Bluebird. - Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems

THE
BLUEBIRD
The voice of ASM since 1934
March 2014
Volume 81, No. 1
The Audubon Society of Missouri
Missouri’s Ornithological Society Since 1901
THE AUDUBON SOCIETY OF MISSOURI
Officers
June Newman*+, President (2014)
209 Santa Fe Street; Carrollton, MO
64633; (660) 542-0873
june@binmail.net
Shari Harden*+, Vice-President
(2014)
513 NE Grant Drive; Blue Springs,
MO 64014; (816) 229-3979
kestrel277@comcast.net
Scott Laurent*+, Secretary (2014)
610 W. 46th Street, #103; Kansas
City, MO 64112; (816) 916-5014
rscottlaurent@gmail.com
Pat Lueders*+, Treasurer (2014)
1147 Hawken Pl., St. Louis, MO
63119; (314) 222-1711
pllueders479@aol.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**
Jim Jackson, 2012 Recipient of the
Rudolf Bennitt Award
Dr. David Easterla, 2006 Recipient
of the Rudolf Bennitt Award
Regional Directors
Jeff Cantrell+ (2014)
Neosho (471) 476-3311
Mark Haas+ (2016)
Jackson (573) 204-0626
Susan Hazelwood+ (2015)
Columbia, (573) 819-9252
Brent Galliart+ (2015)
St. Joseph (816) 232-6038
Terry McNeely+ (2016)
Jameson, MO (660) 828-4215
Ruth Simmons+ (2014)
Kansas City, MO (816) 678-1217
Larry Olpin+ (2016)
Warrensburg (660) 747-5228
Louise Wilkinson+ (2014)
Rolla (573) 364-9552
Phil Wire+ (2016)
Bowling Green (314) 960-0370
Chairs
Bill Clark, Historian
3906 Grace Ellen Dr.
Columbia, MO 65202
(573) 474-4510
Jerry Wade, Membership
1221 Bradshaw Avenue
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 445-6697
wadej@missouri.edu
Paul E. Bauer, 2004 Recipient of the
Rudolf Bennitt Award
+ Board Position
* Executive Committee Member
**Deceased
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THE BLUEBIRD
The Bluebird Editor:
Bill Eddleman*+, 1831 Ricardo Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, (573)
335-1507, eddlemanw@sbcglobal.net
Christmas Bird Count Compiler:
Randy Korotev, 800 Oakbrook Lane, St. Louis, MO 63132,
(314) 993-0055, rlkorote@artsci.wustl.edu
Communication Services:
Patrick Harrison Webmaster, http://mobirds.org,
Susan Hazelwood and David Scheu, Co-owners Listserve,
mobirds-l-request@po.missouri,edu
ASM Scholarship Committee:
Sue Gustafson, Chair, 429 Belleview Ave., Webster Groves MO 63119
(314) 968-8128, smgustafson@juno.com
MO Bird Records Committee:
Brad Jacobs+—Chair, 11300 Vemers Ford Road, Columbia, MO 65201,
(573) 874-3904, brad.jacobs@mdc.mo.gov
Bill Rowe—Secretary, 9033 Big Bend Road, St. Louis, MO 63119,
(314) 962-0544, rowemb45@gmail.com
Seasonal Survey Editors:
Spring: Josh Uffman, 707 Ashton Way Circle, Eureka, MO 63025
(636) 587-6016; birdsandbugs@sbcglobal.net
Summer: Kristi Mayo, 1807 Clear Creek Dr., Kearney, MO 64060
(816) 289–7828, writebirds@gmail.com
Fall: Peter Kondrashov, Biology Department, A. T. Still University of
Health Sciences, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, 800 W. Jeff
erson St., Kirksville, MO 63501 Mo. State Univ., pkondrash@gmail.com
Winter: Joe Eades, 517 Willow Lane, Kirkwood, MO, 63122, (314) 8350353, joseph.w.eades@monsanto.com
* Executive Committee Member
+ Board Position
Deadlines for submission of material for publication in The Bluebird
Manuscripts for The Bluebird—to the editor by:
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 Joe Eades by Mar. 10
Spring (Mar. 1-May 31)—to Kristi Mayo by June 10
Summer (June 1-July. 31)—to Josh Uffman by Aug 10
Fall (Aug. 1-Nov. 30)—to Peter Kondrashov by Dec. 10
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
March 2014
Volume 81, No. 1
1
President’s Corner—June Newman
2
Missouri Educator Earns ABA Recognition (Andrew Kinslow)
Photographs by Kelsey Rumley
5
ASM Plans Current River State Park Bird Survey
6
Volunteer Opportunities
7
An Appreciation of Bald Eagles—Michael Winger
10
Birding on the Alaskan Frontier—Bill Reeves (Photographs by Bill
Reeves and Nolan Lameka)
23
Top Ten Species for 2012 – Missouri Bird Records Committee
24
Twenty-sixth Annual Report of the Missouri Bird Records
Committee –William C. Rowe
36
We Welcome our New ASM Members!—Jerry Wade
37
Fall 2013 Seasonal Report—Peter Kondrashov and Ryan Douglas
44
A Birder’s Guide to Missouri Public Lands – Edge Wade
49
Book Review: How to be a Better Birder—Bill Eddleman
Front Cover—Bald Eagle over the icy Mississippi River at Lock and
Dam 24 near Winfield, Lincoln County. Photographed by Michael
Winger.
THE BLUEBIRD is published quarterly by The Audubon Society of Missouri. The submission of
articles, photographs, and artwork is welcomed and encouraged. 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 editors. Send address corrections to ASM, 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122, Columbia, MO 65203-1261.
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PRESIDENT’S CORNER—JUNE NEWMAN
Dear Fellow Birders,
What joy when a topic for a writing deadline
falls from the sky! Word that Andrew Kinslow,
a lifetime member of ASM, had been named
the 2014 recipient of the American Birding
Association’s Chandler Robbins award was
timely and it was a pleasure to learn how the
award came about, and how very deserving
Andrew is of the recognition.
When Andrew generously responded to my
request of him for some background information, I was impressed by a consistent attitude
of humility and gratitude to others for his success. His expressions of appreciation for the
members of Greater Ozarks Audubon Society impress me specifically, and
remind me of the opportunities we have as members of the bird-focused
community of people to welcome newcomers into our smaller groups, of the
exponential effect that occurs when a young person, influenced by our passion for birds and their environment, goes on to influence the values and life
work of many more young people.
I like that Andrew, distinctly a scientist, thinks it's significant that he was
first a birder, and can say comfortably that holding a bird in hand is magical.
Lisa Berger shared a comment once made by a staff member from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks: If Andrew is part of this project, we're
behind it 100%. Lisa further observes:
Andrew Kinslow glows with humility, integrity, quiet force, and
compassion. His entire life is wholly committed to helping others
and providing youth hands-on, outdoor experiences.
He does this not for self-affirmation, recognition, awards,
or a resume. Andrew is truly a selfless mentor, providing a
platform where youthful minds may open to the magic of
the natural world.
She seems to summarize the assessment of everyone who knows Andrew.
I'm honored to have the opportunity to write about him and his award.
June Newman,
President
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MISSOURI EDUCATOR EARNS ABA RECOGNITION
Andrew Kinslow can point to the moment that decided his future as
a teacher. At Whitefish Point Bird Observatory in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan one of his job duties as a young biologist involved
banding demonstrations for the public. As a self-described introvert
with no prior teaching experience, he dreaded that part of the job.
His first assignment in that role had him facing 15 birdwatchers
early one morning. His attention was drawn to a little girl whose
body language suggested that she was as uncomfortable as he was
with the experience. He knelt in front of her with a Cedar Waxwing
which had been banded that morning, and asked if she would like to
hold it. Her demeanor softened and her face lit up as she held the
bird briefly and carefully released it. Facilitating a connection of a
child to a bird and the natural world changed Andrew as it changed
the child. That he would continue to share his passion and connect
kids to science and research as a teacher was fixed.
That passion and evidence of his exceptional work as an educator
led to his being chosen as the 2014 recipient of the American Birding
Association's Chandler Robbins award. The award, recognizing
“outstanding efforts in birder education, bird conservation or in the
management or preservation of habitats on which birds and birding
depends,” is named for the renowned ornithologist and author of the
Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, popularly
known as the Golden Guide.
Andrew's earliest memory specifically of birds is of looking through
a Golden Guide with his parents, both teachers, on a snow day,
home from school, watching birds in the yard. To receive an award
bearing Chandler's name is especially meaningful to him.
His interest in birds turned to a passion in college when he met Jeff
Cantrell who is now an MDC employee and ASM board member. He
and Jeff birded together as often as possible, and Jeff introduced
him to the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society where he says, “I really
developed as a birder.” Andrew describes himself as so shy he could
hardly speak, being accustomed to finding peace alone in the outdoors. But Jeff, Betty Dyer, Becky Matthews, Dorothy Thurman,
Kay and Betty Johnson, Jan Horton, Lisa Berger, Charley Burwick,
Greg Swick and others in GOAS welcomed him and he writes that
“It was on the trail, sharing life birds, where I found peace, this time
not alone, but with others of a shared vision.”
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During college Andrew interned with the Missouri Forest Ecosystem
Project with Dr. John Faaborg of Missouri University. During the
MOFEP experience he realized he had acute hearing especially useful for birding and the first part of field season gave him an opportunity to hone bird song identification skills. The second half of the
project provided training in bird banding and intensified his passion
for birds. “There is something simply magical about holding a bird in
hand.” He spent the next two and half years working in bird research jobs in seven different states, one of which included his pivotal experience at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory.
Andrew has taught for 16 years at Logan-Rogersville High School
and lives on an Ozark farm with his wife Dawn and two rescue
pups, Raven and Phoebe. The research station for his high school
field class is located on his farm.
“I was a birder before I was a bander and that context is significant,”
Andrew explains. It is important to him that banding be in the context of a bird's ecology: behavior, migration, feeding habits, etc.
Banding interrupts the life of a bird. Therefore, to Andrew, ethics
demands that each moment count, that we owe to the birds we interrupt valid collection of data and safe release. That sense of ethics
makes banding best justified and most complete when it happens in
an educational setting. It takes science out of a “cookbook” lab activity and has the power to hook kids on science and birds for the rest
of their lives.
The Logan-Rogersville School District said yes to his request in 1999
to start a summer research program, thinking, he believes, that no
high school kid would get up at 4:30 a.m. to go chase birds in the
woods during summer vacation. But 10 kids did! And the program
continues to grow each year. An adult Louisiana Waterthrush
banded the first summer was recaptured every year for the next
nine years.
Five years ago, GOAS approached Andrew about doing a banding
demo with GLADE, Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems. It has been a successful part of the GLADE program and he
credits it with teaching him the power of working in a team with
like-minded individuals focused on Environmental Education “at its
finest.” He is proud to be one spoke in the GLADE wheel, a part of
the work Dr. Janice Greene does there.
Both banding programs, the one with GLADE and the one with
Logan-Rogersville field classes, are in partnership with the Institute
for Bird Populations in Point Reyes, California, and part of the largPage 3
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er Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) research program. Data also is submitted to the Federal Bird Banding
Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland to contribute to the greater body of
ornithological knowledge. Chandler Robbins still has an office at the
banding lab. That connection prompts Andrew to say, “I think that it
is so wonderful how interwoven his journey has been with mine,
even though we have never met.”
“As a shy introverted child I found peace in nature. It was there that
I found my passion for birds. Birds in turn brought me into a larger
flock of people who shared the same vision and passion, and I made
peace with my introversion. There are still times when I just want to
escape into the woods and streams of the Ozarks and listen to a
Kentucky Warbler or Louisiana Waterthrush. What gives me the
most satisfaction now is sharing that with my students.”
Andrew's connection to GOAS and to GLADE made Greg Swick
aware of the qualities which make him a candidate for ABC's Chandler Robbins award. Greg’s nomination letter reproduced below details Andrew’s significant contributions to bird education. How fortunate we Missourians are to have Andrew Kinslow among us! If
you have an opportunity to congratulate him on the award, be sure
to add a “thank you” for his contributions.
Andrew Kinslow holds a Prothonotary Warbler.
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Some of the students in Andrew’s class view a bird.
Photos by Kelsey Rumley.
ASM PLANS CURRENT RIVER STATE PARK BIRD SURVEY
ASM will be conducting a bird survey at Current River State Park
on May 30 – June 1, 2014. Those who wish to participate will have
lodging and meals at the former Alton Club, a corporate retreat constructed in ca. 1937-1945 for the Alton Box Board Co., now part of
Missouri's newest state park.
Watch the mobirds-l email list and mobirds.org for details as they
become available. If you do not use the internet and wish to be contacted non-digitally about this event, contact June Newman by
phone or mail: 209 Santa Fe St.; Carrollton, MO 64633; 660-5420873 (home); 660-329-2693 (cell).
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Volunteer Opportunities
Two recent posts to the ASM email list have announced exciting projects and invite your participation. Please help if you can.
In March of 2014, the International Rusty Blackbird Working
Group, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the
Vermont Center for Ecostudies, eBird, and many other state, federal, and local partners, will launch a Rusty Blackbird Spring
Migration Blitz that challenges birders to scour the landscape for
Rusty Blackbirds during this species’ northward migration. Thirtyeight states, 9 provinces, and 3 territories will participate in this
international effort to find Rusty Blackbirds. It’s easy to participate—bird as you normally do during your state’s target dates and
submit your data to eBird using the “Rusty Blackbird Spring Migration Blitz” observation type. If you are interested in learning more
about Rusty Blackbirds and the Migration Blitz, check out the website (http://rustyblackbird.org/outreach/migration-blitz/). And stay
tuned—the Missouri coordinator will be distributing more information as opening day approaches! Also, follow the effort on Facebook
for the most up-to-date information about the Blitz: https://
www.facebook.com/rustyblackbirdspringblitz Contact: Jason D.
