March 2021 Volume 88, No. 1

The Missouri Birding Society Missouri’s Ornithological Society Since 1901 The Missouri Birding Society

Officers Regional Directors

Dana Ripper*+, President (2021); Lottie Bushmann+ (2021) PO Box 16, Arrow Rock, MO 65320 Columbia (573) 445-3942 (660) 837-3888 Brent Galliart+ (2021) [email protected] St. Joseph (816) 232-6038 Edge Wade*+, Vice President (2021) 3105 Blackberry Lane., Columbia, MO Sherry Leonardo+ (2021) 65201, (573)268-3714 Grandview (816) 763-1393 [email protected] Mike Grant+ (2022) Chesterfield (314) 779-8032 Phil Wire*+, Secretary (2020) 1245 Boone St., Troy, MO 63379-2471 Greg Leonard+ (2022) (314) 960-0370 Columbia (573) 443-8263 [email protected] Terry McNeely+ (2022) Jameson (660) 828-4215 Tommy Goodwin*+, Treasurer (2020); 321 Blanche Dr., St. Charles, Cindy Bridges+ (2023) MO 63303; (417) 241-9189 Couch (417) 938-4567 [email protected] Jeff Cantrell+ (2023) Honorary Directors Neosho (471) 476-3311 Richard A. Anderson, St. Louis** Kendell Loyd+ (2023) Nathan Fay, Ozark** Springfield (573) 776-0901 Leo Galloway, St. Joseph** Chairs Jim Jackson, Marthasville** Lisle Jeffrey, Columbia** Bill Clark, Historian Floyd Lawhon, St. Joseph** 3906 Grace Ellen Dr. Patrick Mahnkey, Forsyth** Columbia, MO 65202 Rebecca Matthews, Springfield** (573) 474-4510

Sydney Wade, Jefferson City**

Dave Witten, Columbia** Kevin Wehner, Membership John Wylie, Jefferson City** 510 Ridgeway Ave.

Brad Jacobs**, 2016 Recipient of the Columbia, MO 65203 Rudolf Bennitt Award (573) 815-0352 [email protected] Jim Jackson**, 2012 Recipient of the

Rudolf Bennitt Award

+ Board Position Dr. David Easterla, 2006 Recipient * Executive Committee Member of the Rudolf Bennitt Award **Deceased Paul E. Bauer**, 2004 Recipient of the Rudolf Bennitt Award

Page i THE BLUEBIRD The Bluebird

The Bluebird Editor: Allen Gathman*+, PO Box 1, Pocahontas, MO 63779, (573) 579-5464, [email protected] Christmas Bird Count Compiler: Kendell Loyd. 1730 E Valley Watermill, Apt D 108, Springfield, MO 65803, (573) 776-0901, [email protected] Communication Services: Kevin Wehner, Webmaster, http://mobirds.org, Susan Hazelwood and David Scheu, Co-owners Listserve, [email protected] MBS Scholarship Committee: Sue Gustafson, Chair, 429 Belleview Ave., Webster Groves, MO 63119 (314) 882-8006, [email protected] MO Bird Records Committee: Paul McKenzie+—Chair, 2311 Grandview Circle, Columbia, MO 65203-7240, (573) 445-3019, [email protected] Bill Rowe—Secretary, 7414 Kenrick Valley Drive, St Louis, MO 63119- 5726 (314) 962-0544, [email protected] Seasonal Survey Editors: Spring: Lisa Berger, 1947 South Kings Avenue, Springfield, MO 65807- 2733, (417) 860-9108, [email protected] Summer: Allen Gathman, PO Box 1, Pocahontas, MO 63779, (573) 579- 5464; [email protected] Fall: Mary Nemecek, 7807 N. Merimac Ct, Kansas City MO 64151, (816) 210-5148; [email protected] Winter: Pete Monacell, 2324 West Main Street, Jefferson City MO 65109, (573) 289-8116; [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; Aug. 1 for Sept. issue; Nov. 1 for Dec. issue Manuscripts submitted for peer review may be published in a subsequent issue. Deadlines for submissions to the Seasonal Survey Editors Winter (Dec. 1-Feb. 28)—to Pete Monacell by Mar. 10 Spring (Mar. 1-May 31)—to Lisa Berger by June 10 Summer (June 1-July. 31)—to Allen Gathman by Aug 10

Fall (Aug. 1-Nov. 30)—to Mary Nemecek by Dec. 10

Page ii THE BLUEBIRD Table of Contents

March 2021 Volume 88, No. 1

1 President’s Corner — Dana Ripper 3 MBS Policy and Procedures for Non-Renewed Memberships 3 Subscribe to the MOBIRDS Listserv! 4 We Welcome Our New MBS Members! — Kevin Wehner 5 In Memoriam Joyce Lewis 6 MBS Graduate Research Scholarship Update 7 Chris’ First Missouri Big Year—Conway Hawn 13 Big Year Birding — On a County Scale — Tommy Goodwin 18 Brown-headed Nuthatch Reintroduction to Missouri — Sarah Kendrick 20 Brown-headed Nuthatch Release — Steve Paes (with Sarah Kendrick) 24 Eurasian Tree Sparrows and Me — Pat Lueders 27 Fall 2020 Watershed Expeditions at Home: A Big Muddy Thank You to the MBS — Kristen Schulte and Anne Miller 29 A Hook Before the Stars Come Out — Jeff Cantrell 31 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nesting in Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri — David A. Easterla 34 Book Review: The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri, 2nd Ed. by Mark B. Robbins — Reviewed by Pete Monacell 39 Noms de Plumes—Edge Wade 41 Thirty-third Annual Report of the MBRC — Bill Rowe 61 Spring Seasonal Report March 1—May 31, 2020 — Lisa Berger 72 Summer Seasonal Report June — July 2020 — Allen Gathman 80 South Farm R-1 Lake — Edge Wade

Erratum: — The final paragraph was omitted from the article “Second Rec- ord of the American Avocet Nesting in Missouri” in Volume 87, no. 4 in the print edition. The full article is available in the PDF edition of the issue at the Mobirds.org website.

Front Cover— Neotropic Cormorant, Schell-Osage CA Vernon 6 Jun 2020. Photo Erik Ost

Peer-reviewed articles in The Bluebird are noted by a header. Species mentioned in articles not so designated may not have been subject to review.

THE BLUEBIRD is published quarterly by The Missouri Birding Society. The submission of articles, photographs, and artwork is welcomed and encouraged. The views and opinions expressed in this journal are those of each contributing writer and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of The Missouri Birding Society or its officers, Board of Directors, or editors. Send address corrections to MBS, 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122, Columbia, MO 65203-1261.

Page iii THE BLUEBIRD President’s Corner—Dana Ripper

Greetings, Missouri Birders!

As I write this, it’s still January, so allow me to wish you a healthy, happy and birdy 2021! By the time the Bluebird reaches you, we will be that much closer to spring and to the welcome return of our migrant friends. For now, I am enjoying the variety of winter sparrows and the familiar residents as they scarf seed and suet at our feeders. Every now and again a flock of Snow Geese will fly over, or a Red-shouldered Hawk will scream its way over the yard and startle everyone (including me).

Perhaps by the time you read this we will have made great progress in quashing the pandemic, and we’ll all be making plans for adventurous spring birding trips via planes, trains and automobiles. Whether that’s the case or not, I believe we’re all quite lucky that the feathered objects of our affection are literally everywhere, and that here in Missouri we are a geographic crossroad of habitats and migration pathways. Missouri is rich in State Parks, Conservation Areas, National Forest, and a plethora of local and city greenspaces. One of my goals for this year is to help folks who may not be as familiar with the natural areas of our state, or cannot access them as easily as I can, to get out into Missouri’s awesome ecosystems. As someone noted to me recently in their personal story about the past year, nature in general, and birds in particular, have been a great motivator and source of delight. As birders we knew this, but it seems as though many more people have recently joined our ranks!

The Missouri Birding Society, Department of Conservation, various Audubon Chapters, and others have stepped forward to fill a major gap in nature education over the past year. Collectively we have brought birds to people in their homes via virtual classes, demonstrations, conferences and informal meetings. I know for a fact that these events have given birth to new birdwatchers, people for whom life is that much more colorful and interesting now that Page 1 THE BLUEBIRD they know birds. Regardless of the changes that might come over the next year, here at MBS we will continue to provide these learning opportunities virtually as well as in person. Broadcasting a program allows us to reach a LOT more people, as evidenced by recent webinars having 150-200 participants. Don’t forget to catch the upcoming Raptor ID workshop with Pete Monacell and Paul McKenzie on March 11th! Here is the registration link: https:// bit.ly/3a4B1ab

If any Bluebird readers have ideas for on-line programs they’d like to see, please email me at [email protected]. We’ll also be resuming the field trip series that proved so popular last fall, with a variety of opportunities to watch birds together safely . I look forward to seeing you at MBS events this year!

Red-shouldered Hawk St Charles 1 Feb 2019 Photo Paul McKenzie

Page 2 THE BLUEBIRD

MBS Policy and Procedures for

Non-Renewed Memberships The by-laws specify that notices of delinquency shall be sent within sixty (60) days after the start of the membership year (that is, on or before March 1). Everyone delinquent in membership renewal, i.e., hasn’t paid dues for this membership year, will have received two delinquency notices by now. You can help by reminding fellow MBS members to send in their dues. Those who have not paid their dues will be removed from membership the first week of April. To renew online, go to MBS’s website, www.mobirds.org/ASM/ Membership.aspx or use the membership renewal form on the back cover of any recent Bluebird. Your membership is important. Membership dues support MBS’s mission of conservation and education, and the services to enhance your birding experience in Missouri. If you have any questions or problems with the renewal process, please feel free to contact me. Kevin Wehner, Membership Chair The Missouri Birding Society 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122 Columbia, MO 65203-1261 [email protected] (573) 815-0352 Subscribe to the MOBIRDS Listserv!

If you are curious about what birds are being seen around Mis- souri, have a question about a bird, enjoy sharing your birding ex- periences, want to know what field trips are coming up, want to meet other birders online, the MBS sponsored MOBIRDS listserv is for you. Join the active Missouri birding community by subscribing. Subscribe here: https://po.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/wa? SUBED1=MOBIRDS-L&A=1

Please note that MBS members are NOT automatically subscribed to the listserv. You must subscribe yourself by going to the link above. Also, all listserv posts are retained in a searchable archive: https://po.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=MOBIRDS-L

Page 3 THE BLUEBIRD WE WELCOME OUR NEW MBS MEMBERS!

Kevin Wehner

Remember, new members are our future. If a new member lives near you, say, “Howdy and welcome to MBS.” In addition, recruit another new member. Welcome to these 24 new MBS members in the 1st quarter of 2021!

Robert Anderson Maryland Heights, MO Kearby Bridges Reeds Spring, MO Galen Carter Carthage, MO Ethan Duke Marshall, MO Leslie Elpers St. Louis, MO David Galat Fulton, MO Jerry, Stacy, Nicolai, & Ethan Hankins Rich Hill, MO Jason Lott Van Buren, MO Vicki Markus St. Louis, MO Hal Moran St. Charles, MO T.J. Olwig Chesterfield, MO Allison Phelps Lake Saint Louis, MO Jan & Charles Swaney Columbia, MO Larry & Michele Wells St. Louis, MO Gary Wester O’Fallon, MO Lindsay Withrow Kansas City, MO Art & Candy Zemon Saint Charles, MO Missy Zimmerschied Green Ridge, MO

Page 4 THE BLUEBIRD In Memoriam

Joyce Lewis

Joyce Lewis passed at age 93 on December 19. She and her late husband, Bob Lewis, were founders of East Ozarks Audubon Society.

Though Joyce was not an avid birder, her support of Bob’s pursuits was unhesitating and essential. Joyce partici- pated in most Chapter activities. She was a recipient of the Chapter’s prestigious “Environmentalist of the Photo by Mick Sutton Year” award for her many activities which included organizing an Earth Day event in- volving local school children who paraded around the St. Francois County Courthouse dressed in endangered species costumes.

Joyce and Bob raised three children, encouraging in them all a love for the outdoors. After his retirement, Joyce and Bob served as vol- unteer campground hosts at Rocky National Park for several sum- mers. After her husband’s passing in 2013, and despite her own increasing health issues, Joyce still found time and strength to at- tend meetings and assist with the mailing of the Chapter newslet- ter. Eventually she required nursing home care and last year was moved to a facility in Kansas City, near family.

Memorials may be made to the local food pantry, c/o Farmington Ministerial Alliance, 4327 Showplace Drive, Farmington, MO 63640 or to the Eastern Ozarks Audubon Society, c/o Crouch and Farley at 119 North Henry Street, Farmington, MO 63640-3116.

Page 5 THE BLUEBIRD MBS Graduate Research Scholarship

Update

This is the fifteenth year that MBS has offered the Graduate Re- search Scholarship, which is awarded to a graduate student at a Missouri university doing research in the field of ornithology. The amount of the scholarship has historically been $2000, and this year the board has approved an increase in the scholarship amount to $2500.

The request for applications for the annual scholarship is sent out in November to Missouri universities with graduate programs in biology/natural resources, with a deadline for receipt of applications by January 15. Following the review process, the Scholarship Committee makes the award by March 1.

Sarah Kendrick, State Ornithologist with the Missouri Depart- ment of Conservation, has joined the Scholarship Committee to fill the position formerly held by Brad Jacobs. Sue Gustafson and Su- san Hazelwood have served on the committee since the inception of the Graduate Research Scholarship program. The MBS website https://mobirds.org/ASM/Scholarship.aspx lists all of the scholarship recipients to date with a link to their follow-up reports that have been published in The Bluebird. The request for applications can also be viewed on the website. In addition, donations that will support our scholarship program can be made directly via the website. Please consider making a donation to MBS to support this very important program!

Page 6 THE BLUEBIRD Chris’ First Missouri Big Year

Conway Hawn

“Dad, stop!” We were on a country road north of Lockwood looking for a Prairie Falcon when Chris spotted an unusual bluebird on a fence. “Chris, it’s just a juvenile bluebird.” He looked at the bird with his binoculars. “Dad, it’s a Mountain Bluebird!” He was right, and that made Missouri species number 277. Chris’ goal for the year was 220 species, and he was way beyond that.

Chris started birding when he was twelve by going on Ozark Rivers Audubon Chapter birding outings to Montauk SP led by Mike Doyen and Louise Wilkinson. After being bitten by the birding bug, Chris brought up the idea of birding the next year outside Texas County where we live. To make things fun, we set a goal of trying to find 220 species in 2020.

On January 1, Chris was out the door before sunrise to participate in the Dent/Texas County CBC. Chris logged 36 species that day. During January he mostly birded counties around Texas County, although he did venture over to Stockton Lake and Schell-Osage CA a few times. Chris’ tally at the end of January was 74 species.

On February 29 Chris picked up his 100th species of the year by finding a Western Meadowlark a half-hour before sunset west of Schell-Osage CA. After hitting that milestone, we decided to celebrate the next day by travelling to Ashland Cemetery in St. Joseph to look for a reported White-winged Crossbill and Red Crossbills. We were out the door by 5:00 am and at the cemetery by 8:00 am. Chris found the birds within five minutes of getting out of the car. This was his first rarity chase of the year.

It was only a few days later that Chris’ school and my job were put on hiatus due to COVID-19, so we made the best of a bad situation by social distancing at conservation areas looking for birds. By the end of March, Chris’ count stood at 141 species with the highlight being watching Greater Prairie-Chickens flushed by a coyote at Taberville Prairie with Dillon Freiburger, who was kind enough to point out the lek to us.

Page 7 THE BLUEBIRD April was a whirlwind. By the end of that month, Chris met Edge Wade, who helped him find Dunlins at Eagles Bluff (and who later emailed him information about the Missouri Young Birders Club led by Paige Witek, which he promptly joined), found a Missouri state record number of American Avocets at Stockton Dam, found (with the help of Ricky Hostetler who first located it) the second earliest Missouri record of a White-rumped Sandpiper, found on his own the second earliest spring record of a Nashville Warbler at Montauk SP, and saw a very rare Yellow-billed Loon at Stockton Lake.

It was while viewing the Yellow-billed Loon that Chris met Mark Robbins, who suggested birding together at Loess Bluffs Wildlife Refuge in the near future. We later set April 30 as the day. On that day, Chris was only five species short of his 220 goal.

Before meeting up with Mark, we ran into Lisa Owens who told Chris where to find a Mottled Duck and Sandhill Crane (216 and

Otter Slough CA, 28 August 2020 Photo Conway Hawn

Page 8 THE BLUEBIRD 217). A short while later we met Mark, and it wasn’t long before he found a Sora (218). To say Mark is a fount of birding knowledge is an understatement. Chris soaked up everything he said during the two hours we birded with him.

After birding with Mark, we ran into Dave Haenni and Doug Willis who were also birding Loess Bluffs that day. Dave found Chris a Tricolored Heron (219) and, a few minutes later, Doug identified a Sedge Wren (220) calling behind us. Chris had made his goal with eight months to spare!

To celebrate this achievement, we ate ice cream. Chris enjoyed it so much that he decided from then on, every life bird should be celebrated with ice cream. Suffice it to say, Chris ate a lot of ice cream by the end of the year.

Chris chased migrants in May and made his revised goal of 250 species for the year with a Canada Warbler at Montauk SP on May 20th. Days later he picked up Least Terns at the Riverlands with the help of Bill Rowe. However, that wasn’t the only rare tern Chris got to see that month. On vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Chris enjoyed his first ABA Code 4 rarity when he spotted a White-winged Tern at the tip of Hatteras Island flying over a salt marsh pond.

After returning from vacation, birding slowed down. Due to national events, Chris mostly birded around Texas County in June and found only a few new species. He didn’t find a single new species in July, which served as the low point of the year. August had other plans, though, when Chris experienced arguably the best month’s birding a beginning birder could hope to have in Missouri.

On August 11th Kendell Lloyd sent a Mobirds listserve email con- firming that a Brown Booby spotted on the Current River the prior weekend and relocated the day before was still there, but only accessible by boat. I couldn’t get free that day, but Chris was afraid this first state record wouldn’t stay around, so he talked his moth- er into driving him to Doniphan to try and find it. They didn’t know how they would travel down the river but decided they would figure it out when they got there.

Page 9 THE BLUEBIRD

After parking on a dirt road and walking to the Current River, Chris and his mom saw a boater on the river and asked him if he knew where the bird was. It turned out the boater was Tom Orosz, the husband of Debbie Orosz, the woman who uploaded the photo of the Brown Booby to Facebook. Tom picked Chris and his mom up and showed them the Brown Booby before picking up Debbie, who was waiting at the Doniphan boat ramp. Debbie then regaled them with the story of finding the bird while they travelled down the river to see it again. Chris saw the Brown Booby again the next day with me, but it wasn’t the same as seeing it with the husband and wife who first discovered it. The Brown Booby was 260 for the year.

After that adventure, birding was back front and center. The next weekend, we drove to Grand Tower Island looking for a reported Anhinga. Chris’ sharp eyes spotted it perched on a limb back in some bushes sunning itself. We enjoyed watching it sun and preen itself for several minutes.

On August 28 we decided to travel to Otter Slough CA to see what Hurricane Laura might blow in, which made landfall and was passing through the bootheel of Missouri that day. About a half hour into our trip, Joshua Uffman sent a Mobirds listserve email to let everyone know that Joe Eades had found a dark storm-petrel at Otter Slough CA. Less than two hours later we were some of the first people to enjoy looking at what was determined to be a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel. A rainbow in the background served to underscore that this was a magical birding moment. Chris later found a Red-necked Phalarope swimming circles as he birded other parts of Otter Slough just before sunset.

Two days later and the “cherry on top” for August was Chris finding a pair of juvenile White Ibis feeding on a mudflat at Schell- Osage CA. A couple of hours later, Chris spotted his first Western Sandpiper at some mudflats near Truman Lake.

September was slow birding, but Chris made it to 270 with Nel- son’s Sparrows found by Paul McKenzie and Pete Monacell at Ea-

Page 10 THE BLUEBIRD gle Bluffs CA. It took slogging through Pool 10 up to our ankles in water several times before he was confident that we had spotted (and videoed) those shy sparrows.

On October 10 Chris attended a Missouri Birding Society sponsored outing at Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie led by Erik Ost and Matt Longabaugh. Birds picked up during the outing included a rare Chestnut-collared Longspur and a Sprague’s Pipit. Chris didn’t think birding could get any better. He was wrong.

On October 24 Chris found and identified the Mountain Bluebird. The color was amazing. We watched it feed for several minutes just a few feet from our car before deciding we had better find cell service to let other birders know its location. Unfortunately, no one else was able to enjoy it before it disappeared. Chris later learned it was the earliest Missouri fall record for a Mountain Bluebird.

