the bluebird - mobirds.org

THE BLUEBIRD

.

December 2006, Volume 73, No. 4

The Audubon Society of Missouri, Missouri's Ornithological Society Since 1901

THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF MISSOURI

Officers

Mike Doyen*, President (2008) 618 Brighton Ct. Rolla, MO 65401. (573) 364-0020 [email protected]

Directors

Lisa Berger (2008) Springfield ( 417) 881 -8393

Hope Eddleman (2007) Cape Girardeau (573) 335-1507

JoAnn Eldridge (2008) Jim Zellmer*, Vice President (2008) Kearny (816) 628-4840 2001 NE 4th St. Blue Springs, MO 64014 (816) 228-3955 tow hee@s bcglo bal. net

Joyce Bathke*, Treasurer (2008) 813 Cornell Columbia, MO 65203 (573) 445-5758 [email protected]

Laura Gilchrist*, Secretary (2008) 7606 NW 73rd Ct Kansas City MO 64152-2385 (816) 746-8973 lagi. bird@gmail. com

Honorary Directors

Richard A Anderson, St. Louis** Nathan Fay, Ozark** Leo Galloway, St. Joseph Jim Jackson, Marthasville Lisle Jeffrey, Columbia** Floyd Lawhon, St. Joseph** Patrick Mahnkey, Forsyth** Rebecca Matthews, Springfield Sydney Wade, Jefferson City** Dave Witten, Columbia John Wylie, Jefferson City**

Dr. David Easterla, 2006 Recipient of the Rudolph Bennitt Award

Paul E. Bauer, 2004 Recipient of the Rudolph Bennitt Award

Page i

Steve Kinder (2007) Chillicothe (660) 646-6516

Larry Lade (2009) St. Joseph (816) 232-6125

Ed McCullough (2008) Kansas City (816) 505-2840

June Newman (2009) Carrollton (660) 542-0873

Mike Thelen (2009) University City, (314) 862-6642

Clare Wheeler (2007) Lake Ozark & Canton (573) 365-2951

Chairs Josh Uffman, Rare Bird Alert Ferguson, MO (314) 524-7637 [email protected]

Bill Clark, Historian 3906 Grace Ellen Dr. Columbia, MO 65202 (573) 474-4510

* Executive Committee Member **Deceased

Cover Photo provided courtesy of: Brian Lomas. Sandhill Crane egg, Squaw Creek NWR.

THE BLUEBIRD

THE BLUEBIRD

Bluebird Editor: Patrick Harrison*, 3867 Highway K, Shelbyville, MO 63469,

(573) 633-2628, [email protected]

Christmas Bird Count Compiler: Randy Korotev, 800 Oakbrook Lane, St. Louis, MO 63132,


Communication Services: Patrick Harrison Webmaster, http://mobirds.org, See Above Susan Hazelwood, Listserve, [email protected]

Conservation Editor: Sue Gustafson, 429 Belleview Ave., Webster Groves MO 63119 (314) 968-8128, [email protected]

Migratory Bird County Compiler David Rogles, 60 Shadowridge Drive St. Peters, MO 63376


MO Bird Records Committee: Bill Eddleman-Chair, (see Seasonal Survey Editors) Bill Rowe-Secretary, 9033 Big Bend Road, St. Louis, MO 63119,


Seasonal Survey Editors: Spring: Charlene & Jim Malone, 328 Aspen Village Drive, Ballwin MO

63021, (636) 527-1755, [email protected] Summer: Andy Forbes, 2620 Forum Blvd. Suite C-1, Columbia, MO

65203, [email protected] Fall: Bill Eddleman, 1831 Ricardo Dr., Cape Girardeau, MO 63701,

(573) 335-1507 (h), [email protected] Winter: Mrs. Tommie Rogers, 305 Weightman Rd., Mound City, MO

64470, (660) 442-9924, [email protected]

*Executive Committee Member

Deadlines for submission of material for publication in The Bluebird Manuscripts for The Bluebird-to the editor by:

Page ii

Feb. 1 for March issue; May 1 for June issue; Jul. 15 for Sept. issue; Nov. 1 for Dec. issue

Deadlines for submissions to the Seasonal Survey Compilers Winter (Dec. 1-Feb. 28)-to Tommie Rogers by Mar. 10

Spring (Mar. 1-May 31)-to Jim & Charlene Malone by June 10 Summer (June 1-July. 31)-to Andy Forbes by Aug 10

Fall (Aug. 1-Nov. 30)-to Bill Eddleman by Dec. 10

THE B L U E B I R ~

TABLE OF CONTENTS

December, 2006 Volume 73, No.4

1 President's Corner-Mike Doyen 3 500 Club-Bill Hughes 7 Second Nesting Attempt of Sandhill Crane in Mis-

souri-Brian Lomas 12 Dr. David Easterla Recipient of the Rudolf Bennitt

Award-Sue Gustafson 16 Highlights of the Fall Meeting-Mike Doyen 20 Board Minutes, Fall Meeting-Jim Zellmer 24 Seasonal Report, Summer-Andy Forbes 32 Correction to Seasonal Report, Spring-

Jim & Charlene Malone 33 RUNGE-Jerry Wade 35 News from the MBRC-Bill Rowe 39 Pishing Story-Laura Gilchrist 41 Minutes of the General Meeting of The Audubon So-

ciety of Missouri (Fall Meeting)-Laura Gilchrist 45 Top Ten Birds (2005) MBRC-Bill Rowe 4 7 North American Migratory Report-David Rogles 50 Birders Recognized-Mike Doyen

THE BLUEBIRD is published quarterly by The Audubon Society of Missouri. The submis-sion of articles, photographs, and artwork is welcomed and encouraged. Articles submitted to the editor of THE BLUEBIRD that are of a scientific nature or whose main topic dis-cusses bird(s) on the MBRC Review List will be submitted to the MBRC designated peer reviewers by the editor. The reviewers will forward their review forms to the editor who in turn will forward them to the author. If accepted for publication, the editor will forward suggested corrections of peer reviewers to the author(s). If recommended corrections are properly addressed, the corrected manuscript will be forwarded back to the editor of THE BLUEBIRD for inclusion in an upcoming issue. The views and opinions expressed in this journal are those of each contributing writer and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of The Audubon Society of Missouri or its officers, Board of Directors, or edi· tors. Send address corrections to ASM, 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122, Columbia, MO 65203-1261.

Page iii THE BLUEBIRD

PRESIDENT'S CORNER-MIKEDOYEN

Before Sue passed the presidency on to me, I in-

vited Sue Gustafson, Jerry Wade and Susan Hazelwood as well as our Vice President, Jim Zellmer, to my home in Rolla with the purpose of dis-cussing ASM. I was very inter-ested in discussing the chal-lenges they all faced but more

important what they saw as opportunities as we look at the future. It was a very rewarding afternoon and it helped Jim and me to agree on a direction for the next couple of years and hopefully beyond.

When I listened to Susan , Jerry, and Sue, it became ap-parent that over the last six years there has been some ex-cellent work done that we are all seeing the benefits of to-day. Our organization is stronger and more adaptive. From an administrative standpoint, we have many systems on firm ground and very few things fall through the cracks, the checks and balances are excellent. One of the most im-portant aspects of today's ASM is that we are a strong and active partner with some of the state's most powerful or-ganizations as they work for conservation, birds, and bird habitat. People are now knocking on our door and asking for our help. We have come a long way in six years.

Without a doubt I am very lucky to be coming into ASM at this time, for my predecessors have laid a solid founda-tion on which to build, and build is exactly what I want to do. To this end, I am exploring three areas that I will con-centrate on as we move forward. 1. I have challenged the Executive Committee and soon I

will challenge the Board to come up with a plan that will make the fall meeting so exciting and fun that

Page 1 THE BLUEBIRD

within four years we will have over 100 registered par-ticipants.

2. Raise the awareness level of ASM across the state, let's toot our horn and let people know who we are and what we are about. This will be multifaceted in that we will be creating a new look with a newly designed David Plank Bluebird that we will use on an all new three-color embroidered patch that will be on sale for the first time at the 2007 Spring Meeting in Salem. Someday soon we hope to have a full selection of "wearables" for our members. I have also directed our secretary, Laura Gilchrist, to create a digital list of every daily newspa-per in the state so we can start shooting out news bulle-tins and success stories that relate to ASM.

3. Most important I want to motivate the ASM family to take a more proactive approach to membership. We are looking at everything from regional picnics to commu-nity-based outreach programs. Membership is my most important priority over the next two years. We cannot look at the future without thanking those

that have brought us to this point. ASM is an organization of doers, and that is the main reason we have so many folks knocking on our doors these days. When we say we will do something, we will. Growth starts from within and now we have to begin to draw on that inner- strength and reach out for new ideas and new members.

So to Susan Hazelwood, Jerry Wade, and Sue Gustafson I say thank you for a job well done, and to the membership I want to say thank you for having the confidence in me to lead this wonderful organization. The future belongs to us all, and the smarter we work the more we will accomplish, and hopefully we will have a little fun along the way. Thank you and good birding always. Mike Doyen, President, The Audubon Society of Missouri

Page 2 THE BLUEBIRD

THE 500 CLUB-BILL H U G H E S

I n the late spring of this year, after a couple of years of ne-glect, I updated my North America life list. The final tally

was 488-I had not realized that I was only a dozen species short of 500. I was excited as I thought a life list of 500 would be a major accomplishment. A trip to Alaska had already been in the planning stages, so I quickly scanned checklists for the areas I planned to visit. Including only species listed as com-man in summer, I came up with a hit list of 28 species, more than double the 12 that I needed.

The middle of July found me in Anchorage, having arrived around 11:00 p.m. after a tiresome 6 1/2 hour flight. The next morning, groggy from lack of sleep, I stepped out into the mo-tel parking lot and saw my first bird of the trip, the obligatory Rock Pigeon. Was this a bad omen? But within minutes I saw a gull land on the sidewalk across the street-a Mew Gull, and a lifer!.