Luscier; Assistant Professor of Biology; Truman State University; Kirksville, MO 63501
The peent of an American Woodcock is a sure sign that spring is
coming, although they appear very early. Although it is still blustery
and cold across much of the region we are closing in on the time that
American Woodcock will be heading north along their spring migration routes. In the ‘early bird gets the worm’ mentality, woodcock
migrate earlier than most other species, leaving their southern wintering grounds sometimes before February to arrive on northern
breeding grounds—often when there is still snow on the ground. Despite the specie’s allure, there is still very little known about the
ecology of American Woodcock along the spring migration routes.
Any information on spring migration habitat is critical for better
management of woodcock. With your help and the help of other volunteers, a cooperative research project hopes to collect abundance
and general habitat data across Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and
Iowa during the spring migration. We need your help to make this
effort a success! How you can help: 1.) Venture out this spring and
watch and listen to woodcock perform their conspicuous courtship
dances, record your observations on the provided data sheet (email
the researcher to request more information and data sheets) and
send the data sheet to cesebrig@uark.edu
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2.) Spread the word and help find more volunteers to widen the survey range and fill in missing areas.
Contact: Cari Elizabeth Sebright; Graduate Assistant; Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; SCEN 601;
1 University of Arkansas; Fayetteville, AR 72701-1201; Phone:
479-575-4427.
An Appreciation of Bald Eagles
Michael Winger, Rolla, Mo.
Let me begin by affirming, “Brrrr!!!” Eagle watching and photography is a cold affair. But, it is also most rewarding.
This year, Missouri was host to the second largest gathering of bald
eagles in the world next to Alaska. What a show! I learned that the
name “bald eagle” comes from the olde English “balde” which means
white.
I visited the beautiful birds on both sides of the Mississippi—in Illinois and in Missouri. The best views by far were in Missouri. I ventured up to Winfield and was able to see a few and mostly from quite
a distance.
As I went further north over a rather treacherous early morning
drive on route 79 the viewing changed dramatically. The river was
mostly frozen around Lock and Dam 25 near Winfield so the birds
were either on the other side or further north.
However, a stop at Erin’s Coffee Shoppe was a delight. Good breakfast, nice people and it was warm! After about an hour enjoying the
breakfast and conversation, I began my northern exposure. I arrived
at Lock and Dam 24 in Clarksville around 8 a.m. and the eagles
were feasting. Between the lock and dam and the center of Clarksville by the water, I spotted almost 100 eagles.
The water was partially frozen providing a great dinner table for the
eagles to sit and grab their meals. A few were a bit aggressive, but
no one was hurt and the eating seemed to be perfectly satisfying to
all the feathered fish connoisseurs.
I guess this will have to be an annual affair. I will have visited the
area three times this year, so my photography itch will have been
quantifiably scratched. Here are a few of my favorites.
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All photographs by Michael Winger.
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Birding on the Alaskan Frontier
Bill Reeves
Photographs by Bill Reeves and Nolan Lameka
“Getting too old and decrepit. . . too far away . . . too many logistics .
. too much travel time . . . too cold, too rugged . . . too expensive.”
These were some of the excuses I kept giving myself for not taking a
bird expedition to Alaska. The excuses roiled and re-circulated for a
couple of years before I finally capitulated. Brushing aside those
sundry excuses, I plunged into Alaskan internet websites and
emerged with a three-week bird trip which included trips to renowned hotspots Gambell and Nome. Among the half-dozen tour
groups available, I was hooked by the one aptly named “Wilderness”
Birding Adventures. Its ownership and bird guides are resident
Alaskans, and our lead guide, Aaron Lang, is one of Alaska’s premier birders.
It has been several months now since my return from Alaska. I find
myself reminiscing often about the natural splendor of the Alaskan
frontier and the pure, unadulterated excitement of birding there. I
am thus compelled to admonish fellow birders: if you have the time,
the means and the barest inclination to go to Alaska, by all means
do it now, before you get too old, too decrepit, time gets away from
you, or, well, you get the drift.
WBA Lead Guide Aaron Lang; and fellow birder/photographer Nolan
Lameka in the background, scanning for the Bristle-thighed Curlew
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PART I: Gambell
After taking a few days to explore Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula, our group headed to the island of St. Lawrence. It is located in
the Bering Sea, just below the Arctic Circle. There are two Native
Alaskan villages on the island. Only the village of Gambell is readily
accessible to birders. In late May the island is still hemmed in by
vast expanses of sea ice. Birders are greeted by morning temperatures of 15-25 degrees Fahrenheit, often accompanied by wind gusts
which plunge the wind chill into unknown parameters. Fog is an
unpredictable and unwelcome visitor, toying off and on with flight
schedules and birders’ emotions alike. The rain there is often a wind
-blown sideways drizzle, enough to thoroughly challenge the waterproof capabilities of every scope, camera and pair of binoculars. The
wind and drizzle permeate the most weatherproof and carefully layered clothing, while soggy tundra and boneyard potholes lie in wait
for naïve and unassuming birders (more on that later).
There are no trees at Gambell. There are, however, scattered waste
piles of discarded appliances, crates, barrels, boxes, plastic and debris. Over the years, the village landfill has morphed into a giant
octopus of sorts, with elongated strings of trash and debris branching out into the nearby ancient boneyards, where Yu’pik Eskimo
peoples traditionally laid to rest the natural offal of their seaborne
prey. In order to get to some parts of the gravel beach where birders
go to scan for seabirds, it is sometimes necessary to weave one’s way
through this modern-day midden.
Gambell landscape—The landfill, gravel beach and distant ice floes. The
rarest bird this spring? A 1st state record House Sparrow!
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Wilderness Birding Adventures “Headquarters” at Gambell. Note two basic
essentials: (1). strips of Ringed Seal meat drying out on a wire (above the
right-hand window); and (2). satellite dish.
I’m not done yet. There is another insidious monster lurking literally beneath our feet. You see, the village Gambell is situated on an
immense, bottomless gravel bar. With each footstep sinking inexorably into the shifting layers of pea-sized gravel, walking has a way of
taxing every muscle from hip to toes. Add twenty pounds of clothing
and equipment, tack on non-stop birding for fourteen hours a day,
and you have a complete recipe for, for . . . well, for complete, utter,
rapturous birding ecstasy. Yeah, how can you beat this for first-rate,
once-in-a-lifetime, top-of-the-world birding? As most birders well
know, the more rugged the experience, the more combative the elements, the more challenging it is to wreak out a few precious seconds of intense focus upon one’s quarry, the more gratifying it is
when you finally lock in on a rare and elusive vagrant. At Gambell,
there are many opportunities to experience this natural “high,” time
and time again.
Our week of birding at Gambell was outstanding. During my first
couple of days there, the weather was surprisingly sedate. True, the
low morning temps were around 15-20 degrees, but afternoons
brought sunshine and a light breeze. The birds most commonly
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found around the village were Snow Buntings and Lapland Longpurs. White Wagtails flitted back and forth between the junk-piles
and snowmobiles. Long-tailed and Pomarine Jaegers patrolled the
beaches and short-grass marshes for unsuspecting shorebirds. A
Rough-legged Hawk and several Short-eared Owls joined in the
hunt, some working in tandem, others solo. Just outside of the village is a prominent hilltop rising about 100 feet above sea-level. The
rocks and boulders strewn across the hillside provide some degree of
safety for nesting alcids, including Crested, Parakeet and Least
Auklets, along with a few Dovekies.
Crested Aukon an outthe Gambell
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lets courting
cropping at
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The gravel beach at the northwest end of the island served as our
rallying point for morning and evening sea watches. Loons, ducks,
gulls and alcids by the hundreds of thousands raced back and forth
along this beachfront, sometimes dropping into the few scattered
areas of open ocean to rest and feed. In the few days we were there,
we found Yellow-billed, Arctic and Red-throated Loons. Among the
gulls were Black-legged Kittiwakes, “Vega” (Herring), and Glaucous
Gulls, and a lone Ivory Gull. An occasional Northern Fulmar would
dart out from behind the ice floes, gliding low over the water on
stiffly-bowed wings. A single Sabine’s Gull in breeding plumage left
the beachfront and dropped in on us at the whale boneyard, picking
his way through scattered bones and debris. Beyond the wall of ice
hugging the beach, rafts of Long-tailed Ducks, Harlequin Ducks and
scoters would spontaneously coagulate on the water, then disappear
and re-form just as quickly somewhere else. Thick-billed Murres,
guillemots (of both species) and auklets passed by in swarming
clouds of varying size and shape.
Birding necessities at the Gambell sea watch – scope, four layers of clothing,
Neos overshoes and a good seat pad.
The combination of soggy tundra and shallow marsh habitat was
especially attractive to both migrant and breeding shorebirds. To my
great pleasure, most of the shorebirds were in readily identifiable
adult breeding plumage, and most birds were quite willing to vocalize for us as well. The predominant breeders were Western Sandpipers, Dunlin and Wilson’s Snipe. Noteworthy visitors included a
Wandering Tattler, Red-necked Stint, a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits
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Adult Common Ringed Plover in full breeding plumage; though blurred,
note the conspicuous white supercilium.
In general, passerines are few and far between at Gambell. During
inclement weather (which is most of the time), Alaskan vagrants
veer off-course from the northwestern tip of Siberia, where the nearest landfall happens to be at Gambell. Our guides assured us that if
the direction and timing were right, strong Asiatic winds could our
friend and rainy drizzle our close ally. I was able to test this hypothesis during our third day at Gambell. Our morning sea watch
was shrouded in dense fog, impenetrable by binoculars or scope. We
therefore abandoned the beach for the boneyards. Fog gradually dissipated into a steady drizzle, while intermittent wind gusts conspired to make birding by optics nearly impossible. Nonetheless,
during the brief periods of respite when wind and rain died down,
stray migrants would appear suddenly out of nowhere. First, Aaron
flushed a Brambling from the sparse grassy boatyard, where the
bird dove underneath the protective canopy of a half-butchered Bowhead Whale carcass. The bird posed beautifully for us between bones
and dangling blubber. Next, a Rustic Bunting zigzagged out of the
wind and dropped to the ground for a few anxious minutes, before
rising back up and frenetically zigzagging elsewhere. A pair of exhausted Rock Sandpipers also found refuge in the boneyard, allowing me to see a species normally limited to the Pribilof Islands.
While gloating over these unexpected finds, a Bluethroat zipped
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past our group and disappeared into the boneyard. Uncanny eyes
found the bird hunkering down out of the wind. Unfortunately,
those uncanny eyes were not mine, and I was only able to get a
glimpse of the rear half of the bird, leaving me quite dissatisfied and
hungering for more.
The “near” boneyard, and one of the many whale jawbones.
The “more” came within a matter of minutes, when a small, uniformly brownish bird dropped into one of the man-made pits dotting
the boneyard. These pits consist of hand-dug holes, as much as ten
feet wide and five feet deep. Many of the holes are filled in with water, the surface of which is encrusted with a dangerously thin layer
of ice. In these holes the local Yu’piks regularly dig for buried whalebone and walrus ivory. The bone and ivory remnants are carved into
figurines and sold to visiting birders. How ironic. This irony was further impressed upon me when one day a young Yu’pik lad, perhaps
seven or eight years old, slipped through the teams of birders meandering through the boneyards, picked off an unidentified plover-type
bird with his pellet gun, and proudly ran home to cook it for lunch. I
wondered if his big brother was there to memorialize the bird by
carving an ivory plover for us. . . . I could only hope the bird wasn’t a
Code 4 Lesser Sand-plover.
Back to the hunt for the little brown bird. The boneyard holes have
become so pervasive that the scene reminds me of an old Labyrinth
game I played as a kid – a wooden box with moveable platform top
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and a metal ball the player had to maneuver around barriers and
numbered holes. If the ball was allowed to fall into a hole prior to
the endpoint, the ball would roll back to the beginning and the
player had to start over. The Gambell boneyards (there are two of
them) make for an excellent game of Labyrinth. Our game was on
when some mysterious guiding hand dropped the bird into our boneyard. Birders instinctively lined up on opposing sides of the boneyard, scanning the pitted playing field for any sign of tell-tale movement. I was one of the few birders able to fixate on the bird briefly in
my binoculars, as it flew directly away from me. One of the guides
hypothesized that the bird might be an Old World warbler species,
such as an Arctic or Dusky Warbler. This, of course, triggered a
wholesale invasion of the playing field by birders from all directions.
Having actually glimpsed the bird, I decided to close in on our target
as quickly as possible before I lost track of it in one of the holes. At
first I tiptoed across the narrow ridges between and around the
holes, but I found this to be distracting and time-consuming, especially when I encountered one seriously large hole directly between
me and the bird.
Back when I was but a mere high-schooler, I had an unusual capacity to jump. In basketball terms, I had a vertical leap of forty inches.
I could broad-jump ten feet in a single bound (no kidding). Still nimble at the age of 59, I roughly calculated the diameter of my hole as
about eight feet, well within the range of an over-the-hill jumper.
The six-foot depth of the hole did not deter me, nor did the fact that
it was filled with black murky water. I summoned all of my imaginary athletic prowess and lurched toward the other side of the hole.
Sadly, my calculations were more than a few inches short, and I
dropped straight down into the ice-cold, stagnant morass. My feet
started churning before I ever hit the water. Somehow I was able
keep from sinking more than knee-deep into the pit, while scaling
the near-vertical sides of the hole in a flurry of arms and legs. Needless to say, the “game” was now lost, as the probable once-in-alifetime Old World warbler was, according to other observers, long
gone. With begrudging resignation I trudged back to headquarters
to empty out waterlogged boots and get into some dry, warm socks.
Score: Labyrinth – 1; Reeves – 0.
Alas, the Gambell trip lasted only five days, after which birders
were shuffled into new groups, one of which I joined on the flight to
Nome.
