Newsletter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society August, 200 1 Editor, Theresa Graham PHESIDENTS MESSAGE At the Annual Meeting in Paris Landing a few weeks ago, you elected and installed a new slate of TOS officers. On behalf of all the officers, I thank you for your confidence in us, and promise you that we will do everything we can to promote the goals of the TOS. These goals, as you recall, are to promote the enjoyment, study, and conservation of Tennessee’s birdlife. I’d also like to thank the outgoing officers, especially former President Chris Sloan and former Migrant Editor, Dev Joslin. You accomplished a lot during your terms, and I am very pleased with the present state of TOS affairs. TOS officers are generally elected without much of a campaign, platforms, issues papers, or similar features of some other elections. Those of you who know me well can probably guess what is on my agenda for the next couple years. Here are some of the things I plan to address: 1) Society affairs - we are in good financial shape, and the various committees are generally working well. One needing attention is the finance committee, which needs new members and reactivating. If any of you wish to serve on this committee, or wish to nominate your fellow birder/financial whiz to serve, please contact me. 2) The Migrant- help new editor Chris Welsh shorten the publishing lag time and establish it as one of the premier regional bird journals. 3) www.tnbirds.ora - we’ve got a great web site, which has won recognition from near and far. Help me continue to improve it, especially the bird-finding section. 4) Bird conservation issues - through our work with Partners-ln-Flight related activities, the Smith Bend campaign, and occasionally by being proactive, we have good working relationships and the respect of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and other natural resource agencies. We need to continue and increase our involvement in these areas to be more effective advocates in conserving Tennessee’s birdlife. I’d appreciate hearing your top agenda items for the next couple years. Feel free to contact me by mail at P.O. Box 402, Norris, TN 37828, phone at (865) 494-8688, or email (see below). Finally, I invite all of you to join me at the TOS Fall Meeting and Symposium on November 2-4 near Knoxville. Knoxville chapter members are planning several exciting field trips. And we will be returning to the Saturday afternoon format of a series of talks describing studies of our birdlife. I hope to see you there. Chuck Nicholson cpn@vic.com Norris, TN The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 2 TENNESSEE OFENITHOEOGICAE SOCIETY HOSTED BY THE KNOXVIEEE CHAPTEFl AT KNOXVIEEE, NOVEMBEK 2-4 Headquarters: Day’s Inn; 2962 Alcoa Highway (Rte 129); 865-970-3060; Rooms have been reserved at a rate of $56.13 (price includes tax). When calling, state that you are with TOS. Directions: From 1-40, Exit 386 (Alcoa Highway/Rte 1 29/airport) south ~1 0 miles, near the airport. Registration: Cost is $5.00 Begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 2 Friday Evening: Note: Members of the Knoxville Chapter will be providing a potiuck dinner at the hotel for those arriving Friday evening! Other TOS members need not bring anything, but we request that you join with us for dinner. Beginning Friday night, there will be a silent auction of bird-related materials. The proceeds will go to the J.B. Owen Memorial Fund. Feel free to bring items to donate to this auction (e.g., books, magazines, bird feeders, houses, binoculars). Beginning around 7:30, we will have a very informal presentation of slides, to be presented by anyone who wishes to bring some pictures to share with us! Perhaps you have a few slides from a birding trip, but not enough to make full presentation. This would be a good opportunity to let others see these pictures. Alternate Lodging: Hilton - Airport; 2001 Alcoa Highway; 865-970-4300 Scottish Inn-Airport; 2841 Alcoa Highway; 865-577-6605 There are plenty of restaurants in the vicinity. Many details for the weekend are still being worked out. The paper session, consisting of a series of presentations describing recently completed and ongoing studies of Tennessee birds, will be held Saturday afternoon. If you wish to make a presentation, contact: Charles Nicholson, PO Box 402, Norris, TN 37828-0402, cpn(a)vic.com The Board of Directors meeting will likely be held Saturday after the paper session. We will have field trips Saturday and Sunday mornings, with destinations including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Kyker Bottoms, Kingston Steam Plant and more. Check the TOS web site at www.tnbirds.org for the latest information on the 2001 Fall Meeting. Send to: Make checks for registration payabie to Knoxviiie TOS Bob Steffy, 7619 Charlton Rd, Knoxville, TN 37920, 865-579-3674, ro be rtsteffyCo) aol.com The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 3 CARA UPDATE From Richard Kirk, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Coordinator and Troy