Membership Meeting
Sunday June 7, 2009
Annual Picnic
Starts at 1:00pm
Lake Sylvia,
Montesano
GH Shorebird Festival
struggles and triumphs
By Dianna Moore
The 14th Annual 2009 Grays
Harbor Shorebird Festival has
gone into the history books as a
real triumph of the will and grit
of several people; first and fore-
most our chapter president Arnie
Martin. I watched him take on
and put out one fire after another.
He and the Port of Grays Har-
bor’s Diane Souron dealt with a
last-minute glitch in the form of
no free buses from Grays Harbor
Transit thanks to what I can only
call a real sneaky move by the
tour bus companies. Back in June
of 2008 they lobbied and won the
ability to prevent free buses to
even non-profits if there are any
tour bus companies within a “rea-
sonable” distance.
I don’t consider Rochester rea-
sonable...but heck, what do I
know! So our already skinny bud-
get took a huge hit with us paying
for the buses from the time they
left the barn in Rochester until
the time they returned. The only
good thing about that was the
quality of the bus drivers...they
were unfailingly nice people. But
consider these buses were built to
accommodate children, not adults
with scopes, binoculars, back-
packs, several layers of clothing
of course, and then there are our
knees.....we shall have to con-
sider smaller numbers for optimal
comfort next year.
Arnie...you deserve our unfail-
ing appreciation for all you ac-
complished, most of it out of the
spotlight....and with such good
humor. You continue to do good
The
May/June 2009
Sandpiper
things as a volunteer with the
Grays Harbor National Wildlife
Refuge with the tours out to the
Sandpiper Trail. Thank you!
Tracy Woods is our City of Ho-
quiam representative; she knows
more people than several of the
rest of us. Need a liquor permit?
Ask Tracy. Need a bartender to go
with that permit? Ask Tracy. Do
you need a tow truck driver on
the weekend? Tracy can get one.
She printed the posters and got
them distributed. She ran the Fun
Run, got us the tables and chairs
and, oh yes, she did an amazing
job at the auction...while watch-
ing her grandkids!
Thanks, Tracy!
Sheila McCartan and all of her
volunteers from the refuge were
like a well-oiled machine, keep-
ing the wheels turning and han-
dling the million and one jobs
that needed doing. Volunteers
Lynn Smith and Michael Ward
were everywhere, helping where
they saw a need. Jean Takekawa,
“The Boss” of the refuge is the
kindest, most diplomatic person
I have ever met and her patience
under duress humbles me. Megan
Johnson, our AmeriCorp worker
was everywhere; you did well,
Megan. I hope you had some fun
too.
The list goes on...all the workers,
most behind the scene, make this
festival such a joy to put on de-
spite things like a rotten economy
and no latte at 7AM despite being
promised it would be ready; those
things are insignificant in com-
parison to the looks on the faces
of the poster contest entrants...
and the winners when asked for
their autograph! (Did you hear
we had 994 entries in the poster
contest?)
Despite the economy, we had
a pretty good turn out, and the
complements from our paying
visitors brought smiles to our
faces and warmth to my heart.
But of course everyone was here
to see the birds, and they didn’t
disappoint.
They showed up on Friday just
in time for opening day. They are
the real reason this festival ex-
ists. It didn’t hurt that the rarity
showed up right outside the ref-
uge headquarters gate...a female
Tufted Duck showed off for all
of us early birds...pun intended...
just across the street from where
we were setting up...how cool
is that? Then there was the sun
showing up two out of the three
days. I actually got a sunburn on
Sunday!
So that’s my take on the 14th
Annual Shorebird Festival. I hope
those of you who attended or par-
ticipated in some fashion had a
good time, and for those of you
who missed it, I hope you take
advantage of this amazing event
next year, April 30th through May
2nd, 2010. It truly is an event of
hemispheric importance.                  