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THE BLUEBIRD
PART II: Nome
Once I left the Yu’pik village for Nome, I wondered how I was going
to top the experience of chasing Asian vagrants in Gambell’s spectacular Bering Sea setting. Nome is located on the southern coast of
the Seward Peninsula, in northwest Alaska. On our arrival, our
small birding group moved into a bed and breakfast - a rustic twostory residence filled with unique works of artistry and local artifacts. Breakfast was usually a quick meal of muffins, fruit, cereal,
coffee and juice, and lunch was a grab-bag of sandwiches and
munchies eaten while birding on the road. Our birding vehicle was
an eight-passenger van, which allowed each of us to claim our own
window while scanning the vast terrain outside for birds.
During our first day in Nome we stayed close to town, with stop-andgo birding along the gravel roads leading into surrounding foothills.
The habitat consisted mostly of tundra grasses and willows, many of
the small budding trees still hesitant to greet the coming spring. On
closer inspection I noticed a surprising array of short-stemmed wildflowers scattered throughout the tundra. White-capped mountains
served as a picture-perfect backdrop, rising 4,000 feet above sea
level just outside of town.
At one of our first vantage points we set up spotting scopes, and I
was able to home in on a Northern Wheatear perched atop a rocky
outcropping. A nearby Arctic Fox wove his way through the rocks,
heading in the direction of the Wheatear, perhaps hoping to flush a
rabbit or ptarmigan. Speaking of ptarmigans, two of these impressive species, the Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, were relatively easy
to find, and put on quite a show for us. The small lakes outside of
Nome were still half-frozen, but yielded early-arriving geese, loons
and diving ducks. Several Eastern Yellow Wagtails flitted back and
forth across the road in front of our vehicle. Interestingly, we did not
see any bears. I surmised that they were still hibernating. Maybe
their absence explains why it was fairly easy for us to find both
Moose and Musk Ox, many with young calves by their side.
On another day we spent most of our time driving along the coast
and peering between the many ice floes to find Arctic Loons, Harlequin Ducks, Surf and White-winged Scoters, and both Arctic and
Aleutian Terns. Inland coastal marshes yielded hundreds of Tundra
Swans, some Cackling Geese, Brants, several breeding pairs of Common Eiders, King Eiders, and a lone Emperor Goose. A few shorebirds also probed the mudflats and marshes, including Red-necked
Phalaropes, Dunlin, Dowitchers and Ruddy and Black Turnstones
feeding side-by-side.
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THE BLUEBIRD
Pair of Rock Ptarmigans in flight.
One of our roadside Willow Ptarmigan sentinals.
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THE BLUEBIRD
One of the highlights of the Nome trip was our foray onto the hilltop
tundra to look for the Bristle-thighed Curlew. This species winters
primarily across the Pacific Ocean, in southeast Asia. A few breeding pairs make the trans-oceanic trip each year to the Nome foothills. To see the birds, one must carefully trek up a steep incline
along a narrow footpath winding through a maze of tangled bushes,
rocks and humps of tundra grass. The hike is, no doubt, a sprained
ankle just waiting to nail an unsuspecting birder. Luckily, our guide
Aaron well knew the territory, and steered us successfully to the
targeted hilltop. We were greeted there by a male Curlew taking
flight above us, then gliding downhill toward a far-distant ravine,
whistling a repetitive “chu-WIT” along the way. Oblivious to the
Curlew’s display were nearby Pacific Golden-Plovers, Lapland Longspurs, Savannah Sparrows and Long-tailed Jaegers, each homesteading its own slice of the tundra.
A cooperative Bristle-thighed Curlew on its breeding grounds near Nome.
Amid all the sights and distractions in this uniquely beautiful place,
I reminded myself to stay vigilant for yet another bird I had set my
sights on many months ago, even before I boarded a plane to Alaska
--- the Bluethroat. This bird eluded me in the Gambell boneyard,
and I now demanded a clean look at one. The Bluethroat is a member of the Old World thrush family, and thus is most closely related
to our bluebirds and robins. The bird is really a Siberian species
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THE BLUEBIRD
which has extended its breeding range across the Bering Strait to
northern Alaska. It is a regular breeder around Nome, but it is hard
to find elsewhere. Its Siberian origins made it of particular interest
to me, as I wanted to see a bird as foreign and exotic as the Alaskan
elements would allow me.
During the last day or two of my trip to Nome, we loaded up the van
for a half-day ride through tundra and willow scrub. I wasn’t the
only birder craving to see a Bluethroat. Even companion birders who
had seen the bird before were anxiously awaiting our first good look
at one. As fate would have it, our first opportunity came when we
pulled into a small parking area to visit a long-awaited outhouse.
While bodies spilled out of the van, someone noticed a small sparrow
-sized bird rising from the waist-high underbrush and spiraling
gracefully up into the blue sky, belting out a melodious tune
throughout the length of its spiral, then falling gracefully back down
and disappearing quickly into the bushes. Once, twice, three times
this bird teased us with his performance. Once, twice, three times I
lost him in my binoculars and uttered a few words of displeasure
over his successful hide-and-seek antics. Aaron confirmed that the
focal point of our attention was, in fact a male Bluethroat attempting to court the object of his affections. Our guide knew better than
to squander this opportunity. We waited patiently for some time until lo and behold, our little buddy popped up out of the bushes and
perched atop an open limb. Presumably inspired by the gasps of approval emanating from our group of motley birders, the nowcooperative Bluethroat proceeded to throw back his little head and
pour out a mish-mash of melodic phrases for his captive audience.
As our guy posed so regally for us, I admired one exceptional feature
of this bird that isn’t depicted well in our published field guides – its
throat. The Bluethroat is named after its beautifully irridescent azure blue throat. In proper sunlight it is a truly awesome sight, not
unlike the breathtaking iridescent throats found in our warmweather hummingbirds.
There are, of course, too many other narratives to tell to do justice to
the remainder of my trip to Nome. The trip included an hour drive
north of Nome, where we drove up and then climbed the last few
hundred feet to the top of a talus-strewn mountaintop. There we
looked for Wheatears and found a pair of courting Red Knots on
their breeding grounds. On the return trip to Nome, we found Graycheeked Thrushes and Orange-crowned Warblers nearly everywhere, with a surprise Blackpoll intervening every so often. The
ubiquitous Willow Ptarmigans often stood as sentinels on the roadPage 21
THE BLUEBIRD
way, or atop the spikes of barren underbrush, barking out their peculiar guttural mating calls. A pair of Golden Eagles claimed one
cliff as their home; a pair of Peregrine Falcons claimed another; and
a Gyrfalcon stared intently at us while on its nest beneath a highway bridge. The beauty of the birds was eclipsed only by the incredible scenic beauty that surrounds Nome – snow-capped mountains,
white-water rivers gushing into the sea, and the indescribable twilight skies at 2:00 in the morning.
CONCLUSION:
Hopefully, for some of you, the story doesn’t end here. Should you
have the chance to get to Alaska, I highly recommend getting up to
Gambell and Nome, if at all possible. It is the trip of a lifetime for
this Midwestern birder from Missouri.
Finally, a male Bluethroat decides to strike a pose.
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THE BLUEBIRD
TOP TEN SPECIES FOR 2012
Missouri Bird Records Committee
1) WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE (Contopus sordidulus): One, 9 June
to at least 3 July, Lake Lotawana, Jackson Co. Found and audiorecorded by Chris Hobbs, with Nicole Hobbs; also documented by
Mark Robbins and Sandra Elbert. Definitive State Record of a species never previously recorded in Missouri.
2) HOARY REDPOLL (Acanthis hornemanni): This species was
previously considered Provisional but is now fully accepted, thanks
to two records in 2012: (1) One, 22 December, Columbia, Boone Co.
Bill Mees (documentation), Jeff Mees (photographs), Jan Mees, Alice
Robinson. This is the Definitive State Record. (2) One, 27 December,
Ferguson, St. Louis Co. Connie Alwood (documentation with photographs).
3) LESSER GOLDFINCH (Spinus psaltria): Male, 18 January to
20 February, Humansville, Polk Co. Calvin Borntrager
(documentation), Lester and Ervin Borntrager, Bill Baughman
(photographs). Accidental transient and winter visitor; fourth state
record.
4) LARK BUNTING (Calamospiza melanocorys): Apparent firstspring male, 1 April, Taberville Prairie, St. Clair Co. Craig Hensley
(documentation), Jenna Rhoades (photographs). Casual transient
and winter visitor; fourteenth record (except for nesting records
from northwest Missouri in the 1960’s).
5) BROWN PELICAN (Pelicanus occidentalis): Adult, 29 May and
thereafter, Binder Lake, Cole Co. Ryan Douglas, Nicholas March,
Kathleen Anderson, and Chris Barrigar (documentation with photographs); found by Richard George. Casual transient and summer
visitor; eleventh state record. This Brown Pelican set a record for
residency in Missouri: it was observed from 29 May on through the
summer and fall, to 19 December.
6) AMERICAN AVOCET (Recurvirostra americana): First winter
record, 27 December 2012 to 21 January 2013, Winfield Slough, Lincoln Co. Found by Scott Schuette; documented with photographs by
David Marjamaa.
7) BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Pluvialis squatarola): First winter record, 22 December, Winfield Slough, Lincoln Co. Andrew
Reago (documentation with photographs), Chrissy McClarren.
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THE BLUEBIRD
8) WOOD STORK (Mycteria americana): Four immature birds, 1024 July, Swan Lake NWR, Chariton Co. Steve Kinder
(documentation with photographs); also documented by Kathleen
Anderson, Ryan Douglas. Casual; seventh record since the 1930’s.
9) SAY’S PHOEBE (Sayornis saya): Casual transient and winter
visitor; tenth and eleventh state records. (1) One, 1 January, Swan
Lake NWR, Chariton Co. Steve Kinder (documentation), Larry Lade.
(2) One, 17-27 March, Capital View Access, Callaway Co. Found and
documented by Bill Clark; also documented by Edge Wade, Kathleen
Anderson, Walter Wehtje, Ryan Douglas (with photographs).
10) SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (Elanoides forficatus): One, 28
July, Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Joe Eades (documentation),
David Becher, Bill Duncan. Casual transient and summer visitor;
eleventh modern record.
SPECIAL MENTION: Also noteworthy, though not exactly a species, was the hybrid Red-naped x Yellow-bellied Sapsucker found in
Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, 22-23 March 2012, by Bill Rudden,
who passed away unexpectedly this summer. This represented only
the latest of many unusual finds by Bill in his career as an inquisitive and thorough observer of birds.
TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MISSOUI BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
William C. Rowe, Secretary
This report summarizes records evaluated by the Committee between 16
December 2012 and 15 December 2013. It is divided into two sections, Accepted and Not Accepted, with birds listed in phylogenetic order under each
of these two categories. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow the American
Ornithologists’ Union’s Checklist of North American Birds, Seventh Edition
(1998), and subsequent supplements. The latest AOU list is available on
line at http://checklist.aou.org. For Accepted records, comments are added to
indicate the record’s significance. For Not Accepted records, observers’
names are omitted, and a brief explanation is provided as to why the record
was not accepted.
On-line documentation and review of records is now the norm. Most documentations are posted by the observer to a secure web site, where the secretary prepares them for review; to get started, go to www.mobirds.org and
click on Documentation Form under “Bird Records.” Photographs in .jpg
format, with a size limit of one MB, can be uploaded to accompany documentations. Observers are strongly urged to use the online system, but if this
proves unworkable for some reason, documentation can be mailed or
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THE BLUEBIRD
emailed to the secretary. All records from the point of changeover
(December 2007) have been electronically archived. In addition, all photographs will be archived in Mylar envelopes and deposited in the Committee’s files, which are currently housed in the Division of Ornithology, University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Lawrence, Kansas (KUNHM).
The Committee once again thanks Patrick Harrison for his continuing work
in refining this system, Ann Johnson for her partnership with Patrick in
this effort, and Joshua Uffman for his continuing work in assembling data
on the occurrence of Missouri birds at www.showme-birds.com.
Of the 89 records that were finalized during this period, 74 were accepted
and 15 were not accepted, for an acceptance rate of 83%. Members participating in these decisions were Joe Eades, Brad Jacobs (Chair), Kristi Mayo,
Paul McKenzie, Mark Robbins, Bill Rowe (Secretary), and Josh Uffman.
Five records (Whooping Crane 2013-66, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 2013-50,
Red Crossbill 2013-32, and Hoary Redpoll 2012-72 and 2013-16) were sent
to outside reviewers; see those accounts for details.
One new species, Golden-cheeked Warbler, was added to the Missouri list
with a Definitive Record; another, Hoary Redpoll, was moved from Provisional status to full acceptance with a Definitive Record; and a third, Sharptailed Sandpiper, was added to the list with Provisional status. Thus Missouri’s total as of December 2013 consisted of 420 fully accepted species;
these include four formerly occurring species that have been extirpated from
the state and four extinct species. There are an additional 11 Provisional
species on the list. The Annotated Checklist of Missouri Birds, with its latest updates to reflect changes in Missouri status as well as changes made by
the AOU, can be viewed at www.mobirds.org.
The Committee reviews records of species that are considered “casual” (5-15
records) or “accidental” (1-4 records) statewide. It also reviews records of
species that are casual or accidental for the season when reported (example:
Yellow-throated Warbler in winter); records of species that are casual or
accidental in the part of Missouri where reported (example: Purple Gallinule outside southeastern Missouri); and other records of unusual interest,
including first nesting records. The Review List, also maintained at
www.mobirds.org, lists all species that require review due to their yearround casual or accidental status in all or part of the state, plus a few for
which the Committee still wishes to receive documentation despite their
status as only “rare” (e.g., California Gull). The Review List does not cover
out-of-season status; for information on seasonal occurrence, consult the
Annotated Checklist.
The Committee extends thanks to the many birders throughout Missouri
who submitted their observations, and to the Audubon Society of Missouri
for its continued support and funding of the Committee’s efforts. Observers
who would like a status report on their current submissions can email the
Secretary at rowemb45@gmail.com. The next report will appear in the
March 2015 issue of The Bluebird.
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THE BLUEBIRD
RMBS = Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St. Charles Co.
SCNWR = Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Holt Co.
MNWR = Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Bollinger/Stoddard/
Wayne Cos.
OSCA = Otter Slough Conservation Area, Stoddard Co.
