PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION VOL. XIII SEPTEMBER, 1943 NO. 3 OFFICERS OF THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION President— Dr. Martin L. Grant, Cedar Falls, Iowa Vice-President — Ethan A. Hemsley, Dubuque, Iowa Sec’y-Treas. — Miss Lillian Serbousek, 1226 Second St. S.W., ; Cedar Rapids, Iowa Librarian— Dr. Warren N. Keck, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Editor — Fred J. Pierce, Winthrop, Iowa Executive Council: Mrs. Mary L. Bailey, Sioux City, Iowa Miss R. Lucile Loban, Waterloo, Iowa * Mrs. Myrle L. Jones, Hamburg, Iowa The Jown Ornithologists* Union was organized at Ames, Iowa. February *28. 1 for (he study n ml protection of native birds and to promote fraternal re- f (alums among Iowa bird students. The central design of the Union’s official seal is the Eastern Goldfinch, designated 5 Pilate bird nf Iowa in 1033. l*u Idiciitiuns of the Union: Mimeographed letters, 1023-1036; The Bulletin,’ f 1020-1030; "Iowa Bird Life,’ beginning 1031. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $1.00 a year {includes membership dues). Single copies 25c each. Claims for missing or defective copies of the magazine should be made within six months of date of issue. Keep the Editor informed of your correct address. EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATION OFFICE WINTHROP, IOWA ,i. .. □□ .. .. » ■■ •• « " — — ■ — — 1,11 — "" — — — " 4 * ntered as second-class matter February 0, 1032, at the post office at Winthrop, Town, under the Art nf March 3, lft79. IOWA BIRD LIFE— XIII, 194 38 THE BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER OR UPLAND PLOVER From a pencil sketch. Drawn and presented to the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union by E W Steffen, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. BART RAM I AN SANDPIPER 39 THE BARTRAMIAN SANDPIPER IN NORTHEAST IOWA By ELLISON ORR WAUKON, IOWA Among- the best-remembered birds of my boyhood was one which we knew as the Prairie Plover. He was a trim, long-legged, long-necked bird with a dirty breast and back speckled like a Plymouth rock hen. This may not be considered a good description, but it is the picture my memory brings to me over a span of nearly three-score years. In later years when I had access to books that were not found in pioneer homes I learned that my bird had been formally christened Bartramian Sand- piper (Bartramia longicauda), in part after William Bartram, an ornith- ologist of the last years of the 18th century. I learned, too, that he was known by other aliases than the one by which we knew him. Elsewhere he was BartranTs Tattler; Quailee; Upland Plover — perhaps the most common name; Field Plover; Grass Plover; and to the so-called sportsman that almost exterminated him, he was the Prairie Pigeon. By the knowing ones he was classified as a “shore bird”, but like the girl in the old rhyme who went out to swim and hung her clothes on a hickory limb, he “never went near the water.” He was preeminently a bird of the upland prairies and fields, living on grasshoppers, cutworms and other insect life, and strictly a non- vegetarian, except that after the harvest was over he was said to gorge himself on the wasted wheat in the stubble fields. Every year then we saw our bird about the high fields of the home and other farms in the northeastern county of Iowa, which lies in the borderland between the great forest region of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the greater prairies of Iowa, Minnesota and the states of the great plains. With us he was never a very common bird, but wherever he was he was always noticeable. I can now remember finding two nests. For each a slight hollow had been scratched in the ground and a scanty nest of grass built in it. It seemed as if the bird could almost have reached out from it and gathered all the material used. But the time came when we did not notice our bird so often — perhaps our attention had been drawn to other things. Then he was gone, and before we saw him again 30 years had rolled by. On July 21, 1921, I saw him sitting on a telephone pole beside the load. 50 miles west of Dubuque and 50 miles south of the old home. I recognized him at first sight and had the driver of the car stop. But as we came abreast of him he flew off with characteristic wing beats. I got quite excited over it to the disgust of my driver who did not want to stop and to whom a bird was just a bird, “and nothing more.” After ten years I was to see him again nearer the old home. On an afternoon in the middle of May I had gone out for a walk across the fields, when a pair “got up” out of the dead grass of the meadow a couple of hundred feet ahead of me, and flying for 40 rods, came down in an adjoining pasture. I heard their call as they lit but was too far away to catch the flash of the uplifted wings that mark the bird so certain!? . Though I went over to the place I could not find them. Perhaps I did not “mark them down” very well. During the summer of 1931 I spent much time at road survey work all about the country. Coming in from work on the evening of June 22, I saw what I believed to be an Upland Plover sitting on a fence post beside the road just north of the deep cut made by Highway No. 9 at She top of Iron Hill, the highest point in the county. I had presumably seen the same bird sitting on almost the same post two nights before, I was not certain of my bird as we were 40 IOWA BIRD LIFE — XIII, 1943 Koine fast and did not stop, and was still in doubt as to his identity. The sight of that long-legged, long-necked bird was so familiar to my old-time memories that my curiosity was aroused to such a pitch on the 29th of the month I took myself and my field glass out there. First I went to where I had seen it beside the highway. I walked about the meadow on the west and sat about, in different places. I scanned the pastures, fields and fences with the glass, but saw no bird. Finally getting tired I gave it up and went down to the spring below the first ore pit for a drink. As it was difficult to get one there, I started across the