Nov/Dec 2016 Newsletter is Online
Go to www.northcascadesaudubon.org to download the PDF. (Click "Newsletter" in the menu.)
November and December Events and Field Trips Are Online
Visit our website to see what's coming up this month. (Upcoming events are listed on the home page as well as on the Calendar.)
Christmas Bird Count dates:
Saturday, December 17: San Juan Ferry Transect
Sunday, December 18: Whatcom County
If you are interested in participating in the Bellingham CBC please contact Paul Woodcock at vp@northcascadesaudubon.org or 360-966-6549; or Doug Brown at bblackcat@comcast.net or 360-647-1657.
Mark Your Calendar: Holiday Potluck
Our annual holiday potluck will be on Monday, December 12, from 6-9pm at the YWCA Ballroom.
1026 N Forest Street, Bellingham
Join us at the YWCA Ballroom on Monday, December 12, from 6-9pm to celebrate another great year of birds, birding, and our Audubon community. There will be live music and Doug Brown, a local photographer and birder, will be presenting some of his photos. Please bring plates, utensils, and a dish to share. Coffee and tea will be provided. Happy holidays!
General Membership Meeting with Jim Watson
This month's exciting membership meeting! Mark your calendar. See below for date, time, and location.
Raptors of Western Washington: From Shoreline to Summit. Often seen, often admired, often maligned. Raptors are important apex predators in western Washington associated with ecosystems centered on water and forests. Join us for an evening discussion that will be of interest both to novice and experienced birders and avian ecologists. We’ll establish some common ground as we discuss key specialized adaptations of raptors that make them successful hunters, and learn about the ecology of species most often encountered in ecosystems west of the Cascades. Then we’ll highlight interesting findings from current statewide raptor research studies including effects of recent forest fires on golden eagle and northern goshawk nest ecology, and impacts of wind power development on golden eagles and ferruginous hawks. Both forest fires and wind power development are expected to increase over the next several years in western Washington. Finally, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, especially those raptor questions you’ve always pondered, whether fact or fiction. Although we may not be able to derive the answers, it will make for a lively discussion!
Jim Watson is a Wildlife Research Scientist with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) and the lead researcher for statewide raptor studies. He has spent the past 45 years studying raptors in the western United States and abroad. Jim’s research focus includes raptor population dynamics, migration ecology, and management of raptors in human landscapes.
Always on the 4th Tuesday of the month:
November 22nd, 7pm at the Whatcom Museum,** free & open to the public!
**in the Rotunda Room of the Old City Hall building
NCAS Climate Change Group
Volunteer with your local chapter.
The NCAS climate change group is planning to put an information table at the Bellingham Farmers Market one Saturday per month, starting next April. Before moving forward we need to know how many volunteers would commit to taking one or more 2-hour shifts at the table, to explain the issues to members of the public, and to hand out literature describing what they can do to help offset the effects of climate change on birds.
If you are interested please contact Pam Borso at borsope@aol.com 360-319-