A Pacific Loon and Black Scoter found by Kendell Lloyd and a Red Phalarope that Greg Swick gave us directions to continued making October a stellar month. On October 30 Chris added four more species, including number 285, a Short-eared Owl identified by Erik Ost as it flew over Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie at dusk on a beautiful fall day.

Chris’ most frustrating birding experience of the year happened on Thanksgiving Day. While returning from birding the Riverlands with strict orders from his mom to be back by 2:00 pm for Thanks- giving dinner, Chris saw on the Mobirds listserve that a Common Redpoll was being reported at Paul McKenzie’s house. By the time we got there, Chris had less than 10 minutes to see if the bird showed up. It didn’t, and since his mom trumped birding, we left. Chris later saw on the Missouri rare bird alerts that fifteen minutes after we left, Pete Monacell stopped by and saw the Com- mon Redpoll at the feeder.

On Chris’ 14th birthday a Vermilion Flycatcher was reported at Little River CA. A few hours later (with the help of Mark Haas, who pointed Chris in the right direction), Chris had his 300th Mis- souri life bird and his 298th species for the year. He said it was

Page 11 THE BLUEBIRD the best birthday present he could receive.

The following Saturday Chris found a Red-throated Loon (299) at Stockton Lake. Shortly after finding the loon, a Snowy Owl was reported near BK Leach CA. A few hours later Chris was there and found the Snowy Owl with the help of the Johnsons who had scoped it on top of a power pole. Chris watched his 300th year bird for over two hours. It was a breathtakingly beautiful bird.

Over the next couple of weeks additional species (a Northern Saw- whet Owl—thanks Dave Haenni--and a Barrow’s Goldeneye— thanks Mary Nemecek for finding it and Alex Marine who relocated it for us) gave him a year-end total of 302 Missouri species. More important than the number of bird species he saw in 2020, though, was the time Chris was able to spend enjoying the birds of Missouri and meeting others with his passion for birding who kindly and without judgment imparted their knowledge to a beginning birder.

Chris says that he wants to do another Big Year when he turns sixteen with some friends that he met through the Missouri Young Birders Club. With the generous Missouri birding community helping like they did last year, there will be no stopping them.

Mountain Bluebird, near Lockwood Dade , 24 Oct 2020 Photo Conway Hawn

Page 12 THE BLUEBIRD Big Year Birding—On a County Scale

Tommy Goodwin

I was not always interested in birds, but ever since I was old enough to have interests, animals have been my passion. In college, while I pursued a degree in environmental engineering, I indulged myself with a second major in biological sciences (ecology focus) solely because I could not give up on the dream of someday being an African safari guide, or something similar. During the last few months of my undergraduate degree, I met Jessie, and after dating for a few months we went to her parent’s farm for Thanksgiving where I remember watching a small red and brown bird at the feeder. At the time I had no idea what the bird was, but wanting to make a good impression I asked Mark Hahn, Jessie’s father, and he explained to me that the bird was a purple finch. Later, I returned to the window and commented that the purple finch was back at the feeder, but someone replied that this bird was a house finch. For the first time, I looked at the Sibley guide on the coffee table, and my whole world changed. I started learning the birds, slowly and passively for the first year or so, until I was asked by a professor to help with a joint meeting between Missouri S&T’s Biological Sciences department and the Ozark Rivers Audubon chapter of the National Audubon Society. At that meeting I met and was able to bird with the speak- er, Brad Jacobs. His presentation was my first exposure to eBird, and his passion about how people’s hobby of birdwatching could be used to collect data and help science further understand populations and movements of entire species of birds fanned my spark into what it is today.

I wanted to do something big before I turned 30 and we started a family, and due to the pandemic and work, a County Big Year in St. Charles County became my adventure. The highest single county record I could find for the state was for Boone County when Ryan Douglas observed 261 species in 2012, and the highest number of species I was able to find reported during a single year in St. Charles County (hereafter the County) was in 2013 when Jim Malone reported 249 species. Other records may exist, but these were the only records I was able to find through word-of-mouth, eBird, and mobirds.org.

January 1, 2020 began with the Missouri Confluence Christmas Bird Count, when Bill Rowe and Jim Malone found a Great Black- backed Gull and Adam Hartz found a Harris’ Sparrow near River-

Page 13 THE BLUEBIRD lands Migratory Bird Sanctuary (Riverlands). It wasn’t until Janu- ary 12, and 87 species into the year, that Jessie and I self-found our first rarity for 2020; a first cycle Glaucous Gull flew overhead while we were walking for sparrows at the Cora Island Unit of the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The next day, Bill Rowe found a Spotted Towhee at Busch Conservation Area (CA), and over the next few weeks the “Patagonia picnic table effect” occurred, revealing a Dickcissel, Indigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow, and a first state winter record Blue Grosbeak all foraging the same field. The first month of my big year ended with 117 species in the County.

The pandemic really ramped up through the spring, and I was laid off from work in early April. I was only down about it for a short while, because migration was also ramping up, and April weather can force rare birds out of the sky and into unusual places. In the span of one week in mid-April multiple noteworthy birds appeared, including multiple Hudsonian and Marbled God- wits, a female Ruff (found by Marbled Godwit, Mertz Rd St Charles Josh Uffman), a Piping Plover 18 Apr 2020. Photo Jessie Goodwin (found by Kent Lannert), a Western Grebe (found by Doug Hommert), four Upland Sandpipers (found by Nick Wells), a Loggerhead Shrike, and crazy numbers of White-faced Ibis; one flock of 67 Plegadis sp. flew over our car in downtown St. Charles. By the end of April, I was sitting at 217 species in the County.

Taking advantage of my impromptu “early retirement,” I got bored only birding the same areas in the County. While researching the county records in late 2019, I learned of the St. Louis Circle (the Circle), a 50-mile radius around the city limits of St. Louis, found- ed by Webster Groves Nature Studies Society (WGNSS). Records on mobirds.org showed that four people had broken 300 species in a year for the circle, with the record held by Joe Eades with 303 species observed in 2004. After chasing a state lifer, Mottled Duck, at Clarence Cannon NWR (the northern boundary of the Circle) on April 21, I committed to doing a St. Louis Circle Big Year simulta-

Page 14 THE BLUEBIRD neously with the County Big Year.

May had a lot going on, but the best memories fell on May 9, Cor- nell’s Global Big Day for 2020. I organized an itinerary and team of five friends (Theo Bockhorst, John Nash (morning), Trevor Leitz (afternoon), Jessie, and myself) to see how many species we could see in those 24 hours. At 4:45 AM on Big Day, I recognized Josh Uffman’s Eastern Screech-Owl call near where we were, and he also realized that Jessie’s call was definitely not an owl. After the two party “standoff” (Josh was birding with Bill Rowe, Matt Rowe, and Tom Parmeter for the day) ended in a laugh (but no bird), we went our own ways, but ran into each other four more times across the County. I added nine new species to my year list on the Big Day, including my only Yel- low-headed Blackbird and Olive-sided Flycatchers for the year (both tips from Josh’s party). We finished around 9:45 PM at Marais Temps Clair CA with a more coopera- tive Eastern Screech-Owl, and set a new St. Charles County Big Day record with 168 species.

A few more May highlights include a Connecticut War- bler in the County (found by John Nash), 58 Whimbrels (found by Dave Haenni), and a Red-throated Loon. Addi- Upland Sandpiper Darst Bottom Rd tionally, the furthest north St Charles 23 Apr 2020 Missouri record Anhinga ap- Photo Tommy Goodwin peared at Little Creve Coeur Marsh on May 10 (found by Lisa Saffell and Yvonne Homeyer). The last bird I observed in May was a Black-crowned Night-heron, which was species number 262 for the year, breaking what I believe to be the previous single county record for the state.

June through August were slow for the County, because of the time of year, because I started a new job, and because I focused more on the Circle. The only new rarities that I added over the summer for the county were a Laughing Gull and Neotropic Cor-

Page 15 THE BLUEBIRD morant at Riverlands following the wake of Hurricane Cristobal with Dave Haenni, Doug Hommert, and Dave Dean. At the end of August, my County total was 269 species.

A highlight of fall birding was lake watching at Carlyle Lake, Illi- nois (the eastern boundary of the Circle). This fall was spectacular around Carlyle Lake; Dan Kassebaum and others found and shared some remarkable birds with me, including Parasitic Jaeger, Sabine’s Gull, Magnificent Frigatebird, Long-tailed Jaeger, and Pacific Loon.

Cornell’s October Big Day fell on October 17, and Jessie, Brian Stamper, and I birded the County. The biggest surprise of the year was that day, when we decided to make a quick stop on Darst Bot- tom Road and flushed up two longspurs that gave a rattle call as they flew; my first thought was Smith’s Longspur, so I was already stopping when Jessie stated that their tail looked more like an hour-glass. While Jessie tracked the birds’ flight, I told her that we might have had a Chestnut-collared Longspur, an accidental species in eastern Missouri. After walking the field and flushing the birds several times, we finally were convinced enough to alert everyone; many people got their lifer Chestnut-collared Longspurs that week.

In December I only added three species to my County list. First was a Long-tailed Duck (found by Doug Hommert), and the other two were the birds that gave me the most stress all year: Barn Owl and Great-tailed Grackle. I know Barn Owls had to be around, but there were no known locations, so I made record time to River- lands when Henry and Oliver Gorski had Riverlands’ first ever Barn Owl land in the grass near Heron Pond. Great-tailed Grack- les were very reliable at the Church and Seeburger Road feedlot prior to the 2019 flood, but did not return the winter of 2019-2020; after a 22-month hiatus the birds finally returned on Dec 20 (found by Paul and Barbara Johnson), marking the last species I would get in the County for the year.

I set a new single county in Missouri and St. Charles County record with 288 species and a new St. Louis Circle record with 310 species. A full list of my species seen in the County and the Circle can be found at https://bit.ly/2LtnVK5. I could never have observed near the number of species I had in 2020 had it not been for many more people than just those listed above, and I will never be able to thank Jessie for being as supportive as she was throughout the

Page 16 THE BLUEBIRD year, especially when I wasn’t working. Even though she was only generally able to bird with me on the weekends, she still observed 267 species in the County -- now the second highest single county record.

I did not miss any common or uncommon species, but I believe both of these records are beatable. There were 8 species reported in the County and 10 species reported in the Circle that I missed, and there are a lot of areas that are not well covered. As technolo- gy improves, it will get easier to see a higher percentage of the total species observed for an area, and easier still if you maintain a strong network of birders and communication.

If there is one thing I learned, it is that even though I have learned a lot since I started birding six years ago, I have barely chipped the vast amount of combined knowledge that my peers have. Always listen to what your peers have to say, because sometimes it is experience that makes a difference and other times it is fresh eyes and ears; we will always be in this pursuit together.

Plegadis sp. St Charles 17 Apr 2020 Photo Jessie Goodwin

Page 17 THE BLUEBIRD Brown-headed Nuthatch

Reintroduction to Missouri Sarah Kendrick

The Missouri Department of Conservation, in partnership with the University of Missouri, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Sta- tion, and Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF), with support from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Tall Timbers Research Station, reintroduced 46 Brown-headed Nuthatches from Arkansas’ Ouachita National Forest to Missouri’s shortleaf pine woodlands of the MTNF in fall 2020. An additional 50 birds will be translocated in fall 2021.

Brown-headed Nuthatch, Ouachita NF, Arkansas Photo: Noppadol Paothong, Missouri Department of Conservation

Brown-headed Nuthatches are pine-woodland obligates that were extirpated from the state. Prior to widespread logging of the Mis- souri Ozarks in the late 1800s and early 1900s, over 6 million acres of shortleaf pine and oak woodland covered the area. A few records of Brown-headed Nuthatches exist in the state from 1878 and 1907, in the midst of logging efforts in the state that removed nearly all shortleaf pine woodlands – the nuthatches’ habitat. Today, after ex-

Page 18 THE BLUEBIRD tensive restoration of pine woodlands in the MTNF, the necessary habitat exists to translocate a population of Brown-headed Nut- hatches to Missouri.

Brown-headed Nuthatches are common across their range, which extends from northwest Arkansas south through the open pineries of the southeastern states as far northeast as Maryland. These birds are resident (non-migratory), fairly sedentary, and weak fliers, so their dispersal north to newly restored habitat without connecting shortleaf pine woodlands along the way is highly unlikely.

To assess the feasibility of reintroduction, partners Tom Bonnot (University of Missouri Research Professor) and Frank Thompson (U.S. Forest Service Research Biologist) analyzed a long-term U.S. Forest Service bird survey dataset from the Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests in Arkansas that included Brown-headed Nuthatch detections. This analysis showed increasing nuthatch populations, especially over the last decade. The analyzed bird surveys were paired with vegetation data, so Tom and Frank were able to pull habitat characteristics from the points where nuthatches were detected, allowing them to build a model to assess available habitat in Missouri.

These analyses gave us confidence that source populations nearby in Arkansas were robust enough to sustain removal of birds, and that Missouri had more than enough suitable habitat to support a small population of nuthatches. Other researchers at the University and Forest Service separately modeled that shortleaf pine will do well under various climate change scenarios in the Missouri Ozarks into the future (Jin et al. 2018), giving us added confidence that nuthatch habitat will continue to do well with continued woodland management.

Pine woodland sites in the MTNF have been managed with tree thinning and prescribed fire for 20 years, and woodland management was ramped up in the region for the last decade due to in- creased federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project (CFLRP). The topic of Brown- headed Nuthatch reintroduction has been discussed for a decade, coinciding with the CFLRP project funding woodland management, and the reintroduction took over 2 years of coordination and communication with state and federal partners in Arkansas, Missouri, and Central Hardwoods Joint Venture, among many others!

Page 19 THE BLUEBIRD Brown-headed Nuthatch reintroduction is an option because of the restoration of shortleaf pine woodland – an ecosystem that was almost totally removed by human hands in Missouri. The reintroduction is a low-risk, low-cost step toward one piece of the shortleaf pine ecosystem’s recovery and one way that we can work to repair a heav- ily impacted landscape.

Brown-Headed Nuthatch Release Steve Paes (with Sarah Kendrick)

In August I was involved with the unexpected visit of the Brown Booby to the Current River. But for over a year before that I had been looking forward to August for another event, the reintroduction of the brown-headed nuthatch to Missouri. When State Ornithologist Sarah Kendrick and conservation partners began to plan the re-introduction in 2019, I was fortunate enough to get on her list of helpers. The full story of preparing for and planning the re-introduction is Sarah’s to tell. What I am writing about today is the first two days of the re-introduction, August 24 and 25, at the release site.

I was asked to be at the release site near Fremont on the morning of the 24th to assist with the release. I got there early and there were already a handful of vehicles parked by the road. I walked the quarter-mile trail to the release site, halfway afraid that the birds had already arrived and been released. I was relieved to learn that the birds were still on the way and everyone else had arrived early, anx- ious not to miss anything.

The actual release site was in pine woodland of the Mark Twain Na- tional Forest, an easy walk from the road and parking spot. A cano- py had been set up with tables and chairs. We soon got word that eleven birds were on their way and would arrive mid to late morning. Sarah and Frank Thompson, a U.S. Forest Service research biologist and reintroduction team, finally arrived Shortleaf Pine stand at the release site from Arkansas with the Photo Steve Paes

Page 20 THE BLUEBIRD birds and walked them into the release site on schedule. The birds were transported in four-inch ventilated cardboard mailing tubes that fit into two small milk crates. As soon as they arrived, Sarah, Frank, and University of Missouri researcher Kristen Heath started taking them out one and two at a time to be processed. Each tube had netting at the opening to prevent escape; the handlers simply reached in and pulled them out.

My job was to fill out a data sheet for a bird as it was being banded. Some of the information recorded was the bird’s federal bird band number, time and place of capture, and a unique color combination of plastic colored leg bands. Some birds were fitted with tiny radio transmitters (about the weight of a paperclip), so the frequency of the transmitter was also recorded for those birds. I was impressed that the birds were being released within four or five hours of being captured.

I had the opportunity to watch the banding and take pictures and videos. The birds were very calm during the process, sitting quietly with no fluttering or pecking at the fingers that were holding them. Pretty soon all eleven birds had been banded and released. Each seemed to land on the first limb they got to and usually gave us a few Brown-headed Nuthatch to be released “squeaka squeaka” calls Photo Sarah Kendrick which were answered with a chorus of aw- wwwww’s from the workers. I think there were a few tears. Several people there had been working on restoring the pine woodland habitat since the 1990s with a goal of hearing that squeak in Missouri’s restored pine woodlands.

The second day nine birds were caught and were moved north. The procedure was the same but with a different mix of volunteers. I observed some of the birds being released, but I had a different job as- signment. Several dozen roost boxes had been constructed and needed to be put up in the general release area.

Page 21 THE BLUEBIRD One of the new volunteers that morning was Rhonda Rimer, Natu- ral History Biologist for the Southwest Region of the Missouri De- partment of Conservation. Rhonda and I had the job of putting up a handful of roost boxes. The locations were marked by a metal fence post and recorded in a GPS. With me driving a UTV and Rhonda navigating, we were to deliver the boxes and slip each one over its fence post.

Rhonda Rimer with a roost box Photo Steve Paes

When I was put on the team to help with the release, I was sworn to secrecy on the date and location. Sarah wanted to avoid crowds during the covid-19 pandemic and birders looking for (and poten- tially stressing) the birds immediately after release. I was afraid I would have to keep the location secret for quite a while, but Sarah gave us the okay to share as soon as the releases were complete.

The trapping teams were making good progress, but hurricanes made landfall on the Gulf Coast and resulting storms blew north, creating poor weather conditions in Arkansas and caused delays. I told a few people as soon as I could, including Cindy Bridges, who wanted to make looking for the nuthatches a field trip for the MBS Fall Meeting. On the day of the field trip, Sarah passed word to us that if you spent twenty minutes near the release site you would likely hear nuthatches calling in the area. Sure enough, that group saw and heard seven of the released birds.

Sarah and the nuthatch reintroduction team emphasize that if you

Page 22 THE BLUEBIRD want to try to see the released brown-headed nuthatches, do not use recordings of nuthatches to elicit a response. Released birds are still acclimating to their habitat, interacting with one another and developing territories; they do not need additional stress of responding to playback. Looking for nuthatches will involve pa- tience, as the birds are relatively quiet and do not call constantly, especially during the winter.

If you do wish to listen and look for the birds, the release area is south of Hwy 60 between Winona and Van Buren. Head south on Hwy. J at Fremont for five miles and turn right on the gravel Pine Knot Road. The woodland on the south side of the road is mature pine with an open understory. A short distance down Pine Knot Road, you’ll see an interpretive sign de- scribing the woodland restoration. An example roost box is placed near the sign as a teaching tool. I have seen birds at this location. If you head down Pine Knot Road a bit farther, you’ll see an old log- Sarah Kendrick, Steve Paes, and a nuthatch ging road on the south side. Vehi- Photo Kristen Heath cles are not allowed, but there is space to park vehicles off the road. Birds have been observed at this location also. It is an easy walk down the woods road through the pine woodland habitat.

There will be an opportunity to see the birds during the 2022 spring meeting. It is scheduled to once again be at Bunker Hill Re- sort and I plan to make these pine woodlands near the release site one of the field trips.

See also videos of Brown-headed Nuthatch release: https://vimeo.com/510439070 https://vimeo.com/510437609

Page 23 THE BLUEBIRD Eurasian Tree Sparrows and Me

Pat Lueders

When I was a new birder, I learned about a sparrow that occupies a unique place in bird life of America, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow. These sparrows from a foreign land, Germany, were brought to and liberated in St. Louis in 1870, thrived and established a residential zone around the city. Twenty were released in a city park near the breweries, and they found there abundant sources of food. Resi- dents hung bird houses to provide nesting cavities, which they readi- ly used. By 1947, they had attained recognition as an established species in the U.S. and currently have an estimated population of 100,000.

Range of Eurasian Tree Sparrow in North America Image provided by eBird (www.ebird.org) and created 30 Jan 2021.

When I moved to a suburban St. Louis area condo in 2006, I hung a bird house on our front porch. Since then, it has been used throughout the breeding seasons by Eurasian Tree Sparrows (ETSP). Each year a pair of ETSP spend the winter in and around this bird house. They will perch on the roof chipping and vocalizing their distinctive

Page 24 THE BLUEBIRD chatter. They will roost at night in the house in which they have woven a thick layer of material during the Fall. In March, they will mate and begin incubating 2-4 eggs for two weeks. Both will feed the hatchlings until they fledge. They will have four broods, the last one fledging in August. They will lose a few fledglings each season, and I find them on the floor of the porch. ETSP are hard working and diligent parents for five months and very protec- tive of their house. In August, they leave and begin a period of post breeding dispersal where we find them in large numbers in the fields, returning to the roof around the middle of September. While they are gone, I empty and clean the house; and, upon their return, they spend a few weeks refilling it with new clean nesting material.

