TT H H E E BLUEBIRBLUEBIR DD The voice of ASM since 1934 June 2011 Volume 78, No. 2 The Audubon Society of Missouri Missouri’s Ornithological Society Since 1901 The Audubon Society of Missouri Officers Regional Directors Bruce Beck*+, President (2012) Lisa Berger+ (2011) 230 CR 466; Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 Springfield (417) 881-8393 (573) 785-3871 Gary Chastain+ (2013) [email protected] Lesterville June Newman*+, Vice-President Jo Ann Eldridge+ (2011) (2012) Kearny (816) 628-4840 209 Santa Fe Street Carrollton, MO 64633; (660) 542-0873 Susan Hazelwood+ (2012) [email protected] Columbia, (573) 445-4925 Shari Harden*+, Secretary (2012) Larry Lade+ (2012) 513 NE Grant Drive St. Joseph (816) 232-6125 Blue Springs, MO 64014; Terry McNeely+ (2013) (816) 229-3979 Jameson, MO (660) 828-4215 [email protected] Ruth Simmons+ (2011) Pat Lueders*+, Treasurer (2012) Lee’s Summit 1147 Hawken Pl. St. Louis, MO 63119; (314) 779-1372 Clare Wheeler+ (2013) [email protected] Lake Ozark & Canton (573) 365-2951 Honorary Directors Phil Wire+ (2013) Richard A. Anderson, St. Louis** Bowling Green Nathan Fay, Ozark** Leo Galloway, St. Joseph Chairs Jim Jackson, Marthasville Rare Bird Alert (VACANT) Lisle Jeffrey, Columbia** Floyd Lawhon, St. Joseph** Bill Clark, Historian Patrick Mahnkey, Forsyth** 3906 Grace Ellen Dr. Rebecca Matthews, Springfield Columbia, MO 65202 Sydney Wade, Jefferson City** (573) 474-4510 Dave Witten, Columbia** John Wylie, Jefferson City** Jerry Wade, Membership 1221 Bradshaw Avenue Columbia, MO 65203 Dr. David Easterla, 2006 Recipient (573) 445-6697 of the Rudolph Bennitt Award [email protected] Paul E. Bauer, 2004 Recipient of the Rudolph Bennitt Award + Board Position * Executive Committee Member **Deceased Page i THE BLUEBIRD The Bluebird The Bluebird Editor: Bill Eddleman*+, 1831 Ricardo Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, (573) 335-1507, [email protected] Christmas Bird Count Compiler: Randy Korotev, 800 Oakbrook Lane, St. Louis, MO 63132, (314) 993-0055, [email protected] Communication Services: Patrick Harrison Webmaster, http://mobirds.org, Susan Hazelwood and David Scheu, Co-owners Listserve, [email protected],edu ASM Scholarship Committee: Sue Gustafson, 429 Belleview Ave., Webster Groves MO 63119 (314) 968-8128, [email protected] Migratory Bird Count Compiler David Rogles, 60 Shadowridge Drive St. Peters, MO 63376 (636) 936-0660, [email protected] MO Bird Records Committee: Brad Jacobs+—Chair, 11300 Vemers Ford Road, Columbia, MO 65201, (573) 874-3904, [email protected] Bill Rowe—Secretary, 9033 Big Bend Road, St. Louis, MO 63119, (314) 962-0544, [email protected] Seasonal Survey Editors: Spring: Kristi Mayo, 1807 Clear Creek Dr., Kearney, MO 64060 (816) 289–7828, [email protected] Summer: Josh Uffman, 707 Ashton Way Circle, Eureka, MO 63025 (636) 587-6016; [email protected] Fall: Walter Wehtje, 106 N. Glenwood Avenue, Columbia, MO 65203 (573) 447-0039; [email protected] Winter: Joe Eades, 517 Willow Lane, Kirkwood, MO, 63122, (314) 835- 0353, [email protected] * Executive Committee Member + Board Position Deadlines for submission of material for publication in The Bluebird Manuscripts for The Bluebird—to the editor by: Feb. 1 for March issue; May 1 for June issue; Jul. 15 for Sept. issue; Nov. 1 for Dec. issue Deadlines for submissions to the Seasonal Survey Compilers Winter (Dec. 1-Feb. 28)—to Joe Eades by Mar. 10 Spring (Mar. 1-May 31)—to Kristi Mayo by June 10 Summer (June 1-July. 31)—to Josh Uffman by Aug 10 Fall (Aug. 1-Nov. 30)—to Bill Eddleman by Dec. 10 Page ii THE BLUEBIRD Table of Contents June 2011 Volume 78, No. 2 59 President’s Corner—Bruce Beck 61 Backyard Birding—Steve Vogel 62 Armchair Birding: A Review of The Crossley ID Guide (2011) by Rich- ard Crossley—Kristi Mayo 65 Missouri Christmas Bird Counts—2010-2011—Randy L. Korotev 88 Winter 2010-2011 Seasonal Report—Joseph W. Eades 100 A Birder’s Guide to Missouri Public Lands—Edge Wade and Others Front Cover— Golden-crowned Sparrow found by Steve Dilks January 9, 2011 at his backyard feeder in Linn, Osage County. The bird stayed until the end of the season and was enjoyed by many. Photo taken January 14, 2011 by Josh Uffman. A Short-eared Owl shows off its black wrists. Photo by Al Smith, taken at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary, St. Charles County, on December 28, 2010. THE BLUEBIRD is published quarterly by The Audubon Society of Missouri. The submission of articles, photographs, and artwork is welcomed and encouraged. The views and opinions ex- pressed in this journal are those of each contributing writer and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of The Audubon Society of Missouri or its officers, Board of Directors, or edi- tors. Send address corrections to ASM, 2101 W. Broadway, PMB 122, Columbia, MO 65203-1261. Page iii THE BLUEBIRD President’s Corner—Bruce Beck Dear Fellow Birders, All who attended the Spring Meeting in Kan- sas City are grateful for an outstanding experi- ence. Liz