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IOWA BIRD LIFE

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY EY THE

[OWA ORNITHOLOGISTS 1 UNION

VOL. XV

JUNE, 1945

NO. 2

OFFICERS OF THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION

President — Dr. J. Harold Ennis, Mt, Vernon, Iowa
Vice-President — Charles C. Ayres, Jr., Ottumwa, 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:

Dr. Robert F. Vane, Iowa City, Iowa
Mrs. Janet DuMont, Des Moines, Iowa
Miss Margaret Dorweiler, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Tiit! Town Ornithologists’ Union was organized at Ames, Iowa, February 28.
1923, for the study and protection of native birds and to promote fraternal re-
lations among Iowa bird students.

The central design of the Union’s official seal is the Eastern Goldfinch, designated
State Bird of Iowa in 1933.

Publications of the Union: Mimeographed letters, 1923-1928; The Bulletin,’

1929-1930; Iowa Bird Life,’ beginning 1931.

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SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $1.00 a year {includes membership
j dues). Single copies 25c each. Claims for missing or defective
I copies of the magazine should be made within six months of date
I of issue. Keep the Editor informed of your correct address.

i — —

EDITORIAL AND PUBLICATION OFFICE
j WINTHROP, IOWA

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Entered as second-class matter February 9, 1932, at the post office at Winthrop, Iowa,
under the Act of March 3. 1879.

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IOWA BIRD LIFE— XV, 1945

BIRDS AT MY STUDIO YQNDOW

By EARNEST W. STEFFEN
CE DAK RAPIDS. IOWA
(With illustrations by the author)

In writing or talking about birds, I am always impelled to emphasize
the pleasure derived from bird observation and the birds’ place in the
conservation picture. Though much that is written about birds is a
repetition of what has previously been related, here is a phase of bird
study that will bear considerable repeating. Much may be gained by
new statements of old facts.

Because 1 do paint bird pictures, we have designed our house with
the idea distinctly in mind of attracting the birds in order that we may
better observe them. The house is L-shaped with my studio window
looking into the space formed by the L. Here are trees, shrubs, low
evergreens, flowering plants, ferns, a feeder, and a pool. All these
things attract the birds, and I am given the pleasure of close and care-
ful observation.

The observation of these birds— their color, their pose, and their ac-
tivity — -has been very interesting and valuable to me. I have kept notes
concerning my observations, and the reading of these recently has led
to the present effort. I have in mind here a review of my experiences
with some of the birds that have come to my studio window. Of inter-
est, too, are the scientific names which for some time have intrigued me.

EASTERN CARDINAL — Eich mondena cardinal is cardinal i.sl
We always expect the Cardinal to visit the feeder. That is why we
keep sunflower seed there constantly. We long for the visit and, of
course, it will come. But the Cardinal, for us at least, has proved

rather unpredictable. He will announce
his presence with an oft repeated
“chick,” Then we wait expectantly.
What a thrill it is to see him come,
debonair and crested, and what a pic-
ture his red coat makes against the
white snow!

Once we cultivated the acquaintance
of a male Cardinal to the extent that
he would alight at our feet when food
was brought outdoors, or he would call
at the window when he was hungry.
Once he perched himself on a sumac
limb as near as he could get to our
dining-room window and actually sang
for his supper. Tommy Tucker had
nothing on him. When fed he was
perfectly satisfied and went away
happy. We accomplished this by giv-
ing him special attention such as bring-
ing out sunflower seed whenever he
announced his presence. He liked this
special attention, for the Cardinal is
a perfect gentleman and does not like
to compete with other birds.

It was this same Cardinal who later
in the spring brought his more de-
CARDINAL murely colored mate to the feeding

lRiehniondena — This name is h Latinized version of the word Richmond It has been
attached to the Cardinal in order to honor Charles W. Richmond, a noted American
ornithologist,

Cardinalis refers to the bright red robes worn by those who occupy the office of cardinal

BIRDS AT MY STUDIO WINDOW

station and tried to interest her in a certain evergreen near the house.
But she couldn't see eye to eye with him and in a few days they dis-
appeared, We didn't see them again until late in August. He returned
then with his whole family. Proud he was though in appearance some-
what worn and harried. We were so glad to see him again that we
scarcely noticed the family, but when we did it was Avith a sobering
shock. The family consisted of one young Cardinal and two Cowbirds.
The mother devoted her attention exclusively to the young Cardinal
while the father was kept busy caring for the two over-grown, ever-
hungry Cowbirds,

1 remember when this Cardinal came one cold winter day, when the
temperature had gone down to 26 degrees below zero. He sat in the
shelter of the house on a branch of a young elm tree with his feathers
fluffed around the limb where his feet were. He never moved from the
location all day except to go to the feeder occasionally to get food.
However he was not long with us. Later we noted that he no longer
came to claim sunflower seed. One of the many enemies of wild animals
had, no doubt, visited calamity upon our fair friend. Perhaps a cat got
him (there are plenty— too many— in the neighborhood) or perhaps
he experienced one of the other tragedies that overtake birds.

MYRTLE WARBLER — - Dendroica coronata‘2

Although Myrtle Warblers are usually plentiful during migration, I
never fail to become highly interested in these beautiful and sprightly
little members of the bird world. They
are the first of the warblers to appear
from their winter range and the last to
come along in the fall on their return
trip. They come often to the area hear
my studio window and seem to be es-
pecially interested in the spiders that
have located in the corners and under
the eaves. Last fall I heard a vigorous
thump on my window and looked up in
time to see a Myrtle fluttering in a
dazed and desperate manner until he
reached the branch of a small spruce
near by. There he sat with eyes closed
for about five minutes before be re-
covered and resumed active duty. In
his enthusiasm to catch spiders or in-
sects he had neglected to observe that
his world ended at the window-pane and
did not continue through and beyond.

This little nook is very attractive to the
Myrtles. They drink at the pool, sally
after insects that are, no doubt, attracted by the warmer temperature
of the protected area, and enjoy themselves no end.

