A Nest of Our Own
While we pride ourselves on holding down operating costs and stretching our resources as far as possible, there comes a time in an organization’s development when the leap to bigger office space must occur. For years, ABO has managed to operate out of 180 square feet of office space in the Creamer’s Field Visitor Center. At the same time, we have experienced tremendous growth in our programs and budget. Such growth requires additional staff and equipment, but we have nowhere to squeeze more bodies and gear. It’s become common for staff and interns to work at home on personal computers or ABO laptops—a frustrating arrangement at best. Any new opportunities for growth are truly stifled by our lack of space.
Even if we could fit more offices in the building, the phone box at the old farmhouse cannot accommodate one more phone line, and we presently need three more. We cannot fit more gear in the basement storage area, and our training and education programs often conflict with other groups using the meeting room. We have merchandise to sell to help fund our projects, but the little gift shop run by Friends of Creamer’s Field is at full capacity, so much of our merchandise remains hidden away in closets and storage tubs. Our office and bathroom don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the low ceiling over the stairs is a head-bruiser for anyone over 5’7" tall.
After years of looking for affordable houses, rentals and property near Creamer’s Refuge, an incredible opportunity has fallen into our lap. In April, Tim Cerny with Fountainhead Development came to us with an offer to construct a custom-designed building for ABO at Wedgewood Resort, just east of the refuge. Fountainhead will donate all design costs, construction materials, and labor to build a finished, 2,200 square-foot facility, which ABO will then lease. The building will be tucked in the corner of Wedgewood’s beautifully landscaped grounds, just meters away from the refuge boundary. This location will allow us to capitalize on many opportunities to educate residents and tourists about the importance of conserving Alaska’s birds and their habitats.
ABO’s board has been working with the developer to design the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient building possible. The lumber purchased will have been selectively cut (no clear cutting) from 2nd or 3rd generation forest. Materials will include floor joists that use half as much lumber as dimensional lumber, roof and exterior walls with high R values, low glazing on north side windows, Green Label carpeting, and fluorescent lights. Only Energy Star labeled appliances will be used, and every attempt will be made to acquire previously owned or recycled office furniture.
The facility will include six offices, a reception area with interpretive displays, two storage rooms, and a classroom with space for books, videos, our slide archives, teaching materials, and portable work stations. It will also house a small gift shop featuring field guides, natural history books, bird checklists, t-shirts, notecards, bird song CDs and tapes, and other bird-related items. Income from the gift shop will provide crucial funding toward our lease payments. The building will be wheelchair accessible and will include a shower for staff and seasonal crews living in the quintessential, "dry" Fairbanks cabin.
Of course, all of this comes with a cost. We have set a goal of $150,000 to fully outfit the building with interpretive displays, modern office equipment, a multi-line phone system, computer network, library books, audio-visual equipment, bookshelves, and furniture (much of our existing office furniture belongs to ADFG). This budget also includes operating costs for our first year in the building as we make the transition from paying $0 in rent and utilities to being full-fledged, paying tenants. We are working closely with the Alaska Funding Exchange to identify potential funders and seek grants, but we are also counting on our 450+ members to help us meet our fundraising goal. Contributions may be pledged over a period of time, and donors who give $250 or more will be recognized on our "Wall of Birds." No donation is too small, and your gift is tax-deductible. To make a contribution, use the form on page 11. Please help us feather our nest!
Thanks USFWS!
Thanks to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) for renewing their support for our education program. Northern Alaska Ecological Services, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have contributed funds to provide ABO with an Education Coordinator in summer, 2001.
Partnering to Preserve Alaska’s Treasures
ABO has been awarded three grants from the Alaska Conservation Foundation (ACF) and one of their donor-advised funds. A $3,600 grant from ACF's Conservation Intern Program is funding a unique, three-month student internship at ABO. ACF implemented this program in 2000 on the premise that broader support for conservation in Alaska can be achieved by offering career-oriented, educational experiences to college students. ACF also awarded ABO a $4,000 grant for a cooperative project between ABO and Friends of Creamer's Field called "Inner City Wildlife." The grant will allow us to promote the value of wildlife and ecosystems found within Fairbanks, especially at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. A part-time program assistant is being hired to organize and promote the annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival and assist with membership development for both organizations.
