MEET THE OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus) - by Jeff Sinker
Commonly found along shallow fresh or saltwater habitats, this large North American hawk, with its dark brown body and sparkling white head, is impossible to miss either in flight or perched on top of a massive nest surveying the surrounding territory.
Eating almost exclusively live fish, which it positions head facing forward in its talons to reduce wind resistance, the Osprey is unable to dive deeper than about three feet below water when hunting; however, it can and will catch fish schooling at the water’s surface. Captured fish are usually 6-13 inches long and weight one-third to two-thirds of a pound. Ospreys have a reversible outer toe that gives them a grasping capability with two toes in front and two toes behind plus barbed sole pads to aid in keeping their grip firmly on the slippery fish.
Migrants may fly long distances-over two thousand miles-in a single year between their summer and winter grounds. Males usually arrive just before females and select the nest site, which can be a treetop, snag, cliff, man-made platform, or cellphone tower. The male gathers most of the nesting material, including sticks, bark, vines and sadly, sometimes baling twine and plastic line, which have been documented to entangle chicks in the nest, resulting in injury or death.
A successful pair devotes over three months to raising a single brood (1-4 chicks). The eggs do not all hatch at one time, so if food is scarce, younger chicks may not survive. Ospreys rarely forage beyond 12 miles of the nest and in northern climates, they depend on ice-free locations for the duration of their breeding season. Ospreys also do well around humans and have rebounded successfully after long-term pesticides such as DDT were banned.
May Program-Pacific Flyway Shorebird Conservation (Zoom Only)
Details
MAY MEETING – PRESENTED ON ZOOM ONLY
“Pacific Flyway Shorebird Conservation”
Presented by: River Gates
Tuesday, May 14th at 7:00 pm
Please join us on May 14th for a presentation by River Gates on shorebird conservation along the Pacific Flyway. The program will be on Zoom only and pre-registration is required (see link below). River coordinates the Pacific Shorebird Conservation initiative for National Audubon, and she also conducts research on the Pacific Coast Flyway. She holds an MS in Conservation Biology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and currently lives in Alaska.
Register using this link: https://bit.ly/3wTU05a and if you have questions, contact programs@skagitaudubon.org. After you have registered, you will receive an invitation from Zoom with the meeting link.
May-Conservation Report
Details
by Tim Manns
Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act
At least 390 bird species breed in North America and winter in Latin America or the Caribbean. Stemming decline in the populations of these migratory species requires protecting their habitat and addressing other problems they face at both ends of their annual journey and at stopover sites along their migratory paths. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 2000 created a matching fund to spur projects to protect these migratory species with most of the funds to be spent south of the United States. Last June, with this act about to expire, our Second Congressional District Representative Rick Larsen joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle in a bipartisan bid to renew and improve this program. On April 9th of this year the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act (H.R.4389) passed the House. The bill then moved to the Senate where on April 17th it passed on a voice vote. With the Senate very closely divided, passing on a voice vote implies ample support for the bill from both parties. This bill reauthorizes an annual appropriation of $6.5 million and increases the federal cost share for grants from 25 percent to 33.3 percent. As with the earlier bill, at least 75% of the funded projects must be in Latin America, the Caribbean, or Canada. Find the bill report at CRPT-118hrpt439.pdf (congress.gov).
Congressman Larsen, himself a birder, represents many of Skagit Audubon’s members, and has done a bit of birding several times with Skagit Audubon and the other chapters in his district. We conveyed our appreciation to him for his work moving this bipartisan legislation through the House.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION - SAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The annual process to elect Skagit Audubon Society's board of directors has begun. Our chapter has four elected officers and up to seventeen At-Large Directors. Our President, John Day, is at the end of his two-year term. Nominations are now open for Board President (2-year term) and all other Board positions, each of which has a one-year term.
Nominations of Chapter Members in good standing will be accepted from now through our April member meeting and will close at the end of that meeting. The final slate of candidates proposed for election by the Board will be presented at the members' meeting in May. Elections will be held at the annual meeting of members on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Please save the date and participate in our annual elections.
When, where, and how far will birds migrate? How many birds passed last night? The tools from Birdcast help you explore the answers to these and many other questions about bird migration.
Bird migration forecast maps show predicted nocturnal migration 3 hours after local sunset and are updated every 6 hours. Colorado State University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produce these forecasts. See real-time analysis maps of intensities of actual nocturnal bird migration, as detected by the US weather surveillance radar network between local sunset to sunrise. Cornell Lab of Ornithology currently produces these maps.
Explore: https://birdcast.info/ Powered by The Cornell Lab, Colorado State University, UMass Amherst
UPDATED JAN. 3, 2024: Because of increased activity of respiratory illness, Skagit County Public Health is now recommending that masks be worn when visiting healthcare facilities. At this point, Skagit Audubon recommends that members and guests wear masks while attending indoor meetings. We also ask that people who are sick or experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness remain home.
Some of our general meetings are being held at the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center while others will be available on Zoom only. Hybrid meetings are not currently offered. Please check the monthly program description for meeting details. As with our field trips and other events, only vaccinated, symptom-free individuals should attend meetings in person.
Skagit Audubon Society holds monthly meetings on the second Tuesday of each month except for the months of July and August. We meet at 7:00 pm at Padilla Bay Interpretive Center (Google map), 10441 Bayview-Edison Rd. Mount Vernon. Meetings are open to all.
The board of directors meets at the same location at 7:00 pm on the first Tuesday of each month, except for the months of July and August.