THE WRENTIT Pasadena Audubon Society Founded 1904 A Chapter of National Audubon Society Volume 37 — No. 7 ‘education and’ Te Brig Te excrfement of Birds fo our community through Birding, « 1c conservation of bird habitats September - October 2005 September Program October Program November Program Little Green Birds, Little Brown Birds ‘Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Jon Fisher and Mickey Long A iiteniss iy thy ter greenish (LGBs) or brownish (LBBs) and with few obvious field ‘marks. The bane of many birders, not ‘only do they look alike, but they can ‘make birding frustrating since they often remain unidentified. In reality, a litle Ihomework with the field guides and some experience in the field goes a long ‘way toward resolving this problem. Join usas Mickey and Jon help make sense of these nondescript litle songbirds. General Meetings Held At Eaton Canyon Nature Center 1750 N Altadena Drive Pasadena CA Social 7:00 pm, Program 7:30 pm President's Perch Spates ig about over. Lois & 1 ‘vacationed in the Sierras at Mammoth, June Lake & Yosemite. We did some birding, and I can report that Williamson's Sapsuckers are a common sight at Mammoth (the Craters & Agnew Meadows) and at Yosemite (White Wolf tent cabins), At June Lake (Silver Lake Resorts) the Red-breasted Sapsuckers rule! ‘On Wednesday, September 16th we return to our monthly meetings that start, With a Social half-hour (7 to 7:30 pm) Refreshments will be there to welcome Hummingbirds! Beauty and the Beast Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Tom Kaminski vian Video Center Producer Tom Kaminski will introduce his latest {ummingbirds! Beauty and the ‘Tom has appeared here previously. His new DVD features 57 hummer species, including all 16 that, broed in the US. This beautifully-filmed, hhumorously-narrated program shows that bbummers are: + Little beasts that live by the Law of the Jungle, + Single moms, deadbeat dads and “teenage” chicks. + Brainy Warriors with specific Rules of Engagement * Connoisseurs that put flower taste head of color. And more. Also shown: 14 other bird species, including the Three-wattled Bellbird, Roseate Spoonbill, Crested Caracara, and White-tailed Kite, us, thanks to our Hospitality Commitee. | want to thank our retiring Hospitality Committe (Susan Gilliland, Judy Bass and Pam Dong) for serving us so well during the past year, culminating with our excellent June Dinner. Now let's welcome this year's Hospitality Committe: Mary Jane Macy, Linda Moore and Grace Wong. Birding is our main focus, but spending a few minutes chatting with friends around the hospitality table before the meeting is a vital part of being a PAS member! TAH eBird! Learn What It Is and How to Use It Wednesday, November 18, 2009 Kimball Garrett AY ee bay Ben ering about eBird (www:ebird org) lately, the website and online birding tol that is changing the face of modern birding Bird is an internet-based checklist, program built for bicders by birders, Whose goal is to harness the power of both birding and science I allows you to keep wack of your bird records online and share them withthe birding community, while making them available for science and conservation efforts. eid allows birders to post sightings, keep lif ists, and manage their personal records. Ths program will show you what eBid is and why i's important that you contibute, show you what it can do for you as a birder, and teach you how to get started Join Los Angeles eBird Coordinator Kimball Garrett fr a look at this remarkable tool, and get empowered to make your observations count! In This Issue Conservation Grants ‘Trip Reports Field Tri Calendar Financial Report Announcements 6 New Members John's Corner eedaneennPAGE 2 Conservation and Education New Trails for Eaton Wash n August 4th, the Altadena Foothills Conservaney, soon to bbe known as the Arroyos and Foothills, Conservaney, celebrated the inauguration of the Eaton Wash Corridor Plan. Dave Ford, Local Public Affairs Region Manager for Southern California Edison, presented to the Conservancy a $25,000 check to develop the Corridor Plan, a continuous trail and park network from the mountains in Eaton Canyon to the confluence with the Rio Hondo. The Conservaney will be collaborating with the City of Pasadena which has ‘committed to developing the plan within its borders. Laura Garrett San