CBC = Christmas Bird Count
CA = Conservation Area
SP = State Park
NWR = National Wildlife Refuge
RECORDS ACCEPTED
CINNAMON TEAL (Anas cyanoptera), 2013-51: Adult male, 7 August
2013, Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Charlene Malone. Casual in fall;
seventh record.
NORTHERN PINTAIL (Anas acuta), 2013-68: Ten birds, 16 June 2013,
OSCA. Greg Samuel (documentation with photographs), Laura Samuel.
Casual summer visitor in most of Missouri.
GARGANEY (Anas querquedula), 2013-28: Male, 19-21 April 2013, Sumner, Chariton Co. Allen Smith (documentation with photographs), Paul
McKenzie (documentation), Larry Beason, Steve Kinder, Terry McNeely,
Brad Jacobs. Accidental transient. First located by Amara Weiss, this is
only the second Missouri record of this Old-World vagrant.
GREATER SCAUP (Aythya marila), 2012-71: Nine birds, 22-26 December
2012, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Kristi Mayo (documentation with photographs), Matt Gearheart, Mike Beck, Brett Budach. CBC record. Due to
confusion with Lesser Scaup, documentation is requested on all but a few
specific CBC’s where Greater Scaup is of regular occurrence.
SURF SCOTER (Melanitta perspicillata), 2013-43: Female, 23 May 2013,
Fellows Lake, Greene Co. Greg Swick (documentation), Charles Burwick
(photographs). Latest spring record by four days.
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE (Bucephala islandica), 2012-63: Adult male, 12
December 2011, near Ectonville, Clay Co. Taken by hunter Clint Anderson.
The MBRC was informed of this record by David Easterla, and data along
with photographs of the specimen were provided by Craig Putnam of the
MDC. Casual transient and winter visitor; eleventh modern record.
RED-THROATED LOON (Gavia stellata), 2013-10: One, 23-26 January
2013, Table Rock State Park, Taney Co. Paul McKenzie (documentation),
Brad Jacobs. Accidental in winter; third record.
PACIFIC LOON (Gavia pacifica), 2013-9: Two, 23-26 January 2013, Table
Rock State Park, Taney Co. Paul McKenzie (documentation), Greg Samuel
(documentation with photographs), Brad Jacobs, Greg Swick, Charles Burwick. Accidental in winter; fourth record.
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THE BLUEBIRD
EARED GREBE (Podiceps nigricollis), 2012-77: One, 22 December 2012,
Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Kristi Mayo (documentation), m.ob. Eared Grebe
is an uncommon transient in western Missouri but casual in winter statewide; this is the fifteenth record. CBC record. This individual was probably
the same one reported on Smithville Lake 11-16 December 2012.
WESTERN GREBE (Aechmophorus occidentalis), 2013-11: One, 26 January 2013, Table Rock State Park, Taney Co. Josh Uffman (documentation
with photographs), Allen Smith (photographs), Matt Malin, Jim & Charlene
Malone, Mark Paradise. Casual in winter; ninth record.
WESTERN GREBE, 2013-12: One, 16-17 February 2013, RMBS. Jim
Malone and Josh Uffman (documentation with photographs), m.ob. Casual
in winter; tenth record.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), 2013-64: Adult,
15-18 November 2013, Lake Springfield, Greene Co. Greg Samuel and Greg
Swick (documentation with photographs), Charles Burwick, Jill Hayes,
m.ob. Latest fall record by seven weeks.
LITTLE BLUE HERON (Egretta caerulea), 2013-65: Two immatures, 13
October 2013, Schell-Osage CA, Vernon Co. Greg Samuel (documentation),
m.ob. Late fall record.
CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis), 2012-67: One, 13 December 2012,
County Road 723, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones (documentation with photographs). Latest fall record.
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax), 2013-15: 16 birds on various dates, 28 November 2012 to 9 March 2013, County Road
722, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones (documentation with photographs). Casual
winter visitor; eleventh record.
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nyctanassa violacea), 2013-20:
Adult, 10 March 2013, Springfield, Greene Co. Charles Burwick
(documentation with photographs). Earliest spring record.
WHITE IBIS (Eudocimus albus), 2013-42: Adult, 20 May 2013, Winfield,
Lincoln Co. Al Smith (documentation with photographs). At the time of observation, this species was listed as casual in the northern half of Missouri;
its status has since been changed to rare in southern and central Missouri,
and casual only in the northern third of the state. Thus documentation will
no longer be needed at the latitude of St. Louis or just to the north, as in
Lincoln and Pike Counties (and similarly across the state).
DARK IBIS, sp. (Plegadis, sp.), 2013-70: One, 5 December 2013, near Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Derick Driemeyer. Latest fall record of a Plegadis ibis in Missouri; there are also two winter records.
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (Elanoides forficatus), 2013-29: One, 21 April
2013, Weldon Spring CA, St. Charles Co. Christine Kirmaier. Casual transient and summer visitor; twelfth modern record.
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THE BLUEBIRD
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, 2013-54: One, 14 August 2013, Routes O and
72, Phelps Co. Larry Houf (documentation), Garry Houf. Casual transient
and summer visitor; thirteenth modern record.
PURPLE GALLINULE (Porphyrio martinicus), 2013-48: Adult, 14 April
2013, Springfield, Greene Co. Mark Lohmeyer (documentation with photographs). Casual transient away from southeastern Missouri.
YELLOW RAIL (Coturnicops noveboracensis), 2013-13: One, 22 August
2012, Swan Lake NWR, Chariton Co. Auriel Fournier. Earliest fall migration record. This bird was flushed twice and also observed on the ground at
close range by a researcher familiar with Yellow Rail as well as Sora and
Virginia Rail.
YELLOW RAIL, 2013-14: Eight birds, 27 September 2012, Swan Lake
NWR, Chariton Co. Justin Lehman (observer), Auriel Fournier
(documentation). Highest one-day count of this species recorded during fall
migration in Missouri. These birds were seen during nighttime rail surveys
and were identified in flight by small size and white secondary patches;
multiple birds were seen on various occasions, with this being the highest
count.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Pluvialis squatarola), 2012-74: One, 22 December 2012, Winfield Lock & Dam, Lincoln Co. Andrew Reago
(documentation with photographs), Chrissy McClarren. First winter record.
This bird’s plumage was largely in breeding aspect.
BLACK-NECKED STILT (Himantopus mexicanus), 2013-21: Four birds,
12 March 2013, County Road 723, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones
(documentation with photograph). Earliest spring record by 11 days.
AMERICAN AVOCET (Recurvirostra americana), 2013-17: One, 27 December 2012 to 21 January 2013, Winfield Lock & Dam, Lincoln Co. David
Marjamaa (documentation with photographs), Mary Anne Marjamaa. First
winter record. On 18 February 2013, well beyond the final date of observation at Winfield, Brad Jacobs observed an American Avocet at RMBS, about
25 miles southeast of the Winfield Dam. Presumably this was the same individual.
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa flavipes), 2012-69: 19 birds, 16 December 2012, County Road 723, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones (documentation
with photograph). First documented winter record. In just the past three
years, this observer has recorded this and other shorebird species in extreme southern Missouri through the winter, when previously unknown.
HUDSONIAN GODWIT (Limosa haemastica), 2013-7: Three, 14 September 2012, RMBS. Allen Smith (documentation with photographs). Casual
transient in fall; fourteenth record.
HUDSONIAN GODWIT, 2013-8: One, 5 November 2012, Swan Lake
NWR, Chariton Co. Steve Kinder (documentation with photographs). Casual
transient in fall; fifteenth and latest record for that season.
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THE BLUEBIRD
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER (Calidris acuminata), 2013-50: Adult, 3
and 5 August 2013, Columbia Bottom CA, St. Louis Co. David Becher, Ken
Hollinga, and Pat Lueders (documentation), Connie Alwood, John Solodar.
The documentation of this Asian vagrant was reviewed by Kevin Karlson,
Paul Lehman, and Dennis Paulson, all of whom concurred that, collectively,
the descriptions fit an adult Sharp-tailed Sandpiper; moreover, the date fits
well with the occurrence pattern of adults in the lower 48 states. In the absence of photographs, however, the Committee found that the record did not
meet the requirement of at least two independently acceptable documentations from independent observers for full acceptance, as stated in its bylaws.
Hence Sharp-tailed Sandpiper has been accepted to the Missouri state list
as a Provisional species. This is not to be interpreted as merely “possible”
occurrence; the Committee has voted to accept the record, but with not quite
the level of evidence required to make it a Definitive state record.
DUNLIN (Calidris alpina), 2012-66: An estimated 7000 birds, 13 May
2012, County Road 723, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones (documentation with
photographs). This astounding aggregation of Dunlin was found in shallowly flooded or muddy fields.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (Calidris subruficollis), 2013-45: Adult,
2 June 2013, sod fields near Old Monroe, Lincoln Co. David Becher. This is
the latest spring record, following observation of six birds on 17 May and
one on 21 May at this location by Jim and Charlene Malone (photographs).
Further inquiry has revealed that these are among a mere handful of records for eastern Missouri; hence the status of Buff-breasted Sandpiper has
been changed to casual in spring in that half of the state, and documentation of all occurrences is requested.
LAUGHING GULL (Leucophaeus atricilla), 2013-31: First-cycle bird, 15
September 2012, Thousand Hills SP, Adair Co. Peter Kondrashov
(documentation with photographs). Casual transient away from the Mississippi River corridor.
LAUGHING GULL, 2013-46: Immature, 16 June 2013, Smithville Lake,
Clay Co. Nick Varvel (documentation with photographs), Doug Willis
(photographs). Accidental summer visitor away from the Mississippi River
corridor.
LAUGHING GULL, 2013-69: One, 5 November 2013, Maryville Sewage
Lagoons, Nodaway Co. David Easterla. Casual transient away from the Mississippi River corridor.
WHITE-WINGED DOVE (Zenaida asiatica), 2013-4: One, 9 January 2013,
Cape Woods CA, Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau Co. Mark Haas. Accidental winter visitor; second record for that season, aside from birds that have
sometimes been in year-round residence at East Prairie.
INCA DOVE (Columbina inca), 2013-57: One, 26 September 2013, Joplin,
Newton Co. Chris Pistole. Casual transient and winter visitor; sixth state
record.
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THE BLUEBIRD
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (Coccyzus americanus), 2013-33: One, 16
April 2013, near Warbler Woods CA, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones
(documentation with photographs). Earliest spring arrival date.
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL (Aegolius acadicus), 2012-64: Adult female, 16 January 2012, Homestead Springs Farm Research Station, Webster Co. Documented by Andrew Kinslow; mist-netted and banded by Dana
Ripper and Ethan Duke; photographed by Bo Brown. Age and sex established by measurements and plumage characteristics. Considered a casual
winter resident in southern Missouri, but may be more frequent there than
the few observations indicate.
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, 2012-65: Adult female, 21 December
2012, Drury-Mincy CA, Taney Co. Documented by Andrew Kinslow; mistnetted and banded by Kinslow and Janice Greene; photographed by Greene.
See comments on 2012-64.
LEAST FLYCATCHER (Empidonax minimus), 2013-61: One, 19 October
2013, Big Spring, Carter Co. Mark Robbins. Latest documented fall record.
SAY’S PHOEBE (Sayornis saya), 2013-1: One bird, 1-9 January 2013, Elsberry, Lincoln Co. Josh Uffman (documentation with photographs), Mark
Paradise. Casual transient and accidental winter visitor; twelfth state record and fourth in winter.
SAY’S PHOEBE, 2013-56: One, 14 September 2013, McGee Family CA,
Clinton Co. Chris Barrigar (documentation with photographs). Casual transient; thirteenth state record.
VERMILION FLYCATCHER (Pyrocephalus rubinus), 2013-36: Adult
male, 2 May 2013, Crews residence in Pleasant Hill, Cass Co. Teresa Crews
(documentation with photographs), Charles Crews. Casual transient; ninth
state record.
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER (Tyrannus forficatus), 2013-53: Nesting pair, 15 June 2013, rural Gentry Co. Terry McNeely (documentation
with photographs). One of the northernmost nesting records for Missouri.
NORTHERN SHRIKE (Lanius excubitor), 2013-73: Adult, 14 December
2013, near Leslie, Franklin Co. Jack Foreman (documentation with photographs), Shirley Foreman. This species is now considered only rare in much
of Missouri but still accidental in the Ozark region.
WARBLING VIREO (Vireo gilvus), 2013-62: One, 20 October 2013, Big
Spring, Carter Co. Mark Robbins. Latest documented fall record; there is
also a single winter record.
FISH CROW (Corvus ossifragus), 2013-49: Nesting pair, 8-17 May 2013,
Roaring River SP, Barry Co. Jeff Cantrell (documentation with photographs), Becky Wylie, Andrew Kinslow. While other Fish Crow nests may
have been found in Missouri, this is the first documented record.
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MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD (Sialia currucoides), 2012-68: Female, 15 December 2012, 1.5 miles east of Highway K, Daviess Co. Mark McNeely
(documentation with photograph), Elizabeth McNeely. Casual transient and
winter visitor; fourteenth state record.
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH (Catharus minimus), 2012-62: One, 11 June
2007, Big Oak Tree SP, Mississippi Co. Walter Wehtje. Latest springmigration record for this species.
AMERICAN PIPIT (Anthus rubescens), 2012-75: One, 22 December 2012,
Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Kristi Mayo. Casual in winter in northern and
central Missouri. Heard only; call well described by an observer very familiar with it, in a location where it is regular. CBC record.
AMERICAN PIPIT, 2013-2: 10 birds, 1 January 2013, slough adjacent to
Winfield Lock & Dam, Lincoln Co. Josh Uffman (documentation), Mark
Paradise. Casual in winter in northern and central Missouri.
NASHVILLE WARBLER (Oreothlypis ruficapilla), 2013-71: One, 5 December 2013, Reeds Spring, Stone Co. Jane Fitzgerald. Latest fall record;
there is also a single winter record.
