September / October 2010

September/October 2010
IN THIS ISSUE
Los Gatos
Birdwatcher
15th Anniversary Celebration
New Mural
Lee Pauser: Avian Housing Advocate
Insiders Info & Seed Preference Charts
Fasten Your Seat Belt... Software Updae
Introducing Some New Faces
New Products
Coupon
Field Trips
Sage Advice
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15th Anniversary Celebration Saturday, October 16
Dear Friends,
Our time as part of a national franchise
and now as an independent, add up to 15 years
of serving you, sharing stories about birds, and
becoming part of the whole community! Thank
you for being excited about the birds. Thank you
for feeding them. Thank you for having fun in
our store. Thank you for allowing us to be part
of your family.
Fondly,
Freddy, John, Sage
and our dedicated staff
Come Help Us Celebrate 15 Years
Raffle Prizes, every hour, all day! Customers get
a raffle ticket for every $10 spent. If your number
is drawn, you get to choose any raffle prize that
strikes your fancy!
Quiz, Quiz, Quiz, every customer, every sale,
gets a quiz sheet. Win a prize if you answer the
quiz questions correctly.
11:00-11:30 Nests, Skins &
Mounts can show you so much
more about the birds around us
that we can see. Get “up close
and personal” with the special
educational offerings from the
Santa Clara Valley Audubon
Society. Several taxidermied
birds (mounts) will be on display.
We will bring out our full nest
collection for all to see.
12:00-12:30 Join Lisa Myers
for a Bird ID and Birding by
Ear contest and see how many
backyard birds you know.
1:00-1:30 Meet Fala, the
female albino crow, who is
a non-releasable educational
ambassador for the Wildlife
Center of Silicon Valley.
2:00-2:30 Come play with
binoculars. Try out our many
different brands and models.
Participate in our “Rank the
Binoculars” game. Bring your
old binoculars and see how
they measure up to some of
our new models in clarity, color
contrast, and close focus.
3:00-3:30 Kid’s Corner
presents “Make a Feeder”
table with different types of
feeders and projects to create.
4:00-4:30 Stan Dryden,
author of “Birding Lite” will
give a presentation and later
autograph your copy. It’s a
humorous introduction to
birding and a great holiday gift
for your birder.
New Mural Hides Seed Bag Scuffs
As many of you have noticed, we have painted a lot of the wood in the store white.
It is certainly brighter, but shows all manner of scuffs and dings. We expected
damage from metal or wood feeders but we didn’t expect damage from seed bags;
however, that’s what has happened to the cash/wrap front where customers lean
their bags as they pay for them. The biggest culprit is our biggest seller, Pure Patio
Mix. If you looked at the paint, there were lots of little streaks of red. NO MORE!
Cliff and Kris Crane
Thanks to the artistic talent of Kris Crane and the computer talent of her husband, Cliff, we have a colorful,
creative, and durable mural covering the front of the cash/wrap. Cliff scanned many of Kris’s original art works,
complimented them with some of his photographs, and filled up the areas that would be covered with display
fixtures with Kris’s lush leaves. Then he took measurements and tweaked, and manipulated until they were both
satisfied. Cliff researched possible production methods and we chose our friends, Jeff and Tony, at Vasona Printing
to do the final laminated piece. Come by and see it. Yes, you may lean your bag of Pure Patio Mix against the mural
and we won’t be in the least upset. See if you can find and identify all of the birds and critters in the piece.
WEST SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEWS
Janna Pauser is well known
in the birding community. In
2002, she decided to expand
her birding activities by
assuming monitoring of a
trail of 12 bluebird nest boxes
in Guadalupe Oak Grove
Park near her home. Only
problem, she wasn’t able to
retrieve the boxes to check
on what was inside and then
re-hang them. Enter husband,
Lee Pauser
Lee. He had retired from
IBM in 1996 and his contract work ended in 2002. He had
time on his hands, so why not take over the monitoring of
the boxes. From the 12 boxes in one park in 2002, Lee has
expanded the number and the locations. He now monitors
216 boxes in 10 parks or open space areas. In addition to
bluebird boxes, he has boxes for American Kestrels, Barn
Owls, Northern Flickers, and, new this year, Screech Owls
and Wood Ducks!
a nest on top. Lee addresses
this problem by placing his nest
boxes in areas where House
Sparrows don’t frequent or by
putting one of his inventions
on the nest box to make the box
House Sparrow resistant. Lee
uses wire standoffs on both
sides of a portal to vertically
string a piece of monofilament
line around the box’s entrance
hole. The distance between the
2 lines is less than the diameter
of the entrance hole. House
Sparrows appear to become
confused when they encounter
the line while other species zip
in and out unaffected.