Ettel, State Ornithologist Momentum is beginning to build again this year for CARA in both the Senate and House of representatives. Despite last year’s disappointing setbacks, CARA still appears to be very much on the minds of the coalition members assembled to gain support for it. The U.S. House of Representatives Resources Committee held a hearing June 20 on the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 701) and announced that 223 Representatives are co-sponsoring the bill. “The fact that more than half of the Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors almost guarantees a big win for CARA in the House,” said Robert McDowell, president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (lAFWA) and director of New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. “This kind of support will not only spell victory in the House, but will spur the Senate and Administration to action as well. CARA is a bipartisan, consensus- built, common-sense approach to conservation that makes good economic sense, good common sense and good political sense.” Supporters expect the bill to be introduced onto the House floor in mid-to-late July. In the Senate, 67 senators have signed onto a letter of support for CARA. However, the strong assemblage of co- sponsors has not yet appeared, as in the House. It is not yet known when the bill might be introduced in the Senate, however, the hope is that the widespread support found in the House will encourage and influence activity on the bill in the Senate as well. We are encouraging everyone interested in seeing CARA enacted this year to write to his or her congressional representatives and senators. The following Tennessee congressmen have not signed on as co-sponsors to the bill: Bill Jenkins John Tanner John Duncan Van Hillary Zach Wamp Ed Bryant Additionally, Senator Frist has indicated support of the bill in the past but Senator Thompson has not indicated his position on the bill. Please contact your representatives and senators and let them know that you support funding for nongame wildlife. MEMPHIS CHAPTER TO HOST SPRING STATE MEETING The Memphis chapter will be hosting the TOS spring state meeting on the first weekend of May 2002. The meeting will be at Reelfoot on May 3-4-5. This is a very popular weekend at Reelfoot for fishermen as well as birders. Airpark Inn, the state resort inn at Reelfoot, will hold rooms for TOS only until March 1 . It is not too early to make reservations now! Contact them at (800) 250-8617 for information about type of accommodations and rates. Be sure to tell them that you are with TOS. Also near Airpark is Blue Basin Bed and Breakfast, owned by MTOS member Nancy Moore. She can be reached at (901) 253-9064. Further information about rates, other accommodations and program will be appear in future issues of The Warbler. The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 4 Changing of the Guard at The Migrant by Chris Welsh As the new editor of The Migrant, I thought I should briefly introduce myself and throw out a plea for help. I came to Tennessee via California, New York (Cornell), Vermont (University of Vermont), and Massachusetts (University of Massachusetts). Not the most direct route, I know, but there was some good birding along the way. I’ve lived in Knoxville for seven years now and have been active in the Knoxville chapter for most of that time. My main goal as the new editor is to continue the progress that Dev Joslin made in catching up on back issues of The Migrant. With some luck and lots of help, we may see a 2002 issue appear in 2002. However, to move things along, I need help. To complete issues, I need articles and short notes to go along with the standard count compilations and season reports. I know there are lucky birders in West Tennessee with many significant bird records. Central Tennesseans with interesting notes on Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and more folks in East Tennessee with lists of good ideas for Migrant arWc\es. Hit the keyboards running, and open up the pipelines; I need material for The Migrant To handle the huge influx of submissions resulting from the paragraph above, I will need people to volunteer to review articles. Dev has passed on a list of good reviewers, but we can always use more. If you are interested, by all means, contact me. I’m looking forward to serving TOS as editor of The Migrant Feel free to contact me with suggestions for paper topics as well as ways to improve the journal. Chris Welsh, Editor - The Migrant 5337 Hickory Hollow Rd., Knoxville, TN 37919 Home: (865) 766-0368, Work: (865) 974-1829, E-mail: cwelsh@utk.edu North American Migration Count & TOS Spring Counts I will be compiling the counts later this month. If you have not sent your results to me, please do so at your earliest convenience. You can send them to me at: Ron Hoff, 282 Hackworth Ln., Clinton, TN 37716 or e-mail them to me dollyron@icx.net . Thanks for your efforts. ^ Ron Hoff y In Memory rfiey SfiaCC Mount lip yvUfi ^Vings Like LagCes rhey SfiaCC'Run and Mot "Be yVeary rkey SfiaCCyVaCk and Mot Be faint Marjory Harper - Highland Rim Chapter, May, 2001 Martha Pardue - Knoxville Chapter, April, 2001 Dr. Charles E. Long - Memphis Chapter, June 2001 \Hazel Kramer- Nashville Chapter, May, 2001 ^ N OCTOBER 31ST DEADLINE The deadline date for the December issue of The Tennessee Warbler is October 31st. 