Leaving the motel, I drove to a small lake near the airport where the Anchorage Audubon Society was monitoring a nest-ing Pacific Loon, one of my target birds. I walked toward the lake along a faint trail. The mosquitoes were awesome. Reach-ing the lake edge, I saw the loon swimming not far from the shore; the sleek, ashy gray of its head and hind neck was beautiful. A single young bird followed in the rippling wake of the adult.

After a quick Egg McMuffin and coffee while watching a half dozen Black-billed Magpies frolicking in the parking lot, I was off to the Eagle River Nature Center, a short drive north-east of Anchorage. The center's Rodak Trail winds down into the Eagle River valley. As I admired the mountains across the valley made ethereal by mist, I saw two birds fly into a nearby dead tree. I lifted my binoculars and instantly knew they were one of the birds that I most wanted but did not expect to see-the Bohemian Waxwing. Cedar Waxwings are plentiful in winter where I live. Still, I found this similar looking northern cousin so exotic! Was it the name, Bohemian?

Page 3 THE BLUEBIRD

Returning to Anchorage, I picked up the Seward Highway and headed south. As one leaves the city the highway runs along the edge of one of the best-known birding sites in the Anchorage area, Potter Marsh. The numerous Red-necked Grebes were lovely but not lifers; the Acrtic Terns, with their long, forked tails and graceful, buoyant flight, were. A tern, undeterred by my presence, landed within a few feet of me on the gravel of the highway turnout to feed its chick. South of Potter Marsh the road skirted the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. A flock of Harlequin Ducks in the cold, foaming water of Canyon Creek was memorable, but the drive to Seward did not yield any additional lifers. Still, four the first day wasn't bad.

I spent the night in a cabin nestled in a wooded valley a few miles from Seward. Despite the light early morning driz-zle, I was able to see and hear a Pine Grosbeak. Number five, and a promising beginning to the day. The big event this day was to be a six hour cruise in Resurrection Bay to Kenai Fjords National Park. As we headed out of the harbor the weather had not improved: misty and downright chilly. It's a good thing I had on umpteen layers of clothing. The ever pre-sent gulls wheeled and called around the ship, and I began to see more interesting birds-Pigeon Guillemots, Common Mur-res, Pelagic Cormorants-but unfortunately for my quest, these were birds I had already seen off the Olympic Peninsula near Seattle. Suddenly, the excited voice of the captain came over the loud speakers: "Humpbacks!" I was swept along by the mad rush to the rail to get a look. There, a fluke had just disappeared beneath the surface. But wait, what were those birds swimming right beside the ship? Tufted Puffins (the poster bird for my hit list) , and the first puffins I had ever seen.

After watching the whales cavort for some time, we moved on. As the ship approached the rocky cliff that lined the bay I saw a group of six to eight birds swimming very close to the base of the cliff. A bright red-orange bill and a white plume behind the eye identified them as Parakeet Auklets! "We are nearing the Chiswell Islands", the captain informed us. Here, the enormous rocks that rose vertically from the sea were cov-

Page 4 THE BLUEBIRD

ered with birds. Hundreds more circled around the rocks, their calls filling the air. Black-legged Kittiwakes. Horned Puffins, Red-faced Cormorants and Thick-billed Murres, all lifers, were in the crush of birds. All together, that made six life birds for the cruise. These, along with the Pine Grosbeak seen earlier, brought my life list total to 499. Only one to go!

The next day I retraced the Seward Highway to its junc-tion with the Sterling Highway then headed southwest toward Homer. With high hopes I took the unpaved washboard known as Skilac Lake loop road that winds through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. There were two birds I was espe-cially seeking-the Three-toed Woodpecker and White-winged Crossbill. After a jarring twenty minutes of driving, I came to a turnout-the Hidden Creek Overlook. In the middle dis-tance shimmered a very large lake; behind the lake arose a wall of mountains their upper reaches patched with snow. The scene was magnificent, but better yet was a large area of burnt-over forest, a prime location for a Three-toed Wood-pecker. While I listened for drumming, I anxiously scanned the blackened trunks looking for movement. Sadly, there was no drumming and no movement. Reluctantly, I drove on. By the time I rejoined the Sterling Highway a number of new birds, including Varied Thrush, Spruce Grouse [recently split, this is now the Sooty Grouse] and a calling Olive-sided Fly-catcher, were added for the trip, but it was beginning to look like there would be no new life birds this day.

Arriving in Homer in mid-afternoon, I decided to check out the spit, a slender hook of gray dirt and rock that extends into Kachemak Bay. As I drove down the narrow two-lane road crowded with RV s and strolling tourists, I noticed a small flock of ducks swimming and diving off the spit. The birds were bobbing in the waves which made focusing on then espe-cially difficult. One could get seasick watching too long. Mter squinting for several minutes, I determined there was white around the eye and white in the wing. Then, for a moment the sun came from behind the clouds, and as one of the birds tilted up from the trough of a wave, I caught bright orange on the bill. No doubt, a White-winged Seater and my 500th spe-cies!

Page 5 THE BLUEBIRD

I celebrated reaching the 500 level by going to the best res-taurant in Homer, which lay at the far end of Homer Spit. As I was walking across the asphalt parking lot, I was very sur-prised to hear a Hermit Thrush singing! It was close-there in the meager shrubbery of the restaurant I saw the bird, red-dish tail and all. My previous experiences of hearing a singing Hermit Thrush had been in a mountainside evergreen forest. I was convinced this hermit thrush must have been a special avian emissary sent to salute this special occasion.

During the remaining days, I added 7 more life birds, making a total of 19 for the trip. After returning home, when I proudly told a non-birder friend that I had 507 species on my life list, his response was "Is that good?" I realized with cha-grin that I couldn't give him a definitive answer. So, I did some checking and found that the American Birding Associa-tion checklist for North America contains a whopping 937 spe-cies, and my 507 was only somewhat over half of the total. But then, a significant number of the ABA listed species are ones that have been recorded in North America as few as three times in the last thirty years. Also included are birds that had become extinct (Passenger Pigeon) or no longer exist in the wild (California Condor). I went through the list, elimi-nating such species as the Western Reef-Heron, Paint-billed Crake, Scaly-naped Pigeon, and Crescent-chested Warbler, and came up with 730 species that the practical birder, such as myself, could reasonably expect to see. Now my 507 species amounted to 70% of the total.

So maybe 507 wasn't too bad, but 600 would be even bet-ter. This reminds me that my granddaughter is getting mar-ried in Florida next spring. Now let's see, there is the Snail Kite, the Mangrove Cuckoo, the White-crowned Pigeon ...

B i l l Hughes, a retired research chemist and a n e w m e m b e r of The Audubon Society of Missouri, c u r r e n t l y l i v e s in Texas, but was born and raised in Clinton, M i s . i s s o u r i .

Page 6 THE BLUEBIRD

S E C O N DC O N F I R M E D N E S T I N GATTEMPTB Y

S A N D H I L L C R A N E I N M I S S O U R I

Brian N. Lomas, Francis E. Durbian, Ronald L. Bell and Adrienne Cunningham U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Squaw Creek N.W.R. PO Box 158

Mound City, MO 64470-0158

T he second confirmed Sandhill Crane (Crus canaden-sis) nest for Missouri was found at Squaw Creek

National Wildlife Refuge, Holt County, Missouri, USA, on 15 May, 2006. The nest was located in Moist Soil Unit 2 (UTM Zone 15 North=309211 East, 4441788 North), on the northeastern portion of the Refuge. The nest was lo-cated in a relatively dense patch of bulrush (Schoenoplectus sp.) near the middle of the pool. The platform nest was made of dead bulrush about six to eight inches above the water and approximately one me-ter in diameter, similar to that described by Bent (1963) (Figure 1). The water depth at the nesting site was ap-proximately 30 em. One egg was observed in the nest on 15 May and two were documented on 19 May (Figure 2). No down or other feathers were present in the nest. The eggs were large, ovate and containing small light brown blotches or blemishes (Figure 3).

Attempted nesting was confirmed by the flushing of an adult bird from the nest. On 19 June we reexamined the nest but found no eggs. The nest had been appar-ently left unattended for some time (Figure 4) and was likely depredated by raccoons (Procyon lotor). The adults continued to frequent the area and were often seen in close proximity of the nest location through 26 June.

The primary breeding range for Sandhill Cranes in North America extends from Alaska, south through most

Page 7 THE BLUEBIRD

of Canada and states west of Colorado, and extends east through the northern Great Lakes (American Ornitholo-gists' Union 1998:140). There is also a smaller breeding range in the Southeast consisting of Florida, the Gulf States, and Cuba (Bent 1963, American Ornithologists' Union 1998: 140). According to Bent (1963) these isolated localities are remnants of what was historically a more continuous range. Shrinkage of the species' historical range is undoubtedly due to the loss of habitat associated with the draining of wetlands and conversion of native prairie for agricultural purposes. The Sandhill Crane is considered "accidental" during the summer in Missouri (Robbins and Easterla 1992). The first recorded nesting attempt for the state was at Grand Pass Conservation Area in Saline County in 1996 (Hobbs 1998). The nest was later abandoned when flood waters overtook the nest (Brad Jacobs, Missouri Department of Conserva-tion, pers.commun. 22 August 2006). A second record in-volved a presumed pair of birds that were observed re-peatedly at Squaw Creek NWR during the summer of 2000 (Rowe 2001). It is hoped that this report may en-courage others to conduct additional nesting searches so that the breeding status of this species in the state may be more fully understood. This discovery highlights the importance of the proper management and restoration of Missouri wetlands and further emphasizes the impor-tance of the wetland habitat that occurs in this portion of the state. In the future, more intensive search efforts will be undertaken to confirm any additional nesting ef-forts by this species on Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge. Literature Cited American Ornithologists' Union. 1998. Check-list of

North American Birds. American Orithologists' Un-ion. Allen Press, Inc. Lawrence, Kansas. 829 pp.

