TH TENNES E WARBLER Newsletter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society December, 2010 Editor, Theresa Graham PRESIDENTS MESSAGE Thanks to the Highland Rim chapter for hosting our Fall Meeting in Manchester. It’s a significant challenge for our smaller chapters to take on the responsibility of hosting a state meeting, but Lisa Trail and her “Highlanders” came through in a big way. Please see the meeting recap on page 3. One of the most important issues we’ve had to confront in a long time is the proposed Sandhill Crane hunt. On the inside pages, you’ll find a substantial amount of information on the proposal the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) plans to present to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC) in support of initiating a hunt for 2010/11. TOS, through our Board of Directors, opposes the TWRA’s proposal. However, decision makers give considerably more weight to the opinions of individuals, compared to that of an organization. Therefore, I urge each of you to address your concerns/comments to your member of the TWRC. Contact information for Commissioners is provided on pages 6 & 7. You should also consider leaving a comment on the TWRA website, set-up for that purpose. I’d be happy to provide copies of any of the material by e-mail ( dickpreston@biariver.net L Special thanks go to Melinda Welton (Nashville) for the tremendous amount of time she’s spent researching all aspects of the proposed hunt. Dean Edwards (Knoxville) has turned over the duties of Secretary of the Bird Records Committee (TBRC) to Kevin Calhoon (Chattanooga). Dean served two highly successful terms as Secretary of the Committee. The Committee also welcomes new voting member Bill Pulliam. Our Society is fortunate to have such dedicated individuals willing to serve, and they deserve our thanks. In just a couple of weeks the 111 th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be underway. According to Dr. G. Thomas Bancroft, National Audubon Society’s chief scientist, “the CBC provides a good estimate of population trends and relative abundance for more than 300 species in early winter, including about 1 00 species that are not measured well by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) or other continental surveys. The combination of CBC and BBS data now allows the status and population trends of more than 500 bird species to be tracked.” Twenty-nine CBC’s are conducted in Tennessee, and every one of them could use more help. Birders of every experience level are welcome. If you’ve never participated in a CBC, make this year your first. It’s fun, and you’ll be contributing to science! Planning for the 201 1 Spring Meeting in Memphis is nearly complete. On the following page is preliminary information provided by chapter President Jay Walko. Wallace Coffey (Bristol) reports that the 201 2 joint Spring Meeting with the Virginia Society of Ornithology will be held in Johnson City the weekend of 1 8-1 9-20 May. It is sponsored and hosted by the Bristol Bird Club. Comments/suggestions are desired ( dickpreston@biariver.net L The Tennessee Warbler December 2010 Page 2 2011 ANNUAL SPILING MEETING MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE APRIL 29 - 30 & MAY 1, 2011 The 201 1 TOS Spring Meeting will be held in Memphis from Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1 st. The Memphis chapter is hosting the meeting. Registration Friday evening will be held at the Plantation Oaks Suites & Inn, 6656 Hwy 51 N, 3 miles south of Millington. Dinner and program Saturday evening will be held at the Neighborhood Bistro, adjacent to the Inn. To reach the hotel from 1-40, take exit 24B (Millington/Hwy 385) west to Millington. Go 1 6 miles, turn left (south) on Hwy 51 N. The hotel will be 2.2 miles ahead on the left. For additional information, contact Jay Walko ( walko@bellsouth.net ). Lodging: A block of rooms at the Plantation Oaks is being held for TOS. Rate is $69.95 per night for either King or double beds. Reservations may be made toll free: 888-422-1459; (901 ) 872-8000; Fax: (901 ) 872-1 000; e-mail: ( anaie.plantationoaks@biariver.net ). Website: www.plantationoaksinn.com . Field Trips: Trips will be held Saturday and Sunday mornings. Destinations will include Shelby Forest, Shelby Farms (Penal Farm), including the Mid-South Raptor Rehabilitation Center, The Earth Complex (Pits) and the North Treatment Plant. Program/Speaker: Our speaker will be Kathy Shelton, Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks. Kathy’s topic will be “The Effects of the Great Oil Spill of 201 0 on the Wildlife of the Gulf Coast.” Registration: The registration fee is $1 0. Saturday dinner (buffet) and program is $20. Send checks to: Memphis Chapter TOS c/o Barbara Bullock Pyles 667 N. Idlewild St Memphis, TN 38107-4516. Schedule: Friday. April 29 6:00 PM - Plantation Oaks: Registration, refreshments, announcements and field trip sign-up. Saturday. April 30 7:00 AM - 1 2 Noon: Field trips depart from the Plantation Oaks. 12 Noon - 1 :30 PM: Lunch. 