The Arctic Warbler - On-Line Edition

Membership Rates Change

How Loud Can You Go?

by Kristen Bartecchi

Growing up in a small town in southern Colorado, I remember taking the occasional family trip to Denver to see a museum exhibit or play. My mother’s body language always changed as she merged into six lanes of fleeting traffic. Her shoulders tensed, she tightened her grip on the wheel, and her stare was fixed ahead as she calculated every move. When we neared the city my mother would turn off the radio and insist that we be quiet. By eliminating the noise within our car she was able to focus on the road.

The negative effect of noise on my mother was easy to observe, but what about in wild animals? Janssen (1980) identified three possible noise effects on wildlife. Primary effects are direct impacts such as hearing loss, ruptured eardrums, or deafness. Secondary effects include physiological responses, behavioral changes, interference with reproduction, and reduced ability to obtain food, water, or cover. Tertiary effects are population-level effects, such as changes in age and sex ratios, population declines, habitat abandonment, and potential species extinction.

In Alaska, researchers have shown increasing interest in the impacts of noise on wildlife, especially caused by low-altitude aircraft. This interest was fueled by an escalation in US Air Force training activities and the size of Military Operations Areas (MOAs) in the state since the late 1980s and early 1990s. In order to minimize potentially adverse effects on humans and wildlife resulting from increased military activity, the Department of Defense has provided funding to study species or populations that may be at risk. Currently, studies are being conducted to observe the effects of military overflights on Alaska Natives, Dall sheep, Peregrine Falcons and migratory songbirds.

In the summer of 2000, the Alaska Bird Observatory joined this research effort. We initiated a three-year study to determine whether intense jet noise at Eielson Air Force Base has a negative effect on songbirds nesting in adjacent woodlands. To address this question we are comparing nesting success, species abundance and diversity, and relative stress levels of birds nesting at Eielson and a control site located outside a MOA. Because this is the first study of nesting success for this region, we will also gain valuable information on local nesting ecology and chronology for forest species including: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush, and Hammond’s Flycatcher. Additionally, we found two Brown Creeper nests and one Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nest, which are some of the first definitive records of these species nesting successfully at this latitude.

During two field seasons we found 116 nests of 19 bird species. We predicted that nests exposed to intense jet noise would fail at a higher rate. So far we have found no difference in nesting success between Eielson and our control site. Seventy-seven percent of nests found at each site fledged young and nest failures at both sites were largely caused by predation. If noise influenced these failures we would expect nests at Eielson to fail due to abandonment or unknown causes, but only one nest, found at Eielson, fell under one of these categories.

We predicted that birds breeding at Eielson would be more stressed than birds at our control site. During the 2001 breeding season, we collected blood samples from 47 Yellow-rumped Warblers, 35 Townsend’s Warblers and 91 Dark-eyed Juncos to determine whether concentrations of corticosterone, a hormone that responds to stress, was higher in birds exposed to extreme noise levels. Dr. Michael Romero, a professor at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, is processing these samples.

Until we have all the data it will be difficult to tell whether birds breeding at Eielson are as successful as birds living in a more serene environment. However, the birds I have watched at Eielson seem unphased when a F-16 screams overhead, whereas their duties are usually hampered by the presence of their goshawk neighbor.

Literature cited:

Janssen, R. 1980. Future scientific activities in effects of noise on animals. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Report Number 10.

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ABO would like to officially welcome Kelly Wien-Toelle to our staff. Kelly, who was born and raised in Fairbanks and is a fifth generation Alaskan, is our new bookkeeper. Of her connection to the historic Wien Airlines, Kelly admits, "I have a bit of flying in my blood, which is about the only thing I have in common with birds." She’s great with numbers, though, and we’re delighted to have her on staff!

Phil Joy, who joined our staff last May to work on the "jets & birds " study at Eielson AFB, has been hired for the winter to work on our southeast Alaska research synthesis. Phil has an M.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. He has done fieldwork throughout Alaska including work in the Alaska Range, Kenai Fjords, and Prince William Sound. Phil is a musher and aspires to run in the Yukon Quest some day.

Jackie Weicker will be continuing to work for ABO while Anna-Marie Benson is out on maternity leave. Jackie, Phil, and Andrea Swingley are holding down the fort at our Creamer’s Office this winter.

