Newsletter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society April, 200 1 Editor, Theresa Graham PHESIDENTS MESSAGE This past winter for TOS members represents a time of transition. Bob Hatcher, after thirty-eight years of service, has retired from his position as Nongame and Endangered Species Coordinator for TWRA, to be succeeded (note that I didn’t say replaced!) by Richard Kirk, a mussel biologist by training, and who we hope will continue to carry the Nongame torch lit for so long and so well by Bob. Martha Waldron, also after many years of service, has turned over the responsibility of writing the West Tennessee season report in the Migrant \o Rob Peeples. Troy Ettel, our featured speaker at the upcoming meeting, is still settling in to his new position as State Ornithologist, but he has already taken some important steps to help raise the volume of our voice at TWRA. Smith Bend has been purchased and turned over to TWRA, in no small part due to almost $50,000 contributed by TOS, its chapters, and its members. And last but hopefully not least. Chuck Nicholson will succeed me as president of TOS effective at the spring meeting. I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years as president. I’m proud of the fact that we have matured as an organization in that time. We accomplished many of the goals I had set out to reach when I started, including pushing TOS more heavily into conservation efforts and having a new website built. There is more still to be done, though, but I couldn’t be more confident that Chuck, with his vast knowledge of both birds and TOS, will do an outstanding job. I know I stand ready to help him any way I can, as will all of you I’m sure. Thanks very much to all of you with whom I’ve had the chance to work in these two years, and I hope we can do it again in the future. I’m a better person for the work I’ve done as TOS president, and if I leave this organization even one bit better than it was when I took office, well. I’ll be darn proud of that. Chris Sloan chris.sloan@home.com Nashville, TN The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 2 NASHVILLE TOS TO HOST SPUING MEETING PARIS LANDING STATE PARK MA Y 4-6, 2001 The Nashville TOS will host the 2001 TOS Spring Meeting the weekend of May 4-6, 2001 . Paris Landing State Park will serve as the headquarters for the meeting, enabling us to take advantage of some really good field trip locations, such as Land Between the Lakes, Cross Creeks NWR, the Big Sandy Unit of the TNWR, Keel Springs Nature Trail (Cerulean Warblers!), the Henslow’s Sparrow spot near Dover, etc. Please join us for a great weekend of birding in a beautiful location. Paris Landing State Park (1 -800-250-861 4 or (901 ) 642-4311 ) is located on US Highway 79, Henry County, on the western shore of Kentucky Lake, between Paris and Dover. Please state that you are with TOS when making the reservation. Registration will be Friday night from 6:30-9:00 in the Inn’s hospitality room downstairs. Other accommodations in the area: Dover Inn (931 ) 232-5556 $45 single or double, 1 1 miles east of Paris Landing Paris. TN: 1 2-1 5 miles west of Paris Landing Hampton Inn (901 ) 642-2838 $47 for single, $51 for double Super 8 (901 ) 644-7008 $36.56 for single, $42.68 for double Best Western (901) 642-8881 $44.17 for single, $48.70 for double Piney Campground at Land Between the Lakes - No reservations Paris Landing Campground - No reservations KOA Campground - (901 ) 642-6895 We are pleased to have Troy Ettel as our speaker at Saturday night’s banquet. He has just recently been selected as TWRA’s new State Ornithologist, effective December 1 . His duties will include administration of the statewide nongame bird program. He received his M.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Tennessee in 1 997. Since then, he has been State Zoologist with The Nature Conservancy in Texas, with a focus on birds. Please come and meet our new State Ornithologist, and hear his ideas on helping our birds. Silent Auction Items Needed: A silent auction will be held on Saturday night to benefit the TOS Conservation and Research Fund. Anyone with bird related art, clothing, books, or equipment that they would like to donate to this worthy cause, please contact Sue Marden at smarden@mail.state.tn.us or 61 5- 315-9128. We need a description and the approximate retail value by April 20 (late donations will be accepted). Want to put your old binoculars to good use? The new bird monitoring initiative in the Dominican Republic could sure use them (see the article in this issue). Bring all field worthy binoculars or scopes to the spring meeting and Melinda Welton will make sure they get to the right people. All donations will be tax deductible. ~ ~ ~ ~ Registration Form - See Back Inside Cover ~ ~ ~ ~ The Tennessee Warbler April, 2001 Page 3 Message from Troy Ettel, State Ornithologist I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name is Troy Ettel, and I am the new state ornithologist for TWRA. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you already and look forward to getting to know many more. Formerly, I was a member of the Knoxville chapter for 2 V 2 years from 1995 - 1998 and am currently enjoying settling into my new home chapter here in Nashville. Each individual chapter of TOS and its members are to be commended for their recent contributions towards the acquisition of Smith Bend in Rhea County. Many of you have already gotten an opportunity to visit this wonderful area and many more of us will get to experience this unique place in years to come. The contributions made by TOS, both at the state level and at the individual level, were unprecedented and I wanted to share with you the impacts that they have had. For years, other outdoor interest groups such as Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, and the National Wild Turkey Federation have been frequent and important partners with TWRA. TOS has always been a valuable TWRA partner as well, contributing invaluable volunteer time and providing the foundation for many of TWRAs nongame projects. However, proper recognition for this partnership has rarely extended throughout the agency, often remaining with a few of us within the nongame program and amongst individual managers, who