Audubon's national board of directors met in Los Angeles on the weekend of September 6th and 7th. In addition to a busy meeting schedule, board members attended the dedication of the new Audubon Center at Debs Park on Friday evening and a party for retiring board Chairman Donal O'Brien on Saturday evening. Birds of course shared the agenda, with a post-meeting trip to the Salton Sea supplemented by morning field trips. Sunday morning, board members visited Harbor Park, site of our future Audubon Natural Heritage Center.

Egret Spotting at Harbor Park: (l-r) Jerry Bertrand, Dan Cooper, Elzaine Pardoe, Bob Shanman, Hardy Eshbaugh, Dan Klem, Bard Eshbaugh, Carrie Thomas.

Linda Chilton, Jess Morton, Bob Shanman and Dennis Weyrauch were on hand to meet the early morning birders as they arrived by bus from downtown. Among the visitors were national board members Jerry Bertrand and Hardy Eshbaugh, and Audubon~California board member Lisa Fimiani. Board family members present included Katie O'Brien and daughter Carrie Thomas, Barb Eshbaugh and Elaine Pardoe.

Dan Cooper, Director of Bird Conservation, was field trip leader. On the bus trip to the park, Dan had primed everyone with Jess's Harbor Park information sheet and a bird checklist "Wild Bird" Bob had prepared, based on Mitch Heindel's amazing Harbor Park website at <http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/kmhrp/birdlist.html>.

A beautiful morning—supplemented by Bob's coffee and donuts—made for a perfect start to the day.

The best bird of the day depended on who did the ranking. There were "life birds" for several people. Jerry, who chairs the NAS board's science committee, checked off Allen's Hummingbird as new for 2003, bringing him one species closer to his goal of seeing 100 species of hummingbirds this year! (Argentina is on his schedule for November.)

Probably the most spectacular bird of the day was a male Orange Bishop bathing in a pool not more than 20 feet away from the group. Although native to Africa, a small colony of these escaped cage-birds has been breeding at Harbor Park for several years.

The rarest bird sighted that day had to be the Marsh Wren working its way along the edge of the tules in full view.

Everyone raved about Harbor Park and its potential as part of the Audubon Centers program. Although our center is still some way in the future, the eventual partnership of our chapter with Audubon~California to create this center is being looked to as a model for many other centers in the future.

With the NAS board on board, as it were, our center moved a little closer to reality.

On Sunday, November 16, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm., the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society invites you to attend the Conservation Awards and Chapter Fund-raiser. The event will be held at the home of Katie Moore, President of Audubon YES! Council, 6106 Via Subida, Rancho Palos Verdes. There is no charge to attend the event. We urge you, however, to make a year-end $100 donation to Audubon's youth and conservation programs.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn and Assemblyman Alan Lowenthal will each receive the Chapter's Environmental Leadership Award. Jesse Marquez, Wilmington Coalition for Safe Environment, will be recognized for Conservation. A Life Achievement Award, will be presented to Mitch Heindel. Katie Moore will be honored with the Youth Conservation Award.

Please RSVP to Fran (310-316-0041 or frances@monolake.org) for the event. Please make your year-end contribution check to PV/SB Audubon, and mail to P.O. Box 2582, Palos Verdes, CA 90274.

The Park

Although I will be retiring from the chapter presidency at the end of the year, Harbor Park will remain an active priority with me. As I look back, it is clear we have come a long way during the last three years. Harbor Park is no longer the forgotten child within LA's park system. It has also gained a high profile in Audubon: locally, statewide and nationally. However, there is a lot of hard work between today and the opening of our Audubon Natural Heritage Center at the park.

The next step is to see that the park is officially designated as a place where natural values come first. To this end, the birdwalk on October 12th will be followed with a workshop, beginning at 10 am, to acquaint park patrons with its breadth of natural values and why these need to get top priority in planning changes to the park. Many of you have birded this park over the years; now it's time to learn more about it and how you can influence what is done. Please plan to attend both the walk and the workshop. We will combine the workshop with a "brunch," so bring a sandwich to supplement the drinks and donuts we provide.

Members of Audubon's national staff and board were in town for the weekend of September 6th and 7th. The occasion was a meeting of the board of directors coupled with the dedication of the new Debs Park Audubon Center, in Highland Park. Like Harbor Park, Debs is part of the Los Angeles City system, and the new center there has helped all of us build strong working relationships with the Department of Recreation and Parks and the LA City Council. This rapport was much in evidence at the dedication ceremony, and provided an excellent background for the board field trip to Harbor Park on Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous morning, the birding was fine and the only thing missing was enough time to show off all the park has to offer. As it was, our visitors came away with the realization that HERE is the place for an Audubon Center.