high field to one on the other side. On the top of the bill, near my line of travel, was one of the prospect pits to test the thickness of the ore deposit, around which the diggers had strung a barbed wire on four posts. A Phoebe with something in it s bill lit on the wire and I, thinking that she had a nest of young ones on a jutting rock down in that dark hole, went over and was peering down into it. Then I heard the bird that I had come out to find give his mellow whistling call. - „ Looking quickly about, there I saw him standing on the top of a solitary old fence post and as I looked he called again — a rapid, mellow, querulous whistle of three to five notes. There could be no mistake: the long legs, the slim slightly tapering body, the long neck, the poise and whistle. With the glass I looked him over. He was about ten rods away. And there were the greenish-yellow legs; the lower bill of the same color with the upper one darker; the under parts whitish with the faintest tinge of yellow; and his back and wings of a fine plymouth-rock pattern, somewhat faded. As he stood there he kept working his body m a very slight up-and- down motion that reminded me of a duck riding short, choppy waves head-on. I did not remember this of the birds with which I was familiar when a boy. I now was quite certain that this was an Upland Plover, M as Bartramian Sandpiper, and with the several other aliases, but there was one other sure proof. . . Going toward the post, he took wing, circled widely on flutter ng wings, like the Killdeer, a couple of times. Then he made a wider one .30 rods out — -and came back in level flight at first straight toward me then swerving to one side, lit on another post near by, and then and this was the proof— he raised his wings high above his back, the primaries pointing directly upward— and, very slowly and deliberately folded them. It was the old gesture that I remembered so well and the proof was complete. Bv going toward him I got several repetitions of the performance— always the same. Sometimes he lit in the grass and, after standing a minute, would run through it like a Killdeer for a rod or two and then take wing again. Often he gave his call and seemed considerabl ' disturbed by my visit. I was quite convinced that he had a mate near by. sitting or with a brood of young. Three times in the summer of 1933 (May 25, June 20 and July 2) I walked out to the Iron Hill to see if my plover had returned again. Each time I spent an hour or more loitering about and sweeping the fields and fences with mv glass, but he was not there. Somehow I had almost come to believe that he would come back, but he failed me and now I am questioning myself: Was he, after all, a solitary and not one of a oair? Lost from his kind had he in searching wan- dered back to a place that once knew them well? Whde I was spading the garden on May 2, 1934, a bird call dropped out of the sky and gave me a start. It was the tremulous call of a plover, and I 'saw at a height of perhaps 200 feet, a single bird with the characteristic flight of the Unland Plover, flying south. It went straight away till it was lost in the haze, and once again far away I heard its call — a solitary bird searching for one of its kind, IOWA SPRING BIRD CENSUS 41 THE FIRST ANNUAL IOWA SPRING BIRD CENSUS Compiled by MARTIN L. and DOROTHY S. GRANT On May 9, 1943, at 14 stations in Iowa, there was taken a census of the species of birds and the number of individuals of each. The rules followed in the enumeration were published in ‘Iowa Bird Life’ 13(1):11-12, March, 1943. A total of 136 people took part, listing altogether 198 species and 24,514 individuals. The results are given in Table 1. Temperature (average 50* F.) and other station data are given in the first part of the table. The number of observers at the stations varied from 2 to 27, with an average of 10. At half the stations all observers were in one party, but at several there were 2 parties, and at one as many as 7. The total of observer-hours listed is cal- culated by multiplying the number of people by the number of hours spent in the held. Almost all the stations reported cloudy or rainy weather. In the body of the table is given the number of individuals for each species for each station. Large numbers are, of course, merely esti- mates. In a few instances the observers did not attempt to count the number of individuals, and these are marked as "x” in the table. In the tabulations each “x" is counted as 1 individual. Of the total of 198 species recorded, the greatest number seen at any one station was 138. One other station reported over 100, there were three in the 90% and the lowest was 52, These differences are largely accounted for by the number of parties and observers, the number of t; pes of country available to be visited, and the number of hours spent in the field. Sixteen species were reported by all stations. These were, arranged in descending order of number of individuals seen: Red-wing, Robin, ^Goldfinch, Mourning Dove, Bronzed Grackle, Brown Thrasher, Yellow Warbler, House Wren, Blue Jay, Chickadee, Crow, Red-headed Wood- pecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, and Field Sparrow. (One station did not report the English Sparrow). In ad- dition, there were 12 species recorded from 13 (all but one) stations, 7 from 12, 6 from 11, 5 from 10, 9 from 9, 8 from 8, 10 from 7, 21 from 6, 15 from 5, 6 from 4, 21 from 3, and 25 species from 2 stations. /Thirty-eight species were seen at only one station (Item 10 in Table 1, Part A), two stations each reporting 8 of these single observations. With respect to numbers of individuals seen, a total of over 500 was reported for each of 12 species: Red-wing 3,655, Coot 1,445, Blue- winged Teal 1,402, English Sparrow, 1,092, Robin 962, Goldfinch 700, Mourning Dove 660, Bronzed Grackle 627, Cowbird 587, Yellow-headed Blackbird 536, Tree Swallow 518, and Redstart 514. The range from 500 down to 100 individuals included 39 species; from 100 to 11, 71 species; from 10 to 6, 23 species; and from 5 to 1, 53 species. There are 15 species represented in the census by but a single individual: Swainson's Hawk, Duck Hawk, Pigeon Hawk, White-rumped Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Dowiteher, Cliff Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch! Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, Prothonotary Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Farula Warbler, Mourning Warbler, and Fox Sparrow. The whole list includes no extremely rare birds. There are, how- ever, a number of interesting late migration records: Red-breasted Merganser. American Rough-legged Hawk, Hermit Thrush, Golden- crowned Kinglet, Rusty Blackbird, Slate-colored Junco, Tree Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow. It is expected that this spring census will continue as an annual feature. Considerable thanks are due to the many people who helped in making the observations and to Mr. and Mrs. M. L. Jones for making 42 IOWA BIRD LIFE — XIII, 1943 the original suggestion. Dr. F. L. R. Roberts of Spirit Lake has been appointed chairman of a committee (other members: Mrs. H. R. Beas- ley, C. C. Ayres) to prepare rules for next year’s census. If any par- ticipants or other members of the Union have suggestions, please write immediately to Dr. Roberts. Next year, instead of being confined to a single day, any one of three consecutive days, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, may be* used for the census. But, which week-end in May would you prefer? A description of the stations and the names of the observers follow: 1. AMES. Story Co. Iowa State College Arboretum, Little Wall Lake, etc. All day. Cloudy, light rain. Dr. and Mrs. G. 0. Hendrick- son, Mrs. F. L. Battell. 2. ATLANTIC. Cass Co. Fields, woods, small lake, wooded ceme- teries and park. 6:15-8:30, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Cloudy, intermittent showers. Wind north, 10 miles per hour. Don Bice, Alma Beckwith, A. A. Emigh, Charles Ruhr, leaders; Grace Barnard, Mrs. D. C. Bice, Mrs. A. A. Emigh, Mrs. Jacobsen, Glenn 0. Jones, G. Owen Jones, Charles Mallette, Mrs. Charles Ruhr, Joann Ruhr, Minnie Wilds. 3. CEDAR FALLS. Black Hawk Co. Goose Lake, Golinvaux Slough, Cedar River (Washington Union Bridge, Cedar River Park, Casebeer Heights), Cedar Heights, Bruhnsville, Waterloo, etc. 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Cloudy, occasional mist, one hour sunshine; light wind. Mrs. John M. Barlow, Martin L. Grant, leaders; J. M, Barlow. Frances Crouter, Mrs. Lola Deal, Eleanor Eifert, G. O. Faulkner, Myrtle Gaffin, Dorothy A FLIGHT OF WHITE PELICANS Although a fairly tegular migrant through Iowa, thi* species was reported from only iwo Stations in the bird census — -Ottumwa and Spirit Lake. Photograph by Walter W. Bennett, 1 eprinted from the Wilson Bulletin’, IOWA SPRING BIRD CENSUS 43 Grant, Salina Hantelmann, Mardell Holley, Mrs. Vernon Johnson, Lu- cile Laban, Mrs. Len Myers, Mrs. Russell Ru gg, Marilyn Stewart, Mrs. Warren Tay, Mrs. Vernon Ulrich, Leila Untiedt, Wanda Wilharm, Katharine Young; The Cedar Falls and Waterloo Audubon Clubs. 4. CEDAR RAPIDS. Linn Co. Open woods along Cedar River. 8- 12 a.m., 1-3:30 p.m. Cloudy, with a light shower; light east wind. Lillian Serbousek, Myra Willis, leaders; Miriam Confare, Esther Copp, Lavina Dragoo, Margaret Lahr, Ruth Purdy, Emily Steffen, Iola Tilla- paugh, Dr. and Mrs. P. P. Laude. 5. DES MOINES. Polk Co. Beaver Creek; Brenton Slough; Crocker, Waukonsa, Brown's, and Denman Woods; Greenwood and Walnut Parks; Elbert's Farm; Des Moines River. 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.nv > Cloudy, intermittent rain; no wind. Mrs. H. R. Peasley, chairman; Mr. and Mrs. Albert Berkowitz, Mr. and Mrs. Noah Blosser, Joe Brown, Mrs. W. G. DuMont, Mrs. E. C. Gesell, Mrs. Mabel Good, Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Johnson, Ruth Leopold, Olivia McCabe. Jack Musgrove, Mrs. J. W. O’Brien, Loretta Pease, H. R. Peasley, Elizabeth Peck, Estella Reynolds, Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Smith, Irene Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Stiles, Jimmy Stiles, Irene Ulius, Mrs. Toni Wendelburg. 6. DUBUQUE. Dubuque Co. Durango Woods, Sageville marshes, Linwood Cemetery. 7:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m. Sunny until 9, cloudy there- after; no wind. Mrs. R. W. Johnson, leader; Mr, and Mrs. J. Dockal, Henry Herrmann, R< W. Johnson, David Reed, Mr. and Mrs, R. Rueg- nitz, Ival Schuster, Mary Young. 7. FAIRFIELD. Jefferson Co. City, Old Settler's Park, Waterworks Pond. 6:45-10:45 a.m. Cloudy with showers and haze. J. W. Dole, leader; Ila Glotfelty, Faye Lawson. 8. GIARD. Clayton and Allamakee Cos. Along river road to Harpers Ferry, including McGregor, Military Trail monument, Yellow River, TYaukon Junction cliffs and woods, Mississippi River flood plains and wooded bluffs, open fields. S a.m. -4 p.m. Lightly cloudy; no wind. F. J. Pierce, O. P. Allert, J. H. Ennis, Harold Rector, Harry E. Rector. 9. OTTUMWA. Wapello and Davis Cos. Hamilton and Memorial Parks, Community Gardens, Lake Wapello. 6-11:30 a.m., 2:30-6:30 p.m. Cloudy, rainy. C. C. Ayres, W. W. Aitken, leaders; Mrs. Glen Blome, Marietta Eighme, Mrs. Jay Heffelfinger, Bernard and Robert ,Merriam, Maud Norris, Pearle Walker. 10. SIGOURNEY. Keokuk Co, Legion Park creek and ravines. 10 a.m. -3 p.m. Cloudy, with mist. Mrs. W. C. De Long, Richard De Long. 11. SIOUX CITY. Woodbury Co. Parks (War Eagle Monument, Stone, Logan, Memorial Cemetery, and Grandview), Lakes (Brown's, New. and Brower's), Big Sioux River, woods, ravines, marshes, and residential areas. 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Cloudy with some rain in a.m., clear in p.m. ; wind light. Mrs. Mamie Brown, Mrs. Doris Cory, Eugene Cutter, R. D. Hissong, Mrs. Adaline Lambert, T. C. Stephens, W. W. Trusell, Carl Wellhausen, leaders; Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Armour, Don Bushar, Gertrude Danielson, Karl Kuhlmann, H. T. Lambert, Bobby, Howard, Jimmie, and Mary Lambert, Zell Lee, James and Mary Moser, Ruth Sampson, Harriet Waechter, Bertha Wellhausen, Mayme Yahr. 12. SPIRIT LAKE. Dickinson Co. Spirit Lake (town and lake), and four small lakes to west. 6-11 a.m., 1-5:30 p.m. Windy. Drs. F. L. R. and Mary Roberts. 