Valley Habitat 1

The Valley Habitat May 2016

A Joint Publication of the Stanislaus Audubon Society and the Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

PleaseJoinUsforOurYokutsoftheSierraClubProgram,Friday,May20,2016!

OurMay speakerwill beTimManolis,whowillintroduce us to the Dragonflies and Damselflies ofCalifornia,withaspecialfocusontheCentralValleyandcentralSierraNevada.Youwilllearnaboutthevarietyofspecieswhichcanbeseen,howtoidentifyandfindthem,and ways in which even amateur observers cancontributeto increasedunderstandingofthestatusanddistributionofdamselfliesanddragonflies.

TimManolisisaSacramentoValleynativewhohasbeenstudyingbirdsandotheraspectsofnatureforover40years.HehasaPh.D.inbiologyfromtheUniversityofColorado,andworksasanartist, illustrator,writerand

biologicalconsultant.Tim’sactivitiesandinfluenceintheworldofbirdingarewellknown.TimhasbeenveryactiveintheoperationsofWesternFieldOrnithologists,servingasofficer,boardmember,speaker,and conference organizer. He was WFO president from 1986-1989. Tim was the moving force andcoordinator of the Sacramento County breeding bird atlas (1988-1992), and was the founder of theSacramentoBirdRecordsCommittee.Morerecently,hewroteandillustratedDragonfliesandDamselfliesofCalifornia in theUniversityofCaliforniaPressNaturalHistoryGuidesSeries in2003,and illustratedButterfliesoftheSanFranciscoBayandSacramentoValleyRegions,inthesameseries,in2007.HelivesinSacramento,California.

ContactLindaLagaceat(209)863-9137foranyquestionsabouttheprogram.

CollegeAvenueCongregationalChurchMeetingHall•1341CollegeAvenue,Modesto.Refreshmentsandsocializingbeginat6:45p.m.andthemeetingstartsat7:00p.m.Non-membersarealwayswelcome!Theprogramisfreeandopentothepublic.

SavetheDate!Friday,June17,2016isourAnnualPotluckatDougHardie’shouseinModesto.Ridesareavailablefor

thosewhoneedthem.Formoreinformation,pleasecontactDougat:(209)524-6651.

Stanislaus Audubon Society

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THECURIOUSCASEOFTHEWANDERINGWRENTIT

bySalvatoreSalernoI’monthetrailagain,stalkingaskulker.

The bird has its back tome, foraging intentlyinside a bush, so I’m able to see it whileremaining unseen myself. More of the birdbecomes visible to me—its plump body,streakedbreast, and ragged tail—until it fixesits pale eye onme, drops down and becomesinvisible inside the understory. Once more, IenjoyedthemomentaryprivilegeofobservingaWrentit, one of the most enigmatic anddistinctivebirdsinCalifornia.

The mystery of the Wrentit doesn’treside in its status and distribution, becausethose are well-known. This secretive bird ispresent year-round from Baja California upthrough California to Oregon. Its preferredhabitats include coastal sage scrub, montanechaparral, riparian scrub, coyote bush, poisonoak,andblackberry thickets—and thedenser,thebetter.Wrentitpairsmateforlife,andtheirprogenydonotstraymorethan1,200feetfromwheretheywereborn,making itarguablythemostsedentaryspeciesinNorthAmerica.

The mystery of the Wrentit doesn’tresideinitsoriginstory,either,althoughthatisamazing enough in its own right. Geneticstudies have revealed that ancestors of theWrentit,whatevertheywere,arrivedinNorthAmerica across the land bridge of the BeringStraits during the Pleistocene Era. The birdevolved and diverged from its ancestors,whatevertheywere,between8and6.5millionyears ago. During the cooler centuries of thePleistocene,whenglacierscoveredthenorthofthe continent, the range of the Wrentit waslikelyrestrictedtosouthernCaliforniaandtheBaja Peninsula. Once the glaciers retreated,however,theWrentit,along-distanceflyerbackthen,slowlyincreaseditsrangenorththroughthechaparral,alongboththecoastalrangesand

the Sierra foothills, eventually ending up inOregon.