Audubon YES!

All of a sudden, it's ten years later!

Audubon YES! is entering its 10th year of service to Audubon and the community. By the time you read this article, hundreds of students from schools throughout the South Bay will have taken to the field, working on clean-ups and restoration projects, and teaching others how to care for our environment.

The program has grown from small beginnings: a few students in three or four schools. Audubon YES! is now in most high schools here, and other Audubon chapters have adopted the program. We have recognized the great work of nearly 200 students with the Audubon YES! Award, each of whom has put in a minimum of 50 hours of environmental community service work. But the sky's the limit, and some students, like current Audubon YES! Council President Katie Moore, have put in more than 1,000 hours of service for the community!

The most exciting part of Audubon YES! to me is to see the kids grow, go off to college, and then begin to make their marks on the world. High school students when I first got to know them, they are now world travelers, service workers, professional biologists, accomplished artists, and more—all still passionate about the health of our environment! They are the light at the end of the dark, dark tunnel we now find ourselves in.

A Teem of Thanks

In this, my last column as chapter President, my last task—and a pleasant one, indeed—is to thank the many people who have done so much to make my term of office so fulfilling. I have called this a "teem of thanks," not only for the appropriateness of the pun, but because the thank you's crowd into my head, teeming to get out on paper.

First off, let me thank the officers and board members who have kept my world true and turning. VPs Fran Spivy-Weber, the brains of the outfit, and Allen Franz and Dennis Weyrauch, always ready to lend a hand—literally, at clean-ups and restoration sites. Bob Shanman, who tends the dollars, coffee and Costa kids, and chapter Secretary Linda Chilton whose skills with children and adults never ceases to amaze me, have been indispensable.

On the board, Bob Carr, Ollie Coker and Bart Tendick have always been willing and able. Lillian Light, Conservation Chair, founder of Sharing Nature With Children and the Environmental Priorities Network, is in a class by herself. I cannot thank her enough for all she has done. In recent years, these old-timers have been joined, even when briefly, by those who will inherit the task of running the chapter: Martin Byhower, Tom Kaminsky, Liz Kennedy and Kathleen Schwallie, each bright, energetic and full of innovative ideas.

And, of course, there are the kids and their teachers. Debbie Baker's dedication, thoughtfulness, creativity and sheer persistence in the face of heavy odds has gained my endless gratitude. And she earns extra thanks, just for having had a daughter named Holly Gray—what an inspiration this young woman has been to me! And Chris Griner! And Leann Ortmann! And Manoah Koletty! And Guyton Durnin! And Stephanie Lee! And Vijay Yanamadala! Amazing kids, to name a few that immediately stand out in my mind—and a dozen others that are now clamoring in my head, saying write me down, too! I thank them all for making my advancing years invisible to myself, at least.

Then there are the newsletter and birding crews. I thank Mike Weber for placing Hummin' on such a high level. And thanks to Mitch Heindel and Kevin Larson for the incredible depth of knowledge that has been recorded about our birds. Eric Brooks, who was in at the beginning of our chapter, still runs bird classes and trips (these days, along with Ann), for which I offer sincere thanks. Walk leader Georgene Foster is another of the founders still making her quiet and continuing contribution to Audubon. To all of you, and to dozens of others not listed here, who have made PV/South Bay Audubon a name to be remembered, thank you, thank you!

We encourage you to attend the Harbor Park workshop on October 12th. The workshop will focus on public input to the park master plan. It is vital that the park's natural values be given highest priority during future design and development work in the park. While the campground and lawn areas along Vermont Avenue will remain dedicated to passive recreation, the remainder of the park needs to be the one place in the region devoted to birds, wildlife and their habitats. While flood control needs have prevented development of the park's wetlands, only an official statement of park purpose in the master plan will be sufficient to insure continuing protection. This workshop will give you a voice in this critical decision-making process.

The workshop will be an informal brunch—you bring a sandwich, Audubon will provide drinks and donuts. Meet at the boathouse on the southwest corner of the lake (near Vermont and Anaheim) at 10 am. Better yet, come for the birdwalk at 8 am!