Travels: Anna-Marie presented part of her thesis in a poster presentation at the American Ornithologists’ Union conference in Seattle in August. Andrea just returned from the Cape May Autumn Weekend back east, where she saw some great birds and picked up new ideas for our education program and future retail store. Andrea and Anna-Marie recently attended the Boreal Partners in Flight meeting in Anchorage. Nancy DeWitt visited the Idaho Bird Observatory while in Boise in October. David Shaw is taking a Research Design class at UAF this fall and will be vacationing in Thailand in January.

Several 2002 jobs and internships with ABO
are now posted on our web site.

ABO’s New Nest Takes Shape

Like a colony of love-struck weaver finches, the construction workers at Wedgewood Resort have been speedily creating a marvelous new home for ABO. In just six weeks, they had the foundation poured, the outer walls and roof in place, the interior walls framed, and the parking area paved. Less than a month later most of the windows and exterior siding were installed, and now we can really see how attractive the building is going to be. Construction is progressing on schedule, and we should be moving in and spreading our wings by March 1. You can visit our web site at www.alaskabird.org to follow the progress of construction.

Fountainhead Development has done an excellent job with the design and construction of this facility, and we are looking forward to a long-term partnership with them at Wedgewood Resort. ABO’s board of directors signed our lease on October 18, which allows us to rent the facility at approximately 30% below market rates. In addition to a brand-new, custom-designed building in a great location, Fountainhead will provide snow removal from the roof and lot, landscaping, grounds maintenance, garbage service, major repairs, and promotion of ABO in Wedgewood’s literature. We are also working with Fountainhead and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to construct a bridge over Isabella Creek to connect ABO with Creamer’s Refuge. All in all, a great deal for ABO!

To ensure that ABO has a state-of-the art, professional facility, we have set a campaign goal of $150,000. This will allow us to completely furnish the 2,300 square foot building, install a computer network and multi-line phone system, purchase interpretive displays, acquire our initial inventory for the gift shop, build library shelves and a reception counter, buy books for our library, obtain audio-visual equipment, and purchase a small storage shed. The amount also covers our first year operating expenses to help ease the transition to paying rent and utilities.

Almost $36,000 in grants and financial contributions has been donated or pledged so far, and we have received another $5,500 in in-kind donations. We are actively applying for grants, but it is our members who will really make a huge difference in the campaign. Although Fountainhead is providing us with a building, we need your financial support to make it our home. Please consider making a generous donation or pledge to boost our campaign to the next level. Contributors of $250 or more will be recognized on a special donor wall in the facility’s new classroom, while $500+ donors will be featured on the "wall of birds." To make a gift, please visit our Pledge Page. Thank you for helping us "feather our nest!"

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Holiday Wish List

Meetings and Certifications
On September 21-23, Migration Program Manager Jacqueline Weicker attended the Western Bird Banding Association’s annual meeting in Spokane, Washington. Prior to the meeting, on September 19-20, she was evaluated by members of the North American Banding Council as part of a certification process. This involved a test of field skills such as identifying and processing birds, net set-up and placement, station management, and other aspects of banding. A written test covering regulations and ethics was administered, as well as an oral exam on avian biology and teaching skills. She passed at both the Bander and Trainer levels. Congratulations to Jackie for passing such a rigorous test.

New Contracts
Southeast Alaska Gap Analysis - In 1999, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. settled several violations for illegally discharging waste into southeast Alaska waters. Their penalty included payment of $1,000,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation "to fund environmental projects and initiatives designed for the benefit, preservation, and restoration of the environment and ecosystems in the waters of the United States along the coast of Alaska." ABO, in partnership with Audubon Alaska, was awarded a $30,000 grant from settlement funds. Audubon will use grant funds to expand their Alaska Bird Academy program as well as print and distribute the "WatchList for Alaska Birds." ABO’s goals are to investigate the known effects of coastal industries on birds in southeast and Alaska and to identify gaps in our understanding of these issues. The project will consist of a formal literature review, a survey of relevant agencies and organizations, and a written report and bibliography. We hope that the report will be used as a reference for planning research on birds in these areas.

Wilson’s Warbler Migration - ABO recently received funding from the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Refuges and Migratory Bird offices to examine geographic and temporal patterns in the autumn passage of Wilson’s Warblers (Wilsonia pusilla). The funding for the project will allow biologists to pursue the following objectives using data from four Alaska migration stations:

1. Determine whether departure from the breeding grounds in Alaska varies spatially and temporally.
2. Examine sex- and age-related differences in the timing of migration.
3. Examine interannual variation in the magnitude of migration by sex and age class to determine statistical power to monitor long-term trends in population size.