2:00 PM - Committee Meetings: Neighborhood Bistro. 3:00 - 5:00 PM - Business Meeting: Neighborhood Bistro. 6:00 PM - Dinner and Program: Neighborhood Bistro. Sunday. Mav 1 7:00 AM - Field trips depart from Plantation Oaks. The Tennessee Warbler December, 2010 Page 3 Birders enjoy beautiful weather & an abundance of migratory birds during Saturday’s scheduled field trip to Woods Reservoir. Photos: Theresa Graham 2010 Fall Meeting The Fall Meeting was held in Manchester on October 2, 2010. Many thanks to the Highland Rim chapter and President Lisa Trail for a very successful weekend. From the wonderful food at Friday night’s registration, through the last field trip on Sunday, they made us feel most welcome. Special thanks to Dr. David Pitts for an innovative change in the symposium format and to Rick Knight and Ruth Luckado for their presentations on “Changes in Abundance of Various Bird Species in Tennessee.” Significant actions taken by the Board of Director’s (BOD) at the meeting on Saturday, included awarding $500 to support the Sandhill Crane Festival at Hiwassee Refuge; and, following a presentation by Dan Hicks of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, adopting an official position statement on the proposed Sandhill Crane hunt in Tennessee (see page 6). Dick Preston The Tennessee Warbler December 2010 Page 4 Notes from TWRA Briefing on Proposed Sandhill Crane Hunt September 21, 2010 Nashville Among those attending from TWRA were Ed Carter, the Assistant Director, Chief of Wildlife, two waterfowl biologists, three regional directors, the Hiwassee Refuge manager, and state ornithologist Scott Somershoe. A representative from Cumberland-Harpeth Audubon Society and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation also attended. Dick Preston and Melinda Welton represented the Tennessee Ornithological Society. TWRA allowed for a free flow of comments, suggestions and ideas. There are 3 subspecies of Sandhill Crane in North America. The Greater Sandhill Crane (SACR) migrates through and winters in Tennessee. The breeding range for this subspecies is centered in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada and contains about 600,000 individuals. Approximately 1 0% of these birds migrate through the Mississippi Flyway and winter primarily from Georgia to central Florida. In recent years a growing number of SACR have been wintering in Tennessee, mainly on TWRA’s Hiwassee Refuge in Meigs County. The 5-year average number of cranes counted during the mid-winter surveys is 22,099, with an extraordinary 48,505 counted in 201 0 (and confirmed by experienced USFWS biologists). This average is somewhat inflated because of a hard freeze in Pulaski, Indiana that forced more cranes south during the count period. Excluding 201 0, the 5-year average is 1 2,398. After a decade of discussion, in 2008 the Tennessee Wildlife Federation requested, and subsequently the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission directed, TWRA to pursue completion of a Management Plan for the Eastern Population (EP) of SACR. A committee of the Mississippi Flyway Council, which included two TWRA biologists and Dr. David Aborn of UTC, along with nine others, prepared this plan. The plan was presented to and approved by both the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyway Councils in March 201 0. The plan addresses many aspects of crane management and includes an Objective to provide hunting opportunities. No non-consumptive Objectives were included in the plan. With Flyway approval of the Management Plan, TWRA was in a position to prepare a Hunt Plan for Tennessee. This plan was completed and approved by the Mississippi Flyway Council in July 201 0. The plan calls for a quota of 733 permits (maximum three cranes per