalcons as they choose nesting sites and how climate change may impact this species and others over time. Michaela is a graduate student at Boise State University and has spent the last seven years conducting field research on raptors and other birds from Puerto Rico to Alaska.
Pre-registration is required to receive the zoom access link. This lecture is free for ECAS members with discount code: ECASFALCON
Register here: https://snco.org/event/virtual-lecture-arctic-gyrfalcons/
Christmas Bird Counts
.jpg) Statewide CBCs scheduled can be found here oregonbirding.org/cbc/. Local Bird counts that have been scheduled so far include: - The SUMMER LAKE CBC will be held on Tuesday, December 14. As in the past, we will meet at Summer Lake Wildlife Area Headquarters at 8 a.m. to determine sector assignment and coverage. Please contact Marty St. Louis if you are interested in participating. His email is stlouismartin541@gmail.com and cell phone contact is 541-219-0879.
- The BEND CBC will be held Saturday, December 18. We are still following Covid-19 protocols, but we are a go for the count. If you are interested in participating please let Tom Crabtree know at tc@empnet.com. He will consult with the group leaders and see who is able to accept additional people. Let him know if you plan on doing a full day (7 a.m. to 5ish p.m.) or a half-day and your vaccination status.
- The MADRAS CBC will be held Wednesday, December 22. Annette Lange Hildebrand, is organizing the count and maps, clipboards and tally sheets will all be provided as before. To be Covid safe, we will follow suggested guidelines and pick up and drop off at her home, in town, just two blocks up from Hwy - 225 NE 8th St, Madras, OR. Contact her at 503-750-2567 or Lange69Annette@gmail.com
- The PRINEVILLE CBC will be held on its traditional date of December 31. This count has proven to be an enjoyable one year after year. It has a mix of urban parks and landscaping with its promise of diverse passerines, ag lands that promise an abundance of raptors, open water that holds waterfowl and wading birds, forest lands that are home to forest denizens, and the Crooked River Wetland Complex that is a premier birding destination in central Oregon. If you are interested in participating in this count, please contact Mark Gonzalez by email (towhee@bendbroadband.com) at your earliest convenience. I am also soliciting feeder watchers within the Prineville count circle. The count will observe the COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the CDC as adopted by the National Audubon Society. More information and details of this count will be distributed at a later date to participants. Thanks to all the volunteers for their contribution to this effort.
- The REDMOND CBC will be held January 5, 2022. Covid rules will be followed and meetings to organize areas and collect tally sheets will be held outside. If you would like to help in this count please contact Sherrie Pierce, sapierce@bendbroadband.com or Mike Golden, gardenbug99@bendbroadband.com.
- The SISTERS CBC will be held December 19. We'll be meeting at Sisters Coffee at 7:30 a.m. I will plan on meeting participants at Three Creeks Brewing at 4 p.m. to collect their data. We won't have a countdown, but folks are welcome to stay for a socially distanced outdoor meal/beer if they'd like. Contact Teresa at twicks@audubonportland.org
Robins, Robins Everywhere!
This is turning out to be a big American Robin year. Folks are contacting ECAS asking why and how to get rid of the mess. When the CBC counts are in they may top half a million! For a great article by Jim Anderson that appeared in The Source in 2009, go to this site bendsource.com/bend/holy-migration-batman-robins-robins-everywhere/Content?oid=2132839
And another point - don’t forget to supply birds with a water source in the cold weather. That is one of their needs that is often overlooked and vital to their survival.
Winter Wings Bird Festival
Winter Wings birding/photography festival will be held next year on
Friday, February 18 through Sunday, February 20, 2022.
The Host site is Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), 3201 Campus Drive, Klamath Falls, Oregon, 97601, website: www.WinterWingsFest.org
Registration opens in mid-Dec. on date TBA. For information call 877-541-BIRD (2473) or email to info@winterwingsfest.org.
| GOOD BIRDING!
Golden Eagle by Amanda Rogers
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| Contact: East Cascades Audubon Society PO Box 565, Bend, OR 97709
(541) 241-2190 |
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