In the spring they seem to be partial to the hawthorn and the wild
crab, which are not far away. The lower branches of a river birch
attracts them also. Here they move about rapidly in pursuit of food,
with tail spread and wings drooping, or fluttering in flight. At intervals
they fly out in the manner of a flycatcher to deftly capture an insect.
They are doing their full share in the control of insects.

2 Dendroid a is a combination of two ftreek words, the first, "dendro.” meaning tree,
and the second, l ’neeium," meaning house. Tim probably refers to the habit of making
the trees its home.

Coronata is a Latin word meaning crown. This, no doubt, refers to the yellow patch
on the top of the head.

MYRTLE WARBLER

24

IOWA BIRD LIFE — XV, 1945

OVEN-BIR D — £ ci unts mirocapillu$3

One morning while preparing for breakfast, we heard a thump on
the studio window.

“What was that?’ 5

“I don't know. It sounded as though something hit the window."

“It’s some kind of little bird."

Upon looking out of the window, we saw a bird lying on the ground.

5ved to be an Oven-bird which had been
stunned by flying against the window*
We put him in a box in the hope that
soon he would regain consciousness.
Long before I came home from work
he had recovered. That evening I got
out my paints and made corrections on
my Oven-bird painting. Every bird that
I see from my studio window yields me
a painting from life.

Next morning we turned him loose.
He was happy to leave us and he flew
away frantically. His alarm soon left
hint and he alighted in some bushes half
a block away and began hunting for
food. The following spring there was
an Oven-bird in the same area where
vve have ostrich fern, interrupted fern,
violets in abundance, aquilegia, daffo-
dils, rubvum and regal lilies, flanked by
two Russian sabinas and a Pfitzer's
juniper. This combination seems to be
attractive to many birds. We have often
wondered whether this last Oven-bird
was the same one that we had in the
house.

Oven-birds nest in Palisades-Kepler
State Park. We have seen the birds at
various times during the summer and
we have gotten close enough to their nests to have them show decided
alarm. However, we have never located a nest.

CANADA WARBLER— WUsonia canadensis*

Our warblers, the Wood Warblers, are distinctly an American family
of birds — a group of birds that we can claim as entirely our own. Dur-
ing the migration periods, particularly the spring period, when the
warblers proceed northward in wave after wave, we hold high hopes
each year of being able to get a view of one, at, least, of the rarer
migrants. The Canada Warbler is one of the rarer warblers, and one
that brings forth a burst of enthusiasm when observed.

Only one of these beautiful Canada Warblers has ever visited my
studio window. I was surprised and delighted one May morning to see
a warbler with much bright yellow on his under parts relieved by a
necklace of jet black pendants, like bits of onyx. He was leisurely
gathering insects from an elm branch not four feet from where I was
sitting. I was struck by his exquisite beauty. I grabbed the nearest

SSeiurus is a Latinized combination of two Greek wards meaning shake and tail. This
refers to their tail-waving habit.

Auroeapillus is a combination of two Latin words, anrutn and oapillus meaning, re-
spectively, gold and hair. This refers to the Oven-bird's orange crown.

-iWilsonia — -so named by Bonaparte in honor of Alexander Wilson, father of American
ornithology.

Canadensis — -a Latinized word referring t

e went out anti got it. it pn

.0 the Canadian life zone.

ELLISON ORE

paper and pencil and made a hurried
sketch with notes on color. From this
I later painted a picture.

This particular warbler was doing* the
lower branches and shrubs in his search
for food, and exhibiting flycatcher-like
traits in his method of catching insects
on the wing. I find that this pretty well
outlines the characteristics of the bird,
with perhaps a little more emphasis on
the flycatcher trait. They are bright,
energetic, optimistic, and cheerful, and,
of course, unusual in their beauty. They
migrate with other warblers and are on
their way north from as far south as
Peru.

The Canada Warbler is known in
Iowa only as a migrant. Its breeding
range is within the coniferous forest
region of Canada from southern Alberta
east to Newfoundland, extending as far
south as central Minnesota, and east
to central New York and southern New
England. Its food includes such items
as mosquitoes, moths, spiders and flies.

ELLISON ORE : NATURALIST, ARCHAEOLOGIST

CITIZEN

By CHARLES R. KEYES

Director, Iowa Archaeological Survey
MOUNT VERNON, IOWA

A man of erect figure, taller than average and broad of shoulder,
opened the door for me when I first met Ellison Orr in the summer of
1918. His serenity of face, bodily posture, controlled voice all sug-
gested a man who had thought much, experienced much, and lived
happily in his natural and social environment. “A very unusual person,”
I said to myself as he led me upstairs to his study. An acquaintance
of 27 years has revised this judgment only upward.

Surrounded by a select library, especially rich in the fields of geology,
ornithology, and archaeology, and by cabinets containing extensive
local collections of fossils and archaeological materials, a man of broad
scientific culture had clearly created for himself here a congenial en-
vironment. Little by little, as the years passed, I drew from him some
of the facts.

The geological collection in Mr, Orr’s study was made up of the
rocks, minerals and fossils found in the Waukon vicinity, Allamakee
County, where he had spent nearly all his life, and every one of the
thousands of specimens was neatly arranged and cataloged. The same
was true of the archaeological collection, one of the largest and finest
in Iowa, between four and five thousand items, most of these of a
culture that at the time was entirely new to me, a Siouan archaeology
from numerous sites on the Oneota, or Upper Iowa, a beautiful tribu-
tary of the Mississippi just south of the Minnesota line. Such series of
stone, bone, shell and copper implements and ornaments I had not ex-

IOWA BIRD LIFE — XV, 1945

26

pected to find in Iowa, and the presence of a number of entire pottery
vessels from the soil of my native state called for some further mental
adjustment. Better still, if possible, were the three thick volumes of
manuscript (ten as of 1945) filled with descriptive material, maps,
sketches, and photographs, both of the objects collected and of the
ancient village sites, the petroglyphs on the cliff walls of the Oneota

and the Mississippi, the
various types of mounds,
and the numerous enclo-
sures with their earthen
ramparts. Allamakee and
Clayton Counties had been
most thoroughly covered,
instrumental surveys had
been made, and these had
all been tied in with the
original surveys of the
Federal government. What
must have been the back-
ground of attainments
such as these?

