TH TENNES E WARBLER Newsletter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society August, 2005 Editor, Theresa Graham PRESIDENTS MESSAGE At the Spring meeting, we celebrated the 75 th Anniversary of the Memphis Chapter as well as the 90 th Anniversary of TOS. Paul Baicich spoke of the recent discovery of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker and encouraged habitat conservation. Thanks to all of the members of the Memphis Chapter who worked together to host the 2005 meeting. The birds were interesting, the work accomplished was important, and the time spent with friends was memorable. The Board of Directors approved a dues increase that should meet the needs of TOS for some time. We also established a TOS Publication Committee that will consult with the various editors as well as work on matters such as the digitization of past issues of the Migrant. Thanks to Mike Roedel for agreeing to Chair this committee. A slate of officers for the next two years was approved. TOS was formed 90 years ago to support education, research, and conservation efforts to benefit birds. TOS remains one of the oldest conservation organizations in the state. We do a good job but like any organization, we need to reflect periodically on our purpose and evaluate our performance. As President, one of my goals is to provide leadership in moving the club forward. We can remain true to our 90-year-old mission while we continue to make use of modern means. Our use of the website represents an effective change which has occurred in the past few years. Our commitment to digitize the past issues of the Migrant is another positive example. I believe that we can do even more. I would like to begin a series of focused discussions to determine how we might improve our organization. During the winter meeting, there was an open committee discussion regarding the dues issue which exemplified what I have in mind. I propose that we all think about questions such as the following: • What new services can TOS provide to its members? • How can we better use the internet to increase communication across the state and to speed up the time to act on important matters? • How can we respond quickly to legislative issues? • How can we improve the effectiveness of gathering data about birds from across the state? • How can we increase the number of scientific articles submitted to the Migrant for publication? • How can we support more scientific research? • Why are so few records submitted to the records committee? • What things are other state birding organizations doing that might work well for our organization? • How can we entice more members to serve on state-wide committees and as officers in the TOS? • How can we get the most for our dollars as we seek to support land conservation efforts financially? • How can we better budget for appropriate spending of our funds? • Can we follow up with another strong winter meeting? I don’t have all the answers but I do believe that asking questions like these is a good place to start. The list is by no means complete and I encourage you to add questions of your own as to how we can improve. Working together we can make TOS even better as we remain dedicated to our stated mission. I invite you to meet in Greeneville in early October to contribute to the process of developing a vision for the continued improvement of TOS. Danny Gaddy, President The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 2 TOS Fall Meeting Greeneville, TN September 30, October 1, October 2, 2005 The Greeneville Chapter extends a cordial invitation to TOS members to attend the 2005 fall meeting, to be held in Greeneville on September 30, October 1 , and October 2. The Comfort Inn at 1790 East Andrew Johnson Highway (Highway 11-E) will be the headquarters for the event. The Comfort Inn is holding a block of rooms for TOS members until September 23, 2005. For reservations at TOS rate, call 423-639-4185. TOS rate is $65.69 per room; if 10 or more rooms are reserved, the rate drops to $62.99. TOS rate includes deluxe breakfast. To obtain the special rate, be sure to mention that you are with the TOS group. Reservations may be canceled anytime up to 6:00 p.m. on September 30. Directions to the Comfort Inn [1] from 1-81, south of Greene County- Take exit 23, and proceed on Highway 1 1 -E (also known as Andrew Johnson Highway) 1 5.7 miles to the Comfort Inn, located on the right