The onset of the fall migration period comes during July and August. A large percentage of the southbound migrants passing through our area at this time are shorebirds; generally the adults arrive in July, and the juveniles follow in August. A few fall migrant passerines, such as Western Kingbirds, Western Tanagers, and even a few warbler species, were already already arriving in the latter half of July. The trickle of migrants continued into August, with an increase in numbers at the end of the month, portending the passage of greater numbers in the month to come. A remarkable variety of migrant species were already recorded by the end of August. Not long after the last spring vagrant was found locally (i.e., a Bobolink on 29 June), the first fall vagrant came in the form of a Lucy's Warbler on the remarkably early date of 13 July. For those who pursue locally rare birds, there is little time for rest. The six Lucy's Warblers that were found in the area during July and August was an exceptional total for a fall migration season here.

A monsoonal flow 12-31 July brought very warm and humid conditions to our area, and a few rare July showers or thundershowers. Persistent heat continued through August, and the cooling effect of the marine layer was very scarce during the month.

A Common Loon in breeding plumage that flew north past Pt. Vicente (PtV) on 13 Jul (Kevin Larson-KL) was apparently an exceptionally late spring migrant. An immature Magnificent Frigatebird that flew south past PtV on 13 Jul (KL) was the first to be seen locally since an influx of this species into the state from the south occurred in 1998. Up to two Least Bitterns at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh (BFM) 24 Jul-5 Aug (Richard Barth-RB) were apparently post-breeding transients. A count of 40 Snowy Egrets—most of which were juveniles—at Harbor Park (HP) on 19 Aug was indicative of a large movement of migrants (KL). One migrant Cattle Egret was at the L.A. River (LAR) on 16 Aug, followed by three there on 30 Aug (KL). An early fall migrant White-faced Ibis was at HP on 12 Jul (Mitch Heindel-MH); three were at LAR on 20 Jul (KL), three were at BFM 20-21 Jul (RB), and up to two were at LAR 19-24 Aug (KL, RB).

There was a notable influx of transient Wood Ducks into the area during July; two juveniles were at LAR on 4 Jul (KL) and an adult male and a juvenile female were at BFM on 11 Jul (RB), followed by a maximum of seven birds (adults and juveniles) at BFM on 21 Jul (RB). A Northern Shoveler at LAR on 20 Jul (KL) was a very early fall migrant; 5 birds were present at LAR on 26 Jul. A very early migrant Redhead—a male in eclipse plumage—was found at HP on 13 Aug (MH); the bird was present through at least 3 Sep. A male Lesser Scaup at BFM from 1 Jul to at least 31 Aug (KL, RB) was a rare occurrence of a summering individual. White-tailed Kites apparently nested in the Ballona Wetland area; adults were present since early May, and five juveniles were seen in mid-July (RB, Bob Shanman). A juvenile Sora at BFM on 31 Jul (RB) was likely our earliest fall arrival of this species. Up to four Soras were present at BFM from 12 Aug through at least 31 Aug (RB). An adult Common Moorhen was at BFM 27 Jun-7 Jul (RB, KL).

A Snowy Plover at LAR on 16 Aug (KL) is one of only a few that have been found at this location. At least 20 pairs of Black-necked Stilts raised young at LAR. Due to storm runoff earlier in the year and generally high water levels, the available nesting substrate for this species was very limited in the river channel this year; consequently, the number of nests was well below that of last year. Of the seven to eight pairs of American Avocets that nested at LAR this year, only one pair successfully raised young to adult size. A fairly early Solitary Sandpiper was at BFM on 22 Jul (RB); others were seen at Madrona Marsh (MM) 17-20 Aug (David Moody-DM), at HP on 19 Aug (John Ivanov-JI), at LAR 20-21 Aug (KL), and at HP on 30 Aug (MH). Three juvenile Semipalmated Sandpipers were found at LAR: one 5-11 Aug (Jon Feenstra), one 19-20 Aug (KL), and one on 24 Aug (KL). Todd McGrath spotted the first juvenile Baird's Sandpiper at LAR on 9 Aug; another was there 16-22 Aug (KL, RB). Since adult Pectoral Sandpipers are quite rare here, one at LAR 9-11 Aug was notable (Dana Quincy). 79 Red-necked Phalaropes at LAR on 16 Aug, and 80 there on 30 Aug were good counts for the location (KL).