Comparison of Migration-monitoring Stations - ABO received funding from the USFWS (Office of Migratory Bird Management and Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge) to test the assumption that independent migration monitoring protocols provide similar accounts of population trend data in the Tanana Valley. The following objectives will be pursued using data from Creamer’s Field Migration Station and Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR):

1. Compare the timing of bird movements detected from migration monitoring stations at TNWR & Creamer’s Field.
2. Analyze the effect of weather on daily migration counts.
3. Compare trends in abundance from migration monitoring stations at Creamer’s Field and TNWR.
4. Compare trends in abundance between migration monitoring stations and point-count surveys derived from data collected in the Tanana Valley.

Habitat Model - The Alaska Bird Observatory (ABO) has collaborated with several governmental organizations to initiate habitat studies in interior Alaska. The paucity of scientific information on habitat requirements of forest birds has been the impetus for much of these recent collaborative efforts. Numerous biologists have expressed concern about the lack of existing information needed to make informed management decisions concerning boreal forest land-use issues. ABO’s recent studies of forest bird habitat associations have generated the data necessary to develop models to predict habitats used by birds, including species of concern. These models are a preliminary but crucial step toward understanding the potential risks from landscape-scale developments in Alaska’s boreal forests to landbird species of concern.

The Northern Alaska Ecological Services office of the USFWS recently contracted ABO to develop predictive models that will help identify habitats of concern in interior Alaska for priority bird species . The models will be developed at the landscape and microhabitat scales using data collected in the Tok River drainage during 2000-2001.

ABO is hosting the 9th Alaska Bird Conference from March 6 – 8, 2002 at Wedgewood Resort in Fairbanks. We will mail registration materials in December, and abstracts will be due February 1. Several other meetings are scheduled in conjunction with the conference. The Alaska Shorebird Working Group will hold their meeting on Monday, March 4. An "All Bird Coordination Meeting" for the North American Bird Conservation Initiative will take place on Tuesday, March 5. This is an open meeting for all those interested in conservation of birds. The Alaska Loon Working Group will hold their annual meeting on March 8. Current information can be found on the ABO web site.

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Volunteer Profile -
Lorrie Hawkins

Since 1996, one of ABO’s most dedicated volunteers has been Lorrie Hawkins. This year was no exception, so we named Lorrie "2001 Volunteer of the Year."

Lorrie originally began volunteering at ABO to teach her two kids the value of volunteering and that doing so could be enjoyable while being valuable to the community. It was because of Lorrie and her kids that ABO began its Junior Volunteer program. One of Lorrie’s most memorable moments with ABO was the look on Anna-Marie’s face when she learned that Lorrie and her two young kids wanted to volunteer at the banding station. Little did Anna-Marie know at the time that the Hawkins family would become such devoted and long-lasting volunteers, and that she would become a great advocate of mentoring and involving kids in science.

At first Lorrie volunteered solely at the banding station, but she has since diversified her activity with ABO. She has helped in a variety of areas: from stuffing envelopes to checking mail at the post office, from picking birds out of nets to learning to band, from providing information for ABO staff regarding injured and young birds to bringing her educational birds to our public programs. Lorrie is a licensed bird rehabilitator with permits to have two non-releasable birds for educational purposes. She sees these birds as opportunities to allow the public to have more intimate contact with wild birds so they may develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for these creatures.

Dependable volunteers, like Lorrie, are critical to the operation and success of ABO’s banding station. Lorrie also illustrates that there are many ways in which people can help ABO. Thank you Lorrie!

A full list of our 2001 volunteers will be featured in our annual report.

ACF Internship
New at ABO this summer was an internship funded by the Alaska Conservation Foundation through their Conservation Internship Program. ABO was lucky to have hired Kim Olson for this position. Kim’s ideas and enthusiasm were beneficial for ABO in many ways as she helped with a wide variety of ABO programs. As she described it: "the internship allowed me to have a very well-rounded insight (through direct involvement) in almost all facets of ABO. I came to appreciate the incredible diversity of programs and tasks and public outreach that ABO undertakes…from conducting research, educating thousands of visitors and school kids annually, to administering and executing successful fundraising campaigns, and helping identify mystery birds over the phone for curious Fairbanks residents." We greatly appreciated Kim’s flexibility and hard work this summer. ABO also would like to thank Gail and Larry Mayo for letting Kim live in their awesome yurt, and the Alaska Conservation Foundation for funding this position.