side of the road at 1 790 East Andrew Johnson Highway. (A major landmark, Greeneville Commons Shopping Center, is also located on the right side of East Andrew Johnson Highway, 0.3 mile before the Comfort Inn.) NOTE WELL: As you enter Greeneville on Highway 1 1 -E, you will see an exit for Business 1 1 -E. Do not take this exit, as it leads to the downtown area. The Comfort Inn is located on the main portion of 11-E, known as the by- pass. [2] from 1-81, north of Greene County — Take exit 36, and proceed on Highway 172 (also known as the Baileyton Road) approximately 12 miles to the outskirts of Greeneville. As you enter town, you will pass under Highway 1 1 -E. Immediately beyond this overpass, turn left onto an entrance ramp for Highway 1 1 -E, also known as Andrew Johnson Highway. Proceed 2.2 miles to the Comfort Inn, located on the right side of the road at 1 790 East Andrew Johnson Highway. (A major landmark, Greeneville Commons Shopping Center, is also located on the right side of East Andrew Johnson Highway, 0.3 mile before the Comfort Inn.) [3] from Highway 11-E, north of Greene County (Tri-Cities area) — Take Highway 1 1 -E (also known as Andrew Johnson Highway) to Greeneville. On the outskirts of town, you will see Wal-Mart Supercenter, a major landmark located on the right side of the road at 3755 East Andrew Johnson Highway. Proceed 1 .9 miles to the Comfort Inn, located on the left side of the road at 1 790 East Andrew Johnson Highway. Alternative lodging The following hotels are located along Andrew Johnson Highway near the Comfort Inn: Andrew Johnson Inn (2145 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-8124) Charray Inn & Suites (121 Serral Drive, fronting East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-1331) Days Inn of Greeneville (935 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-639-21 56) Hampton Inn (3130 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-3735) Jameson Inn (3160 East Andrew Johnson Highway; 423-638-7511) Visitors wishing to stay in historic downtown Greeneville may wish to consider the General Morgan Inn & Conference Center (1 1 1 North Main Street; 423-787-1 000) The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 3 Field trips Trips to the following sites are planned: Wal-Mart Distribution Center wetlands, Lick Creek Bottoms Wildlife Management Area, and vicinity (Greene County) — waterfowl, raptors, wide variety of passerines Dutch Bottoms, Rankin Bottoms, and vicinity (Cocke County) — shorebirds, wading birds, gulls and terns, various passerines Phipps Bend (Hawkins County) — waterfowl, various marsh species, passerines Camp Creek Bald (Greene County) — raptor migration, permanent-resident Common Ravens and Ruffed Grouse, various passerines Registration The registration fee is $10.00. Attendees may pay upon arrival at the Comfort Inn, but pre-payment is encour- aged. Send checks to Alice Loftin, Greeneville TOS Treasurer, 1308 Archcrest Court, Greeneville, TN 37743. Weekend schedule Friday. September 30 6:30p-8:30p Registration and refreshments; announcements; sign-up for field trips Saturday. October 1 6:00a-7:00a 7:00a-12:00p 12:00p-1 :30p 1 :30p-4:15p 4:15p-4:30p 4:30p- Breakfast [begins at 6:00 sharp, not before] Field trips — depart from Comfort Inn Lunch; return to Comfort Inn Paper session — Comfort Inn conference room Break Business / Board meeting — Comfort Inn conference room Sunday. October 2 6:00a-7:00a Breakfast [begins at 6:00 sharp, not before] 7:00a-12:00p Field trips — depart from Comfort Inn 12:00p Compilation — Comfort Inn OCTOBER 31 th DEADLINE The deadline date for the December issue of The Tennessee Warbler is October 31 th . Please submit all articles, announcements, reports and items of interest by this deadline date. Submit Material To: Theresa Graham, Editor PO Box 366, Oakland TN 38060 (901)465-4263 (home) (901)748-9324 (fax) e-mail: 2graham@bellsouth.net The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 4 J.B. OWEN MEMORIAL AWARD The purpose of the J.B. Owen Memorial Endowment is to honor the memory of J.B. Owen, longtime TOS member known to thousands in East Tennessee through his columns in Knoxville newspapers. J.B. Owen was an active member of Knoxville Chapter from 1 947 until his death in 2001 . He was awarded the TOS Distinguished Service Award in 1990. The Endowment provides funds for the annual J.B. Owen Award, with expected value of $250 to $500 