13. TAMA, Tama Co. Within 4-mile radius of Tama, along Iowa River, also reservoir, woodlands, farms, and large ponds. Cloudy, occasional light rain, Mr. and Mrs. W. G, MacMartin. 14. WAUBONSIE STATE PARK. Fremont Co. Loess bluffs, Mis- souri bottomlands, and Nishnabotna River. 6:30 a.m.-7 ;30 p.m. Cloudy, heavy rain and showers all day; light wind. Mr. and Mrs. M. L. Jones, TABLE I. 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K y- aj StSSSSS£S8?SSSSKSE:5?fSS$SSS£88§S§a3SSS2 REVISION OF CHECK LIST 49 REVISION OF THE DAILY FIELD CHECKING LIST By MARTIN L. GRANT Iowa State Teachers College CEDAR FALLS, IOWA A new edition of the Union's “Daily Field Checking List” of Iowa birds has been printed, and is available from the Secretary at Ic a copy, 25 for 20c, 100 for 75c. A copy is enclosed with this issue of ‘Iowa Bird Life'. The list includes the names of 274 true species of birds (not in- cluding additional subspecific forms), out of the total of 340 which have been reliably reported from the state of Iowa. All species have been included which have been reported in the literature five times or more within the last 20 years, through 1942. The 56 species which have been omitted represent rarities, accidental visitors, and extinct forms, but their names, if they are observed, may be added in the space left at the end of the list. The common names and the sequence follow the 4th edition (1931) of the American Ornithologists' Union ‘Check-List'. In general, the full subspecies name is given. However, if two or more subspecies of a given species occur in the state, and one of them is more abundant than the others, only the common name of the more prevalent form is cited. If the subspecies are fairly equal in abundance, or if ad- equate information regarding this point is not available, then the group name of the species is used. In only one instance have two forms of the same species been separately listed, namely the White-crowned and Gambel’s Sparrows. If more than one subspecies of a given species is known from Iowa, the total number of subspecies recorded is listed in parentheses after the name. This will call attention to those species in which considerable variation may be expected, and considering which further information is desired. It happens that there are 27 such species, 21 of which have two subspecies, 5 have 3, and I has 4 (the Red-tailed Hawk). j A comparison with the previous edition of the check-list reveals the following changes: !■ Space has been provided on the cover for additional information: Time, Distance, Weather, Wind, Temperature, and Number of Spe- cies Seen. 2. To save space, subspecies names that refer to direction have been abbreviated. 3. For ease in counting, each species name has been kept on a single line. 4. Nineteen species have been added to the list, as having been re- ported with sufficient frequency in recent years to justify the ac- tion; Western Grebe, American Egret, Little Blue Heron, Whistling Swan, Surf Scoter, Prairie Falcon, European Partridge, Yellow Rail, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Avocet, Caspian Tern, Rock Dove, Northern Pileated Woodpecker, American Magpie, White-eyed Vireo, Worm-eating Warbler, Sycamore Warbler, Kentucky Warb- ler, and Western Blue Grosbeak. In addition, the term: “Ducks, unidentified'’ has been added at the head of that family. 5. Six species have been dropped from the list, for which not over five records have been located for the past 20 vears: Old-squaw, Long-billed Curlew, Canadian Pine Grosbeak, White-winged Cross- bill, McCown's Longspur, and Chestnut-collared Longspur. For Me Gown’s Longspur, the most recent record seems to be over 40 years ago. C. Thirteen names have been changed slightly to conform with the A.CbU. 'Check-List'. 50 IOWA BIRD LIFE— XIII, 1943 7. Full subspecies names have been added for eight species, 8. Three subspecies names have been omitted, since another form of the same species is more abundant, 9. Three typographical errors have been corrected. THE TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING The twenty-first annual meeting of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union was a one-day session held Sunday, May 16, 1943. at the Montrose Hotel, Cedai' Rapids, Iowa. Three field trips starting from the hotel at 6 a. m. opened the day’s activities. The sky was overcast (over 2 inches of rain had fallen the day before), a strong west wind was blowing, and temperature was 47° F. at the start. Gasoline rationing limited the length of the trips, two being within the city limits, and the third was about three miles from the hotel. The combined groups observed a total of 111 species (the list is not published this year in lOrder to save space for the state-wide bird census of May 9), Luncheon was served at the hotel at 12:30 p. m. ( after which Dr. Martin L. Grant, President, opened the business meeting. He called on Dr. Warren N. Keck, President of the Cedar Rapids Bird Club, who welcomed the members. Dr. Grant spoke of the irregularities of cus- tomary procedure in appointing committees, particularly the Nominat- ing Committee, which was occasioned by the shortened meeting. Miss Esther Copp moved the present officers serve another year, which mo- tion was seconded; all officers thus were reelected. At this time a composite list of the species observed on the morning field trips was compiled. The distinction between Pigeons and Rock Doves, the latter one of which is included in the new check-list of the Union, was dis- cussed. The President presented the new Constitution, a copy of which had been sent to the officers and the Executive Council for final approval. The Constitution was adopted after a few T alterations in the wording had been made. It is to be published in Towa Bird Life’ as soon as there is opportunity. Dr. Keck, Librarian, made a report of his work along various lines. He presented the Union with a copy of an author and subject “Bibliography of Water, Shore, and Game Birds