The essential mystery of the Wrentit,then, resides in its very identity. The firstnaturalisttohavestudiedthebirdproperlywasWilliam Gambel. This remarkable naturalistwas onlynineteen years oldwashemadehiswalking tourofCalifornia, collectingbotanicalandavianspecimensasheexplored.In1842,heobtained the specimen of a Wrentit nearMonterey.FirstGambeldescribedthatbirdinalettertohismentorThomasNuttall,andthenin1845, he returned to Philadelphia to have hisscientificdescriptionspublished.SinceGambelhadintroducedtheWrentittotheattentionofnaturalists,heearnedtheprivilegeofbeingits“taxon author.” Gambel placed theWrentit inthe genus Chamaea, and after 170 years, thebirdremainsastheonlyspeciesinthatgenus. But towhat familydoes thisOldWorldimmigrantbelongintheNewWorld?Thatisthechief mystery, and it has been “solved” byornithologistsinvariousways.Atfirst,itwasasimple strategy just to elevate the bird to itsown family, called Chamaeidae to echo itsgenus. Atvarioustimes,theWrentithasbeenshuntedamongfivedifferentbirdfamilies.(ContinuedonPage3)

WHATAMI?©TomGrey

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Stanislaus Audubon Society

Stanislaus Audubon Society Board of Directors: Ralph Baker, Eric Caine, Joe Devine, Jody Hallstrom, David Froba, Jim Gain, Daniel Gilman, John Harris, Christine Magaña, Harold Reeve, Salvatore Salerno.

Officers & Committee Chairs

President: Sal Salerno 985-1232 (bees2@sbcglobal.net)

Vice President: Eric Caine 968-1302 (ericcaine@sbcglobal.net)

Treasurer: David Froba 521-7265 (froba@comcast.net)

Secretary: John Harris 510-504-2427 (johnh@mills.edu)

Membership: Revolving

San Joaquin River NWR Trips: Ralph Baker 681-3313 (sharks_hockey_maniac@yahoo.com)

Other Field Trips: David Froba 521-7265 (froba@comcast.net)

Christmas Bird Counts Coordinator;; Secre-­tary, Stanislaus Birds Records Committee:

Harold Reeve 538-0885

How to Join Audubon To become a member of National Audubon Society and Stanislaus Audu-­bon, which entitles you to receive Audubon Magazine and Valley Habi-­tat, send your check for $20.00 to: National Audubon Society, Inc. 225 Varick Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10014 Attn: Chance Mueleck To keep your membership current, check the membership expiration date printed on your newsletter label. If you receive Valley Habitat online, call Member Services at 800-274-4201.

Visit our web site at

www.stanislausbirds.org LIKE S.A.S. ON FACEBOOK! JOIN MEETUP GROUP

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Stan islaus Audubon Soc iety AUDUBON FIELD TRIPS February 13, Merced National Wildlife Refuge. Trip leader, Joe Devine, 574-9781, mojoedevine@yahoo.com. In the winter this mag-­nificent refuge attracts waterfowl, shore birds, and other birds in the tens of thousands. Meet at the Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500 I Street, Modesto) at 7:15 a.m. We will return to Modesto mid afternoon.

February 21 and March 20. The San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge near Modesto is huge and offers the most diverse habitats in the area, including mixed species transitional areas, riparian forest, oak woodlands, grassland, and seasonal wetlands. Trip leader, RalphBaker(sharks_hockey_maniac@yahoo.com) chooses the particu-­lar habitats to visit each month based on conditions and season. Meet at the Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500 I Street, Modesto) at 7:15 a.m. We will return to Modesto mid afternoon. March 12. Turlock Lake Campground. Situated in the largest stand of old growth riverine forest on the lower Tuolumne River, this unique location is pleasing to many species of birds, and to birders. Trip lead-­er, David Froba, 521-7265, froba@comcast.net.Meet at the Stanislaus County Library parking lot (1500 I Street, Modesto) at 7:15 a.m. We will return to Modesto early afternoon.

Audubon Field Trip Email List

If you would like to be on a group email to advise you of all Audubon field trips, please email: Dave Froba at froba@comcast.net.

EARLY BIRDERS CLASS, WINTER 2016 Salvatore Salerno is offering another Early Birders class through the M.J.C. Community Education Department. This course is designed for the beginning or intermediate bird watcher in the identification and enjoyment of birds. The classroom session is on Thursday, February 11, 2016. The first field trip is on Saturday, February 13 to Merced N.W.R. The second field trip is on Saturday, February 20 to San Luis N.W.R. Look for the class in the mailed class catalog or online at www.mjc4life.org.