It was evident in early July that the pair of Western Gulls that were nesting at HP had abandoned their nest (see previous issue of Hummin'). A well-described second-summer Common Tern was on the beach at Playa del Rey on the early date of 7 Jul (RB). According to Kathy Keane of Keane Biological Consulting, there were 963 Least Tern nests in the L.A. Harbor this year. The previous high of Least Tern nests at this location was 565 in 2000. The 46 Least Terns— of which 30 were juveniles—counted by MH at HP on 17 Jul was a notably high total for the location in recent years. Small numbers of Least Terns are seen annually at this time at HP, but this high total is obviously related to the large number of these terns nesting in the L.A. Harbor this year. Rare inland, 2 Black Skimmers at HP on 18 Jul (Martin Byhower), and one there on 10 Aug (Jess Morton) are among the very few that have been recorded at this location. A Common Murre that was not in breeding plumage flew south past PtV on 13 Jul (KL). A Xantus's Murrelet was found dead at the north end of Redondo Beach on 29 Jul (DM). A Cassin's Auklet that flew north past PtV on 19 Aug (KL) may have been a post-breeding transient originating from one of this species' southerly breeding locations.

White-winged Doves were found at BFM on 23 Aug (KL) and in the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance on 26 Aug (Art Peterson). A Lesser Nighthawk at MM on 31 Aug (DM) was a migrant that is rarely seen here. Migrant Costa's Hummingbirds were recorded at Alondra Park (AP) on 25 Aug (DM) and at MM on 31 Aug (KL). A Dusky Flycatcher was at Sand Dune Park (SDP) 29-31 Aug (KL). It is believed that the Tree Swallow nesting attempt at HP this spring failed (see previous issue of Hummin') since no adults or young were seen in the area in late June or early July when the young should have fledged. It is possible that a well-studied juvenile Tree Swallow at HP 12 Jul-7 Aug (MH) was a product of this nesting, but it may have been an individual that dispersed from another nesting location. A Red-breasted Nuthatch at the Martingale Trailhead on the border of Rolling Hills on 19 Jul (KL) was probably summering locally. A Red-breasted Nuthatch at a different location in Rolling Hills 25-27 Aug (KL) was either a summering individual, or an early migrant. A casual visitor to our area, a Pygmy Nuthatch was at SDP on 31 Aug (KL). This is only the third Pygmy Nuthatch that has been seen locally since the winter of 1981-2, when two birds were found at the Palos Verdes Country Club in PVE. The two recent sightings of this species were also in August—i.e., 17 Aug 1996 at Pt. Fermin, San Pedro, and 31 Aug 2002 in San Pedro. A Phainopepla flew over MH's residence in Torrance on 23 Jul.

One Lucy's Warbler along Malaga Cr. in PVE on 13 Jul, and two birds together at HP on 2 Aug are among the earliest fall transients of this species ever recorded along the coast of southern California (KL). Additionally, one Lucy's Warbler was recorded at MM 18-20 Aug (DM), and two were found together at Deforest Park (DP) on 30 Aug (KL). The Wilson's Warbler singing on territory at the north end of HP since 7 Jun was seen and/or heard on several visits through at least 27 Jul (KL, MH); nesting evidence was not detected during this rare occurrence of a summering individual. A singing Yellow-breasted Chat was at the south end of HP on 12 Jul (MH). On 19 Jul, this bird was still present, and another was singing at the north end of the park (MH). Since no chats were known to be present at HP through the nesting season, these birds may have nested elsewhere and were prospecting for a second nesting territory.

An adult male Summer Tanager in Purple Canyon, Rolling Hills, on 19 Jul (KL) may have been summering locally since fall migrants are not expected on such an early date. A female Western Tanager at AP on 5 Jul (DM) was either a summer wanderer or a very early fall migrant. A few fall migrant Western Tanagers were found before the end of July, beginning with an adult male in Rolling Hills on 19 Jul (KL). Single migrant Lark Sparrows were at HP on 17 Aug and BFM on 26 Aug (KL). An adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird at BFM on 24 Jul (RB) was apparently an early fall migrant since this bird was not known to be summering at this location.

