Summer 2020 Field Notes
Zoom Program Meeting on YouTube Now--Dead Trees: Why We Need Them
Posted on Monday, August 31st, 2020
Lane County Audubon's first Zoom program meeting was on Tuesday, September 15, at 7:00 pm. You can see the recorded program by clicking on this link:
"Dead Trees: Why We Need Them" with Ken Bevis
Ken is an accomplished natural history educator and wildlife biologist whose entertaining environmental conservation lectures focus primarily on the birds and forests of the Pacific Northwest. His presentation will be about dead trees. Fortunately, he is very humorous and has the ability to make something as seemingly dull as dead trees exciting. He will elaborate on the many creatures that find food and housing there: slugs, bugs, and salamanders for starters. If you have ever wondered how many ways dead trees can be valuable, tune into this program.
Ken Bevis is currently the Stewardship Biologist for the Washington Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Small Forest Landowner office. He helps landowners learn how to manage small private forest lands for the benefits to wildlife. For 15 previous years, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service, Yakama Indian Nation, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. He was one of first biologists to look at the Spotted Owl situation in Washington.
Bon Voyage to Vaux’s Swifts at Agate Hall, Fridays Sept 4 and 11--Sunset
Posted on Sunday, August 23rd, 2020
Lane County Audubon Society will host two of its annual fall swift events outside Agate Hall at sunset on consecutive Fridays, September 4th and 11th.
We will spread out to maintain social-distancing, so please be careful of your and other’s safety! Vaux’s Swifts use the chimney to roost for the night as they gather prior to migration. We may see thousands of birds entering the chimney, but there is no guarantee!
It is fun to observe the swifts before they fly off to Central and South America for the winter. Look for the LCAS banner at the south parking lot of Agate Hall near 18th and Agate Street. Stop by and enjoy this annual natural phenomenon.
Date:
Friday, September 11, 2020 - 7:00pm
Location:
Agate Hall, UO campus
From Our President: I Miss My Audubon Friends! But Nature Offers Solace
Posted on Sunday, August 23rd, 2020
Our last Program Meeting was in late February and our last face-to-face Board Meeting was in early March. Since then, we have suspended our normal scheduled activities. I often think about our many volunteers and members who attend these Lane Audubon functions, people I only see at that time. Now months have passed and I feel the loss of normal contacts, hugs, smiles, and bird sightings that we would normally share when we see each other. I hope each of you is doing what you can to stay safe and healthy!
Conservation Column: The Expanding Perils of Plastic Pollution
Posted on Sunday, August 23rd, 2020
I have always been charmed by watching videos of bowerbirds decorating their bowers to attract females. Historically, they have decorated with colorful flowers, leaves, feathers, shells, and berries. But now the display sites contain a preponderance of plastic waste, including bottle caps and straws.
Bird Walk Coordinator Needed!
Posted on Sunday, August 23rd, 2020Lane Audubon is looking for a volunteer to plan the monthly third Saturday Bird Walks. This is a fun opportunity to meet and learn from birding experts; best of all, you get to be out birding! Lane Audubon has the traditional dates set, a network of willing field trip leaders, and a list of past birding locations to choose from.
Thanks for a Job Well Done
Posted on Sunday, August 23rd, 2020Thank You to Ramiro Aragon for completing a bird survey and list for a property near Cheshire, Oregon. He was helped by John Sullivan on one of the visits. The 219-acre property was designated a perpetual wetland by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the owner requested our help in supplying a bird list. Ramiro did a great job!
Herb Wisner's Memoir is Available
Posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2020
Long-time LCAS board member Herb Wisner, now 98, has completed his memoir, My Life...and Then Some: A Memoir? Herb’s bird-filled autobiography is available on Amazon!
The following teaser is shortened slightly from what appears on the Amazon website:
For 98 years, Herb Wisner has lived a remarkable life. Raised in an extraordinary childhood home near the New Jersey shore, his journeys took him to colleges in Alabama and New York, to overseas exploits while in the Army Airforce during WWII, and to a teaching career that stretched from rural Unadilla, New York, to Eugene, Oregon.
Accompanied by hundreds of photos, Herb’s stories span nearly a century. They include vivid portraits of family and friends whose paths have crossed his. He remembers them all in his unique voice infused with gentle humor.
The Mysterious Lives of Birds Who Never Come Down Except to Nest
Posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2020
Swifts spend all their time in the sky. Common Swifts are the big cousins of our Vaux’s Swifts and are found throughout Europe during breeding season. They fly south to Africa, to equatorial and sub-equatorial regions for the winter. What can their journeys tell us about the future?
If you’d like to know more about these mysterious birds, check out this link: nytimes.com/2020/07/29/magazine/vesper-flights.html