per year. The J.B. Owen Award is open to anyone with a project that promotes the welfare and conservation of birds in Tennessee. Applicants are encouraged to submit: • Cover letter with short project description and applicant contact information • Resume • Brief project proposal, of up to three pages, showing topic of the project, problem to be addressed, objectives, expected results and significance, deliverables (for example, written report, journal article, presentation), project location, and project schedule. Each year, applications are due by May 1 and should be sent (preferably) by e-mail to marieoakes@msn.com or mailed to Marie Oakes, 1 8 Rockingham Lane, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830. The J.B. Owen Endowment Committee of KTOS will evaluate applications and will typically announce the Award winner the following September. J.B. OWEN AWARD TO SUPPORT OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT IJAMS NATURE CENTER The Knoxville Bird Club has selected Ijams Nature Center of Knoxville to receive the 2005 J.B. Owen Award of $500 for support of the Center’s outreach programs which promote conservation of birds in Tennessee. Through these programs, in which an Ijams educator travels to regional schools, Ijams instructs 30,000 students annually with curriculum-based classes that augment the classroom instruction of teachers. Many of the outreach programs include a live non-releasable educational bird that focuses a student’s attention and creates a lasting memory. In addition, Ijams educators routinely speak to adult groups about local birds, their habitat requirements, and conservation status. Currently Ijams has transportation boxes only for smaller birds of prey. The Owen Award will be used to purchase transportation cases for Ijams’ Barred Owl and Red-tailed Hawk. The high quality cases will enable Ijams to take these large birds to schools and other off-site groups. In its review of Lyn Bales’ proposal on behalf of Ijams, the evaluation committee concluded that support of the Ijams outreach programs provides an outstanding opportunity to achieve the Owen Award goal of promoting the welfare and conservation of birds in Tennessee. Previous Owen Award winners were: • 2002: Foothills Land Conservancy of Maryville, Tennessee, for the Conservancy’s work in the acquisition of wetlands - for the welfare and conservation of cranes and other birds - in the area between the Yuchi and Hiwassee Island Refuges; • 2003: Jennifer Powers, of East Tennessee State University, for support of graduate research on the reproductive success and natal dispersal of American Kestrels; • 2004: Samuel deMent of Greenwood, SC, David Vogt of Chattanooga, and Keith Hobson of Saskatoon, SK Canada for support of the project on Stable-isotope feather analysis and foreign band encounter comparisons of wintering American Kestrels in similar habitats west and east of the Southern Appalachians. The J.B. Owen Award is open to anyone with a project that promotes the welfare and conservation of birds in Tennessee. Information on applying for the Award can be found in this issue of the Warbler or at www.tnbirds.org . The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 5 REAUTHORIZATION OF THE MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION IMPROVEMENT ACT The American Bird Conservancy will be testifying in support of the reauthorization of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Improvement Act of 2005, H.R. 51 8, in June at a hearing of the House Resources Subcom- mittee on Fisheries & Oceans Subcommittee. ABC will convey to the subcommittee that TOS, as well as many of the Bird Conservation Alliance members, is a supporter of this legislation. Background on H.R. 518 The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, originally enacted by Congress in 2000, has been hugely successful in helping to conserve neotropical birds throughout the U.S., Latin American, and the Caribbean. H.R. 518 reauthorizes this important conservation legislation and at the same time makes important improve- ments to further strengthen the Act. Specifically, H.R. 51 8 would: Increase funding from $5 million for fiscal years 2006 and 2007, to $1 0 million for fiscal year 2008, and $1 5 million for 2009; Allow projects in Canada to be eligible for funding when the appropriated amount is greater than $1 0 million; Reduce the demanding 3:1 matching ratio to 1 :1 