The Alaska Fund for the Future, a donor-advised fund of ACF, awarded ABO a $1,250 grant in April for our "Bird Conservation Connections" project. The grant has allowed us to develop portable displays on shade-grown coffee and the Cats Indoors! campaign, as well as offer a birding workshop for children and participate in several community festivals.
We are grateful to the Alaska Conservation Foundation and Alaska Fund for the Future for supporting our outreach and education programs. These grants truly strengthen ABO’s capacity to deliver our conservation message to the public!
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Staff News and Notes
ABO’s biggest crew yet!
ABO is in the midst of our biggest field season ever. Along with the many projects and grants come many new faces. Jackie Weicker is our new Field Biologist/Migration Program Manager. Jackie has an A.B. in biology from Harvard University and an M.S. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her Master’s research utilized Wilson’s Warblers to examine morphological and genetic variation in birds. Her interests in evolution, species diversity, and conservation have lead her to work for the University of Alaska Museum, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and, most recently, the American Museum of Natural History. Welcome Jackie!
ABO’s many field projects require many field crews. Tim Walker has returned to ABO and is joined by fellow technicians Susie Michaelson, Alan Marsh, and Phil Joy on our study of the effects of intense jet noise on nesting productivity. Also collecting data for this project are interns Carrie Topp, another former ABO intern, Katherine Miller, and Greg Maurer. We also sent interns and technicians around the state in June. Joshua Porter and Jacob Nacht collected data on breeding birds in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Thanks to a grant from the Skaggs Foundation, Jennifer McGrath and Tom Sardy helped examine habitat selection by birds in the Tok River drainage, and Brandon Barr assisted Jackie Weicker with bird censuses in Denali National Park. Now, we’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of this year’s banding station interns, Juliann Schamel, Kara Weller, and Tom Benson.
New at ABO this year is an internship funded by the Alaska Conservation Foundation through their Environmental Stewardship Intern Program. This program seeks to provide college students opportunities to gain work experience in the field of conservation. ABO is fortunate to have hired Kim Olson to fill this internship. Kim is a graduate student at the University of Montana working on a Masters of Science for Teachers of Biological Sciences. Her project takes her to Argentina to develop a program for teaching children about native forest ecology through birds. Kim will be assisting with ABO’s research, education, and administration.
ABO rents second office
To accommodate our large staff, we needed more office space. We now have two offices: our traditional office in the Creamer’s Farmhouse Visitor Center, and our "satellite" office upstairs in the Wedgewood Resort Visitor Center. Along with the second office comes a second phone number. The number for the Creamer’s office is still (907) 451-7059, and is where you can reach Andrea, Jackie, David, or the Creamer’s Field Migration Station crew. Creamer’s is also the office to call with bird-related questions. Nancy, Anna-Marie, and Kristen have moved into the Wedgewood office and can be reached at (907) 451-7159. We also now have our own fax number, (907) 451-7079.
From the Executive Director
by Nancy DeWitt
While watching two Long-tailed Jaegers fly over me during a Breeding Bird Survey on the Denali Highway in June, I was reminded why I love Alaska, birds, and working for the conservation of both. With each graceful stroke of their wings, I felt weeks of stress slip away, until nothing mattered but the fact that I was surrounded by incredibly beautiful country and my only job was to count each bird I detected at 50 stops that early morning. Throw in several pairs of Tundra Swans, Arctic Warblers everywhere, and a moose cow with her newborn calf, and I felt like I was in paradise.
This has been an incredibly busy spring for ABO, one that has kept me inside the office way too much. Despite the workload, I can’t help but feel excited for all the projects we’ve accomplished or implemented during our 10th anniversary year. We plan to undertake at least 15 research projects, contracts, and training programs this year. We’re also developing several new education programs to reach out to the people who visit Fairbanks each summer. In May, our board of directors finished a new strategic plan for ABO. That same month we moved half of our regular staff to a temporary office at Wedgewood Resort, so now I split my time between it and the Creamer’s office. The annual Birdathon fundraiser conducted with Arctic Audubon Society surpassed our wildest expectations in participation and proceeds raised. Great news, but all this has meant more paperwork, errands, phone calls, and recordkeeping.
I’ve also been busy working with the owners of Wedgewood Resort to design a new facility for ABO, which should open in early 2002. As part of this tremendous endeavor, we recently had a feasibility analysis conducted and are now developing a comprehensive funding plan. To kick off our facility campaign and celebrate ABO’s first ten years, we threw a party featuring well-known birder and author, Pete Dunne. In between it all, I’ve been writing a lot of thank-you notes to many contributors and volunteers. That’s always a positive sign!