St. Louis Audubon receives numerous requests from birders for help locating the ETSP when visiting St. Louis. Even though plentiful, they prefer only certain areas. As a board member, I volunteered to host many of these birders to ob- serve the birds on my front porch and to learn about their behavior. Fewer requests have been received in recent years since the locations of the species can be found on eBird. How enjoyable it was to share my ETSP with so many visitors through the years!

Spring and Summer of 2020 was brightened for me by following the nesting activities of this year’s pair of ETSP. It’s estimated that they live for 4 years, so I’ve probably watched a number of different pairs through the seasons. Their faithfulness to each other, their conscientious parenthood, and reliable routines have renewed my faith in the ability of nature to continue as normal even as our lives have been so disrupted.

In August 2020, I visited Southeast Arizona during the time when I would be leading the annual Naturalist Journey’s Arizona Mon- soon Madness tour. A friend and I were enjoying lunch on the pa- tio of the Portal Café when a male birder sat nearby. He inquired

Page 25 THE BLUEBIRD where we were from, and I replied St. Louis. He said, “You’re Pat Lueders!” Dumbfounded, I replied, “Yes”. “You showed me my life ETSP on your porch in 2008,” he said. “And you remembered my name,” I asked? “Of course,” he said, “I never forget someone who showed me a life bird!” Wow, the birding world is definitely a small one! Thanks, ETSP, for letting me share you with others and for providing a daily diversion until life someday returns to normal.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary St Charles 10 Nov 2018 Photo Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren

Page 26 THE BLUEBIRD Fall 2020 Watershed Expeditions at Home:

A Big Muddy Thank You to the Missouri Birding Society Kristen Schulte and Anne Miller

This past autumn, Missouri River Relief hosted nearly fifty 4th to 12th grade students in the exploration of their local watershed. Fall 2020 Watershed Expeditions at Home was a month-long adventure exploring seasonal changes in students’ watersheds as well as what constitutes the health of said watershed. The primary focus of the program was to encourage environmental awareness and steward- ship in its young participants through the combination of exciting science focused and art-based activities. By the conclusion of the program, students were given the tools and resources to participate in further conservation efforts.

Students explored the physical, conceptual and creative aspects of their watershed through a Discovery Box delivered to their door- steps. The Discovery Box, which contained the materials and in- structions for ten activities, was paired with an optional weekly Vir- tual Session meeting. During the Virtual Sessions, students were able to participate in further watershed activities, discussions with guest speakers, and time allotted for socialization.

Discovery Box activities that were particular favorites for the students included Build Your Own Birdfeeder, Water Quality Testing and their Watershed Challenge Project, wherein students were able to design and advertise their own creations to help mitigate the levels of harmful pollutants and waste that harm the watershed and its inhabitants. During the final Virtual Session, students were able to share their project with their peers, which emphasized conservation- minded concepts. Students were also encouraged to participate in a local cleanup in order to gain a more hands-on understanding of what particular conservation problems plagued their area. Despite some of the poor weather conditions for select students, they were able to gain a newfound appreciation for their natural surroundings and waterways.

The Missouri Birding Society graciously provided Watershed Expe- ditions at Home with the funding necessary to supplement the cost of the program for families. This allowed Missouri River Relief to

Page 27 THE BLUEBIRD lower the cost of the registration fee, increasing the accessibility of the program as a whole. Furthermore, Missouri River Relief awarded financial aid to qualified students through the “Sponsor a Student” program. Generous individual sponsors support this program by covering the part or all of the registration fee for a single student or, in some cases, multiple students.

The response to the program was overwhelmingly positive. Stu- dents shared their enthusiasm during the final Virtual Session and had the opportunity to discuss their favorite activities. One grandmother who ordered a Discovery Box for her grandchildren commented that they have “been using the activities when they come to [her] house on days there is no school… [She] worked for the MO Department of Natural Resources before retiring, so this Discovery Box and activities was wonderful! It was probably more for [her] than for the students! Ha.”

Many of these activities would not have been possible to provide without the support of the Missouri Birding Society. Mis- souri River Relief would like to once more extend a Big Muddy thank you for helping to supply the students of Water- shed Expeditions at Home with a well- rounded educational experience like no other. To learn more about the Watershed Expeditions at Home program, visit www.riverrelief.org.

Bird Feeder

Page 28 THE BLUEBIRD A Hook Before the Stars Come Out

Jeff Cantrell

Outdoor educators and field trip leaders for birding groups are always looking for a “hook.” That hook would be a wow moment or perhaps a charismatic organism to engage and possibly entice people fresh to the outdoor scene. The goal is for people to revisit a nature discovery or seek to learn more about what they experienced.

I have been leading ecology outings for easily 30 years. My list of local hooks is probably very similar to those of other naturalists, park rangers, and volunteers across the state. My bird themes include short-eared owls in early winter, bald eagles and swans mid to late winter, bobolinks and painted buntings in May… All of these are very charming to me, and the conservation stories regarding their populations add to the excitement for the group. One outing headliner or hook that I love, set in late winter/early spring, is more about motion and behavior rather than focusing on the bird’s appearance. The American woodcock or timberdoodle is a challenging bird for novice birdwatchers to view, but its behaviors are certainly lots of fun to witness.

The event is described in naturalists’ circles as the “Sky Dance.” Ad- mirers of the book The Sand County Almanac are familiar with it; I have enjoyed the avian flight dance for decades and now look forward to the weeks of performance, running most every late winter day on my own property. The stage is set along my resident nature trail and long driveway snaking through native grass lots, young forest and shrubby fields. The “stage curtain” rises as the sun re- tires, and I find myself on edge waiting for the first “actor” to come out. I have known colleagues who have rushed home from work to catch a television show or sports event; clearly, I understand their anticipation. Now every February and March, I’m home; work can wait, the sky dance is premiering.

The contestants are the American Woodcocks, and we Ozarkers know them as “Timberdoodles”. They’re related to the graceful shorebirds of this nation’s beaches and mudflats. Perhaps the Tim- berdoodle is the awkward shorebird cousin, for when I mention to beginning birders that the woodcock is “gnome-like” I get nods and smiles from the baffled birdwatchers.

Twilight brings the performance of the males, and it is both visual

Page 29 THE BLUEBIRD and auditory. The nasal “peent” call is the icebreaker. The call is transcending from the males at ground level. The first flight display of the evening is a wide circular flight against a backdrop of sunset pastels. The timberdoodles go higher and higher; the whole time their wings quiver and make a twittering sound. The most engaging part of the night show is that there are sky circles taking place everywhere! Perhaps at the peak of height, around 300 feet, the twittering jingle stops and a flight song accompanies a zigzag flight to the ground. If the gnome remark created a sparkle in the eyes of a beginning birder, you should see the expression when I mention the song (call notes) resembles the sound of kisses on my face from my great aunts in my youth. If you have that sort of ex- tended family in your childhood, I guarantee you will recognize the sound. The cycle of peenting, display flights and songs continues well into the darkness and sometimes with a short encore at the break of dawn. It is the type of show in natural history that en- twines the fabric of our personality to the outdoors.

We who appreciate nature seek these adventures and want to share them. We recognize the naturalist bond in every thread of our experience. I could not agree more with my champion, Aldo Leopold, who wrote about the drama of the sky dance. I encourage everyone to lead a group, grab a youth, non-birding friend, or even an adoring great aunt and seek out the Timberdoodle Hook with someone new to the outdoor stage.

American Woodcock, Magnolia Hollow CA Ste Genevieve 5 Mar 2016. Photo Allen Gathman

Page 30 THE BLUEBIRD Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Nesting in

Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri David A. Easterla

On June 29, 2020, Kyle Mayes, my former Wildlife Ecology and Con- servation student at Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, told me he had possibly observed two Scissor-tailed Fly- catchers at Donaldson Westside Park, Maryville, Nodaway County, Missouri. On July 7, 2020, at 5:15 PM, I visited the park but observed no birds. However, a return visit that day at 7:20 PM revealed two adult Scissor-tailed Flycatchers in open areas of the park, capturing insects and then flying in the same direction, often landing on the nearby ball field fence. Closer observation revealed that the two birds were always flying to a young Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) tree that supported a nest 20-25 feet above the ground, containing four three-quarter grown young that filled the nest (Fig. 1). I watched the adults bring food to the young every 15-20 minutes until 8 PM, when they stopped visiting. I stayed at the nest tree until dusk at 8:45 PM but never saw the adults again. It is interesting that the adults did not spend the night at the nest with the young; however, the growing young now filled the nest with almost no spare room remain- ing. The next day, July 8, at 4:30 PM, I again visited the nest tree and sat with camera on a chair at its base. The two adults soon arrived and hovered above me and the tree while calling. However, they soon settled down and began bringing insect food to the young every 1-5 Fig. 1. Nestlings with adult. minutes. Once the male (longer Photo David Easterla tail) brought a large dragonfly to the nest. In my presence the female seemed bolder and brought food to the young more often than the male. One nestling was flapping its wings, showing some feath- er growth. While observing this young bird and the others poking

Page 31 THE BLUEBIRD their heads, covered only with thin fuzz, up from the nest, I was re- minded of their reptilian ancestry – feathered baby dinosaurs sur- viving after over 100 million years of evolution! After shooting two rolls of film I left the area. On July 9, I again visited the park at 5:10 PM, but found no young in the nest. However, both adults were in a soccer field near the nest tree. Despite diligent searching for the next two hours, I never observed the young Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, and the adults were not flying in any particular direction while carrying prey. I searched unsuccessfully for the young on all adjacent fields for another 1 ½ hours, and finally left the area. The feeding adults sometimes flew to the ground for prey and seemed to relish the strong northwest breeze on July 9, perhaps making prey capture easier. On July 7, which was windless, the adults took much longer capturing prey and returning to the nest. I am convinced that the young were not in the area on July 9, and there was no evidence of predation; the nest appeared undisturbed, with no sign of feathers, carcasses, etc. Thus the success of the nest is a mystery. Visits to the area on July 13 and 18 revealed no Scis- sor-tailed Flycatchers, and I assume that the adults had begun their southward migration. Donaldson Westside Park, with its open playing fields, parking lots, scattered small trees, and extensive mowed lawns, seems to be prime habitat for nesting Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. The area is surrounded by very open areas of pasture or hay fields, all un- mowed. The flycatchers were never observed in these areas; perhaps it is harder to see and capture prey in such habitat. Despite the large size of this park, I always observed the Scissor-tailed Fly- catchers in the same region, which was highest in elevation and windiest. Besides perching on ball field fences and soccer goal nets, the flycatchers sometimes perched on small tree tops of on top of the high parking lot light poles. The adults seemed oblivious and undisturbed by people parking their cars nearby and walking near the nest tree. The park obviously represents a human-modified habitat for Scissor-tailed Flycatchers – wide open spaces with small scattered trees correlating with their natural habitat in southwest Mis- souri and adjacent Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. During the last several hundred years humans have disturbed the land to the north and often opened up the original forested areas for parks, ball fields, soccer fields, golf courses, etc., resulting (along with global warming) in a newly evolving habitat conducive to breeding Scissor-

Page 32 THE BLUEBIRD tailed Flycatchers and other species.

This is the first record of nesting Scissor-tailed Flycatchers for Nod- away County, the first report of the species in the county, and probably the northernmost nesting record for the species in Missouri, as Maryville is only 16 miles south of the Iowa line. For adjacent counties in extreme northwest Missouri, Robbins (2018. The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri. Lawrence, KS: Univ. of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, pp 184-186) lists for summer a roadkill record in Worth County and an Atchison County record by R. Evans. It will be interesting to see if Scissor-tailed Flycatchers return to Don- aldson Westside Park in 2021.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on nest with young. Photo David Easterla

Page 33 THE BLUEBIRD Book Review: The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri, Second Edition By Mark B. Robbins Reviewed by Pete Monacell

The second edition of Mark B. Robbins’s The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri appeared in December 2020, fewer than three years after the appearance of the first edition. Robbins’s ability to update the book so rapidly owes in no small part to its publication in open access format—the book may be viewed using its University of Kansas ScholarWorks web page (https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/ handle/1808/30959). This format has also allowed data in the book to extend all the way through October 2020, very near the date of publication itself. Users who would like to own a bound version of the book may order a print-on-demand copy for $29.25 using the aforementioned link.

Robbins dedicates his second edition to Brad Jacobs, who passed away in May 2020 and was an important figure in Missouri birding and ornithology, serving as he did as State Ornithologist and as the longtime chair of the Missouri Bird Records Committee, among other capacities. As Robbins’s dedication states, Brad “had the vision and resolve to guide bird conservation beyond Missouri.” And indeed he did: Brad’s foremost professional legacy is his tireless work to conserve wintering grounds for Missouri’s neotropical migrants. We would see fewer such birds in Missouri without Brad’s efforts, and because of this fact, Robbins’s dedication is especially moving and appropriate.

The second edition continues, of course, to be of unparalleled value. It features detailed accounts of all of the 437 bird species reported in the state, including extinct and extirpated species, as well as the eleven that are still considered provisional. Since occurrence patterns are strongly correlated to seasons, the book contains early and late dates of occurrence for each season (for transients and non- permanent residents), as well as record high counts. Importantly, much new Missouri ornithological data has been amassed over the course of three years, in part because eBird immediately records the

Page 34 THE BLUEBIRD results of community bird science year-round, and at broad scales. Because of these changes, Robbins has dutifully updated his second edition with the most recent early and late species records that have been accepted by the Missouri Bird Records Committee. The same goes for any status changes that have been made with regard to particular species, as well as new seasonal high counts, which are not typically reviewed by the MBRC. In multiple instances, existing high counts were reevaluated for this edition, providing clear evidence of Robbins’s dedication to accuracy and rigor. And in all places, the author is careful to attribute the credit for exceptional finds to Missouri birders; it’s especially interesting to note that a number of frequently mentioned birders have been added to the new edition—an indication that Missouri birding is expanding its reach.

Robbins’s book synthesizes eBird data with information from the Missouri Breeding Bird Atlas (Jacobs and Wilson 1997), Breeding Bird Surveys, Christmas Bird Counts, riparian survey data, specimen data, and numerous other sources detailed in the book’s extensive bibliography. The riparian survey data is of special note because its inclusion intentionally represents species occurrences that are not correlated with roadways. (Robbins states that these surveys should be repeated, and suggests that others should be undertaken.) In addition, many of the 437 entries include commentaries that are sure to be of interest to birders who are observing or seeking to ob- serve a particular species. Such commentaries are at their most engaging when they reflect on the ways in which distribution patterns have changed over time—trends also helpfully displayed in tables that form part of the book’s introductory matter. And if a “theme” emerges from the book, it’s that these patterns are undergoing in- creasingly rapid changes, especially insofar as many species are arriving in the state earlier in the year and staying later. As Robbins asserts, these developments register the undeniable impacts of climate change. Other introductory sections chronicle Missouri ornithology, summarize the state bird list, and discuss the state’s climate and regional terrains, thereby availing scientist and birders alike of an important starting point for understanding Missouri’s avifauna. All things considered, The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri, second edition, is the definitive compilation and synthesis of Missouri bird data through October 2020.

Besides numerous updates in early and late dates of occurrence, as well as status changes and new seasonal high counts, the second

Page 35 THE BLUEBIRD edition contains a number of content expansions. Chief among these are a new breeding record—American Avocet at Loess Bluffs Nation- al Wildlife Refuge—and the inclusion of two bird species detected in Missouri for the first time: Rivoli’s Hummingbird and Brown Booby, the latter of which appears in a newly added photograph. Other new photographs (along with commentary within relevant species accounts) depict remarkable hybrids detected in the state: a very rare hybrid between Eurasian Tree Sparrow and House Sparrow, and an apparent male hybrid between Black-and-white Warbler and Chest- nut-sided Warbler. The latter, as Robbins notes, constitutes the first such apparent hybrid ever observed. In terms of other pictorial changes, the second edition removes a few of the photographs present in the first edition and adds even more, including excellent shots of rarities such as Bullock’s Oriole, Yellow-billed Loon, and Band-rumped Storm-petrel. Among the other significant additions to the book is a map of

Adult male Bullock’s Oriole, 8-9 May 2020, near Buffalo, Dallas County. Photo by Mark Robbins. cropland expansion in Missouri between 2008 and 2016, estimated at 625,000 acres and surely of severe detriment to grassland species in particular. Indeed, Robbins begins his second edition with sum- mary of, and reflection upon, a September 2019 analysis (Rosenberg et. al.) that estimated a net loss of 2.9 billion birds since 1970. This loss has, as Robbins convincingly establishes in both his introduc-

Page 36 THE BLUEBIRD tion and in the species accounts, registered throughout Missouri at a staggering scale. Appropriately, the subsequent section of Robbins’s introduction enumerates several ways in which individuals can help to address this precipitous decline through concrete actions. Finally, while the aforementioned changes incorporated into the second edition are the most apparent, one need look even closer to see less evi- dent revisions, such as those occurring within the species-level commentaries themselves. In just one example, Robbins has added commentary about Cackling Goose, a species that presents significant identification problems. He explains why some existing high counts of this species can no longer be considered reliable, and why photographic documentation of large numbers of this species is especially important. Hopefully, such commentary will help birders to regard and document their observations more rigorously in instances where identifications are difficult.

For that reason and the many others described here, birders in Mis- souri should keep the second edition of The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri close at hand. Some may wish to keep a bound copy in their vehicles or backpacks; however, the most convenient way to access the book is to download it to a mobile device. Birders who encounter a species on early or late dates need only consult Robbins’s book to know whether the date would set a record. And, if this is the case, and the record would require documentation with the MBRC, then birders still in the field can choose to seek additional evidence in the form of photographs, audio recordings , or in- creased observational details. Similar rationales exist for species that are present entirely out of season, or away from their usual locations.

When considering a work as definitive and comprehensive as this one, it becomes difficult to conceptualize of suggestions for the next revision. However, one such suggestion involves the digital format- ting itself. At present, a digital PDF of the book can be challenging to use in the field, since it requires a lot of scrolling to find particular species entries. Although the creation of a mobile app would be outside the scope of a third edition, might a digital edition with a hyperlinked table of contents or index be possible? Furthermore, the introductory matter of the book would benefit from a focused discussion of species that have probably been present in Missouri but have yet to be detected, for example Ash-throated Flycatcher (this and many other such species are already mentioned in the species ac-

Page 37 THE BLUEBIRD counts themselves, wherever they could be confused for species known to occur in the state). This discussion could even extend to species that are expanding in range and may reach Missouri soon, if they haven’t already—for example, Limpkin. Overall, additional discussion of the new species that the state might see prior to the appearance of Robbins’s next edition would be fascinating and would motivate birders in their searches for them. The Status and Distri- bution of Birds in Missouri is at its best when Robbins writes with the greatest degree of readability, a quality that can stand at odds with the inclusion of large amounts of data. One small suggestion to increase readability in the species accounts would be to place the abbreviation ph. next to an observer’s name instead of including the entire word photo alongside the dates and locations of exceptional occurrences. Any such changes for the sake of streamlining observational entries would be welcome. A larger and final suggestion involves the photos featured in the book. While these photos tend, un- derstandably, to emphasize diagnostic shots of individual rarities, three of the most exciting photos are of flocks: Whimbrel, White Ibis, and Dunlin. Might other such photos be included to supplement the species accounts and to highlight changes in distributions?

In the final evaluation, Robbins’s second edition improves upon an already monumental achievement, one that chronicled Missouri’s ornithological history and itself became a landmark in that history. Now, birders and ornithologists can benefit from Robbins’s even more recent compilation and synthesis of carefully considered bird data. Missouri birders in particular are fortunate to have this important book as near as an internet browser and can certainly look forward to its third edition some years in the future.

Page 38 THE BLUEBIRD Noms De Plumes

Edge Wade

The January issue of the American Birding Association’s publication, BIRDING, has a feature titled “Nouns of Avian Assemblage” written by Chuck Braun and illustrated by Sal Ingraham.

Nouns of assemblage (a.k.a. collectives) are so ingrained in our lan- guage and culture we use them almost automatically, without thought or need for explanation. For example: a herd of horses, a pack of wolves, a school of fish.

Bird assemblages are among the most commonly used. Braun gives a couple standard examples, then he lets rip with a list of about 80 of his own: word play collectives that bring smiles, chuckles and out- right guffaws by any logophile (lover of words) birder.

Do take a look at his article on p.38 of vol. 52, no. 8, January 2021 Birding for an amusing bird/word nerd diversion. Among his gems are a clock of cuckoos, a quote of ravens, a mistake of boubous, an outfield of flycatchers, and a seat of catbirds.