Mr. On* is wholly an
Iowa product, born on
June 14, 1857, in a log
house near McGregor. His
father, James Orr, w T as of
Scoteh-Irish ancestry, born
near Londonderry, Ire-
land. “You see,’* Mr. Orr
told me, as he chuckled
just a little, “the Lowland
Scotch and the English
quarreled a lot, and rather
frequently the Scotch
'lifted* cattle off the Eng-
lish; since my mother,
Margaret Ellison, al-
though born in central
New York, had quite the
same ancestry as my
father, I am derived on
both sides from the Scotch
'cattle lifters.’ The word
Irish in the compound
Scotch-Irish is due, you
know, to the fact that
Cromwell, in order to
have peace on the border,
ELLISON ORR ix 1939 transported the offending

Scotch to North Ireland.”
With their first-born son, the Orrs soon moved westward again, this
time a short distance only, to another log-house home on a farm a mile
and a half northeast of Postville in Allamakee. The life of the son
Ellison was destined to revolve about this home for more than 40 years.
He attended country school for five years, then entered the Postville
schools where he received the equivalent of a high school education.
He taught country school for several terms and put in three years as
teacher of the seventh and eighth grades in Postville; between times
he farmed the original 80 acres of the Orr farm, which had come to
him in part by inheritance and in part by purchase. On November 2,
1881, he married Mary Belle Makepeace, daughter of an Indiana family

ELLISON ORR

27

who had settled near Postville. A happy home life, with three sons and
a daughter, lasted until 1915 with the passing of the wife and mother.
Farming had alternated with several other activities before his per-
manent removal to Waukon in 1904: three years as assistant cashier
of a bank in Postville; four years as clerk of court in Waukon; two
years as a land salesman in Canada, the Dakotas, Kansas, and Okla-
homa. From 1904 to 1909 he was manager of the Standard Telephone
Company for six counties in southeastern Minnesota and northeastern
Iowa. When the Standard was taken over by the Bell Telephone Com-
pany in 1909, he became manager of the exchanges in Waukon and
Lansing until he was retired and pensioned in 1930, two years and a
half beyond the usual deadline of 70.

An outline like the above, while it indicates great variety of experi-
ence and abundant opportunities for weal or for woe, does not explain
Ellison Orr. More illuminating is the growth of his interest in the
natural sciences and prehistory. He is grateful to his father for having
told him in childhood the names of a number of the common birds and
animals, to a superintendent of the Postville schools for having called
his attention to the flowers and trees. His easy familiarity with the
out-of-doors, however, as shown in later years could only be the out-
come of many years of careful study and observation and thoughtful
contemplation of the things observed. Fortunately his story of the
Passenger Pigeon in Iowa is preserved {Iowa Bird Life, June, 1936).
He found his own geological field in a ravine leading down to the
Yellow River, where the fossils were both numerous and, to him, very
attractive. His archaeological field opened following his twenty-first
year when he accepted the challenge of the Republicans to run for
County Superintendent. He canvassed the county carefully, in which
process he found the farmers of the Oneota valley in possession of
many Indian relics from the ancient village sites on the valley terraces.
Incidentally he came within 35 votes of being elected, in a county
normally Democratic in 1878 by a thousand majority. Such a thing
doesn't just happen; but it does reveal.

Even more illuminating, possibly, w T ere the efforts of the boy to
gain additions to his formal education. To enlarge his grasp of algebra,
geometry, and Latin, he sought and obtained leave to take a fifth year
in the Postville high school. To learn something of the German lang-
uage, he took lessons from the Evangelical minister. To learn all he
could of trigonometry and surveying, he studied with a retired gov-
ernment surveyor who had made his home in Postville. If later actual
experience revealed a deficiency, he dug out the necessary facts and
principles himself, such as knowledge of the law as it pertained to
land surveys.

And how Mr. Orr has all his life turned everything to some good
account! For his “retirement” in 1930 was strictly one huge joke. He
never retired at all. As his knowledge of surveying was a mainstay
during his 27 years as manager of a telephone system, just so surveying
has remained, not an occasional, but almost a steady, profession, even
to the present day. And if he can get a day now and then that he can
call his own, he always has on hand plenty of interesting things to do.

When in 1934 the Federal agency FERA, followed a few years later
by WPA, provided the workmen necessary for the making of archaeo-
logical excavations, Mr. Orr reached, I suspect, the climax of his re-
markable career. For of course his experience in handling groups of
men working in the open, his ability as a surveyor, and his competence
as an archaeologist made his choice as Field Supervisor inevitable and
most happy and most fortunate. The writer could spend only limited
periods in the field during his summer vacations; Mr. Orr could and
did take charge of his men from early April until late November, from
spring’s snow flurries to winter’s storms. The results? A stream of
cartons to my laboratory from all the corners of Iowa, up to the close
of 1939, with approximately 50,000 items of scientific value, along

28

IOWA BIRD LIFE— XV, 1945

with hundreds of drawings, plats, maps, and photographs and hundreds
of pages of notes, the 50,000 specimens excavated from depths up to
ten feet below the surface of Iowa's fair landscape, the other things
from skillful hands and a trained mind that knew how to produce them.
Most of the long story remains to be told; only a general account of
the first half of our first season has found its way into print (The
Palimpsest, October, 1934).