Page 8 THE BLUEBIRD

Bent, A. C. 1963. Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, NY. 371 pp + appendices.

Hobbs, C. 1998. lOth Annual Report of the Missouri Bird Records Committee. Bluebird 65:20-25.

Robbins, M.B. and D.A. Easterla. 1992. Birds of Mis-souri. University of Missouri Press, Columbia, MO. 399 pp.

Rowe, W.C. 2001. 13th Annual Report of the Missouri Bird Records Committee. Bluebird 68:51-68.

Figure 1. Sandhill Crane Nest Containing One Egg on 15 May 2006. Photo by Brian Lomas.

Page 9 THE BLUEBIRD

Figure 2. Sandhill Crane Nest Containing Two Eggs on 20 May 2006. Photo by Brian Lomas.

Figure 3. Sandhill Crane Egg on 15 May 2006. Photo by Brian Lomas.

Page 10 THE BLUEBIRD

Figure 4. Abandoned Sandhill Crane Nest on 19 June 2006. Photo by Brian Lomas.

B r i a n Lomas is a first-year graduate student m a j o r i n gi n Wildlife Biology at Northwest Missouri State Uni-

versity, Maryville. He is in his second year of s e r v i c eas a Biological Science Technician at Squaw Creek

N W R .


DR. DAVID EASTERLA, RECIPIENT OF THE RUDOLF BENNITTAWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO

THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF MISSOURI

At the Audubon Society of Missouri annual business meeting held on Saturday evening during our fall

weekend September 22-24, Dr. David A. Easterla was pre-sented with the Rudolf Bennitt Award for Distinguished Service, the Society's highest honor. This award is to recog-nize those who exhibit dedication to the principles of ASM and whose work has carried on the tradition of Dr. Bennitt by providing contributions to ornithology, the birding com-munity, and conservation efforts of Missouri through out-standing service to The Audubon Society of Missouri

Rudolf Bennitt joined ASM in October 1933 and by No-vember, he was serving as secretary. The society soon went from 8 to 90 members, and a year later there were 210 members due to the reorganization efforts sparked by Ben-nitt. In 1934, a revived Audubon Society of Missouri was launched on a voyage of vigorous activity that has contin-ued to the present. Bennitt came to the University of Mis-souri in 1927 as its first William Rucker Professor of Zool-ogy and remained head of the University's wildlife re-search program until his death at age 51. Naming a wild-life area north of Columbia in his name honored his contri-butions to ornithology and Missouri's natural history.

Dr. David Easterla has been a member of ASM since he was fourteen years old. He served as Vice President in 1965-1966 and President from 1966 to 1970. He was a member of the Board of Directors from 1970 to 2004, which is the longest length of service on record. For over 30 years, (1960's-1990's) he brought a van load of students annually to the ASM Fall Meeting at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. As a professor at Northwest Missouri State University, he has served as advisor and teacher for such birders/ ornithologists as Richard Rowlett, Drew Thate, Jim Grace, Terry Miller, Tim Barksdale, and Mark Robbins.


Here are just a few of the highlights of Dr. Easterla's contributions to ASM and birding:

First Chairman of the Missouri Rare Bird Records Committee (1988-1995) and then continued serving on the committee until 2000 (total of 14 years). Christmas Bird Count Editor for both ASM's The Blue-bird and National Audubon Society's American Birds for 14 years (1987-2000). Compiled with Dick Anderson the ASM Annotated Check-list of Missouri Birds beginning in 1967, andre-vised four times (1971, 1979, 1986, 1998). Developed and taught the first ornithology class at Northwest Missouri State University in conjunction with also originating a comprehensive Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major which evolved into the largest major in the Biology Department (close to 100 students: 1967-present). Developed and teaches summer bird class "Breeding Birds of Northwest Missouri" (1973-present). Discovered his first new bird species new for Missouri when 12 years old (Rock Wren, 4 Nov 1950). Has discovered 10 species of birds new for Missouri . Has Missouri Bird Life List of 384 species --the highest for the state (2004 ABA Report). Originator and Compiler of the Maryville Christmas Bird Count for 41 years (1965-present) Authored or Coauthored 34 publications concerning Missouri avian range extensions, new breeding or win-ter records, food habits, tower kills, taxonomy, census', breeding ethology, or distribution (1952-present). Coauthor of Birds of Missouri- Their Distribution and Abundance, University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 399 pages, Jan. 1993 (first comprehensive book on birds of Missouri since Otto Widmann's book published in


1907). Party participant with son Todd and others, in setting United States Record for a County Big Day Bird Count (San Diego County, CA: 217 species, 1 May 2005). Published: Documented first Summer Tanager for Utah (1964) . Co-documented first Red-faced Warbler for Texas (1982). Documented first Yellow-green Vireo for Texas (1972) . Documented first Black-throated Blue Warbler for West Texas (1971). Co-documented first record of Yellow-throated Warbler for South America (1969). Documented the first record of the Chestnut-collared Swift for Sinaloa, Mexico (1963). Co-documented the first record of the Aztec Thrush and Kentucky Warbler for San Luis Potosi, Mexico (1963). Co-documented First record of Marbled Godwit for Co-lombia, South America (1969). Charter member of the American Birding Association; one of the first 100 members (1968). He presently has 201 scientific publications - many of which involve birds; eleven of these publications are coauthored with students. It is therefore with great honor that ASM President

Sue Gustafson presented the Rudolf Bennitt Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Easterla. To share in the honor, Dr. Easterla was joined by his wife Debbie, his mother Hattie Easterla of Lake Ozark, Mo., and his son Todd Easterla and grandson Tanner Easterla of Sacramento, CA.


Dr. Easterla sur-rounded by son, grandson, wife, and mother.

President, Sue Gustafson, present-ing the Rudolf Ben-nett Award to Dr. David Easterla.

Paul Bauer, 2004 recipient of the Rudolf Bennett Award and Dr. David Easterla, 2006 recipient of the Rudolf Ben-nett Award.

THE BLUEBIRD

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FALL MEETING--MIKEDOYEN

T he one thing I kept hearing from everyone was how much fun the fall meeting was this year, and they

are correct. There was a spirited laid back attitude that transcended the whole weekend. Now if I could just find a way to bottle that enthusiasm ............ believe me when I tell you the Executive Committee and Board are doing just that. In fact, one idea that is already making the rounds is a pishing contest. I can just see the headline now "ASM Promotes State-wide Pishing Contest"

We introduced a couple of new events this year based on input from the membership survey and without a doubt the pelagic tour was a great success. Everyone who was on the pelagic talked about the great birding and all the fun they had. Paul Bauer remarked that he has been birding for over fifty years and for the first time in all his birding experiences he saw a Bald Eagle bathing. Just goes to show that it is never too late for a new memory.

The visit to Ozark Caverns, which was also new, and a result of the survey, had as many people in attendance as the pelagic tour, and like the pelagic it was also a big hit. Park Naturalist Cindy Hall led the walk through the fens and glades of Coakley Hollow. Dr. Bill Eddleman was on that tour and between Bill and Cindy's vast res-ervoir of knowledge, all who were in attendance were given a double-barrel dose of Ozarks fact and lore.

As much success as these outings were, we also had great outings taking place all over the park and the sur-rounding area and I want to say thank you to our able leaders including, Terry and Steve, Brad and Bill, Susan and Edge, and who can forget the outing with three gen-erations of Easterla's in the lead ...... what an exciting out-ing that must have been. I certainly do not want to forget all the other leaders and our legion of ASM birders, to-


gether we identified 102 species of birds over the week-end. Jim Zellmer completed the final tally, which ap-pears at the end of this article.

Something else that set the tone for the weekend was the large impromptu tail gate party Saturday afternoon. Now that was fun. Of course, birders always have fun when we hang out after a good day of birding.

I want to give a special thank you to Bill Eddleman, Edge Wade, and Steve Kinder for their excellent recollec-tion of the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and their time in the swamps of the Big Woods. I have taken the liberty of contacting Bill Bass and hopefully he will contact Edge and discuss a modeling agreement, I just don't know if Bass has a line of swamp/camo clothing!

Andy Forbes then gave an excellent presentation on the IBA program bringing the membership up to date on all aspects of the national program as well as the fi-nal IBA Technical Report for Missouri. This was fol-lowed by Patrick Harrison whose presentation on CACHE and how easy it is to access and use got every-one motivated. I call Patrick the wizard and his presen-tation simulated Internet connectivity, don't ask me how he did it, but believe me, he did .......... Kudos to Patrick and Andy as well as Bill, Edge and Steve, and just for the record all of our presenters Friday night were ASM members.

Saturday afternoon we were humbled by Bill Rowe and his bird identification workshop, always a crowd fa-vorite, but it never fails to teach all of us that there is so much to learn when it comes to bird identification. What can I say about Rick Thorn and Max Alleger that has not already been expressed? As Rick and Max both said, their programs and projects depend on our involvement, and as we watched and listened we all walked away real-izing that as birders we play a much more important role


than many of us ever considered. Birders making a dif-ference, what a great theme, especially when the under-lying message was that the birds need us just as much as we need them.

As we look to the future of the fall meeting, it is our commitment to continue to develop and introduce new and exciting programs that will make the fall meeting the place to be for all of our members. The lake is the place, and if you are a birder just wait and see what Jim and the gang have in line for 2007, WOW ........ .I can't wait.

Fall Meeting (2006) Checklist

Canada Goose Wood Duck Mallard Blue-winged Teal Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Turkey Vulture Osprey Mississippi Kite Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk

r Page 18

American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon American Coot Killdeer Franklin's Gull Ring-billed Gull Caspian Tern Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Eastern Screech-Owl Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Belted Kingfisher Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker

THE BLUEBIRD

Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Willow Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird White-eyed Vireo Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Barn Swallow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Bewick's Wren House Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Sw ainson' s Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird

Page 19

Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Northern Parula Chestnut-sided Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green War-bler Blackburnian Warbler American Redstart Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Chipping Sparrow Field sparrow Lark Sparrow Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

THE BLUEBIRD

BOARDMINUTES,FALL 2006--JIMZELLMER

T he Fall Board Meeting of The Audubon Society of Missouri was called to order at 2:55 p.m. on Satur-

day, September 23, by President Susan Gustafson. Roll Call: Roll call was taken by Jim Zellmer, Recording Secretary. All were present except Board Members Larry Lade and Mike Thelen.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the 2005 Board Meeting were presented. On a motion by Mike Doyen, seconded by Hope Eddleman, the minutes of the 2005 Board Meeting were approved as written.

