March 2021 Volume 88, No. 1 - The Missouri Birding Society Missouri's Ornithological Society Since 1901
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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)
dana.ripper@hotmail.com
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
edgew@mchsi.com 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
phw222@gmail.com 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
tjgbp7@mst.edu
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
kevinwehner@gmail.com
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, agathman@gmail.com
Christmas Bird Count Compiler:
Kendell Loyd. 1730 E Valley Watermill, Apt D 108, Springfield, MO 65803,
(573) 776-0901, kloyd892@gmail.com
Communication Services:
Kevin Wehner, Webmaster, http://mobirds.org,
Susan Hazelwood and David Scheu, Co-owners Listserve,
mobirds-l-request@po.missouri.edu
MBS Scholarship Committee:
Sue Gustafson, Chair, 429 Belleview Ave., Webster Groves, MO 63119
(314) 882-8006, smgustafson@juno.com
MO Bird Records Committee:
Paul McKenzie+—Chair, 2311 Grandview Circle, Columbia, MO
65203-7240, (573) 445-3019, paulbeckymo@mchsi.com
Bill Rowe—Secretary, 7414 Kenrick Valley Drive, St Louis, MO 63119-
5726 (314) 962-0544, rowemb45@gmail.com
Seasonal Survey Editors:
Spring: Lisa Berger, 1947 South Kings Avenue, Springfield, MO 65807-
2733, (417) 860-9108, goshawk@att.net
Summer: Allen Gathman, PO Box 1, Pocahontas, MO 63779, (573) 579-
5464; agathman@gmail.com
Fall: Mary Nemecek, 7807 N. Merimac Ct, Kansas City MO 64151, (816)
210-5148; msnemecek@aol.com
Winter: Pete Monacell, 2324 West Main Street, Jefferson City MO 65109,
(573) 289-8116; plmonacell@ccis.edu
* 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 arti-
cles, 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 ad-
dress 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 dana.ripper@mrbo.org. 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
kevinwehner@gmail.com
(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 hus-
band, Bob Lewis, were
founders of East Ozarks
Audubon Society.
Though Joyce was not
an avid birder, her sup-
port of Bob’s pursuits
was unhesitating and
essential. Joyce partici-
pated in most Chapter
activities. She was a re-
cipient 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 applica-
tions 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 scholar-
ship 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 web-
site. Please consider making a donation to MBS to support this
very important program!
Page 6 THE BLUEBIRDChris’ 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 cele-
brate 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 BLUEBIRDApril 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 BLUEBIRD217). 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 na- tional events, Chris mostly birded around Texas County in June and found only a few new species. He didn’t find a single new spe- cies 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 ac- cessible 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 hus- band 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 find- ing 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 spon- sored 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 beauti- ful 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 relocat-
ed 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 begin-
ning 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 BLUEBIRDBig 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 be-
cause 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 re-
member 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 BLUEBIRDlands 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” oc- curred, 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 mi- gration 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 ap- peared, 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 spe-
cies.
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 BLUEBIRDmorant 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 spe- cies in eastern Missouri. After walking the field and flushing the birds several times, we finally were convinced enough to alert eve- ryone; 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 rec- ord 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 to-
tal 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 ex-
perience 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 BLUEBIRDBrown-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 BLUEBIRDtensive 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 pop- ulations, 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 nut- hatch habitat will continue to do well with continued woodland man- agement. Pine woodland sites in the MTNF have been managed with tree thinning and prescribed fire for 20 years, and woodland manage- ment 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 commu- nication 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 al-
most totally removed by human hands in Missouri. The reintroduc-
tion 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 re-
introduction 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 quar-
ter-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 elev-
en birds were on their
way and would arrive
mid to late morning.
Sarah and Frank
Thompson, a U.S. Forest
Service research biolo-
gist and reintroduction
team, finally arrived Shortleaf Pine stand at the release site
from Arkansas with the Photo Steve Paes
Page 20 THE BLUEBIRDbirds 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 habi-
tat 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 ob-
served some of the birds being released, but I had a different job as-
signment. Several dozen roost boxes had been constructed and need-
ed to be put up in the general release area.
Page 21 THE BLUEBIRDOne 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 BLUEBIRDwant 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 BLUEBIRDEurasian 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 through-
out 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 BLUEBIRDchatter. 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 bird- ers 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 oth- er, their conscientious parenthood, and reliable routines have re- newed 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 BLUEBIRDFall 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 stu-
dents 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 lev-
els 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 BLUEBIRDlower 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 pro-
gram 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 activi-
ties would not have
been possible to pro-
vide without the sup-
port 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 BLUEBIRDA Hook Before the Stars Come Out
Jeff Cantrell
Outdoor educators and field trip leaders for birding groups are al-
ways looking for a “hook.” That hook would be a wow moment or
perhaps a charismatic organism to engage and possibly entice peo-
ple fresh to the outdoor scene. The goal is for people to revisit a na-
ture 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 in-
clude 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 ap-
pearance. 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 for-
ward 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 BLUEBIRDand auditory. The nasal “peent” call is the icebreaker. The call is
transcending from the males at ground level. The first flight dis-
play 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 BLUEBIRDScissor-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 ob-
served no birds. However, a return visit that day at 7:20 PM re-
vealed 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 BLUEBIRDYou can also read