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 J The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 5 Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project Update The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has begun another rangewide effort to determine population status and habitat and area requirements for a warbler experiencing rapid population declines in eastern North American. As with the Cerulean Warbler Atlas Project that just concluded, there is now a Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project being conducted in Tennessee and across the entire range of the species. In striking contrast to the forested habitat required for the Cerulean, the Golden-wing requires an early successional habitat with an herbeous layer, clumps of shrubs and scattered trees. In addition to the loss of much of this type of habitat to more efficient farming practices and succession of old-fields to forest, the recent range expansion of the Blue-winged Warbler into the Golden-wing range has resulted in interbreeding and the eventual elimination of Golden-wings from some areas. In Tennessee, Golden-wings are found on the Cumberland Plateau and the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Over 1 00 Golden-winged Warblers were found during this first year of surveys. The majority of the Cumberland Plateau birds were found in the Cumberland Mountains in Campbell County and most of the Southern Blue Ridge Golden- wings were found in Carter County. Golden-winged Warblers were also located in White, Cumberland, Anderson, Scott, Johnson and Unicoi Counties. Blue-winged Warblers were found to co-occur with Golden-wings at lower elevations on the Plateau but none were found in Golden-wing habitat in the Blue Ridge. A total of five “Brewster’s” type hybrids were located during the surveys with one at higher elevations in the Cumberland Mountains and one among the Golden-wings near Roan Mountain. Participants in the Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project in 2001 included Allan Trently, Nell Moore, Troy Ettel, Kevin Calhoon, Joe Mclnnes and Melinda Welton. The Project will continue in 2002 and additional volunteers are welcome. You can find a complete description of the project on www.birds.cornell.edu/aowap . Contact Melinda Welton at weltonmj(a)earthlink.net or 61 5-799-8095 if you would like to participate. Melinda Welton Tennessee Coordinator, Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project Whooping Crane Viewing Opportunity and Departure Event The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been corresponding with Operation Migration, the group contracting with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to coordinate the whooping crane reintroduction that will bring the birds through Tennessee in late October or early November. Operation Migration has verbally agreed to provide a viewing opportunity for crane enthusiasts. The cranes will tentatively be led by an ultralite over a crowd of people at the Hiwassee Refuge to provide a viewing opportunity as they depart from Tennessee. This is a tremendous opportunity for Tennessee and for TOS. I have been discussing ideas pertaining to how to maximize the scope of this special event to benefit cranes and wildlife watchers alike with interested individuals across the state. One possibility that is being considered is to design a major fundraising event around the whooping crane arrival. This would give TOS an opportunity to continue the contribution to nongame in the region that was realized in the Smith Bend acquisition. This is an exciting development for Tennessee. There will be few better opportunities to show just how important nongame wildlife is to Tennessee in terms of economic impacts and human interest. I will keep you posted as more develops. V Troy Ettel 7 The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 6 CHAPTER NEWS The CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER recently elected new officers for 2001-2002. They are as follows: President, Bonnie Johnson; Vice-President, Programs, Judy Newsome; Vice-President, Field Trips, David Aborn; Secretary, Hayden Wilson; Treasurer, Carol Fegarieo; Historian, Clyde Blum; Statistician, Kevin Calhoon; State Directors, Kevin Calhoon, Dave Vogt, Hayden Wilson. Anita and Danny Gaddy to continue another year. We thank the outgoing officers for their service and the incoming officers for their willingness to serve. Since the last Warb/er report, our club has participated in the Spring Migration count as well as in local site based counts. We have enjoyed a variety of monthly presentations ranging from lessons on record keeping by Kevin Calhoon and John Henderson to birding in Australia and New