Sandhill Crane Festival: August 18 – September 9, 2001
Despite rainy weather, the 4th Annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival was a huge success. Sponsored by Friends of Creamer's Field (Friends), the Alaska Bird Observatory, and the Arctic Audubon Society, this celebration of Sandhill Cranes and fall migration included walks, lectures, workshops, and other events for adults and kids alike. Thanks to a grant from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, ABO and Friends hired Coral Howe to coordinate the festival. Coral brought tons of enthusiasm and new ideas to the festival, which resulted in a huge increase in participation by the community. Thank you Alaska Conservation Foundation and all of the festival’s sponsors and participants for helping us celebrate Sandhill Cranes and fall migration!

New Summer Programs
Through "Birds of Alaska: Masters of Migration and Minus 40," a new slide show presented on four evenings at Wedgewood Resort, ABO staff educated more than 175 tourists and residents about some of the amazing feats of survival accomplished by Alaska’s birds. Special thanks goes to Lorrie Hawkins, who brought Yoda the Boreal Owl and Steve the Northern Goshawk to "liven up" these presentations. Additional thanks to Ted Swem, Ed Clark, Andrea Swingley, and Tom Benson for providing slides to enhance ABO’s programs and collection.

Also new this summer were weekly bird walks offered from the end of June through August. Participation was lower than anticipated, but this may have been related to the fact that it rained for the majority of the walks. Special thanks to Jim Logan for leading one of the strolls around Creamer’s Refuge. During the Crane Festival, we added four walks that began from the Wedgewood Resort side of Creamer’s Refuge. These walks were focused specifically on Sandhill Cranes and attracted 40 participants. Look for more regularly scheduled bird walks around Fairbanks next summer.

Upcoming Programs
Just like the birds, ABO’s programs are present throughout the year – winter is no exception! Get ready for Fairbanks’ annual Christmas Bird Count (to be conducted on December 30) at a workshop on December 10. More about the Christmas Bird Count can be found on page 7. We will kick off our winter seminar series on January 22 with Dr. Abby Powell discussing Snowy Plovers in California. The complete seminar schedule is on page 12. Watch our web site or call our office for details on future programs.

Is there a program or workshop you’d like ABO to offer? Would you like ABO to give a presentation or class in your community? Let us know! E-mail Andrea at aswingley@alaskabird.org or call 451-7059.

Frosty Feathers of the Far North
Thanks to a recent grant from the Alaska Natural Resource and Outdoor Education Association, ABO is initiating a new classroom-based winter education program called "Frosty Feathers of the Far North." This project will use activity-based lessons to involve 4th – 8th grade students and teachers in scientific inquiries about Black-capped Chickadee behavior and ecology in Alaska. This winter we will begin developing and field testing the project in three local classrooms. Our goal is to obtain additional funding that will eventually allow us to expand this program throughout Alaska.

Thank you to ExxonMobil Foundation for a $5,000 grant to support our education programs.
We appreciate their long-term support!

Join the Christmas Bird Count

The 102nd annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), sponsored by the National Audubon Society, represents the oldest and largest wildlife survey in the world. The first count took place in 1900 with 27 participants. Today, more than 50,000 people participate in this annual, all-day census of early-winter bird populations.

Christmas Bird Counts are great recreational and social events (many conclude with a potluck dinner to share results) during the cold, dark days of Alaska’s winter. We encourage folks to get involved, whether it’s to count birds visiting your feeder or to cover a pre-assigned area. All skill levels are welcome, from beginning birdwatchers to experienced ornithologists. We can pair up novice observers with veteran counters. To prepare for the Fairbanks CBC, ABO and Arctic Audubon will conduct a winter bird identification workshop on Monday December 10 at 7:00 PM in the Creamer’s Farmhouse Visitor Center. We will also discuss how the CBC works and how to participate. This is for veteran counters as well as new recruits! If you are interested in participating in the CBC, contact your local coordinator or Audubon chapter. A list of some Alaska contact numbers follows:

Area	Date	Coordinator Telephone E-mail
Anchorage	December 15	Dave Delap 561-0223
Delta Junction	December 29	Steve DuBois 895-4851 steve_dubois@fishgame.state.ak.us
Denali Park	December 22	Nan Eagleson 683-2822 surfbird@mtaonline.net
Fairbanks	December 30	Gail Mayo 479-2954 lgmayo@mosquitonet.com
Juneau	December 15	Mark Schwan 789-9851 aukebay@gci.net
Kodiak	December 15	Rich MacIntosh 486-3087 rmacintosh@keaconnect.net
Tok	December 19	Bud Johnson 883-5312 buddy_johnson@fws.gov

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Creeping Along

During fall migration in 2000, ABO caught its first Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) at the Creamer’s Field Migration Station. This capture led some people to wonder if creepers were becoming more common, as they are rarely seen around Fairbanks. Creepers are much more likely to be seen in southcentral and southeastern Alaska than in the Interior. Brown Creepers are regularly detected during the Christmas Bird Counts around Anchorage, Homer, Juneau, and Ketchikan, as well as several other locations in Alaska. Over the past year or two, reports of Brown Creepers closer to Fairbanks have become more common. ABO’s field crews working around the Bonanza Creek area this summer found pairs of these birds on each of their three study plots and two creeper nests. A creeper was seen at a Fairbanks-area bird feeder in October of this year.

Are Brown Creepers becoming more common? Perhaps they have been in the Interior but not observed or reported? Maybe these latest reports are simply the result of more people knowing about and looking for creepers? There is really no good way to answer these questions. All we can do is gather more information.

Brown Creepers are small brown birds with a distinct behavior for feeding on spiders, insects, and occasionally seeds. They start low on a tree and work their way up the trunk by spiraling along the bark as if they were going up a spiral staircase. Creepers have a thin, down-curving (or decurved) bill, a stiff tail with pointy feathers, and white underparts. The upperparts are mottled brown, white, and buff, which camouflage creepers quite well on a tree.

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Shopping for the Birds

Do your holiday shopping at ABO and support bird conservation at the same time! In addition to gift memberships, we have several items that would make great gifts or stocking stuffers. These items are available in our office or by phone/e-mail, and many will be available during the Friends of Creamer’s Field holiday sale at the Visitor Center December 3-21 from 5-9 PM weekdays and 12-4 PM Saturdays. We can now accept credit card orders made by phone, fax, or in an ABO office.

We recently received several copies of the new Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, which is on sale for $40 ($45 for nonmembers). This book, "the most comprehensive guide to the lives and behavior of the 80 bird families found in North America," was written by 44 of America’s top birders and ornithologists, and includes 796 full-color paintings by David Sibley.

We have a lot of t-shirts in stock! These include the Townsend’s Warbler and American Golden-plover designs in several styles and colors. Call, stop by our office, or e-mail birds@alaskabird.org for availability and prices.

Other items on sale include:

• Bird Songs of Alaska CDs
• Fieldfare field guide covers
• Alaska bird checklists
• Songs and Calls of Alaska Birds cassette tape
• Various field guides (Kauffman, Sibley, National Geographic, Hawks in Flight)
• Indices for the National Geographic and Sibley field guides
• "Anti-collision" chickadee window decals
• A limited number of stained glass Eurasian Bullfinches and other birds by Laurel Devaney
• Pete Dunne books: Before the Echo, The Feather Quest, and Small Headed Flycatcher: Seen Yesterday, Didn’t Leave his Name
• Beautiful bird notecards (kestrels, grosbeaks, warblers, chickadees, kingfishers and more!)
  
  

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Many Thanks!

A warm "thank you" goes out to all of the early contributors to our facility campaign. Thanks to their support, we are well on our way toward our campaign goal!

"Wall of Birds" — Alaska Conservation Foundation, Ed Clark & Judy Dearborn (in memory of Timothy J. Schantz), Jim & Nancy DeWitt, Ferguson Foundation, Anne & Will Harrison, Dr. Cary & Sarah Keller, Larry & Gail Mayo, Greg McClellan, Mike & Peggy Pollen, Kathy Ross, Dr. Stephen Sutley and Maree Barney-Sutley, Robert Suydam, Wells Fargo Bank Alaska, and Judy & Frank Williams.

Donor Wall — Elizabeth Berry, Charlie Green, DeeDee Hammond, Angela Matz & David Payer, Dave Mobraten, Dr. Lee & Linda Payne, Ted Swem, Ron & Mary Kay Teel, Dan & Ruth Thomson, Walsh Kelliher & Sharp CPAs, and John Wright.