 The President’s Perch
By Arnie Martin
Thanks to all who volunteered
at the Grays Harbor Shorebird
Festival, both at the Audubon
table, but especially to all who
gave so many hours by serving
on the Festival Committee. This
is quite intensive during and
just before the festival, but not
as time-consuming during the
planning stages. To those who
volunteered last year, this is a
big THANK YOU for your ser-
vice. I hope that you found your
time was well spent and that you
will continue to help next year.
Each person’s contribution of
time helped to make the Festival
enjoyable and valuable for the
many who attended, including
the school children who made
all the lovely posters you saw at
the Festival!
The past several years our
GHAS has held its annual pic-
nic at Friends Landing south of
Montesano, but this year, in the
hope of raising our conscious-
ness about our local state parks,
we are going to hold the annual
Grays Harbor Audubon Society
picnic at Lake Sylvia State Park
on the north side of Montesano.
Lake Sylvia is one of the parks
in this county that are currently
slated for closure. Lake Syl-
via, along with Schafer north
of Satsop, Twin Harbors near
Westport, and Ocean City near
Ocean Shores are local state
parks that serve visitors to our
area, but particularly Lake Syl-
via and Schafer also have many
visits from people who live in
the park’s locale, and want to
have a short visit to decompress
from their daily duties.
Lake Sylvia was in the Satsop
Christmas Bird Count area I
was assigned to, under the able
page 2
leadership of Kristin Stewart ber, don’t click the “opt-out”
of Black Hills Audubon. The box). Even this small extra fee
park facilities were closed for may help to save some of our lo-
the winter (day use only), but cal parks.
we were able to walk around If there isn’t enough money
many of the park access roads, generated by the vehicle license
marveling at the size of the trees fees to keep Lake Sylvia open,
that have grown since the area, the state park commission may
a former logging camp, was choose to return the park to the
closed to logging in 1930. The city of Montesano, which, ac-
land was donated by the City of cording to the reports I’ve seen,
Montesano to the State Parks doesn’t have sufficient funds to
Commission in 1936, and many operate the park, either.
of the trees now are tall firs that These parks, though they are
support a multitude of that will just off the Olympic loop, and
strain your binoculars and your way off the I-5 corridor are well
neck. worth a visit, so please make an
Seriously, there are many op- effort to visit these parks this
portunities for hiking and bird- year. Your visit may be the one
ing around the picnic shelter to boost a park off the closure
which we have reserved for the list!
day on June 7th. The picnic will
start at 1:00 PM, and parking is
free for those attending the pic-
nic. This is a potluck, so bring a
dish to share and your own table GHAS Mission
service. When you arrive at the The mission of the Grays
park, turn to the right just be- Harbor Audubon Society is
fore the bridge, and follow the to seek a sustainable balance
road until you see the Audubon between human activity and
banner at the shelter on the left. the needs of the environ-
There is no electrical service ment; and to promote enjoy-
at the picnic shelter, so plan ment of birds and the natural
ahead. world
We will have a bird walk (about
1 mile), and the opportunity to
walk the entire trail around the
lake, or just walk back to view
the dam and the logging dis-
plays. It will be easier to walk
the trails in June than it was in
December when they were cov-
ered by snow! There will be
some warblers and kinglets in
the canopy and wrens and may-
be sparrows in the understory.
During this period of economic
hard times, it’s difficult to find
additional money to help main-
tain the parks and recreation fa-
cilities that our beautiful state
has, so I hope that you will,
when you renew your vehicle
license, pay the additional “opt-
out” $5.00 donation to maintain
our state’s park system (remem-

Pacific sunset photo by NASA
Spinning the earth:
Myth: We have to save the earth
Frankly, the earth doesn’t need
to be saved. Nature doesn’t give
a hoot if human beings are here
or not. The planet has survived
cataclysmic and catastrophic
changes for millions upon mil-
lions of years. Over that time, it
is widely believed, 99 percent of
all species have come and gone
while the planet has remained.
Saving the environment is real-
ly about saving our environment
- making it safe for ourselves,
our children, and the world as
we know it. If more people saw
the issue as one of saving them-
selves, we would probably see
increased motivation and com-
mitment to actually do so.
