THE BLUEBIRD the Bluebird
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TT H H E E BLUEBIRBLUEBIR DD The voice of ASM since 1934 December 2015 Volume 82, No. 4 The Audubon Society of Missouri Missouri’s Ornithological Society Since 1901 The Audubon Society of Missouri Officers Regional Directors Shari Harden*+, President (2016) Charles Burwick+ (2017) 513 NE Grant Drive; Blue Springs, Springfield (417) 860-9505 MO 64014; (816) 229-3979 Lottie Bushmann+ (2018) [email protected] Columbia, (573) 445-3942 Mark Haas*+, Vice-President (2016) Jeff Cantrell+ (2017) 614 Otto Drive; Jackson MO 63755; Neosho (471) 476-3311 (573) 204-0626 [email protected] Allen Gathman+ (2018) Pocahontas (573) 382-7306 Scott Laurent*+, Secretary (2015) 610 W. 46th Street, #103; Kansas Brent Galliart+ (2018) City, MO 64112; (816) 916-5014 St. Joseph (816) 232-6038 [email protected] Terry McNeely+ (2016) Pat Lueders*+, Treasurer (2015) Jameson, MO (660) 828-4215 1147 Hawken Pl., St. Louis, MO Larry Olpin+ (2016) 63119; (314) 222-1711 Warrensburg (660) 747-5228 [email protected] Louise Wilkinson+ (2017) Honorary Directors Rolla (573) 364-9552 Richard A. Anderson, St. Louis** Phil Wire+ (2016) Nathan Fay, Ozark** Bowling Green (314) 960-0370 Leo Galloway, St. Joseph** Jim Jackson, Marthasville Lisle Jeffrey, Columbia** Chairs Floyd Lawhon, St. Joseph** Bill Clark, Historian Patrick Mahnkey, Forsyth** 3906 Grace Ellen Dr. Rebecca Matthews, Springfield Columbia, MO 65202 Sydney Wade, Jefferson City** (573) 474-4510 Dave Witten, Columbia** Kevin Wehner, Membership John Wylie, Jefferson City** 510 Ridgeway Ave. Jim Jackson, 2012 Recipient of the Columbia, MO 65203 Rudolf Bennitt Award (573) 815-0352 [email protected] Dr. David Easterla, 2006 Recipient of the Rudolf Bennitt Award Paul E. Bauer, 2004 Recipient of the Rudolf Bennitt Award + Board Position * Executive Committee Member **Deceased Page i THE BLUEBIRD The Bluebird The Bluebird Editor: Bill Eddleman*+, 1831 Ricardo Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, (573) 335-1507, [email protected] Christmas Bird Count Compiler: Randy Korotev, 800 Oakbrook Lane, St. Louis, MO 63132, (314) 993-0055, [email protected] Communication Services: Patrick Harrison Webmaster, http://mobirds.org, Susan Hazelwood and David Scheu, Co-owners Listserve, [email protected],edu ASM Scholarship Committee: Sue Gustafson, Chair, 429 Belleview Ave., Webster Groves MO 63119 (314) 968-8128, [email protected] MO Bird Records Committee: Brad Jacobs+—Chair, 11300 Vemers Ford Road, Columbia, MO 65201, (573) 874-3904, [email protected] Bill Rowe—Secretary, 9033 Big Bend Road, St. Louis, MO 63119, (314) 962-0544, [email protected] Seasonal Survey Editors: Spring: Josh Uffman, 707 Ashton Way Circle, Eureka, MO 63025 (636) 587-6016; [email protected] Summer: Kristi Mayo, 1807 Clear Creek Dr., Kearney, MO 64060 (816) 289–7828, [email protected] Fall: Joe Eades, 517 Willow Lane, Kirkwood, MO, 63122, (314) 835- 0353, [email protected] Winter: Mary Nemecek, 7807 N. Merimac Ct, Kansas City MO 64151- 0000; (816) 210-5148; [email protected] * Executive Committee Member + Board Position Deadlines for submission of material for publication in The Bluebird Manuscripts for The Bluebird—to the editor by: Feb. 1 for March issue; May 1 for June issue; Jul. 15 for Sept. issue; Nov. 1 for Dec. issue Deadlines for submissions to the Seasonal Survey Editors Winter (Dec. 1-Feb. 28)—to Mary Nemecek by Mar. 10 Spring (Mar. 1-May 31)—to Josh Uffman by June 10 Summer (June 1-July. 31)—to Kristi Mayo by Aug 10 Fall (Aug. 1-Nov. 30)—to Joe Eades by Dec. 10 Page ii THE BLUEBIRD Table of Contents December 2015 Volume 82, No. 4 119 President’s Corner—Shari Harden 120 We Welcome our New ASM Members—Kevin Wehner 120 Photos from the Fall Meeting, Camp Clover Point, Lake of the Ozarks—Allen Gathman 122 Untitled (poem)—Dean Heflin 123 Winter 2014-2015 Seasonal Report—Mary Nemecek 132 Spring 2015 Seasonal Report—Ryan Douglas 146 A Birder’s Guide to Missouri Public Lands—Edge Wade & Others 152 Time to Renew!!—Kevin Wehner Front Cover—Hundreds of birders converged on the Missis- sippi River at Quincy, Illinois and adjacent Marion County, Missouri to see Missouri’s first Ivory Gull, which was present January 2-9, 2015. Photo by Peter Kondrashov. THE BLUEBIRD is published quarterly by The Audubon Society of Missouri. The submission of articles, photographs, and artwork is welcomed and encouraged. The views and opinions ex- pressed in this journal are those of each contributing writer and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of The Audubon Society of Missouri or its officers, Board of Directors, or edi- tors. Send address corrections to ASM, 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122, Columbia, MO 65203-1261. Page iii THE BLUEBIRD President’s