permit holder) based on a “take” of 10% of the 5-year population average (22,099 X 1 0% = 2,200 cranes). TWRA estimates that if all permits were issued, the success rate would be approximately 25%, or 600 SACR, with an additional non-retrieved (crippling) rate of 9%. The 60-day hunting season would be concurrent with the waterfowl season. The zone for hunting SACR would be roughly south of I- 40 and east of Hwy 56 (southeast Tennessee). There is no plan to allow hunting of SACR anywhere else in Tennessee at this time. TWRA recently posted a website www.state.tn.us/twra/sandhillproposal.html which includes information about Sandhill Cranes, links to the proposed hunt plan and a link for the public to submit comments. The deadline for comments is January 1 8, 201 1 . At either the January or February 2011 TWRA Commission meeting (the date and location have not been set, but are usually scheduled for the 3rd or 4th Wednesday and Thursday of the month), TWRA biologists will present the proposed hunt plan. The public will be invited to voice their comments at this meeting as well. TWRA concerns include: 1) Providing hunters with reasonable use of this resource (SACR are designated as a game bird by the USFWS, but is a non-game bird in Tennessee. Sandhill Cranes are hunted in a number of western U.S. states and parts of Canada). The Tennessee Warbler December, 2010 Page 5 Sandhill Crane Hunt - Continued from page 3 2) Addressing complaints from area farmers of SACR depredation of crops, primarily of winter wheat. In 2008 the USFWS issued four depredation permits for up to 1 00 cranes; 2009 three permits were issued; 2010 two permits were issued. TWRA feels allowing hunters to control the population is a better method than depredation permits. 3) The $300,000 TWRA spends to manage Hiwassee comes almost entirely from fees and excise taxes paid by hunters and fishermen. 4) According to Refuge managers Hiwassee Refuge may be reaching carrying capacity in the number of cranes. Concerns raised by TOS included: 1) Initiating a Sandhill Crane hunting season would likely damage the reputation of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency among the growing non-hunting, wildlife-viewing public. According to USFWS surveys between 1996 and 2006 hunting declined 25% while wildlife watching increased by 81%. 2) Celebrating the fall arrival and over-wintering of tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes on and around Hiwassee Refuge as a wildlife spectacle and a Watchable Wildlife viewing opportunity will likely garner TWRA the critical public support for the broader-based funding so desperately needed by the Agency. 3) The Sandhill Crane is not a game species in Tennessee. TWRA alone has the authority, through proclamation, to change the status of a species. Since the founding of the agency, no additional birds have been proclaimed game species. It should also be noted that no bird species have ever been removed from the game species list even when populations have declined (i.e. Northern Bobwhite, Common Moorhen). 4) An increasing number of Whooping Cranes (WHCR) are stopping and wintering in Tennessee. WHCR have been (rarely) mistaken for SACR and killed in western-hunting states. Immature WHCR and SACR look very similar. In addition other non-target species may be shot. Specifically, a common name for the Great Blue Heron in Tennessee is “crane.” 5) Lead shot is currently allowed in upland areas where the cranes would be hunted. Scavengers (eagles, hawks, crows, jays, coyotes, bobcats and many others) of crippled or unretrieved carcasses would be exposed to lead poisoning. (TWRA could require steel shot to be used.) 6) A SACR hunt could either cause the cranes to leave Tennessee for wintering areas further south, or drive more cranes onto the Hiwassee Refuge. TWRA presented no plan to address the potential of crane over- crowding on the refuge. 7) The increase in the eastern population of SACR is very recent, and given the slow growth potential of the species (breeding first occurs at four to seven years of age, with a pair rarely raising more than one young per year), it is premature to propose a SACR hunt in Tennessee. The Tennessee Warbler December 2010 Page 6 Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission Members Below is a list of all the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission members, both statewide and for your region. Their biographies and fax numbers can be found at www.state.tn.us/twra/comnames.html Let them hear your comments about the proposed hunting season on Sandhill Cranes! These are the Commissioners representing all of us who appreciate wildlife - including birdwatchers, hunters, and birdwatching- hunters. These are the people that will make the final decision. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commissioner Governor Phil Bredesen (Ex-Officio Member) State Capitol Nashville, TN 37243 Business: (615) 741-2001 James H. Fyke (Commissioner - TDEC) (Statewide) 1st Floor, L & C Tower 401 Church Street Nashville, TN 37243-0435 Business: (615) 532-0104 E-mail: jim.fvke@tn .gov Terry Oliver (Commissioner - TN Dept, of Agriculture) (Statewide) Ellington Agricultural Center P.O. Box 40627 Nashville, TN 37204 Business: (615) 837-5202 E-mail: terrv.oliver@tn.aov William Brown 2009-2015 (East Tennessee - E-4) - District counties: Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Polk, Sequatchie, and Rhea. Suite 1000, 832 Georgia Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37402 Business: (423) 785-8253 Michael Chase - 2005-2011* (TWRC Chairperson) (East Tennessee - E-2) - District counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Cumberland, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union. P.O. Box 50370 Knoxville, TN 37950 Business: (865) 522-3500 E-mail: mike.chase@tn.aov Johnny Fred Coleman - 2005-2011* (Middle Tennessee - M-3) - District counties: Clay, DeKalb, Fentress, Grundy, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, and White. 9190 Bradford Hicks Dr. Livingston, TN 38570 Business: (931) 823-7345 Dr. Jeff McMillin - 2009-201 5* (Statewide) 1705 Edgemont Avenue Bristol, TN 37620-4307 (423) 968-1933 E-mail: jeff.mcmillin@tn.aov Eric Wright - 2009-2013* (Statewide) 1587 Highway 91 Elizabethton, TN 37643 (423)213-9514 E-mail: eric.wriaht@mapeswire.com The Tennessee Warbler December, 2010 Page 7 Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commissioners - continued from page 6 Jeffrey H. Griggs - 2009-201 5 (West Tennessee - W-7) - District counties: Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Hardin, Henderson, Henry and Perry. P.O. Box 541 Lexington, TN 38351 Business: (731) 968-6191 E-mail: ieff.ariaas(a>tn.aov Mike Hayes -2005-2011* (West Tennessee - W-8) - District counties: Chester, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Lake, Madison, Obion, and Weakley. 3330 State Route 21 E Tiptonville, TN 38079 Business: (731) 253-6878 E-mail: Mike@bluebankresort.com Mitchell S. Parks - 2007-2013* (TWRC Secretary) (Middle Tennessee - M-5) - District counties: Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Davidson, Franklin, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, and Wilson. 4101 W. Hamilton Road Nashville, TN 37218 Home: (61 5) 876-3046 E-mail: mitchell.parks@tn.gov Julie Schuster - 2009-201 5 (Middle Tennessee - M-6) - District counties: Cheatham, Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, Maury, Montgomery, Stewart, Wayne, and Williamson. 4484 Pine Drive Pegram, TN 37143 Fax: (6 15) 477-6430 E-mail: julie.schuster@tn.aov Todd A. Shelton - 2007-2013* (TWRC Vice-Chairperson) (East Tennessee - E-1) - District counties: Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Greene, Grainger, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington. 100 S. Main Street Greeneville, TN 37743 Danya L. Welch- 2007-2013* (West Tennessee - W-9) - District counties: Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Lauderdale, McNairy, Shelby, and Tipton. 7751 Wolf River Blvd. Germantown, TN 38138 Business: (901) 759-5100 * Dates of term (Grand Division & District in parentheses) The Tennessee Warbler December 2010 Page 8 \ Tennessee Ornithological Society Position Statement Proposed Sandhill Crane hunting season in 2011-2012. Adopted by the TOS Board of Directors October 2, 2010. The Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) believes that the fall arrival and over-wintering of tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes in Tennessee should be celebrated as a wildlife spectacle and a Watchable Wildlife viewing opportunity. The Tennessee Ornithological Society is presently opposed to initiating a Sandhill Crane hunting season in Tennessee. v j FALL BIRD COUNT STATISTICS DUE NOW AM Statistics from the recent Fall Bird Counts are now due. Please send them to your local count compiler as soon as possible, so the compilers can then send them to me. If you have no local count compiler, please send the data directly to me. All Tennessee bird counts should have the following data included with the bird statistics: 1 - Total miles and hours by foot, car, and other modes (canoe, horse, etc.). 