It’s easy to get bogged down in the detail work for so many projects. Several times these past few months I’ve asked myself "What has writing a budget, looking at blueprints, or making sure an employee’s file contains all the required paperwork got to do with conservation? Is this what I went to graduate school for?" Then I realize that this work is like glue that holds the parts of our organization together. It’s tedious, but it makes the IRS and Wage & Hour office happy, guarantees that project managers spend our funds wisely, and ensures that staff have adequate room and resources to accomplish the goals outlined in our strategic plan. It’s not as fun or glamorous as fieldwork, but just as important.
Now, when I feel overwhelmed with office work, I think of those jaegers. That’s what this work is truly all about—ensuring that future generations will experience the same surprise and delight that I did upon seeing such a sleek seabird cruising over Alaska’s tundra. I must admit I have a great job.
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1991
Tom Pogson mist nets birds at the junction of the Tok and Tanana Rivers in spring, and at Dry Lake near Tok in fall. Two MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity & Survivorship) sites are operated in summer in the Goldstream Valley, one in cooperation with ABR, Inc. In June, John Wright of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG) suggests establishing a permanent banding station at Creamer’s Refuge. Nets are set up for trial runs at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in July. Ideas brew at the Alaska Bird Conference and Workshop in November. Tom formally establishes the Alaska Bird Observatory, under the wing of the Arctic Audubon Society with the help of Gail and Larry Mayo. In December, the first membership letters are sent out.
ABO's first board of directors is established, consisting of Tom, Dan Gibson, and Thede Tobish. Articles of Incorporation and by-laws are drafted. A migration monitoring protocol is initiated at Creamer’s Field for spring and fall migration. In March, John Wright agrees to let Tom share his office space in the newly renovated farmhouse at Creamer's Refuge. Volunteers help erect a new weatherport, donated by ABR, at the migration station to keep banders and birds warm and dry. Larry Mayo installs a solar system to power the lights and scales. During our first full year of operation, 3,526 birds of 39 species are banded at Creamer's Field. Almost 990 visitors, including numerous school groups, flock to the banding station for 51 banding demonstrations. Tom rallies financial support from the Anchorage Audubon Society, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), ADFG, ABR, and numerous individuals. The National Park Service contracts with ABO to conduct a preliminary survey of breeding birds in the Rock Creek watershed of Denali National Park & Preserve. Tom also manages to run two Breeding Bird Survey routes for BLM, operate the Goldstream Valley MAPS station, conduct point counts in three locations for USFWS, attend a national Partners in Flight conference in Estes Park, Colorado, and implement a bird-banding project at Joy Elementary School. Todd Eskelin is hired to assist Tom with data and reports. The board expands to nine members. In December, ABO and ADFG host the second-ever meeting of Alaska Partners in Flight, later renamed Boreal Partners in Flight.
ABO produces its first annual report, which is dedicated to the memory of Richard "Dick" Mewaldt. A five-year, Memorandum of Understanding is signed with ADFG to "establish a long-term research and public education station" at Creamer's Refuge. Planning begins for ABO's first newsletter, and the board agrees to the name The Arctic Warbler. ABO assists ADFG in developmental stages of a study on Olive-sided Flycatchers. ARCO provides a generous $6,000 grant to ABO for our education program at Creamer's Field. Eight participants go through ABO's bander training course. Jeff Bouton joins the staff to assist with banding, censusing, and report writing. The Park Service contracts with ABO to set up five MAPS stations in Denali and train the banding interns. ABO begins work on the Manual of Neotropical Migratory Birds in the Chugach and Tongass National Forests for the U.S. Forest Service. Doug Toelle takes over the reins as board president. Tom and the board discuss the need for more office space.