Zealand by Dan Williams. Other topics included: Migration over the Gulf by Rick Knight, History of an early environmental center in Virginia including discussion of a very old skin and egg collection presented by Ralph Brown, and Golden Eagle reintroduction in Tennessee by Vickie Taylor. In addition to participation in the Sandhill Crane Day activities, club members have enjoyed a variety of local field trips as well as long distance birding treks. Danny Gaddy Members from the GREENEVILLE CHAPTER reported a somewhat disappointing spring migration in Greene County, with prolonged cool periods, few waves of migrating birds, and lower numbers of individuals than were observed in recent years. Nonetheless, despite the sluggish trend, quite a few noteworthy observations were reported: American Bittern at Wal-Mart Distribution Center on April 16; White-rumped Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, and Short- billed Dowitcher at Wal-Mart Distribution Center in late May; American Woodcock (1-3) displaying on the outskirts of Greeneville from April 9 to 28; Black-billed Cuckoo singing on Paint Mountain on May 28; Chuck- will’s-widow (3) in southern Greene County in early May; Whip-poor-will (3-9) on Greene Mountain, Paint Mountain, and Round Knob from April 21 to late June; Olive-sided Flycatcher on Greene Mountain on April 21 ; Horned Lark in western Greene County on June 10; Gray-cheeked Thrush in Greeneville on May 19; Kentucky Warbler (3) in the Bullen Hollow area of the Cherokee National Forest on May 7; Summer Tanager at four sites in May and June; Dickcissel (1 -4) at two sites in western Greene County in late May; Brewer’s Blackbird (2-5) in western Greene County in late March; nesting Baltimore Oriole pair in Chuckey community in May and June; and Red Crossbill (2) on Greene Mountain on April 21 . Upcoming events include a trip to Rankin Wildlife Management Area in Cocke County on Sunday, August 26 and the annual Fall count on Saturday, September 15. For more info, contact Don Miller raincrow@xtn.net : 423-639-4100 or Jim Holt jholt@xtn.net : 423-639-0525. Don Miller The HIGHLAND RIM CHAPTER finished off the year with our May banquet at Belvidere. David Haskell, ornithologist from the University of the South at Sewanee, gave an excellent update on his studies of urban growth on the Cumberland Plateau and its effect on bird populations. Officers for the coming year were elected as follows: President, Ruth Luckado; Vice-President, John Lamb; Secretary, Elaine McKelvey; Treasurer, Vida Sherwood; Co-Statisticians, John Bruner & Don Davidson; Newsletter, Phil Medley; Directors, Ruth Luckado, John Lamb, Lisa Trail John Lamb, resident biologist at AEDC (Arnold Engineering Development Center) is busy with the following activities across the base: Nocturnal and diurnal point counts Henslow’s Sparrow banding on airfield Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) at the bird banding station off of Old Estill Springs Rd. across from the U.T. Tree Farm The Great Blue Heron rookery is monitored every two years. This is an off year. We were all saddened by the death of Marjory Harper, charter member, and former president of HRTOS, at the home of her son, James, in Chattanooga, TN on 12May01 . She was a long time and capable birder, and a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge about bird life throughout the world. Her interest began when her mother taught her the song of the Eastern Meadowlark, at a very young age. She will be sorely missed, but often remembered. Our thank yous go out to all the TOS members and other friends who purchased her bird books, enabling us to donate $500.00 in her memory to the Smith Bend Project. Ruth Luckado The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 7 CHAPTER NEWS The LEE & LOIS HERNDON CHAPTER of TOS held its annual spring bird count on Sunday, April 29. This was the 58th annual consecutive spring count conducted by the chapter. The count yielded 152 species, plus one hybrid (two Brewster’s Warblers). The all-time high count was 157 species in 1992. The chapter has a new president and vice president. Joe McGuiness is the president and Allan Trently is the vice president. Charles Moore, secretary; Gilbert Derouen, treasurer; Rick Knight, statistician; and Frank Ward, historian; will continue in their offices. The chapter is on hiatus from monthly meetings through September, but will conduct some summer activities, including its annual picnic and birding trips to Rankin Bottoms at Douglas Lake during the fall shorebird migration. The chapter will resume in September monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the science building on the campus of Milligan College. Bryan Stevens The NASHVILLE CHAPTER would like to thank you to all of you who came and helped make our TOS Spring Meeting at Paris Landing a success. The weather was great, the birds were wonderful, the food delicious, and Troy Ettel did an excellent job as speaker. We made $221 .00 for the TOS Conservation Fund through the silent auction. And a special thank you to Earl Henry who gave a box of note cards of his father’s bird paintings to each banquet participant. Here are some of the bird highlights: Common Loon (one in breeding plumage out from the inn). Mississippi Kite (flyover seen by one observer atLBL). All six regularly occurring vireos. 