Electronic Votes: Electronic votes taken during the year were reviewed and made a part of the records. Dr. David Easterla was nominated and approved for the Rudolf Bennit Award, and the Cooperative Agreement between ASM and the Missouri Department of Conservation for Conservation Area Checklists II (CACHE II) was ap-proved. Acceptance of these actions was called and car-ried. Treasurer's Report: The 2006 year-to-date financial re-port and the proposed 2007 budget were presented and discussed. A motion was presented by Mike Doyen, sec-onded by Ed McCullough, to accept the financial report and to adopt the proposed 2007 budget as presented. The motion carried. Joyce Bathke continued with discussion on the matter of 2005 year-end financial report, e-mailed to the board members earlier in the year. A motion was called by Lisa Berger to accept the report and was sec-onded by Bill Eddleman. Motion carried. Reports: Susan Gustafson reviewed the written commit-tee reports, giving a brief summary of each report. A mo-tion to accept the reports was made by Lisa Berger and seconded by Bill Eddleman. Motion carried. The full re-ports will be made a part of the permanent record.


Membership: Bonnie Reidy is stepping down as Member-ship Chairperson. The Board will look for a replacement to take on a more expanded role as Chair to develop the membership. Executive Committee Officer Election: Susan Gustafson presented the slate for officers: Mike Doyen- President; Jim Zellmer - Vice President; Laura Gilchrist - Secre-tary; Joyce Bathke - Treasurer. A motion to accept the slate of officers was made by Bill Eddleman and sec-onded by JoAnn Eldridge. Motion carried. Board of Directors Election and Appointments: The nominees for Board membership are: Larry Lade - re-election to a 3-year term; Mike Thelen - re-election to a 3-year term; June Newman - election to a 3-year term. Appointment of Patrick Harrison as editor of The Bluebird for one year and appointment of Susan Gustaf-son as Conservation Editor was presented. Jo Ann El-dridge moved to accept the slate of nominees to be pre-sented to the general membership for voting and the two appointments and was seconded by Joyce Bathke. Motion carried. Resolution for Bank Accounts: The Board passed a reso-lution naming the following officers as signatories on the ASM checking account at Jefferson Bank, effective Sep-tember 25, 2006: Mike Doyen, President; James A. Zell-mer, Vice President; Laura Gilchrist, Secretary; and Joyce Bathke, Treasurer; and removing Jerry Wade and Sue Gustafson from said checking account.

Old Business: CACHE I Partner Conservation Project: Discussion was held regarding the CACHE I project and its progress, as well as the Grassland Coalition. Discussion of the future of ASM's involvement as partners with MDC concerning these projects followed. A motion was made by JoAnn


Eldridge authorizing the Executive Committee to enter into a formal agreement for the specific use of $7,600 net funds of CACHE I when either of the two named part-ners projects is further defined. Seconded by Patrick Harrison. Motion carried. ISBN for Guide to Birding in Missouri: Discussion was held regarding obtaining an ISBN for the Guide to Bird-ing in Missouri. No one had any knowledge of the proce-dure.

New Business: CACHE II Agreement: Discussion was held concerning the CACHE II Agreement requirement that ASM be a partner in a conservation project. A motion was made by Bill Eddleman to authorize the Executive Committee to notify MDC regarding ASM partnership with the CACHE II project and a commitment of up to $5,000 by December 1, 2006. Seconded by Steve Kinder. Motion carried. State Parks Agreement with DNR: Discussion was held on the proposed agreement between ASM and DNR for the development of bird checklists for Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites. ASM is to receive $5,000 over a two year period for this work. A motion was made by Jim Zellmer to approve the agreement with DNR and to au-thorize Mike Doyen to sign said agreement. Seconded by-Bill Eddleman. Motion carried. Donation: Discussion of a truck donation to the Migra-tory Bird Conservation Alliance project for use by the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve Bird Monitoring Project in Tamaulipas, Mexico was held. ASM will request the do-nation of a surplus pick-up truck from MDC. If and when a truck becomes available, ASM will receive legal title from MDC and then transfer title to Xenarthra, A.C., a NGO supporting biodiversity conservation and sustain-Page 22 THE BLUEBIRD

able development in Tamaulipas. It was noted that ASM will carry liability insurance for the short time it has ti-tle to the vehicle. Bill Eddleman made a motion approv-ing this project, seconded by Jo Ann Eldridge. Motion carried. Bluebird Guidelines: Discussion regarding guidelines governing the printing in The Bluebird of articles about birds that are under review by the MBRC was held. A motion to accept the form and guidelines as written for the editor of The Bluebird was made by Ed McCullough and seconded by Mike Doyen. Motion carried. A copy of the guidelines is attached to the permanent records. ASM Spring Meeting: Mike Doyen discussed highlights of the Spring meeting to be held in Salem, Missouri on April 27-29, 2007. Some of the events will include float trips, night owl watch and a barbeque. There being no further items for discussion, a motion to adjourn was made by Bill Eddleman, seconded by Mike Doyen and carried. Susan Gustafson adjourned the meet-ing at 4:55p.m. Respectfully submitted, James Zellmer, Recording Secretary, The Audubon Soci-ety of Missouri

S P R I N GMEETING 2007

Ice Cream social-Float trips down the Current and J a c k s Fork River-Night birding in Ozark wetlands-Day

trips to some of the most beautiful locations in the Mis-souri Ozarks-OutdoorBBQ banquet with aU the f i x i n ' s

a n d most important some of the best birding to be f o u n d anywhere including Swainson's Warbler, Hooded

Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Bells Vireo, and if you are lucky a Greater Roadrunner. Stay tuned for more infor-mation about the 2007 Spring Meeting in Salem; Mis-souri headquarters at the new Holiday Inn Express.


SEASONALREPORT,SUMMER1 JUNE-31 JULY2006--ANDYFORBES

O verall, temperatures across Missouri were slightly above average in June and July of 2006, and precipi-

tation was near to slightly below normal statewide. How-ever, many areas (especially in western Missouri) suffered from very hot and dry conditions during much of the sum-mer, especially during the month of July. Many regions within the state were subject to temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for several days in a row. This likely led to poor nesting conditions for many species adversely affected by dry and hot weather.

This report is organized according to the 47th Supple-ment of the AOU Checklist of North American Birds.

Waterfowl through Falcons A Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, initially found by

AF on 26 June, was seen and photographed by m.obs. at EBCA during the last week of June. This species is expand-ing its' range, and may eventually breed in MO. A Fulvous Whistling-Duck was observed by LH on 3 June, in New-ton Co., just south of Fort Crowder CA. A Greater White-fronted Goose, initially found by JPU on 29 June, was also seen and photographed by m.obs at RBMS. The pair of Trumpeter Swans that successfully nested near the Livingston/Carroll Co. line in 2005 did return to the vicin-ity of their previous nesting this year. However, they were apparently not successful in raising any young.

A lone Gadwall was observed on a catfish pond near Caruthersville in Pemiscot Co. on 29 July by SS and JE. There were a few scattered reports of Blue-winged Teal during the summer months, including two birds seen by SK and JN on 23 June on a MODOT wetland mitigation site in Ray Co., a single individual seen by m.obs. on 30 June at EBCA, and 4 individuals observed at the privately owned


Laukemper Marsh near Mound City in Holt Co. by DE on 26 July. A male and possible female Cinnamon Teal were observed by BG and EW at EBCA on 4 June. TR reported four Northern Shovelers at SCNWR on 14 June, and BG also reported a single Green-winged Teal at EBCA on 27 June. Two individual Redheads were seen by Jim Rives and Dean Rising on 3 and 4 June in Greene Co., and at EBCA by AF and other observers on 26 June, respectively. An adult female Ring-necked Duck was observed by m.obs. on 8 July and 29 July (likely the same individual) at Otter Slough CA in Stoddard Co. A pair of Common Gold-eneye were observed throughout the summer by staff at SCNWR. If accepted, this record could change the summer status of the species from "accidental" to "casual" in MO. On 27 July, LL reported a single Common Merganser on the Missouri River, near St. Joseph in Buchanan Co. Two individual Ruddy Ducks were also observed, one at Big Lake SP inHolt Co. on 26 June (DE) and another with the aforementioned Gadwall in Pemiscot Co (JE and SS).

The hot and dry conditions experienced throughout much of the western half of the state likely did not help the declining population of Greater Prairie-chickens in Mis-souri, although a brood of four young and an adult were flushed by Bill Jensen at Hi-Lonesome Prairie CA in Ben-ton Co. on 22 June, indicating that the birds are still hang-ing on within the area. Staff from the USACOE reported that four Common Loons were regularly seen throughout the summer period at the dam on Smithville Lake in Clay Co. Several small groups of American White Pelicans were observed at various locations in MO during the sum-mer months (mostly July) as is typical for this time of year.

Least Bitterns were observed at multiple locations as well, including nine individuals seen by TR at SCNWR on 14 June, one individual heard calling by Kathleen Ander-son on 14 June at EBCA, and two individuals at BKLCA by SS on 23 July. CM reported a completely white Great Blue Heron at RMBS on 9 June. SK and LL observed 300


Great Egrets at Four Rivers CAin Vernon Co. on 17 June, and Little Blue Herons were reported at several locations across the state throughout the summer months, with a high count of approximately 2000 birds seen at a mixed heron colony in Scott Co. seen by JE on 16 June. There were many reports of 1-2 individual Black-crowned Night Herons and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons re-ported by m.obs. during the summer period, more so than in recent years.