Following are the earliest dates on which these fall migrants were encountered this year: Black-vented Shearwater—27 Jul PtV (KL); White-faced Ibis—12 Jul HP (MH); Northern Shoveler—20 Jul LAR (KL); Northern Pintail—30 Aug PtV (KL); Green-winged Teal—21 Aug AP (DM); Redhead—13 Aug HP (MH); Osprey—3 Aug LAR (KL); Virginia Rail—23 Aug BFM (KL); Sora—31 Jul BFM (RB); adult Semipalmated Plover—20 Jul LAR (KL); juvenile Semipalmated Plover—9 Aug LAR (KL); juvenile Greater Yellowlegs—2 Aug LAR (KL); juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs—16 Aug LAR (KL); Wandering Tattler—25 Jul Marina del Rey (MdR) (KL); adult Ruddy Turnstone—25 Jul MdR (KL); Black Turnstone—11 Jul MdR (KL); Surfbird—25 Jul MdR (KL); juvenile Western Sandpiper—26 Jul LAR (KL); adult Least Sandpiper—1 Jul BFM (JI); juvenile Least Sandpiper—3 Aug LAR (KL); adult Short-billed Dowitcher—1 Jul BFM (KL); juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher—16 Aug LAR (KL); adult Long-billed Dowitcher—12 Jul LAR (KL); Wilson's Snipe—24 Aug BFM (Dan Cooper); juvenile Wilson's Phalarope—26 Jul LAR (KL); juvenile Ring-billed Gull—16 Aug LAR (KL); juvenile California Gull—16 Aug LAR (KL); juvenile Western Gull—27 Jul BFM (KL); Belted Kingfisher—27 Jul PtV (KL); Western Wood-Pewee—20 Aug DP (KL); Willow Flycatcher—21 Aug SDP (KL); Pacific-slope Flycatcher—1 Aug SDP (KL); Ash-throated Flycatcher—29 Jul MM (DM); Western Kingbird—16 Jul LAR (KL); Warbling Vireo—4 Aug MM (DM); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher—7 Aug AP (DM); Nashville Warbler—9 Aug DP (KL); Yellow Warbler—29 Jul AP (DM); Black-throated Gray Warbler—9 Aug DP (KL); Townsend's Warbler; 23 Aug BFM (KL); Hermit Warbler—25 Aug Rolling Hills (KL); MacGillivray's Warbler—25 Aug Rolling Hills (KL); Wilson's Warbler—29 Jul MM (DM); Chipping Sparrow—25 Aug Rolling Hills (KL); Savannah Sparrow (nevadensis type)—15 Aug MM (DM); Yellow-headed Blackbird—24 Jul BFM (RB).

Thanks to all who reported sightings . Please send your sightings to cbirdr@comcast.net for the Palos Verdes/South Bay and vicinity, including areas east to the L.A. River, north to about the 105 fwy, and along the coast up to Marina del Rey.

As the Bush administration, some members of congress and their supporters in the defense community continue to press for the development and possible use of a new generation of smaller nuclear weapons (like bunker busters), very little attention is given to depleted uranium armaments that pose a serious threat to the health of US troops as well as to Iraqis.

Natural uranium is found in the earth's crust as a mixture of soil and two isotopes, Uranium 235 (0.7 %) and Uranium 238 (99.3 %). After enrichment, Uranium 235 is used as fuel for nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors, while Uranium 238, dubbed depleted uranium, can be used in armor-piercing munitions and as armored plating for tanks.

Depleted Uranium (DU) is a chemically toxic heavy metal that emits low levels of alpha radiation and has a half_life of 4.5 billion years. This means that it sends out deadly radiation forever and ever, in human terms.

When a DU-shell strikes a target, up to 70% of it is converted into a fine dust that settles on surrounding soil and water. These particles can be inhaled or can enter a wound. Once in the human body, this microscopic dust emits a steady dose of very harmful alpha radiation. The radiation can destroy lungs or other organs, and has been linked to cancer and kidney damage.

The American and British military first used DU-weapons in 1991 during the Gulf War. The Pentagon has estimated that 320 tons of DU were fired during this war. Very little of the toxic residue has been removed by any U.S. agency.

DU-shells were also dropped on Kosovo and Serbia during the 1999 Allied bombing campaign, and were used against Serb forces in Bosnia in 1994_95. Despite requests for the locations of areas contaminated with DU residues, NATO officials have been dragging their feet in revealing them. Areas that are now contaminated with uranium will remain radioactive for billions of years, and inhabitants will continue to be at risk for cancers, congenital deformities, and other pathologies.

In the United States nuclear production sites present similar health problems. The National Academy of Science recently reported that of the 144 highly contaminated nuclear sites in this country, 109 would remain radioactive in perpetuity because it is virtually impossible to clean them up.