Pauser
Duplexed Barn Owl
& Bluebird Houses
His biggest thrill was in 2002
when he opened a nest box to
find his first Western Bluebird nest. Subsequent thrills
involve new species. Since 2008 Lee has become more
involved with Barn Owls and builds Barn Owl boxes using
Steve Simmons’ design. Steve, an expert in the Merced
area, is a retired shop teacher, who with students, had
built and distributed Barn Owl boxes to local ranchers and
vineyards for many years. (Steve currently has 850 boxes
with 200 of them
being Barn Owl
boxes.) Steve has
been a tremendous
resource for Lee to
draw upon when
needed. Lee now
monitors 19 Barn
Owl boxes with
plans to add more.
To demonstrate
Barn Owlets
how desperate
Barn Owls are for cavities to nest in, he was delighted
when a box that had been put up in early March was found
to have a female Barn Owl nesting in it two weeks later.
Lee and Janna were recently thrilled to watch a male Barn
Owl feeding its mate and owlets. It first landed on the top
of the box, paused, flew up and in front of the box, grabbed
the box below the entrance hole, and propelled itself into
the box. This year is different from last year as several Barn
Owl boxes have been used twice, most likely by different
female Barn Owls (hens) each with their own broods.
When I interviewed Lee about his monitoring I was
treated to “engineer perfection.” He had graphs for: totals
by species for all trails and years, 2010 totals by species for
all trails, nest box counts by year, all seasons total fledged
and, my personal favorite, 2009 breeding cycle. The
information in these graphs is very interesting and when
you dig deep into them, you realize how important Lee’s
boxes and his dedication are to the avian populations
in Santa Clara County. Take, for instance, the statistics
on the totals by species: This year Lee was very proud
that out of the 697 total eggs in all his boxes, 596 hatched
and 505 fledged (meaning that the babies left the nest).
Thirteen species contributed to these numbers. This was
the first year that he had exceeded 500 fledges. Through
improvements made in the bluebird nest box design
and better location selection, Lee has seen the Western
Bluebird success rate go from 66% in 2002 to 77% in 2010.
Western Bluebirds have been Lee’s target bird since 2002
and comprise 38% of the 1,889 total fledged.
According to Lee’s observations, all the wet weather this
spring had an impact on some of the eggs to fledgling
ratios. One cause is that nestlings are more susceptible to
hypothermia if they can’t be kept warm by parents who
are spending more time trying to find bugs that aren’t as
active in the rain and cold. House Sparrows can also cause
problems for Western Bluebirds because they can enter the
nest box, peck/kill the eggs and the occupants, and build
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Pauser
Howell
Lee Pauser: Avian Housing Advocate
WEST SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEWS
Lee also adapted ideas from a local monitor
who had created an “Owl Cam” by attaching a
USB camera and light to his laptop computer.
Such a camera, mounted on an extendable
painter’s pole, enables a monitor to peek into
boxes that are out of reach from the ground.
Lee uses the camera and laptop to observe and
record what he sees in the large nest boxes.
Some of the pictures he took are shown here.
The Barn Owl box has a baffle that divides
the box into two compartments--a foyer and
living room. The baffle provides the occupants
additional protection from predators, but must
be cleared by the camera to reveal the owlets
posturing against this bright eyed intruder.
Lee uses other technology, such as GPS for
recording the location of all the boxes and
a Palm Pilot to enter all the statistical data
collected at each box.
Pauser
Early in the spring I received a call from a
friend at H. T. Harvey, an environmental
mitigation company that relocates or finds
alternative habitat for wildlife being displaced
by various types of construction. There was
a bridge near Antioch that was having some
construction done on it and the 17 or so Barn
Owls that nested under the bridge, 70 feet in
the air, were
in danger
of being
displaced.
Lee built 12 of
his Barn Owl
boxes which
were mounted
below the
bridge about
8 feet off the
Barn Owl Hen & Newborns ground. This
spring most of the boxes were occupied and
owlets fledged. If only all mitigations were this
successful.