When conditions permitted or when a conference was called for, it
was the writer's privilege to spend longer or shorter periods with Mr.
Orr and his men in the field. Many of these occasions are unforgettable.
After supervisory or technical problems had been debated and solutions
found, the two of us responsible for our Project’s success would gen-
erally theorize for a time on the meaning of finds or conditions revealed
by the excavation and then, with brain cells grown weary by our efforts,
we would take a walk to see how the beaver colony was getting along
or whether a new bird might have entered our area. Always it was
amazing to note and feel Mr. Orr’s calm and complete awareness of
his natural surroundings, '‘Did you hear those calls of a Pileated
Woodpecker when you were inspecting that trench?” (Allamakee
county). “At the end of that side road that leads into the woods over
there is a north slope and a fine large spring. You should come back
about the first of October and see the many fringed gentians that bloom
there” (Allamakee county). “When you drive out from Sioux City
tomorrow, you must see in a little pool in the roadside ditch those two
groups of cattails, one the broad-leafed, the other the narrow-leafed
species” (Plymouth county). And in a letter accompanied by a photo-
graph; “I wish you might see the beautiful clumps of pentstemon that
grow on these Missouri liver hills” (Mills county).

No doubt there are reasons, in addition to a fine heredity, that help
to account for a sturdy and serene character now in the eighty-eighth
year of its unfolding. For Mr. Orr has always been quite as aware of
both individual and corporate human problems and needs as he has
been conscious of his natural environment. In an aside to me a friend
of his once remarked; “Orr would give the shirt off his back to a man
who seemed to need it more than he did.” Such a person must, of
course, serve also the public to which he belongs: as member of the
school board and the junior college board, as trustee of the city library,
once even as trustee for a six-year term of the Iowa Slate College at
Ames. And the great scientific collections too would have to be put
to work permanently for the public. Apparently it never occurred to
their builder to derive pecuniary benefit from them for himself. In
due time and on his own initiative the geological collection was turned
over by deed of gift to Luther College at Decorah; in the same way
his great personal collection of archaeological materials was conveyed
to The State Historical Society of Iowa at Iowa City.

In March of the present year a four-page, closely-typed letter came
from Mr, Orr, the richest in content ever to reach my desk. Three
archaeological discoveries in Allamakee county, all of the past year
and all of new and important significance, were described in detail and
given most reasonable interpretations. The last two pages were de-
voted to tersely stated conclusions, numbered from one to eleven, based
on his 66 years of study of his home county. There was very little
about which one might even raise a question. Is it any wonder that I
have come to think of him as one of Iowa's most stalwart citizens?

A. 0. U. AFFILIATION. Iowans interested in joining the American
Ornithologists' Union may receive information and blanks from Dr.
Paul L. Errington, Iowa State College, Ames, who is representative for
Iowa on the Membership Committee of the Union. Associate member-
ship dues are $3 annually and include subscription to ‘The Auk', a
quarterly journal of ornithology which contains about 150 pages per
issue.

THE OTTUMWA MEETING

29

THE OTTUMWA MEETING

By LILLIAN SERBOUSEK

Sec’j'-Treas., Iowa Ornithologists’ Union

The 23rd annual meeting of the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union was held
Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6, 1945, at Ottumwa. The Saturday
meeting opened at 8 p. m. at the Y. W. C. A., with greetings to the
Union by Charles C. Ayres, Jr., President of the Ottumwa Bird Club.
Dr. J. Harold Ennis, President of the Union, gave the response. This
was followed by brief reports about “Birding News of 1945” by the
following persons: Roscoe E. Stewart, Ottumwa; Dr. Warren N. Keek,
Cedar Rapids; Dr. G. 0, Hendrickson, Ames; Bruce F. Stiles, Des
Moines; Mrs. Mary L. Bailey, Sioux City; J. Wilbur Dole, Fairfield;
Mrs. Lola Deal, Cedar Falls; Mrs. R. S. Ruegnitz, Dubuque; Dr. P. P.
Laude, Iowa City.

Four reels of colored motion pictures were shown: “Some Ducks and
Geese”, “Familiar Birds About the City”, “Birds of an Inland Lake”,
and “The Bald Eagle”; the first two were furnished through the courtesy
of Dr. Thomas S, Roberts, of the University of Minnesota. At the con-
clusion of the pictures refreshments were served in an adjoining room
where there w r as an exhibit of bird pictures painted by Earnest Steffen
of Cedar Rapids. Mr. Steffen presented one of his paintings to Dr.
Harold Ennis. Also displayed was a group of bird houses built by
Charles C. Ayres, Sr., of Ottumwa.

Three field trips, led by Miss Pearl e Walker, Lawrence Voss, and
Charles Ayres were scheduled for Sunday morning at 6. All trips
terminated at Lake Wapello where a one o’clock luncheon was served.
A mid-morning lunch was also served on the field trip. Out-of-town
members were guests of the Ottumwa Bird Club. The luncheon was
followed by an illustrated, humorous discussion about several new
species of birds by Walter W. Aitken, state conservation officer at
Lake Wapello.

The business meeting opened with the compilation of the bird list
made by the combined groups on the morning field trip — a list which
totaled 109. Charles Ayres, Jr. then presented a bird house, built by
his father, as a prize to the lady and man who had the longest list of
birds observed that morning. Miss Esther Copp with 65 to her credit
and Henry Herrmann were the lucky ones. The minutes of the 1944
meeting were read and approved. The Treasurer's report showed a
balance of $250.23. President Ennis called on the chairmen of com-
mittees for reports. Miss Ila Glotfelty reported for the Auditing Com-
mittee, which included Mrs, W. G, MacMartin, Earnest Steffen, and
Miss Marietta Eighme. Dr. P. P. Laude gave the report of the Resolu-
tions Committee. The Nominating Committee (Mrs. Harold Peasley,
Chairman, and Miss Pearle Walker and Dr. Keck) submitted the list
of officers for the coming year (as given on the title page of this issue),
and these were elected by a unanimous ballot cast by the Secretary
upon motion of the voting members.

Dr. Ennis extended an invitation to the organization to meet at
Mt, Vernon in 1946. An invitation from Cedar Falls was also extended.
The place of the 1946 meeting was left to the decision of the Executive
Council at a later date. A motion for adjournment was made and one
of our most enjoyable meetings came to a close.