A scrubbing of Ring-necked Ducks, Hwy 79 Pike 18 Mar 2019 Photo Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren

Page 39 THE BLUEBIRD Meanwhile, take a gander at these, then try aggregating your own aggregate of avian assemblages to share with the rest of us. May your birding adventures be star-studded with sightings of these and more… a barbershop of Razorbills an apology of Collared Aracaris a scrubbing of Ring-necked Ducks a gordian of knots a scaling of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers an eider of Downy Woodpeckers a genealogy of Lineated Woodpeckers a cracking of riflebirds a bushel of wheatears a comb of honeyguides a court martial of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers a bake-off of ovenbirds a roomful of chats a purseful of guineas an echo of Brown Thrashers an audition of Superb Starlings a hilarity of Laughing Falcons an ambush of redshanks

A standing ovation of King Pegunins Port Stanley, Falkland Islands 26 January 2020 Photo Edge Wade

Page 40 THE BLUEBIRD THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT of the MISSOURI BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE William C. Rowe, Secretary

This report summarizes records received by the Committee between 1 January and 31 December 2020. It is divided into two sections, Accepted and Not Accepted, with birds listed in phylogenetic order under each of these two categories. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow the American Ornithologists’ Union’s Check-list of North American Birds, Seventh Edition (1998), and subsequent supple- ments. The latest American Ornithological Society (AOS) Checklist of North and Middle American birds is available on line at http:// checklist.americanornithology.org/taxa. See "Note on organizations" below for the change from AOU to AOS.

Accepted records in this report include the names of observers who submitted documentation and/or photographs, or were present with those who documented, along with comments to indicate the record’s significance. For Not Accepted records, observers’ names are omitted, and a brief explanation is provided as to why the record was not accepted. Statements on the status and distribution within Missouri for each species are based primarily on Robbins, The Status and Dis- tribution of Birds in Missouri, Second Edition (https:// kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/30959).

Online documentation of records is the norm, and submission is easy. The observer posts documentation to a secure web site, where the secretary prepares it for review. To get started, go to www.mobirds.org and click on Documentation Form in the “MBRC” pull-down menu. Photographs in .jpg format, audio recordings in .wav format, and written notes in .pdf format, with a size limit of 4 MB, can be uploaded to accompany documentations. Observers are strongly urged to use the online system for both the report and any accompanying media, but if this proves unworkable for some reason, any part of the documentation can be mailed or emailed to the secretary. All recent records have been electronically archived. The Com- mittee once again thanks Ann Johnson for creating and improving this system. In addition, the Missouri eBird team (Lisa Berger, Di- ane Bricmont, Ryan Douglas, Pete Monacell, Marky Mutchler, Mary Nemecek, and Josh Uffman) deserves great thanks for the long

Page 41 THE BLUEBIRD hours they put in as reviewers for our state and for their careful coordination with this Committee, both in requesting documentation from observers when needed and in initiating discussion on various points of bird distribution and identification.

Of the 142 records reviewed during this period, 118 were accepted and 24 were not accepted, for an acceptance rate of 83%. Members participating in these decisions were Lisa Berger, Joe Eades, Kristi Mayo, Paul McKenzie (Chair), Pete Monacell, Mary Nemecek, Mark Robbins, and Josh Uffman. Bill Rowe served as non-voting Secre- tary. Three records received comments from an outside reviewer; see the accounts for Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Baird’s Sandpiper, and Sem- ipalmated Sandpiper.

There were two records of new species for Missouri this year (Rivoli’s Hummingbird, Brown Booby), and one species was taken off Provisional status (Mute Swan). This leaves Missouri with 426 fully- accepted species as of December 2020; these include three formerly- occurring species that have been extirpated from the state and five extinct species. There are an additional 11 Provisional species on the list, for a total of 437 species. The Annotated Checklist of Missouri Birds, which receives regular updates to reflect changes in Missouri status and distribution as well as the latest taxonomic and nomen- clatural changes by the AOS, can be viewed at www.mobirds.org in either the "Birds" or the "MBRC" menu.

The Committee reviews records of species that are considered “casual” (5-14 records) or “accidental” (1-4 records) statewide. It also reviews records of species that are casual or accidental for the season when reported (example: Blue-headed Vireo in winter); records of species that are casual or accidental in the part of Missouri where reported (example: Anhinga outside the southeast); and other records of unusual interest, including first nesting records and extreme arrival and departure dates. The Review List, also maintained at www.mobirds.org ("MBRC" menu), lists all species that require review due to their year-round casual or accidental status in all or part of the state, plus a few for which the Committee still wishes to receive documentation despite their status as only “rare” (example: California Gull). The Review List does not cover out-of-season status; for general information on seasonal status, consult the Annotat- ed Checklist, and for specific earliest and latest dates and other data, consult Robbins (2020).

Page 42 THE BLUEBIRD

Note on photographic and audio documentation: Photographs, and in some cases audio recordings, are extremely helpful, and all observers are encouraged to carry a camera and/or a smart phone in the field; using smart phones, both images and audio can often be obtained with relative ease. In some cases (as noted in a few entries below) the absence of a photograph or an audio recording can be a problem for acceptance of a record. On the other hand, photographs can sometimes be misleading as to colors and patterns, and they may or may not show all of a bird’s key characters. For this reason, it remains important for the observer to describe what he or she saw and heard as accurately as possible.

Note on organizations: In December 2016, the American Ornithol- ogists' Union (AOU) completed a merger with the Cooper Ornitho- logical Society to form the American Ornithological Society (AOS). The AOU's North American Classification Committee, its Birds of North and Middle America Checklist, its journal The Auk (new name as of 2021: Ornithology), and all of its other activities and resources are now those of the AOS, along with the journal The Con- dor (new name as of 2021: Ornithological Applications) and other functions of the Cooper Ornithological Society. The society's web site is at www.americanornithology.org.

The Committee extends thanks to the many birders throughout Mis- souri who submitted their observations, and to the Missouri Birding Society for its continued support of the Committee’s efforts. Observ- ers who would like a status report on their current submissions can email the Secretary at [email protected]. The next report will appear in the March 2022 issue of The Bluebird.

RMBS = Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St. Charles Co. LBNWR = Loess Bluffs (formerly Squaw Creek) National Wildlife Refuge, Holt Co. MNWR = Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, Bollinger/Stoddard/Wayne cos. CBC = Christmas Bird Count CA = Conservation Area SP = State Park NWR = National Wildlife Refuge

Page 43 THE BLUEBIRD RECORDS ACCEPTED

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna autumnalis), 2020- 95: Two adults with six young, 28 July 2020, Grand Tower Island, Perry Co. Dave Haenni (documentation with photographs). Casual summer resident (breeding); ninth record, not counting a repetition of nesting at Jefferson Barracks Park, St. Louis Co., 2020.

CINNAMON TEAL (Spatula cyanoptera), 2020-109: Male, 12 September 2020, Horseshoe Lake, Buchanan Co. Tom Nagel (documentation with photographs). Casual in fall; tenth record.

CINNAMON TEAL, 2020-13: Male, 20 December 2020, LBNWR. Susan Estep (documentation with photographs), Greg Estep. Accidental in winter; fourth record.

MOTTLED DUCK (Anas fulvigula), 2020-61: One, 18 April–4 May 2020, Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Jerry Hemmersmeyer, Pete Monacell, Bill Rowe, Peter Kondrashov, Josh Uffman (documentations with photographs), Jane Hemmersmeyer, Dave Haenni. Casual transient and summer visitant; tenth record.

MOTTLED DUCK, 2020-65: One, 29 April–19 May 2020, LBNWR. Tom Nagel (documentation with photographs), David Easterla. Casual transient and summer visitant; eleventh record.

CANVASBACK (Aythya valisineria), 2020-83: Female, 8–16 June 2020, Pleasant View Area, Greene Co. Kendell Loyd (documentation with photographs). At the time, listed as casual in summer; since then has been moved to rare, and documentation is no longer required.

BARROW’S GOLDENEYE (Bucephala islandica), 2020-125: Female, 11 December 2020 to at least 29 January 2021, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Mary Nemecek, Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell (documentations with photographs). Casual transient and winter visitant; fourteenth record. Photo- graphs showed all main characters, with no suggestion of hybridity.

HORNED GREBE (Podiceps auritus), 2020-82: One, breeding plumage, 29 May 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Terry Miller (documentation with photographs). Latest spring record.

RED-NECKED GREBE (Podiceps grisegena), 2020-19: Up to three, 5–20 January 2020, Stockton Lake, Cedar Co. Ricky Hostetler, Tony Elliott (documentations), Steve Martin, Paul McKenzie (documentations with photographs), Lyndon Hostetler, Zane Hostetler, Scott Blosser, Bruce Blosser,

Page 44 THE BLUEBIRD Debbie Martin, Brad Jacobs. Casual in winter; seventh record.

Aechmophorus grebe sp., 2020-26: One, 18–20 January 2020, Stockton Lake, Cedar Co. Tony Elliott, Jacob Decker (documentations). More likely a Western Grebe, but a Clark’s or a hybrid of the two could not be ruled out by the details provided; no photograph.

WHITE-WINGED DOVE (Zenaida asiatica), 2020-22: One, 1–12 January 2020, Skeans residence, Republic, Greene Co. Amy Skeans, Kendell Loyd (documentations with photographs), Abigail Mercer. Casual in winter.

WHITE-WINGED DOVE, 2020-27: One, 21 January 2020, Freeman residence, Kennett, Dunklin Co. Kent Freeman (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter.

WHITE-WINGED DOVE, 2020-43: One, 7 February 2020, Rosenfeld residence, Columbia, Boone Co. Cheryl Rosenfeld (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter.

RIVOLI’S HUMMINGBIRD (Eugenes fulgens), 2020-99: Female or immature male, 5 June 2020, private residence, Oldfield, Christian Co. Jennifer Lantz (video); documentation submitted by Lisa Berger. Received outside review from Steve N.G. Howell; specimens at University of Kansas were examined by Mark Robbins. Definitive (and first) state record.

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD (Calypte anna), 2020-123: Female, 22 Novem- ber–9 December 2020, Driver residence, Kimberling City, Stone Co. Sarah Driver (documentation with video), Dillon Freiburger, Conway Hawn, Kearby Bridges, Greg Swick (documentations with photographs), Steve Martin (documentation). Casual transient and winter visitant; tenth record. Photographs clearly established the bird as Anna’s; video added confirmation by diagnostic calls.

VIRGINIA RAIL (Rallus limicola), 2020-18: Two, 5–6 January 2020, Shep- herd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, Taney Co. Michael Linz (documentation with photographs and audio), Patty McLean. This is the first winter record away from the City of Columbia wetland cells, McBaine, Boone Co.

LONG-BILLED CURLEW (Numenius americanus), 2020-97: Adult, 31 July 2020, Taberville Prairie CA, St. Clair Co. Erik Ost (documentation with audio). Casual transient in western Missouri.

DUNLIN (Calidris alpina), 2020-136: One, 23 December 2020–6 January 2021, Sandy Chute, Winfield, Lincoln Co. Kenneth Smith (documentation

Page 45 THE BLUEBIRD with photographs). Accidental in winter outside southeastern Missouri; fourth record.

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER (Calidris bairdii), 2020-7: Two birds, 3 December 2019, RMBS. Pat Lueders (documentation with photographs), Janet Hoyne. Latest fall record. Outside review was provided by Alvaro Jaramillo, tour leader and author of Birds of Chile, who is very familiar with Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers in nonbreeding plumage.

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (Calidris fuscicollis), 2020-59: One, 17 April 2020, Binder Lake, Cole Co. Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell (documentations with photographs). Earliest spring record (but see next).

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 2020-60: One, 17–18 April 2020, Eagle Bluffs CA, Boone Co. Paul McKenzie (documentation with photographs), Kathleen Anderson, Pete Monacell (documentation), Chris Barrigar. Tied for earliest spring record with the above, 2020-59.

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 2020-74: One, 18 April 2020, Schell- Osage CA, Vernon Co. Conway Hawn (documentation with photographs), Rick Hostetler, Christian Hawn. Earlier than any previous spring record, although superseded by the above two records.

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (Calidris pusilla), 2020-117: Juvenile, 24–26 October 2020, Horseshoe Lake, Buchanan Co. Micky Louis (documentation with photographs), Jennifer Hammet. Latest confirmed date for this species, which vacates the United States almost entirely in late fall and winter. Outside review was provided by Paul Lehman.

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER (Limnodromus scolopaceus), 2020-135: One, 21 December 2020, Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Bill Rowe (documentation), Tommy Goodwin (photographs). Accidental in winter outside extreme southeastern Missouri; second record. CBC record.

LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, 2020-137: Up to three, 20 November 2020–6 January 2021, with two continuing to at least 26 January, Sandy Chute, Winfield, Lincoln Co. Kenneth Smith (documentation with photographs). Accidental in winter outside extreme southeastern Missouri; third record.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER (Tringa solitaria), 2020-29: One, 20 March 2020, Uffman residence, Eureka, St. Louis Co. Josh Uffman. Earliest spring record.

PARASITIC JAEGER, (Stercorarius parasiticus), 2020-107: Juvenile, 2

Page 46 THE BLUEBIRD September 2020, Hannibal, Marion Co. Cory Gregory (documentation with photographs). Casual transient; sixth record in modern times.

MEW GULL (Larus canus), 2020-51: Adult, 11 March 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Doug Willis (documentation with photographs), Mary Nemecek, Kristi Mayo, Lisa Owens. Accidental; second state record. From photographs, this bird appeared to be of the most likely subspecies, brachyrhynchus, of the North American west coast.

CALIFORNIA GULL (Larus californicus), 2020-49: Adult, at least 17 Feb- ruary–16 March 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Doug Willis, Brad Jacobs (documentations with photographs), Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell. Listed as rare but retained on the Review List due to identification difficulties. It was belatedly realized that the observations by Willis on 17 February and Jacobs et al. on 25 February represented a fully white-headed adult bird that was almost certainly the same individual. Hence the two reports have been merged under the number 2020-49.

CALIFORNIA GULL, 2020-50: Adult and first-cycle bird, 18 February 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Doug Willis (documentation with photographs). See status under 2020-49. The two birds were seen at approximate- ly the same time, with the adult clearly different from the adult in 2020-49.

CALIFORNIA GULL, 2020-127: Third-cycle bird, 12 December 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Mary Nemecek, Paul McKenzie (documentations with photographs), Pete Monacell (documentation). See status under 2020- 49. Near-absence of white spots on black primaries, slight dark smudging on tertials, and apparent absence of red next to black on bill all suggested a third-cycle bird.

SOOTY TERN (Onychoprion fuscatus), 2020-101: One, 28 August 2020, Mississippi River near Tiptonville, TN, New Madrid Co. Mark Greene; documentation submitted for him by Bill Rowe. Accidental; second state record. Observed from the Tennessee side as it flew south following the passage of remnants of Hurricane Laura, this bird was clearly seen to be, at times, on the Missouri side of the state line. Observer was experienced with the species.

RED-THROATED LOON (Gavia stellata), 2020-58: Adult, 12–13 April 2020, Fellows Lake, Greene Co. David Blevins, Kendell Loyd, Steve Martin, Greg Swick (documentations with photographs), Zach Haring (documentation), Barbara Blevins, Debbie Martin. At the time, listed as casual in spring; with more than fifteen records for that season, it has now moved to rare.

RED-THROATED LOON, 2020-62: Adult, 22 April 2020, Smithville Lake,

Page 47 THE BLUEBIRD Clay Co. Doug Willis (documentation with photographs). See note on status under previous record. This individual was in nearly full breeding plumage.

PACIFIC LOON (Gavia pacifica), 2020-21: One, 9 January 2020, Stockton Lake, Cedar Co. Kendell Loyd (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter.

PACIFIC LOON, 2020-28: One, 14 January 2020, Stockton Lake, Dade Co. Greg Swick (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter.

PACIFIC LOON, 2020-76: One, at least partial breeding plumage, 22 April 2020, Stockton Lake, Dade Co. Steve Martin (documentation with photographs), Debbie Martin. Casual in spring.

PACIFIC LOON, 2020-88: One, nonbreeding plumage, 13–15 May 2020, Stockton Lake, Cedar Co. Austin Hess (documentation with photographs), Trey McCuen, Christopher Gilbert. Casual in spring.

YELLOW-BILLED LOON (Gavia adamsii), 2020-63: Adult, 22 April–20 May 2020, Stockton Lake, Cedar Co. Kendell Loyd, Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell, Dorothy Thurman, Peter Kondrashov (documentations with photographs), Tony Elliott (documentation). Accidental transient and winter visitant; third state record. This bird had partially molted into breeding plumage when found and almost completed its molt while present.

BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL (Hydrobates castro), 2020-102: One, 28 August 2020, Otter Slough CA, Stoddard Co. Joe Eades, Kendell Loyd (documentations with photographs), Colin Dobson, Linda Williams (additional photographs). Accidental vagrant; second state record. This bird was found following the passage of remnants of Hurricane Laura. A combination of photographs and field observation separated it clearly from Wil- son’s and Leach’s storm-petrels.

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD (Fregata magnificens), 2020-105: Adult female, 31 August 2020, Hannibal, Marion Co. Cory Gregory (documentation with photographs). Accidental vagrant; second state record, not including three other records for which Great and Lesser Frigatebirds could not be ruled out. Seen flying north along the Mississippi River after the passage of remnants of Hurricane Laura.

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD, 2020-122: Adult female, 4 November 2020, along Mississippi River near Portage des Sioux, St. Charles Co. Bobby Wilcox (documentation with photographs), Kaitlin Murphy. Accidental vagrant; third state record, not including three other records for which Great and Lesser Frigatebirds could not be ruled out. Seen flying north/west along

Page 48 THE BLUEBIRD Mississippi; viewed from Illinois but clearly crossed into Missouri at times.

BROWN BOOBY (Sula leucogaster), 2020-98: Subadult, 8–13 August 2020, Current River near Doniphan, Ripley Co. Debbie Orosz, Kendell Loyd, Pete Monacell, Paul McKenzie (documentations with photographs), Edge Wade (documentation), Tom Orosz. Definitive (and first) state record.

ANHINGA (Anhinga anhinga), 2020-68: One, 10–11 May 2020, Little Creve Coeur, St. Louis Co. Lisa Saffell, Yvonne Homeyer, David Becher (documentations with photographs). Accidental outside southeastern Mis- souri.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), 2020-52: Im- mature, 11 March 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. Doug Willis (documentation with photographs). Earliest spring record.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 2020-92: Two adults, 14 July–28 August 2020, Grand Tower Island, Perry Co. Mark Haas (documentation of one with photographs), Jim Tudor (documentation). Casual in eastern and central Missouri; eighth record.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 2020-93: Immature, 17–20 July 2020, RMBS. Bill Rowe, Mike Thelen (documentations with photographs). Casual in eastern and central Missouri; ninth record.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 2020-94: Adult and immature, 18–21 July 2020, Little Creve Coeur, St. Louis Co. Brian Stamper, Diane Bricmont, Dave Haenni, Mike Thelen (documentations with photographs). Casual in eastern and central Missouri; tenth record.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 2020-103: Adult, 29 August–1 September 2020, near Otter Slough CA, Stoddard Co. Mark Hahn, Leon Book (documentations with photographs), Tommy Goodwin (documentation). Cas- ual in eastern and central Missouri; eleventh record.

NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, 2020-104: One, 2 September 2020, Hanni- bal, Marion Co. Cory Gregory (documentation with photographs). Casual in eastern and central Missouri; twelfth record.

GLOSSY/WHITE-FACED IBIS (Plegadis falcinellus/chihi), 2020-40: One, 29 January 2020, Grand Pass CA, Saline Co. Bill Mees, Robert Schreiber (documentations), Bill Clark. Details made it clear that the bird observed was a Plegadis ibis but did not permit separation of the two species. There are, however, no records of Glossy in winter, and White-faced is casual then.

Page 49 THE BLUEBIRD

WHITE- FACED IBIS (Plegadis chihi), 2020-89: Two, 22–23 June 2020, Eagle Bluffs CA, Boone Co. Paul McKenzie (documentation with photographs). Casual in summer.