CONNECTICUT WARBLER (Oporornis agilis), 2013-67: Immature, 29
September 2013, Lake of the Ozarks SP, Camden Co. Brad Jacobs
(documentation), Terry McNeely. Rare spring transient and much rarer in
fall, with few documented records for the latter season.
BLACKPOLL WARBLER (Setophaga striata), 2013-59: One bird, 4 October 2013, Terpstra residence, Kirkwood, St. Louis Co. Margy Terpstra
(documentation with photographs). Common in spring but accidental in fall,
when the migration path of the species swings sharply eastward. This is
only the third documented fall record for Missouri, and the second with photographs.
PINE WARBLER (Setophaga pinus), 2013-18: Adult male, 17-28 February
2013, Weber residence, St. Louis City. Dawn Weber (documentation with
photographs). This record among others led the Committee to reassess the
species’ status as a rare (no longer casual) winter visitor and resident in
southern and central Missouri; thus future documentation in those areas
will not be necessary. This bird was visiting a residential feeder.
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Setophaga coronata), 2013-44: Male, 28
May 2013, Perry County Community Lake, Perry Co. Mark Haas. Latest
spring-migration record except for one on 8 June.
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER (Setophaga dominica), 2012-76: One,
22 December 2012, Houck Park, Puxico, Stoddard Co. Bill Eddleman
(documentation), Matt Malin. CBC record, and first winter record for the
state. Located in shortleaf pines, a typical habitat for this species.
PRAIRIE WARBLER (Setophaga discolor), 2013-39: Male, 11 May 2013,
near Thousand Hills SP, Adair Co. Peter Kondrashov (documentation with
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photographs). Casual summer resident and transient in northeastern Missouri.
PRAIRIE WARBLER, 2013-30: Male, 6-16 June 2012, Thousand Hills SP,
Adair Co. Peter Kondrashov (documentation with photographs). Casual
summer resident in northeastern Missouri.
GOLDEN-CHEEKED WARBLER (Setophaga chrysoparia), 2013-27:
Adult male, 19-22 April 2013, Creve Coeur, St. Louis Co. Found and documented by Josh Uffman (photographs); also documented by David Becher,
Pamela Bachman, and Paul McKenzie. Definitive State Record. The breeding range of this Federally-endangered species lies entirely within Texas,
and this is apparently only the fourth documented United States record
outside of that state (others are from California, Florida, and New Mexico).
The bird remained at one site on private property and was observed off and
on for four days, often located by its song.
VESPER SPARROW (Pooecetes gramineus), 2013-3: One, 3 January 2013,
B.K. Leach CA, Lincoln Co. Mike Treffert (documentation), Chrissy McClarren, Joe Carter. Casual winter visitor in northern Missouri.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Pheucticus ludovicianus), 2013-25:
Adult male, 9 April 2013, vicinity of Stringtown, Butler Co. Luann Holst
(documentation with photographs). Earliest spring arrival date.
BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (Pheucticus melanocephalus), 2013-40:
Female, 12 May 2013, Kinslow residence, Webster Co. Andrew Kinslow
(documentation with photographs), Gene Kinslow, Naomi Kinslow, Dawn
Huber. Rare transient; female still on Review List due to identification difficulties. Photographs showed the buffy-orange breast, the very limited
streaking in the center of the breast, and the bicolored bill, with dark mandible and pale maxilla.
LAZULI BUNTING (Passerina amoena), 2013-37: Male, 2-4 May 2013, two
miles southwest of Macon, Macon Co. Nicholas March (documentation with
photographs), Gale March, Kim March, Brad Jacobs. Casual transient outside of northwestern Missouri. This individual had only partially molted
into alternate plumage and retained much brown color on its head and back.
INDIGO BUNTING (Passerina cyanea), 2013-5: One, 12 January 2013,
Springfield, Greene Co. Jill Hays (documentation with photograph). Casual
winter visitor in southern Missouri.
BREWER’S BLACKBIRD (Euphagus cyanocephalus), 2012-70: Flock of
54, 20 December 2012, Ten Mile Pond CA, Mississippi Co. Bill Eddleman
(documentation with photographs), Allen Gathman, Josh Hager. CBC record. Due to frequent confusion with other blackbirds, documentation is
requested on all CBCs except those in the Osage Plains, where Brewer’s is
of most regular occurrence.
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BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, 2012-73: Flock of 19, 22 December 2012, Highway J, Stoddard Co. Steve Dilks (documentation with photographs), Nina
and Gary Chastain. CBC record. See comments on 2012-70, above.
RED CROSSBILL (Loxia curvirostra), 2013-32: One, 2 December 2012,
Rocky Forks Lake CA, Boone Co. Ryan Douglas (documentation with audio
recording), Nicholas March, Jenna March, Saadia Bihmidine. In recent
years it has been recognized that there are a number of different populations of Red Crossbill whose flight calls are characteristic and can be identified by analysis of a spectrogram produced from an audio recording. It may
be that some of these populations are reproductively isolated and thus
should be considered separate species. At this point the best course is to
record the calls when possible, determine the type, and archive the information for future reference. So far nearly all Red Crossbills occurring in Missouri, when vocally analyzed, have been of Types 2 and 3. During the crossbill invasion year of 2012-13, however, this individual was recorded and its
calls analyzed by Matt Young of Cornell University, who determined that it
was a Type 5, a type known to have occurred very few times in the eastern
U.S.
COMMON REDPOLL (Acanthis flammea), 2013-34: Adult female, 21
April to 8 May 2013, Palmer residence near Ashland, Boone Co. Bill Palmer
(documentation with photographs), Kay Palmer. Latest spring departure
date by nearly a month.
HOARY REDPOLL (Acanthis hornemanni), 2012-72: One bird, 22 December 2012, Mees residence, Columbia, Boone Co. Bill Mees and Alice Robinson (documentation), Jeff Mees (photographs), Jan Mees. This species was
previously considered Provisional on the basis of reports from Kansas City
(1976) and St. Louis (1978), both of which the Committee now regards as
unsubstantiated. This record, however, is a Definitive State Record, and the
species is now confirmed for Missouri as an accidental winter visitor. The
documentation and photographs were circulated to five outside reviewers—
Louis Bevier, Edward Brinkley, Paul Buckley, Adam Byrne, and Peter
Pyle—all of whom endorsed this bird as a definite (four reviewers) or probable (one reviewer) Hoary Redpoll of the subspecies exilipes, the one most
frequently occurring in the U.S. south of Canada. The winter of 2012-13 saw
a remarkable irruption of Common Redpolls, reaching the interior in large
numbers, and among these were some Hoaries—very few compared to the
Commons (as always) but many more than usual, and farther south, with
occurrences in, e.g., Illinois, Iowa, and Colorado. While redpoll taxonomy is
still unsettled, most current authorities (and the AOU) do consider Common
and Hoary Redpolls to be separate species. An excellent article on North
American redpoll taxa is Bevier, Brinkley, Buckley, and Byrne (2011); see
Literature Cited.
HOARY REDPOLL, 2013-16: One, 27 December 2012, Alwood residence,
Ferguson, St. Louis Co. Connie Alwood (documentation with photographs).
This report too was circulated to four reviewers (Bevier, Buckley, Brinkley,
and Byrne), whose comments overall supported the identification of this
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bird as another exilipes Hoary Redpoll. The amount of flank streaking indicated that it was probably a first-winter bird. See discussion under 2012-72,
above.
LESSER GOLDFINCH (Spinus psaltria), 2013-6: Green-backed male, 28
December 2012 to 26 January 2013, Nixa, Christian Co. Greg Samuel and
Greg Swick (documentation with photographs), Matt Duzan. This is the
fifth state record, moving the species from accidental to casual as a transient and winter visitor. All records have been at residential feeders.
EURASIAN TREE SPARROW (Passer montanus), 2013-63: One, 13 November 2013, Blind Pony CA, Saline Co. Edge Wade (documentation), Bill
Clark, Laurie Shawver. Casual outside its normal range from St. Louis
north to southeastern Iowa along the Mississippi River.
RECORDS NOT ACCEPTED
“Not accepted” does not necessarily mean that the identification should be
assumed to be incorrect. In some cases the Committee may indeed believe
that the bird was misidentified, but in other cases, while it seems possible
or even probable that the identification was correct, the information provided is insufficient to rule out other species completely. The Committee
may be unable to accept even a likely record if the description is too sketchy
or vague, or if it fails to mention critical field marks that would distinguish
that species from all others. Our belief is that a report should go into the
permanent scientific record only if it is free of reasonable doubt. This is the
standard approach of bird record committees everywhere.
BROWN PELICAN (Pelecanus occidentalis), 2013-22: 45 birds, 16 March
2013, Tingler Prairie CA, Howell Co. All modern Missouri records of this
casual species have been of single birds. This report of two flocks, of 36 and
9 birds, was not supported by the description. A photograph would be
needed for such an unprecedented record.
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE, 2013-38: One, 6 May 2013, over replanted
mine property, Vernon Co. The description provided too little detail, with no
mention of the tail.
FERRUGINOUS HAWK (Buteo regalis), 2013-35: Immature, 30 April
2013, near Oregon, Holt Co. Though the observer did have experience with
Ferruginous Hawk, and some of the details suggested that species, the description was too incomplete for acceptance of such a rare bird, and at a record-late date. For example, there was no mention of characters such as tail
pattern, lack of a patagial bar, feathered tarsi, or extent of gape.
WHOOPING CRANE (Grus americana), 2013-66: 30 birds, 18 November
2013, Webster Co. This report was accompanied by blurry photographs that
could not be interpreted as Whooping Cranes, although the verbal description was plausible. The documentation was sent for review to Brian Johns of
the Whooping Crane Migration Association, who commented that in 28
years of monitoring, he “never had a confirmed report of 30 Whoopers in
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migration together.” For such an extraordinary event— especially in Missouri, which is off the species’ main migration route—more definitive evidence would be needed.
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, 2013-55: Juvenile, 2 August 2013, Columbia Bottom CA, St. Louis Co. The written descriptions suggested a juvenile
of this species. Using eBird data, however, the Committee researched the
occurrence of juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpipers in North America and found
only a single documented record anywhere in the lower 48 states earlier
than September, and that was 30 August. In general, the window of occurrence for juveniles is from mid-September to November; even in the Pribilof
Islands, relatively close to the Siberian breeding range, juveniles do not normally occur until mid-August (Scott Schuette, Director, St. Paul Island
Tours, pers. comm.). Thus this record would be extraordinarily early, continent-wide, and would therefore require diagnostic photographs.
GREEN VIOLETEAR (Colibri thalassinus), 2013-52: One, 12 August,
Kansas City, Jackson Co. The observation was made without binoculars,
and the brief description failed to eliminate other large hummingbird species. Green Violetear has occurred once in Missouri, but because it is an
accidental vagrant from Mexico, any record must include copious details,
and photographs if at all possible.
EASTERN KINGBIRD (Tyrannus tyrannus), 2013-19: One, 9 March 2013,
Phelps Co. While this may have been an Eastern Kingbird, the date was so
remarkably early (almost three weeks earlier than the previous record) that
a photograph would be almost a necessity.
NORTHERN SHRIKE, 2013-72: One, 16 October 2013, near Pickering,
Nodaway Co. The documentation did not include any details that would
clearly distinguish Northern from Loggerhead Shrike.
BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE (Pica hudsonia), 2013-60: One, 14 October
2013, St. Louis City. The description of this bird did not make it clear that it
was in fact a magpie; and if it was, its origin would be an issue, as some outof-range magpies are escapees from captivity.
SWAINSON’S WARBLER (Limnothlypis swainsonii), 2013-58: One, 27
September 2013, Johnson’s Shut-Ins SP, Reynolds Co. The observation
lasted only a few seconds, and the description did not unequivocally eliminate other species. Given the very late date (about ten days later than the
previous record for Missouri) and the location (north of known breeding areas), the Committee felt that a more extended study and more details would
have been needed for acceptance.
LARK BUNTING (Calamospiza melanocorys), 2013-23: Winter-plumaged
male, 8 January 2013, Highway 279, Stoddard Co. The details noted were
consistent with a Lark Bunting, but the Committee was unable to accept
this as a definite record owing to the very brief and partial glimpse obtained
(only a few seconds, and only in flight).
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (Zonotrichia albicollis), 2013-47: One,
20 June 2013, Perry County Community Lake, Perry Co. Heard singing
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twice. The description of the song was unclear; it apparently had fewer
notes than a typical White-throated Sparrow song. More important, it is
often difficult for the committee to accept a record of any rare or out-ofseason bird that is documented solely by a voice description, given (among
other things) the possibility of similar vocalizations, or imitation, by other
species. Visual confirmation or audio recording are usually needed.
DARK-EYED (“PINK-SIDED”) JUNCO (Junco hyemalis mearnsi), 201326: One, 26 March 2013, Peculiar, Cass Co. The photograph supplied with
this report suggested a female Oregon-type or intergrade rather than a true
“Pink-sided” Junco, of which there is as yet no accepted record for Missouri,
although they have probably occurred.
BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, 2013-41: 10 birds, 19 May 2013, 3M wetlands,
Boone Co. More details, and preferably photographs, would be needed for
acceptance of this extraordinarily late report, three weeks beyond the latest
accepted record of the species.
LESSER GOLDFINCH, 2013-24: One, 6 April 2013, Peculiar, Cass Co. In
the absence of a photograph, the Committee was unable to accept this record of a very rare western vagrant species.
Literature Cited
Bevier, L., E. Brinkley, P. Buckley, and A. Byrne. 2011. Photo Essay: Redpolls from Nunavut and Greenland visit Ontario. North American Birds
65:206-215. Can be accessed at http://www.aba.org/nab/v65n2redpolls.pdf.
WE WELCOME OUR NEW ASM MEMBERS!!
Jerry Wade
Remember, new members are our future. If a new member lives
near you, say, “Howdy and welcome to ASM.” In addition, recruit
another new member. Welcome to these 11 new ASM members
in the 1st quarter of 2014.