If you are interested in learning more about
Janna’s birding adventures and Lee and
his boxes, visit their website which features
Guadalupe Oak Grove Park at www.birdsfly.info.
Lee’s Barn Owl boxes are available at the store
for $80.
Birdwatcher’s Insider Info &
Seed Preference Charts
They are all done! They have
been written, rewritten,
proofed by Julie, Kathleen,
and Laura, and blessed by
the “grammar goddesses”
(Carol Abate and Karen
Wallace, retired from the
West Valley College English Department).
partment) Our newly designed
Seed Preference Chart with information about who eats what
and Insider Info flyers: Avian Housing, Bats–Nature’s Bug
Zappers, Binocular Basics, Gardening for Wildlife, Setting
up your Feeding Station, and Squirrel Wars are ready for your
educational enjoyment. Coming soon are Kid’s Corner that lists all
the educational opportunities for preschools, elementary schools
(Grades K-2), and the Build-a-Workshops that can be transformed
into Birthday Parties. Copies are available at the register.
Teachers - now that school is starting, this is a good time to
schedule your class on our calendar. Christine does Thursdays
and Freddy is flexible on most other days.
Parents - these are great programs to sponsor as they are reasonably
priced and teach children various aspects of nature.
Some of the titles are: Nesting Birds, Birds of Prey, Birds of the
Neighborhood, Hummingbirds, Duck Discovery and many more.
Fasten Your Seat Belt...
it’s going to be a bumpy ride
After 15 years of running our Point-of-Sale (POS)
system on windows 95/98 operating system and
corresponding hardware, we are joining the
21st century with new computer equipment and
a new POS system. Our new system will do most of the things the
old one did. Customer history will be a bit tricky as that can not be
transferred. We will keep the old system up for a few months, so if
you forget what you buy we will still be able to help.
The Frequent Buyer program will be more problematic. Now,
the new loyalty program revolves around dollar points. So we
will convert all eligible frequent-buy records into Nest Egg
Points and a check will be sent to customers on a pro-rated
basis. You will be able to use the Nest Egg check towards your
purchase. Going forward, Nest Egg points will be accrued on
purchases of 20# and larger seed bags. Nest Egg checks will be
mailed on a quarterly basis.
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WEST SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEWS
Introducing Some New Faces
at Los Gatos Birdwatcher
Kid’s Corner
Reservation
Required
Call 358-9453 to reserve your space.
J
Judy
Bingman, well known to former
Los Gatos High Students, has joined
L
our ranks when she isn’t traveling
o
tto distant lands to photograph some
aamazing birds and animals. Early
September will find her in Rwanda
S
ffor a close encounter with Gorillas.
Her favorite subject is polar bears and
H
she has some thrilling p
photographs. When she isn’t traveling,
she is photographing the birds in her backyard that come to
the feeders she has collected as a longtime customer of Los
Gatos Birdwacher. Judy’s photo cards are available in our
greeting card department. Anna, Judy’s yellow Lab, joins
Sage as store greeter on Judy’s work days.
O
Olivia
Ady, our summer staffer,
h
has returned to Maryland for her
tthird year at MICA (Maryland
IIntstitute, College of Arts) in
B
Baltimore. Illustration is her
cchosen field and she has left a
ffew of her “doodles” for us to
rremember her by. She will be back
at Christmas to help out
o with sales and wrapping.
A
Avi Salem, our senior Los Gatos
H
High School student, comes to
us through Teen Force, a new
u
eemployment service for teens. Avi
iis also the chief for the LGHS El
Gato
Newspaper. You will see her
G
on Saturdays and some weekday
o
aafternoons.
Welcome Autumn
For ages 3 to 8: Thurs. Sept. 23, 4 to 5 PM
$10/child
Come celebrate the first day of fall at Los Gatos
Birdwatcher. Find out how the animals are gearing up
for winter as we hear a story and play a game. Decorate
a delicious cookie to eat and take home a special cookie
cutter to make more of your own at home.
Animal Disguises
For ages 3 to 9: Thurs. Oct. 21, 4 to 5 PM
$8/child
In this season of disguises come to Los Gatos
Birdwatcher to find out about all sorts of clever
animal disguises. Join us for a wonderfully
amusing story, make a feeder and create a special
mask to disguise yourself.
Undercover Investigations
For ages 3 to 9: Thurs. Nov. 11, 4 to 5 PM
$8/child
Come find out about animals that go undercover
for protection. Visit some local critters found
undercover and do a painting project too.