of Iowa” issued by the Iowa Conservation Commission, Dr, Keck stated that he is preparing a bibliography of articles on ornithology written since 1940 by our members. Members are urged to keep the Librarian in- formed in regard to the publication of their bird material. The 1944 annual convention was discussed but no definite action was taken. President Grant gave a short report on the results of the May 9 bird census. A committee was apnointed to formulate a set of rules for use in making censuses. Dr. F. L. R. Roberts is Chairman, with Charles C, A' res, Jr., and Mrs. Harold R. Peasley serving with him. It was suggested that the Librarian prepare a summary of the censuses in suitable form for preservation. The names of 15 members who are serving in the armed forces (there are now 18 or more) were read. Dues of members in the service are waived for the duration. The Treasurer’s report was read, and the President extended to the Cedar Rapids Bird Club the appre- ciation of the members of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union for the mid- morning lunch, transportation on the field trips, and for the work en- tailed in preparing for the convention. At 5 p. m. the meetig was adjourned, and our first war-time convention came to a close.— Lillian Serbousek, Secv.-Treas, Attendance Register. — AMES, Dr. and Mrs. G. 0. Hendrickson, Mar- garet Murley; CEDAR FALLS, Eleanor Eifert, Dr. and Mrs. M. L. GENERAL NOTES 51 Grant; CEDAR RAPIDS, Miriam Confare, C. Esther Copp, Lavina Dragoo, Glen M. Hathorn, Verona Hayette, Isabelle Hoyman, Dr. W. N. Keck, Margaret Lahr, Mr. and Mrs. Ross Lund, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Petranek, Ruth Purdy, Lillian Serbousek, Emily Steffen, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Steffen, Iola Tillapaugh, M\ra G, Willis; DES MOINES, Albert C. Berkowitz, Mrs. H. R. Peasley, Bruce F. Stiles; IOWA CITY, Mrs. Theodore Jahn, Dr, and Mrs. P. P. Laude; MARION, H. C. Davis; OTTUMWA, C. C. Ayres, Jr., Marietta Eighme, Pearl e C- Walker; SPIRIT LAKE, Dr. and Mrs. F. L. R. Roberts; WATERLOO, Hilda E. Miller; WAVERLY, Wanda Wilharm, Total registered, 39. GENERAL NOTES Nesting of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. — On May 3, 1942, I was walking through the ravine south of Legion Park at Sigourney, Iowa, when I heard the calls and song of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. There were two birds and soon I discovered their nest, which was in the process of making. The nest was placed on a horizontal limb of an elm, about 15 feet from the ground. It resembled a knot on the limb, and had it not been for the noisy birds, 1 would never have found it. I watched them build it. Both male and female labored at the task. They paid no attention to me. One bird would bring nesting material, hop into the nest, turn around and around, then work on the outside with his bill. The other would be waiting patiently with more nesting material, and as soon as her mate hopped off, she hopped in and re- peated the performance. Then they chattered and flew away, but were soon back. On May 4 and 7, they were still building the nest, but on May 8 it looked as though it were completed. The leaves of the elm tree were badly eaten by worms and the nest was not protected from the sun. May 16, the female was incubating. The last time I observed the nest was on May 24; this time the male was on the nest and he was singing. He got off the nest, gave a warble, ate some of the worms dangling above, then returned to the nest. It was a beautiful little nest when completed. It was perfectly cup-shaped and from the ground looked as though it were covered with lichens and held on by spider webs. Wood ticks were so thick and the grass was so tall that I didn’t go back to the nest after May 24. On May 3, 1941, I saw the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Washington County, Iowa. We were fishing along a creek, and a pair of the birds were building their nest near by that dav. I didn’t visit the place again, so made no further observations, — MRS. W. C. DeLONG, Sig- ourney, Iowa. Correction.- — In the bird census report from Keosauqua, in the March, 1943, issue of ‘Iowa Bird Life’ (p. 10), a record of three Pigeon Hawks is given. This should have been three Sparrow Hawks— an error caused by sending in the list on a check-list card with check mark opposite the Pigeon Hawk instead of Sparrow Hawk. Shufeldt's Junco in Fremont County. — Through an error on the part of the Editor in transcribing copy for ‘Iowa Bird Life 1 from a letter, my record of the Shufeldt’s Junco w r as incorrect in the March, 1943, issue of the magazine. In my article, ‘Winter Records in the Wau- bonsie State Park Area’ (p. 14), this record was printed: . . Shu- feldt’s Junco (30), Dee. 12.” This should have read: “Shufeld+’s Junco, Dec. 12 and 30.” The record as printed conveys the thought that a flock of 30 of these birds was seen, while the fact is I have never seen more than two or three at a time. The identification of Shufeldt’s Junco, while lacking a collected specimen, is entirely satisfactory to me. Careful study of colored plates of this species has been made, and the birds seen have been IOWA BIRD LIFE— XIII, 1943 52 carefully compared. I trapped the bird during the course of my banding operations and had the advantage of a very close inspection of plumage. In addition, I photographed (in Kodachrome) a specimen of Shufeldt's beside a male Slate-colored Junco, thus obtaining a record in natural color. There were no markings or colorations that even suggested the Pink-Sided Junco. The Shufeldt’s Junco is re- ported as a regular migrant in eastern Nebraska. My region is just across the river from ‘‘eastern Nebraska” and probably should be in- cluded in the geographic range of this species.