In January 1998, the Pentagon's Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War illnesses published the following statement::

"Combat troops or those working in support generally did not know that DU contaminated equipment, such as enemy vehicles struck by DU rounds required special handling. The failure to properly disseminate such information to troops at all levels may have resulted in thousands of unnecessary exposures."

According to a Veterans Affairs report issued on September 10, 2002, 221,000 Gulf War veterans have been awarded disability due to Gulf War Syndrome. Although the U.S. military has resisted conducting studies on the health effects of exposure to uranium 238, the complaints of these veterans are similar in pattern to the various pathologies induced by uranium exposure as described by the military.

Major Doug Rokke (Retired) led the Pentagon's DU assessment team, which spent seven months in the Persian Gulf in 1990 _1991. Major Rokke's mission was to ensure that the U.S. military could use uranium munitions in war. But, the Major came to a very different conclusion.

"What I saw as director of the project, doing the research and working with my own medical conditions and everybody else's, led me to one conclusion: uranium munitions must be banned from the planet, for eternity, because we can't deal with the consequences on our warriors or the environment, but more important, on the noncombatants".

Once our Environmental Priorities Network found out about these dangers that have received so little coverage, we invited Dan Fahey to speak on Depleted Uranium at a meeting on Friday, October 17, at the Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Mr. Fahey is a Gulf War Veteran who has made an intensive study of the DU issue. He has a good understanding of the scientific as well as the political issues surrounding this radioactive heavy metal.

Light refreshments will be served from 6:30 to 7:30, and the program will start at 7:30. The Social Justice Committee of the Pacific Unitarian Church will cosponsor our meeting.

For more information, contact Lillian Light, President, Environmental Priorities Network, at 310-545-1384 or lklight@verizon.net.

The PV/South Bay Audubon Chapter Board is offering a wide variety of programs from October 2003 through June 2004. Mark your calendars now and make plans to join us.

Sunday, October 12, 10:00- noon: "Brunch at the Park," Audubon Harbor Park Workshop. See page 3 for more information. At 8:00 am, there is a bird walk. Location: Parking lot between Vermont and Anaheim St. about l mile west of 110 Freeway on Anaheim Street, Los Angeles. (This workshop is in place of the last Tuesday-of-the-month program.)

Sunday, November 16, 3:00 _ 5:00 pm: Audubon Conservation Awards and Chapter Fundraiser. Home of Katie Moore, President of Audubon YES! Council, 6106 Via Subida, Rancho Palos Verdes. There is no charge to attend the event; a $100 donation for Audubon's youth and conservation programs is encouraged.

Tuesday, November 25, 7:30 pm: "Hooked on Hummingbirds," Tom Kaminski, Avian Video Center producer. South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl, Palos Verdes. Tom will have videos for sale (a great holiday gift!) and will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Chapter.

Sunday, December 21, Palos Verdes Christmas Bird Count. Several groups will be going out to bird on this important day. Check out the December/January Hummin' for details. See Calendar, November 8 Field Trip to Hot Spots in PV if you want to brush up on what you may see on the Bird Count.

Tuesday, January 27, 7:30 pm: "Invasive Species and Habitat Preservation: The Good, the Bad, and the Unwanted," Martin Byhower. South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl., Palos Verdes. (This program was originally scheduled last September, but Martin's back surgery required a change in date.)

Tuesday, February 24, 7:30 pm: "Audubon Center Workshop" with Jess Morton, Martin Byhower, city and city park officials, Audubon California respresentatives. South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl., Palos Verdes.

Tuesday, March 30, 7:30 pm: "Audubon YES!" a presentation on environmental issues by Audubon Youth in Environmental Service (YES!) volunteers. South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl., Palos Verdes.

Saturday, April 24, EARTH DAY and AUDUBON YES! AWARDS at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro: activities, booths all day; awards at 3:00 pm.

Sunday, April 25, EARTH DAY at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park: activities, booths, music all day. Team races in the morning.

Tuesday, May 25, 7:30 pm: "Natural and Cultural History of the Peninsula and South Bay," Allen Franz and Bart Tendick (organizing), South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl., Palos Verdes.

Sunday, June 13: 9:30-3:00 pm: " A Tour of the Dominguez Watershed," starting at Harbor Park, stopping for lunch at Madrona Marsh, and taking in some little known sites, such as Torrance's Walteria Lake, the highest point of tidal flow near Gardena Willows, and Torrance Lateral that drains into Dominguez Channel.