Robert M. Lilienfeld, management
consultant and author (b. 1953) and
William L. Rathje, archaeologist and
author (b. 1945)
Birders break record for
5th straight year
New York, NY & Ithaca, NY—
The 12th annual Great Backyard
Bird Count (GBBC) featured two
invasions this year: voracious
Pine Siskins and a whole new
crop of citizen-science partici-
pants! Bird watchers shattered
last year’s record by submit-
ting more than 93,600 checklists
during the four-day event, held
February 16-19. Participants
also identified 619 species and
page 3
sent in thousands of stunning
bird images for the GBBC pho-
to contest. The Great Backyard
Bird Count is led by the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology and the Na-
tional Audubon Society.
“Each year the GBBC provides
the most detailed real-time
snapshot of bird distribution
across North America,” said
Rob Fergus, Senior Scientist
with the National Audubon So-
ciety. “We can see how birds are
responding to changing weather
patterns, available food sources,
and other factors from around
the continent.”
One of the big stories com-
ing from the GBBC this year
was the massive invasion of
Pine Siskins and White-Winged
Crossbills over much of the east-
ern United States. These feisty
little birds moved southward
because of seed crop failures in
their usual wintering grounds in
Canada and the boreal forests.
GBBC participants reported
279,469 Pine Siskins on 18,528
checklists, compared to the pre-
vious high of 38,977 birds on
4,069 checklists in 2005. White-
winged Crossbills were not as
common, but their invasion was
still impressive with 4,824 birds
on 589 checklists representing
a new record over the previ-
ous high of 2,854 birds on 135
checklists in 2007.
The GBBC continues to show
declines in some common
birds, especially grassland and
shrubland species. Loggerhead
Shrike numbers are down, and
although numbers of Northern
Bobwhites and Eastern Mead-
owlarks were both up slightly
from last year, they are still be-
ing reported in fewer numbers
during the GBBC than they were
in 2004. These GBBC trends are
only preliminary views of what
may be going on with these pop-
ulations, and they must continue
to be monitored to get a true
long-term view of how these
birds are faring. 
Species reported for the first
time during the Great Back-
yard Bird Count included two
oceanic species--Pink-footed
Shearwater and Xantus’s Mur-
relet, both in California. Other
first-timers included Baird’s
Sandpiper, Black-billed Cuck-
oo, and Blackpoll Warbler. Two
rare Mexican species appeared
on GBBC checklists from Ari-
zona for the first time: the first
Sinaloa Wren ever found north
of the border, and a Blue Mock-
ingbird. 
“I just love the way this event
opens up a new world for so
many people,” says Cornell Lab
of Ornithology Citizen Science
Director Janis Dickinson. “We
have grandparents counting with
their grandchildren, elementary
school classrooms doing the
GBBC as a special project, na-
ture centers taking visitors out
on bird walks. And adults who
never noticed birds before are
suddenly smitten!”
For a more detailed summary
of this year’s results, visit the
GBBC web site at www.bird-
count.org. Explore 2009 data,
compare with other years, and
find the exact counts for each
species in a particular state,
province, or town.
The Great Backyard Bird Count
is sponsored by Wild Birds Un-
limited. The next Great Back-
yard Bird Count is February 15-
18, 2010! 
                                                     
Top 10 most-frequently reported
birds in the 2009 GBBC:
1)   Northern Cardinal 
2)   Mourning Dove
3)   Dark-eyed Junco  
4)   American Goldfinch  
5)   Downy Woodpecker  
6)   Blue Jay  
7)   House Finch  
8)   Tufted Titmouse  
9)   American Crow
10) Black-capped Chickadee
 zation and direction for the Membership meeting
Christmas Bird Count. annual picnic
5. We produce The Sandpip- Don’t miss out on the fun, fes-
er, our bi-monthly newsletter, tivities and fantastic, fabulous,
which is chock full of tidbits fabled food of GHAS’s annual
that help us get out the word potluck picnic.
about birds. Please bring your potluck fa-
vorite main, salad, side dish or
GHAS provides so much, for desert to share. Drinks and ta-
so little. Please renew at the ble service will be provided.