The first issue of The Arctic Warbler is finally produced and includes a plea for more office space in our wish list. Peter Paton is hired to oversee the development of a landbird monitoring protocol in Denali. The board begins looking for additional office space near the refuge. Rita Colwell runs the bander training program at Chena Lakes. A young Canadian named Anna-Marie Barber drives up the Alaska Highway to do an internship with ABO and is essentially running the banding station by autumn. A part-time bookkeeper is hired. George Matz drafts ABO's first strategic plan. A research committee is formed, consisting of Dan Roby, Pierre Deviche, Terry Doyle, Lori Quakenbush, Eric Rexstad, John Wright, and Dave Yokel. ABO loses its extra office space on the first floor of the farmhouse as it is converted into a visitor center, and is cramped into its upstairs space. John Wright moves out to the bunkhouse, leaving more space for ABO.
Lori Quakenbush elected president of the board as the organization struggles to come to an agreement on its short- and long-term goals. The board considers shutting down the organization at one point, but forges ahead with a restructuring plan. Tom resigns as director/office manager/volunteer coordinator/fundraiser/education coordinator in order to focus his efforts on data analysis. Anna-Marie is hired to manage the Creamer’s Field Migration Station. The research committee updates their five-year plan. Board meeting agenda items include finding more office space and buying a computer to handle the ever-growing database. ABO joins the Internet age as its web site goes on line.
ABO acquires its very own nonprofit status. Jim Logan is hired as executive director and starts up an "Adopt-A-Net" program. ABR signs on as the first sponsor. Gail Mayo suggests that ABO re-establish a local birdathon event, which raises $6,000 in two weeks. Thanks to the support of the USFWS – Northern Alaska Ecological Services office, ABO hires Sara McDaniel, our first education coordinator. Steve Springer joins the staff as a field biologist. A commercial version of the Bird Songs of Alaska CD, developed by John Wright with the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds and Leonard Peyton, is produced as a fundraiser for ABO. Anna-Marie travels to Point Reyes Bird Observatory to learn their secrets of success. Sara visits several elementary schools to conduct classroom projects on Alaska songbirds
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1997
Peter Paton and Tom have ABO's first paper published in a peer-reviewed journal. ABO unsuccessfully submits a proposal to ADFG requesting the use of the old foreman's house for a new office. Tom moves to Florida. After much analysis and discussion, the number of nets at the migration station is reduced from 50 to 36. Nancy DeWitt is hired to replace Jim Logan, as he decides he needs more time to travel the world. The first five years of banding data are finally entered in a new computer, proofed, and error checked. ABO receives our first federal grant, which allows Sara to create a Songbird Activity Book and begin work on a teaching unit about boreal forest birds.
Sara moves to Washington and Andrea Swingley becomes the new education coordinator. The Department of Defense awards ABO a large contract to conduct a habitat-selection study on Fort Wainwright. ABO partners with the Denali Institute to start an autumn migration station at Camp Denali, and hires David Shaw to run it. Frustrated over the lack of office space, staff start working out of their homes. ABO organizes and conducts the first Alaska Bird Camp for kids, offers our first beginning birdwatching workshop, and works with Arctic Audubon Society and Friends of Creamer's Field to implement an annual Sandhill Crane Festival. A record 7,083 birds of 39 species are banded at Creamer's Field. Our first fall warbler workshop is conducted and a winter seminar series is started. ABO is selected to compile statewide passerine banding data for Boreal Partners in Flight. ABO's research committee is expanded and given a new name – Scientific Advisory Council.
ABO looks for additional office space near the refuge. Lacking sufficient financial resources, we instead squeeze Friends of Creamer's Field out of our side of the attic and force them into Mark Ross’ (ADFG) office across the hall. Although we double our office space from 90 to 180 square feet in one day, staff decide an open house is out of the question. Sixty-one people attend ABO’s first winter bird-feeding workshop held at Alaska Feed. Fifty people apply for ABO summer jobs and internships. Andrea revitalizes the local International Migratory Bird Day event. Later that spring, 40 people cram themselves into the farmhouse meeting room for our beginning birdwatching workshop. Nancy begins writing weekly spring birding reports for the local newspaper. Alaska Airlines signs on as a Birdathon sponsor and participants raise a record $13,700 during the event. ABO picks up three new Breeding Bird Survey routes. Anna-Marie implements a study on the nesting ecology of Tree Swallows using junior scientists to collect the data. Peter Pyle conducts a clinic on aging passerines by molt limits at the Creamer's Field Migration Station. Steve Springer leaves ABO for a job with a bigger office; David Shaw is hired to replace him. Anna-Marie becomes Alaska's first biologist certified by the North American Banding Council (NABC) to train banders. Still needing more office space, we shove the copier out of our office and into the bathroom. A record 5,000 people participate in ABO education programs.
