Opportunity to Help with Chickadee Research  

Nora Carlson is a behavioral ecologist (currently at the University of Tokyo) studying how birds talk to one another about predators and the danger they pose. She will be in Washington this winter to do some comparative experiments trying to understand if/how chickadees understand other Paride anti-predator calls, and if chickadees use the same type of grammatical rules in their anti-predator calls that Paridae species in Japan do. She is hoping to find people interested in letting her use their bird feeders to conduct my experiments (playing sounds to chickadees to see how they respond) as well as some local knowledge about the best places to find chickadees reliably in winter (Nov – Mar). I am specifically looking for places in Kitsap County (centered near Bainbridge Island), Southwest Snohomish County (centered near Lynwood), and near Bellingham. If this is something you think you might be interested in helping with, please email me (nora.v.carlson@gmail.com) and please include ‘Feeder Experiments’ or ‘Local Knowledge’ in the subject or body of the email. 

CAMANO WILDLIFE HABITAT BENEFIT CONCERT 

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Celebrating 1062 Certified Habitats and 22 years of Creating an Island in Harmony with Nature — One Yard at a Time

MANY THANKS to all of you who attended the Camano Wildlife Habitat Benefit Concert. More than 90 people listened and participated in the Legacy Ukulele Concert, and 16 of those also learned ukulele techniques at Peter Luongo’s workshop.  Peter and my Legacy ohana were quite impressed with the Camano audience’s enthusiasm and participation in our songs, especially Hungarian Dance #5, the Liechtensteiner Polka, and Brown Eyed Girl.  The “HEYS,” “YAHS,” and "SHA-LA-LAS” were great additions to our ukulele playing. We had a lot of fun playing for you!

The concert donations of $811 will help FOCIP’s Camano Wildlife Habitat Project continue working to create, preserve, and restore wildlife habitat on Camano. We’ve been working on the project for 22 years and will continue because our island wildlife needs our help preserving habitat and keeping our island paradise great for both the critters and us people. If you want to be a part of the Camano Island, Pacific NW Regional, and National trend of providing food, water, cover, and places to raise young, plus following responsible gardening practices in your yard, certify your yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat, either online at NWF.org or by downloading an application from our website.

The Legacy Ukulele Ensemble is a group of 14 players from America and Canada directed by internationally renowned ukulele teacher Peter Luongo. Since September of 2016, the group has been featured at several ukulele festivals and shows and also has held multiple tours. The members are committed to developing music literacy, musicianship, and vocal skills. The group’s repertoire of 35 arrangements includes Hawaiian, classical, ethnic, folk, rock, pop, and country pieces. 

I joined the Legacy Ukulele Ensemble in 2022 and since our Pacific Northwest Tour coincided with the Camano Wildlife Project’s third Wednesday of the month program, I had the perfect opportunity to combine my two passions — protecting wildlife habitat and playing my ukulele. If you missed the concert, check us out at https://www.legacyukes.com or https://www.facebook.com/LegacyUkuleleEnsemble/  

If you want to meet up with fellow people who care about the critters and learn more about landscaping for wildlife, come to the Camano Wildlife Habitat Project’s third Wednesday of the month 7 PM public programs at the Island County Multi-Purpose Center, next to CASA.   

Mahalo!

Val