Other important contributors — Skip Ambrose & Chris Florian, Bob Barni, Kristen Bartecchi & Ned Rozell, Anna-Marie Benson, Mary Anne Bishop, Carol & Al Brice, Libby Burgess, Rusty & Peggy Buss, Gina Carolan, Ed Clark & Judy Dearborn, Susie Crevensten, April Crosby & Merritt Helfferich, Fountainhead Development, John & Laurie DeWitt, Robert & Karen Fox, Jane Gregory, Kay Hackney & Luke DeCicco, Nicholas Hajdukovich, Joanne Haller, Kay Hinckley, Chris & Maureen Harwood, Laurie Hynson, Ruth Knapman, Mary Liston, Jim Logan & Sherry Lewis, Jamie & Bud Marschner, Jill Marshall, Philip Martin, Peter McRoy & Carla Helfferich, Randy Meyers, Ed & Gretchen Murphy, Mary & Dave Nebert, Valerie & George Nixon, Leonard Peyton, Joyce Potter, Jeanny Ringstad, Bob & Bobbie Ritchie, Grace Schaible, Rick & Cherie Solie, Kristine Sowl, Andrea & Chris Swingley, Doug Toelle & Kelly Wien-Toelle, Coleen Turner, David & Callie Underwood, Peter Worthington, and Dave Yokel & Kathy Taylor Yokel.

In-kind gifts — Peter Kelley Insurance, Northern Testing Laboratories, Janlee Irving, Sandra Chaffin, Sarah Keller, Corporate Express, Martha Hanlon Architects, Dan McGauhey, Dennis Hedgecock Insurance, Jill Marshall, and Delta Airlines.

And a big "thank you" to Tim Cerny with Fountainhead Development for making our new home possible!

Volunteers Needed

Thanks ADFG

From the beginning, the most consistent and one of the strongest supporters of ABO has been the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG). ADFG supports ABO in too many ways to list them all, but we thought we’d share a few. John Wright, ADFG biologist, was essential in getting ABO started and keeping it alive through the years; John presently serves on ABO’s board of directors. John was instrumental in obtaining a cooperative agreement between ADFG and ABO for the operation of the Creamer’s Field Migration Station. This agreement included financial, in-kind, and personnel support for ABO’s research and education programs. The agreement has evolved into a contract between ADFG & ABO and will expand in 2002. ADFG provides ABO with support such as in-kind office space in the Creamer’s Farmhouse Visitor Center, use of a photocopier, and cooperative education programs conducted with Creamer’s Refuge Education Coordinator, Mark Ross. Thank you Alaska Department of Fish & Game for supporting the Alaska Bird Observatory!

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Birdathon 2001:
Twisted Siskins Rule the Roost

Many new records were set during the annual birdathon fundraiser and spring migration celebration for ABO and the Arctic Audubon Society. A whopping $23,735 was pledged to 153 participants in Fairbanks, Tok, Nome, Barrow, Valdez, Homer, Emmonak and at Eielson AFB. This fantastic show of support for bird conservation was very uplifting!

Luke DeCicco, a 14-year old birder and ABO junior volunteer, blew away the competition by raising over $3,100 – a new record amount. Luke was a member of the Northern Shrikes youth team, which was formed in 2000 to promote youth birding and bird conservation. Other team members included Nicholas Hajdukovich (aka Junior Birdman), Brita Irving, and Willa Schneider. Under the guidance of John Wright and Joyce Potter, the Shrikes racked up 77 species without leaving the Fairbanks area. Almost $4,300 was pledged to the team—thank you to everyone who sponsored them!

ABO’s Twisted Siskins team set new records for most species seen in 24 hours (112) and the most money raised by a team ($4,840, counting ABO member pledges). The Siskins started their 24-hour count at the Maclaren River on the Denali Highway, birded their way through Paxson and Delta, and spent their remaining hours in Fairbanks. Misinterpreted directions sent the team into the wrong backyard at 3 a.m. in search of a Boreal Owl, but fortunately they escaped without any buckshot in their posteriors and found an owl in the neighboring yard. ABO’s other team, the Buff-breasted Sandpipers, did their entire count by bicycle and raised $2,580 in the process. A delightful poem about their adventure can be found at www.alaskabird.org, the ABO web site.