find and know your help to be irreplaceable. Total contributions by TOS chapters and members for Smith Bend totaled $48,937. This was the single highest total contribution that came in for the project specifically earmarked from an individual organization. As birders, we are used to silently moving through field or forest, quietly observing some of nature’s most delicate and beautiful creatures. However, TOS’ contribution to this project speaks volumes for the Tennessee birding community and it has not gone unnoticed within TWRA. The importance and the presence of TOS as a partner with TWRA is being noticed in other segments of the agency and TOS, collectively, as a group, is starting to receive some of the long overdue recognition that you deserve. I think that we can all agree that this is a most important step for the interests of TOS and its members. In the coming year, you may hear more about this as we attempt to garner additional information from individual TOS members of how they support TWRA programs. Hunters and fishermen (and women) support state wildlife agencies like TWRA through license sales and excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment and supplies. If not a member of one of these groups, nongame enthusiasts, like birdwatchers, rarely have an opportunity to express their support for state wildlife agencies. However, TOS members have found other ways to express this support. In addition to the Smith Bend contribution, TOS members have been strong supporters of the Watchable Wildlife bluebird license plates and have contributed countless hours of volunteer time to TWRA programs. I would like to be better able to accurately account for the ways TOS members support our agency so that proper recognition can be given to each of you and your chapters for this support. I would like to get as accurate a count on the amount of money given to TWRA or the Foothill’s Land Conservancy by TOS chapters and members for Smith Bend. I know that some members sent in individual contributions in addition to what chapters might have given. These numbers would serve to bolster the total. Anyone with this information can contact me anonymously if they wish. Just drop me a note in the mail. Also, in the coming year I might attempt to get an estimate of the percentage of members that have bluebird license plates. This is an important and consistent way to demonstrate the annual commitment of TOS to TWRA programs. Finally, a third piece of information that would help represent a monetary value on TOS’ relationship with TWRA is an approximation of the number of volunteer hours supplied by members for point counts, eagle surveys, and other projects. Please keep track of these and send them to me. These hours can be tallied into a monetary value (the federal government has actually assigned a monetary value to a volunteer hour). They can then be used not only to emphasize TOS’ commitment, but also as matching dollars to help TWRA qualify for federal money. What I want to be able to demonstrate is how important a partner TOS is for TWRA and the amount of support that TOS members give to the agency. We have over 900 TOS members statewide. That is a fairly strong constituency with at least one common interest: birds and the future welfare of birds in Tennessee. Thank you for your help, always. TOS is an incredible asset to our agency and our nongame program. I look forward to a continued relationship between TWRA and TOS and hope to meet and get to know many more of you in the future. Troy L. Ettel, State Ornithologist, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency PO Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204 (61 5) 781 -6653 tetteka)mail.state.tn.us The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 4 New Tennessee Coalition Acts to Protect Wildlife Refuge If you’ve ever marveled at a flock of waterfowl soaring overhead, you share our deep connection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This northern sanctuary provides rich wetlands, solitude, an unlimited buffet of insects and not a human soul for a hundred miles - the ideal nesting ground for millions of migratory birds, thousands of caribou and a wide array of wildlife. It is the biological heart of “America’s Serengeti,” but the current debate over America’s energy future may change this forever. Alaska Senator Frank Murkowski has drafted legislation that proposes industrializing the 1 .5 million acre coastal plain of the refuge, forever transforming this pristine wilderness into an industrial complex covering hundreds of square miles to tap several billion barrels of oil. Conservationists across the nation are lobbying for cleaner, less destructive energy alternatives, and to keep this wilderness sacrosanct. A newly formed coalition of Tennessee citizens and organizations has launched a state-wide campaign to protect the Arctic Refuge from oil development. The “Alaska Coalition of Tennessee” (ACT) encourages Tennesseans to write and call our Senators Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, to show them we care about protecting wildlife and that we prefer responsible alternatives to satisfy our energy needs, that drilling in the Arctic Refuge is not an option. ACT needs your help! For more information contact Jeff Barrie, grassroots organizer in Nashville: (61 5) 248 6500 (offices of the Tennessee Environmental Council), or email jeff@alaskawild.org And please write a short letter to Senators Thompson and Frist today. Ask them to oppose legislation that would allow oil development on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. Act now! News from the Dominican Republic by Melinda Welton As many of you know, TOS has had a relationship with the Annabelle Dod Bird Club for several years and we’ve often discussed how we might assist bird conservation efforts in the Dominican Republic. Some very exciting things are beginning to happen down there. This past March, The Caribbean Division of The Nature Conservancy conducted a workshop for stakeholders (protected area managers, park guards, ecotourism guides, non-government organizations charged with reserve management, education providers) interested in learning bird identification or monitoring techniques. The goal of this effort is to