highest level possible. If you All members are
can make an additional dona- urged to attend!
tion please include that in your Children Welcome!
membership update. Lake Sylvia State Park bor-
Looking for a unique gift for ders along the north edge of
that special someone? A mem- Montesano. The park is located
Got our eye out for you bership to GHAS will chirp your in a dense boreal forest and of-
We need to rely on your gen- good wishes. fers swimming, hiking, camp-
erosity and the kindness of our ing, fishing, boating and 1st
friends to keep Grays Harbor Thanks to all who have respond- birding. Built around an old
Audubon Society, GHAS going. ed so far. lumber mill pond it is home to
We do not receive funding from ducks, geese and a family of os-
National, it is you who makes preys. The address is 1812 N.
this chapter what it is today. Are you interested in receiv- Lake Sylvia Road, Montesano
Please renew your member- ing The Sandpiper online? 98563. Head to Montesano and
ship NOW and do it frequently. Send us your email address follow the signs to North Lake
We know that it is tough out and we can forward the latest Sylvia Road.
there and we appreciate any- issue the moment it is ready
thing that you can do to help to publish or visit http://ghas.
out your Chapter so it can con- org to view the newsletter as
tinue to achieve the great things a color pdf file.
we’ve done in the name of birds
and people.
1. The Habitat Protection Pro-
gram has placed into conser-
vation close to 4,000 acres of
sensitive land in Gray Harbor,
Pacific and Jefferson Coun-
ties. If you have property or
want to donate to help with
acquisition of property, please
contact the Habitat Commit-
tee.
2. Membership meetings in-
troduce subjects and people
to our membership that affect
our lives and those of around Lake Sylvia State Park
us.
3. The Annual Shorebird Festi-
val is co-sponsored by GHAS
and brings thousands of bird-
ers to our shores to view the
annual migration of shore-
birds. This year was the 14th
Annual.
4. We provide the organi-

page 4
 There’s a bird in my sense in the spring. Editor’s Note: This article is more
radar! Ornithologists use weather easily understood when viewed at
by Professor Clifford Mass, radars for monitoring bird mi- the original (http://cliffmass.blog-
U of W Atmospheric Scientist grations, and now so can you! spot.com/2009/04/theres-bird-in-
Weather radar is a great tool Imagine when we get a radar my-radar.html) or by viewing it as a
for tracking areas of precipita- on the coast...we will then be pdf from the GHAS newsletter page,
tion, but it can see much more. able to track the great migra- http://ghas.org/newsletter.php
Sometimes it sees birds. In fact, tions through Grays Harbor and
birds are great radar targets, vicinity. So write or email your
since the amount of radar signal Senator and Congressman -- we
scattered back increases by the need that coastal radar!
sixth power of the diameter of Cliff Mass Weather Blog http://
the target...and birds are much cliffmass.blogspot.com/
bigger than raindrops!
Let me show you an example
(see right). Lets go back to April
24th at 8:12PM (0312 UTC or
GMT). The radar is showing
little of anything, even though
it is in the supersensitive “clear
air” mode.
A half hour later there is a no-
ticeable increase in the amount
of echo and by 9 PM echoes
have really spread and strength-
ened. This intensification and
extension of the radar echoes
continued for the next hour.
So did a rainshower move in?
Or did a front with rain make
landfall? Nope. The surface
observing stations reported dry
conditions and generally cloud
free skies. It was birds! But
why then? Sunset on that day
was 8:12 PM and that is key
information. Songbirds like to
fly at night (perhaps there are
less predators then) and just af-
ter sunset they hit the skies for
their migration north. And we
see this pattern night after night
in the spring...and night after
night in the fall.