The Osprey nest near Jacksonville in Randolph Co. was once again active, with two young reported by Anne Downing on 20 July. Mississippi Kites are apparently continuing their range expansion in Missouri. 1-2 individu-als were seen at several locations within the St. Louis area (St. Louis Co.) by WR, Mike Rowe, and MT, a pair was ob-served nesting in the Columbia area in Boone Co. (first ob-served by Denny Donnell on 22 June), as well as in the Kansas City area (Jackson Co.) by LR. LH also reported seeing several individuals throughout the season the Joplin area in Jasper Co., although no nests were found. There were also an above average number of Northern Harriers reported this summer. A male was observed displaying ag-gressive behavior by SK on 5 July at Dunn Ranch in Harri-son Co., and a female was observed at the same location by DE on 13 July. AF reported a female near Hi-Lonesome Prairie CAin Benton Co. on 6 July, WR reported a bird in southern Lincoln Co. on 23 July, and JE and SS observed a bird on 29 July near Otter Slough CA in Stoddard Co. Sev-eral Swainson's Hawks were reported from southwestern Missouri by m.obs., and LL reported a single individual on 28 July at Muskrat Lake near St. Joseph in Buchanan Co.

Rails through Terns King Rails were confirmed breeders at both BKLCA

and at SCNWR this year. The nest at SCNWR was first discovered by refuge staff in May with 9 eggs present, and on a subsequent visit was found with evidence of successful


hatching. At least two broods of King Rails were observed and/or photographed at BKLCA on several dates during the summer by m.obs. BG and AF heard four Virginia Rails on 19 June at the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Units next to EBCA, along with at least 4 individual Sora. SS and JE also found 3 Sora at two different locations in Stoddard Co. on 29 July. Common Moorhens were also found by m.obs. at various locations across the state, with a high count of 9 found on 9 July in the vicinity of Otter Slough CAin Stoddard Co. by JE, JPU, and JM.

Perhaps one of the more exciting finds of the summer was the discovery of the second confirmed nesting attempt of Sandhill Cranes in Missouri. The nest was originally discovered on 15 May in a stand of bulrush at SCNWR , and contained two eggs when subsequently checked on 20 May. Unfortunately, the nest was found abandoned (likely depredated) on 19 June. The adults were frequently seen in the vicinity of the nest afterwards for a short time period, but did not attempt re-nesting. Several Sandhill Cranes were also seen in the vicinity of BKLCA throughout the summer by m.obs., with a maximum of 4 adults seen at one time on 31 July by SS.

Numbers of shorebirds arriving in Missouri also ap-peared to be higher (and in many cases earlier) during this timeframe than in previous years, which hopefully is reflec-tive of an adjustment to climatic conditions of the year, and not an indication of widespread poor nesting success on their Arctic breeding grounds. JE, JPU, and JM observed 2 Semipalmated Plovers at Ten Mile Pond CAin Missis-sippi Co. on 8 July, and DE also observed an individual at a privately owned marsh near Mound City in Holt Co. on 17 July- both observations are earlier than normal. Large con-centrations of Killdeer were also reported earlier than ex-pected, with over 300 birds seen by CM on 7 July in the Sandy Slough/Winfield Dam vicinity in Lincoln Co., and 150 observed by LL on 19 July at Rosecrans Memorial Air-port in Buchanan Co. A Black-necked Stilt was observed


by BG at EBCA on 7 July, and approximately 40 individu-als were observed by JE, JPU, and JM on 8 July near Otter Slough CA in Stoddard Co. JPU, JM, and CM reported two Solitary Sandpipers on 30 June at EBCA, and CM re-ported 12 birds on 7 July in the Sandy Slough/Winfield Dam vicinity in Lincoln Co. Small groups (<5) of Greater Yellowlegs and Lesser Yellowlegs were reported by m.obs. across the state during the summer timeframe, and a Willet was reported by JPU at RMBS on 4 July. Upland Sandpipers were also reported by m.obs. across the west-ern half of the state during the summer, and CM noted that the birds are being seen more frequently in the eastern half of the state. A Ruddy Turnstone was observed by SS at Winfield Lock and Dam 25 in Lincoln Co. on 27 July, and Edge Wade reported a Sanderling at EBCA on 9 June.

Calidris "peeps" were also generally in good supply this summer. DE reported a Semipalmated Sandpiper at Laukemper Marsh in Holt Co. on 17 July, and Least Sand-pipers were reported in good numbers by m.obs., with no-table concentrations of 300+ birds reported by CM in the vicinity of Sandy Slough/Winfield Dam on 7 July, and 48 birds reported by DE at SCNWR on 17 July. Several ob-servers also reported small numbers of Pectoral Sandpi-pers across the state in late June/early July, which is also earlier than normal. Wilson's Snipe were also seen earlier than normal, with one bird seen by SS on 23 July in Lin-coln Co., one bird seen near Rosecrans Memorial Airport in Buchanan Co. by LL on 26 July, and another lone individ-ual reported by SS and JE near Otter Slough CA in Stoddard Co. on 29 July. Dean Rising reported an Ameri-can Woodcock on 7 June at the Springfield Nature Center in Greene Co.

LL reported a Franklin's Gull on 21 July at Lake Con-trary in Buchanan Co. DE reported a Ring-billed Gull on 17 July at Big Lake SP in Holt Co. and SS reported 27 Ring-billed Gulls at Winfield Lock and Dam 25 in Lincoln Co. on 31 July. CM reported a pair of Least Terns again


initiated nesting/courtship at RMBS, but were prevented from nesting once again by high water levels. SS also re-ported 15 individuals at privately owned catfish ponds near Caruthersville in Pemiscot Co. on 29 July. CM reported 5 Caspian Terns at RMBS on 9 June, and SS observed 2 in-dividuals in Lincoln Co. on 23 July. Black Terns were re-ported in good numbers across the state, with a high count of 55 reported by SS at Winfield Lock and Dam 25 in Lin-coln Co. on 26 July. SS also reported 4 Common Terns at the same location on 23 July. Forster's Terns were also reported by m.obs, including 1 individual seen at RMBS on 1 July by CM, 6 birds seen by SK and LL on 10 July at Fountain Grove CA in Chariton Co., and 6 birds seen by SS in Lincoln Co. on 27 July.

Doves through Passerines The pair of White-winged Doves reported by JE in

2005 in Mississippi Co. were re-sighted several times in the summer of 2006 at the same location, and a probable juve-nile was observed on 8 July by JE, JPU, and JM. Yellow-billed Cuckoos were reported in fair to good numbers across Missouri, and Black-billed Cuckoos were reported at EBCA by Robert Schnase on 2 June and by Doug Willis near Dunn ranch in Harrison Co. on 20 June. Both sight-ings were of single individuals. Greater Roadrunners were also reported across the Ozarks this summer, includ-ing one seen by SS in Ozark Co. on 17 June, one seen by John Fusselman in Springfield (Greene Co.) on 19 June, and one seen in Webster Co. on 24 July by Andrew Kins-low.

Barn Owls apparently had another good year, with scattered reports across the state, including a report of a pair with 9 young from a private landowner in the Clinton area. SK reported at least 6 Long-eared Owls on 13 June on private land in Livingston Co., which likely indicates that at least some of the young birds discovered this spring fledged.

Page 29 THE BlUEBIRD

There was a great deal of discussion this year about the perceived low numbers of Common Nighthawks around many urban areas in Missouri. It will be interesting to see how numbers recorded on 2006 North American Breeding Bird Survey routes in Missouri stack up to previous years. TR reported a Chuck-wills-Widow north of their usual distribution in Holt Co. on 6 June, and both Chuck-wills-Widows and Whip-poor-wills were reported in fair num-bers overall - predominantly in the Ozarks.

Both Western Kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Fly-catchers were reported in very good numbers throughout the summer by m.obs., with several records outside of both species' expected range in Missouri. SK reported some espe-cially interesting observations of a nesting Western King-bird in Chillicothe (Livingston Co., date not specified) and fledgling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in southeast Livingston Co. on 15 July, and new nesting locations of both of these species were reported throughout southeast Missouri by m.obs. Both of these species appear to be con-tinuing their range expansion in Missouri. Fish Crows also appear to be expanding their range in Missouri, with 8 individuals reported by LH on his Breeding Bird Survey Route in Jasper Co. on 26 June. BG and AF both reported seeing the birds throughout the breeding season at EBCA.

A female Red-breasted Nuthatch was observed by Sherry McCowan at Forest Park in St. Louis City on 20 June. Carolina Wrens were reported in good numbers by m.obs. , likely due in part to mild winters in recent years. Sedge Wrens also showed up in average numbers in across Missouri (m.obs.), although perhaps somewhat ear-lier than normal.

Dean Rising reported a Chestnut-sided Warbler at the Springfield Nature Center in Greene Co. on 7 June. DE and Jack Hilsabeck reported two singing male Yellow-throated Warblers in a city park in St. Joseph, Buchanan Co. on 8 June. This is the second year in a row that the birds have been observed in the St. Joseph area, which is


notable this far northwest. Cerulean Warblers were seen by MT at Weldon Spring CA in St. Charles Co. on 3 June. by Greg Swick at the Busiek Wildlife Area in Christian Co. on 6 June, and by MDC Natural History Biologist Greg Gremaud at Rebel's Cove CA. in Putnam Co. on 20 June. DE reported an Ovenbird carrying food at Brickyard Hill CA. in Atchison Co. on 12 July.

Up to 10 Henslow's Sparrows were reported by m.obs. at Mingo NWR on several different occasions. This species is not regularly encountered in the southeast region of the state. A White-throated Sparrow also was observed by TR at Lower Hamburg Bend CA. on 6 July. Blue Gros-beaks were reported in good numbers this year this year throughout the Ozarks, and there were also more reports than normal in the northern half of the state. A male Painted Bunting was seen by m.obs. at Runge Nature Center in Cole Co., and a female was also reported by Jim Rathert on 12 July. Painted Buntings were also reported by MT at Weldon Spring CA. on 30 July, and by m.obs. in the southwestern region of the state at various locations.