- — MYRLE L, JONES, Hamburg, Iowa. Shufeldt’s Junco at Des Moines. — On March 20, 1943, I saw a Shu- feldt’s Junco in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. It was at a bird- feeder just a short distance outside the window, and I had ample opportunity to observe it closely for more than half an hour. On April 18, 1943, I saw two Shufeldt’s Juncos in what is known as Crocker Woods within the city limits of Des Moines. F. W. Haecker, editor of ‘Nebraska Bird Review’, reports in that magazine (Vol. 10, No. 2, p. 55) having seen several on Christmas Day, 1942 (in Omaha). Myrle L. Jones reported (‘Iowa Bird Life,’ March, 1943, p. 14) the bird in Fremont County, Iowa. Harold May- field of Toledo, Ohio, in ‘Audubon Magazine’, Section 2. March-April, 1943, wrote as follows: “Observers in the midwest are reminded once more that juncos should be watched closely for western forms. At Oxford, Ohio, two Oregon Juncos (subsp?) were found January 7 to 25 (Mattox, Hefner), and one at Toledo, December 6 (Campbell).” In the same issue of ‘Audubon Magazine’, J. W. Cunningham and Russell Spotswood of Kansas Cit , Missouri, wrote: “Juncos with brownish backs and pinkish sides, occasionally seen in flocks of Slate- colored Juncos, have been tentatively identified as Shufeldt’s. Juncos in this plumage have been observed this year at Sullivan (Moore), North Kansas City (Fay), and Quivera Lake (Hedges). Shufeldt’s Junco is considered casual in Missouri.” DuMont places Shufeldt’s Junco on the hypothetical list in Iowa, stating that it is reported as a regular migrant in eastern Nebraska with several records from Omaha. W. E. Fraeger collected one on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River across from Keokuk on De- cember 16, 1892. It was identified at the American Museum of Natural History as shufeldti. Bird students should be on the lookout for this western form, and we should have an Iowa specimen. — BRUCE F. STILES, State Con- servation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. LOCAL BIRD CLUBS IN IOWA Appreciation of the work of the Dubuque Bird Club was expressed by one of our readers in the following comment: “I enjoyed the article in the December, 1942, issue on ‘Warblers of the Dubuque Region’. I w : sh more bird clubs would send in records of different birds. That article was worth the price of the subscription to me.” DES MOINES.— The printed program folder of the Des Moines Audubon Society gives much interesting information. The monthly meetings have had lectures by prominent conservationists, furnishing entertainment and inspiration for the good-sized groups atteding. On September 29, 1942, the Society enjoyed a picnic supper at the Bird- land shelter house, after which Mrs. Janet Carr of Iowa State College spoke on “Opening Our Eyes with the Birds”. At the October 30, 1942, meeting Charles A. Harwell, California representative of the National Audubon Society, lectured on “Wildlife Conservation in Cali- fornia”, w : th accompanving slides and motion pictures in color. At the November meeting James R. Harlan, Iowa Conservation Co mm is- LOCAL BIRD CLUBS IN IOWA sion, spoke on “Our Game Birds/’ On December 15 the Society en- joyed a Christmas party at the home of Mrs. Toni Wendelburg. At the January, 1943, meeting Mrs. Kate LaMar Blosser, former Secy.- Treas. of Iowa Ornithologists’ Union, discussed recent books on con- servation. Miss Margaret Black, of Drake University, spoke on “Our Song Birds — Their Aesthetic and Economic Value" at the February meeting, while F, T. Schwob, Iowa Conservation Commission, described “Our Migratory Waterfowl” at the March meeting. Officers of the Des Moines Society are: Dr. L. S. Ross, Honorary Pres.; Miss Irene M. Smith, Pres.; Dwight Smith, Vice-Pres,; Miss Helen Cromwell, Secy.; Miss Anne Farquharson, Treas. A very worthwhile project of the Des Moines Audubon Society was the leasing this year of a three-acre wooded tract between School and Center streets within the city. The lease covers a ten-year period and the tract has been turned into a bird sanctuary. From 65 to 80 species of birds may be seen there during the year, in the seclusion offered by a heavy growth of oaks, hickories, elms and walnuts. Placing the tract under the Society’s supervision is a long step toward halting the destruction of birds and wild flowers and eventually restoring it to an entirely natural state. FAIRFIELD. — We have not had a recent report from the Fairfield Bird Club. Mr. Dole wrote in February that, due to the severe winder weather, not many of their members had made winter bird trips. He said that the Club holds monthlv meetings with fair attendance. The officers are: Mrs. E. C. Bock, Pres,; Mrs. J R. Jenness, Vice-Pres.; Miss Faye Lawson, Secy. -Treas. OTTUMWA. — Am organization meeting of the Ottumwa Bird Club was held February 4, 1943. Slides and colored motion pictures fur- nished by Jack Musgrove of the State Historical Society were exhibited, and 35 people attended. At the next meeting one month later the very excellent motion pictures, “Haunts of the Hunted", furnished by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were shown. These were greatly enjoyed by a group of 45 people. At this meeting a constitu- tion was adopted, and the following officers were elected: Chas. C. Ayres, Jr., Pres.; Miss Catherine Vinton, Vice-Pres.; Mrs, Evon Wal- ker. Secy.-Treas. The meeting on April 1st was very well attended, and the program included Walter Baker's discussion on identification characteristics of birds, with Charles Ayres giving thumb-nail sketches of the birds which would likely be seen between that meeting and the next, An old-time reflecting machine was used and pictures were projected through a screen toward the audience. It was surprising how many birds the members were abl^ to identify immediately. There have been numerous requests to have the program repeated. The Ottumwa librarian reports that more bird books are being drawn from the public library this year than at any time since at least as far back as 1927. The Ottumwa club is well on its way in doing good.