At 8:00 am, there will be a bird walk to explore the wetlands, uplands, and Machado Lake habitats at Harbor Park. Location: Parking lot between Vermont and Anaheim St. about l mile west of 110 Freeway on Anaheim Street, Los Angeles. (This workshop is in lieu of the last Tuesday-of-the-month program.)

No programs planned for July and August.

On Tuesday, November 25, 7:30 pm, Tom Kaminski, Avian Video Center producer, will present his 43-minute video, "Hooked on Hummingbirds." The highly acclaimed video reveals hummer behaviors that the naked eye never sees. Spectacular slow motion, freeze-frame, and real time footage shows hummers flying upside down, catching insects, fighting, nesting and brooding. A number of scenes show hummers engaged in generally unreported behaviors, including male threats aimed at nesting females and other threat displays that can only be described as hummer ballet. Shot in California, Arizona, Texas and Costa Rica, the video shows more than a dozen hummer species, as well as the American Kestrel, Red-naped Sapsucker, Hooded Oriole, Cactus Wren, Vermillion Flycatcher, and many others.

The Audubon Chapter presentation of the video will be at the South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Bl, Palos Verdes. Tom will have videos for sale (a great holiday gift!) and will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Chapter.

On November 1 and 2, Southern California Audubon Chapters will convene for a weekend of workshops in Irvine, California. The workshops will be in dual sessions and devoted to solving the various issues facing the Chapters today. The weekend is open to all members and all chapters throughout the state.

Topics include fundraising, involving youth, conservation and chapter promotion/publicity, and how to recruit volunteers. Many members of the Audubon California executive staff will be on hand to lend their expertise and be available throughout the weekend for individual. Of special interest will be Sunday's afternoon session where the chapters will decide which conservation issues are the most important for Audubon California's legislative representative/liaison, Julia Levin, to represent in Sacramento. We will also conduct our coordinating council meeting.

Our hosts for this event will be Sea and Sage Audubon and the Irvine Ranch Water District, which are providing our facilities. Directions to the Sanctuary are available on the Sea and Sage website <http://seaandsageaudubon.org> or by calling 949-261-7963.

The weekend will cost $25.00 per person and will include all the workshops, snacks, handouts and two light lunches. On Friday, October 31, there will be an open house at Audubon House. The meeting will be held in the offices of the operation headquarters of the IRWD, adjacent to the Sanctuary.

For those traveling a distance, Ayres County Inn and Suites, a boutique hotel, in Costa Mesa is giving us double rooms for $89.00 per night that include full breakfasts each morning and afternoon snacks/cocktails. The hotel is five minutes away from the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary and a great place to take the entire family.

Reservations for the meeting and prepayment will be handled by Ann Hannon (afhannon@juno.com) of Buena Vista Audubon. A schedule of the meeting and preliminary program and registration form will be on the Audubon California and the Sea and Sage Audubon websites by September 1.

Go to almost any general purpose bookstore these days and you can find dozens of guidebooks on California. But what if you want a guidebook on California's natural history and wildlife?

Unfortunately, for the aspiring naturalist, the great majority of guidebooks on California concentrate on lodgings, eateries, transportation facilities, shopping opportunities, and mainstream tourist attractions, particularly in urban centers. If you want to understand the diversity and dynamics of the state's climate or geology, or learn the identity of some striking tree, bird, wildflower, or reptile, you're out of luck with most guidebooks.

But don't abandon hope! While they may not be best sellers, there are wonderful and reasonably priced overviews of the natural history and wildlife of California that are readily available via the Internet, and in "better" bookstores.

For the general reader, there is no better place to start than the National Audubon Society's Field Guide to California, edited by Peter Alden. Priced under $20, this 447-page compendium contains hundreds of color photographs and a number of very helpful maps and drawings in a durable and conveniently compact volume.

The guide surveys the state's topography, geology (including paleontology and glaciology), and weather, and provides a section on the state's major habitat types and another on ecology. Still another section offers a brief introduction to the night sky as seen from California, with seasonal maps of the night sky and the changing configuration of major stars and constellations.

Over half the book is dedicated to descriptions and illustrations of flora and fauna, including both terrestrial and aquatic/marine species. A final section provides brief descriptions of hundreds of parks and preserves, organized by geographic region. It's hard to imagine a more accessible introduction to the natural history and wildlife of the Golden State!