Resolutions. — In view of the wonderful time enjoyed by all. BE IT
RESOLVED by the Iowa Ornithologists’ Union that a vote of thanks
be extended to the local club for their hospitality and the manner in
which they have provided for our entertainment.

30

IOWA BIRD LIFE— XV, 1945

Be it further resolved: That the Iowa Ornithologists' Union thank
E. W. Steffen for exhibiting his paintings;

Tha; we extend our appreciation to Mr, Ayres for the exhibit of his
bird houses;

That we thank Lawrence Voss for our badges and souvenirs;

That we extend our appreciation to Fred J. Pierce for the successful
manner in which he has continued to publish 'Iowa Bird Life';

That we extend our appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Orville Clarke for
the manner in which they have provided us with the dinner under the
existing difficulties.

(Signed) The Resolutions Committee:
Peter P. Laude, Chairman
Mrs. R. S. Ruegnitz
John C. W. Bliese

Attendance Register. — AMES, Dr. and Mrs. G. 0. Hendrickson;
BLAKESBURG, Mr. and Mrs, J. A. E. Cunningham, Mrs, A. C. Rose,
Joyce Rose; CEDAR FALLS, Mrs. Jennie Baxter, Frances Crouter,
Verna Davis, Mrs. Lola Deal, Margaret Dorweiler; CEDAR RAPIDS,
Esther Copp, Dr. W. N. Keck, Lillian Serbousek, Emily Steffen, E. W.
Steffen, Grace Steffen, Iola Tillapaugh, Myra Willis; CENTERVILLE,
Jock Graham; DES MOINES, Albert Berkowitz, Mrs. W. G. DuMont,
Mrs. H. R. Peasley, Bruce F. Stiles; DRAKES VILLE, Mr. and Mrs. W.
W. Aitken; DUBUQUE, Frieda Blaufuss, Geo. Crossley, Henry Herr-
mann, Mrs. R. S. Ruegnitz, Xval Schuster; FAIRFIELD, Grace Calvert,
J. Wilbur Dole, Ila Glotfelty, Fave Lawson, Florence Light; IOWA
CITY, J. K. Brown, Mrs. Theodore Jahn, Dr. and Mrs. P. P. Laude, Dr.
and Mrs. Robt. Vane; MT, VERNON, Dr. J. H, Ennis; OTTUMWA,
Lillian Arihood, Chas. C. Ayres, Jr., C. C. Ayres, Sr., Edith Bannister,
Dr. Murdoch Bannister, Dr. and Mrs. Glenn Blome, Lela Boulton, John
Burke, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Burnes, Mrs. Burton Castle, Mildred Clark,
Norman Crowe, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Daniels, Dorothy Dunham, Marietta
Eighme, Elsie Finarty, Flora Galey, Mr. and Mrs. I. M. Glover, Mr.
and Mrs. J, Heffiefinger, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Heinje, Mr. and Mrs, Fritz
Heinje, Elizabeth Henricks, Billy Hoskins, Winnifred Hughes, Mr. and
Mrs. Earl Jago, Mabel Lynch, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph McElroy, Roger
Mendenhall, Mabel Merritt, Maude Merritt, Elizabeth Morrow, Betti-
jane Obermann, Mrs. C. A. Plummer, Daisy Rees, Mr. and Mrs. A, L,
Reynolds, Susie Rhodes, Freda Rouze, Dick Secor, Janice Secor, Mrs.
Raymond Secor, Leighton Smith, Mrs. S, A. Spilman, Geraldine Stewart,
R, E. Stewart, Margaret Swain, Mr, and Mrs. C. E. Swenson, Mrs. H.
L. Tramp, Ruth Tyrrel, C, M. VanDeventer, Dr. T. L. Vineyard, Cath-
erine Vinton, Mr. and Mrs. E, Voss, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Voss, Sandy
Voss, Mrs, Evon Walker, Mrs. Mabel Walker, Pearle Walker, Marilyn
Watterson, Mrs. Will Webb, Laura Weible, Violet Wheeler, Mrs. Ernest
Wilson, Jane Wood, Mary Evelyn Wood; SIOUX CITY, Mrs. Mary L.
Bailey; TAMA, Mrs. J. G. Ennis, Mrs. W. G. MacMartin; OAK RIDGE,
TENN., John C. W. Bliese. Total registered, 124.

THE INVASION OF THE STARLING INTO IOWA

By PHILIP A. DU MONT

U. S. Fish Sc Wildlife Service
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

The progressive invasion of the European Starling (Sturmis vulgaris)
into all parts of Iowa was recorded with such completeness it has been
possible to tabulate its first appearances in each of the 99 counties.
The first record at Lamoni, in December, 1922, consisted of a single

INVASION OF STARLING INTO IOWA

31

bird whose sporadic entry into Iowa was one of two isolated records,
west of the Mississippi River and in the north, prior to 1928.

In general, earliest records appear to coincide with the location of
active field observers. However, from 1933 to 1935 the movement
westward apparently followed each winter migration southward, al-
though the counties along the Missouri River were visited before those
of the northwest where the elevation approaches or exceeds 1400 feet
above sea level.

FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THE STARLING IN THE 99 IOWA

COUNTIES

County

Locality

Date

Observer No. Seen

Adair

Bridgewater

April 13, 1934

Harlow B. Mills

1

Adams

Corning

April 10, 1934

Harlow B. Mills

1

Allamakee

W’aukon Junction

May 16, 1933
August, 1933

Oscar P. Allert

11

Appanoose

Northwest corner

Faye Blakey

16

Audubon

West of Kimballton

May 26, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Benton

Belle Plaine

July 5, 1932

Philip A. DuMont

1

Black Hawk

Near Waterloo

January, 1933

Burr Lichty

1

Boone

Ogden

Dec. 18, 1931

Walter Rosene

Several

Bremer

Janesville

Nov. 18, 1931

Charles J. Spiker

3

Buchanan

Quasqueton

Feb. 21, 1932

Fred J. Pierce

4

Buena Vista

North of Alta

Aug. 25, 1935

Wm. Young worth

2

Butler

Aredale

April 21, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2

Calhoun

Twin Lakes

March 20, 1934

M. L. Jones

1

Carroll

North of Carroll

June 9, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2

Cass

South of Atlantic

August 19, 1934 Wm. Young worth

4 or 5

Cedar

West Branch

Spring, 1930

Mrs. J. Z. Howard

1

Cerro Gordo

Near Mason City

April 19, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

8

Cherokee

South of Cherokee

March 19, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Chickasaw

New Hampton

April 8, 1929

Louis Fliger

1

Clarke

Near Osceola

Oct 15, 1934

Wm. Young worth

25-30

Clay

Near Ruthven

Dec. 9, 1933

Philip A. DuMont

6

Clayton

National

April 26, 1930

Althea R. Sherman

1

Clinton

North of Folletts

April 16, 1933

Philip A. DuMont

2

Crawford

Northwest of Dunlap

Mav 26, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2, 1

Dallas

Long Pond

April 2, 1933

Walter Rosene &
A. J. Palas

2

Davis

Near West Grove

May 12, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Decatur

Lamoni

December, 1922

W. S. Long

1

Delaware

Manchester

Oct 3, 1931

O. M. Greenwood

1

Des Moines

Near Ray’s Lake

Sept 15, 1933

Harold M. Holland

2

Dickinson

Northwest of Milford

July 12, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2

Dubuque

Durango

Dec. 23, 1931

Charles J. Spiker

6

Emmet

Iowa Lake

April 12, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2

Fayette

Elgin

March 30, 1932

Oscar P. Allert

3

Floyd

Charles City

March 19, 1933

Mrs. R. W. Staber

25 +

F ranklin

South of Hampton

April 19, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

7, 2 , 2

Fremont

West of Shenandoah

Winter, 1932-33

Charles E. Danker

A few

Greene

Near Grand Junction

Sept 30, 1934

Wm. Youngworth

45-50

Grundy

Grundy Center

Spring, 1933

Mrs. Helen G. King

2

Guthrie

Guthrie Center

Dec. 28, 1933

Harlow B. Mills

5

Hamilton

South of Stanhope

Oct 23, 1933

Philip A. DuMont

7

Hancock

Near Klemme

April 3, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

5

Hardin

South of Hubbard

April 21, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Harrison

Logan

Nov. 5, 1934

Wm. Youngworth

4 or 5

Henry

Mt. Pleasant

Summer, 1929

H. E. Jaques &
Pete Parks

Several

Howard

Maple Leaf

Dec. 14, 1933

Oscar P. Allert

9

Humboldt

South of Humboldt

May 5, 1934

Walter Rosene &

Philip A. DuMont

2

INVASION OF IOWA
BY TUE EUROPEAN STARLING

INVASION OF STARLING INTO IOWA

33

County

Locality

Date

Observer

No. Seen

da

Near Ida Grove

April 22, 1933

W m . Y o ungwor th

2

owa

Amana

February, 1933

W r . F. Kubichek

100

f ackson

Baldwin

April 15, 1933

Philip A. DuMont

2

asper

East of Newton

June 12, 1933

Mr. & Mrs. H. Brunner 12

efferson

Fairfield

Dec. 23, 1930

Malcolm McDonald

12

ohnson

Oxford

March, 1928

W. F. Kubichek

A few

ones

Wyoming

April 15, 1933

Philip A. DuMont

2

Keokuk

Sigourney

Jan. 20, 1930

E. D. Nauman

1

Cossuth

Union Slough

Jan. 23, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

.ee

Keokuk

March, 1932

C. E. Ehinger

Flocks

.inn

Cedar Rapids

Spring, 1931

W T . F. Kubichek &
F, L. R, Roberts

A pair

^ouisa

Columbus Junction

April 16, 1933

Philip A. DuMont

1

.ucas

East of Chariton

May 4, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1, 2

North of Lucas

May 4, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

.yon

Near Larchwood

June 2, 1935

Wm. Youngworth

Several

pairs

dadison

Near Macksburg

March 4, 1933

F. W. Cochran

A flock

dahaska

Near Stark

April, 1932

Prof. G. C. Hawks

12

darion

Pella

Sept. 20, 1932

Philip A. DuMont

3

darshall

LeGrand

Dec. 25, 1931

Harlow B. Mills

2

dills

Near Hillsdale

Sept. 27, 1934

Wm. Youngworth

2

ditchell

Little Cedar

May 22, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

4

vlonona

Onawa

March 24, 1932

Walter C. Thietji

S

donroe

Near Albia

May 4, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1, 3, 1, 1

Montgomery

Stanton

April 12, 1934

Harlow B. Mills

1

Muscatine

Near West Liberty

Feb. 26, 1933

F. L. R. Roberts &
P. A. DuMont

300

J’Brien

Near Hartley

Nov. 27, 1934

W m . Y oungworth

2

Jsceola

S.W. of Melvin

April 22, 1936

O. S. Thomas

2

Page

N.E. of Shenandoah

Winter, 1932-33

Charles E. Danker

Several

Palo Alto

Lost Island Lake

December, 1933

Gerald B. Spawn

5 or 6

Plymouth

Westfield

March 24, 1934

Harlow B. Mills

1

Pocahontas

Near Pomeroy

May 20, 1934

M. L. Jones

2

Polk

Des Moines

March 21, 1929

Mr. & Mrs. A, W. 1

Lee 2

Pottawattamie

Near Taylor

July 22, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

22

Poweshiek

Near Grinnell

Feb. 5, 1933

Mrs. W. G. DuMont 25

Ringgold

North of Mt, Ayr

May 11, 1934

Harlow B. Mills

1

Sac

Auburn

June 9, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Scott

Davenport

Nov. 10, 1931

Philip A. DuMont

8

Shelby

Northwest of Earling

May 26, 1934

Philip A, DuMont

1, 1, 4

Sioux

South of Maurice

May 24, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2

Story

Colo

Aug, 5, 1932

Philip A. DuMont

4

Tama

Tama

Dec. 18, 1932

Mrs. W. G. MacMartin 3

Taylor

East of Bedford