Kendall Annetti
Jeanne Gearin
Mike Hohn
Luann Holst
Janet & Andrew Hoyne
Darryl Mitchell
Betty Richey
Linda Sanders
Georgia Sneed
Harley Winfrey
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Columbia
St. Louis
Poplar Bluff
Poplar Bluff
Richmond Heights
Bates City
Jefferson City
Eldon
Columbia
Wheatland
MO
MO
MO
MO
MO
MO
MO
MO
MO
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THE BLUEBIRD
FALL 2013 SEASONAL REPORT
Peter Kondrashov, Ph.D. pkondrash@gmail.com
Ryan Douglas, Ph.D. DouglasRN@missouri.edu
Seasonably cool and pleasant temperatures were the rule for much
of the summer. However, a major weather pattern change during
the third week of August resulted in a late summer heat wave for
Missouri; during the last 10 days of the month, the high temperatures climbed well into the 90s. Overall, the statewide average temperature for the month was 75.1°F, or just over 1°F below normal.
Incredible precipitation disparities impacted Missouri during August, ranging from historic flooding to severe drought. Regardless of
these disparities, the statewide average precipitation total for the
month was slightly above normal. Summer-like temperatures prevailed for much of September and the statewide average temperature was 70.6°F, or 2.3°F above the average. There were only a
handful of days cooler than normal, and no freezing temperatures
were reported across the state. Rainfall was below normal across all
of Missouri during September and averaged slightly less than 3
inches. October started mild, with high temperatures on most days
in the 70s and 80s, but a strong cold front barreled through the state
14-15 October, and below normal temperatures dominated for the
rest of the month. The rainfall was variable across Missouri, averaging mostly above normal over western and southern sections, and
near-to-below normal for the rest of the state. Preliminary precipitation data indicate an average statewide total around 3.5 inches,
which is near normal. Despite heavy precipitation at the end of the
month, moderate to severe drought was still impacting the northern
half of Missouri. Cooler than normal temperatures dominated Missouri during November and continued the trend of below normal
temperatures for the year. Preliminary data indicate an average November temperature of 41.5°F, or 2.7°F below the long-term average,
and the coolest November since 2000. The precipitation was less
than normal with a statewide average of 2.6 inches, or about 0.3
inch below the long-term average. Northwest and east-central sections of the state received the least amount of precipitation. Moderate drought was still impacting parts of northern and east-central
Missouri toward the end of November.
The most notable sighting of this year was of an Asian vagrant, a
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at C.B.C.A. 3-5 Aug, which was accepted
by the Missouri Bird Records Committee onto the Missouri state list
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with Provisional status. Other notable sightings included the 13th
modern record of Swallow-tailed Kite and 6th state record of Inca
Dove.
Note: Records marked with an asterisk (*) require documentation,
but no documentation has yet been received by the Missouri Bird
Records Committee (MBRC). Observers involved with such sightings are encouraged to submit documentation. The MBRC has received documentation of those records marked with a dagger (†), and
those marked (acc.) have been accepted.
WATERFOWL THROUGH GREBES
The steady yearly increase in migrating Trumpeter Swans was obvious
this year as numbers almost doubled compared to last year. The first 2 were
at Riverlands 24 Oct (David Marjamaa), where they peaked at 420 on 30
Nov (WR, PL); also significant, 300 were at Squaw Creek 28 Nov (SK, LL).
Tundra Swans were recorded in small numbers from the same two locations with a peak count of 7 at Riverlands 28 Nov (CM, JM). The season’s
high count of 5000 Gadwalls was at M.S.L. 6 Nov (DE). American Black
Ducks were only reported from Riverlands, with a high count of 7 on 28
Nov (CM, JM). A single Northern Pintail at C.B.C.A. 5 Aug was a bit
early (CM). Two Blue-winged Teal at Riverlands 2 Nov were the last recorded in the state this season (CM, JM). Cinnamon Teal is casual in the
fall, so a male at Clarence Cannon 7 Aug was notable (CM, acc.). A major
push in waterfowl movement resulted in several high counts at M.S.L., including an impressive 10,000+ Northern Shovelers 5-6 Nov, 90 Redheads 5 Nov, 10,000 Ring-necked Ducks 5 Nov, 45 Greater Scaup 6
Nov, and 6500 Lesser Scaup 6 Nov (DE). Greater Scaup peaked at this
location 10 Nov with 61 present (DE). All three scoter species made a good
showing across the state. A female-plumaged Surf Scoter was at Fountain
Grove C.A., Livingston 13 Oct (SK, m.ob.), 2 were at Riverlands the same
date (Susan Nixon, Allen Smith), and an adult male was at Smithville 1-5
Nov (ph. DW, m.ob.). Single White-winged Scoters were at P.C.C.L. 14
Nov (MH) and 28 Nov+ at Mozingo Lake C.A., Nodaway along with a Black
Scoter (DW, m.ob.), singles were also seen 1-2 Nov at M.S.L. (DE) and
Smithville 5 Nov (DW); 2 were at Swan Lake 11 Nov (SK, LL). A high count
of 280 Bufflehead was at Smithville 22 Nov (DW). Hooded Mergansers
peaked at the end of Nov with 150 at Macon City Lake, Macon 26 Nov (SK).
Ruddy Ducks numbered 650 at M.S.L. (DE). A Greater Prairie-Chicken
was at Wah-Ton-Kah Prairie C.A., St. Clair 3 Nov (ph. PK, Dale De Wan)
and 2 were at Dunn Ranch, Harrison 10 & 13 Nov (SK, PK). A Redthroated Loon was found by Pat Lueders 26 Oct at Riverlands (ph. Christian Hagenlocher). Pacific Loons were present at Smithville 18 Oct–21
Nov with a very high count of 6 on 11 Nov (ph. DW). The first Common
Loon showed up at Smithville 1 Sep (Kristi Mayo) and peaked at 110 on 11
Nov (DW). A high count of 125 Pied-billed Grebes was at Swan Lake 21
Oct (SK). A large concentration of Horned Grebes was at Longview Lake,
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with 57 present 9 Nov (Sherry Leonardo). A Red-necked Grebe was found
by Tom Rausch at Riverlands 25 Oct and stayed until 16 Nov (CM, JM,
WR); another 1-2 were at Smithville 17-22 Nov (ph. DW). A Western
Grebe was at Smithville 13-22 Nov (DW, PK).
CORMORANTS THROUGH CRANES
Two Neotropic Cormorants were at Smithville 22 Aug (ph. DW), with at
least one present through 23 Sep (DW, CB). Although rare, these were more
expected than one at Springfield Lake, Green 15-18 Nov (GS, CB, acc.),
which represents the new latest fall record by almost a month. The highest
count of 1256 American White Pelicans at Clarence Cannon 6 Aug (CM)
was slightly up from last year. American Bitterns were reported sparingly
throughout the season with the first 25 Aug at E.B.C.A. (AK), and the last 2
in Dunklin 31 Oct–4 Nov (TJ). Highest numbers of Great Egrets were observed along the Mississippi River with 800 at C.B.C.A. 3 Aug (WR), and
1192 at Clarence Cannon 6 Aug (CM, JM). There were at least four Nov
observations of this species with a high count of 3 at Squaw Creek 15 Nov
(Sherry Leonardo) and the last photographed at a private residence in
Kirksville, Adair 28 Nov (fide PK). Snowy Egret numbers reached 150 at
C.B.C.A. by 12 Aug, which is, “a very large concentration for this area, but
not the highest, which was 220 in 2008” (WR). There were three mid-Oct
observations of this species, all of single birds: 12 Oct at Riverlands (WR,
CM, ph. JM), 13 Oct at Schell-Osage (Emily Samuel), and 14 Oct in Buchanan (SK, LL). C.B.C.A. hosted 120 Little Blue Herons 5 Aug (CM, JM),
while 2 at Schell-Osage 13 Oct were late (GS, acc.). A Tricolored Heron
spent a week at C.B.C.A. 2-8 Aug (David Rogles, Tom Bormann, ph. Christian Hagenlocher). An all-time high of 280 Black-crowned Night-Herons
came to a night roost at C.B.C.A. 10 Aug (Bill Duncan) and a very late imm.
was in Dunklin 27 Nov (ph. TJ). A White-faced Ibis, which is rare in e.
MO, was at Riverlands 29 Sep (CM, ph. JM), while two individuals at Swan
Lake 21 Oct were record-late (*SK). An unidentified Plegadis sp. (dark ibis)
at Squaw Creek 24 Nov was late (Michael Andersen). The earliest Osprey
arrived 15 Aug at P.C.C.L. (MH) and the last was at Springfield Lake,
Greene 18 Nov (AK). A Swallow-tailed Kite in rural Phelps 14 Aug (Larry
Houf, acc.) was only the 12th record for the state. A Northern Goshawk
was well described in Kansas City 18 Oct (details - Matt Gearheart), which
is the first fall record for Missouri reported to eBird since 2004. A Golden
Eagle was at E.B.C.A. 30 Nov (John Besser). Four Yellow Rails were reported to eBird 4-20 Oct, one from each of these locations: Paint Brush Prairie C.A., Pettis; BK Leach C.A., Lincoln; Duck Creek C.A., Bollinger; (Auriel
Fournier) and Squaw Creek (Josh Smith). A family group of 2 adults with 6
young Common Gallinules was at Squaw Creek 8 Aug indicating successful breeding (MR). A pair of imm. birds at Bennett Spring S.P., Laclede 27
Sep (Sandy Elbert) is the first s.-cen. Missouri record in eBird.
SHOREBIRDS THROUGH TERNS
Among several Black-necked Stilt reports from e. Missouri, the highest
numbers (up to 9) were at Riverlands 1-3 Sep (CM, JM, WR); notable were
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two reports from n.-cen. and ne. Missouri, 2 at Pershing S.P., Linn 24 Aug
(SK) and a single at Atlanta CA, Macon 12 Sep (ph. PK). Among numerous
American Avocet reports the highest count and earliest record was of 23
at Smithville 13 Oct (DW) and the last was of 15 at Swan Lake (SK). Six
Greater Yellowlegs at Riverlands (CM) and 3 at Smithville (DW) 6 Nov
were the last. Three Willets 13 Oct at Schell-Osage (GS) represent the second-latest state record. A high and late count of 12 Lesser Yellowlegs was
recorded in Dunklin 27 Nov (TJ). Three Marbled Godwits at Smithville 1
Sep were notable (ph. Kristi Mayo). An Upland Sandpiper in Dunklin 30
Sep was late (ph. TJ). The highlight of the shorebird migration was an adult
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, observed by Connie Alwood, David Becher, and
Pat Lueders 3 Aug, and again by John Solodar and Ken Hollinga 5 Aug, at
C.B.C.A. It was documented by Becher, Lueders, and Hollinga and accepted
by the MBRC onto the Missouri state list with Provisional status as the first
state record. As William Rowe noted, “Adults of this Asian vagrant are very
rare in the lower 48 states, but when they occur, it is usually in July or Aug
like this individual, and unlike juveniles of the same species, which are not
known to occur this early." Pectoral Sandpipers peaked at 600 at Riverlands 24 Aug (WR) with a late one present at this location 16 Nov (CM, ph.
JM). Two Dunlins at Riverlands 9 Nov were the last to be reported this fall
(PL). A lone Long-billed Dowitcher stayed 5-22 Nov at South Farm R-1
Lake, Boone (ph. Greg Leonard, m.ob.). A staggering 708 Wilson’s Snipe
were in Dunklin 27 Nov, with 320 still present 29 Nov; both represent the
highest counts for the state (ph. TJ). A Red-necked Phalarope 2 Sep at
Lake Contrary, Buchanan (Susan Nixon) was the first fall record for w. Missouri ever reported to eBird. Sabine’s Gull is now annual at Smithville,
with one present 28 Sep, 2 on 30 Sep, and one 13 Oct (ph. DW). The season’s
high for Bonaparte’s Gull was 120 at Riverlands 12-23 Nov (CM, JM, WR,
PL). Laughing Gull is a casual migrant away from the Mississippi River,
so three reports from the western half of the state were noteworthy. All of
them involved single birds; 1 Sep at Smithville (*DW) and Four Rivers C.A.,
Vernon (ph. *DW) and one at M.S.L. 5 Nov (DE, acc.). A very high count of
15,000 Franklin’s Gulls was reported from Smithville 13 Oct; a rather late
bird was at Creve Coeur Lake and County Park, St. Louis 28 Nov (Melissa
and Rowan Gibson). The number of Ring-billed Gulls at Riverlands
reached 10,000 by 30 Nov (WR). The only two Thayer’s Gulls were at
Riverlands 26 Nov (CM). The first Lesser Black-backed Gull of the season was at Long Branch S.P., Macon 26 Oct (ph. PK), and single birds were
reported most of Nov primarily from Riverlands, except 31 Oct at M.S.L.
(DE) and 3-5 Nov at Smithville (DW). The recent change of casual to rare
status of this species in the state away from Mississippi River is well supported by the regular occurrence of this species in w. and ne. Missouri.
Smithville hosted 500 Black Terns 1 Sep (DW). A high count of 23 Common Terns was reported from this location 5 Oct (Jacob Cooper, CH, MR).
DOVES THROUGH SHRIKES
A high count of 67 Eurasian Collared-Doves 23 Oct in Dunklin (TJ) reflects the fact that this non-native species is well established in the state.