MISSISSIPPI KITE (Ictinia mississippiensis), 2020-112: Adult, 3 October 2020, Little Creve Coeur, St. Louis Co. Pat Lueders, Jonah Eckels (documentations), Yvonne Homeyer (photographs). Latest fall record. There were four additional records near the end of September 2020 in eastern Mis- souri.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK, (Buteo regalis), 2020-39: Juvenile, 26 January 2020, west of Farley, Platte Co. Randy Dunning (documentation with photographs). Casual transient and winter visitor in western Missouri; fourteenth record there.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK, 2020-120: Juvenile, 23 November–8 December 2020, Prairie SP, Barton Co. Vivek Kumar, Greg Swick, Pete Monacell (documentations with photographs), Alex Marine (documentation), Sara Caulk, Joe Neal. Casual transient and winter visitor in western Missouri; fifteenth record there, moving the species to rare. It will be retained on the Review List due to identification difficulties.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK, 2020-138: Juvenile, 23 December 2020 to at least 23 January 2021, near Hornersville, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones (documentation with photographs). Accidental transient and winter visitant in eastern Missouri; third record there.

WESTERN KINGBIRD (Tyrannus verticalis), 2020-8: One, 8 December 2019, near Black Island CA, Pemiscot Co. Timothy Jones (documentation with photographs). By far the latest fall record.

LEAST FLYCATCHER (Empidonax minimus), 2020-18: One, 30 October 2020, Tower Grove Park, St. Louis City. Chrissy McClarren and Andy Rea- go (documentation with photographs). Latest fall record.

VERMILION FLYCATCHER (Pyrocephalus rubinus), 2020-37: Adult male, 7 December 2019, Epstein residence, Farmington, St. Francois Co. Jane Epstein (documentation with photographs). Casual transient; twelfth record.

VERMILION FLYCATCHER, 2020-53: Adult male, 23–24 March 2020, near Aurora, Lawrence Co. Steve Martin (documentation with photographs), Debbie Martin, Lyndon Hostetler, Jill Hays, Beth Perine. Casual transient; thirteenth record.

Page 50 THE BLUEBIRD

WHITE- EYED VIREO (Vireo griseus), 2020-17: Adult, 5 January 2020, Busch CA, St. Charles Co. Josh Uffman (documentation with photographs). Accidental in winter; second record.

BLUE-HEADED VIREO (Vireo solitarius), 2020-38: One, 25 January 2020, near Otter Slough CA, Stoddard Co. Michelle Randecker (documentation with photographs). Fifth winter record, moving it from accidental to casual at that season.

FISH CROW (Corvus ossifragus), 2020-66: One, 30 April 2020, near St. Joseph, Buchanan Co. Tom Nagel (documentation with audio). At the northern edge of range expansion in Missouri.

FISH CROW, 2020-81: Two, 24 May 2020, Agency Marsh, near Agency, Buchanan Co. Tom Nagel (documentation with audio). At the northern edge of range expansion in Missouri.

ROCK WREN (Salpinctes obsoletus), 2020-140: One, 4 January 2020, Princeton, Mercer Co. Terry McNeely (documentation with photographs), Steve Kinder, Ivan Miller, James Stutzman, Carl Stutzman, Carl Miller. Casual winter visitant; fifth record.

SEDGE WREN (Cistothorus platensis), 2020-14: One, 1 January 2020, Lake Contrary, Buchanan Co. Thomas Jones (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter in north and central Missouri.

TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE (Myadestes townsendi), 2020-34: One, 5 No- vember 2019, Cliff Cave County Park, St. Louis Co. Glen Hawley. Casual outside the northwest quadrant of Missouri.

HERMIT THRUSH (Catharus guttatus), 2020-78: One, 14–15 May 2020, Carondelet Park, St. Louis City. Chrissy McClarren, Andy Reago (documentation with photographs). Latest spring record.

VARIED THRUSH (Ixoreus naevius), 2020-12: Adult male, 13 December 2019, residence in Gladstone, Clay Co. Linda Williams (documentation with photographs). One of only four fall records; killed by window strike and specimen preserved (Univ. of Kansas, 135538).

EURASIAN TREE SPARROW (Passer montanus), 2020-31: Three, 25 January 2020, near Thomas Hill Reservoir, Randolph Co. Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell (documentations with photographs). Casual outside the northern Mississippi River corridor.

Page 51 THE BLUEBIRD

EURASIAN TREE SPARROW, 2020-44: One, 8 February 2020, Mora Prairie, Benton Co. Paul McKenzie (documentation), Pete Monacell. See status under 2020-31.

EURASIAN TREE SPARROW, 2020-114: One, 15 October 2020, Parkville, Platte Co. Brian Voorhees (documentation with photographs), Mark McKellar. See status under 2020-31.

EURASIAN TREE SPARROW, 2020-124: One, 10 December 2020, just north of Henry Co. line, Johnson Co. Pete Monacell (documentation with photographs). See status under 2020-31.

PURPLE FINCH (Haemorhous purpureus), 2020-106: One, 1 September 2020, Hannibal, Marion Co. Cory Gregory. Earliest fall record. Identified by diagnostic calls.

CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR (Calcarius ornatus), 2020-115: Three, 17–19 October 2020, Darst Bottom Road, St. Charles Co. Tommy Goodwin, Jessie Goodwin, Bill Rowe, Diane Bricmont (documentations with photographs), Brian Stamper, John Nash, Tom Parmeter, Josh Uffman, David Becher. Accidental transient in eastern Missouri; third record.

CHIPPING SPARROW (Spizella passerina), 2020-30: One 19 January 2020, private residence, Saint Joseph, Buchanan Co. Tom Nagel (documentation with photographs), Jim and Peggy Voltz. Casual in winter in northern Missouri.

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW (Spizella pallida), 2020-15: One, 1 January to at least 5 April, 2020, RMBS. Jim Malone, Bill Rowe (documentations with photographs). Accidental in winter; fourth record. A report of this bird on 2 March constituted the earliest spring record.

FOX SPARROW (Passerella iliaca), 2020-70: Two, 12–13 May 2020, Springfield Conservation Nature Center, Springfield, Greene Co. Jordanya Raos (documentation with photographs), Dan Liles, Eric McMillan. Latest spring record.

DARK-EYED JUNCO (Junco hyemalis), 2020-90: One, 2 July 2020, near Forest Park, St. Louis City. Daniel Schneider. Accidental in summer; fourth record.

DARK-EYED JUNCO, 2020-96: Adult male, 29 July 2020, Birdsong residence, Independence, Jackson Co. William Birdsong (documentation with photographs). Fifth summer record, moving the species to casual at that

Page 52 THE BLUEBIRD season.

DARK-EYED (“PINK-SIDED”) JUNCO (Junco hyemalis mearnsi), 2020- 116: One, 24–25 October 2020, Brewer residence, Hazelwood, St. Louis Co. Tom Brewer (documentation with photographs), Ellen Shea. Accidental; second accepted record for Missouri. Photographs showed all characters of this distinctive subspecies, which could possibly acquire species status at some point.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (Zonotrichia leucophrys), 2020-110: Im- mature, 20 September 2020, Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Jerry Hem- mersmeyer. Earliest fall record.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (Zonotrichia albicollis), 2020-87: One, 23 June 2020, BK Leach CA, Lincoln Co. Mike Thelen (documentation with audio). At the time, considered casual in summer; has since been moved to rare, and documentation no longer required.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, 2020-91: One, 3 July 2020, RMBS. Bri- an Stamper (documentation with photographs). See comment on 2020-87, above.

SAVANNAH SPARROW (Passerculus sandwichensis), 2020-86: Three including a fledgling, 20–27 June 2020, farm near Powersville, Putnam Co. Becky Lutz (documentation with photographs). The observer first documented the presence of this species in summer and then male and female copulating and feeding a fledgling. Savannah Sparrow is casual in summer, and even when it has occurred there has seldom been firm evidence of nesting.

ORCHARD ORIOLE (Icterus spurius), 2020-2: Immature male, 12 October 2019, LBNWR. Jenny Jo Johnson (documentation with photographs), Joy Johnson. Latest fall record, and first beyond September.

BULLOCK’S ORIOLE (Icterus bullockii), 2020-67: Adult male, 8–9 May 2020, near Buffalo, Dallas Co. Zach Haring, Kendell Loyd (documentations with photographs). Accidental transient and winter visitant; third record.

RUSTY BLACKBIRD (Euphagus carolinus), 2020-69: One, 12 May 2020, Bob’s Creek Woods, Lincoln Co. Henry Gorski (documentation with photographs), Oliver Gorski. Latest spring record.

OVENBIRD (Seiurus aurocapilla), 2020-126: One, 12 December 2020,

Cuivre River SP, Lincoln Co. Bruce Schuette. Second-latest fall record by one day.

Page 53 THE BLUEBIRD

WORM-EATING WARBLER (Helmitheros vermivorum), 2020-57: Two, 11 April 2020, Red Bridge Road, Christian Co. David Blevins. Tied for earliest spring record. These birds were identified by song, which ordinarily would be too easily confused with Chipping Sparrow for acceptance; in this case, however, the location is excellent habitat and a well-known breeding site for this species.

BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (Mniotilta varia), 2020-42: Female, 2 February 2020, Big Oak Tree SP, Mississippi Co. Lisa McClendon (documentation with photographs), Britt McClendon. Accidental in winter; second record.

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (Protonotaria citrea), 2020-113: One, 12 October 2020, near Kennett, Dunklin Co. Timothy Jones (documentation with photographs). Latest fall record.

SWAINSON’S WARBLER (Limnothlypis swainsonii), 2020-71: One, 1 May–12 July 2020, Grindstone Nature Area, Boone Co. Paul McKenzie (documentation with photographs), John Besser (documentation), Dave Haenni. Casual outside its breeding range in extreme southern Missouri.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (Leiothlypis celata), 2020-33: One, 30 January 2020, private residence, Saint Joseph, Buchanan Co. Tom Nagel (documentation with photographs), Jim and Peggy Voltz. Casual in winter in northern Missouri.

NASHVILLE WARBLER (Leiothlypis ruficapilla), 2020-142: One, 28 De- cember 2020, Saffell residence, Overland, St. Louis Co. Lisa Saffell (documentation with video). Accidental in winter; fourth record.

AMERICAN REDSTART (Setophaga ruticilla), 2020-6: Female, 27 No- vember–7 December 2019, near Old Monroe, Lincoln Co. Henry and Oliver Gorski (documentation with photographs), Jerry Hemmersmeyer (documentation). Latest fall record. Documented observations were made separately but locations were very close to each other; observers agreed that it was undoubtedly the same bird.

CAPE MAY WARBLER (Setophaga tigrina), 2020-10: One, 10–16 Decem- ber 2019, Rush residence, Farley, Platte Co. Dennis Rush (documentation with photographs), Suzanne Rush, Brent Galliart. Latest fall record with photographs.

CAPE MAY WARBLER, 2020-25: Male, 3–23 January 2020, Jacobsmeyer residence, Labadie, Franklin Co. Josh Uffman, Mike Thelen

Page 54 THE BLUEBIRD (documentations with photographs), Josephine Jacobsmeyer. Casual in winter; eighth record.

MAGNOLIA WARBLER (Setophaga magnolia), 2020-73: Adult male, 20 June 2019, near Nevada, Vernon Co. Matthew Longabaugh (documentation with photographs). Latest record of a presumed spring migrant.

PALM WARBLER (Setophaga palmarum), 2020-48: One, 7–27 March 2020, Little Creve Coeur, St. Louis Co. Tony Forsythe (documentation with photographs). Earliest spring record.

SUMMER TANAGER (Piranga rubra), 2020-1: Female-type, 8 November 2018–7 February 2019, Smith residence, Peculiar, Cass Co. Karen Smith (documentation with photographs). At the time, accidental in winter; third record.

SUMMER TANAGER, 2020-11: Adult male, 13 December 2019, vicinity of Carthage, Jasper Co. Amy Watts (documentation with photographs). Latest fall record that did not also stay into winter.

SUMMER TANAGER, 2020-16: Female-type, 29 December 2019, Swope Park, Kansas City, and 2 January 2020, Mosley residence, Raytown, Jack- son Co. Don Arney, Joseph Mosley (documentations with photographs), Joe Alburty, Don Meier, Mary Kowalski, Gary Tegtmeier. At the time, accidental in winter; fourth record. Due to the proximity of locations, these two observations were deemed likely to have been of the same bird.

SUMMER TANAGER, 2020-35: Female-type, 30 November 2019–17 Feb- ruary 2020, Staples residence, Nixa, Christian Co. Documentation supplied by Lisa Berger with photos by Norma Staples. At the time, accidental in winter; as the fifth record, this moved the species to casual in winter.

SUMMER TANAGER, 2020-36: Female-type, 3 December 2019–12 Febru- ary 2020, private residence, Chesterfield, St. Louis Co. Diane Bricmont (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter; sixth record.

WESTERN TANAGER, (Piranga ludoviciana), 2020-64: Adult male, 25 April 2020, Hawley residence, Festus, Jefferson Co. Glen Hawley (documentation with photographs), Caleb Hawley. Casual transient; twelfth record and eleventh for spring.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Pheucticus ludovicianus), 2020-132: Immature male, 19 December 2020, Bieksza residence, Fulton, Callaway

Co. Joseph Bieksza (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter; seventh record.

Page 55 THE BLUEBIRD

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, 2020-141: Immature male, 17 November 2020 to at least 1 January 2021, Busken residence, Wellsville, Montgomery Co. Jill Busken (documentation with photographs), Larry Busken. Casual in winter; eighth record.

BLUE GROSBEAK (Passerina caerulea), 2020-32: Female-type, 26 Janu- ary–1 February 2020, Busch CA, St. Charles Co. Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago (documentation with photographs). First winter record.

LAZULI BUNTING (Passerina amoena), 2020-13: Female-type, 21 Decem- ber 2019, near Plattsburg, Clinton Co. Marquette Mutchler (documentation with photographs), Linda Williams. Accidental in winter; second record. CBC record.

LAZULI BUNTING, 2020-77: Adult male, 14–20 May 2020, private residence, Bolivar, Polk Co. Steve Martin, Zach Haring, Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell (documentations with photographs), Ricky Hostetler. Casual transient outside northwestern Missouri.

INDIGO BUNTING (Passerina cyanea), 2020-9: One, 10 December 2019, Columbia Bottom CA, St. Louis Co. Mike Thelen (documentation with photographs). Possibly the latest fall record.

INDIGO BUNTING, 2020-20: Female-type, 19 December 2019, near Mound City, Holt Co. Terry McNeely (documentation), Mark McNeely. Cas- ual in winter in north and central Missouri. CBC record.

INDIGO BUNTING, 2020-24: Female-type, 21–29 December 2019, Bur- roughs Audubon Nature Center, Jackson Co. Mike Stoakes (documentation with photographs), Cathy Whitney-Vucetich, Elizabeth Stoakes, Jacob Da- vis, Jared Cole, Joseph Mosley. Casual in winter in north and central Mis- souri.

INDIGO BUNTING, 2020-41: Female-type, 1 February 2020, Lutz residence, Washington, Franklin Co. Becky Lutz (documentation with photographs). Casual in winter in north and central Missouri.

INDIGO BUNTING, 2020-134: Female-type, 21 December 2020, Clarence Cannon NWR, Pike Co. Bill Rowe (documentation), Tommy Goodwin. Casu- al in winter in north and central Missouri. CBC record.

INDIGO/LAZULI BUNTING, 2020-47: Two, 29 December 2020, Columbia

Bottom CA, St. Louis Co. Kenneth Smith (documentation with photograph). The description and the photograph submitted did not clearly separate Indi-

Page 56 THE BLUEBIRD go from the rarer Lazuli Bunting. Since both species need documentation in winter at this location, the record is accepted as one of the two species.

PAINTED BUNTING (Passerina ciris), 2020-85: Male and female, 17–29 June 2020, just outside Sand Prairie CA, Ripley Co. Michael Taylor (documentation with audio), Karin Pelton (documentation with photographs), Cynthia Price. This species is now considered only rare as a transient and summer visitant throughout Missouri, but females require documentation at all times outside the southwest. The presence of copulating male and female suggests possible nesting, which would also be documenta- ble in this location.

RECORDS NOT ACCEPTED

“Not accepted” does not necessarily mean that the identification was incor- rect. In some cases the Committee may indeed believe that the bird was misidentified; in other cases it may seem possible or even likely that the identification was correct, but the information provided is simply insufficient to rule out other possible species. The Committee is unable to accept any record if the description is too sketchy or vague, or if it fails to mention enough critical field marks to eliminate all other species. It is also true that the more extraordinary the report, the stronger the evidence required, and there are some reports that can be accepted only with diagnostic photographs or other physical evidence. Our belief is that a report should go into the permanent scientific record only if it is free of reasonable doubt. This is the standard approach of bird record committees everywhere. All records that the Committee reviews, whether accepted or not, are permanently archived so that future investigators may examine them.

BARROW’S GOLDENEYE, 2020-139: Female, 15 December 2020, Smith- ville Lake, Clay Co. The timing of observations seemed to show that this bird was a different individual from the Barrow’s in 2020-125. Both the description and the photographs of this one provided too little detail to deter- mine whether it was a yellow-billed Common, a Barrow’s, or a hybrid of the two species.

RED-NECKED GREBE, 2020-130: One, 16 December 2020, Truman Lake, Benton Co. Details were incomplete and there was no photograph.

LITTLE GULL (Hydrocoloeus minutus), 2020-111: One, 25 January 2020, Stockton Lake, Dade Co. Details were incomplete and inconsistent, as some parts of the description applied to first-cycle birds, other to older birds.

Page 57 THE BLUEBIRD ICELAND GULL (Larus glaucoides), 2020-72: Immature, 14 May 2020, Smithville Lake, Clay Co. This faded first- or second-cycle bird was well photographed and appeared to be most likely a Herring Gull.

SOOTY TERN, 2020-84: One, 9 June 2020, RMBS. Seen following the passage of Tropical Storm Cristobal. The description indicated a likely Sooty Tern, but the bird was seen at great distance by observers unfamiliar with the species; details were incomplete, and Bridled Tern in particular was not eliminated.

ARCTIC LOON (Gavia arctica), 2020-3: One, 10 November 2019, Stockton Lake, Cedar Co. While this bird did show white flank patches as an Arctic Loon would, the observation was at considerable distance, and that species would be an extreme rarity in the lower 48 states, requiring closer observation and a series of good photographs to confirm.

MISSISSIPPI KITE, 2020-54: Adult, 1 April 2020, Carl Junction, Jasper Co. The description suggested a Mississippi Kite, but the date was extremely early even for locations far to the south of Missouri; for such a record, a photograph is needed.

MISSISSIPPI KITE, 2020-56: Adult, 7 April 2020, Springfield, Greene Co. See comments under 2020-54, above.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (Buteo platypterus), 2020-119: One, 7 November 2020, Rocky Fork Lakes CA, Boone Co. Identified by call, but similar calls or imitations were not eliminated by a view of the bird. This species is un- known in Missouri from the end of October onward, as it migrates to South America for the winter; for a record as late as this one, a photograph would be highly advisable.

BROAD-WINGED HAWK, 2020-71: Juvenile, 18 November 2019, Saint James, Phelps Co. Details were not diagnostic of Broad-winged Hawk; in particular, juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk was not eliminated. See status comments on 2020-119, above.

FERRUGINOUS HAWK, 2020-45: Juvenile, 16 February 2020, Rolla, Phelps Co. The details provided were not diagnostic of Ferruginous Hawk. Moreover, the bird was described as being the size of a juvenile eagle, whereas Ferruginous Hawk is a buteo, a little larger on average than a Red- tailed Hawk but much smaller than an eagle. It was not clear what kind of raptor had been observed.

ACADIAN FLYCATCHER (Empidonax virescens), 2020-55: One, 2–19 April 2020, residence, Cass Co. This flycatcher was found nesting on the exterior of a house. No details were provided, but the most likely species was Eastern Phoebe.

Page 58 THE BLUEBIRD WHITE-EYED VIREO (Vireo griseus), 2020-5: One, 21 November 2019, Rolla, Phelps Co. Photograph needed for confirmation. A photo was at- tached, but (as the observer acknowledged) it was from an outside source and meant to illustrate what he saw. This is not an acceptable protocol for eBird or for state documentation. Photos must be of the actual bird reported.

FISH CROW (Corvus ossifragus), 2020-46: One, 16 February 2020, RMBS. This may have been a Fish Crow; the date was not unreasonable for an early-arriving individual. However, the species remains casual in winter over much of Missouri, no audio file was submitted, and the voice description did not rule out odd nasal calls by American Crows (e.g., no mention of the diagnostic “uh-uh” call).

SNOW BUNTING (Plectrophenax nivalis), 2020-128: One, 13 December 2020, Wah-Kon-Tah Prairie CA, Cedar Co. Accidental in southern Missouri. Identified by voice, but similar calls (e.g., Lapland Longspur) were not eliminated by a view of the bird or an audio file.

BREWER’S BLACKBIRD (Euphagus cyanocephalus), 2020-131: Male, 17 December 2020, New Madrid Co. The details reported, both vocal and visual, were insufficient to eliminate Rusty Blackbird, and no photograph or audio file was submitted.