for all projects; Allow projects based in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to meet the match requirement through either cash or in-kind payments; Require the Secretary of the Interior to convene an advisory group to assist in carrying out the NMBCA. The complete bill can be found at: http://thomas.loc.gov/ Type in the bill number (H.R. 51 8). CONSERVATION POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT The CPC is reviewing and will be commenting on the proposed private development of TVA lands at Nickajack Dam. TVA has released a draft environmental assessment of the proposal for public review. For a copy of the draft assessment see http://www.tva.aov/environment/reports/littlecedar2/index.htm . The public comment period closes June 16. Submitted by Melinda Welton TOS Conservation Policy Committee Chair SPRING COUNT DATA IS DUE NOW If you haven’t already sent your spring count data to me, please do so as soon as possible so I can wrap up my compilations and reports to the editor of The Migrant. This includes both traditional spring counts and the North American Migration Count, run on May 1 4th. All count data should include: 1 - all hours and miles by foot, car, and other means (as canoe, horse, etc.) 2 - all hours and miles for any nightbirding (owling). 3 - weather conditions on the day of the count 4 - beginning and end times for the count (as 0700-1 800) 5 - any feeder watcher information, including number of hours and names 6 - names of all the participants Please send the data to: Ron Hoff, 282 Hackworth Ln., Clinton, TN 37716 or by email to rondollv@esper.com . I hope you all had a great time counting. Thanks for your submissions and data. Ron Hoff The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 6 SPRING STATE MEETING 2005 The TOS spring state meeting, celebrating 75 years of the Memphis chapter and 90 years of the TOS, was held in Memphis, April 29 to May 1 . Kudos to everyone who contributed to making the weekend enjoyable and productive. Ninety members from across the state attended. There were 1 63 bird species observed in Shelby County for the weekend. Eleven Cerulean Warblers were noted at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. At Ensley Bottoms, birders found a Peregrine Falcon, 3 Painted Buntings, and numerous shorebirds: nesting Black-necked Stilts, a Willet, a Marbled Godwit, a Baird’s Sandpiper, and 2 Wilson’s Phalaropes. Shelby Farms produced Sedge and Marsh Wrens, another Painted Bunting, and Lincoln’s Sparrows, plus the Harris’s Sparrow, present since March, which was seen by many. Surely the most notable and prized sighting was an adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird, found at Shelby Farms on Saturday by Dan and Laurie Mooney. The very cooperative bird was relocated Sunday and seen by about 40 TOS members. Photos from the state meeting are posted on the TOS web site. Our banquet speaker, Paul Baicich, gave an engaging presentation regarding bird conservation, past and future. Fie encouraged and challenged us to do more to ensure that birding has a bright future. Fie reminded us that buying Duck Stamps is an important way for birders to support game and non-game bird habitat. Fie suggested that we find ways to share our interest with the wider community. Also, he touched upon the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Eastern Arkansas, 50 miles from Memphis. Paul had been present a few days earlier at the Washington press conference announcing the sighting of the woodpecker. Our own chapter member Fred Carney briefly recalled his experiences from a trip he made to Louisiana in the 1 930s. Fred recalled hiking through an open forest of spectacular trees following the woodpecker’s call, to find a family of three Ivory-billed Woodpeckers. Fie watched as they pecked about on a tree. Fred most surely remains one of the few people who have seen the Ivory-bill. Nelle Moore and Theresa Graham of Memphis and Tony Koella of Knoxville were honored with Distinguished Service Awards. Special thanks to these individuals for their many years of distinguished service to the TOS. Rob Peeples and Margaret Jefferson \ 2005 SPRING MEETING PHOTO AVAILABLE The group TOS photo from the spring meeting (color, by Dan Mooney) is available on the website in a format such that it can be downloaded and printed. However, if you would prefer to receive an 8X1 0 photo (printed at Walgreens), you