26 species of warblers, including at least 2 Ceruleans. Dickcissels, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Bobolinks in multiple locations. Henslow’s Sparrows (at Fort Campbell, but not very cooperative). BLACK- BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCKS (2 birds flew over Melinda Welton in LBL; no search effort was conducted on Sunday). White-crowned, Swamp, and Savannah Sparrows (singing!). 2 almost fledged Bald Eagles. Several nests in various phases of construction, including Gray Catbird, Orchard Oriole, Red-eyed Vireo, and a Northern Parula female gathering nest material. The NTOS Spring Count held on May 1 2 only totaled 135 species, lowest since 1993. Hopefully, it was due to mild weather patterns and predominantly southerly winds this spring instead of a true lack of birds. It was a beautiful day to be out, and we were rewarded with 1 8 Great Egrets (1 6 at Shelby Bottoms), 3 Blue-winged Teal, 1 Gadwall, 2 Osprey at a nest at the Smyrna Airport with young, 1 Sora, 6 shorebird species including 1 Semipalmated Plover and 7 Least Sandpipers, 1 5 Forster’s Terns, 3 Willow Flycatchers, 1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, 2 Loggerhead Shrikes tending young at a nest, 28 warbler species, 2 Savannah Sparrows, 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow, 1 Swamp Sparrow, 2 White-throated Sparrows, 5 Song Sparrows, and 1 Baltimore Oriole. At our May meeting we elected officers who will begin their 2-year terms in September. Bob Hatcher will be our next vice president in charge of programs. Jay Desgrosellier will be field trip chairman, Janeth McKendrick will be our secretary, Phillip Casteel and Susan Hollyday have agreed to stay on as curator and treasurer, and Jan Shaw will continue as president. The Osprey nest on a microwave tower at the Smyrna Airport continues to be active, and one young bird was seen in the nest on June 1 9. A female Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was also seen at the airport on June 16, but no sign of a nest yet. Hazel Kramer, a longtime NTOS member and wife of Lee Kramer, died in May. Jan Shaw STEPHEN M. RUSSELL CHAPTER - Bristol, TN & VA. On June 16, we held our annual picnic, where new officers take over for the year. 32 people attended the picnic at Steele Creek Park. Wallace Coffey cooked his special treat along with dogs and burgers. The new slate of officers is Dave Worley, President; Larry McDaniel, Vice-President; Mary Erwin, Secretary; Janice Martin, Treasurer; Richard Lewis, Statistician; and Wallace Coffey, Curator and Newsletter Editor. We will have our annual banquet on September 14'^ with quest speaker Dr. Fred Alsop. Chapter members have been very active this spring and we hope to get even more active in the future. See you in the field! Dave Worley The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 8 WESTERN HIGHLAND RIM FORAY Troy Ettel Thirteen TOS members participated on a summer foray on June 28, 29, and 30. The foray was hosted by Willamette Industries, a forest products company with land holdings of approximately 1 79,000 acres in Tennessee. Willamette Industries recently was a recipient of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s 2001 Environmental and Conservation Stewardship Award for their work with the Tennessee Natural Heritage Program and The Nature Conservancy on a 1 0-year cooperative agreement to voluntarily coordinate at-risk plant and animal populations on their lands. Willamette is also interested in acquiring information about birds nesting on their lands and acquiring information on the effects of their forest management on bird communities. This foray was the first step in establishing a long- term monitoring program of bird populations on Willamette lands. Four Willamette employees, Tom Hughes, Steve Galliher, Mark Perry and Dan Wernike served as guides for foray participants throughout the weekend. The weekend began with a dinner hosted by Willamette at the Catfish Cabin in Centerville, Tennessee on Thursday, June 28. The following thirteen TOS members participated in the foray: Chris Sloan, Anna Varney, Howard Langridge, Glen Eller, Wallace Coffey, Dave Worley, Boyd Sharp, Polly Rooker, Troy Ettel, Nancy Moore, Kathleen Kramer, Ron Lapp, and Mary Zimmerman On the mornings of June 29 and 30, four teams of foray participants split up to cover different sections of the Willamette lands, focusing on a variety of habitat types to maximize the total species list. Primary habitats consisted of early successional habitats including regenerating clearcuts, tornado blow downs, powerline right-of-ways, and road edges, as well as riparian habitats, pole timber stands (young, regenerating woodlands 1 2-1 5 years-old), and older forest (60-70 years old). A total of 67 species were