and Mike Stoakes and the many Bur- roughs Audubon Chapter are to be commended for a superb job as hosts. The weather on Friday and Saturday was per- fect for great field trips, lots of birds – and a little sunburn. A total of 183 species is some- thing to brag about. Too bad everyone could not be on each of the field trips. The Eurasian Wigeon was a life bird for many, if not all who went to Squaw Creek. There were more life birds for many participants. Below is the total list for all field trips. Read through it and see what the Kansas City area has to offer this time of year. Let me know of any addi- tions or corrections. Snow Goose American White American Golden-Plover Ross's Goose Pelican Wilson’s Plover Canada Goose Double-crested Semipalmated Plover Wood Duck Cormorant Killdeer Gadwall Great Blue Heron American Avocet Eurasian Wigeon Great Egret Spotted Sandpiper American Wigeon Snowy Egret Solitary Sandpiper Mallard Green Heron Greater Yellowlegs Blue-winged Teal White-faced Ibis Willet Northern Shoveler Turkey Vulture Lesser Yellowlegs Northern Pintail Osprey Upland Sandpiper Green-winged Teal Bald Eagle Hudsonian Godwit Canvasback Northern Harrier Marbled Godwit Ring-necked Duck Sharp-shinned Hawk Semipalmated Lesser Scaup Cooper’s Hawk Sandpiper Hooded Merganseer Red-shouldered Hawk Least Sandpiper Ruddy Duck Broad-winged Hawk White-rumped Ring-necked Pheasant Swainson’s Hawk Sandpiper Wild Turkey Red-tailed Hawk Baird’s Sandpiper Northern Bobwhite American Kestrel Pectoral Sandpiper Common Loon Peregrine Falcon Dunlin Pied-billed Grebe Sora Short-billed Dowitcher Horned Grebe American Coot Long-billed Dowitcher Eared Grebe Black-bellied Plover Wilson’s Snipe Page 59 THE BLUEBIRD Wilson's Phalarope Purple Martin American Redstart Bonaparte's Gull Tree Swallow Prothonotary Warbler Franklin's Gull Northern Rough- Ovenbird Ring-billed Gull winged Swallow Northern Waterthrush Caspian Tern Bank Swallow Louisiana Waterthrush Black Tern Cliff Swallow Kentucky Warbler Forster's Tern Barn Swallow Common Yellowthroat Rock Pigeon Black-capped Chickadee Yellow-breasted Chat Eurasian Collared Tufted Titmouse Eastern Towhee -Dove Red-breasted Nuthatch American Tree Sparrow Mourning Dove White-breasted Chipping Sparrow Barred Owl Nuthatch Clay-colored Sparrow Common Nighthawk Brown Creeper Field Sparrow Chimney Swift Carolina Wren Lark Sparrow Ruby-throated House Wren Savannah Sparrow Hummingbird Winter Wren Grasshopper Sparrow Belted Kingfisher Marsh Wren Henslow’s Sparrow Red-headed Woodpecker Ruby-crowned Kinglet Song Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Lincoln’s Sparrow Downy Woodpecker Eastern Bluebird Swamp Sparrow Hairy Woodpecker Swainson’s Thrush White-throated Sparrow Northern Flicker Wood Thrush Harris’s Sparrow Pileated Woodpecker American Robin White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Wood-Pewee Gray Catbird Summer Tanager Least Flycatcher Northern Mockingbird Scarlet Tanager Eastern Phoebe Brown Thrasher Northern Cardinal Great Crested European Starling Rose-breasted Grosbeak Flycatcher American Pipit Indigo Bunting Western Kingbird Cedar Waxwing Dickcissel Eastern Kingbird Blue-winged Warbler Red-winged Blackbird Scissor-tailed Tennessee Warbler Eastern Meadowlark Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-headed Loggerhead Shrike Nashville Warbler Blackbird White-eyed Vireo Northern Parula Common Grackle Bell's Vireo Yellow Warbler Brown-headed Cowbird Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-rumped Warbler Orchard Oriole Blue-headed Vireo Black-throated Green Baltimore Oriole Warbling Vireo Warbler House Finch Red-eyed Vireo Blackburnian Warbler American Goldfinch Blue Jay Yellow-throated Warbler House Sparrow American Crow Palm Warbler Fish Crow Black-and-white Horned Lark Warbler Bruce Beck President, Audubon Society of Missouri Page 60 THE BLUEBIRD Backyard Birding Steve Vogel Want to make backyard birding more fun and less of a chore? It’s all about how you log your sightings. The key is to do weekly lists, not daily lists. My wife Corinne and I started keeping backyard bird lists in the 1980s. For years we weren’t very consistent in compiling the daily lists. We were either gone, too busy, forgot, or just felt it was too much of a chore. Then in the late 90s we started keeping the weekly lists. We log only those birds that we positively see or hear on or ad- jacent to our heavily wooded property. We use 9 ½ x 6 ¾” spiral notebooks and log each week’s sightings on a single page. Every Sunday morning we start a new list that ends at midnight on the following Saturday. We also jot the date we first observe an arriving or migrating fall or spring bird. By referencing previous years’ notes, we know when to expect new migrants arriv- ing or passing through. We have many spiral notebooks completely full of records. It’s become somewhat of a game for us to see how many species we can log for a given week. Our record is 83 different species during the 2nd week of May in 2005.