can send a check for $5.75 (cost of photo plus shipping), made out to MTOS to the address below. This will include an ID sheet. Additionally, Carolyn Bullock has 6 black and white photos from the 1 990 meeting. MTOS will include one, for free, to the first 6 who order the 2005 photo, if so requested. If you should want the 1 990 photo, but not the 2005 one, send a check for $3.25. Send your check to Linda Zempel, 6682 Stonetrace Drive, Bartlett, TN. 38135. The deadline for sending out these photos will be September 10. / The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 7 TOS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Marcia Davis Tony Koella was awarded the TOS Distinguished Service Award at the Knoxville Chapter’s June 1 picnic which was held at Ijams Nature Center. The award is given by the statewide organization in recognition of outstanding service to the Tennessee Ornithological Society. As a member of the Tennessee Ornithological Society since 1967, Jon A. “Tony” Koella of Rockford, Tennessee has played important roles as a dedicated conservationist and as a leader at both the state and local levels. Tony made a very significant contribution to ornithological knowledge in Tennessee when he recognized the importance of Rankin Bottoms in Cocke County and contributed most of the early wading and shorebird records from this important bird area. Tony served as TOS State President from May 7, 1 983— when he took office at the Reelfoot Lake State Park Spring Meeting — until May 4, 1 985. As president, he challenged members to broaden the base of participation in TOS and to involve more young people by sparking their interest in birds. Tony also urged local chapters to form conservation committees. During his tenure as president at the spring meeting of 1 984, TOS first considered the possibility of conducting a breeding bird atlas. At the spring meeting of 1985 the society fully endorsed the Breeding Bird Atlas Project. TOS also supported the Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project as a conservation project. Tony served as State of Tennessee Assistant Conservation Commissioner in the mid-1970s under Governor Winfield Dunn. He was always interested in the development of new wildlife areas. He was interested in broadening the membership of TOS. In 1974, Tony and Ken Dubke of Chattanooga went to the Highland Rim region and encouraged the establishment of a new local TOS chapter. In 1 989, Tony was elected vice president of the Knoxville Chapter of TOS. At the local level Tony has been one of the most dedicated participants in annual bird counts. Although Tony often birded alone, he was quick to share his discoveries and special birding locations with other club members. When he found a rare Harris Sparrow at his White Pine farm, birders came from all over. Tony showed many people one of East Tennessee’s last Bachman’s Sparrow locations near Crab Orchard. He thoroughly explored the places he birded — covering nearly every square yard to obtain a complete species count. Tony was born on June 1 0, 1 938 in Knoxville but he grew up in Rockford in Blount County. His mother sparked his interest in birds by giving him a bird book to keep him busy. He started birding at around the age on twelve in the early 1950s. The late J.B. Owen was one of his earliest birding companions. Over the summers during high school, Tony — an Eagle Scout — taught nature and birding to Boy Scouts at Camp Pellissippi near Norris, where he was a counselor. He is a graduate of Maryville High School, North Carolina State University and Harvard University where he received an MBA degree. He has five children. Tony’s main contribution to birding in Tennessee is his discovery of the abundant birdlife at Rankin Bottoms on the French Broad River in Cocke County. When Tony first reported sightings of over 100 Great Egrets at a time and regular flocks of over a hundred shorebirds on the mudflats at Rankin, few people had ever heard of such numbers in East Tennessee. When Tony led field trips to Rankin, many people learned about this special place. Today Rankin Bottoms is recognized as one of the premier birding places in East Tennessee. It is a critical stopover site for migrating shorebirds. Tony is an avid lister when it comes to keeping a Tennessee state bird list. In spite of a debilitating physical illness that has slowly robbed him of his mobility, Tony keeps up with