recorded on Willamette lands. Following is a full species list: Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Barred Owl, Eastern Screech-Owl, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Chimney Swift, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, American Crow, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Wood Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Cedar Waxwing, Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Ovenbird, Northern Parula, Blue-winged Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Pine Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager, Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeak, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Orchard Oriole, and American Goldfinch Thanks to Willamette and everyone who helped out with the foray. It was a great success and a lot of fun. In the next year, we will be using the knowledge gained from the foray to distribute point count routes throughout the Willamette property. If anyone would be interested in helping establish and run point counts next year on these properties, please let me know. The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 9 SMITHSONIAN HANDBOOKS BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA WESTERN REGION BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA EASTERN REGION By Fred J. Alsop, III As the popularity of birding in North America continues to soar, DK Publishing and the Smithsonian Institution enter the field with the Smithsonian Handbooks Birds of North America: Eastern Region and Birds of North America: Western Region (May 2001 , $24.95, paperback), the most visually compelling and comprehensive field guides available today. Combining the winning photo-encyclopedic design of the DK Handbook series, which have sold over 5 million copies, and the prestige of the Smithsonian, the world’s largest museum and research complex, these luminous volumes are absolute staples for the novice and experienced birder alike. In head-to- head competition. Birds of North America Eastern and Western Region contain more information on each species than any other birding book on the market - the only ones with species identification and complete life history. Written by distinguished field biologist and birding expert. Dr. Fred J. Alsop, III, who himself has identified more than 3,200 species worldwide. Birds of North America Eastern and Western Region feature more than 700 species in the US and Canada found east and west of the 100th Meridian. With over 1 ,000 color photographs and 750 pages in each volume, each species receives its own full-page profile, including a concise, jargon-free overview and annotated color photographs highlighting the distinct characteristics of both male and female. Each guide then provides detailed information on Song, Behavior, Breeding, Nesting, Population, Birdhouses, and Conservation - setting them apart as the first guides to cover these sections in full! In addition, there are illustrations for flight patterns, nest identification, range maps, and similar birds, as well as special color tabs indicating length, wingspan, plumage, habitat, migration, and life expectancy. Curated by the world famous Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, a division of The National Zoo, Birds of North America Eastern and Western Region surpass the competition as the most authoritative, comprehensive, and user-friendly field guides available today. Perfect for the fledgling birder and bird expert alike, these classic references are essential additions to any personal library or trip into the field. Fred J. Alsop, I IT aiitlior of Smtfhxariian JJifds of North Amcrtfo ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fred J. Alsop, III Ph.D. is an accomplished ornithologist and a professor of biological sciences at East Tennesse State University. He received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Tennessee, and specializes in the ecology, distribution, and life history of birds. An avid field biologist, birder, and photographer. Dr. Alsop has identified more than 3,200 species worldwide. Smithsonian Handbooks Birds of North America Western Region 0-7894-7157-4 Birds of North American Eastern Region 0-7894-7156-6 By Fred J. Alsop, III May 2001 $24.95 each, 752 pages DK Publishing, Inc. 95 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 213-4800 Fax: (212) 689-4828 http ://www.dk.com The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 10 The Tennessee Warbler August, 2001 Page 11 A Richard Kirk, TWRA’ s Nongame & Endangered Species Coordinator & Bob Hatcher B N ashville chapter ’ s president, Jan Shaw & Chris Sloan, TOS’ State President C Mack Pritchard & Ken Dubke D Bob Hatcher, Troy Ettel & David Vogt E Saturday Evening’s Banquet E B ird Hikes on S aturday & Sunday G Chuek Nieholson, installed as TOS ’ s new president at the spring meeting H Migrant editor, Dev Joslin & Assistant editor; Chuek Nieholson with their spouses I Susan MeWhirter reeeives the Distinguished Serviee Award from Chris Sloan, president