increase the awareness of Dominicans to bird conservation, increase the scientific technical capacity of interested stakeholders and establish a long-term and sustainable network of monitoring sites to determine the success of park protection and management efforts and more. Cannon not only helped fund this workshop but they donated several pairs of binoculars for participants but there continues to be a need for basic field equipment. In April I will be visiting the Dominican Republic to explore the possibilities of a partnership between the Tennessee Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and a TNC partner organization in the D.R. I will also meet with members of the Annabelle Dod Bird Club - soon to be the Annabelle Dod Ornithological Society - about ways that TOS might be useful to their conservation efforts. One way that we can help right now is by sending down used binoculars for individuals participating in this growing conservation initiative. If you have a pair of used binoculars suitable for field work please contact me at weltonmj@earthlink.net or 61 5- 799-8095 or bring them to the Spring meeting. I’ll make sure they get to the proper person for distribution. (Your donation will be tax deductible.) V y The Tennessee Warbler April, 2001 Page 5 The Tennessee Ornithological Society invites applications for TOS Conservation and Research Grants for projects that will directly or indirectly help to protect the birds of Tennessee, increase scientific knowledge, or educate others about the importance of Tennessee’s birds. In 2001 there is up to $2000 available to be awarded for the Conservation and Research Grants and an additional $500 available for the Katherine A. Goodpasture Memorial Grant. This award is open to anyone with a bird-related project, including students, professionals, and individual workers. The project can already be underway if the grant would adequately enhance it. Interested applicants should submit a project proposal of up to approximately three pages. An application form is available on the TOS Website ( www.TNBIRDS.org ) or the information can be incorporated in a letter. The information needed includes: name, address, telephone. E-mail address (if any) of applicant, topic, problem to be addressed, objectives, expected results and significance, project location, beginning and ending dates, estimated field time, estimated total cost of project, funds available from other sources, how grant is to be used to either fully or partially fund a project, experience of applicant in field, willingness of applicant for sharing results at a statewide TOS meeting, and if the work is under the guidance of a mentor or independent. A letter of recommendation should also be sent from a mentor or an associate in bird studies. Up to $30 of the stipend may be applied toward costs for attending a scientific meeting deemed appropriate for advancement of the fieldwork project. Criteria for judging applications will be: • Clarity of proposal, • Significance of problem addressed, • Adequacy of project design, • Adequacy of experience/training, • Adequacy of professional guidance, • Financial need, • Chance for achieving objectives, • Potential benefit to the species/resource, • Potential for advancing career/studies, and • Potential for sharing results at a future statewide TOS meeting. The application and letter of recommendation should be emailed (preferably) or mailed to Roger Tankersley, 2924 Jenkins St., Knoxville, TN 37921 ; E-mail: rdtankerCo) utk.edu (Telephone 865-673-0931 ). DEADLINES: The deadline for the TOS Conservation and Research Grant and the Katherine A. Goodpasture Memorial Grant is September 1 , 2001 . Applicants will be notified immediately following the Fall 2001 TOS meeting in early October. A check for 75 percent of the budget costs will be mailed to the grantee in October 2001 . The balance will be paid after the project leader sends a satisfactory progress report and itemized costs to the Committee Co-Chair, Melinda Welton. All grant awards will be announced in The Tennessee Warbler. Conservation Committee Co-Chairs: Melinda Welton weltonmj(a)earthlink.net (61 5-799-8095) Roger Tankersley, rdtanker(a)utk.edu (865-673-0931 ) The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 6 Bob Hatcher Retires March 31 , 2001 was the end of an era in Tennessee’s conservation history with the retirement of Bob Hatcher as Nongame & Endangered Species Coordinator for TWRA. For the past 38 years, Bob has done more for Tennessee nongame wildlife than any other single person, past or present. Listing Bob’s accomplishments would take up more space than this newsletter has to offer, but suffice it to say that to this writer, he’s a hero. Bob, on behalf of TOS, and on behalf of all the wildlife out there that might not be here if not for you, thank you so much for all that you’ve done over the years. Enjoy your retirement. You’ve earned it. Bob will be succeeded by Richard Kirk, a mussel biologist. We welcome Richard to his new position, and I have every confidence that he will pick up right where Bob left off. Chris Sloan New State Compiler Appointed Effective as of the spring meeting, Ron Hoff will succeed fellow KTOS member Chris Welsh as state count compiler. Ron, who already organizes Tennessee’s International Migratory Bird Day activities, will now be responsible for compiling and editing the data from Tennessee’s Christmas Bird Counts for publication in the Migrant, in addition to many spring and fall counts across the state. Thanks, Chris, for all your hard work, and best of luck to Ron in his expanded roll. Chris Sloan Ron Hoff has agreed to become the new state compiler for the spring and Christmas counts. Please send your spring counts results to him at: 282 Hackworth Lane, Clinton, Tn. 37716, or email them to him at dollyron(a)icx.net . Please include the hours and miles by foot, hours and mile by car, hours and miles owling, feeder counting hours, weather particulars, count times, and the names of all the participants. Tennessee Partners in Flight Point Count Report Dedicated Tennessee birders have been conducting avian point counts at dozens of locations across the state since 1993. These counts were initially organized by Tennessee Partners in Flight and continue with