Thanks to all of the observers who contributed to this years' summer report!

Abbreviations-AOU- American Ornithologist's Union BKLCA- B.K. Leach Conservation Area, Lincoln Co. CA.- Conservation Area EBCA- Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, Boone Co. MDC- Missouri Department of Conservation MODOT- Missouri Department of Transportation NWR- National Wildlife Refuge RBMS- Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St.

Charles Co.


SCNWR- Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Holt Co.

USACOE- U.S. Corps of Engineers Observers-

AF- Andy Forbes, BG- Bill Goodge, CM- Charlene Malone, DE- David Easterla, EW- Edge Wade, JE- Joe Eades, JM-Jim Malone, JN- June Newman, JPU- Josh Uffman, LH-Larry Herbert, LL- Larry Lade, LR- Larry Rizzo, m.obs.-multiple observers, MT- Mike Thelen, SK- Steve Kinder, SS- Scott Schuette, TR- Tommie Rogers, and WR- Bill Rowe

Corrections to 2006 Missouri Spring Seasonal Report In the process of transposing sighting records from multiple sources this Spring, a number of errors made their way into the Spring Seasonal Report. The editors would like to take this time to correct the record. Three Peregrine Falcons were reported at SQNWR on May 16 by Tommie Rogers. A report of three peregrines at SQNWR (the same birds?) made on May 13 by David Easterla on the Holt county NAMC should also have appeared. The record high count of 10,005 Lesser Yellowlegs should be corrected to indicate that DAE as the observer. Incorrect dates were listed for 516 Hudsonian God-wits, and 8918 White-rumped sandpipers (which should be corrected to read 9918 birds). These birds were reported on May 13 instead of the listed May 15 date. The state record count of 701 Short-Billed Dowitchers should indicate that the birds were counted at SQNWR by DAE during the Holt co. NAMC. Additional information made available to the edi-tors after filing indicates the May 13 sighting of 2011 Wil-son's Phalaropes was made at SQNWR. A final sighting re-cord omitted from the report was that of 2 Chuck-Will's-Widows made on May 13 by DAE on the Holt county NAMC. These birds are very rare in Northwestern Missouri. Please accept our apologies for these errors and make these changes in the permanent record. Jim and Charlene Malone


RUNGE PRAIRIEAN ASM HABITAT PARTNERSHIP PROJECT-

JERRY WADE

I n January 2006, the Missouri Prairie Foundation acquired 48 acres in southwest Adair County from Frank and Judy Oberle.

The purchase was made possible by Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative funding of a Missouri Prairie Foundation project with the Audubon Society of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Con-servation as partners. ASM committed $3,000 to the project for purchase of the land. Ann Downing represented ASM on the team to identify suitable properties and help select the most appropriate site.

In the Grassland Coalition's Mystic Focus Area encompassing southeast Sullivan County and southwest Adair County there are thousands of acres that could be returned to prairie habitat. The land is quite hilly and much has never been plowed. The prairie plants are just waiting to be liberated.

Even though studies in the 1940s indicated this area had a slightly denser population of Greater Prairie-Chickens than south-west Missouri, northeast Missouri had no natural prairie in a pro-tected status until this 48-acre purchase.

On August 26, 2006, the Missouri Prairie Foundation hosted a tour of the area, highlighted by a site visit to dedicate the new pur-chase in honor of the late conservationist, Andy Runge. Edge and I attended as representatives of ASM. We were stunned at the diver-sity of the plants blooming there.

To restore the property to prairie, the woody material was re-moved and a burn conducted in March. To everyone's amazement, the prairie plants burst forth; no supplemental seeding was needed.

The hope is that this property will stimulate the restoration of additional land to prairie. That hope is already becoming a reality. Events now occurring in Adair and Sullivan counties are exciting and exceeding everyone's expectation.

At least partly as a result of the restoration of the Runge Prai-rie site, several landowners are considering restoring some of their land to prairie. Two private-public partnership agreements have been created for work on land near the Runge Prairie. Controlled burns have been conducted to begin restoration on one site of 100


acres and one that will eventually involve about 900 acres.

The August area tour included a ceremonial signing of a new public-private partnership agreement involving the Missouri Prai-rie Foundation, Premium Standard Farms, MDC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the purpose of restoring and managing several hundred acres of tallgrass prairie for the Greater Prairie-Chicken and other declining grassland bird species in Sullivan County. This signing took place in the middle of a gravel road within a few yards of where Greater Prairie-Chickens were ob-served last spring.

The impact of a very modest habitat project is already very sig-nificant. There is a high potential for restoration of more tallgrass prairie and enhancement of critical bird populations. This is an important contribution ASM has made to quality habitat for Mis-souri birds and birders.

FLASH: On October 31, 2006 while harvesting seeds, Frank Oberle saw a Greater Prairie-Chicken on Runge Prairie.

Directions to Runge Prairie: From Highway 63 (just south of Kirksville) turn west on Highway 11 and follow it as it goes west and south for eleven miles. Turn right on High Ridge Trail. Go one mile to Timber View Trail. Turn right. Runge Prairie is 112 mile on the right side of the road.

NEWS FROM THE MBRC--BILLROWE

T his note will update all ASM members on the results of the MBRC's annual meeting on September 23, 2006, at

Lake of the Ozarks State Park, in conjunction with the fall meeting of the ASM. It will also discuss some topics of general interest to Missouri birders.

Membership: Two positions were open for election on the regular schedule (#3, Bill Goodge, and #7, Brad Jacobs). There were no new nominations, and both members were re-elected by acclamation. No election of officers was necessary this year.

Top Ten for 2005: The Committee has the enjoyable duty of choosing and rank -ordering the top ten bird records in the state each year. See the separate article elsewhere in this is-sue for the "year 2005" list. This list can also be found at www.mobirds.org (the Audubon Society of Missouri web site).

Seasonal reports: Once again, the Committee thanks the seasonal editors for the past year and congratulates them on a job well done; they are Andy Forbes (summer), Bill Eddleman (fall), Tommie Rogers (winter), and Jim and Charlene Malone (spring).

Reminder: Seasonal reports are due to the editor by the lOth of the month just after the season has ended; thus fall season notes should be sent to the editor by December 10, winter sea-son notes by March 10, spring season notes by June 10, and summer season notes by August 10. The editors' addresses and e-mails appear in every issue of The Bluebird.

Seasonal report guidelines: We also hope that all birders who are reporting seasonal observations will follow some gen-eral guidelines that make the compilation of the report easier on the editor and more reliable in its content.

(1) Please do submit your records of anything that was note-worthy in a season of observation: rare species, unusual num-


hers (large or small), population trends, unusual arrival or departure dates, etc.

(2) In doing so, please do your own editing and make your own decisions as to what is significant. In particular, please don't merely submit lists of all birds seen on field t r i p s ! The editor then has to guess which species and numbers are truly note-worthy for your area-but that should be your job since you know your local territory best.

(3) Please don't rely on posting on the listserve Mobirds-L as a way of getting an observation into the perma-nent record. There is a huge volume of these posts, and the seasonal editors simply cannot sift through a whole season of them to find the ones that merit inclusion. If an observation was worthy of note, repeat it in your report.

( 4) Put your report in any sensible format, listed either by date or by species (in check-list order if possible). Reports can be submitted by regular mail or e-mail.

(5) Please check to see if any of the species you report need to be documented. You can look at a hard copy of the Annotated Check-list of Missouri Birds (or better yet, at the more up-to-date on-line version at mobirds.org) to make this determina-tion. Any species that is listed as accidental or casual state-wide, or for a given region or season, should be documented using the form that is also downloadable at mobirds.org. Send documentation to the Secretary, Bill Rowe, 9033 Big Bend, St. Louis, MO 63119, or [email protected]. If you are uncertain about documenting, check with the Secretary.

(6) Please try to include some descriptive details for the editor if you are reporting a species that is rare but not rare enough to require full documentation, especially if identification of the species can be a problem. Examples might be a Pacific Loon, a juvenile Northern Goshawk, a female Black-throated Blue Warbler, or Western Meadowlarks in unexpected locations or numbers. Even brief notes on the bird's field marks or voice will reassure the seasonal editor about the identification, and


it can then be sent with more confidence to North American Birds for the Iowa/Missouri regional report.

Check-list changes: The most recent Annotated Check-list of Missouri Birds went into print three years ago, but it re-mains a work in progress. Now that we have an on-line ver-sion, immediate updating is possible when the Committee makes any changes. At the September 23 meeting, some changes were made that have now been incorporated into the on-line version at mobirds.org. The printed check-list will of course remain unchanged until the next complete revision. The following are the latest changes:

Fulvous Whistling-Duck is now listed as an accidental sum-mer resident in the southeastern part of the state, based on a recent (2006) observation of adults with young.

Trumpeter Swan keeps its status as an accepted winter resi-dent, since the well-known Missouri wintering birds come from well-established breeding populations to our north, in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Its status as a current summer resident, however, was based on a 2005 nesting record; these birds, the Committee now believes, may have come from an Iowa population into which birds are still being imported from the West. Transplanted individuals, of course, should not be treated as established wild birds, and thus the Missouri nest-ing swans may not have represented a "wild" occurrence. Hence the swan's status as "SR a", or (current) accidental summer resident, has been deleted, at least for the time being. The checklist does continue to show "*SR," meaning that Trumpeter Swan was once a summer resident (before 1900) and was then extirpated.

Eared Grebe is now listed as a casual summer visitor. This corrects an omission in the 2003 checklist.

Western Grebe is now considered a rare transient statewide (formerly rare in the west, casual in the east). This means that documentation of Western Grebes is no longer required for any part of the state as long as they occur during migra-


tion periods. In summer or winter, the species remains acci-dental and requires documentation.

Osprey is now considered a rare winter visitor ( r a t h e r than casual). Documentation is still required on Christmas Bird Counts, however, due to the ease of confusion with certain plumages of the Bald Eagle.