Anna-Marie is promoted to senior biologist and Ted Swem is elected board president. Board and staff begin a new strategic planning process and the education committee is expanded. ABO organizes several owl surveys near Fairbanks and is contracted by USFWS to compile statewide owl census date. At least 150 people apply for ABO seasonal jobs and internships. Andrea makes frequent appearances on the local public radio station to discuss birds and conservation issues. A multi-year study is initiated to document the distribution of landbirds in riverine forest habitat before and after clear cutting. We also begin a three-year study for the Air Force to determine if passerines have decreased reproductive success due to intense jet noise. Anna-Marie completes her thesis, which analyzes seven years of data from the Creamer's Field Migration Station. Andrea creates a birdwatching brochure for the Fairbanks area, and over 1,700 are snapped up that summer. Our second manuscript is published in a peer-reviewed journal. Arctic Audubon Society provides funding to construct a small education pavilion at the banding station. An interpretive sign about Neotropical migrants is designed and installed at the pavilion. ABO hosts the Western Bird Banding Association annual meeting in Fairbanks and a certification session for the NABC. A record 584 birds are caught in one day during fall migration. Using banding data, ABO conducts an examination of Wilson’s Warbler migration in Alaska for the Boreal Partners in Flight annual meeting. Staff threaten a mutiny if more office space isn't found. Nancy contacts a realtor and starts looking at old houses near the refuge while board members fan out to look at other property options.
By May, the board completes a new five-year plan. Anna-Marie is named Migration Chair and Andrea named Outreach & Education Chair for Boreal Partners in Flight. The National Park Service contracts with ABO to conduct bird censuses in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. ABO operates a MAPS station at Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge for the USFWS. With the arrival of seasonal field crews, ABO's staff roster swells to 24 people. The Birdathon is expanded to five weeks to accommodate teams in Nome and Barrow; proceeds surpass $22,000. Anna-Marie has a manuscript from her graduate work published in The Auk--a major milestone for her and ABO. Our quest for more office space is answered by Fountainhead Development, which offers to construct a custom-designed facility at Wedgewood Resort and lease it to us for a great price. A feasibility study and funding search is conducted, floor plans are drawn up, and ABO embarks on its most ambitious fundraising campaign ever.
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Fundraising News
Birdathon
Participants in the Farthest North Birdathon raised the bar another notch this year by breaking several records. Early pledge reports total $22,000 — over $5,000 more than last year. Fourteen year-old Luke DeCicco shattered the record for most money raised, collecting more than $3,200 in pledges. Board member Carol McIntyre bettered her own personal record by raising $2,242, while Nancy DeWitt collected $1,549. One of the ABO teams, the Twisted Siskins, set a new record for most species found (112) during their 24-hour birding marathon. Altogether, 148 people in Fairbanks, Nome, Barrow, Tok, Emmonak, and Homer participated in the event, including six youth teams and three teams on bike. A big "thank you!" goes out to all the counters, sponsors, prize donors, and folks who let people come peek at bird nests in their yards. Full results will be posted on our web site and fall newsletter. Don’t miss the potluck and awards ceremony on Wednesday, July 25 starting at 6 p.m. at the Creamer’s Field Visitor Center!
Hawk’s Nest Raffle
Congratulations to Brenda Mattson in Fairbanks, winner of the three-night stay at the Hawk’s Nest cabin in Denali National Park. Brenda bought her ticket at our table during the People and the Forest Fair. Second and third place prizes went to Sandra Jones of Anchorage and Alex Prichard of Fairbanks. The raffle raised $3,904, and we are grateful to everyone who sold and purchased tickets. Our sincere appreciation also goes out to Wally and Jerryne Cole, owners of Denali National Park Wilderness Centers, Inc., for their generous donation of the cabin stay.
Contributions
We were delighted to receive the following donations this spring. Every gift means a lot to us!