WRENTIT (ContinuedfromPage2)Thebirdhasbeenvariouslyconsideredascloselyrelatedtowrens,bushtits,titmiceandchickadees,buttheevidencejustwasn’tthere.Eventually,theWrentitwasplacedintheTimeliiadae family of Old World babblers,which ErnestDawson called “the dump heap of despairing ornitholo-gists.” Further study revealed a more complex truth. In1982, Charles Sibley and Jon Ahlquist, using DNAhybridization technique, found that the Wrentit wasclosest to some species of babblers in the Timeliiadaefamilyandtosomespeciesof“true”warblersinSylviidaefamily. More modern DNA sequence analysis hasdiscoveredthattheWrentitwasmorecloselyconnectedtocertainspeciesofSylviawarblersthanbabblers.Thisledtothe conclusion that the Wrentit, Sylvia warblers, andbabblers all constitute a clade, which is a set of birdssharingacommonancestry.SobytryingtoplacethisloneNewWorldbirdintoitsproperfamily,ornithologistshavediscoverednewlinksbetweenitsOldWorldancestors.

The American Ornithologists Union placed theWrentit in the Sylviiadae family in 2010, which addsanotherwrinkletothestory.Nowitmeansthatthebirdiscovered and protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty of1918.That’saprettyirony,sinceWrentits,havingevolvedout of their wandering ways long ago, now spend theirentirelifecyclesinareasoflessthantwoacres.

ThenexttimeyougobirdinginDelPuertoCanyonorthe San JoaquinRiverNationalWildlifeRefuge, stop andlisten for themaleWrentit’s “bouncingball” songamongthe thickets. Ifyoustandstillandmakenosoundwaves,youjustmightgetluckyandseethisbirdappearfromthedenseunderstory.Thereitis,thebirdthathasstumpedtheexpertsforyears,thebirdthathastravelledfarinordertostayput,andthemostuniqueGoldenStatebirdthatyoucanseewithashortdrivetoanearbytrail.

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Stanislaus Audubon Society

AUDUBONFIELDTRIPSApril30.DelPuertoCanyonrunsjustoutsideofPattersonuptothecountylineat2400feet.Thecombinationofaltitudeandspringmigrationmakesthisadynamiteplacetobirdatthistime of the year. Trip leader, Dan Gilman, spiderdan1974@att.net, 765-9481. Meet at theStanislausCountyLibraryparking lot (1500 IStreet,Modesto)at7:15a.m.Wewill returntoModestomidafternoon.May15andJune19.TheSanJoaquinRiverNationalWildlifeRefugenearModestoishugeandoffersthemostdiversehabitatsinthearea,includingmixedspeciestransitionalareas,riparianforest,oakwoodlands,grassland,andseasonalwetlands.Trip leader, chooses theparticularhabitats to visit each month based on conditions and season. Trip leader, Ralph Baker(sharks_hockey_maniac@yahoo.com).MeetattheStanislausCountyLibraryparkinglot(1500IStreet,Modesto)at7:15a.m.WewillreturntoModestomidafternoon.May14-15,2016.Monterey,PacificGroveandpointssouth.Thisovernightfieldtripwillincludesuch locations inMontereyCounty asAndrewMolera StatePark (dayuse fee), PointPiños,ElkhornSloughPreserve,andMossLanding.Wewillbelookingforspringmigrantandvagrantpasserines, shorebirds and seabirds. Trip Leader, Salvatore Salerno, 985-1232,bees2@sbcglobal.net. RSVP is required, by no later than May 9. Maximum number ofparticipants is twelve.Prospective participantswill receive a tentative itinerary and lodgingrecommendationsbyemail.MeetattheStanislausCountyLibraryparkingat1500IStreetat7:00a.m.onSaturday,May14.WewillreturntoModestointhelateafternoonofSunday,May15.May21.StringofPearls.ThisseriesofparksalongthelowerStanislausRiverattractsmigratorybirds on their way to the Sierra or points north. Trip leader David Froba, 521-7265,froba@comcast.net.MeetattheStanislausCountyLibraryparkinglot(1500IStreet,Modesto)at7:00a.m.WewillreturntoModestoearlyafternoon.June12.CalaverasBigTreesStatePark.ThemidrangeshavethemostdiversebirdlifeintheSierraatthistimeofyear,muchmigratinginfromthetropics.Infullreproductivemodethesebirds should be active and easily seen. Trip leader, Ralph Baker (sharks_hockey_maniac@yahoo.com).MeetinfrontoftheclosedgardencenteroftheRiverbankTarget(2425ClaribelRoad,Riverbank)at7:15a.m.Bringlunch,waterandinsectrepellant.WewillreturntoModestomidafternoon.