- C. C. A. SIOUX CITY, — The latest issue of ‘The Dickcissel’, official mimeo- graphed publication of the Sioux City Bird Club, gives much informa- tion about the activities of the Club. The officers are: Miss Zell C. Lee, Pres.; B. 0. C. Nelson, Vice-Pres.; Carl Wellhausen, Secy.; R. d! Hissong, Treas. The Club celebrates its 30th anniversary this summer. It was organized in 1913, with a charter membership of 25; eight of these charter members are still with the organization. The present membership is 74. The report of the fall and winter meetings shows a well-planned and enjoyale schedule. On October 20, 1942, 25 members held a “pot luck” picnic meeting at Stone Park, Free coffee was supplied b the Club, After supper a large campfire was built and the members 54 IOWA BIRD LIFE — XIII, 1943 gathered around it for a discussion of future plans. On November 2, Charles A* Harwell, representative of the National Audubon Society and former park naturalist at Yosemite National Park, was guest speaker at an open meeting of the Sioux City Bird Club. More than 200 people attended the lecture. Mr. Harwell spoke before 1800 stu- dents of Central High School that morning. His lectures on wildlife conservation were augmented by slides and motion pictures. A meet- ing of the Club was held in the home of Dr. and Mrs. J. L, Schott on the evening of December 27 ; another meeting was held at the home of Carl Wellhausen on January 31. R. D. Hissong showed moving pic- tures on "Birds of Prey” at this time. The February 21 meeting in- cluded a buffet supper followed by an interesting "quizz” program which caused the members to brush up on their bird information. The 29th annual dinner of the Club was held March 22, in the ballroom of the Jackson Hotel. Bruce F. Stiles, a past president of the Club and now Chief of the Fish and Game Dept, of the State Conservation Commission, was the speaker of the evening and brought a very timely message, which described conservation work in Iowa, At this meet- ing 77 persons were present. On March 28 the Club held its annual field trip to see the ducks and geese in migration — a trip that proved to be highly successful from all angles. WATERLOO. — The Waterloo Audubon Club was organized in the fall of 1939 and has a current membership of about 20, The officers ( (as of February 15) are: Mrs. John M, Barlow, Pres.; Mrs. Len Myers, Vice-Pres. ; Miss Wanda Wilharm, Secy,; Miss Lola Barnhart, Treas. ; Miss Carrie Neidy, Librarian. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from September to June, but are not continued through the summer months because many of the members are teachers and are out of the city. Last July an extra meeting was held when there was opportunity to hear a missionary from Burma, who was a bird lover, tell many interesting things about bird life in that country. The Cedar Falls Audubon Club members were guests at that meeting. Members have organized several junior Audubon clubs in the Waterloo schools, and much very worthwhile educational work has resulted. A mimeographed program booklet issued by the Waterloo Audubon Club contains an outline of the activities of the 1942-43 season, names the various committees, and gives other information. We note that at the October, 1942, meeting Dr. J. Jensen showed a series of Rocky Mountain pictures. Each month a field trip is scheduled, and there is an indoor meeting as well, at each one of which there is a recreational feature and a report on a current bird article of interest. Recreational features have included moving pictures, talks on bird sanctuaries and reserves in the United States, and descriptions of birds of foreign countries. RECENT BIRD BOOKS THE DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS OF NORTH AMERICA, by Fiances H. Kortwright, illustrated by T. M. Shortt (American Wildlife Institute, Investment Bldg., Washington, D. C. t 1942; cloth, pp, i-viii + 1-476, with 57 figures, 57 maps, 150 vignettes, 36 full-page color plates; price, $4.50). A rade mecttm (constant companion) for the naturalist and soortsman which you may enjoy for years. The author states at the outset he is not an ornithologist and disclaims supplying any original contribu- tion. But only a good ornithologist could select materials so well as Mr. Kortwright has and his fine presentation is an excellent exoression of originalitv. Frederick C. Lincoln and Ira N. Gabrielson, of the U. S. Fish and WTdlife Service, contributed chapters on Migration Routes and Flvwavs and Banding Waterfowl, and Conservation of Waterfowl, respectively. The author acknowledges assistance from some 40 tech- ! RECENT BIRD BOOKS nically trained fellow Canadians and citizens of the United States. An extensive bibliography is listed* The short index refers chiefly to the various forms of waterfowl. Figures on duck topography, a glossary of terms, and details of classification appear at the front of the book. There follows general discussion on sex and age determination, mating and nesting habits, feeding habits, longevity records, speed of flight, hybridism, western duck sickness, and lead poisoning. Weights and measurements are listed in a separate chapter just ahead of the color plates. Each of 61 forms of waterfowl found in North America is treated in detail according to the following outline: common name; scientific name, with pronunciation markings; meanings of scientific name; col- loquial names; description of adult sexes in all plumages and of juvenile; specimen identification; field marks, as seen on the water and in flight and usually illustrated with black and white drawings, and voice de- scription; a life story of 1-8 pages; a map of main breeding and winter ranges; and where helpful, line figures on structural characteristics to help in recognition. The color plates show autumn and winter plumages; and sex, eclipse, and juvenile plumages when appropriate. Occasional inserts in the color plates of wings, feet, bills and feathers are very helpful. Four color plates of downy young and one of hybrids are extremely useful to waterfowl technicians. In the life story of Ross's Goose, whose nesting territory was not discovered until June, 1940, very fair consideration is given to the reports of Charles E. Gillham, of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a former student at Iowa State College in recent years, who first located the region, approximately, in which the first nest was seen by officials of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The life story of the Blue- winged Teal quotes freely and accurately from ‘The Blue-winged Teal, Its Ecology and Management’, by Logan J. Bennett. These two cita- tions are so well done that, although the reviewer has not had time to check all statements in the book, he feels that all the material is reliable and clearly presented.