SWAINSON’S WARBLER, 2020-80: One, 16 May 2020, Gans Creek Wild Area, Boone Co. Details of the observation were insufficient to establish a second very rare Boone County record in one year. No photograph.

ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (Leiothlypis celata), 2020-104: One, 30 August 2020, Marais Temps Clair CA, St. Charles Co. The description suggested an Orange-crowned Warbler, but there was no photograph, and the details were not completely diagnostic, as Tennessee Warblers in fall may show yellow on the undertail coverts and/or an eye ring. For a record-early occurrence like this, a photograph is important.

VIRGINIA’S WARBLER (Leiothlypis virginiae), 2020-75. One, 30 April 2020, Current River CA, Reynolds Co. While the description of this bird sounded like a possible Virginia’s Warbler, the observers had no previous experience with the species, and there were no photographs, which would be a virtual necessity for such an extraordinary record.

NORTHERN PARULA (Setophaga americana), 2020-4: One, 16 November 2019, private residence, Chesterfield, St. Louis Co. This may well have been a late Northern Parula, but the details were few, the observation was made without optics, and the documentation was not written until several weeks afterward.

Page 59 THE BLUEBIRD

(AUDUBON’S) YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Setophaga coronata auduboni), 2020-100: One, 26 August 2020, Audubon Trails Nature Center, Rolla, Phelps Co. Photographs showed that this bird, in messy plumage con- dition, had a yellow throat but in other respects did not fit an identification of Yellow-rumped Warbler. Current thinking is that it was a Pine Warbler.

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, 2020-129: Two immatures, 15 December 2020, Columbia, Boone Co. Details were insufficient to eliminate Purple Finches. The presence of two grosbeaks together in winter would be unprec- edented.

LAZULI BUNTING, 2020-79: Female-type, 15 May 2020, Kirkwood, St. Louis Co. A possible Lazuli Bunting, but the description and photographs did not rule out Indigo Bunting or a hybrid of the two.

INDIGO BUNTING, 2020-23: Female-type, 14 January 2020, Busch CA, St. Charles Co. This bird was not clearly distinguished from a Lazuli Bunt- ing, or from the female Blue Grosbeak that was found at this location a few days later and initially misidentified as an Indigo Bunting.

Page 60 THE BLUEBIRD Spring Seasonal Report

March 1 – May 31, 2020 Lisa Berger

MARCH: Warmer than average temperatures have been the norm since March 2008, while the December-March period ranks as the 7th warmest in 126 years. The month featured cloudy periods which stabilized night-time temperatures. Precipitation statewide was above the long-term average making it the wettest March since 2008. APRIL: This period was cooler than average producing the 6th coolest April over the previous 20 years. Precipitation was average across the state, but was heavier in the southwest, south central, and east-central regions. Snow events (unusual in April) were con- fined to the top tier of counties. MAY: It was the coolest May in nearly two decades. April and May’s combined below normal temperatures were unusual, the coolest April-May period since 2008, and was only the 5th time since 1998 these months were cooler. May precipitation averaged above normal long-term, with only 10 Mays since 1991, drier.

Spring arrived with COVID-19 virus detections reported in Mis- souri, causing alterations to field trip schedules, some failed at- tempts to physically distance--it’s difficult to show folks a bird’s location, and inconveniences to restrictions and illness. Despite that, many took advantage of more free time to get outside, logging a whopping ~570,000 Missouri checklists, with many first-time eBird users in the state.

Spring’s avian highlighted documentations included seven new Mis- souri records established: Two Mottled Duck records, Mew Gull, Yel- low-billed Loon, Vermilion Flycatcher, Bullock’s Oriole, and Western Tanager. Four new state records applying to regions were Anhinga, Fish Crow, Swainson’s Warbler, and Lazuli Bunting. There were seven earliest Missouri records: Two for White-rumped Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Neotropic Cormorant, Clay-colored Sparrow, and Palm Warbler. Latest state records were set with Horned Grebe, Pacific Loon, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Fox Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbird. The state posted at least 18 new highest counts.

Page 61 THE BLUEBIRD Note: Records marked with a single asterisk (*) indicate that documentation has not yet been received by the Missouri Bird Records Committee (MBRC). The MBRC has received documentation for records marked with a dagger (†), and those marked (acc.) have been accepted by the MBRC.

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING DUCK THROUGH CRANES (Orders Anseriformes-Gruiformes)

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks occurred in seven counties with a high of 40 in Scott City Scott 25 Apr (Gary Sinn, fide Mark Haas) and 15 at Little Creve Coeur on 22 May (Cheryl Rosenfeld). All singles, Cinnamon Teal were observed 29 Mar-12 Apr at LBNWR (Doug Willis, m. obs.); 1 Apr Montrose CA Henry (ph. Dan Cowell); 7-9 Apr Mingo (ph. Lisa McClendon, et al.); 12 Apr Settle’s Ford CA Cass (ph. DC); 25 Apr Christian (Greg Swick); 26 Apr Buchanan (ph. Terry Miller). Mottled Duck (acc.) reports this period established new Missouri records. One set the tenth state record and the fourth spring Apr 18-4 May CCNWR (ph. Jerry Hemmersmeyer†, ph. Peter Monacell†, ph. Bill Rowe†, ph. Peter Kondrashov†, ph. Joshua

Horned Grebe Smithville Lake 29 May 2020 Photo Mike Niles

Page 62 THE BLUEBIRD Uffman†, m. obs.). The eleventh state record was set 29 Apr-19 May at LBNWR (ph. Tom Nagel†, David Easterla). Four male Surf Scoters set a new highest spring count 27 Mar-7 Apr at the Brenda Kay Sand Pit Scott (ph. MH, ph. Allen Gathman, ph. Tim Kavan, ph. David Haenni, et al.). A male and female were noted 31 March Stockton Lake (Rick Hostetler, Steve Martin, ph. Debbie Martin, ph. Zach Haring). Two White-winged Scoters were present 5 Apr at Fellows (Glen Kropf, SM, ph. DM, et al.). There was a single ad. female Long-tailed Duck 1 Mar at Long Branch Lake Macon (ph. Kyle Hawley). Spanning the entire spring season, a Common Mergan- ser lingered at EBCA until 3 Jun setting a new latest spring record for the species (Paul McKenzie, m. obs.). Greater Prairie-Chicken maximum counts were: 12, Dunn Ranch Harrison 26 Apr (ph. Terry McNeely, et al.); 5 at Taberville Prairie St. Clair 8 Apr (ph. DC); 1 at Wah’Kon-Tah Prairie Cedar 21 Apr (David Blevins, Barbara Blevins). Missouri’s latest spring record was an alternate plumaged Horned Grebe (acc.) observed 29 May at Smithville Lake (TMi†, ph. Mike Niles). Two alt. plumaged Red-necked Grebes were reported 10 Apr Stockton Lake Cedar (ph. ZH). Sixteen alt. plumaged Eared Grebes were seen near Buffalo Dallas 13 Apr (ph. ZH), while 8 were at Stockton Lake Cedar 18 Apr (Lyndon Hostetler, m. obs.). A Western Grebe was found 18 Apr at Stockton Lake Cedar (RH, SM, DM, m. obs.). Another was present 17-24 Apr at RMBS (Paul Moffett, ph. Jay Huila Balvin). A search for unique locations were White-winged Dove was logged this period produced singles: 23-25 Apr at a private residence Dallas (ph. Merle Wenger, et al.); 1 May at Mapleview Park Jackson (ph. Eric Wal- ters); 2 May near St. Joseph, Buchanan (ph. Mike Hanson); 5 May at a residence Adair (ph. Mary Laird); 13-25 May at a residence Cole (ph. PMo, m. obs.); and 29 May near Chillicothe Livingston (PK). Four Chimney Swifts 28 Mar tied the second earliest spring record in Kennett Dunklin (Kent Freeman). A record highest spring count was established with 44 Ruby- throated Hummingbirds 9-11 Apr at a residence Clay (Sherryl McMillin), while the second highest was 40, at a residence Bol- linger 6 May (Michael Taylor). Two King Rails were heard 18 May at LBNWR (DW) and another 2 were seen at BKLCA 29-31 May (BS, DH). High numbers for Common Gallinule this period included: 7 at LBNWR 20 May White-rumped Sandpiper, Binder Lake Cole (DW, m. obs.); 4 at Grand Pass 17 Apr 2020 CA Saline 11 May (ph. TM); 4 at Photo Paul McKenzie Little Creve Coeur 17 May (ph. DHa, m. obs.); 5 at Mingo 29 May (DHa); 1 at Marais Temps Clair CA St. Charles 14 May (ph. Tommy Goodwin, Jessie Goodwin) and 1 at Rocky Fork Lakes CA Boone 24-31 May (ph. Greg Leonard, m. obs.). Eight Sandhill Cranes remained at Grand Pass CA Saline (Bill Clark, Rob Schneider); 7 at a private residence Boone 25 Mar (Charles Darr); 7 at LBNWR 20 May (Jonathan Castro); 4 at BKLCA 14 May (ph. Bruce Schuette, et al.); 3 in

Page 63 THE BLUEBIRD Whetstone Creek CA Callaway 5 Apr (ph. Chris Barrigar). Additional counties which hosted Sandhill Cranes were Chariton, Dade, Howell, Johnson, St. Charles, and Warren.

AVOCETS THROUGH CORMORANTS (Charadriiformes- Suliformes)

When 200 American Avocets were viewed 17 Apr, a new all-time spring high count was set (ph. Christopher Hawn, Conway Hawn, RH, m. obs.). This period’s high Piping Plover tally was 5 at Hedeman Lake/England Pond Dade 18 Apr (ph. ChH, CoH). Fifty-eight Whimbrels established Mis- souri’s record high count at RMBS 24 May (DHa, ph. Mike Thelen). Spring’s highest count record for Marbled Godwit was tied with 22 at LBNWR 17 Apr (ph. Mark Robbins). Three Red Knots were sighted 14-15 May at BKLCA (ph. JH, m. obs.). A Ruff was spotted 8-9 Apr near Matthews New Madrid (ph. TK). An ad. female in molt was observed 18-19 Apr along Red School Road/Cora Island Road St. Charles (ph. JU, m. obs.). An ad. female in alt. plumage was found at LBNWR 5-16 May (ph. TN and DE). All new earliest spring arrival dates were established for White-rumped Sandpi- per (acc.). One was at Binder Lake Cole 17 Apr (ph. PMo†, ph. PM†, ph. Jane Frazier*). One was seen at EBCA 17-18 Apr (Kathleen An- derson†, ph. PM† ph. PMo†, Edge Wade*). The second earliest White-rumped Sandpiper record was set with 1 at Schell- Osage CA Vernon 18 Apr (CoH†, ph. ChH). Single Western Sand- pipers were present 14-15 Apr at Muskrat Lake Buchanan (ph. TN, ph. Joanne Dial), and near Bois D’Arc CA Greene 12 May (Kendell Loyd). Two were spot- Mew Gull Smithville Lake 11 Mar 2020 ted, both 29 Apr at LBNWR (ph. Photo Doug Willis DW), and at EBCA (PMo, PM). Lone Red-necked Phalaropes were discovered at LBNWR 5 May (DW) and Platte City Landing Platte 19 May (ph. Mary Nemecek). An earliest spring record for Missouri occurred 20 Mar when a Solitary Sandpiper (acc.) was seen in a suburban retention basin in Eureka St. Louis (JU†). The second earliest record was set and tied by single birds Sparta Christian 21 Mar (ph. DM, SM) and in Lakeside Park St. Charles 21 Mar (ph. JG, TG). A count of 118 Willets 2 May at Stockton Lake Cedar sets all new record high for Missouri (RH), while 79 at RMBS 27 Apr established a new record high for the eastern side of the state (DHa, ph. Cathy Spahn, ph. Ron Colatski, m. obs.). Five thousand plus Lesser Yellowlegs fell out of the sky 28 Apr as a front passed through EBCA (PM). This is notable as all high counts across the state have occurred at LBNWR.

Page 64 THE BLUEBIRD Single Laughing Gulls were seen this spring: 11 Mar at Lakeside Park St. Charles (ph. DHa), 24 Apr at CCNWR (ph. DH), and 15 May Greene (KL). Missouri’s second state record Mew Gull (acc.) an ad. was present 11 Mar at Smithville Lake (DW†, ph. Lisa Owens, ph. Kristi Mayo, ph. MN). An ad. California Gull first documented in winter remained through 16 Mar at Smithville Lake (ph. MN). Two Iceland Gulls were present this season. One was a well-described kumlien’s-type at RMBS 2 Mar (BR). A Thayer’s- type was at Smithville Lake 19 Mar (ph. Marky Mutchler, MN). A first cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull tied the latest spring record at RMBS 18 May (ph. BR, Tom Parmeter). An ad. was present 15 Jan-30 Mar at Smithville Lake (ph. DW, ph. MN, ph. MM), and another at Fellows Lake Greene 24-25

Yellow-billed Loon, Stockton Lake Cedar 23 Apr 2020 Photo Marky Mutchler

Mar (ph. Abigail Loyd, KL). A first- or second-cycle Glaucous Gull was present 11 Mar-3 Apr at Smithville Lake (ph. DW, et al.). Fifteen Least Terns were reported at RMBS 24 May (PM, Al Smith). Away from the Mis- sissippi River were 2 at EBCA 22 May (ph. PMo, PM, Jean Leonatti); 1 at LBNWR 18 May (DW); and 1 near Bois D’Arc CA Greene 15 May (ph. DBl, BBl). According to The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri, Mark Robbins 2020, there are now at least 16 spring records for Red-throated Loon (acc.) in the state. One was found on Fellows Lake Greene 12-13 Apr (ph. DBl†, SM†, ph. DM, KL†, ph. ZH†, ph. GSw†, BBl, m. obs.) Another was reported 22-27 Apr at Smithville Lake (ph. DW†, ph. MM, Linda Williams). A third was seen 4-5 Apr at Longview Lake (ph. EWa). Two Pacific Loons

(acc.) were present this season. One in partial alt. plumage was spotted 22 Apr at Stockton Lake Dade (SM†, ph. DM), and 1 in basic plumage estab-

Page 65 THE BLUEBIRD lished the latest Missouri spring record 13-15 May at Stockton Lake Cedar (Austin Hess†, ph. Trey McCuen, Christopher Gilbert). A new record high count this period was 266 Common Loons at Stockton Lake Cedar 9 Apr (Reggie Swartzentruber). An ad. Yellow-billed Loon (acc.) established the third Missouri record 4 Apr-20 May at Stockton Lake Cedar (Zane Hostetler, Caleb Wenger, Russell Stauffer, Tony Elliott†, ph. Dorothy Thur- man†, ph. PMo†, ph. PM†, ph. PK†, m. obs.). The Yellow-billed Loon had almost reached alt. plumage when last seen. The second Missouri record away from the bootheel was established when an Anhinga (acc.) was seen at Little Creve Coeur (ph. Lisa Saffell†, ph. Yvonne Homeyer†, ph. David Becher†, m. obs.). An imm. Neotropic Cormorant (acc.) established an earliest state spring record at Smithville Lake 11-18 Mar (DW†, ph. MN). An ad. present at Schell-Osage CA St. Clair 15-27 Mar set the season’s second earliest record (TE, m. obs.). Singles were sighted 17-25 Apr at Lake Springfield Park Greene (ph. KL, et al.), 3 May in Holden Johnson (ph. DC), and 12 May at LBNWR Holt (ph. Don Merz). A new second highest record count 3,465 Double-crested Cormorants occurred at Smithville Lake 14 Mar (ph. PM, ph. PMo).

HERONS THROUGH FALCONS (Pelecaniformes-Falconiformes)

The O’Fallon Park Rookery St. Louis City was a hot spot for several colony- nesting species. Up to 18 Snowy Egrets were building nests 6 May (ph. BR), and 15 on 29 May further established the rookery at this site (PM, PMo, m. obs.). This season’s single Tricolored Heron was observed at LBNWR 22-30 Apr (ph. DW, MR, m. obs.). A new record high spring count away from the Mississippi River was set with 95 Black-crowned Night- Herons 6 May at the O’Fallon Park Rookery St. Louis City (ph. BR). Glossy Ibis were present as singles: 14 Apr at Binder Lake Cole (ph. CBa, Brenda Morris, JF, EW, m. obs.), at LBNWR 14 Apr-9 May (ph. DW, m. obs.), and 9 May FRCA (ph. David Kirsch, ph. William Kirsch). White- faced Ibis set all new record highest counts. In the west were 204 at LBNWR 22 Apr (DW). An impressive movement was noted 17 Apr in the east where White-faced Ibis is rare: 67 were photographed in flight over Bangert Memorial Wildlife Area St. Charles (JG, ph. TG), 50 at Binder Lake Cole (ph. PM, m. obs.), and 35 at RMBS (BR, Cornelius Alwood). The first Black Vulture recorded in the northwest corner of Missouri was 13 May LBNWR (DE). A sub-adult Golden Eagle was described well 5 Apr Taber- ville Prairie St. Clair (DW). Two other Golden Eagle reports arose from the same area 26 and 27 Mar which were likely the same raptor. The first nesting record of Long-eared Owl* in southern Missouri was monitored 6 Mar- 9 May on private property near Tunas Dallas with three young observed (CW, Rodney Zimmer, RH, ph. MR). A single Prairie Falcon was spotted at Shawnee Trail CA Barton 7 Mar (TE).

PHOEBES THROUGH BUNTINGS (Passeriformes)

Page 66 THE BLUEBIRD

A lone Say’s Phoebe was found 17-28 Mar at Hedeman Lake/England Pond Dade (SM, ph. DM, m. obs.). Missouri’s thirteenth record Vermilion Flycatcher (acc.) was found near Aurora Lawrence 23-24 Apr (LH, SM†, ph. DM, Jill Hays, Beth Perine, m. obs.). This season’s high counts for Log- gerhead Shrike in the east included 4 near Montier Shannon 30 May (ph. Reva Dow), another 4 at Portageville Pemiscot 2 Apr (Kyle Bess), while the high count in the west was 4 at Wah’Kon-Tah Cedar 23 Mar (ZH). A North- ern Shrike from 1 Jan was thought to be the same bird seen 10-23 Mar Bradford Farms Boone (Jay Johnston, ph. Brad Jacobs, m. obs.). Lone Northern Shrikes were seen 3 Mar in Chillicothe Livingston (ph. Zeb Yoko), and 13-23 Mar at Spirit of St. Louis Airport St. Charles (Dave Pierce, ph. Brian Prather, m. obs.). Bell’s Vireo set a new second highest spring count with 39 logged at PSP 9 May (Dana Hoisington). This season’s 23 Yellow- throated Vireos tied the spring record highest count 20 Apr along Red Bridge Road Christian (DBl, BBl). Fish Crow (acc.) observations were made in northwest Missouri where not yet reported. One near St. Joseph Buchanan 30 Apr (aud. TN†) and 2 at Agency Marsh Buchanan on 24 May (aud. TN†). Single Winter Wrens tied Missouri’s latest and second latest spring records. The latest was at a residence Cole 11 May (Austin Lambert), while the second was observed along the Katy Trail SP Boone 9 May (Kevyn Wiskirchen). A new spring highest Sedge Wren count was 43 from PSP and Shawnee Trail CA logged in Barton 26 Apr (DW). A Marsh Wren lingered from early February until 14 May 3M Wetlands Boone (Betsy Garrett, m. obs.). Single Bewick’s Wrens were reported in 17 counties: Adair, Cam- denton, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Greene, Henry, Jasper, Law- rence, Maries, Marion, Miller, Newton, Osage, and Vernon. Two in 11 counties: Benton, Boone, Callaway, Franklin, Madison, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, St. Louis City, and St. Clair. Of these, nesting activity was reported in three counties: 1-2 in a neighborhood Cole 26 Mar-26 May (CBa), 1-2 (two counter -singing) at a residence and nearby area Pulaski 6 Apr-18 May (aud. Jay McEntee, Brian Nelson, Barbara Nelson, Jerry Nelson)and 1-2 at a residence Boone 7 Apr-16 May (ph. CD, m. obs.). A Nocturnal Flight Call Count (NFC) of 14 Veery tied spring’s second highest record near Liberty Clay 15 May (aud. MM, et al). Using the same protocol Gray-cheeked Thrush set a new highest season record of 92 near Liberty Clay 13 May (aud. MM, et al.). An NFC survey for Swainson’s Thrush produced a highest spring count of 255 near Liberty Clay 13 May (aud. MM, et al.). A Hermit Thrush (acc.) 14-15 May established Missouri’s latest spring record at Carondelet Park (ph. Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren†). The state’s new highest count was 28 Wood Thrush along the Lewis and Clark Trail, Weldon Spring St. Charles 31 May (BR, Margaret Rowe). Six Red Crossbills first found in the fall remained until 7 Mar at Ashland Cemetery Buchanan (ph. Robert Irwin, m. obs.). Present since 14 Feb, up to 2 White-winged Cross- bills also remained until 7 May at Ashland Cemetery Buchanan (Mark Ma- haffey, m. obs.). Missouri’s fourth winter record Clay-colored Sparrow, first found and documented in Jan remained until 5 Apr (m. obs.) and when reported 2 Mar sets a new earliest Missouri record (BR, JM, m. obs.). The