the support of individuals representing TOS, various agencies, universities, landholders, and other partners. The counts provide us with specific information about the habitats that birds are using in different parts of their range. Land managers are able to use that information to make informed decisions about how to manage their lands to benefit song birds as well as other groups of animals. An effort is now underway to compile all of the Tennessee point count data from 1 993 to 2000 into a single database and produce an up-to-date statewide report. The report will cover each point count area individually, from Shelby Forest to Naka Mountain, summarizing the information collected for each. This report and the accompanying database will be made available to interested parties in electronic format after its completion in July 2001 . The first complete report on this statewide effort was completed in 1 996 and distributed at that time to land managers, biologists, and TOS groups, and others. The 1996 report is now available in printable PDF format by sending an email request to mroedel(g)zebra.net . If you would like to be contacted when the 2001 report is completed please send a message requesting the 2001 report. If you are in possession of any point count data that has not yet been submitted to the coordinator, please contact either Troy Ettel tettel(a)mail.state.tn.us or Michael Roedel mroedel@zebra.net (telephone 334- 263-7174) immediately. We would also like to hear from anyone who has comments, suggestions, or questions about Tennessee PIF point counts. Thank you. Michael Roedel Tennessee Partners in Flight The Tennessee Warbler April, 2001 Page 7 CLARIFICATIONS ON GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS MANAGEMENT AT HAMPTON CREEK COVE STATE NATURAL AREA In the last issue (December 2000) of The Tennessee Warbler, I wrote a short acceptance and orientation letter detailing my plans for research for the 2000 Katherine Goodpasture Memorial Grant. My research entails the writing of a management plan for Golden- winged Warblers (GWWA) in Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area (HCCSNA). I look forward to finishing this project and presenting the information. In my statement, I mentioned that the GWWA was not presently managed for in HCCSNA. This statement is incorrect. Presently, there is a general management plan for the GWWA and other species in the cove. The management objectives for the GWWA are stated in the, “Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area Management Plan”. Management for GWWA consists of the grazing of cattle on the land to create open, early successional habitat. This management has maintained the habitat for the Golden-wings. It was not my intent to suggest that the state Natural Heritage Program was not managing for the GWWA. In fact, I would suggest that the Natural Heritage Program is doing an outstanding job at management and inventory of Heritage property. My research will include specific management prescriptions with references to alternative management. I will try to incorporate future objectives into my plan as well. Allan J.Trently Seeking Nominations for TOS Distinguished Service Award If you or your chapter would like to nominate someone for the TOS Distinguished Service Award (to be presented at the spring meeting), please email or call Chris Sloan at chris.sloan(a)home.com or (61 5) 353- 081 1 . Please be sure to include in your nomination a short explanation in support of your nomination. Chris Sloan BLACK MOUNTAIN The Tennessee Parks & Greenways Foundation has asked TOS to conduct one or more bird surveys of Black Mountain, a 2800 foot peak on the Cumberland Plateau, in order to help support efforts to have Black Mountain designated a state natural area. They are particularly interested in breeding species, with a focus on rare and endangered animals and plants. I will try to organize an outing for late May or early June. An announcement will be posted on the TNBIRD mailing list and the TOS web site. However, if you would like to be contacted directly, please email me at chris.sloan(a)home.com or call me at (61 5) 353- 0811. Additionally, if you have any records of rare or endangered animals and plants on Black Mountain, please send them to me. Chris Sloan North American Migration Count May 12, 2001 This year’s count is on Saturday, May 12. Pick your favorite county and plan to have a fun day counting birds. As always, each county is a count area. Please keep the following statistics: hours and miles by car; hours and miles by foot; hours and miles owling; and hours spent watching feeders. Please also include the names of all participants, the weather conditions for your county, and the time of the day you counted (as 0700-1900). These statistics will go a long way to help with future analyses of the data and help to forecast future trends for our feathered friends. Send your results to Ron Hoff at 282 Hackworth Lane, Clinton, TN. 37716 or e-mail them to me dollyron@icx.net . Have a great day and be safe. 0 The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 8 CHAPTER NEWS CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER - The annual Cherokee Indian Heritage and Sandhill Crane Viewing Days gets better every year, thanks in large part to organizer Ken Dubke. This year on February 3-4, Ken arranged for beautiful weather in addition to the many interesting speakers and thousands of cranes. Dr. David Aborn (UTC) picked up a transmitter signal within the group of cranes, and TOS members were able to get a scope on the radioed bird, much to the excitement of our guests. Dr. Richard Urbanek of the International Crane Foundation then produced and passed around one of the miniature solar-powered transmitters like that on the bird. Before the day was over, they had picked up transmissions from 6 Sandhill Cranes banded in Wisconsin. On a similar beautiful day in January, Randy Brown of the Foothills Land Conservancy hosted a joint field trip of the Knoxville/Chattanooga TOS chapters to the newly-acquired Smith Bend property. It will be interesting to see it “before and after” they refill the wetlands and replant native species. A day-count was done for future comparison. Bob Sargent banded a Calliope Hummingbird on