his birding and even continues to pursue new birds for his state list. The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 8 CHAPTER. NEWS THE JOHN SELLARS CHAPTER (Lebanon/ Wilson Co) members are usually involved in various trips during the summer, thus we do not meet in June and July. As expected, when birds are to be viewed during travels or sitting in the backyard, they will do so! Trips by members include Florida, Illinois, Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta-Saskatchewan, train ride to British Vancouver, Louisiana, and to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We look forward to our August meeting to plan for the year and enjoy hearing of everyone’s travels. Lebanon Chapter had a good Spring Count this year. At the April meeting, all had interesting bird observations. Highlights included a dozen vultures seen eating a turtle head, a shrike with a missing portion of its tail feathers, a great look at a marsh wren, and nesting birds of various kinds and sightings of our birds returning for spring. We were saddened by the recent loss of Grace Speck’s husband, Hubert, due to an illness. The John Sellars TOS anticipates a Fall Count and some bird-related programs for the new year. Of course, birding will ALWAYS be enjoyed! Melissa Turrentine KNOXVILLE CHAPTER Shade Grown Coffee Sales - Our club sells over 20 bags of shade-grown coffee each month. Shade- grown coffee is much better for wildlife, including birds. So we have made a little bit of money, over $300 so far, as well as helping the birds and educating some folks. “Birds in Blooms” - KTOS raised $582.40 in the silent auction which preceded a very entertaining and informative talk by Sam and Mary Ann Venable at the April 22 Dogwood Arts Festival “Birds in Blooms” event held at Ijams Nature Center. The following morning a public bird walk was held atop Sharp’s Ridge which also was a DAF sanctioned event. A fun time was had by all! August Meeting to be Held - For only the second time in our club’s history we will hold an August meeting - everyone is welcome to attend we have a special guest speaker! On August 3, Don Holt, member of the Herndon (Elizabethton) Chapter of TOS, will present “Some Odonates of Upper East Tennessee.” Don Holt works for the University of Tennessee Extension Service as a Program Assistant in the Camp Explore Program at Clyde Austin 4-H Center, Greeneville, TN. He is a lifelong resident of Carter County, TN. He received his B.S. degree in Biology at ETSU, Johnson City, TN, with concentrations in botany and ecology. He began watching butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies in the field in the late 1 990s and hasn’t come back in yet. If any of you have had the fortune to go out in the field either birding or looking at other critters with Holt, you know he is an excellent naturalist. His program will review photographs of dragonflies and damselflies species he has found in East Tennessee. He will talk a bit about their natural history and, as he put it, anything else he remembers. Many birders are starting to catch the Odonate “bug” from watching dragonflies migrate along with hawks to checking summer wetlands for rails and damselflies. Holt hopes his program might inspire some of you as well. So come Wednesday at 7 p.m. to room 117 of the UT Vet Building to learn about another type of winged creature. Sharp’s Ridge Report - Adoption by KTOS and continuing clean up efforts on Sharp’s Ridge have truly benefited all citizens of Knox County bringing much needed attention to a unique birding location! Thanks go to our Conservation Committee chairman, Mark Campen for his efforts working with the City of Knoxville and chapter members in organizing these clean up dates. Other activities our members have participated in recently include: Knox County Spring Count - April 24 TOS Spring Meeting April 29 - May 1 International Migratory Bird Day - May 14 Articles submitted by: Charlie Muise, Kathy Bivens & Tracey Muise The Tennessee Warbler August, 2005 Page 9 CHAPTER. NEWS MEMPHIS CHAPTER - Our annual Shelby County spring migration count was held on International Migratory Bird Day, May 14. Twenty observers found 131 species. Among the more noteworthy were an Osprey, a Bald Eagle, and a Sanderling. A fairly high number of shorebirds remained at Ensley Bottoms. The day turned up 10 White-rumped Sandpipers, 13 Dunlins in breeding plumage, 45 Stilt Sandpipers, and 4 Short-billed Dowitchers. Also in the Ensley area were 60 Eurasian Collared-Doves. Painted Buntings were found at both Ensley Bottoms and Shelby Farms. Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park yielded several warbler species: 16 Cerulean, 2 Swainson’s, and a late migrant Blue-winged. Rob Peeples and Margaret Jefferson THE LEE & LOIS HERNDON CHAPTER of TOS elected new officers at the April chapter meeting. Officers include: Tom McNeil, president; Don Holt, vice president; Dianne Draper, secretary; and Gilbert Derouen, treasurer. Bryan Stevens serves as editor of The Kestrel, the chapter’s newsletter. Graphic design for the newsletter is provided by David Thometz. Frank Ward serves as chapter historian. Rick Knight compiles and records chapter records. The chapter’s Spring Bird Count, held April 30, 2005, set a new record with 1 61 species. The old record — 157 species — had been established in 1992. This year’s spring count was the 62nd consecutive annual count held in the counties of Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington. New high counts for individual species were also set. The 1 21 Solitary Sandpipers shattered the old record of 82. High counts were also recorded for Tree Swallow (233), Wild Turkey (30), Palm Warbler (16) and Swainson’s Warbler (7). The chapter led a bird walk at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton on May 1 4 as part of International Migratory Bird Day. The chapter’s Summer Bird Count, conducted June 1 8, 2005, and restricted to Carter County, yielded 1 1 5 species plus one hybrid, Brewster’s Warbler. Bryan Stevens STEPHEN M. RUSSELL CHAPTER - The Bristol Bird Club (BBC) enjoyed another active season. At the May meeting, officers were elected for 2005-2006: President, Bill Grigsby; V.P., Larry McDaniel; V.P., Dave Worley, Treasurer, Janice Martin; Secretary, Diana Worley. State Board of Directors for 2005-2006: Larry McDaniel, Wallace Coffey, Bill Grigsby, Tom McNeil, and Dave Worley. According to tradition, the June BBC picnic marked the transition of presidents. Thanks to Rack Cross for his excellent service and leadership as president during the past year. Recent Activities: The Bristol Bird Club had a great weekend May 13- 15 th at Natural Tunnel State Park (NTSP), Duffield, Virginia. Natural Tunnel is a beautiful park with great facilities and wonderful views of Natural Tunnel and southwest Virginia. On four walks, May 1 4th and 1 5 th , there were 23 non-BBC or NTSP participants. This is a cooperative event between the Bristol Bird Club and Natural Tunnel State Park. We appreciate the work done by the NTSP professional and volunteer staff to put on this successful weekend of birding as an International Migratory Bird Day event to introduce others to birding and to see the NTSP Birding Trail and the various habitats and the species of birds in each type of habitat. A great time was had by 39 Bristol Bird Club members Saturday, June 11 th at Steele Creek Park, Bristol Tennessee. The picnic was at the Civitan Shelter and featured a bountiful feast. The weather cooperated and was quite comfortable on the ridge in the shade of the trees around the shelter. We did get a little birding in as well. A House Wren was nesting in the gable of the shelter that was hard to miss. Many other birds were in evidence in the area. Just before closing the park, a Summer Tanager came to one of the trees at the shelter giving us some good looks at a beautiful bird. Up Coming Activities: BBC Mendota Hawkwatch coordinated by Ron Harrington and Larry McDaniel (starting Sept. 8 th or 9 th ) through the end of September in conjunction with the Mendota Hawk Migration Festival. The BBC Field Trip to Mendota fire tower will be September 24 th . Natural Tunnel State Park/BBC Fall Bird Walks, September 10 th - 11 th BBC Annual Banquet is to be held September 23 rd . Bill Grigsby “THE TENNESSEE WARBLER” Published by the Tennessee Ornithological Society P.O. Box 22682 Memphis, TN 38122 PRSRTSTD U.S. Postage Paid Memphis, TN Permit No. 1286 Send Corrections & Change of Address Requests to: The Tennessee Warbler ♦ P.O. Box 22682 Memphis, TN 38122 ♦ treasurer@tnbirds.org Copies of An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee by John C. Robinson are available for $1 5.00 by mail. To order, send check to: TOS c/o Carolyn Bullock 4746 Cole Rd. Memphis, TN 38117 (901)683-3818 carolvnbullock@aol.conn