June 29, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

6

Union

West of Creston

Feb. 10, 1932

John Kennedy

3

Van Buren

Mt. Zion

Sept. 26, 1932

Robert Campbell

2

Wapello

Agency

May 4, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Warren

Milo

Dec, 6, 1933

Idris Wright

1

Washington

Washington

August 22, 1931

Philip A. DuMont

12

Wayne

Union Township

June, 1932

Faye Blakey

17

Webster

Near Clare

March 4, 1933

M. L. Jones

4

Winnebago

East of Rake

May 22, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

1

Winneshiek

Canoe

Nov, 11, 1933

Oscar P, Allert

1

Woodbury

Sioux City

Oct, 1, 1933

Wm. Youngworth

4

Worth

Kensett

April 20, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

2

Wright

Cornelia

April 3, 1934

Philip A. DuMont

6

34

IOWA BIRD LIFE— XV, 1945

GENERAL NOTES

An Albino Junto. — On March 29, 1945, Mrs. Eugene Smith and I
saw an albino Slate-colored Junco while we were on a field trip near
the river in Cedar Heights. We observed it for some time with bin-
oculars and with the naked eye as it was quite near us. The head was
a pale gray, the bill a pinkish color, and the wings and tail were pure
white. The back was a rather light buff. It was with a flock of Slate-
colored Juneos. — MRS. RAY S. DIX, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Bird Notes from Davenport. — On February 17, 1945, there were five
adult Bald Eagles along the Mississippi River near Davenport. They
spent the day exploring the river and catching fish. On February 23,
a few Mallards were swimming in the river. Next day, February 24,
hundreds of gulls came. They were probably Herring Gulls, but they
stayed so far out from the Iowa shore that it was impossible to make
out the species.

Two uncommon birds were observed here during the past winter.
One was the Winter Wren, seen on December 26, 1944; the other was
a Red-breasted Nuthatch which I saw on January 13, 1945.

On May 11, 1945, while taking the spring bird census at Credit
Island, I saw 12 Virginia Rails around a small pond of water that re-
mained in the golf course, which was under water this spring. They
allowed me to approach within 10 feet. On April 14, while on a field
trip in the woods near Davenport, I found a Pileated Woodpecker. My
first record of the Mockingbird was made on March 30, when I dis-
covered two individuals sitting in a small tree. On April 19 I saw a
Pine Siskin, and on May 10 1 saw a Yellow-breasted Chat along a small
creek. — -JIM HODGES, Davenport, Iowa.

RECENT BIRD BOOKS

BIRDS OF GEORGIA; A Preliminary Check-List and Bibliography
of Georgia Ornithology, compiled by Earle R. Greene, Win, W. Griffin,
Eugene P. Odum, Herbert L. Stoddard, and Ivan R. Tomkins (Univer-
sity of Georgia Press, Athens, Ga,, 1945; doth, pp. 1-111, with 1 pi. &
1 map; price, $2).

Although a preliminary report, this is a very thorough work on the
birds of Georgia. For a number of years a small group of enthusiastic
and well-trained ornithologists have been making careful field studies
and assembling data for the state list. The birth of the Georgia Ornith-
ological Society and its subsequent growth into an important state bird
society, furnished the structure for organized bird work and gave im-
petus to the preparation of the state list. At the same time, the need
for an adequate state book became more acute as the number of active
bird students increased. The publication of the ‘Birds of Georgia' is
the culmination of a great deal of cooperative effort.

As an introduction to the book the ‘Historical Narrative' by Dr.
Eugene Edmund Murphey is very interesting. He sketches in brief
biographical form the observers who have worked with Georgia birds.
The first one mentioned is Mark Catesby, who began exploring the
Savannah River in 1723. John Bartram in his early travels visited the
region in 1765, and his son William followed eight years later. Other
noted ornithologists who left their mark on Georgia ornithology in-
cluded Alexander Wilson, Thomas Nuttall, John Abbot, and the Le-
Conte brothers. Through many decades, down to the present time, Dr,
Murphey lists the various workers in ornithology and gives illuminat-
ing biographical details.

The annotated check-list covers 44 pages, with the range of each
bird outlined within the state and various records given. The trouble-
some problem of subspecies, never absent in state lists, is given quite
full coverage. There are no less than four subspecific forms listed for
the Song Sparrow — the Eastern, the Atlantic, the Mississippi and the

LOCAL BIRD CLUBS IN IOWA

35

Dakota. When some of these forms also occur in Iowa, we wonder how
the range of a particular form is held down to a reasonable limit. The
bibliography covers 32 pages. The book closes with a list of the local
bird clubs in the state {nine of them) and an ornithological map of
Georgia with a description of the principal physiographic regions. —
F. J. P.

As Part II of the ‘Iowa Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit', issue
of October, November, December 1944, there is a 12-year report on
the activities of this Unit. This is issued in mimeographed form at
Iowa State College, Ames, and presumably copies may be obtained by
interested persons. The report covers 38 pages and gives an outline
of the origin and varied functions of this wildlife program as admin-
istered in Iowa — services, finances, facilities, demonstration areas, stu-
dents and employment positions obtained, wildlife courses offered,
conference and training courses, extension work, wildlife management
in the war emergency, and publications. The publications number 329
titles of articles and bulletins which covered 3,133 pages. About one-
fourth of the publications are of a popular nature, primarily educa-
tional, and some were in the form of illustrated bulletins. The report
will give the public a good idea of the extent and highly important
work of the Unit as an integral part in the national program of wild-
life conservation.