But wait a minute..this is a Dop-
pler radar...we can tell which
way they are flying! The Dop-
pler velocity image is shown
below for 11 PM. Greens indi-
cate incoming (from the south)
and yellows are outgoing (to the
north). Thus, with greens south
of the radar site (Camano Is-
land) and yellows to the north
of the radar, our birds are mov-
ing to the north...which makes

page 5
 May begins bird watching’s
biggest month, as millions
of birds return from the trop-
ics, filling the Northern Hemi-
sphere with summer’s full array
of birds. It’s a great time to go
bird watching, and Chris Wood
and Jessie Barry of the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology are inviting
you to go out with them—in a
new free series of web videos,
“Inside Birding.” http://www.
birds.cornell.edu/NetCommu-
nity/Page.aspx?pid=1270
Jessie and Chris share their tips,
tools, and techniques for identi-
fying birds with confidence—
whether you’re new to birding
or seeking to hone your skills.
Learn the secrets of the “four
keys” to bird identification.
Watch them in the field as they
practice using size and shape to
identify common birds. Learn
how to use color pattern and be-
havior for critical clues about a
bird’s identity. And travel with
Chris and Jessie to the swamps
of Florida as they explain the
importance of habitat when
you’re looking for birds.
Explore the rest of the new-
ly redesigned All About Birds
website. http://www.allabout-
birds.org/netcommunity/Page.
aspx?pid=1189 It’s packed with
stunning images and informa-
tion about every aspect of bird-
ing. Enhance your bird knowl-
edge by visiting Bird Guide,
with more than 500 species pro-
files, new photo ID tools, cool
facts, sounds, and video. Peruse
the Living Bird section for ar-
ticles about travel, science, and
conservation.
Practice using the four keys to
identification or sharpen your
knowledge about Songs and
Calls in the Building Skills sec-
tion. Check out the Multimedia
theater to watch videos about
birds from the Arctic, coasts,
and grasslands—or learn more
about attracting birds right to
your own yard.
page 6
GHAS Board of Directors
Steve Hallstrom 273-9280 toltfarm@jps.net
Theressa Julius 537-4386 tmjulius@tss.net
Arnie Martin 612-0437 arnold6.martin@comcast.net
Dianna Moore 289-5048 dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Mary O’Neil 533-9833 deed2et2et@yahoo.com
Linda Orgel 648-2476 ldotorg@olearycreek.com
Renee Prine 268-0485
Diane Schwickerath 495-3101 deananddiane@gmail.com
Janet Strong 495-3950 strongjan@centurytel.com
Chapter Officers
President Arnie Martin 612-0437
arnold6.martin@comcast.net
Vice President Mary O’Neil 533-9833
deed2et2et@yahoo.com
Treasurer Diane Schwickerath 495-3101
deananddiane@gmail.com
Secretary Theressa Julius, 537-4386
tmjulius@tss.net
Committee Chairs
Newsletter R.D. Grunbaum, 648-2476
rd@olearycreek.com
Membership Dianna Moore 289-5048
dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Conservation Janet Strong, 495-3950
strongjan@centurytel.com
Education Renee Prine, 268-0485
Field Trips Dianna Moore 289-5048
dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Program Chair Dianna Moore 289-5048
dlmoor2@coastaccess.com
Hospitality Linda Orgel 648-2476
ldotorg@olearycreek.com
Publicity Vacant
Habitat Vacant
Other Audubon Contacts
GHAS voice mail (800) 303-8498
State Audubon (360) 786-8020
National Audubon (212) 979-3000
GHAS Website http://www.ghas.org
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page 7
 WA 98563
Permit # 5
Aberdeen, WA Montesano,
PAID P.O. Box 470
U.S. Postage
Non Profit Org.
The Sandpiper
Membership Meeting
Annual Potluck Picnic
Lake Sylvia, Montesano
1:00- 3:00 pm
June 7, 2009 Inside this Issue
News & Editorial
send materials to GH Shorebird Festival
P.O. Box 1044 1
Westport, 98595-1044 President’s Perch 2
or email to Spinning earth 3
rd@olearycreek.com GBBC breaks record 3
Copy deadline May 4, 2009 Eye on you 4
Annual Picnic 4
Bird in my radar 5
Board & Officers 6
Member Application 7
How Do I Know When My
Membership Is Due?
Just look in the upper right
hand corner of your label
and it will give you your
renewal date!