- LGL, Inc. - $1,000 toward our Creamer’s Field programs
- Dan Wetzel of Nature Alaska Tours - $500
- Ducks Unlimited - $250 for youth education programs
- Mt. McKinley Bank – two big desks and a table for our Wedgewood office
- Sourdough Express – moving of the desks from Mt. McKinley Bank
- Williams Company – $1,000 grant for printing activity books for visiting school groups; office supplies; printing of invitations for our Pete Dunne reception
- Kathy Ross – a dictionary and thesaurus
- IKON Office Solutions – use of a table-top copier
- Eric Myers – a mountain bike for our interns
Adopt-A-Net News
Thank you to the following new and renewing sponsors of nets at our Creamer’s Field Migration Station:
Silver Level - Alaska Heart Institute, Alaska Railroad Corporation, Midnight Sun Lions Club, the Usibelli Foundation, Wedgewood Resort
Bronze Level – Fred Meyer, Inc., Holland America Line Westours, Inc., Holm Town Nursery in memory of John Holm, Dr. Jon & Missy Lieberman, PDC, Inc., Rotary Club of Fairbanks, Dan & Ruth Thomson, Doug Toelle & Kelly Wien-Toelle, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc., and the Steve Porter Family.
Alaska Bird Conference
ABO is hosting the 9th Alaska Bird Conference from March 6 – 8, 2002. The conference will take place at Wedgewood Resort in Fairbanks. ABO has secured a room rate of $60 plus tax. We will mail registration materials in early November and abstracts will be due February 1. ABO is currently soliciting suggestions for a keynote speaker and nominees for the Pete Isleib Award in Avian Conservation. Sponsors are also needed so we can hold down costs, especially for students. Any group wanting to schedule a meeting in conjunction with the conference, interested vendors, or anyone with recommendations or wanting to volunteer on the planning committee should contact Nancy at 451-7159 or ndewitt@alaskabird.org.
Volunteer Profile -
Mary Kay Teel
One thing every nonprofit desires is a volunteer who is willing and capable of doing just about anything. Mary Kay Teel is one of those people for ABO.
Originally from Nebraska, Mary Kay moved to Alaska with her husband Ron after he was assigned to Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. They fell in love with Alaska and have been here ever since. Mary Kay and Ron got hooked on bird watching after taking a bird identification course from Sue Quinlan and Bud Lehnhausen about 10 years ago. Their love of birds and birdwatching has grown to include birding wherever they travel and attending American Birding Association conventions. Mary Kay says that, "birding has really focused my attention on environmental and ecological issues."
Mary Kay doesn’t remember how she initially connected with ABO, but she has been involved in many ways since the very beginning. She and her husband became members of ABO in 1992. They became one of our first Adopt-A-Net sponsors in 1997. Mary Kay has been bringing visitors out to our banding station and participating in our education programs for several years. ABO’s Education Coordinator, Andrea Swingley, remembers the first time Mary "volunteered" at the Creamer’s Field Migration Station, "Mary was participating in our ‘Sparrow Stroll’ when we wandered out to the banding station. It turned out that they were catching tons of birds and needed more help. I pulled up a banding kit, handed Mary a pen, and said, ‘Here’s how you scribe.’ She came back out on her own two weeks later."
Mary Kay lends a variety of talents to ABO. She has stuffed envelopes, made runs to the post office, helped plan fundraisers, recruited new members, picked birds out of nets, participated in education programs, and is a member of the ABO board of directors. When asked why she volunteers with ABO, Mary Kay replied, "I volunteer with ABO because I believe in what it does. The research conducted by ABO’s dedicated scientists and volunteers contributes valuable and accurate information about the welfare of the birds that migrate to Alaska to breed as well as resident species and the effects of human activities on them. The educational programs offered by ABO to both adults and children foster the growth of awareness of birds and their needs, and how we can positively effect their survival."
Volunteers are essential for ABO in many different ways. Our banding station could not function without volunteers. More and more, our education programs are enlisting the help of volunteers. Thanks go to Bob Coghill and Mary Calmes for assisting at ABO’s table during the Boreal Forest Council’s "People and the Forest" fair. We could not have compiled accurate and thorough birding reports for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner without the assistance of Audie Bakewell, Steve DuBois, Bob Shelton, Jim Logan, Judy Williams, and the many people who called the Arctic Audubon Society Birding Hotline. ABO conducts many slide presentations throughout the year. Thank you Ted Swem, Fred Deines, Ken Russell, Andrea Swingley, and Ken Whitten for enhancing our slide library with some of your images. If you have slides that ABO can use or duplicate, contact Andrea at 451-7059. We can always use more good bird photos.