For those interested in identifying common flora and fauna found in California, James Kavanagh's The Nature of California: an introduction to common plants and animals and natural attractions provides a basic inventory of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fishes, seashore life, trees and shrubs, and flowering plants, in a slim 178 pages. The descriptions for each species include size, appearance, habitat, and comments on distinctive characteristics, accompanied by clear drawings and diagrams.

Kavanagh's book includes species checklists for wildlife viewers and a glossary of key terms. Although it does not address geology, climate, or various other facets of natural history that are covered in the Audubon Field Guide, it does a good job of presenting common wildlife, and offers very brief accounts of several dozen major wildlife viewing areas across the state.

Those interested in understanding the ecology of California have two major options, both published by the University of California Press. Elna Bakker's An Island Called California: An Ecological Introduction to Its Natural Communities has been a classic since its release in 1971. In elegant prose, Bakker takes the reader across a transect of the state from the central coast to the deserts, offering compelling insights and curiosities along the way. There is no more entertaining explanation of California ecology!

There is, however, a more systematic and comprehensive survey of the state's ecology: Allan Schoenherr's A Natural History of California, a hefty 772-page compendium. Shoenherr begins with chapters on basic ecology and geology, then describes the ecology of each of the state's major regional ecosystems, from the Sierra Nevada to Inland Waters and the Coastline. Both books are illustrated with black and white photographs and diagrams.

If you are more interested California natural history and wildlife than in the number of four star hotels or the trendiest places to buy souvenirs, any of these books can be enlightening. Each takes a different approach, so they complement rather than duplicate each other.

Before you head off on your next expedition, then, consider investing some time in any of these volumes to help you get the most out of your experience!

The Napa-Solano Audubon Society has just published "Breeding Birds of Napa County." This breeding bird atlas is a 206-page paperback that includes black-and-white art for each of the 156 bird species nesting in the county. Compiled by Murray Berner, Bill Brummer, Mike Rippey, and Robin Leong, and edited by Ann Smith, the book has lively profiles of each bird and its nesting behavior.

To buy a copy, send $25 plus $2 sales tax and $3 for shipping and handling to Napa-Solano Audubon Society, P.O. Box 5027, Vallejo, CA 94591. For more information, consult the website at <http://napasolanoaudubon.org>.

Do you have an HP or Lexmark Inkjet printer? If you do, save the empty cartridges and bring them to the Wild Birds Unlimited at 25416 Crenshaw Blvd. We have found a business that recycles these cartridges, AND they will pay $2.50 to the organization of your choice for each cartridge they receive. The cartridge must be a manufacturer's original. All you need to do is come in to the store and pick up a postage-paid recycling envelope. We have envelopes for both South Bay Wildlife Rehab and Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon.

Bring in your toner cartridges, too. They will pay $5.00 each for OEM cartridge; we'll take care of storing and shipping them off to the recycler. It's an easy way to recycle, and raise needed funds for both organizations.

--Bob Shanman

For several years now, I have been processing, labeling, and mailing the chapter newsletter every other month. Many times, this work would not have been completed without the extraordinary help of John Small, and Michael and Linda Giandalia. Many thanks to all of you for your help.

--Bob Shanman

The oldest Audubon in the state, Pasadena Audubon, is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. The chapter was founded virtually in sight of the new Debs Park Audubon Center. The old and the new—and always the best! Our heartiest congratulations on this centennial eve!

Officers and board members for the new calendar year will be elected at the annual meeting, Nov. 27th. All chapter members are invited to come and cast their votes at the meeting. Nominations for office should be submitted to Jess Morton at 832-5601 or may be entered from the floor at the meeting.

Restoration of South Bay Habitats: We can use your energy and some more equipment! If you are prepared to dig and pull and plant, join PV/SB Audubon's restoration of PV Blue Habitat (every first or second Sunday, 9-noon, at the Defense fuel Support Point, 3171 N. Gaffey, San Pedro). See Calendar for details. Also, Coast Week Cleanup takes place on Saturday, September 20. For more information, call Jess, 310-832-5601.

Audubon YES!: If you are already active with a school or youth group in the area, consider becoming a chapter liaison with Audubon Yes! Audubon Yes! students are the backbone of local restoration projects, and assist with Sharing Nature with Children. They attend Audubon field trips and walks. Students with 50 hours of service receive an Audubon Yes! award. Volunteers encourage participation in Audubon's youth-oriented programs.

This page is part of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society website.