Santa Clara Valley Audubon
Society Wildlife Education Day
Saturday, October 23, 2010 10am-2pm
McClellan Ranch Park in Cupertino
Fun Activities For Kids & Bigger Kids (Adults);
Early Birdwalk, Build a Birdhouse, Make a Bird
Feeder, Live Animals… birds, reptiles and more!
20+ Environmental organizations will be there.
For details and directions visit, www.scvas.org
Sage Advice: Recipe for De-skunking
Ask a human to mix together: 4 cups Hydrogen Peroxide,
1/4 cup Baking Soda, and 1 teaspoon regular Dawn
dishwashing liquid.
Build a GingerSeed House Workshop
Have that same human rub the mixture well into your
coat and make sure they don’t get it in your eyes. Then
bathe with your favorite pet shampoo. Towel dry, then
run around the house to air dry. Wheww, it’s over!!!
Keep these ingredients on hand (do not premix them
together) so you will be ready for your next encounter.
Source: My friend, Heloise.
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$25/family
(15% discount for families that prepay by
November 19. Sorry, no refunds)
For the whole family:
Friday, November 26, 3 - 4:30pm
Our traditional after
Thanksgiving project.
Come and enjoy a family activity
and build a house together out of seed that will
make the birds and squirrels very happy. Wear
clothes that you don’t mind getting grubby.
(Please let us know ahead of time if there are
peanut allergies.)
WEST SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEWS
F
Fleece cardigans and vests
– A variety of colors and
a variety of embroideries
make for some spectacular
outerwear for the fall and
winter. We found some
other spiffy sweatshirts
and tunics that sport
cardinals, chickadees,
and hummingbirds.
LOOK WHAT
FREDDY FOUND !
Marjolein
j l i Bastin’s
i Nature’s Journey
– We’ve always admired this famous
artist’s work and now it is available to
non-Hallmark stores. Dessert plates, glass
plates, candle holders, mugs, watering
cans, and coasters all with beautifully
painted birds, butterflies, and flowers.
Balancers for the Garden
– Kinetic sculptures move with the wind. Birds,
Cat and Dog, Dogs and Puppies, and Frog and
Dragonflies moving up and down and around
with the wind. Sturdy metal.
Molly on the Bench
– Our mannequin, Molly, is
sitting on the butterfly bench,
dressed in one of our fall
sweatshirts, talking to a smiling
hedgehog, and contemplating
watering her flowers.
Time to get Organized
– 2011 Calendars are here
and ready to be put to use on
scheduling birdwalks and
classes. Styles include wall,
mini-wall, engagement, and
page-a-day Sibley.
L
Little
Candles
– Are you looking for
just a little something
ju
to say “I’m thinking of
you,” “Happy Birthday,”
y
““Thank you?” These
ssets of 5 little candles
ssay all of those things
aand more. They come in
rround or heart-shaped
ceramic
i h
holders,
ld
with
ith severall dif
different soft scents, in
half a dozen colors, all packaged in a sandalwood box.
You could use them as dinner party favors at each place
or to hold down a bouquet of helium balloons.
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WEST SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEWS
COOL NEW ITEMS FOR FALL!
IIntroducing the Attack Spider
– ward off damaging
w
woodpeckers. Many people
llive in woodland interface
aareas where houses are
n
nestled amongst oak, fir, and
rredwoods. Woodpeckers
u
use dead trees for nesting
Laura hate spiders!
si
sites, for insect foraging
places and as acorn storing granaries. What is deader than
the wood used as house siding? At the suggestion of long
time customer Ellie Stern, we can now offer a product that
comes with her testimonial as well as many others. It is
called the “Attack Spider.” Including the legs it is about 8” in
diameter, battery powered, and makes lots of noise. When the
woodpecker drums within ten feet, the spider quickly drops
down and then noisily works its way back up. Come in for a
demonstration.
Habitats by John Muir Laws
– Four different habitats are explored in
beautiful art work by California artist
John Muir Laws. Birds, flowers, reptiles,
and more are “Things you will see” – on
Grassy hills and in Fields, near Creeks,
Rivers and Ponds, at the Beach and on
the Bay, and among the Oaks and Pines.
Counter Culture
Coffee is back
– We tried
a more local
coffee roaster
and decided,
with your help,
that we wanted
tto go back to
our original
Sanctuary Shade Grown Coffee.