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Stanislaus Audubon Society

GENERALMEMBERSHIPMEETINGOFSTANISLAUSAUDUBONSOCIETYThegeneralmembershipandvolunteersofStanislausAudubonSocietyareinvitedtothenextboardmeeting

onTuesday,May10,2016at7:00p.m.at1824FallonLaneinModesto.(NOTE:ThismeetingisoneweekearlierthantheusualthirdTuesdayschedule.)ThechiefpurposeofthismeetingwillbetoelectanewslateofofficersfortheBoardofDirectorswhowillserveinthe2016-17term.

RECENTSIGHTINGSOFRAREORUNCOMMONBIRDS

MERCED COUNTY Ralph Baker had a MARBLED GODWIT at Merced N.W.R. on March 10. Pete Dunten had two PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS on March 19 at Gustine Water Treatment Plant. He also had three RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS on March 26 at San Luis Reservoir S.R.A. Dale Swanberg saw a flock of seventeen BAND-TAILED PIGEONS at Pacheco State Park on March 26. Also on that day, Joe and Debbie Devine saw two SHORT-EARED OWLS at San Luis N.W.R. A male and female ORCHARD ORIOLE was found on private property near Cressey on March 28. This is a first record of Orchard Oriole in Merced County. Ralph Baker had two RED CROSSBILLS at San Luis Creek S.R.A. and two CASSIN’S KINGBIRDS at Basalt Campground on March 30. Later that day, he had three SHORT-EARED OWLS at dusk at San Luis N.W.R.

STANISLAUS COUNTY *under committee review

Tom and Anne Myers had two LAWRENCE’S GOLDFINCHES at their backyard feeder in Modesto on March 22. Brandon Thurston, Richard Brown and Sal Salerno had two STELLER’S JAYS at Del Puerto Canyon on March 26. Brandon Thurston and Sal Salerno had an early NASHVILLE WARBLER at Del Puerto Canyon on April 5. John Luther found a BREWER’S SPARROW* on Rock River Road on April 7. Jim Gain found a BREWER’S SPARROW* on Cooperstown Road on April 8 that might have been the same bird as Luther’s.

Orchard Oriole ©KentvanVuren

Brewer’sSparrow©JimGain

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Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

RideShare and Public Transportation By Sandra Wilson, Yokuts Secretary

I signed up for Rideshare to try to find

someone to drive to work with several years ago. The only people who contacted me didn’t work out. We weren’t on the same schedule which limited carpooling and I only commute 7 miles to work. I also looked into riding the bus but found that I would still have to walk 2 miles from the closest bus stop through an industrial area without sidewalks.

Recently, I participated in a focus group on Ridesharing. There were 23 of us and a consultant. We talked about the ‘roadblocks’ to Ridesharing and shared our experiences. Some people were commuting to the Bay Area and did not feel comfortable with some of the other passengers who were drinking or on drugs. Some people felt public transportation was too much work and inconvenient. I guess it

has become too easy to continue to do what we do. We talked about ways to encourage ridesharing. Some ideas, the need for a phone software which could be used to help you get rides, family based tickets, Wi-Fi, focusing on younger people who are more flexible and always seem to lead the way.

After the session, I revisited the website Rideshare.com and found a calculator which showed that it costs me $1700/year for that 7-mile commute, and creates green house gases which contribute to climate change.

Next I visited the Modesto Start and found a bus that was now stopping just across the street from my office. I am going to try it out. Who knows, at $40/month, it could save me $1200 per year. That might be good for me and the environment.

EnvironmentalJustice…PartII (ContinuedfromApril2016issue)ByRosendaMataka

TherehasalwaysbeensomeformofresistancetoenvironmentaldegradationofMotherEarthandthenegativeimpactsithasonhumansandnon-humans.EvenbeforethetermEnvironmentalJusticewascoinedwehadourheroes.WecancountMartinLutherKingJr,CesarChavez,andDoloresHuertaasenvironmentaljusticeactivists.RecentlyPopeFrancishaswrittenonenvironmentaljustice.