Page 67 THE BLUEBIRD state’s latest Fox Sparrow (acc.) date was set with 1-2 at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center Greene 12-15 May (ph. Jor- danya Raos†, Dan Liles, Eric McMillan). A White-crowned Sparrow 30 May tied the second latest season record at the Uffman house in Eureka St. Louis (ph. JU). Notable due to rare status in the east, a Harris’s Sparrow was Clay-colored Sparrow RMBS 26 Mar 2020 seen at BKLCA 15 Mar (JH). An- Photo Henry Gorski other appeared 30 Apr-1 May at the Uffman home in Eureka St. Louis (ph. JU, ph. Diane Bricmont, ph. BL). A big movement of 385 White- throated Sparrows counted one-by-one, set a new second highest spring count at Columbia Audubon/Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary Boone 30 Apr (ph. PM). Two Nelson’s Sparrows were observed at Marais Temps Clair CA St. Charles 14 May (ph. TG, JG). The Missouri River Bird Observatory conducts Line Transect Surveys for multiple species year-round. The counts represent maxima for each transect by date for Henslow’s Sparrow. Sur- veys 31 May Dade: 41 Niawathe Prairie Kyla Yuza-Pate; 25 Shelton Memo- rial CA Nicholas Wiram; 19 Penn-Sylvania Prairie Eric Ost; 8 Coyne Prairie (EO); 1 Welch Tract (EO). Surveys 29 May Osage Prairie Vernon: 31 (NW); 28 (KP); 11 (EO). Surveys 24 May Wah’Kon’tah Prairie St. Clair: 30 (NW); 25 (EO). Surveys 20 May Taberville Prairie St. Clair: 14 (KP); 13 (NM). Sur- veys 28 May Monigaw Prairie Cedar: 21 (KP), 2 (NM). Non-transect counts produced 18 Henslow’s Sparrows 26 Apr on Dunn Ranch Harrison (TM), and 14 each, 9 May at PSP (DHo), 26 Apr at Hi Lonesome Prairie Benton (Marge Lumpe), and 31 May on Weldon Spring/Howell Prairie St. Charles (John Nash). One Spotted Towhee was observed at Apple Creek CA Cape Girardeau 7 Mar (ph. Allen Gathman). Four Bobolinks 20 Apr tied the earliest Missouri spring record Cape Girardeau (Braden Farris, Dave Nuss- baum). An ad. Bullock’s Oriole (acc.) was Missouri’s third state record 7-9 May at the Heddings home, then at a feeding station near Buffalo Dallas (Josh Heddings, KL†, ph. Abigail Loyd, ph. ZH†, m. obs.). As a blackbird roost grew over many days, Red-winged Blackbird counts ultimately reached estimates of 2.3 million 3 Mar Boone (PM, PMo, EW, and Eric Wood). A new latest state record Rusty Blackbird (acc.) was set with a single bird at Bob’s Creek Woods Lincoln 12 May (Henry Gorski†, Oliver Gorski). Two singing Worm-eating Warblers (acc.) tied the earliest spring record 11 Apr along Red Bridge Road Christian (DBl†, BBl). An ad. male Swainson’s Warbler (acc.) observed 27 May-Jul is casual away from the southeast part of the state at Grindstone Nature Area Boone and is most likely the same individual at this location in 2019 (GL*, John Besser† PM†, DHa). Lone birds were seen 5-14 May McCormack Lake (ph. RD, et al.), and 6 May Greer Crossing (Than Boves), both in Oregon. A spring Nashville

Warbler tied the second earliest spring record 7 Apr at Montauk SP Dent (ph. ChH, CoH, Heather Hawn). Connecticut Warbler was a crowd pleas-

Page 68 THE BLUEBIRD er this period, all singles with one exception: 1-2 at Busch CA 18-21 May (aud. JN, ph. TG, ph. JG). Lone birds: 9 May at Lead Mine CA Dallas (aud. MR); 14-16 May in TGP (DBe, ph. DH, ph. Mike Grant, ph. TG, m. obs.); 15 May at Steyermark Woods CA Marion (ph. Cory Gregory, Ashley Casey); 15 May at Caldwell Memorial Wildlife Area Franklin (ph. BL); 16 at May Burr Oak Woods CA Jackson (Steve Phillips, aud. MM, Joseph Mosley, et al.); 17 May in Carondelet Park (Theo Bockhorst, ph. AR, CMc, DBr); 8 May at Lit- tle Creve Coeur (ph. Bill Michalski); 18 May at the Old Girl Scout Camp Buchanan (JD, aud. TN, aud. Thomas Jones); 18-19 May in Forest Park/ Kennedy Woods St. Louis City (Dave Gibson, Natalie Rekittke, m. obs.); and 20-21 May at Runge Conservation Nature Center Cole (Austin Lambert, ph. PM, ph. PMo, et al.). A high count 28 Kentucky Warblers tied the season’s highest record at Trail of Tears SP Cape Girardeau 28 Apr (MH). A single Cape May Warbler 21 Apr tied the second earliest season record at Busch CA (ph. LS). Eighteen Magnolia Warblers tied spring’s second highest record 15-17 May in Carondelet Park (ph. AR, CMc). A new highest season count of 14 Blackburnian Warblers was made at Steyermark Woods CA Marion 15 May (CG). Lone Black-throated Blue Warblers were detected in four areas in the east: 14 May in Wilmore City Park St. Louis City (Rosemary Joganic), 16-17 May at Carondelet Park (ph. Christina Ludtke, Brian Nelson, m. obs.), 16-17 May at TGP (CS, m. obs.) and 21 May at Val- ley View Glades Natural Area Jefferson (ph. MT). An early Palm Warbler (acc.) present 7-29 Mar Little Creve Coeur established the earliest Missouri record, besting the former by almost a month (ph. Tony Forsythe†, ph. DBr). Twenty Prairie Warblers tallied 23 May along Rozell Road Taney tied the second highest seasonal record (DBl, BBl). A new highest spring count was set with 15 Black-throated Green Warblers 1 May Carondelet Park (AR, CMc). Canada Warbler numbers hit new maximums. Setting a new highest spring count were 7 in Carondelet Park 16 May (AR, CMc) and 7 at Line Creek Greenway Platte 18 May (ph. LO). Two new second highest records were 6 Haggemann WRE New Madrid 16 May (ph. TK, KB) and 6 at Wil- son’s Creek National Battlefield Greene 19 May (DBl, BBl). Fifteen Wil- son’s Warblers 9 May established a new second highest record at Lake Springfield Park Greene (GSw, Nikki Hummel). An ad. male Western Tan- ager (acc.) 25 Apr at the Hawley residence Jefferson, established the twelfth Missouri record and eleventh for spring (ph. Glen Hawley†, Caleb Hawley). A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak set spring’s second earliest record 29 Mar at Little Lost Creek CA Warren (ph. Shirley Foreman, ph. BL, Jack Foreman), while a Night Flight Calls survey established a new second highest seasonal record 58 near Liberty Clay 13 May (aud. MM, et al.). Casual away from the northwest part of the state, a Lazuli Bunting (acc.) was reported 14-20 May at a private residence Polk (ph. ZH†, SM†, ph. DM, ph. PMo†, ph. PM†, ph. DHa, RH). Another was present 12-18 May at Jerry Smith Park and Saeger Woods CA Jackson (Sherry Leonardo, SPh), and a third was seen 25 May Buchanan (ph. TN). Spring Painted Bunting counts were 5 at Conco Quarry Greene 2-17 May (DBl, BBl, m. obs.), 4 along Rozell Road near Protem Taney 23 May (ph. DBl, BBl), 3 along Cedar Creek

Road Taney 23 May (DBl, BBl) and 2-3 at Bois D’Arc CA Greene 4-25 May (includes ph. of 2 females, DBL, BBl*, DHa). As singles: Two additional

Page 69 THE BLUEBIRD sites in Taney, and one each in Howell, Jackson, Newton, Ozark, and Stone.

Observers – Multiple Citations:

Chris Barrigar (CBa), David Becher (DBe), Kyle Bess (KB), David Blevins (DBl), Barbara Blevins (BBl), Diane Bricmont (DBr), Dan Cowell (DC), Charles Darr (CD); Joanne Dial (JD), Reva Dow (RD), David Easterla (DE), Tony Elliott (TE), Jessie Goodwin (JG), Tommie Goodwin (TG), Cory Grego- ry (CG); Mark Haas (MH), David Haenni (DHa), Zach Haring (ZH), Chris- tian Hawn (ChH), Conway Hawn (CoH), Lyndon Hostetler (LH), Rick Hostetler (RH), Jerry Hemmersmeyer (JH), Dana Hoisington (DHo); Doug Hommert (DH), Brad Jacobs (BJ), Tim Kavan (TK), Peter Kondrashov (PK), Greg Leonard (GL); Kendell Loyd (KL), Becky Lutz (BL); Debbie Martin (DM), Steve Martin (SM), Kristi Mayo (KM), Chrissy McClarren (CMc), Paul McKenzie (PM), Terry McNeely (TM), Terry Miller (TMi) Peter Mona- cell (PMo), Tom Nagel (TN), John Nash (JN); Eric Ost (EO); Lisa Owens (LO); Kyla Yuza-Pate (KP); Steve Phillips (SPh); Andy Reago (AR), Mark Robbins (MR), Bill Rowe (BR), Lisa Saffell (LS); Bruce Schuette (BS), Cathy Spahn (CS) Greg Swick (GSw); Mike Thelen (MT), Joshua Uffman (JU), Edge Wade (EW); Eric Walters (EWa), Caleb Wenger (CW), Doug Willis (DW), Nicholas Wiram (NW).

Abbreviations: ad. Adult alt. Alternate aud. Audio CA Conservation Area det. Details et al. and others imm. Immature m. obs. multiple observers pers. comm. personal communication ph. photo(s) SP State Park vid. video

Location Abbreviations:

BKLCA BK Leach CA, Lincoln County Bradford Farms University of Missouri Bradford Research Center, Boone County Busch CA Busch Conservation Area, St. Charles County Carondelet Park Carondelet Park, St. Louis City CBCA Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, St. Louis

Page 70 THE BLUEBIRD County CCNWR Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Pike County EBCA Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, Boone County- FRCA Four Rivers Conservation Area, Bates/Vernon Counties Little Creve Coeur Little Creve Coeur Marsh, St. Louis County Longview Longview Lake, Jackson County LBNWR Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Holt Coun- ty OSCA Otter Slough Conservation Area, Butler/Stoddard Counties PSP Prairie State Park, Barton County RMBS Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St. Charles County Smithville Lake Smithville Lake, Clay County Stockton Lake Stockton Lake, Cedar/Dade/Polk Counties TGP Tower Grove Park, St. Louis City

Literature Cited:

Robbins, M.B. The Status and Distribution of Birds in Missouri. University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, Lawrence Kansas. 2020. Download the second edition: https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/handle/1808/30959 eBird Basic Dataset. Version: EBD_relJun-2020. Cornell Lab of Ornitholo- gy, Ithaca, New York. May 2020.

Guinan, P. (Apr 2020). April 2020 Weather and Its Impacts on Missouri. Missouri Climate Center. Retrieved from: http://climate.missouri.edu/news/arc/apr2019.php

Guinan, P. (May 2020). May 2020 Weather and Its Impacts on Missouri. Missouri Climate Center. Retrieved from: http://climate.missouri.edu/news/arc/may2019.php

Guinan, P. (Jun 2020). June 2020 Weather and Its Impacts on Missouri. Missouri Climate Center. Retrieved from: http://climate.missouri.edu/news/arc/jun2019.php

Page 71 THE BLUEBIRD Summer Seasonal Report:

June-July 2020 Allen Gathman

Missouri temperatures in June and July 2020 were above average, with a mean of 72.4 in June (2.0 degrees above average) and 79.2 in July (1.6 degrees above average). While overall June precipitation was 3.58 inches, over an inch below average, rainfall was highly var- iable across the state, in part due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal, which dropped up to 4 inches of rain in parts of central Missouri on June 8 and 9. The southwest portion of the state was abnormally dry during late June, with moderate drought conditions prevailing in parts of Jasper and Newton. July precipitation, at 5.84 inches, was 2.02 inches above the long-term average. Despite this, marginal drought conditions affected southwestern Missouri and the far southern tip of the Bootheel by the end of July. In contrast to last summer’s high river levels, flooding had subsided by mid-June, making most wetland and river access areas accessible to birders this summer.

Note: Records marked with an asterisk (*) require documentation, but no documentation has yet been received by the Missouri Bird Records Committee (MBRC). Observers involved with such sightings are encouraged to submit documentation. The MBRC has received documentation of those records marked with a dagger (†), and those marked (acc.) have been accepted.

WATERFOWL

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks continued their range expansion with 2 on 14 Jun at Red Star Access Cape Girardeau (LB), 7 flying over the Eddle- man Farm on 18 Jun (Cape Girardeau, Bill Eddleman), 5 at Raymore Cass 9 Jun (C. Karr), 2 at Buckner Educational Wetlands Jackson 9-10 Jun (Eric Wilhoit, Simon Brock ph., Yvonne Nixon, DW ph.), 1-2 at Lake Jacamo Ma- rina Jackson 19-22 Jul (m.obs, ph.), one at BKLCA 25 Jul (CT), and another at Sand Prairie CA Scott 13 Jun (LB). Continuing from May, 2 were in a residential area in St Charles 2 Jun (PMo, PMc, ph.); along with 2-8 continuing from May to 27 Jul across the river at Creve Coeur Lake Mem. Pk. St Louis (m.obs, ph.). Two adults and 6 young were at GTI 28 Jul, the eighth confirmed breeding record in the state (DHa, acc.), and another there 30 Jul (JT).

From 1 to 7 Snow Geese were reported in fifteen locations around the

Page 72 THE BLUEBIRD state; almost all certainly injured birds. A single Ross’s Goose was at Ca- rondelet Park St. Louis City 1 Jun-29 Jul (Bill Michalski, Andy Reago, Chrissy McClarren, Cindy and Gene Cunningham). Single Greater White- fronted Geese were at Lake of the Woods Cooper 1 Jun-14 Jun (Bev Bron- del) and Lions Lake Franklin 8 Jun and 20 Jul (BL). Single Trumpeter Swans, accidental in summer, were at Ironbank Road Sullivan 3 Jun (Sarah Kendrick), continuing from spring at LBNWR 9 Jun (Charlotte Ross) and 3 Jul (Dale Anderson), and at Marais Temps Clair CA St Charles 8 Jun- 20 Jul (TG, DHa, Larry Wells, Michelle Wells).

Blue-winged Teal were in fourteen counties, with as many as 32 on 29 Jul at Aldrich and Overhang Rd Polk (Lee Jordan, Grace Jordan). 1-2 North- ern Shovelers were at in MuLa 1-10 Jun (TN, JDi, TMi, PK, Yvonne Nix- on), another was in Springfield Greene 6-13 Jul (DF), and 3 were at LBNWR 5 Jun (MR). Single Gadwall were at LBNWR 1 Jun (DC, VC), Otter Slough CA Stoddard 7 Jun (Bruce Beck), and in Puxico Stoddard 11 Jul (Bruce Beck). Up to 2 Northern Pintail were at EBCA 7 – 25 Jun (m.obs). Three Green-winged Teal were at RMBS 28 Jun (Jessie Goodwin, TG). A lone Canvasback female (acc.), casual in summer, was in the Pleasant View Area, Springfield Greene 8 Jun-29 Jul (ph., †KL, m. obs.). Single Ring- necked Ducks were at Southern Hills Ponds Greene 20 Jul (DF) and Rush- ville Platte 4 Jul (Steven McDaniel). Single Lesser Scaup were at Port Hudson Lake CA Franklin 1 Jun (Jack and Shirley Forman), Pleasant View Area Greene 22 Jul (KL), Urich CA Henry 5 Jun (DC, VC), and BKLCA 8 Jul (HG, OG). Up to 4 continued from late May at RMBS 5 and 9 Jun (TG, BR). Hooded Merganser, rare in summer outside SE MO, were in ten counties in the central, west, and northwest parts of the state (m.obs). A Common Mer- ganser, casual in summer, con- Common Merganser EBCA 3 June 2020 tinued from the spring at EBCA Photo Paul McKenzie 2-9 Jun (ph.† PMc, m. obs.).

GALLIFORMES THROUGH CRANES

The only Greater Prairie-Chicken was at Dunn Ranch Harrison 12 Jul (Mark Mahaffey). Up to 4 White-winged Doves continued at a private residence in Kennett Dunklin 1 Jun-29 Jul (Kent Freeman), while singles were at Chillicothe Livingston 3 and 9 Jun (Zeb Yoko, EW), East Prairie Mississippi 7 Jun (TK), and California Moniteau 15 and 21 Jul (Emily Kin- chens). Single Greater Roadrunners were at Roaring River SP Barry 24 Jun (Greg Swick), Caulfield Howell 17 Jun (Anon.), Gainesville Ozark 27

Jun (DF), Branson Stone 15 Jun (DHa), Hollister Taney 18 Jul (Alex Ma- rine), Bradleyville Taney 9 Jul (John Malenich), near Bradleyville Taney 16

Page 73 THE BLUEBIRD Jun (DF), Rozell Rd. Taney 4 Jul (David Blevins, Barbara Blevins), Table Rock Lake and SP Taney 23 Jun (Bob Clark), I-44 near Marshfield Webster 20 Jun (Anon.), and 2 at Mountain Grove Texas 29 Jul (John Turner). Yel- low-billed Cuckoos were at many locations, with 41 at Donaldson Point CA New Madrid 11 Jun (MH, Kathy Haas) nearly tying the river survey record high of 42 from 2003. Single Black-billed Cuckoos were at EBCA 1 -7 Jul (PMc, Cathy Harris, Chelsea Mosteller, Jim Gast), a private residence Hickory 6 Jul (Harley Winfrey), LBNWR 19 Jul (Mark Pheasant, Debra McKee), Kickapoo Prairie CA Lawrence 16 Jun (EO), Grand Pass CA Saline 5 Jun (PMo, PMc), and RMBS 14 Jun (DBr, Tom Caraway). The first record for Putnam, and the northernmost in the state, of Chuck-will’s-widow was a single bird near Powersville Jun (BL); one near Blodgett 19 Jun (TK) was the third eBird report for Scott.

An outstanding Missouri first record of Rivoli’s Hummingbird (acc.) was at a private residence Christian 5 Jun (†Lisa Berger, video Jennifer Lantz). The only King Rail reported was at BKLCA 1-3 Jun (Jerry Hemmersmey- er, DHo, HG, OG, Steven Price). A Sora was at LBNWR 11 Jun (Diane Thomas). A Common Gallinule was found by DBr 16 Jun at Little Creve Coeur St Louis, and seen by m.obs through 22 Jul. Another was at Mingo NWR Stoddard 12 Jun (Rob Francis); one was also there 23 Jul (DHa), perhaps the same bird. American Coots were in twelve counties (m.obs). Up to 5 Sandhill Cranes were at LBNWR 5 Jun-24 Jul (m.obs), another was at Lake Jacomo Jackson 12 Jul (Alexandra Darrow), and a pair was noted to successfully rear two colts at BKLCA 3 Jun—25 Jul (ph. BS, m. obs.).

Sandhill Cranes BKLCA 3 Jun 2020 Photo Bruce Schuette

SHOREBIRDS

There were nine reports of Black-necked Stilts outside SE MO. Two at

EBCA 16-17 Jun (Cheryl Rosenfeld, Woody Jeffrey, PMc); 2 at RMBS 2 Jun (Alex Gansmann), 2 on flood plains St Charles 21 Jul (DHa), 1-2 in Colum-

Page 74 THE BLUEBIRD bia Bottom CA St Louis 6-10 Jun (BR, Larry Wells, Michelle Wells), 1 on River Valley Dr. St Louis 7 Jul (Pam Bruns, Ken Smith), 1 at LBNWR 11 Jun and 10 Jul (Carol Cobb, Wendy Becker, Carla Barbaro), and 1 at MuLa 6-8 Jun (JDi, TMc, ThJ, TN). Two reports indicated breeding: 1-8 birds were at BKLCA 1 Jun -23 Jul m.obs, with fledglings 28 Jun (DBr, GG), 11 Jul David Rogles, and 13 Jul (TP, BR). Up to 13 were at Mertz Rd and Highway H St Charles (m.obs), with nests with eggs 10 Jun (TG, Jessie Goodwin). A single American Avocet was at Horseshoe Lake Buchanan 12 Jul (ThJ), another LBNWR 4 Jun (Don Merz), 4-5 at GTI 13-28 Jul (m.obs), and 1-5 at Table Rock Lake Taney 10 Jul and 28 Jul (DF).