Gabriel River Discovery Center he SGRDC is a plan to replace the existing Nature Center at Whittier Narrows Natural Area with an 18,230 square foot building, « 150-spot parking ot, a man-made riparian habitat, and some restored natural habitat, After perusing the 800-page Draft Environmental Impact Report, we applaud the SGRDC Authority for its desire to reach out to local school children by giving them a wonderful way to Tearn about nature. At the same time, we question the wisdom of constructing such a huge building when the eurent Nature Centers can't slay open seven days a week due to budget cuts, We also are deeply concerned by the removal of many ‘mature trees that this plan would necessitate. Therefore, we recommended to the SGRDC Authority that they select one ofthe smaller alternative plans so that they ‘an meet their objectives without spending so much money or destroying so many tees, Laura Garret Environmental Potluck ic Mc your calendar now! On. -piember 12 the Pasadena Group of the Sierra Club and other Pasadena Area Environmental Organizations will hold a potluck picnic and showing of the new award-winning film "A Sense of Wonder." I's a reflective interpretation by actress Kaiulani Lee of the life of Rachel Carson, author of the 1962 book "Silent Spring,” which first brought to public attention the dangers to the natural and human environment of DDT and other chemical pestiies. This film is an outstanding testament to the power of one dedicated ‘person to cause a dramatic shift in society's perception of the benefits and costs of the modern chemical industry. Carson's path-breaking book was instrumental in the creation of our contemporary environmental movement, All members of the Sierra Club and other Pasadena area environmental organizations, as well as prospective ‘members and other interested persons, are invited to this event, which will he held at Eaton Canyon Nature Center. Please plan to arrive at 5:30 pm; dinner will begin promptly at 6 pm, and the film will follow at 7 pm. Please bring a dish serving 6-8 people; beverages, plates, and utensils will be provided For further information, contact the event coordinator at (626) 793-4727 of ginnyh@ix.neteom.com, Annandale Canyon ast February 9, the Pasadena City (Council voted to purchase 20.6 acres of open space in Annandale Canyon. After months of waiting for the State of California to free up its funding, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Escrow has closed and the land is preserved for the public. Now, the group of citizens that fought for over ten years to protect this land is working to design trails for hiking and birding. Led by Nina Chomsky and others, they desire to keep these trails flora- and fauna-friendly as well. ‘aura Garret The Wrentit Local Chapters Win Grants grants for PAS inthis particular go-round, but several nearby chapters won grants inthe 2009 TTogctherGreen Innovation Grants competition, with winners announced in ‘August. Among them: The Audubon Center at Debs Park, $20,000 for "Beyond Nature's Open House" Los Angcles Audubon, $30,000 for the "Baldwin Hills Academy’ ‘San Diego Audubon, $20,000 for inking Communitics, Habitat, and Wildlife along the Wildiand-Urban Interface’ ‘San Bernardino Audubon, $45,000 for the "Torres-Martinez Rail Wetlands" ‘Audubon California Land Stowardship Program, $24,700 for "Engaging High Schoo! Youth in Riparian and Oak Woodland Restoration’ Innovation Grant will be awarded for the next thre years, This yearss awards of over SI million were made possible by Finding from Toyota. For detailed information about the grant program and the projects that won grants, go to www: TogetherGrecn ong and click on "View Innovation Grantes" TerraCycle and PAS )AS is going to recycle some trash and make a litle money at the same time. At our General Meetings, ‘we will collect Nabisco cookie bags (e.g. Oreo, Nutter-Butter, Chips Ahoy! ‘and Fig Newtons), energy bar ‘wrappers (the kind with a silver lining) and corks (real, not plastic). We will send these items to TerraCyele, a ‘company dedicated to the idea of ‘ending waste, and they will send PAS ‘money. To help, please bring the above items to any meeting, of you can ‘contact TerraCycle at ‘www.terracyele.net and sign up on ‘your own, For more information, please contact Laura Garrett at ppurplecow@ijps.net or (626) 564-1890.