In1990RobertBullardwrote"DumpinginDixie"consideredthefirstbooktoaddresstherealityofenvironmentaljustice.ButtheEJmovementhasitsrootslongbeforethat.Youcanreadsomeexceptsof"DumpingonDixie"ontheSierraClubwebsite.TheFirstNationalPeopleofColorEnvironmentalLeadershipSummitoccurredinWashingtonDCinOctober26,1991.MichaelFischer,theaffablefifty-one-year-oldformerbureaucratwhorantheSierraClub,hadspokenathundredsofcommunityforums,nationalconventions,congressionalhearings,andpressconferencesovertheyears,buthe'dneverbeentoameetinglikethisonebefore.Sittinginfrontofhim,inacavernousballroomattheWashingtonCourtHotel,weremorethatfivehundredenvironmentalactivists,representingorganizationinallfiftystates--andnoneofthemwaswhite.(1

1.NotinourBackyard.MarcMowreyandTimRedmond.WillianMorrowandCompany,Inc.NewYork1933.pg.431.2.NotinourBackyard.MarcMowreyandTimRedmond.WillianMorrowandCompany,Inc.NewYork1933.pg.433.

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Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club

Sierra Club Membership Enrollment Form

c Yes, I want to be a member of the Sierra Club! c Yes, I want to give a gift membership! ______________________________________________________ NEW MEMBER NAME(S) ______________________________________________________ ADDRESS ______________________________________________________ CITY STATE ZIP ______________________________________________________ TELEPHONE EMAIL From time to time, we make our mailing list available to other worthy organizations. If you prefer you name not to be included, please check here. c

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES (check one) INDIVIDUAL JOINT

Special offer $15 c Regular $39 c $49 c Supporting $75 c $100 c Contributing $150 c $175 c Life $1000 c $1250 c Senior $25 c $35 c Student $25 c $35 c Limited Income $25 c $35 c Contributions, gifts and dues to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Your dues include $7.50 for a subscription to SIERRA magazine and $1 for your Chapter newsletter. PAYMENT METHOD: (check one) CHECK c VISA c MASTERCARD c AMEX c _________________________________________ CARDHOLDER NAME _________________________________________________ CARD NUMBER EXPIRATION DATE _________________________________________________ SIGNATURE GIFT MEMBERSHIP: A gift card will be sent for your use. Enter your name and address below and the name and address of the gift recipient above. ______________________________________________________ YOUR NAME(S) ______________________________________________________ ADDRESS ______________________________________________________ CITY STATE ZIP ______________________________________________________ TELEPHONE EMAIL Enclose payment information and mail to: P. O. Box 421041, Palm Coast, FL 32142-1041

Yokuts Group F94QN09051

YokutsSierraClubJoinsMeetup.comTheYokutsSierraClubgroup,alongwiththeDeltaSierraandTuolumnegroups,haveformedaStockton-Modesto-SonoraMeetupgroupthatincludesSierraCluboutingsandevents.It’seasyandfreetojointhis

Meetup,justgotothelinkbelowandsignup.It’snotnecessarytobeaSierraClubmembertojoin.Onceyousignup,youwillautomaticallybe

sentannouncementsofnewandupcomingMeetupevents.http://www.meetup.com/Stockton-Modesto-Sonora-Sierra-Club/

Chair CandyKlaschus 632-5473 (cklaschus@gmail.com)ViceChair KentMitchellTreasurer SteveTomlinson 544-1617 (stomlinson015@gmail.com)Secretary SandraWilson 577-5616 (swilson0902@yahoo.com)Programs LindaLagace (linda.lagace@att.net) 863-9137Conservation MiltTrieweiler (magictrain@aol.com) Membership AnitaYoung 529-2300 (ayyoungbooks2@gmail.com)Hospitality CandyKlaschus 632-5473 (cklaschus@gmail.com)Publicity DorothyGriggs 549-9155 (dorothygriggs@att.net)Outings RandallBrown 632-5994 (rbrown@csustan.edu)Newsletter ChelseaFeeney (530)520-7380 (chelseafeeney1984@gmail.com)Mailing KathyWeise 545-5948 (kweise@ssica.com) Population MiltTrieweiler 535-1274 (magictrain@aol.com)Fundraising LeonardChoate 524-3659Website JasonTyree (jason.tyree@gmail.com) CheckoutourWebsite:http://www.sierraclub.org/mother-lode/yokutsTosendstoriestotheHabitat,e-mailChelseaFeeney:chelseafeeney1984@gmail.com

LinktotheYokutsWebsite

The Valley Habitat www.sierraclub.org/mother-lode/yokuts

May 2016 www.stanislausbirds.org

Yokuts Group Mother Lode Chapter Sierra Club P.O. Box 855 Modesto, CA 95353

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage PAID

Permit Number 139

Modesto, CA