Timothy Jones found an American Golden-Plover on CR 452 Pemiscot 1 Jun. Semipalmated Plovers were in six counties, with as many as 6 at GTI 14–30 Jul (m.obs). Upland Sandpipers were in seven counties, all north of the Missouri River except 1 in Holden Johnson 5 Jun (DC, VC). A Long-billed Curlew (acc.), casual in western MO, was a fantastic find at Taberville Prairie CA St Clair (ph., †EO). Stilt Sandpipers were noted in six widespread counties, with 25 at GTI 26 Jul (Nathan Goldberg, JE). A Dunlin remained at Mertz Road St Charles 15-21 Jun (BR, Rad Widmer, TP). Two Baird’s Sandpipers were at the SelecTurf Sod Farm Callaway 31 Jul (PMo), and 2 at RMBS 21 Jul (DHo). A White-rumped Sandpiper was in Watson Atchison 5 Jun (MR), 2 at EBCA 3 Jun (John Besser), 6-14 at MuLa 1 Jun and 8 Jun (TN), 2 at BKLCA 1-3 Jun (DHo, HG, OG), and 2 at RMBS 10 Jun (DHo). Up to 4 Short-billed Dowitchers were at BKLCA 11 -14 Jul (CT, TP, Pat Lueders, BR, Theo Bockhorst), 4 at Delaney Lake CA Mississippi 18 Jul (Mark Haas), 2 at The 347 Big Pit Pemiscot 13 Jul (Timothy Jones), up to 9 at GTI 14-18 Jul (Mark Haas, JT, Don Mullison), 9 at Marais Temps Clair CA St Charles 17 Jul (TG), and 2 on the flood plain in St Charles 20 Jul (TG, DHa). Single American Woodcock were at the Hahn Farm Bollinger 20 Jun (Mark Hahn, TG), EBCA 4 Jun (EW), in Rolla Phelps 12 Jun (Shelby Timm, Kalen Brady), at Busch CA St Charles 10 Jun (John Nash), at Wah’kon-tah Prairie St Clair 8 Jun (EO), and at Mingo NWR Stoddard 23 Jul (DHa). Single Wilson’s Snipe were at Frost Island CA Clark 26 Jul (TMc) and BKLCA 15 Jun (BS). Greater Yellowlegs were in twelve counties throughout the state (m.obs). The fall’s first Willets were on Mokane Rd Callaway 29 Jun (Betsy Garrett, PMo), and another at Lake Contrary Buchanan 4 Jul (Zachary Scamurra).

GULLS THROUGH RAPTORS

A Laughing Gull was at RMBS 9 and 17 Jun (DHa, TG, Tom Caraway). Single Franklin’s Gulls were at MuLa 11 Jun (TN, JDi), Western MO Cor- rectional Center DeKalb 5 Jun (TMc), and RMBS 10 Jun (David Becher, DHo); 6-11 were at Smithville Lake Clay 9 Jun-30 Jul (DW, DC, VC); and 13 at Arbor Walk Park Jackson 3 Jun (Karen Davis). RMBS had 225 Ring- billed Gulls on 8 Jul (BR). Single Herring Gulls were at RMBS 1 Jun, 14- 15 Jun (Hemmer, DBr, Tom Caraway, DHo), at Lake Contrary Buchanan

28 Jul (MR), and at Columbia Bottom CA St Louis 23 Jul (MT).

Page 75 THE BLUEBIRD Single Least Terns were in Watson Atchison 5 Jun (MR) and Lake Jacomo Jackson 31 Jul (JDe). Up to 16 Black Terns were noted in nine counties. 4 Common Terns were at RMBS 9 Jun (DHa, TG, TP, BR, DHo). Forster’s Tern was in fourteen counties (m.obs). Three Common Loons were at Stockton Lake Cedar 7 Jul (KL), 1 at Smithville Lake Clay 4 Jun (DW), another at Busch CA St Charles 23 Jun (Ryan Dziedzic), up to 2 at RMBS 1 Jun and 7 Jun (Hemmer, James Hickner), and a single at Schell-Osage CA 18 Jun Vernon (Renee Glass). Thomas Thompson reported 470 Double- crested Cormorants at the Clinton MDC Office Henry 30 Jun, the all-time high summer count. Neotropic Cormorant is casual in eastern and central Missouri in summer, and this summer there were a total of 4 individuals constituting the 7th, 8th, and 9th documented records: one at GTI (acc.) 14 -28 Jul (JE, Nathan Goldberg, † AG, † MH, †JT), another at RMBS (acc.) 17- 20 Jul († BR, m. obs.), and up to 3 (acc.) at Creve Coeur Marsh 18-31 Jul (†Brian Stamper , †DBr, †DHa, † MT). The species is rare in summer in the western part of the state, where there were sightings in six counties (m.obs). Single American Bitterns were at Garth Nature Area Boone 23 Jul (Jean Neely) and LBNWR 5 Jun (MR). Least Bittern was recorded in seven counties, with 6 at LBNWR 5 Jun (MR). The Olive Street heron rookery in St Louis City was active again this summer, with 43 Little Blue Herons 27 Jun (James Hickner) and 51 on 22 Jul (Kathleen Wann). A single Tricol- ored Heron was at GTI 5 Jun (ph. AG). The same location hosted a Glossy Ibis 8 Jun (ph. Don Mullison). White-faced Ibis were in four locations; one at GTI 4 Jun (Christopher Gilbert), 1-4 MuLa* 5-14 Jun (TN, TMi), 3-27 LBNWR* 5-9 Jun (MR, David Schneider, DW), and 2 at EBCA (acc.) 22-23 Jun (ph., †PMc.).

Single Osprey were in seventeen counties, with a high of 3 at Stockton Reser- voir Polk 25 Jul (KL). A Swallow- tailed Kite was at Tywappity Commu- nity Lake Scott 31 Jul (ph. MH). Two Northern Harriers were at Dunn Ranch Harrison 7 Jun (GG, DBr, Jeff Parres), and a single at BKLCA 10 Jul (Mike Grant). Solitary Broad-winged Hawks were at Sugar Creek Subdivi- sion Adair 1 and 23 Jun (PK), Thou- sand Hills SP Adair 26 Jun (PK), Crowder SP Grundy 13 Jun (Eric Ol- lie), and LBNWR 31 Jul (Kathleen Wann). A total of eleven Swainson’s Hawk sightings were recorded in Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, and Platte counties. Single Peregrine Falcons were in Jefferson, St Charles, St Clair, Swallow-tailed Kite Tywappity Lake St Louis City, and Benton counties, Scott 31 Jul 2020. with a pair at Hudlin Park St Louis Photo Mark Haas City 28 Jun (Jay Huila Balvin) and at

Page 76 THE BLUEBIRD Barnes Jewish Hospital St Louis City 30 Jul (Daniel Schneider).

FLYCATCHERS THROUGH SPARROWS

The spring’s latest Olive-sided Flycatcher was at Perry County Commu- nity Lake 5 Jun (MH). Yellow-bellied Flycatchers were at a private residence in Benton 5 Jun (JDe) and Maramec Spring Park Phelps 6 Jun (Jerry Decker). Single Alder Flycatchers were at 3M Wetlands Boone 1 Jun (Cheryl Rosenfeld), Eldon-Salem Cemetery Miller 1 Jun (Chris Barrigar), Tom’s Farm Randolph 4 Jun (DHa), Russellville Cole 5 Jun (Chris Barri- gar), Thousand Hills SP Adair 6 Jun (DD), Schell-Osage CA Vernon 6 Jun (Paige Witek, EO), and Van Meter SP Saline 7 Jun (Adam Diel), with 2 each at Long Branch Lake and SP Macon 5 Jun (Lee Wilbeck) and Grindstone Nature Area Boone 6 Jun (Rebekah Holtsclaw). Single Least Flycatchers were at Hoot Owl Hollow Farm Cass 2-3 Jun (Ginny LBNWR 1 Jun (VC, DC), Burr Oak Woods CA Jackson 6 Jun (Shari Harden, James Barry), and Forest Park St Louis City 30 Jul (Dennis Martin). Western Kingbirds were in 74 different locations, 22 with breeding reported, in eighteen counties outside NW and WC MO. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was at fifteen locations in SE MO, where it is rare in summer, and another at LBNWR 11 Jun was the most northwestern sighting (Diane Thomas). Bell’s Vireo is rare outside N and W MO, and was in 60 such locations; 21 individuals were at EBCA 6 Jun (MM).

Loggerhead Shrike, rare outside W and SE MO, was in four such locations; one in Kirksville Adair 18 Jul (DD), 2 in Hatfield Harrison 13 Jun (JE), 1 at Tingler Prairie CA 21 Jul Howell (Ian Campbell), and another along US 160 Oregon 20 Jun (Joshua Uffman). Sedge Wren, rare outside N and W MO, was at seven locations; 2 at Bradford Farm Boone 27 Jul (John Besser), one at EBCA 26 Jul (Reed Gerdes), 2 at Prairie Garden Trust Callaway 21 Jul (Henry Domke), 3 at Swan Lake NWR Chariton 31 Jul (DC, VC); 1-2 at BKLCA 17 – 28 Jul (BS, HG, OG), 1 at Norton Woods Ac- cess Lincoln 9 Jul (Loch Kilpatrick), and 1-4 at RMBS 13-30 Jul (m.obs). A single Marsh Wren was in Saint Joseph Buchanan 12 Jun (Jake Phillips), 1-4 at Lake Contrary Buchanan 4-28 Jul (TN, Ellen Zellmer, MR), 1 at BKLCA 25 Jul (CT), 2 at Ted Shanks CA Pike 27 Jul (TMc), 1 at Dardenne Greenway St Charles 14 Jun (GG, DBr), and 1 RMBS 8 Jul and 31 Jul (Loch Kilpatrick, MT). A lone Bewick’s Wren was in Sugar Creek Subdivision Adair 5 Jun (PK).

A Pine Siskin was at a private residence in Franklin (ph. Jack and Shirley Foreman). A Grasshopper Sparrow, rare in the SE, was at Marble Hill Bollinger 5 Jun (Mike Taylor), 2 were on CR 543 Cape Girardeau 27 Jul (AG), 1 in Sikeston New Madrid 15 Jun (TK), 1-6 in Hawthorne New Ma- drid 16 Jun–2 Jul (TK, BS), 6-7 in Sikeston Scott 13 and 28 Jul (Kyle Bess), and 1-5 at Sand Prairie CA Scott 6-25 Jun (MH, Mike Taylor, LB, AG). Sin- gle Dark-eyed Juncos (acc.), accidental in summer, were noted in St. Lou- is City 2 July (†Daniel Schneider) and Jackson 29 Jul (†William Birdsong). Single White-throated Sparrows (acc.), casual in summer, were at

Page 77 THE BLUEBIRD BKLCA 23 Jun (aud. †MT.) and RMBS 3 Jul (ph. †Brian Stamper). A Ves- per Sparrow was at a private farm in Clinton 1 Jul (Natalie Bailey). Mis- souri’s first confirmed breeding record of Savannah Sparrow (2-3 individuals) was at a private farm (acc.) in Putnam 20-27 Jun (ph. †BL). A Song Sparrow, rare in SW MO, was at El Dorado Springs Cedar 26-30 Jun (Kristin Langsten).

BLACKBIRDS THROUGH BUNTING

A single Yellow-headed Blackbird was at Chapel View Prairie CA Henry 15 Jun (JDe), with up to 15 at LBNWR 1-9 Jun (DC, VC, TMi, MR, DW). Bobolinks were unexpected at five locations south of N MO: one at EBCA 2 Jun (DHo), 2 on the Laclede BBS route, and one at the end of the route, Linn 21 Jun (MW Stoakes), one at Pleasant Run Creek Prairie Vernon 2 Jun (EO), one in Saint James Phelps 12 Jun (Scott Alford), and one at Provi- dence Prairie CA Lawrence 1 Jun (Kyla Yuza-Pate), while 40 in Putnam 25 July and 86 in Mercer 26 July were already staging for fall migration (Joshua Uffman). Single Western Meadowlarks were in Amazonia An- drew 18 Jun (TN), at Worthwine Island CA Andrew 22 Jul (PMo, PMc, TN), Dunn Ranch Harrison 2 Jun (MM), in Clearmont Nodaway 12 Jun (Josh Wallestad), and at Horseshoe Lake Buchanan 8 Jun-24 Jul (TN, TMc, John Talbot, Annette Talbot, ThJ), with 2 in St. Joseph Buchanan 6 Jul (Will Babb) and 1-5 at MuLa 1 Jun-24 Jul (m.obs).

An Ovenbird, rare in summer, was at Jul Sugar Creek Subdivision Adair 1 Jun–5 Jul (PK), 1-3 at Thousand Hills SP Adair 1 Jun-23 Jul (PK, DD), at Bat- tle of Athens SHS Clark 7 Jun, 26 Jul (Michael Miller), 1-2 at Brickyard Hill CA Atchison 6 Jun, 9 Jul (MR, Kadynn Hatfield, Bobby Walz). A single Worm- eating Warbler was at Sugar Creek Subdivision Adair 1 Jun- 5 Jul (PK). A Blue-winged Warbler, rare in the north, was at Battle of Athens SHS Clark 6-7 Jun (Michael Miller), and 1-2 at Thousand Hills SP Adair 6-26 Jun (PK, DD). A Swainson’s Warbler returned to Grindstone Nature Area Boone Painted Buntings Sand Pond CA 2 Jun-12 Jul (m.obs), while singles at Ripley 29 Jun 2020 Greer Crossing Recreation Area Oregon Photo Karin Pelton 2 Jun-8 Jul (Robert Bailey, Ian Camp- bell, JL, John Malenich), and Williamsville Butler 5 Jun (Dave Z) were the only reports at the traditional locations. A Magnolia Warbler at Greer Crossing Recreation Area Oregon 6 Jun tied for 2nd latest spring record (ph. JL), while a Blackpoll Warbler at Margy Terpstra’s home St Louis established a 2nd latest spring record 7 Jun. Single Wilson’s Warblers were at Three Creeks CA Boone 1 Jun (PMc) and Grand Pass CA Saline 5 Jun

Page 78 THE BLUEBIRD (PMc), with 4 at EBCA 6 Jun (MM).

A mating male and female (acc.) pair of Painted Buntings, casual outside SW MO, were near Sand Pond CA Ripley 11 Jun-10 Jul (Steve Paes, ph., †Karin Pelton). As rare summer visitors, they were in five other locations outside SW MO: 1 on Missouri Blvd. Jefferson City Cole 29 Jun-25 Jul (m.obs), 1 along CR 2820 Randolph 13 Jun-2 Jul (m.obs), 4 at Marker Prai- rie Pettis 24 Jul (PMc), 1 near Hawthorne New Madrid 16 Jun-9 Jul (TK), and 1 near Heckemeyer Scott 8 Jul (TK).

Observers: Leon Book (LB), Diane Bricmont (DBr), Dan Cowell (DC), Varick Cowell (VC), Joanne Dial (JDi), Jacob Decker (JDe), Danion Doman (DD), Josh En- gel (JE), Dillon Freiburger (DF), Gail Gagnon (GG), Allen Gathman (AG), Tommy Goodwin (TG), Henry Gorski (HG), Oliver Gorski (OG), David Haen- ni (DHa), Doug Hommert (DHo), Thomas Jones (ThJ), Tim Kavan (TK), Peter Kondrashov (PK), Jason Lott (JL), Kendell Loyd (KL), Becky Lutz (BL), Paul McKenzie (PMc), Terry McNeely (TMc), Terry Miller (TMi), Pete Monacell (PMo), Marky Mutchler (MM), Tom Nagel (TN), Erik Ost (EO), Tom Parmeter (TP), Mark Robbins (MR), Bill Rowe (BR), Bruce Schuette (BS), Mike Thelen (MT), Carol Thompson (CT), Jim Tudor (JT), Doug Willis (DW).

Locations: BK Leach CA Lincoln (BKLCA), Eagle Bluffs CA Boone (EBCA), Grand Tower Island Perry (GTI), Loess Bluffs NWR Holt (LBNWR), Muskrat Lake Buchanan (MuLa), Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary St Charles (RMBS). aud. audio recording made ph. photographed m.obs multiple observations

Sources: eBird. 2020. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: October 18, 2020 ).

Guinan, P. (July 2020). June 2020 Weather and Its Impacts on Missouri. Missouri Climate Center. Retrieved from: http:// climate.missouri.edu

Guinan, P. (August 2020). July 2020 Weather and Its Impacts on Missouri. Missouri Climate Center. Retrieved from: http://climate.missouri.edu

US Geological Survey (2020) Archived River Gauge Data. Retrieved from https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/

Page 79 THE BLUEBIRD South Farm R-1 Lake

Edge Wade

9.3 acres (lake 7 acres) Boone Co. DeLorme 37, B-10 GPS: 38.904437,-92.2794027 University of Missouri owned; for MDC information call 573-815- 7900

Site History: This tiny, easily accessed lake has produced 185 species in more than 3,100 eBird reports, putting it well into the top ten sites by species and visits in Boone County. In 2007, the construction of the first buildings of the Discovery Ridge research complex to the west raised concerns that the lake would be altered so much that it would no longer attract the species that qualify it as a birding hotspot. The west arm was filled in and the water level raised, reducing the occurrence of mudflats at the northeast end, but to the surprise and delight of regular birders, waterfowl and even shorebirds continue to stopover here.

Directions: From US 63/Rt. AC intersection in Columbia, go east on Rt. AC/New Haven Rd. for about 0.1 mile, turn right (south) onto Lenoir Street for 0.85 miles. Turn left (east) onto Roosevelt Ave. for 0.5 miles to the entrance on the right (south) side. If coming north on US 63, go right at the Discovery Ridge exit, and left (north) at the stop sign onto Lenoir St., then right (east) onto Roosevelt Avenue for about 0.5 miles. Note: east of R-1 lake, Roosevelt Ave. becomes E. Sugar Grove Rd.

ADA information: The full site can be viewed from a car.

Features of interest to birders: The lake is formed primarily by drainage from the University South Farm fields to the north. Other than pumping to irrigate a field to the west in summer, there is little human activity immediately around the lake other than fishing and birding. It is surrounded by grassland, powerlines to the north and a fence to the east, all of which provide habitat for a good variety of birds.

Page 80 THE BLUEBIRD When to Visit/Species to Expect: Birders stop here for a 5 minute to one-hour birding session at all seasons. The expected/target species vary accordingly. Admittedly, there are visits when birders scan the sky hoping for a Turkey Vulture, but the chance of seeing “something good” keeps them coming back.

The lake has drawn 21 species of ducks (including Surf and Black Scoter), 5 species of geese, Mute and Trumpeter Swans, Pied-billed and Horned Grebes, and 7 species of gulls and terns. Mudflats have attracted 22 species of shorebirds (American Avocet and Sanderling among them) and 6 waders. The grasslands around the lake have hosted 17 sparrow species, including Grasshopper, LeConte’s and Henslow’s.

Raptors consider this a hotspot, too. Red-tailed Hawks have a near permanent presence. Competing with them have been Rough- legged, Swainson’s, Red-shouldered, Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned hawks, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin and American Kestrel, Mississippi Kite, Bald Eagle and Osprey.

Toilets: None Camping: None Hazards/Limitations: None

Nearby Birding Sites: Perry Phillips Lake, Rock Bridge Memorial SP, Bradford Farm.

Page 81 THE BLUEBIRD

Page 82 THE BLUEBIRD The Bluebird

Awards Committee: The MBS Executive Committee

Webmaster: Kevin Wehner

Executive Committee: Dana Ripper, Edge Wade, Phil Wire, Tommy Goodwin, and Allen Gathman

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative: Susan Hazelwood

Conservation Partnership Coordinator: Edge Wade

Missouri Bird Records Committee: Chair: Paul McKenzie Secretary: Bill Rowe Voting Members: Lisa Berger, Kristi Mayo, Paul McKenzie, Pete Monacell, Mary Nemecek, Mark Robbins, Josh Uffman ———————————————————————————————————-

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Kevin Wehner MBS Membership Chair 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122 Columbia, MO 65203-1261 (573) 815-0352 [email protected]

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