Corner—Shari Harden Dear Fellow Birders, Once again the presentations at the Fall meeting were very in- formative and gave me an optimis- tic outlook for the future of bird research. Members also learned about the progress on the Great Missouri Birding Trail. The trail should increase every birder’s abil- ity to access information when they visit areas across the state, and could introduce more people to birding. Of course, the best part of the Fall meeting was good birding and catching up with friends we may only see once or twice a year. The board had a productive meeting that will ensure research fund- ing, habitat restoration, and leadership development in the future. A substantial donation was approved for the Jerry Wade Memorial Fund that will provide annual funding for students working to pro- tect, enhance, or restore habitat for birds. The scholarship funding for bird research that ASM provides will increase this year. The stu- dents who receive the scholarships often come to the Fall meeting to share their research activities with our members. The board also approved enhancements to the website used to sub- mit documentation of rare birds to the Missouri Bird Records Com- mittee, and support for two young leaders in the Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems. The GLADE program helps young people develop leadership skills for community conservation. Partici- pants restore habitat for birds and other wildlife, and become more aware of conservation issues. ASM members had the opportunity to meet the ABA young birder of the year, Marky ‘Birdgirl’ Mutchler. Marky and her mother came to the meeting and gave a presentation highlighting the efforts that led to her young birder of the year award. I hope Marky enjoyed the Fall meeting as much as we enjoyed having her join us. All of the above makes me proud to be a member of ASM. Support- ing birds and the habitat they need to survive and thrive, and help- Page 119 THE BLUEBIRD ing young birders, researchers, and conservationists establish them- selves and prepare for the future. The spring meeting will be at the Bunker Hill Retreat April 29 - May 1, 2016, in south central Missouri along the Jacks Fork. The habitat is so beautiful in that area of the state. The birding should be outstanding, and I can’t wait to see everyone there. Shari Harden, President The Audubon Society of Missouri WE WELCOME OUR NEW ASM MEMBERS!! Kevin Wehner Remember, new members are our future. If a new member lives near you, say, “Howdy and welcome to ASM.” In addition, recruit another new member. Welcome to these six new ASM members in the 4th quarter of 2015. Janet Haslerig Jefferson City, MO Jill Hays Springfield, MO Marky Mutchler Liberty, MO Eric & Joanna Reuter Columbia, MO David Sain Pontoon Beach, IL PHOTOS FROM THE FALL MEETING Allen Gathman Page 120 THE BLUEBIRD Page 121 THE BLUEBIRD Untitled Dean Heflin Sometimes I feel I am losing out And getting to far behind With all this information craze That’s coming down the line. But when I take time to look around And listen to my friends I see that they are doing fine And that is where my doubting ends. Because Does a horned owl use a credit card To catch a rabbit that’s running by Do the snow geese use a G.P.S. To tell them where to fly? Do the coyotes use a cell phone To call their friends on a far off hill? No, their message travels on the wind And probably always will. Can you send at E-mail To an eagle nesting high in a lonesome pine Can you click on to a butterfly Does a bullfrog go on line? No they are smart enough to use God’s ways To get their message sent And knowing that His line is open Leaves me feeling quite content. —-Dean Heflin Mozingo Lake Nodaway County, Missouri Page 122 THE BLUEBIRD Winter 2014-2015 Seasonal Report Mary Nemecek ([email protected]) Winter started off with a mild December, with an overall average temp of 36°F, three degrees above the long-term average. This was a nice contrast to the coldest December in 35 years experienced in 2013, but when viewed in a global context, 2014 was the warmest year on record. While the temperatures were up, the sunshine was down, with the least amount of sunny days in the past two decades. Columbia had 27 days of cloudy or partly cloudy weather. Precipita- tion in the northern third of the state was low with only 0.75-1.50 inches. The southwestern, east-central and southeastern portions of the state experienced 2.5-3.5 inches. The only notable snowfall was just north of Kansas City on 17-18 December 17-18, when 3-5 inches fell overnight. January welcomed an Arctic front that dropped temperatures con- siderably. By January 15 a Pacific front moved in, once again giving Missouri above-average temperatures, making it two consecutive winter months with temperatures that exceeded averages.