LOCAL BIRD CLUBS IN IOWA

SIOUX CITY. — The following brief outline of the aims and activities
of the Sioux City Bird Club will help to acquaint readers with what our
club has been doing since the fall of 1943, when we observed the 30th
anniversary of the organization.

A major project in 1944 was the sponsorship of the entire June issue
of ‘Iowa Bird Life', which was devoted to the history of ornithology in
northwest Iowa and to the organizing and work of the Sioux City Bird
Club during the preceding 30 years. This special anniversary issue of
Towa Bird Life' was dedicated to our Club.

During past years the Club has held spring and autumn picnics. Dur-
ing 1944, due to transportation restrictions, they were held at Latham
and Riverside Parks, which are accessible from street car lines. Field
trip meetings are usually combined with the picnics. Continuous ob-
servations and records of the migratory and resident bird life of the
area are encouraged at all times. We participated in the second spring
bird count, sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union in 1944. We
have also co-operated with this organization and with the National
Audubon Society in the taking of the annual Christmas bird census.
We have taken field trips whenever possible, and this included the
spring trip to see the migrating geese on the Hornick Bottoms. Our
annual dinner is held in March. We also maintain ‘The Diekcissel',
official mimeographed publication of the Club.

Along the line of civic interest, we have given educational service
to the Sioux City community by co-operating with the National Audu-
bon Society in presenting the “Audubon Wildlife Screen Tours", which
were instituted in the middle west in 1942. A third lecture of the series
w r as presented on January 13, 1945, when Cleveland P. Grant spoke
on “Wildlife of Marsh and Mountain", accompanied by kodaehrome
motion pictures. Mr. Grant has a charming personality, a good voice
and complete knowledge of his subject. His photography was unusual
in that he spent a good deal of time with each species, from the egg
in the nest to the juvenile bird. His films and lecture covered two
parts — birds and mammals. The mammals were dealt with just as

understanding^ as the birds. The entire program was a treat for the
crowd of about 500 people who came to see, listen, learn and appreciate.
—ZELL C. LEE.

IOWA BIRD LIFE— XV, 1945

36

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Dr. and Mrs, Ivan L. Boyd announce the arrival of a daughter, Bar-
bara Kay, on May 22. Congratulations!

Dr. Martin L. Grant, our former President, who was sent to Colombia,
South America, on a mission as a professional botanist for the United
States Government, has now returned to his home at Cedar Falls. Mrs.
Grant and his family joined him at Bogota, and six months ago a
daughter, Lois, was born. The Grants shipped home nearly a ton of
baggage, mostly plants, curios, literature and clothes, besides 250 lbs.
carried with them. The return itinerary, by airplane from Bogota to
St. Louis, was a very interesting one, which Dr. Grant summarized as
follows: April 3, Bogota to Medellin, Colombia, for a day's stop. April
4, fly to Balboa, Canal Zone, for a two-day stop; trip to Barro Colorado
Island, in the Canal. April 6, to San Jose, Costa Rica, two-day stop.
April 8, to Managua, Nicaragua, two-day stop. April 10, to Tegucigalpa,
Honduras, two-day stop, April 12, to San Salvador, El Salvador, two-
day stop, April 14, to Guatemala City, Guatemala, two-day stop. April
16, to Tapachula, Mexico, one-day stop. April 17, to Oaxaca, Mexico,
two-day stop. April 19, to Acapulco, Mexico, famous resort, two-day
stop. April 21, to Mexico City, for five-day slop, with short trips to
Xochimilco and other nearby places. April 26, to Tampico, Mexico,
one-day stop. April 27, to Brownsville, Texas, April 28-29, to Houston,
Shreveport, Little Rock, Memphis, St. Louis and Terre Haute, April
30, to Washington, D. C., where Dr. Grant worked in the FEA office
and National Arboretum Herbarium until about May 30.

Mrs. Ross J. Thornburg, formerly of Des Moines, who has been living
in the Southwest for the past few years, writes an interesting letter
from Tucson, Arizona, under date of March 26, 1945, from which we
quote the below paragraph:

“We have moved back to the Sabino Canyon area, and after about
30 days here shall be hunting cooler regions. This a very interesting
bird territory. About 20 minutes after we put out feed, a pair of
Gambel’s Quail came and ate. They come two or three times a day and
probably nest not far away. The last two mornings I noticed the male
about seven o'clock; he waited for the female to join him a little later.
A pair of Sparrow Hawks are nesting in the same Sahuaro as last year.
A male Black-chinned Hummer is the first to come to our 'honey-
flower'. Regular boarders are Palmer's Thrashers, Canon Towhee,
Cactus Wrens, Cardinals Gambel’s Sparrows and Gila Woodpeckers,
I found a nest of Towhees where they were feeding young. Verdins,
Phainopeplas, Thrashers, Cardinals and Plumbeous Gnatcatchers are
busy building. We had a chance to add Sharp-shin Hawk pictures to
our collection when one was stunned as it flew into a window last
winter."

Ralph Heuer, writing on April 19, 1945, says: "After being on the
Admiralty Islands, which was the last geographical location of our bat-
talion I was permitted to tell you of, we spent about three months on
Guadalcanal. We left Guadalcanal during March and, on April 1st,
arrived in Okinawa in the Ryukyu group. The water was quite rough
on the trip up here. It is spring of the year here now, with climate
similar to that of Florida. We had a little time getting acclimated to
the weather here. After being whisked out of the tropics and sent up
here in a little over two weeks time, our blood was bound to be a little
on the thin side. We had spent two years down in the tropics, , . .
The Japs keep reminding us that they are still around. Have seen
several of those famous Jap suicide planes shot down. They seem to
be just what they are cracked up to be and really bore into a target
once they set their sights on it. . . , Haven’t been able to observe any
of the birds at close range because they seem to be so wary.” (Mr,
Heuer's home address is Davenport, Iowa, He is a member of a U. S.
Navy Construction Battalion.)