Altogether, 24 teams hit the field to raise money and count birds during the Farthest North Birdathon. Several teams did their entire count on bike and foot. Three school teams participated. One adult team watched in horror as a man (with a small child in tow) began shooting at the scoters they were viewing at the South Cushman ponds. By involving children and youth in our birdathon and other programs, we hope that fewer will develop into adults who get their kicks from shooting birds illegally.
Thank you to everyone who sponsored counters and/or participated in the 2001 Farthest North Birdathon! We are also indebted to the event’s sponsors, Alaska Airlines and Steve Neumuth Advertising. Their support is very appreciated. Kudos to those who led novice Birdathon teams: Philip Martin, John Wright, Joyce Potter, Jim Logan, Mark Ross, Jim Gilbert, Mary Liston, Doug Toelle, and Andrea Swingley. We also thank all the people who shared "their" birds with birdathon counters.

Prize donors included Marty Baldridge, Fran Bundtzen, Randall Compton, Laurel Devaney, Nancy DeWitt, Janlee Irving, Joyce Potter, Alaska Feed Co., American Birding Association, Arctic Audubon Society, The Artworks, Aurora Motors, Beaver Sports, Big Ray's, Binkley Family, Cold Spot Feeds, Denali Raft Adventures, Food Factory, Fountainhead Development, Fred Meyer, Hot Licks, Interior Yoga, Kenai Fjords Tours, New Horizons Gallery, Pat Pearlman Designs, Pike's Landing, Pike's Waterfront Lodge, Princess Tours, The Prospector, Shorebird Studio, Signature Studio, Tanana Valley State Fair, Tatonduk Flying Service, Tenderfoot Pottery, Two Rivers Lodge, and Wilderness Expressions. Trademark Screenprinters donated the screens for the awesome ptarmigan t-shirts, and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner donated two-for-one ads. Tangle Lakes Lodge provided a free cabin stay for the Twisted Siskins Team, while Aurora Motors provided a comfy van for their adventure.

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Pete Dunne, a noted author, expert birder, and director of the Cape May Bird Observatory in New Jersey, traveled to Fairbanks in July for ABO’s 10th anniversary celebration and facility campaign kick-off. Seventy people joined ABO’s staff at the Dog Mushers’ Hall the first night to enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres by Jennifer Jolis and view architectural plans for ABO’s new facility. Pete shared his views on “the tales behind the tales,” including events that lead to some of his essays and the “fan mail” that resulted from others. The evening raised $12,252 from donations and book sales for our new facility.

The following evening Pete did a public reading called “Golden Wings,” a heart-warming tale about Pete’s friend and mentor, Roger Tory Peterson. Thank you to everyone who attended or sent in absentee contributions!

Twenty-eight local birders also enjoyed two morning bird walks with Pete at Creamer’s Refuge. After a brief discussion on the value of good optics, we hit the Boreal Forest Trail. Pete demonstrated his skills at spishing and imitating screech owl songs, which helped bring curious birds out of hiding. Highlights from the walks included sightings of a Killdeer and Black-backed Woodpecker, and no mosquitoes (ha!). We are grateful to Pete for donating a week of his time to come to Fairbanks and share his skill and stories with our community.

We also want to thank a number of people for helping ABO bring Pete to Fairbanks and for pulling off our anniversary party, especially our event chairs Judy & Frank Williams, Ron & Mary Teel, and Jeanny Ringstad. We also thank Ron & Mary Teel for donating Delta airline miles for Pete’s plane ticket, Larry & Gail Mayo for loaning a car for Pete’s use, Jim & Nancy DeWitt for housing Pete, Jennifer Jolis for her expert culinary skills with the party’s hors d’oeuvres, Kathy Ross for designing and donating the paper for the elegant invitations, the Williams Company for printing the invitations, April & Merritt Helfferich for their advice on fundraising receptions, Sue Kerndt for providing cut flowers to decorate the hall, and KUAC, Theresa Bakker, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Fox 7/CBS 13 News, and Channel 11 News for promoting Pete’s visit.

Finally, we thank the folks who helped prepare food for and assist with the anniversary event: Kristen Bartecchi, Anna-Marie
Benson, Alan Marsh, Gail Mayo, Susie Michaelson, Katherine Miller, Kim Olson, Joyce Potter, Jeanny Ringstad, Ted Swem, Andrea Swingley, Jackie Weicker, and Judy & Frank Williams.

A Note About Our Office