Missionary Ridge. The bird stayed around for a while and was a jewel! Despite impending storms, Hayden Wilson hosted 24 members at his farm in nearby Sequatchie Valley for an impressive evening display of woodcock flight. Our monthly programs have recently included presentations on birding in Australia and New Zealand (Dan Williams) and the LSU Gulf Migration Project (Rick Knight). They’ve got everyone packing their bags! Several of our members keep their bags packed and have roamed far and wide to seek out unusual birds and add to their lists. Anita Gaddy, Secretary Chattanooga Chapter GREENEVILLE CHAPTER - Greene County’s waterfowl numbers appeared to be much reduced this winter, apparently because of the record cold in December and January that kept marshes, ponds, creeks, and even the Nolichuckey River frozen for days at a time. A break in the temperatures did bring an unusually high number of Northern Pintails on February 5, however: 34 birds, mostly males, were observed in the community of Midway. Other notable sightings in the county this winter included Merlin and Osprey on December 16; Pine Warbler on December 3 and 16; Red-shouldered Hawk (unusual for Greene County at any time of year) at different locations on January 1 and 6, and again on February 17; and Peregrine Falcon on February 3. No Red-breasted Nuthatches or Evening Grosbeaks were reported, and only a few Purple Finches were observed. The Greeneville chapter’s spring count is scheduled for Saturday, April 21. Additional counters are welcome! The club is also planning high-elevation trips to Viking Mountain in Greene County (good spot for Swainson’s Warbler the last couple of years) on May 6, to Roan Mountain on June 23, and to the Craggy Gardens/Mount Mitchell area of the Blue Ridge Parkway (reliable area for Cerulean Warbler) on July 8. Contact Don Miller, 423-639-4100, raincrow(g)xtn.net or Jim Holt, 423-639-0525, jholt@xtn.net if interested. Don Miller, President * * * Correction * * * The Greeneville Chapter article in the December issue stated that Boyd Sharpe of Knoxville sighted an immature Wood Stork. Credit for the find should have been given to Steve Satterfield of Luttrell, TN. Boyd states “I actually made all the phone calls after Steve called me, and I didn’t even get to see the bird!” The KNOXVILLE CHAPTER is sad to report the loss of J.B. Owen, a long-time member of TOS and one of the patriarchs of our club. In recognition of his contributions to the Knoxville Chapter, TOS, and the community as a whole, we have established the J.B. Owen Memorial Fund. This fund will be used to encourage bird- and environmental education-related activities in Tennessee. Four Christmas bird counts were conducted in the Knoxville area this winter: Knoxville, Norris, Great Smoky Mountain, and Cades Cove. The Knoxville count hosted 3 Rufous Hummingbirds this year enroute to 93 species, only one short of the all-time record. Cades Cove tallied 61 species in its second year, including a Northern Saw-whet Owl heard off the loop road. The Great Smoky Mountain count encountered beautiful weather and 58 species. Weather for the Norris count was decidedly less than The Tennessee Warbler April, 2001 Page 9 CHAPTER NEWS beautiful, but observers still found 71 species with Brown-headed Nuthatch new for the count. The Knoxville Chapter has contributed to development of an outdoor classroom at the Oakdale School in Morgan County. Jo Hardin, a science teacher at Oakdale’s K-12 school, and Nathan Klaus, a former KTOS member now working in the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Nongame Wildlife Program, have collaborated for several years to develop this project. The goal is to foster a greater conservation ethic by educating students on the ecology and natural history of the Cumberland Mountains. The outdoor classroom includes an interpretive trail, lessons on fire ecology and water quality, an animal track station, and an observation blind. As part of our outreach plan we hope to produce several short presentations that will be used to introduce people to the wonderful world of birds. Member Bob Steffy has drafted the first presentation, “An Introduction to Birds”, which the rest of us will constructively critique. Other presentations will likely include “Beginning Birding” and “Knoxville Birds: Who, When, and Where?”. The Knoxville Chapter now has fancy-dancy decals portraying a Blackburnian Warbler encircled by text identifying TOS and KTOS. You can see an example in full color by going to the Knoxville chapter link on the TOS web page ( http://www.tnbirds.org/ KTOS.htmh. Thanks go out to Rick Knight, Charlie Muise and Paul Super, Don Collins, and Barbara Finney for their presentations at our November, December, February, and March meetings. Rick talked about LSU’s Migration Over the Gulf Project. Charlie and Paul, from the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont, spoke about bird counts and the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory underway in the National Park. Don Collins, Wild Birds Unlimited, discussed the ins and outs of bird feeding, complete with plenty of visual aids, while Barbara Finney showed beautiful slides and described the Birds of Sanibel Island. David Pitts will visit Knoxville in May to speak on Carolina Chickadee Ecology. Chris Welch THE LEE & LOIS HERNDON CHAPTER of the Tennessee Ornithological Society enjoyed a record year in 2000 and is looking forward to birding and other chapter activities in 2001. Longtime member H. P. Langridge won the chapter’s competition to see who could find the most birds in the chapter’s home counties of Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington. His total of 237 also broke the old record for number of species found in a single year. The former record-holder was Brian Cross for the 231 species he found in 1989. Bryan Stevens, the chapter’s president, came in second in this year’s contest with a total of 220 species. Other chapter members with more than 200 species on their lists were Rick Knight, Larry McDaniel and Anthony Whitted. Langridge also recently added his 441 st bird to his Florida list. The bird, a Heermann’s Gull, put him back in a tie for second place with Paul Sykes for most birds found in Florida. The chapter also concluded