2 - Total miles and hours for night birding (owling) are kept separately. 3 - Feeder-watching hours are also kept separately; include names of feeder-watchers. 4 - All count day weather data: temps; wind; precipitation; clouds, storms/fronts. 5 - Please include the start and end times of the count. Thanks for your participation. Ron Hoff Tennessee bird count compiler Tennessee Ornithological Society 282 Hackworth Lane Clinton, TN 37716 865-435-4547 aves7000@bellsouth.net The Tennessee Warbler December, 2010 Page 9 TOS Joins Governor Bredesen’s Petition to Protect The North Cumberlands from Mountaintop Mining! On October 1, 2010, Governor Phil Bredesen announced signing a Lands Unsuitable for Mining Petition that would protect the 500 miles of ridge tops in the North Cumberland WMA in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan and Scott counties. This area literally includes the best-of-the-best Cerulean Warbler breeding habitat in the world!* If approved by the Secretary of the Interior the petition would prevent surface mining of coal for 600 feet on each side of the ridgelines creating a 1,200 foot ridge top corridor encompassing approximately 67,000 acres. This area contains most of the older growth forest that exists in the area as well as a diverse array of habitats and wildlife, some of which are considered rare or threatened. The ridgelines covered in the petition include about 40 percent of the total North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area and Emory River Conservation Easement Tract. TOS has joined the petition as an “intervenor,” which strengthens the State’s petition and allows us to be directly involved in the process with the right to present evidence at a future hearing if necessary. (This is strictly an administrative process. TOS is not joining in litigation or incurring any legal liability). A few hurdles remain, and the process will take over one year to complete, but Senator Lamar Alexanders quick endorsement of this petition is a tremendous asset towards a successful outcome. TOS will be sending thank-you letters to both Governor Bredesen and Senator Alexander for this action. *based on recent research conducted by Than Boves, UTK PhD candidate. Melinda Welton Conservation Policy Committee Co-chair OPERATION MIGRATION 2010 Eleven Whooping Crane chicks departed Necedah, Wisconsin on 10-10-10 on this tenth year of ultra-light led migration to Florida. As of 11-2-10, the cranes and human crew have covered 240 miles of the 1258 total miles and are in Livingston County, Illinois. Those of you living in or near Carrol or Hardin Counties in Tennessee are down range on the migration route. You have the opportunity to get a visual of the adventure later in the month as the cranes fly from Kentucky to Alabama. Follow their progress on http:// operationmiaration.ora/Field Journal.html . Moving that many cranes, people & vehicles costs dollars. Operation Migration request donations at $200.00 per mile or part to defray costs. So far 675 of thel ,258 miles have been covered. In Tennessee, 51 of thel 09 miles have pledges. I urge each ornithological club in Tennessee to become Milemakers. Go online and read the Field Journal entries for the latest in high adventure. Subscribe by contacting http://www.operationmiaration.org/mile makers.htm or by calling 1-800-675-2618. Choose your mile and dedicate your gift to your favorite crane or person or function! Become part of the Eastern Migratory Whooping Crane reintroduction program. Become a Craniac! OPE RAT, QN 1 Ml ORATION Tony King. KTOS. Certified Craniac! The Tennessee Warbler December 2010 Page 10 Birders of All Skill Levels Needed for Vanderbilt Study Birders have played an important role in our understanding of how perception, memory, and the brain change as people develop expertise in a highly visual domain. Our laboratory at Vanderbilt University is looking for birders of all levels of experience to participate in a large-scale project examining how perception and memory for birds differ across novices, beginners, and experts of all