— George 0. Hendrickson. * * * $ * WILDLIFE REFUGES, by Ira N. Gabrielson (Macmillan Co., New York, 1943; doth, pp. i-xiii + 1-257, with 32 halftone pis. & 17 figs.; price, $4). Dr. Gabrielson has had a very prominent hand in the development of the refuge system in the United States. He is famed for his wild- life work, and it is perhaps a significant fact that his rise in the Fish and Wildlife Service has run concurrently with the evolution of that agency from a small governmental bureau into a powerful force in wildlife conservation. He was born at Sioux Rapids, Iowa, in 1889; graduated from Morningside College, Sioux City , in 1912; joined the personnel of the old Bureau of Biological Survey in 1915. After gain- ing wide experience in economic and conservation work, he rose to the top position of Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. He now supervises its far-flung activities in every state of the Union, in Alaska and our territorial possessions, and in the inland waters and oceans which surround the United States. In an informative and colorful style Dr, Gabrielson writes of the broad refuge system. The opening chapter gives the history of the refuge movement. Pioneer conservationists who witnessed the de- struction of Klamath and Malheur Lakes in the west, Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin, the Souris River Bottoms of North Dakota, and many others, began the long fight for the preservation of such desirable areas. Public sentiment for wildlife and a proper understanding of its needs constituted an enormous problem; but adequate support was finally obtained, with the result that at the present time we have, in- cluding Alaska, over 17 million acres in national wildlife refuges.' IOWA BIRD LIFE— XIII, 1943 56 The book describes the different types of refuges, which the Fish and Wildlife Service has classified into these four groups: Special Purpose refuge for colonial non-game birds, Big Game refuge, Migra- tory Waterfowl, and General Wildlife refuges. Refuges in all parts of the United States are described quite fully. Anyone interested in a particular refuge will find it listed in the book, with information as to its land and water features and the principal types of game animals and birds found there. From the extensive wintering grounds for waterfowl along the Gulf Coast to the far-away Aleutian Islands, the national refuges offer protection for all varieties of American wild birds and animals. Bird students will find the chapter on the great bird colonies of Alaska of especial interest, as well as the descriptions of the concentrations of migratory waterfowl; items of bird-lore are scattered through many other pages. The plates are excellent, de- picting refuge scenes and various animals and birds. It is a very comprehensive reference book — one that will receive much use after the war when the public will resume vacation traveling and the refuges will be visited. Dr. Gabrielson has given us a vivid account of our refuge system, which from a very meager beginning has grown into the greatest wildlife restoration program in the world. — F. J. P. MEMBERSHIP NEWS Dr, J. H. Ennis, of Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, attended the annual “Chicagoland Bird-banding Conference”, held at the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Chicago, March 20. He reports a very interesting pro- gram, with two of our members appearing on it. Philip A. DuMont spoke on the banding of Franklin’s Gulls, and Wesley F. Kubichek presented “Haunts for the Hunted”, a series of colored moving pic- tures. Both men are employed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From 75 to 125 people attended the sessions, but Dr. Ennis was the only one registered from Iowa. He says: “Bird-banding work is con- tinuing, but at a reduced speed. The shortage of aluminum for bands, the entry of banders into the armed services, and transportation diffi- culties make banding on the old scale impossible.” THANKS TO WILSON CLUB. We are grateful to the Wilson Ornithological Club, and particularly to Dr. T. C, Stephens, its former editor, for a consignment of halftone cuts which were formerly used in the 'Wilson Bulletin’. Dr. Stephens turned in for scrap metal the cuts which were used in this magazine while he was editor. Before this was done, however, he invited the Editor of ‘Iowa Bird Life’ to pick out those that had some relation to Iowa ornithology and might nrove useful in the future. Thus, thanks to the generosity of the Wilson Club and the trouble to which Dr. Stephens was put in sorting them, we have a number of fine halftones which will be used on ap- propriate occasions in the future. The will of the late Althea R. Sherman is an interesting document of 2.300 words, written in 1926. One provision is “that the old Sher- man homestead together with the ‘mill-lot’ be kept in a condition at- tractive to birds much as it has been during my lifetime; that the House Wren be not allowed to breed there, nor the Screech Owl, nor other conditions allowed that will unfit it to be a bird sanctuary.” An estimated $25,000 is bequeathed Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, with the provision that a chair be endowed in the zoology dept,, “to be occupied by a professor who shall each year give some special in- struction in the study of birds.” Miss Sherman also provided for the publication of a book manuscript entitled *The Birds of Our Doorvardh which remained unfinished at the time of her death. According to a press release from McGregor, Iowa, Miss Sherman’s estate is valued at $75,000. The same source states that the estate of her sister, Dr. Amelia Sherman, who died in 1940, was valued at $130,000