a combined effort by all its members to see 2000 species of birds in 2000. The final total was 466 birds, which fell considerably short of the goal. The effort was enjoyed, however, by each member who participated. Some good birds showed up on the list, including Green Breasted Mango, Nene, Aleutian Tern and Gyrfalcon. The chapter held two Christmas Bird Counts, one in Elizabethton and another in Roan Mountain. The Elizabethton CBC on Dec. 16, 2000, found a total of 70 birds, including such notable finds as a Loggerhead Shrike and record numbers of Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird and Song Sparrow. The Roan Mountain CBC, delayed by winter snowstorms, was finally held on Jan. 5, 2001 . Two chapter members, Rick Knight and Fred Alsop, found 40 species, including a single American Woodcock. Chapter member Rick Knight is compiling a checklist of waterbirds for Rankin Bottoms in Cocke County. Many East Tennessee birders are familiar with this shorebird hotspot. LeConte Sparrows continue to generate excitement for birders visiting Quarry Bog in Shady Valley in Johnson County. LeConte Sparrows were found on the Shady Valley CBC and were also found at the location by Rick Knight on January 28. These sightings, which began in October of 2000, confirm the first over-wintering record for this species in the five-county area of East Tennessee. The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 10 CHAPTER. NEWS Officers for the Herndon chapter are Bryan Stevens, President; Reece Jamerson, Vice President; Gilbert Derouen, Treasurer; Charles Moore, Secretary; Rick Knight, Statistician; and Frank Ward, Historian. Bryan Stevens also serves as Editor of the chapter’s newsletter. The Kestrel. Bryan Stevens Members of the MEMPHIS CHAPTER participated in eight Christmas Counts in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. In addition, 19 members joined in on a winter count at Strawberry Plains, the headquarters of the Mississippi Audubon Society in January. Some members were able to spend a night at the beautifully restored antebellum mansion the night before. Jesse Grantham, the MAS Executive Director, was the speaker at the January meeting. At that meeting, the chapter voted to be the local sponsor of the thirteen week PBS series, “Stokes: Birds at Home”. The programs are dedicated to the memory of Ben and Lula Coffey. Memorials in their honor have made the sponsorship possible. We are continuing our support of Shelby Farms by compiling a bird list for this large urban park from our records covering over seventy years and by displaying an exhibit at the park headquarters. Rob Peeples, our curator, is compiling the list and Jim and Sue Ferguson are preparing the display. Amazingly, many of the apple trees planted last winter in memory of Lula survived the severe summer and fall drought with the help of the watering activities of the inmates in the county correctional facility under the supervision of Park Superintendent, Tim Martin and his staff. Our annual potiuck dinner featuring Knox Martin and several of the unreleasable birds from the Memphis Zoo’s Raptor rehab Program was held on March 21 st. His programs are truly outstanding and very popular with children and adults. Two former presidents of our chapter died recently. Luther Keeton, who served as president from 1 946 to 1 947, died in December. In recent years, Mr. Keeton was unable to participate in club activities due to ill health, but always maintained his membership and interest in our chapter. Noreen Smith, who served not only as chapter president from 1 960 to 1 962, but as Tennessee Ornithological Society president died in January. Noreen and her late husband. Dr. Arlo I. Smith, spearheaded the eagle rehab program at Reelfoot through the many years it operated. Locally, Noreen and Arlo were leaders in the organization that through a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court blocked 1-40 from going through Overton Park. At the time, this was a very courageous stand in our city. Not many citizens dared to confront the Crump political machine. Many wildflower enthusiasts find Arlo’s book, “A Guide to Wildflowers of the Mid-South” an important source of information. Noreen took many of the photographs in the book and assisted in its writing. Finally, we are pleased to announce that Wayne Peterson has accepted the club’s invitation to be the featured speaker at the 2002 Spring Meeting to be held at Reelfoot. Mr. Peterson is Field Ornithologist for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, ABA vice- president, Summer Season editor for the New England Region of ABA’s “North American Birds” journal and a past chair and secretary of the Massachusetts Avian Record Committee. Many of Mr. Peterson’s photographs have appeared in publications such as, “Shorebirds of the Pacific Northwest”. We encourage you to circle the first weekend in May, 2002. The topic of his program will be shorebirds. Virginia Reynolds NASHVILLE CHAPTER - The Nashville Christmas Count was held on December 23. Our total was 82 species, normal for us, but we did have some unusual records. With Radnor Lake 90% frozen, the waterfowl numbers were way down. Here are some items of interest using records from 1966-2000: 1 Black-crowned Night Heron: only one previous record 2 Northern Pintail: only one previous record No Northern Harriers, American Coots, or Northern Bobwhites 206 Wild Turkeys: by far the most ever recorded Numbers for both Kinglets were way down 2 American Pipits: only 5 previous records 367 Horned Larks: by far the most ever recorded 2 Lapland Longspurs: only one previous record 19 Tree Sparrows: only 3 previous records 35 Savannah Sparrows: by far the highest number since 1984 56 Fox Sparrows: most ever 651 White-throated Sparrows: much higher than usual 1 Purple Finch The Tennessee Warbler April, 2001 Page 11 CHAPTER. NEWS Also seen only on Count Week were 8 Pine Siskins and some Northern Bobwhites. A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak just missed being in the Count circle. The Hickory-Priest Christmas Count had 87 species (about average). Highlights included 50 American Tree Sparrows, 8 Lapland Longspurs, 2 LeConte’s Sparrows, 1 Chipping Sparrow, 1 Purple Finch, 17 Common Mergansers, and 1 Snow Goose. In