Another recent invader, a White-winged Dove, was in Webb City, Jasper
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THE BLUEBIRD
30 Aug (Liz Mangile, Mavis Benner). A high number of migrating Yellowbilled Cuckoos was at S.F.R., with 27 on 22 Aug and 28 on 2 Sep (TJ). An
individual at Maple Leaf Lake C.A., Lafayette 15 Oct was the last reported
(Larry Olpin, Thomas Gaines, Jr.). A female Burrowing Owl, hit by a vehicle, was found by Keith Todd 19 Oct sw. of Peculiar, Cass; the specimen
was preserved and deposited at University of Kansas (MR). Short-eared
Owls appeared in the state in early Nov with a high of 10 in Dunklin 22
Nov (TJ). A total of 13 Northern Saw-whet Owls were banded 23 Oct–18
Nov at Missouri River Bird Observatory, Saline (Dana Ripper), which is
down from last year, and 15 were banded 15 Oct+ at World Bird Sanctuary,
St. Louis (PL). The highest count of migrating Common Nighthawks was
at Smithville with 200 on 22 Aug (DW). An impressive count of 2200 Chimney Swifts was at a roost in Greene 13 Sep (m.ob). A late Ruby-throated
Hummingbird was in Webster, St. Louis 22 Nov (Lanny Chambers fide
PL). An apparent male Selasphorus sp. hummingbird was photographed in
St. Louis 22 Nov (fide Bryan Prather). A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in St.
Louis 13 Sep tied last year’s earliest fall record (*Lane Richter). An Olivesided Flycatcher at Prairie S.P., Barton 1 Oct was on the late side (Larry
Herbert). An Eastern Wood-Pewee at Trail of Tears S.P., Cape Girardeau
13 Oct was late (MH), and one at S.F.R. 25 Oct tied the second-latest fall
record (TJ). A Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was late at S.F.R. 9 Oct (ph. TJ).
When discussing fall migration of Acadian Flycatcher R&E indicate that,
“Very little information exists on the fall movement,” so two late Sep records
of single birds from se. Missouri were important additions to our knowledgebase: a vocalizing one 24 Sep at M.W.P. (details - MH) and 30 Sep at S.F.R.,
which became the new latest fall record (ph. TJ). Least Flycatchers arrived early with one in Dunklin 7 Aug, tying the second-earliest fall record.
The species also departed record late with one at S.F.R. 6 Oct (ph. TJ), and
another at Big Spring 19 Oct, representing a new latest fall record (MR,
acc.). A Say's Phoebe 14 Sep at McGee Family C.A., Clinton represents the
13th state record (ph. Chris Barrigar, acc.), and only the second fall record
since 2004. Eastern Kingbirds lingered into Oct in w. part of the state
with 2 s. of Montrose, Henry 5 Oct (MR, CH, Jacob Cooper) and one in Cass
7 Oct (Ginny Culver). A suggested hybrid Western x Eastern Kingbird
was reported from Holt 27 Aug (SK, LL). Highest count of 40 Scissortailed Flycatchers was in Joplin, Jasper 17 Sep (Larry Herbert). A very
early Northern Shrike was in Cass 26 Oct (third-earliest date on record)
and stayed until 2 Nov (ph. Ginny Culvert). The last three days of the season produced three more records: 2 at Bilby Ranch Lake C.A., Nodaway 28
Nov (DW); one at Dunn Ranch, Harrison 28 Nov (DW); and another at
Whetstone Creek C.A., Callaway 29 Nov+ (m.ob.).
VIREOS THROUGH SNOW BUNTINGS
A White-eyed Vireo at S.F.R. 23 Oct represents the new latest fall record
(TJ). A more northerly record of the Yellow-throated Vireo at Martha
Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, Clay 16 Oct represents the secondlatest fall date (details - Keith Brink). The Bootheel produced the only Nov
report of a Blue-headed Vireo this season on 2 Nov in Dunklin (TJ) and
two very late Warbling Vireos 7-8 Oct at S.F.R. (ph. TJ), while one at Big
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THE BLUEBIRD
Spring 20 Oct was record-late by almost three weeks (MR, acc.). A Philadelphia Vireo at S.F.R. 19 Oct provided the second-latest fall record (TJ).
The last Red-eyed Vireo was at S.F.R. 11 Oct (TJ). The swallow spectacle
in Livingston involved ca. 100,000 Tree Swallows 27 Aug (SK). Over 2,000
Bank Swallows were at C.B.C.A. 10 Aug (WR). This was not a flight year
for the Red-Breasted Nuthatch and only two reports were received, each
involving 2 birds, both from e. Missouri in Nov. The highest counts of 27
Sedge and 34 Marsh Wrens were at Squaw Creek 8 Aug (MR). Another
high count of 30 Marsh Wrens was almost two months later 8 Oct in
Livingston (SK). Since, “There is virtually no information on when the majority of individuals [of Bewick’s Wren] leave the state in the fall,” (R&E)
an individual 7 Oct in Morgan (Lee Roy) further confirms that birds presumably leave, “by early October” (R&E). A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 24
Oct at S.F.R. was the second-latest on record (TJ) as was a Swainson’s
Thrush 22 Oct at Bollinger Mill S.H.S., Cape Girardeau (details - MH).
Most Gray Catbirds leave the state by the end of Oct, so individual birds
at Burroughs Audubon Nature Center and Bird Sanctuary, Jackson 24 Nov
(M.W. Stoakes) and in Russellville, Cole 26 Nov (Chris Barrigar) were noteworthy. Fifteen Sprague’s Pipits were on the burned prairie at Prairie
S.P., Barton 3 Nov (PK, Dale De Wan). Smith’s Longspurs were reported
from nw. and sw. Missouri with 11 at Pennsylvania Prairie, Dade 8 Nov
(CB, GS) and 8 at Pawnee Prairie C.A., Harrison 11 Nov (SK). Snow Buntings showed up in the state at the very end of the season, 28 Nov, at Bilby
Ranch Lake C.A., Nodaway (DW) and 29 Nov+ at Long Branch S.P., Macon
(m.ob.).
WARBLERS
A string of reports from the Bootheel provided new data on the latest occurrences of 13 species of warblers and gave us a better idea of their s. Missouri
migration timeframes. A Worm-eating Warbler 1 Oct at S.F.R. was second-latest on record (ph. TJ). Two reports of Blue-winged Warbler from
the same location 4 & 6 Oct became the two latest fall records (ph. TJ). Four
Golden-winged Warblers 4 Oct was a high count, and the third-latest
date, while 3 on 6 Oct were second-latest on record (TJ). Prothonotary
Warblers are rarely encountered after mid-Sep, so one 21 Sep at S.F.R. was
notable (TJ). A Tennessee Warbler at Apple Creek C.A., Cape Girardeau
18 Oct (MH) was late, as this species is only accidentally seen after mid-Oct
(R&E). A high number (71) of Orange-crowned Warblers was banded at
Missouri Western State University campus, Buchanan this fall, and a
Mourning Warbler netted at this site 19 Aug was the second-earliest on
record (Jack Hilsabeck). An adult male Hooded Warbler at Thousand
Hills S.P., Adair 23 Aug (ph. Rachael Casey) was the northernmost fall report for this species in eBird since 2007. An American Redstart at S.F.R.
18 Oct beat the previous latest fall occurrence by 5 days (ph. TJ). Two
Northern Parulas 10 Oct at S.F.R. represented the third-latest fall record
(TJ), and so did a Magnolia Warbler in Dunklin 27 Oct (TJ). Two Blackburnian Warblers showed up in the state 9 Oct (three days after the previous latest fall record), one in St. Louis (Garrett Sheets) and one at S.F.R.
(TJ). An incredible 8 Chestnut-sided Warblers at S.F.R. (ph. TJ) was a
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THE BLUEBIRD
location 19 Oct became the second latest for the fall (TJ). Blackpoll Warbler is accidental in the fall, so one 3 Oct in Kirkwood, St. Louis was the
highlight of warbler migration (ph. Margy Terpstra, acc.). There were three
Black-throated Blue Warbler reports, two from e. Missouri and one from
Smithville 13 Sep (DW). A Yellow-throated Warbler 18 Oct at S.F.R. was
five days past the previous latest fall record (ph. TJ). Two Black-throated
Green Warblers 28 Oct and one Canada Warbler 19 Oct at S.F.R. were
second-latest on record (ph. TJ). A Yellow-breasted Chat 16 Oct at S.F.R.
has surpassed the previous latest fall record by four days (ph. TJ).
SPARROWS THROUGH EURASIAN TREE SPARROW
Several high counts of sparrows were recorded in c. and n.-cen. Missouri in
the second half of Oct. Peak counts of Savannah Sparrows were at
E.B.C.A. 22 Oct with 650 (Tom Johnson), and at Pershing S.P., Linn 28 Oct
with 220 (SK). Seven Grasshopper Sparrows in rural Vernon 13 Oct was
a high count for such a late date (CB, m.ob.). Ample numbers of Nelson’s
and Le Conte’s Sparrow reports were received, unlike last year when observers noted scarcity of the latter species. Song and Swamp Sparrows
peaked at the end of Oct with 60 Song Sparrows at M.W.P. 29 Oct (MH)
and 170 Swamp Sparrows 22 Oct at E.B.C.A. (Tom Johnson). A high
count of 90 White-throated Sparrows was at M.W.P. 30 Oct (MH). A
White-crowned Sparrow at Riverlands 22 Sep was the new earliest fall
arrival by three days (WR). Three Summer Tanagers were at S.F.R. 16
Oct, which is a late high count and one was still around 17 Oct (TJ). A Scarlet Tanager at the same location 7 Oct was late (TJ). October reports of
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks typically involve, “… maximum of 1-2 birds/
day” (R&E), so 23 at S.F.R. 2 Oct (TJ) were very unusual, while 42 at the
same location 11 Oct (TJ) were astonishing, with 4 still present 22 Oct (ph.
TJ). A first-winter male Black-headed Grosbeak was carefully described
from M.W.P. 24 Sep (MH). A Blue Grosbeak at M.W.P. 3 Oct was late, as
were 2 at S.F.R. 4 Oct (ph. TJ). A late high-count of 150 Indigo Buntings
came from S.F.R. 19 Oct (TJ). The Bobolink high count this fall was 195
was at Pershing S.P., Linn 3 Sep (SK). The earliest Rusty Blackbird report was of 10 at Montrose C.A., Henry 5 Oct (CH, MR) and the peak count
was 110 at Fellow's Lake, Greene 24 Nov (GS). Bill Rowe reported the largest Brewer’s Blackbird flock (200) he has ever seen in the St. Louis area
27 Oct in Lincoln. Up to 250 Great-tailed Grackles were in Rogersville,
Greene 4-24 Oct (AK). A female Red Crossbill that spent the summer at a
private residence in Webster was last seen 1 Aug (GS). Earlier voice recordings showed that the bird was a type II. This was the only finch excitement of the season. No other rare finches were reported. A lost Eurasian
Tree Sparrow was quite a ways from St. Louis area at Blind Pony Lake
C.A., Saline 13 Nov (Edge Wade, acc.).
Observers
Charley Burwick (CB), David Easterla (DE), Mark Haas (MH), Chris Hobbs
(CH), Timothy Jones (TJ), Steve Kinder (SK), Andrew Kinslow (AK), Peter
Kondrashov (PK), Larry Lade (LL), Pat Lueders (PL), Charlene Malone
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THE BLUEBIRD
(CM), Jim Malone (JM), Mark Robbins (MR), William Rowe (WR), Greg
Samuel (GS), Doug Willis (DW).
Abbreviations
C.A.
imm.
m.ob.
ph.
N.W.R.
R&E
S.P.
Conservation Area
Immature
Multiple observers
Photographed
National Wildlife Refuge
Mark B. Robbins and David A. Easterla, Birds of
Missouri, Their Distribution and Abundance, University of Missouri Press, 1992.
State Park
Location Abbreviations (counties are in italics)
Big Spring
C.B.C.A.
Big Spring, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Carter
Columbia Bottom C.A., St. Louis
Clarence Cannon Clarence Cannon N.W.R., Pike
E.B.C.A.
Eagle Bluffs C.A., Boone
M.W.P.
Maintz Wildlife Preserve, Cape Girardeau
M.S.L.
Maryville Sewage Lagoons, Nodaway
P.C.C.L.
Perry County Community Lake, Perry
Riverlands
Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St. Charles
Smithville
Smithville Lake, Clay/Clinton
Squaw Creek
Squaw Creek N.W.R., Holt
Swan Lake
Swan Lake N.W.R., Chariton
Schell-Osage
Schell-Osage C.A., Vernon
S.F.R.
St. Francis River Levee Rd., Dunklin
A BIRDERS’ GUIDE TO MISSOURI PUBLIC LANDS
Edge Wade
BRADFORD FARM
591 acres Boone Co. DeLorme 38, B-1; GPS: 38.894624,-92.203596; Owned
by University of Missouri.
Directions: From the intersection of US 63 and Rt. AC (a.k.a. Grindstone
Parkway to the west and New Haven Rd. to the east) go east 3.8 miles to
Ben Williams Rd. and turn south to reach the west gate (no sign), or continue on New Haven Rd. an additional 1.1 miles to Rangeline Rd. and turn
south for 1.2 miles to the main entrance on the east/west road that bisects
Bradford Farm.
From the US 63 and Broadway exit, go east on Broadway (becomes Rt. W)
to a right (south) turn onto Rangeline Rd. and continue to the signed main
entrance on the right.
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THE BLUEBIRD
Note: The west gate may be closed after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on
weekends, but the property is open and can be accessed via the east (main)
entrance.
Officially known as the Bradford Research and Extension Center (BREC),
this agricultural research farm was established via a warranty deed for 524
acres granted in 1959. The forty acres in the southwest corner were previously granted to the state as part of the “deal-sweetener” in 1839 to entice
the legislature to place the state university in Boone County. These acres
were sold to Mary Robnett in 1912. She, as Mary Robnett Bradford, was one
of the two grantors in 1959. These 40 acres have been especially appreciated
by birders who’ve seen them as a favored area for several species, among
them, Short-eared Owls and even a Northern Shrike (see below). In 1985, 71
acres were across Rangeline Rd. to the east were added and set up with
plots and alleys in 1988 for research use.
Note that the “main road” referred to below is the gravel road running east/
west (with a jog in the area of the building complex) between the main entrance on Rangeline Rd. and the west gate on Ben Williams Rd. Birders are
welcome to use all roads and two-tracks, and to walk the grounds, with care
not to damage or disrupt research activities.