levels. We really do mean all levels of experience, from the true beginner to the expert with decades of study. These experiments are all online on the web. They measure your ability to remember and identify birds and other animals and objects. Most experiments are fairly short, taking about half an hour to complete. They can be done on any computer, wherever and whenever you decide to do them, although we do encourage you to do the experiments in a quiet place at a time when you expect little interruption. This is the web site for the experiments: http://expertise.psv.vanderbilt.edu Once you register your own login id and password on the site, you will be able to participate in any experiments that are available. We expect to add new experiments over time. Some experiments include a modest compensation. If you have questions, please contact Michael Mack ( michael.mack@amail.com ) or Thomas Palmeri ( thomas.j.palmeri@vanderbilt.edu ) at Vanderbilt. You can also learn more about the research we’ve done by checking out our laboratory web site: http://catlab.psv.vanderbilt.edu . The National Science Foundation and the James S. McDonnell Foundation generously fund our research. 2010-2011 Winter Finch Forecast posted on Ontario Birding listserv. Greater potential for irruptive species this winter: Purple Finch Red Crossbill White-winged Crossbill - possibly late season Common Redpoll Hoary Redpoll Red-breasted Nuthatch Less potential for irruptive species this winter: Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Evening Grosbeak Blue Jay Bohemian Waxwing The full report can be viewed at: http://birdinaonthe.net/mailinalists/ONTB.hmtl#1 285260602 . The Tennessee Warbler December, 2010 Page 11 CHAPTER. NEWS GREENEVILLE CHAPTER - Bird activity in late sum- mer and fall in Greene County seemed somewhat sluggish in comparison with past years. Rainfall was rather sparse, and few fallouts were reported. Sig- nificant reports included the following: Red-shouldered Hawk (2-3 on 18 July and 25 Sep- tember); Merlin (25 September); American Woodcock (30 September); Eurasian Collared-Dove (observed in Mosheim for the 76th consecutive month in Octo- ber); Barn Owl (25 September); Olive-sided Fly- catcher (7 August); Philadelphia Vireo (14 Septem- ber); Common Raven (1 and 8 August); Horned Lark (1-11 on 23-24 October); Red-breasted Nuthatch (17 October); Sedge Wren (2-3 on 25 and 30 Septem- ber); Swainson’s Thrush (high count of 238 heard in nocturnal flight on 20 September); Nashville Warbler (10 October); Cerulean Warbler (15 September); Nelson’s Sparrow (2 on 18 October); Lincoln’s Spar- row (23 October). The chapter’s Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for 1 8 December (Saturday). For more info, please con- tact Don Miller ( pandion@embarqmail.com : 423-639- 4100) Don Miller The LEE AND LOIS HERNDON CHAPTER of Tennessee Ornithological Society held its annual Fall Bird Count on Saturday, Sept. 25. This year’s count was the 41st consecutive Elizabethton Fall Bird Count, according to compiler Rick Knight. This year’s count attracted 30 observers in eight parties who found a total of 1 28 species, which is slightly above the average of 1 24 species over the last 20 years. The area covered by this count includes all of Carter County and parts of adjacent Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington Counties. Knight noted that 11 species were found in record high numbers. A new species for this count - Black- billed Cuckoo - took the cumulative total to 216 species. Participants in the count included Aubrie Abernethy, Fred Alsop, Jim Anderson, Paul and Emily Bayes, Rob Biller, Lynn Brandon, Rack Cross, Gil Derouen, Dianne Draper, Glen Eller, Kathy Gunther, Paul Haynes, Jacki Hinshaw, Don Holt, Mark Hopey, Rick Knight, Roy Knispel, Richard Lewis, Joe McGuiness, Tom McNeil, Kathy and Eric Noblet, Brookie and Jean Potter, Bryan Stevens, Kim Stroud, David Thometz, Lisa Tyler and Gary Wallace. The chapter also conducted morning bird walks every Saturday in October at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park in Elizabethton. Some of the best birds found on these walks included Peregrine Falcon, White-crowned Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager and several species of warblers. The chapter is having calendars published featuring photographs submitted by its membership. Sales of the calendars will serve as a fund-raiser