October, Bob Sargent of the Hummer-Bird Study Group, conducted a highly informative and very fun seminar about hummingbirds, which NTOS cosponsored at the Warner Parks. Illustrated with perfect slides, enlivened by Bob’s great sense of humor, and filled with facts about these incredible birds, the workshops were a huge success. Recent NTOS field trips have included bird-filled days at Old Hickory Lake, Pace Point and Britton Ford, Hiwassie Refuge, and Cross Creeks NWR. Radnor Lake, along with 3 other state parks, has now begun to charge a daily parking fee of $3.00 per vehicle. Annual multi-visit passes can be purchased at the park for your vehicle to get into any Tennessee State Park for $30.00. All of the money raised by these fees will stay in the park system. Jane Cole Maynard, a longtime birder and NTOS member, died in January from cancer. After starting out in Michael Bierly’s adult education birding classes many years ago, Jane continued to enjoy her passion for birds at her lovely home in the woods, and on numerous birding trips in the US and other countries. She was a fine birder and a very generous lady. We will miss her greatly. Jan Shaw J. B. Owen Memorial Fund Established by Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society Marcia Davis and Bettie Mason J. B. Owen will be honored by the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society with the establishment of the J. B. Owen Memorial Fund in recognition of his role in increasing the awareness and appreciation of East Tennessee bird life. Through his weekly columns in the Knoxville News-Sentinel (1 973-2001 ) and the Knoxville Journal (1 960-1 972), he did more to educate the general public about birds than anyone else in our region. The J.B. Owen Memorial Fund will be used to promote the study of birds in Tennessee through research, conservation, and environmental education, including nature writing. Mr. Owen will be remembered for his quiet kindness, his helpfulness, and his generous sharing of his expert knowledge in response to the many questions he received from his readers and members of the birding community. Able to connect with people interested in nature and birds at all levels, he was personally responsible for the development of many of the best local birders. Mr. Owen also assisted on several episodes of The Heartland television series. A member of TOS since 1947, he served in several offices at the local and state levels and was instrumental in bringing new members into the society. In 1990, the state and local TOS each presented Mr. Owen with a Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Owen investigated many records of rare and unusual species reported by his readers, who thus contributed much valuable information about the birds in East Tennessee. Many people enjoyed having their bird sightings and observations mentioned in his columns. An excellent record keeper, he recorded early and late arrival and departure dates of migrants and also compiled many of the official bird counts. His wife, Frances, assisted in numerous ways, including taking bird count data over the telephone for many years and helping him with the publication in 1 994 of a history of the first 70 years of the Knoxville Chapter of TOS. The Tennessee Ornithological Society is an independent, non-profit, educational and scientific organization devoted to the study and conservation of birds. Members encourage the study of bird life, record and publish such findings, and spread their interest among others. The Knoxville Chapter was established in 1924, and Harry P. Ijams was its first president. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month, except July and August, usually in Room A-117 at the UT Veterinary Sciences Building on Neyland Drive. Tax-deductible contributions designated for the J. B. Owen Memorial Fund can be sent to the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society, Treasurer Bob Steffy, at 761 9 Charlton Rd., Knoxville, TN 37920. The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 12 The Tennessee Division of Naturai Heritage Bird Ranks C. Smoot Major Ecologist/Heritage Coordinator The mission of the Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage (TNHP) is to restore and protect the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the natural biological diversity of Tennessee. To help meet this goal The Natural Heritage Program maintains a systematic computerized collection of information on the distribution and ecology of rare plants, animals and ecological communities across Tennessee. The Division uses information from the Natural Heritage Program database for conservation efforts. Over the last two years TNHP has worked with several agencies and numerous individuals to review and revise the tracking list and state ranks of the breeding birds in the Natural Heritage data base. Using information from the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Tennessee (Nicholson, 1997), expert information, and Partners In Flight data we have developed and improved our tracking list. To further these efforts and to improve our data The Division of Natural Heritage would like to incorporate breeding bird records from the birding community into our database. We are seeking records for birds observed during “safe dates”, those dates when only breeding birds are present, with a description of the location, a map of the location and ecological information about the individual or pair observed. For additional information about our division and for data forms please see our web-site ( http://www.state.tn.us/environment/nh/l or contact the author. Bird species that occur on this list are ranked according to a legally defined Federal and State status. Federally listed species are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The State Status of vertebrates is determined by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Generally, the TWRA designation will be at the same level (or higher) as the Federal Status. However, many species may be listed by the TWRA that do not have a Federal Status at present. State ranks and global ranks are based primarily upon the number of occurrences of the element (species) within the state and range wide, respectively. For obscure or