The current seasonal choices are
Mexico, Guatemala, Decaf Peru,
and French Roast Blend.
Droll Yankee reintroduces
caged feeders
– Two sizes, larger cage,
easy to clean and keeps
the squirrels and larger
birds at bay.
Gauntlet Gloves
– Perfect for rose pruning these
gloves are strong, thick, and cover
the susceptible, fleshy part of
your forearm. These are also good
when you have to venture into
poison oak areas.
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Painted Bird Houses
– For many years we have
been unable to find good
bird houses (i.e. clean outs,
ventilation and no perches)
that were nicely decorated
other than our moss-covered
driftwood boxes. We found a
line from Pennsylvania and
they are charming, creative,
and very serviceable. These
nest boxes are painted as a
School house, a Fire house,
a Barn, Townhouse, Rose
Cottage, and the hanging
wren houses are decorated
with berries and flowers.
These make perfect gifts for
bird house collectors as well
as folks who want to safely
attract birds to nest in their
backyards.
WEST SANTA CLARA VALLEY NEWS
C1010
Los Gatos Birdwatcher
King’s Court Center
792 Blossom Hill Road
Los Gatos, CA 95032
2010
15% Off One Item
Expires 10/31/10
Field Trips & Outings
Let’s Go Birding to Golden Gate Park,
San Francisco with Lisa Myers
NO BIRDWALKS Saturday, September 4 or 11,
Freddy and John are off celebrating their 60th
birthdays in Paris and Southern Spain. Yes, there
will be a trip report!
Saturday, September 25 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
It was in the 1860’s when the plans were put in motion
to design Golden Gate Park. Encompassing more than
1,000 acres, Golden Gate Park is home to many bird
species living amongst the big city. During the fall
migration, the activity in the park increases as birds
use the park as an oasis to rest and refuel on their
journey south. We’ll visit the many historic areas of
the park as we search for new birds and migrants.
Fee: $25/per person + share of gas
Saturday Morning Local Bird Walks
Join us every Saturday morning for an
enjoyable meander looking for birds. Call
the store Friday nights after 7 PM
to find out where we are going the
next morning. Except for our once
a month all-day field trips, we go
on a local bird walk from 8 to 10 am
and return for bagels and shade grown coffee. Some of
the nearby places we go to are Oka Ponds, Guadalupe
Oak Grove Park, Belgatos Park, Almaden Lake Park,
Shoreline and Charleston Slough.
No Charge.
No October field trip
Let’s Go Birding to Point Reyes
with Lisa Myers
Saturday, November 20, 8:00am to 6:00pm
Point Reyes National Seashore, located just north of
San Francisco, is a beautiful, open expanse of land
which provides ideal habitat for many different
species of birds. We’ll be looking for species that
winter here and those that use the area to refuel
during their fall migration south. Birding this area is
a real adventure with our first stop at the Bear Valley
Visitor’s Center. From there we’ll bird lagoons and
bays and scan the ocean for pelagic species from the
Point Reyes Lighthouse.
Fee: $25/per person + share of gas
Sunnyvale Audubon walks
First Wednesday of the month
Oct 6, Nov 3, Dec 1 - Noon to 1pm
Bring your binoculars (loaners are available) and
meet Freddy at the Sunnyvale Pollution Control
Plant where Borregas and Caribbean meet off of 237.
After entering the plant turn left at the first stop sign
and continue to the end of the parking area. We will
see raptors, shorebirds, and lots of ducks.
No Charge.
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King’s Court Center
792 Blossom Hill Road
Los Gatos, California 95032
408/358-9453
email: [email protected]
ound
reddy F
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Look W on Page5!!!
Dates to Remember
Closed 9/6 for Labor Day
If you ever find yourself in a close encounter with a skunk,
use my recipe to make yourself smell better (see page 4).
My friend Lucy speaks from experience
…it works well!
9/11
9/12
9/23
10/11
Patriot Day
Grandparents Day
Autumnal Equinox
Columbus Day
observed
10/16 Los Gatos Birdwatcher
celebrates 15 years
10/18 Sage turns 10
10/23 Santa Clara Valley
Audubon’s Wildlife
Education Day
11/2 Election Day VOTE
11/7 Daylight Savings
Ends
Store Hours
Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 12 noon to 5 p.m.
Phone: 408-358-9453
Lark
Ave
Akeena
Solar
X
Los Gatos
Birdwatcher