Eskimo Curlew, an extirpated species, is given the status of "T (spring)", or spring transient. This corrects an omission in the 2003 checklist.

Gray Kingbird was added to the state checklist based on an observation of one bird on 23-24 May, 2006, at Salem, Dent Co. The species is listed as an accidental transient.

Swainson's Warbler, already listed as a rare summer resi-dent in the extreme south, is now also listed as an accidental summer visitor elsewhere, based on a record from the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Center, Clay Co., in July 2005.

Blue Grosbeak is now considered a common summer resi-dent in the south and uncommon in the north.

Yellow-headed Blackbird is now considered a casual winter visitor away from northwestern Missouri.

Bill Rowe, Secretary, MBRC

B i l l Rowe is the Head of School for the Thomas Jeffer-son School in St. Louis, Missouri. He also serves as the Secretary of the Missouri Bird Records Committee (MBRC), a standing committee of The Audubon Society f M io M i s s o u r i .


A PISHING STORY--LAURAGILCHRIST

I always marveled at birders who could 'pish' and magically coax birds into view for all to see. Amazing!!

Fascinating!!

When I tried pishing, the results were not amazing and not fascinating! There was little understanding and lots of spit.

I had to smile when I stumbled across The Art of Pishing, a book and CD by Pete Dunne. Maybe there was a chance I could become a pishing power instead of a pishing pouter-ineffective and laughed at by birds everywhere. I read the book and practiced with the CD. I learned how to do a good (spitless) pish, and how to make squeals, smacks, and owl calls on my own. It was time to try out these techniques for myself. Alone, of course!

My journey of pish-scovery began one sunny day in October when I veered off the trail at a local conserva-tion area and into the birds' world, the trees. I started off with some pretty ardent pishing. Presto! In came a Black-capped Chickadee and a Tufted Titmouse! The Yellow-rumped Warblers were curious and moved closer, as did two White-throated Sparrows. The birds were making lots of call notes.

This inspired me to try something else. I started c o p y -ing, or mocking, the birds! I tried to match the sound and number of their call notes as well as the speed of deliv-ery. To my delight, the birds were curious as well as for-giving of my call attempts, and wouldn't leave!! A Flicker announced its presence with a 'Kyeer.' I let go my own 'Kyeer.' Two Flickers took notice, calling back and forth with me. I couldn't believe it. They would lis-ten, turn their heads in my direction, fly in closer, and call again. I would match them each call of the way! I

Page 39 THE BLUEBIRD ]

had close encounters with numerous birds, including Winter Wrens, Song Sparrows, and Swamp Sparrows!

My pishing bottom line: Amazing! At each new loca-tion, I would start by pishing. Once the birds came in, I would mimic them, and throw in a squeal, or an owl whistle here and there. With the help of The Art of Fish-ing and the birds themselves, I am no longer a pishing pouter, but a confident and happy pishing power--investigated by birds everywhere.

I understand I may be the inspiration for a new bird-produced TV series, "PSI -- Fish Scene Investigation."

Laura Gilchrist is a 6th grade Science and Social Stud-ies teacher at New Mark Middle School in the North

K a n s a s City School District. She also serves as the Sec-retary of the Audubon Society of Missouri.


MINUTES, G E N E R A LMEETING,FALL 2006,CAMPCLOVER POINT-

LAURAGILCHRIST

S ue Gustafson, outgoing President of the Audubon So-ciety of Missouri, welcomed the attendees to the Fall

General Meeting of the ASM at 7:30p.m. on Saturday, September 23, 2006. She introduced Jim Rathert, and in-formed us that he would be donating some of the pro-ceeds from the sales of his pictures and artwork, on dis-play in the check-in office at Camp Clover Point, to the ASM. Jim Rathert is an ASM member and recently re-tired Missouri Department of Conservation photogra-pher. Meet the Board: Sue called the meeting to order and in-troduced the current members of the Board of the ASM to the membership. Approval of Minutes: A formal motion was made to ap-prove the minutes from last year's meeting. It was sec-onded and it carried. Election of Officers and Board Members: Paul Bauer made a motion to accept the slate as presented. Second by Mariel Stephenson. There were no nominations from the floor. The following officers were unanimously elected to 2-year terms: Mike Doyen, President; James Zellmer, Vice-President; Joyce Bathke, Treasurer; Laura Gilchrist, Secretary. The following Board Members were unani-mously elected to 3-year terms: Mike Thelen, Larry Lade, and June Newman. Membership Rosters: Sue reported that Bonny Reidy is retiring as Membership Chair and stated that this role needs to be filled.

Page 41 THE BLUEBIRD I

ASM Conservation Partner Projects: The following con-servation partner projects were reviewed for members: River Hills Forest Ruffed Grouse Habitat Project: This project encourages land management practices fa-vorable for Ruffed Grouse. Volunteers are needed to as-sist in surveying for the presence of Ruffed Grouse. The project calls for the surveying to be done on both private and MDC property. Missouri Prairie F o u n d a t i o n The Northeast Prairie Foundation, dedicated to the preservation of natural prairies in Northeast Missouri, continues to negotiate with land owners in pursuing small tracts of property to be restored to prairies. ASM is a partner. Truman Lakes Wetlands Project: ASl'v1 provides $2,000 "in-kind" volunteer hours in monitoring 7 sites within the flood basin of Harry S. Truman Dam and Res-ervoir. The five-year plan is to restore 840 acres of wet-land habitat for water birds, shorebirds, and other fish and wildlife. The project is in its second year. Conservation Area Checklist Project (CACHE): ASM has partnered with The Missouri Department of Conservation to create bird checklists for Missouri con-servation areas. ASM will receive $15,000 for CACHE I in FY 2006, and $15,000 for CACHE II in FY 2007. Net funds after costs are to be used for partnerships in future conservation projects in the State of Missouri. IBA/Cole Camp Project :Grasslands Ecosystem Coali-tion, MDC, and ASM are partnering to help halt the de-cline of the Prairie Chicken and increase population through habitat restoration. State Parks and Historic Sites Checklists Project (SPARKS): ASM will enter into an agreement with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to create bird


checklists for Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites. ASM members will volunteer to bird state parks and his-toric sites and submit species seen information online. ASM will receive $5,000 over the next two years for com-pletion of the checklists in specifically name state parks. ASM Graduate Research Scholarship Update: Paul and Fran Bauer graciously donated $2,000 in 2005 towards this scholarship. Five students from three universities applied. Robin Hersh Jacobsen from Missouri University received the scholarship and will speak to the ASM in the future! The Rudolph Bennitt Award: The society's highest honor, was awarded to Dr. David A. Easterla, Professor of Biol-ogy at Northwest Missouri State University. Jack Hilsa-beck and Larry Lade nominated him for the award. Dr. Easterla has been an ASM member since the age of four-teen and has served as President of the ASM. He and Mark B. Robbins' book, Birds of Missouri Their Distribu-tion and Abundance, by David Easterla and Mark Rob-bins, remains the major reference for bird sightings and documentations in Missouri. Dr. Easterla thanked the numerous people who helped him learn and advance in bird knowledge throughout the years. His mother spoke at the meeting to much laughter and applause. Dr. East-erla also introduced his wife, son, and grandson. 2005 Top 10 List: Dr. Bill Eddleman, Chairman of the Missouri Bird Records Committee, shared the Top 10 list. The number 1 bird was a Yellow-billed Loon. Complete list available beginning on page 55 of this issue. Guest Speaker: Rick Thorn: Rick Thorn, Missouri Depart-ment of Conservation Diversity Chief, spoke of "Birders Making a Difference." Serious birders offer valuable at-tributes for MDC projects, such as the Breeding Bird At-las and CACHE, the Conservation Area Checklist. Rick said bird data submitted for any conservation area helps


protect it! Rick also spoke of the Natural Areas System created in 1977 by the MDC and DNR. Guest Speaker, Max Alleger: Max Alleger, a Private Land Conservationist with the Missouri Department of Conser-vation and Grasslands Ecosystem Coalition Coordinator, shared plans for the Prairie Chicken recovery. Missouri's population of Prairie Chickens has dropped dramatically from estimated hundreds of thousands in pre-European times to an estimated 400 to 500 birds in 2006. Max chal-lenged us to help halt the decline of Prairie Chickens and build a stable population of over 3,000 birds statewide. There are six focus areas and even in the areas that are supporting the least birds now, the goal is to develop a population of at least 200 birds. MDC would consider de-listing the Prairie Chicken as endangered if the statewide population were 3000 birds or more for a total of ten years. The first focus areas will be Cole Camp and Hi Lonesome Prairie, as well Taberville Prairie. Spring Meeting 2007: Mike Doyen, new President of the ASM, described plans for the ASM Spring Meeting. It will be held April 27-29, 2007, in Salem, Missouri. Mike said the Spring Meeting will include white river rafting, ice cream social, and a big cookout, along with lots of good birding opportunities! More details will be forthcoming as time nears. Meeting Adjourned: Mike Doyen praised outgoing Presi-dent, Sue Gustafson's commitment and work for the ASM in her two years at the helm. A hearty round of applause rang through the meeting hall. Mike presented to Sue a drawing of an Eastern Kingbird by David Plank in appre-ciation! Dr. Bill Eddleman motioned to adjourn the meet-ing. Patrick Harrison seconded and the motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Laura Gilchrist, Recording Secre-tary, The Audubon Society ofMissouri.


TOP 1 0 BIRDS OF 2005--MBRC

1) YELLOW-BILLED LOON (Gavia adamsii): One, 25 November 2005, Thomas Hill Reservoir, Macon Co. Found and documented with photographs by Josh Uff-man. Accidental; about the fourth report for the state and probably the second individual.

2) BLACK RAIL (Laterallus jamaicensis): One, 9 Octo-ber 2005, Swan Lake NWR, Chariton Co. Heard and documented by Terry l\1cNeely; also heard by Dena and Marissa McNeely. About the twelfth state record, the third for fall, and the first in the past twenty years.

3) BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE (Pica hudsonicus): One, 8 December 2005, Maryville, Nodaway Co. Seen and documented by Jane Dawson. Accidental in winter.

4) SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (Elanoides forficatus): One, 13-14 June 2005, El Dorado Springs, Cedar Co. Documented by Jan Neale; also seen by Bill Neale and Mr. and Mrs. Norman Gant. Casual; sixth modern re-cord.

5) BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna autumnalis): Six, 11 May 2005, Springfield, Greene Co. Documented by David Blevins; also seen by Dorothy Thurman, Ruby Ball, Jan Horton, and Dwaine House. Casual transient; seventh state record.

6) BLACKPOLL WARBLER (Dendroica striatus): One, 2 October 2005, Tower Grove Park, St. Louis City. Found and documented by Joe Eades. Presently considered acci-


dental and hypothetical in fall, since there is no physical evidence of its occurrence then (no photograph or speci-men), nor has there ever been a written description of one. There are a few credible pre-1988 sight records by experienced birders, but this is the first since 1988 and the first record ever to be documented.

7) TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (Myadestes townsendi): One, 31 December 2005 into February 2006, Kirkwood, St. Louis Co. Found and documented by Anne McCor-mack. First record for eastern Missouri.

8) SWAINSON'S WARBLER (Limnothlypis swain-sonii): One, at least 10-11 July 2005, Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Center, Liberty, Clay Co. Documented by Craig Hensley and Terry Swope and photographed by Linda Williams. First summer occur-rence outside normal breeding range in far southern Mis-soun.

9) SPRAGUE'S PIPIT (Anthus spragueii): One, 3 May 2005, near Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St. Charles Co. Found and documented by Steve Mitten. Ac-cidental in eastern Missouri; second modern record for the St. Louis area.

10) SANDHILL CRANE (Grus canadensis): One, 4 June 2005, B.K. Leach Conservation Area, Lincoln Co. Documented by Mike Thelen; also seen by Brian Loges, Mary Smidt, and Dan Curran. Accidental in summer.


No RTH AMERICAN MIGRATORY COUNTY--DAVE ROGLES

T he 2006 North America Migration Count was held on May lOth, in generally cool weather with temperatures

ranging in the 40s early and rising to the mid 60s late. Seven-teen counties submitted counts for this year, down from previ-ous years. Retirements of long-time compilers was again the number one reason for the decline, and several historical com-pilers requested a choice of Friday-Sunday to accommodate the busy modern schedules.

Boone County led all reports in several categories: species totals, participants and party hours. Holt, bolstered by large, unprecedented, numbers of shorebirds, had the highest count of birds. The eastern St. Louis area counties suffered from many counts and few birders, as most of the "heavy hitters" made the trip to Lincoln county. As a result, Lincoln came in with 171 species, a new county record. Barton and Livingston also exceeded 150 species for the day. Table ... lists the top 10 counties, their species totals and the number of birds per party hour.

co UNTY #SPECIES PER PARTY HR. Boo ne 181 98.2 Line oln 171 454.8 Livi ngston 154 147 Bart on 151 168.8 Hoi t 143 2753.0 Phe Ips 134 177.7 Buc hanan 132 116.6 Clay 130 127.0 Hen rv 128 153.5 Newt on 123 115.2

EXCLUSIVES There were, as usual, a few birds seen on only one count

(Exclusives). Of these, only the Hermit Thrush, seen in Henry county, required documentation. Livingston had the only Clay-colored Sparrow and Long-eared Owl, and Holt had the only Red-necked Phalarope, American Avocet, Ross's Goose,


Canvasback, Redhead, Red-breasted Merganser and Semipal-mated Plover. Lincoln added the Osprey and Merlin and Boone had the only Connecticut

Rather than go through the whole checklist and merely repeat what is available online (MoBirds.org), I will focus on two categories of migrants, warblers and shorebirds. FOCUS: WARBLERS

The search for warblers turned up 35 species; only Swain-son's and Black-throated Blue were missing in action. Con-necticut was seen in one county (Boone), Hooded and Mourn-ing Warblers were seen in two counties; all other warblers were seen in at least 3 counties. Tennessee, Parula, Yellow, Redstart, Kentucky and Common Y ellowthroat were seen in more than 10 counties.

Boone tallied 33 species, and Lincoln was close behind with 32. Newton (28), St. Charles (28), and Newton (21) also had good species totals. Table lists the top ten warbler coun-ties.

Boone 33 Lincoln 32 Phelps 28 St. Charles 28 Newton 21 Buchanan 17 Clay 17 Henry 16 Livi n_g_sto n 16 Barton, Barry_, Holt 16

FOCUS: SHOREBIRDS Holt County saw an astounding number of shorebirds, set-

ting records for several species. 25 species were seen state-wide, and Holt had 18 of the recorded species, including the only record of the Semipalmated Plover and Red-necked Phalarope (3 birds). Some of the figures, normalized to party hours, were eye-popping: Lesser Yellowlegs at 563/ party hour; White-rumped Sandpiper at 558/party hour.


Table lists the top seven species totals from Holt.

SPECIES 10005 9918 5002

er 2903 2011 1590 1012

THE FUTURE The NAMC data are now available at MoBirds.org. Many

of the compilers were able to download, compile and post the counts without the need for mailing the tabulations. The web-site also includes most of the past counts (and hopefully we will fill in the gaps) and is fully searchable by year and spe-cies.

There are still gaps in coverage statewide and we need to recruit some new compilers and participants. We encourage everyone to talk up the count and consider taking on the re-sponsibility of compiling a new count. Missouri is at the front of electronic birding data gathering-witness CACHE the SPARKS, in addition to the NAMC count-and the participa-tion of the amateur birder is much appreciated. It is likely that we are the only state that offers the count online to eve-ryone. Congratulations and thanks to Patrick Harrison and the Audubon Society of Missouri for their efforts. And thanks to the many compilers and participants who continue to add to the birding database.

For additions and corrections: mail to David Rogles, 60 Shadowridge Drive, Saint Peters, MO. 63376. Email: [email protected]


BIRDERS RECOGNIZED FOR COMMITMENT--MIKEDOYEN

I t is not often that I have the opportunity to present an award to ten members at the same time, especially for

something as outstanding as not missing a fall meeting in the past ten years. As our members completed the survey last spring and mailed them in I noticed that there were ten members who had not missed a fall meeting. Excellent I thought; we need to find a way to say thank you and the executive committee and board agreed. Patrick Harrison has crafted a beautiful personalized Certificates of Appreciation which will be mailed out within the week; it is a small token of our gratitude for a job well done. There were some members who made it to eight or nine fall meeting over the past ten years but only ten that made all ten. All of you deserve a big thank you from all of us for your dedication to both the spirit and the business of ASM. What is so special about these members is their commitment. Over the past ten years they have voted for proposals, new execu-tive committees, and board members, but most of all they have been there to teach new members the culture and tradi-tions of ASM. Without members like these, no organization can function much less survive. From all your friends at ASM we want to say thank you for the extra effort to the following members:

Bill Clark, Delores Clark, Pat Wheeler, Clare Wheeler, Jerry Wade, Edge Wade, Susan Hazelwood, Jane Leo, Evelyn Johnson, Della Rhodes, Ann Webb, and Larry Lade.

If we missed anyone please lets me know and I will correct the oversight immediately. Thanks to the ten of you for being so involved in ASM, you have set a standard that will be hard to match. Birders making a difference. Mike Doyen


THE BLUEBIRD

Awards Committee: The ASM Executive Committee

Conservation Area Checklist Project (CACHE) Patrick Harrison, Web Development and Database Administrator Jerry Wade, Volunteer Coordinator Mike Thelen, Editor

Conservation Partnership Projects: Forest Hills Ruffed Grouse Habitat Project: Edge Wade, representative Northeast Mo Prairie Restoration Project: Anne Downing, representative Truman Lake Wetlands Restoration Project: Jerry Wade, representative

Executive Committee: Sue Gustafson, Chair Mike Doyen, Joyce Bathke, Jim Zellmer, and Patrick Harrison

MDC Issues & Access Committee: Jerry Wade, Chair Bill Eddleman, JoAnn Eldridge, and Steve Kinder

Missouri Bird Records Committee: Bill Eddleman, Chair Bill Goodge, Brad Jacobs, Paul McKenzie, Mark Robbins, Tommie Rogers, and Bill Rowe

Workshop Committee: MBRC, assisted by: Sue Gustafson, Joyce Bathke, and Lisa Berger

ORDERYOURS TODAY!

A GUIDE To BIRDING IN MISSOURI

All Prices Include Shipping

__ copy@ $15.00 U.S.

__ copies@ $10.00 U.S. each for a total of$ ___ (2 or more copies)

Send checks (payable to Audubon The Audubon Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65203-1261.

Society 2101 W.

of Missouri) to: Broadway, #122,

Name: -----------------------------------------------------

Address: City:


JOIN JOIN JOIN JOIN JOIN JOIN The Audubon Society of Missouri

Membership Brings You

The Bluebird-quarterly journal of the ASM

Birding Fellowship

Spring and Fall Birding Weekends

Organized Input into Conservation Issues

Birding Education Application for ASM Membership

Name: ------------------------------------------

Address: ---------------------------------------

City I State I Zip: ------------------------------------

Phone, Home: ______________ Work: ________________ _

Email Address: -----------------------------------

Please CIRCLE the information you do NOT want included in The ASM Membership Directory.

**Indicate whether this is a NEW membership or a RENEWAL**

New Renewal

**Please check the Membership Category that applies**

lndividual--$15.00

__ Family-$20.00

Student-$12.00

__ Contributing--$35.00

Benefactor--$ ! 00.00

Life--$250.00

Send checks (payable to Audubon Society of Missouri) to:

The Audubon Society of Missouri, 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122,

Columbia, MO 65203-1261

THE BLUEBIRD

the bluebird - mobirds.org

Documents