for the chapter. Bryan Stevens KNOXVILLE CHAPTER - At the June picnic executive officers for the 2010-2011 year were installed. Mark Armstrong was reinstated as president, as was Billie Cantwell for vice president. Carole Gobert took up the role of treasurer, and Angela Hoffman came on as secretary. Warm thanks are extended to Marie Oakes and Jerry Hadder who dutifully took care of the chapter’s treasurer duties for many years and to Kathy Bivens for her years of service as secretary. In September the 2010 J. B. Owen Memorial Endowment was awarded to Foothills Land Conservancy of Maryville, TN, in the amount of $300.00. The J. B. Owen award is given annually to individuals or groups whose work promotes the welfare and conservation of birds in Tennessee. The Foothills Land Conservancy is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that seeks to protect and preserve the natural landscape of East Tennessee. In 25 years, the group has assisted individuals and families in protecting more than 25,000 acres. KTOS members have helped conduct bird surveys on some of their properties during the past year, and there are plans to continue this survey work in spring 201 1 . The Tennessee Warbler December 2010 Page 12 CHAPTER. NEWS Knoxville News - Continued from page 11 The chapter has enjoyed a wide variety of excellent speakers so far this year, including Carla Irene Dilling, UT graduate student, about control of the hemlock wooly adelgid; Paul James, Ijams Nature Center executive director, about the history of the Ijams family and his new book, Ijams Nature Center: Images of America ; Sterling Daniels, wildlife surveys manager with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, about bats and white-nose syndrome; and Lynne McCoy, wildlife rehabilitator, about wildlife rehabilitation techniques and tales. At the November meeting, chapter members voted to support two miles of the Operation Migration MileMaker campaign in Tennessee. The donation will be used to help support Operation Migration’s efforts to reestablish an eastern migratory population of Whooping Cranes. Angela Hoffman NASHVILLE CHAPTER - The early May flood in Nashville caused many downed trees and landslides at Radnor Lake State Natural Area, severely damaging the road and trails. Almost immediately volunteer groups were out working to help repair and restore Radnor to its previous condition. NTOS provided a much appreciated lunch to a hard-working group of volunteers on June 26. The road and South Cove Trail are still under repair, but the others trails are in good shape. The Nashville Fall Bird Count was held on Saturday, October 9, a week later than usual. The total was 1 1 7 species, a little lower than the average, but with a good mix of transient migrants, residents and wintering arrivals. With a high of 87 degrees and sunshine in the afternoon bird activity came to a screeching halt earlier than we wished for. But it was a beautiful day to be out, and the cool early temperatures produced some highlights including: several groups seeing Wild Turkeys, 1 Osprey, 3 adult Bald Eagles, 2 Wilson’s Snipe and 2 American Woodcock at Shelby Bottoms; 2 Eurasian Collared- Doves and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in Rutherford Co.; 1 Black-billed Cuckoo at Beaman Park; 11 Red- breasted Nuthatches, 1 Marsh Wren on the Harpeth East route;1 7 warbler species (mostly Yellow-rumped and Palm), 11 sparrow species including 48 Savannahs, 1 Fox in Cheatham Co., and 2 Lincoln’s, 153 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (mostly at Warner Parks and Harpeth West); and 1 Baltimore Oriole at Old Hickory Lake. NTOS has enjoyed several good field trips in the past few months to Edgar Evins State Park (one of the best spots to see Cerulean Warblers!), the Murfreesboro area, Peeler Park, Shelby Park and Bottoms, and the Hill Property at Warner Park. Terry Witt led us in the Murfreesboro area to wonderful looks at Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Eurasian Collared- Doves, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, very close Red- headed Woodpeckers, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, and two Lark Sparrows. Scott Somershoe’s finding of a huge Purple Martin roost in downtown Nashville created a bonus impromptu field trip for NTOS on August 14. It was thrilling to watch over the next few evenings as an estimated 40,000-60,000 martins swirled