under-studied species, ranks are based on the best available information, and consideration may be given to other factors influencing the rarity of each taxon. Global State State Name State Common Name Federal State rank rank status status G5 S3B Accipiter striatus SHARP-SHINNED HAWK D G5 SI Aegolius acadicus NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL D G3 S2 Aimophila aestivalis BACHMAN’S SPARROW E G4 SIB Ammodramus henslowii HENSLOW’S SPARROW G5 S4 Ammodramus savannarum GRASSHOPPER SPARROW D G5 SIB Anhinga anhinga ANHINGA D G5 SI Aquila chrysaetos GOLDEN EAGLE T G5 S2B/S3N Ardea alba GREAT EGRET D GX sx Campephilus principalis IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER EE G5 S5B Cathartes aura TURKEY VULTURE G3 S2N Charadrius melodus PIPING PLOVER LTNL G5 S1B/S4N Chondestes grammacus LARK SPARROW T G5 Sl Contopus borealis OLIVE-SIDED ELYCATCHER D G5 S2 Corvus CO rax COMMON RAVEN T G5 S3 Corvus ossifragus EISH CROW G4 S3B Dendroica cerulea CERULEAN WARBLER G5 S3B/S4N Dendroica fusca BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER G5 S2B/S3N Egretta caerulea LITTLE BLUE HERON D G5 S2B/S3N Egretta thula SNOWY EGRET D G5 Sl Empidonax alnorum ALDER ELYCATCHER G4 SIN Ealco peregrinus PEREGRINE EALCON E/SA E G5 S2B Eulica americana AMERICAN COOT G5 SIB Gallinula chloropus COMMON MOORHEN G4 S3 Haliaeetus leucocephalus BALD EAGLE LT T G5 S2B Ixobrychus exilis LEAST BITTERN D G5 S3 Lanius ludovicianus LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE G4 Sl Laterallus jamaicensis BLACK RAIL G4 S3 Limnothlypis swainsonii SWAINSON’S WARBLER D G5 S3 Nyctanassa violacea YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON G5 S2/S3B Nycticorax nycticorax BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON G5 S1B/S4N Passerculus sandwichensis SAVANNAH SPARROW G5 S2 Passerina ciris PAINTED BUNTING G5 S2B/S4N Phalacrocorax auritus DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT D G3 SH Picoides borealis RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER EE E G5 S2 Podilymbus podiceps PIED-BILLED GREBE G5 S1B/S4N Pooecetes gramineus VESPER SPARROW D G5 SlB Porphyrula martinica PURPLE GALLINULE G4 S2 Rallus elegans KING RAIL D G5 S1B/S3N Rallus limicola VIRGINIA RAIL G5 S2B Sitta pusilla BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH G5 S1B/S4N Sphyrapicus varius YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER D G4 S2/S3B Sterna antillarum INTERIOR LEAST TERN EE E G5 Sl Thryomanes bewickii BEWICK’S WREN T G5 S3 Tyto alba COMMON BARN OWL D G4 S3B Vermivora chrysoptera GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER G5 SPB Vireo bellii BELL’S VIREO The Tennessee Warbler April, 2001 Page 13 EXECUTIVE ORDER PROTECTING MIGRATORY BIRDS SIGNED On January 1 0, President Clinton signed Executive Order 1 31 86, “a landmark Executive Order that requires Federal agencies to avoid or minimize the negative impact of their actions on migratory birds, and to take active steps to protect birds and their habitat,” according to the U S Fish & Wildlife Service. The order directs each Federal agency taking actions (permits, contracts, land management plans) likely to impact migratory birds, to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conserve those birds. Agencies are also expected to attempt to restore and enhance habitat, to prevent pollution affecting birds, and to consider bird conservation in planning processes. Many bird species in the United States are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which protects birds that cross international borders at some point during their life cycle. The order will help incorporate existing national planning efforts for bird conservation into agency programs. In addition, it establishes a Council for the Conservation of Migratory Birds, involving the Departments of the Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Transportation, Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, in order to share the latest migratory bird information with Federal agencies. And the order requires environmental analyses of proposed Federal actions required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to evaluate the effects of those actions on migratory birds. A copy of the Executive Order is available at: http://miaratorvbirds.fws.aov/EO/miabrdeo.htm Also see the FWS press release and related material at http://miaratorvbirds.fws.aov/homepa.html Dev Joslin 112 Newcrest Lane Oak Ridge, TN 37830 phone: 865-482-7591 fax: 865-483-2487 email: jdjoslin@esper.com JUNE 30 ™ DEADLINE The deadline date for the August issue of The Tennessee Warbler is June 30th. 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)748-8000 (fax) e-mail: 2graham@bellsouth.net V / In Memory rHey SfiaCC Mount lip yvUfi yVings Like LagCes rhey SfiaCC Hun and Mot "Be yCeary dfiey SkaCCyVaCk and Mot Be faint J.B Owen - Knoxville Chapter, February, 2001 Luther Keeton - Memphis Chapter, December 2000 Noreen Smith - Memphis Chapter, January, 2001 vJane Cole Maynard- Nashville Chapter, January, 2001 The Tennessee Warbler April, 2000 Page 14 The Irritable Song of the Carolina Wren “Window-pane, window-pane, window-pane win!” Why do you make such a terrible din? Could you become a little more modest? We came to find the peace of the forest. “Window-pane, window-pane, window-pane win!” Have you nothing else to do but to sing? Isn’t it time for some serious hunting? Dead trees are full of good healthy munching. “Window-pane, window-pane, window-pane, win!” What kind of moss have you got yourself in? Aren’t you afraid of a large angry hawk finding your perch with this continuous talk? “Window-pane, window-pane, window-pane, win!” Don’t you know you’re just a small wren? How did you get to lead the bird choir? Doesn’t your voice ever get tired? “Window-pane, window-pane, window-pane, win!” Well, it does have a familiar ring. Do I hear a melody in your musical score? Don’t stop now. I’m ready for more! Gerry Papachristou, Memphis. Registration Form - TOS Spring Meeting May 4 - 6 , 2001 Make check payable to: Nashville TOS Mail this form to: Susan Holly day 211 Wauford Drive Nashville, TN 37211 Name(s): Address: TOS Chapter: Amount Enclosed: Registration(s) at $6 each Dinner Reservation(s) at $15 each Total - Make check payable to Nashville TOS