When to Visit/Species to Expect: Bradford Farm is especially good for fall,
winter and early spring birding. The 162 species checklist shows a good
range possible. In most winters it is a reliable site for Short-eared Owl, usually spotted flying low, ‘like a floppy wet dish rag,’ around dusk in the west
half of the area, sometimes even appearing to drive the competing harriers
from the field.
Mixed goose flocks may graze; 15 species of duck have been found on the
ponds. The shorebird list includes 18 species. Among them are Baird’s, Upland and Buff-breasted Sandpiper, American Golden Plover and Marbled
Godwit. Green Heron is possible in fall and early spring, especially at the
west lake.
Horned Larks are resident. Recent management practices have favored
Northern Bobwhite. Turkeys have wandered through. Listen carefully to
the meadowlarks; Western are likely to appear between November and
April.
Lapland Longspurs are regular in winter. Smith’s Longspurs have been
seen often, usually in the small patches of three awn (Aristida) grass near
the south end of the two-track that goes off the main road just before the
intersection with the road north to the brush pile. Most sightings have been
in March, but there are also November, February and early April reports.
Raptors include resident kestrels, occasional Merlin and one Peregrine report. Northern Harriers are often seen in winter. This is a good place to
seek Rough-legged Hawk. Cooper’s, Sharp-shinned, Red-shouldered hawks,
Bald Eagle and Osprey have been seen.
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THE BLUEBIRD
Great-tailed Grackle, Rusty and Brewer’s Blackbird have gathered here,
and once a Yellow-headed Blackbird joined the Red-winged flock. A fine
spread of sparrows can be served up, most often in or near the brush pile
near at the north end of the gravel road running north (about .4 mile) of the
main road. Harris’s should be looked for anytime White-crowned are present. Sedge Wren and Le Conte’s Sparrow are regular in autumn, most often found south of the main road. Henslow’s have occurred.
Bradford is a place of surprises. Among the “one or two times” or “one bird
reported by many observers” are a Snow Bunting one November, Sprague’s
Pipit in October and November, Pine Siskins in October, Winter Wren,
Bell’s Vireo, and a January 2014 Northern Shrike. An out of range Eurasian
Tree Sparrow joined the resident House Sparrow flock in the equipment
parking area for a late March-early April stint.
Features of interest to birders: The “brush pile” changes form and composition as it has been used to dispose of items as varied as pumpkins, hay bales
and mattresses before the occasional fire and rebuilding. Check the nearby
fencerow and trees for additional species. The three ponds are often referred
to by birders as “the west lake” (the biggest one, near the west gate, along
the main road); “the east or northeast lake” (north of the farmhouse, east of
the building complex), and “the northwest pond” (near the northwest corner,
accessible by a two-track going west along the fence line from the brush pile.
There is a small sewage lagoon between the house and northeast lake sometimes favored by snipe.
Vemer’s Ford Rd. along the south boundary can offer good views, especially
of the southwest forty acres, and of the area east of Rangeline Rd. Brushy
areas, such as the shallow draw in the southwest and the small area east of
the brush pile should be checked carefully.
Toilets: None
Camping: None
Hazards/Limitations: As noted above, this is an agricultural research site.
Birders and other public users are welcome, but must not interfere with or
harm research projects. Some of these may be flagged and obvious; other
experiments underway may not be so apparent. Be very careful where you
walk and drive. The two-tracks are not maintained as regular roads. They
may be very slick and/or very, very muddy. If in doubt as to the condition,
walk or forego them.
Bradford Farm was once part of Two-Mile Prairie. Though now plotted and
plowed, it retains many prairie aspects. Among these is an unobstructed
blast zone for arctic-like winds, placing it among the potentially most bonechilling Missouri winter birding venues. Dress very warmly.
Nearby Birding Sites: Little Dixie Lake CA; University R-1 Lake (a pond) on
Roosevelt Rd. and surrounding University research farms that are known
as South Farm [this area is about 3 miles west of Bradford Farm]; Philips
Lake; Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.
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THE BLUEBIRD
VAN METER STATE PARK
1,104.63 acres Saline Co. DeLorme 29, F-7; GPS: 39.257723,-93.262294;
DNR owned; contact (660) 886-7537 during office hours; http://
www.mostateparks.com/park/van-meter-state-park
Directions: From Marshall, at the intersection of US 65 and MO 41 (Santa
Fe Trail) go east for about .6 miles to the left to stay on MO 41 north (N.
Miami Ave.), go 7.1 miles to a park sign, and a left (west) onto MO 122 for
1.8 miles to the park.
From US 24, east of Carrollton and west of Brunswick, take MO 41 south
past Miami to a right (east) onto MO 122 into the park. A detached section,
site of the Missouri Indian Village, is on the east side of CR 427, off MO 122,
north of the main entrance to the park.
Van Meter is known as an important archaeological site of the Missouri
Indians, and for Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center housed in the
park visitor center.
The park, in Saline County northwest of Marshall, is an island-like collage
of bird-friendly habitats amid a vast “sea” of agricultural landscape. It has
long been a favorite of birders, especially in spring migration. The 173-bird
species checklist is a fair representation of the birdlife to be found here, and
reflects bottomland and upland land features and associated habitats.
The bottomland portion of the park is often affected by major floods along
the Missouri River. Mature trees in the upland part have suffered major
damage in the early 21st Century in wind and ice storms. The natural succession following these events has created a changing mosaic for birds to
exploit and birders to explore.
When to Visit/Species to Expect: The picnic area is a favorite haunt of Redheaded Woodpeckers, and the whole park is good habitat for the full suite of
Missouri woodpeckers.
The small marsh traversed by the boardwalk attracts an interesting array.
The many Killdeer have been joined by Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Snipe, Sora, at least one King Rail, American and Least Bittern. It
pays to be alert on the boardwalk!
Wood Thrush is a regular in the brushy area at the base of the hill toward
the end of the paved loop through the picnic area. Swainson’s, Gray-cheeked
and Hermit Thrush are found in migration in good numbers.
Spring and fall migration bring lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a good
chance of finding Brown Creepers in colder months. Thirty species of warblers have been found, some as summer residents, many as migrants. Six
vireo species appear on the checklist, with Philadelphia found in May and
September.
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THE BLUEBIRD
Olive-sided Flycatchers have been seen in May and September; Yellowbellied Flycatchers come through in August and September. Black-billed
Cuckoos have been found in May.
Just about anything may be seen at Van Meter. Sandhill Cranes have even
visited. Be sure to check out the feeders at the visitor center for finches and
maybe a Red-breasted Nuthatch or Pine Siskin in winter, and make the
effort to get to as many of the habitat niches as possible.
Features of interest to birders: Bird (and birder) attracting features include
the 300-acre Oumessourit Natural Area with a wetland boardwalk accessed
by a trail from near the west-most picnic shelter. A nesting Bald Eagle may
often be seen from the trail to the boardwalk. The natural area includes the
marsh, fens, bottomland and upland forest.
The large picnic area and nearby campground in the floodplain are great for
strolling/birding. The Native American features of the "Old Fort" and
mounds on the upland, and the grounds around them are fine, open area
birding sites with a savanna feel.
Lake Wooldridge (18 acres) and the Loess Hills Trail around it add a different dimension to birding options. Note that the paved road up the hill may
be closed in winter, so call ahead if you are planning a trip in that season to
determine access options.
A network of hiking trails provides access to this broad spectrum of habitats. Three trails lead from the parking area at the top of the hill. Lakeview
and Loess Hills Trail lead to and around the lake; the short Missouri River
Overlook Trail does just that and can be good for birds, too.
The Earthworks Trail is designed for access to and education about the archaeological features, but also allows access to forest and open land birding.
The downhill end is reached from the area of the picnic shelters along the
paved road. It is fairly steep along some portions.
The trail to the family cemetery is an easy walk and can produce several
birds in a short stretch.
Toilets: A modern restroom is in the picnic area, near the campground; and
in the visitor center when it is open.
Camping: Basic and electric sites are open year-round. The shower house is
closed between October 31 and April 15.
Hazards/Limitations: The road to the upper portions of the park may be
closed (gate locked) in winter. Inquire about access before you go.
Nearby Birding Sites: Grand Pass CA, Blind Pony CA, Miami Access, Swan
Lake NWR, Marshall Habilitation Lake.
Page 48
THE BLUEBIRD
BOOK REVIEW
Bill Eddleman
How to be a Better Birder By
Derek Lovitch. 2012. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Paperbound, 208pp, 53 color illustrations & 10 maps. $19.95. Additional
details and ordering information at:
http://press.princeton.edu/
titles/9671.html
The birder’s bookshelf is crowded
with all sorts of books these days.
One almost needs a guidebook to
guides! However, this book has its
own niche. Don’t expect all sorts of
identification hints, although there
are some in the first chapter,
“Advanced Field Identification.”
These are presented as examples rather than exhaustive coverage.
The author’s stated purpose for this book is “to give some helpful
hints, spur additional study, and simply provide some information
that we can apply to our own birding in pursuit of becoming better
birders, whatever that means to you.” I think the book succeeds well
on all accounts. First of all, despite his insistence that all levels of
birders can learn (with which I agree), I do think that the book is
really of greatest benefit to intermediate-level birders. By that, I
mean those who know the basic identification of local birds and have
a fair degree of field experience. I will also point out, though, that I
learned a great deal as well, so experienced birders may also find
the book of great benefit.
Lovitch emphasizes in the first chapter that he is going to use a
“whole bird and more” approach to improving birder skills. Throughout the book, he gives copious examples to illustrate his points. He
also emphasizes repeatedly that there is not substitute for practice
and a high degree of field experience. As others have emphasized in
the past, we should go beyond the basics with even common birds,
and learn all we can about plumages, shapes, and behavior. A great
strength of the book appears in this and all subsequent chapters—
an abundance of suggestions for further reading, web sites, and additional guides that go into more detail.
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THE BLUEBIRD
The book has additional chapters on habitat, geography, weather,
birding at night, birding with a purpose, and vagrants. The habitat
chapter is reminiscent in some ways of an old book I remember reading some years ago, The Habitat Guide to Birding by Thomas P.
McElroy Jr. Most of us have at least some feel for many (if not most)
birds being specific to habitats. Lovitch proposes that to REALLY
get the most out of birding, we might need to focus on learning
plants and how specific species and groups of species are used by
birds. Learning a bit about plants and plant communities can certainly save a lot of effort in finding those “goal” birds. In fact, as he
points out, if Red Crossbills are eventually split into 8-9 species,
learning those coniferous trees may be essential!
Ever wonder why certain sites are known as real hot spots for migrants? The chapter on “Birding with Geography” explains that, as
well as going beyond the range maps most of us consult in our field
guides. I think most of us do consider local geography when birding,
but some of the tips included here may inform us on other areas to
check beyond the well-known sites.
The chapter, “Birding and Weather,” provides a nice summary of
how weather affects migration, and nicely explains how and why
groundings, fall-outs (great for birders, bad for birds), and overshoots occur. A brief summary of what happens with tropical storms
and birds is included, and the effects of long-term weather patterns
are briefly discussed as well. Examples are included that discuss
Cave Swallows in the East and the “Siberian Express.”
A relatively new facet of birding is covered in the chapter on
“Birding at Night.” I don’t think I’ve read a more succinct summary
of how radar can be used to inform birders, and Lovitch includes
suggestions on when and how to take advantage to see more birds.
“Birding with a Purpose” includes information on how birders can
contribute to various data collection efforts, including Christmas
Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Surveys, atlasing, and eBird. Hey, if
you’re going to have fun birding, may as well do it in a way that can
benefit the birds and knowledge about the birds (including our own
CACHE and SPARKS efforts). A chapter on vagrants summarizes
identification challenges, documentation, and how to increase your
chances of finding them. Everything is then assembled into a grand
example of a New Jersey case study—weather, identification, night
birding, geography, and habitat.
In short, I found this to be an interesting read, and a refreshing
change from the usual “identification and field marks” book. I can
recommend this for anyone wishing to improve their birding!
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THE BLUEBIRD
THE BLUEBIRD
Awards Committee: The ASM Executive Committee
Conservation Area Checklist Project (CACHE)
State Parks & Historic Sites Project (SPARKS)
Patrick Harrison, Web Development; Database Administrator
Mike Thelen, Editor
Executive Committee: June Newman, Shari Harden, Scott Laurent, Pat
Lueders, and Bill Eddleman
Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative: Susan Hazelwood
Conservation Partnership Coordinator: Edge Wade.
Grassland Bird Coordinator: Mike Doyen
Missouri Bird Records Committee:
Brad Jacobs, Chair
Bill Rowe, Secretary
Brad Jacobs, Paul McKenzie, Mark Robbins, Kristi Mayo, Josh Uffman,
Joe Eades, and Bill Rowe
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ADDRESS CHANGES
If you move to a new address or you register a temporary address
with the post office, PLEASE let ASM know. The U.S. Postal Service
does not forward bulk mail. It returns it to the sender with the forwarding address label on it. When a BLUEBIRD is returned, we end
up paying double – the return postage and the postage to remail it to
the new address. For an address change, just send me an email with
your new address or mail me a note. If it is a temporary address, do
the same thing but also let me know the date of your return and
whether you want THE BLUEBIRD sent to your temporary address
or held and sent after you return home. The simple act of letting me
know saves ASM money and work. Thank you!
Jerry Wade; ASM Membership Chair; 2101 W/ Broadway,
PMB 122; Columbia, MO 65203-1261; 573-268-3713;
wadej@missouri.edu
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
Go to www.mobirds.org and pay using Paypal, or by mail:
Application for ASM Membership
Name: _____________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________
City / State / Zip: ____________________________________________________
Phone, Home: ______________________
Work: ________________________
Email Address: ______________________________________________________
Please CIRCLE the information you do NOT want included in The ASM Membership
Directory.
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**Indicate whether this is a NEW membership or a RENEWAL**
_____ New
_____ Renewal
**Please check the Membership Category that applies**
_____ Individual—$20.00
_____ Contributing—$50.00
_____ Family—$25.00
_____ Benefactor—$150.00
_____ Student—$15.00
_____ 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