Returning volunteers are needed to help at the Creamer’s Field Migration Station. On Wednesday, July 25 at 6:00 PM, we will hold a brief meeting and a potluck (in conjunction with the Birdathon potluck) and have the calendar available for fall sign-ups. If you can’t make the potluck but still wish to sign up, call the Creamer’s office at 451-7059 or e-mail birds@alaskabird.org. People who missed the orientation for new volunteers on July 10 and are still interested in volunteering should contact Jackie at 451-7059.
Special thanks to Ram Papish, artist extraordinaire, for creating original artwork for a new t-shirt. This special shirt features a Northern Shrike and will be given to volunteers who work five or more shifts at the banding station this year.
The days are growing shorter, but summer is not over yet! ABO has many education programs still to come. We’ve started conducting weekly bird walks so folks can continue to watch birds throughout the summer. Walks meet at the Creamer’s Farmhouse at 7:30 AM on Friday mornings (except July 13) through the end of August. These outings last approximately one to two hours and may venture off Creamer’s Refuge. ABO will also be presenting "Birds of Alaska: Masters of Migration and Minus 40," an educational slide program about Alaska’s birds. Slide shows are scheduled on July 23 and July 30 at 7:00 PM in the Wedgewood Resort Visitor Center. Contact ABO for dates of future programs.
Mark your calendars for the 4th Annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival from August 18 – September 9. Sponsored by Friends of Creamer's Field, the Alaska Bird Observatory, and the Arctic Audubon Society, this celebration of Sandhill Cranes and fall migration will include walks, workshops, and other events for adults and kids alike. For more information, contact ABO.
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Spring Migration and
The Day of the Swallow
by Jackie Weicker
The morning of May 29th started slowly at Creamer’s Field Migration Station. Bander David Shaw noted in the daily summary: "Very quiet morning, clouds rolled in at 0730…not even many birds singing." This calm would end in an hour, when one Tree Swallow and two Violet-green Swallows were captured in Net 23, the net farthest out in the seasonal pond. Volunteers Luke DeCicco and Joyce Potter may have had a few moments then to admire the birds’ iridescent plumage, but over the next three hours, this trickle of swallows turned into a downpour.
The volunteers scrambled for extra bird bags, while David braved the murky depths leading to Net 23 again and again in his chest waders. By the end of the day, they had captured, banded, and released 54 swallows: 49 Violet-greens, four Tree Swallows and a single Cliff Swallow. Together with 17 birds of other species, 71 birds total landed in the mist nets, making May 29, 2001 one of the highest spring capture days at Creamer’s Field.
The Day of the Swallow was extraordinary in several ways. The Cliff Swallow, while not an uncommon bird around Creamer’s Field, was the first to land in our nets in ten years of spring migration monitoring; one other had been caught before in the fall of 1997. Combining the numbers of captures from the nine previous years, we had only netted six Tree Swallows and four Violet-green Swallows in total. The Day of the Swallow was singular even within the spring of 2001; aside from May 29th, we only captured four other swallows. We may never know why so many swallows chose that day to take their aerial acrobatics over to one net in the seasonal pond.
Over 34 days of banding this spring, we captured 454 individual birds of 30 different species. Almost nine percent were birds banded in previous years. Aside from the plentiful Violet-green Swallows, the most abundant species included American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Common Redpolls. More unusual captures for the spring included a Bohemian Waxwing and a Pine Siskin.
High water levels in the seasonal pond may have contributed to higher-than-average numbers for Solitary Sandpipers; eight of these shorebirds and one Lesser Yellowlegs added to the variety of birds caught. However, capture rates of Gray-Cheeked Thrushes, Swainson’s Thrushes, and Wilson’s Warblers were lower than usual for the spring season.
We thank all the volunteers who provided invaluable assistance in setting up the banding station, removing birds from the nets, repairing nets, and recording data… often starting at the bleary hour of 5:30 in the morning. Thanks for another successful season!
ABO Field Notes
New Projects
This spring, ABO was contracted by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist with their ongoing studies. From 20 May to 20 June, Joshua Porter and Jacob Nacht conducted nearly 20 off-road surveys in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. These surveys were conducted in areas affected by spruce beetle infestations to determine whether avian abundance and community structure are affected by such infestations.