all over the sky and then dove into the shrubbery by Interstate 24. Please join us for the 2 Nashville area Christmas Counts, Audubon’s 111th year to be the sponsor. The Nashville count will be on December 18, and the compiler is Jan Shaw (615-331-2231). The Hickory- Priest Lake count will be held on January 1 and will cover areas surrounding both lakes. Please call Richard Connors (61 5-832-0521 ) to participate in that count. Richard is taking over as compiler from Chris Sloan who has been compiler for many years. The importance of the Sandhill Crane Festival near Chattanooga each year can’t be overstated. It’s a great outreach program for birders and hopefully soon- to-be birders. NTOS has decided to contribute $250 toward the expenses of the crane festival as one of our Conservation Fund Awards for 201 1 . The money, sent to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation (which has been set up for this purpose), would go directly to paying the crane festival bills. We The Tennessee Warbler December, 2010 Page 13 CHAPTER. NEWS Nashville News - Continued from page 12 encourage other TOS chapters to consider contributing also. For all donations, please send a check made out to “TWRF” and include “Crane Festival” in the memo. Please mail all checks to the address below: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation 5000 Unbar Dr, Suite #265 Nashville, TN 37211 Jan Shaw New Access Rules for Birding at the Gallatin Steam Plant, Sumner Co. Birders have been allowed access to the settling ponds at the Gallatin Steam Plant in Sumner Co. to view shorebirds, etc. for quite some time. This will continue, but now with stricter rules. In the past the plant has had rigorous access standards for their employees, vendors, and other guests, but has allowed birders to bypass these steps. Now they have decided for security purposes that everybody should be treated the same and have requested that birders follow these stricter security rules. So starting now, ALL birders will need to comply with the steps below. To gain access, each person will need a personal badge acquired from the plant personnel. To get a badge you must first make an appointment to go there and have your photo and fingerprints taken. Then they will do a background check, which should take about a week. Once you have your personal badge you can use it whenever you visit. Because I have been dealing with them for our bird counts there in the past, they want me to be the contact person for birders. So to make your appointment to get your badge, please call me (331-2231) or e-mail me ( iankshaw@aol.com ) and I’ll call them to set it up. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE PLANT. The employees who do that work do not work on the weekends, so appointments would have to be made for Monday - Friday between 7:00 - 3:30. After you apply for your badge, it will take at least a week to receive it in the mail. Once you have acquired your badge, whenever you want to visit the plant you will need to ASK FOR PERMISSION A WEEK IN ADVANCE and take your badge with you. And they want me to be the contact person for this also. So call or e-mail me when you want to go, and I’m to call them to set it up. Since rare birds often don’t stay around very long, they have agreed to lower the time to wait between asking for permission to go and actually being allowed to go from one week to two days. This means that in the case of a rare bird, for those who already have their badges, you should call or e-mail me if you want to go and I’ll call the plant. Then you should be able to go in two days. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this will bring, but they just want all people at the plant to follow the same security rules. If you have questions, ask me; don’t call the plant. Please respect these rules so that we may continue to use the facility. Thank you. Jan Shaw / \ FEBRUARY 28 th DEADLINE The deadline date for the April issue of The Tennessee Warbler is February 28th. 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: 2araham@bellsouth.net J “My work with th£ birds has b^n a joy/ul thing in this tortured world, on£ oj th£ happiest ways to sp^nd a lrf£ is to work closely with nature” Lula C. Coffey (1908-1999) Send corrections & Change of Address Requests To: treasurer@tnbirds.org “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 The Tennessee Warbler - December, 2010