ABO is currently operating a mist-netting station for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Under David Shaw’s direction, this Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) station is operated once every 10-day period by ABO staff, volunteers, and refuge personnel. This is the 7th year the refuge has operated the station and the first year that ABO has been contracted to conduct the fieldwork. The station is located on the shore of Canvasback Lake, an area characterized by high densities of Yellow Warblers.
Some of Our On-going Projects
Despite vehicle problems, the second year of ABO’s study to monitor the reproductive success of birds exposed to intense jet noise has been very productive. By June 30, Kristen Bartecchi’s crew had located almost 70 passerine nests at Eielson Air Force Base and the Bonanza Creek Experimental Station, including nine Townsend’s Warbler and two Brown Creeper nests. This year we are also examining levels of corticosterone in birds at the two study sites. Corticosterone is a hormone that is released into the bloodstream in response to stressful events. Special thanks to Dr. Susan Sharbaugh at UAF for providing training and consultation for this project, to Mt. McKinley Animal Hospital for the use of their centrifuge, Gail & Larry Mayo for providing temporary housing for some of the field crew, and Mike Vivion for bear safety training.
Jackie Weicker and intern Brandon Barr conducted point counts in Denali National Park in June as part of the National Park Service’s Long-Term Ecological Monitoring Program. An article about their fieldwork will appear in our next newsletter.
Luke DeCicco, now the ripe old age of 14, is working on the third year of a study on the nesting ecology of Tree Swallows at Creamer’s Refuge. This year his sample size doubled from 20 to 40 occupied boxes, so he has been quite busy collecting data.
Marin Sardy, an ABO intern in 2000 and now a technician for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, is leading the fieldwork for the Tok River study this year. ABO provided two interns, census training, and a biologist for the second year of this project, which is examining habitat selection by birds in a forest scheduled for clear cutting. This project is being done in cooperation with Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, with funding for ABO’s involvement provided by the Skaggs Foundation and ABO memberships.
Attention Teachers:
Once again the Alaska Bird Observatory and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game will offer our popular science education programs for school groups during August & September. More information about these programs will be sent to Fairbanks-area schools in early August. Groups visiting ABO are required to pay either $35 per banding presentation or $2 per person to help cover materials and administrative costs. Some scholarship assistance may be available for those classes not able to pay all or part of the fee. If you are interested in bringing a group to the banding station, you must call our office at 451-7059 or e-mail Andrea at aswingley@alaskabird.org beginning Wednesday, August 15. Requests will be accepted until 4:00 PM on Friday, August 17. On Monday, August 20 we will notify you with confirmed dates and the number of slots available to your school. Those classes not accommodated will be placed on a waiting list. If you miss our call-in deadline, please call us anyway and you will be placed on the waiting list.
Spring Migration Open House
On Saturday, April 28, ABO and Friends of Creamer’s Field, in cooperation with several other organizations, hosted a celebration of spring migration at Creamer’s Refuge. The day was filled with activities relating to Alaska birds and bird migration. The event focused on the birds that visit this area, as well as the conservation issues that affect interior Alaska. We had a live Peregrine Falcon, lots of crafts, migration mapping, workshops, informational displays, and spotting scopes for viewing birds in the fields. The Alaska Coffee Roasting Company brought shade-grown coffee for tasting.
Special thanks to Phillips Alaska, Inc. for providing funding for this event. The Alaska Fund for the Future, a donor-advised fund of the Alaska Conservation Foundation, supplied ABO with funding to develop free-standing informational displays about shade-grown coffee and keeping cats indoors. Philip Martin bought copies of this year’s International Migratory Bird Day poster for ABO to give away. Thanks, too, to all the presenters, volunteers, and more than 400 visitors who helped make this celebration of the return of spring and our migratory birds a success.
ABO Wishlist
Although we won’t be moving in until next March, we feel it’s not too early to solicit donations to help us furnish our new building. Items should be in good condition. Give our office a call if you can help.
- Books on birds, natural history, various field guides, etc.
- Our own set of the new Birds of North America
- 2– and 4–drawer filing cabinets
- Pentium II or higher computers
- Laser printer
- Nice desks
- Task chairs
- Bookcases
- Vacuum cleaner
- Overhead projector
- Microwave
- Gas barbecue
- Copy machine
- Multi-line phone system
- Computer work stations
- Tasteful bird art
- Fans
- Wall clocks
- Desk lamps
- Bird mounts/decoys
- Bike rack
- CD player
- Television & VCR
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Alaska Bird Observatory