Lotto Sunday!: Part Two; Selasphorus sp.

Before I left in search of an alleged ibis on Sunday morning, I checked my e-mail. A message from fellow birder Charley revealed another possibility for the day. "I went down to the Liles' place this afternoon and saw the Rufus. I found out it has been there for a week."

A Selasphorus hummer has been in my county for a week, and I didn't know about it? How could that happen? Oh, well, at least I wasn't too late. After I found the casual Black-crowned Night-Heron, I returned home and called the Liles, the hummingbird's host family. They graciously invited me to their home to see the bird.

I jumped in the car immediately, hoping to beat the inevitable cold front due to pass through our neck of the woods later in the morning. It was 69 degrees when I headed out. I arrived just in time. The hummer greeted me with quick fly by. It sipped from the feeder, and then darted away.

For the next hour we were treated to aerial ballet at 15 minute intervals. At 10:30, the bird returned for an extended stop in an oak tree nearby. It perched there for 5 minutes or so, and we caught a glimpse of its color. It was rufous all around except for the white breast and belly. It's gorget, previously unseen by the hosts, was emerging from pin feathers and extending outward from its body, flashing metalic gold in the partly cloudy skies. What a magnificent bird!

I tried to capture its beauty in my point and shoot camera, but all I could muster are these silhouettes and blurry images. The bird returned to the feeder for another fill up, this time sitting for a moment. Ah, a real beauty!

The most interesting part of the day came, however, just as a squall line ushered in what turned out to be a 40 degree drop in temperature for the day. It was at that exact same time that neighbor and certified hummingbird bander Sarah Driver showed up with her trap. The winds were blowing so hard that we had to secure the netted trap to the deck. Whether it was a change in the weather, a change in the feeder's appearance, or a combination of both, the little hummer avoided the area for the next 5 hours.

Next door neighbor....a certified hummer bander! What a coincidence that Sarah Driver lives only 500 feet from the feeder location! I remember her when the 1995 Anna's Hummingbird stopped off in Ozark for a few months. She is also credited with banding the only Black-chinned Hummingbird ever reported in Missouri. By the way, it showed up at her own feeder! Unbelieveable!

Anyway, after her futile efforts to capture the bird failed, she left for home, only to find the bird feeding at her station! She quickly set up the trap at her home and apparently netted the bird. But, the little scrapper managed to squeeze through the bottom of the trap and escaped. When I called Dan late in the day, he said sadly, "we scared it away." It was no sooner than he uttered the words, however, that the bird reappeared at his feeder. Now Sarah and he are timing arrivals and departures between the two houses, in the unlikely event that two separate birds are present.

Sarah must work until Thursday, when another attempt will be made to capture the bird and put a name to it. In the meantime, we hope the bird stays around, but we also realize that natural impulses run through this hummer. This will eventually dictate the choice that the bird makes. Will it leave its secure food source(s) for more favorable temperatures, or will it try to winter here? I'm thinking that this is not the last word for this tough survivor.

Ozark Riverwalk Trail Dedication

"With hard work and committment, dreams CAN come true", said Neal Grubaugh, former mayor and visionary for the town of Ozark, Missouri, at the official opening of the Finley River Trail on Saturday, September 22. Mr. Grubaugh, a highly respected gentleman and long time public servant of Ozark, spoke softly of the dream that began 24 years ago when he led this rural Ozarks town into an uncertain future. The jewel of the town, then as now, is the clear, swift running Finley River, a tribituary of the James River which flows into what remains of the legendary White River, now dammed by the Corps of Engineer to provide hydroelectric power and recreation to a fast paced, consumption-driven society.

At the center of Ozark, the course of the Finley River has remained largely unchanged since the turn of the 20th century. Its waters have endured the seasonal algal bloom, a sure sign that pollution has taken its toll as the small town has evolved into a city. Erosion, caused by gravel dredging and the clearing of riparian zones, has also significantly damaged a portion of its stream bank, but it is still free running, with only a slight slow down for a mill pond at the site of the historic Ozark Mill. It's this site that captures a bit of the essence of what the city of Ozark once was.

On Saturday, however, a group of 57 civic-minded and conservation-oriented Ozarkians gathered to begin the restoration of this aquatic treasure. These people, ranging in age from Ozark elementary students to senior citizens, worked together to beautify and showcase the Finley River as the center of this lively community. They celebrated the completion of phase one of a nine phase project designed to focus on the river and to imprint it indelibly on the hearts of all its residents, both old and new.

In a leisurely conversation under the shade of a stately cypress tree near the trail head, I commented to a fellow volunteer that this riverwalk trail will eventually connect to all the tributaries of the Finley River, providing many linear parks and wildlife corridors within the region. Furthermore, this trail will hopefully merge, near the new Ozark Recreational Center, with the old Chadwick rail line, which will carry it out of the Finley River watershed, into the James River watershed, where it will join the extensive Ozark Greenways system in and around Springfield.

I took a lead from Mr. Grubaugh and dreamed of the day when the waters of the Finley River are treasured and again run crystal clear, when its banks are held firmly in place by native forests, and its people join hands on this extended riverwalk park project to connect it and our community, in ecologically sound ways, to surrounding communities.

Thanks, Mr. Grubaugh, for the strength of your vision and the power of your dreams. May they become even stronger in the hearts of all who share this vision and dream of conservation for our beautiful city.

A Letter to the Editor: Missouri Conservationist

To both of my readers,

I officially edited and sent a Letter to the Editor of the Missouri Conservationist magazine regarding their article on utility birds. I post it here, as I'm not very confident that a letter critical of the MDC will ever reach the pages of the Conservationist.

"Dear Editor,

I just finished reading the article entitled "Utility Birds" in the September issue of the Missouri Conservationist, and I would like to express my concerns. In the article, MDC's Jim Low encourages hunters to "tune up for the fall hunting season" by shooting Wilson's Snipe, American Woodcock, Sora, and Virginia Rails.

Although the term "utility birds" used to describe these unique species clearly devalues them, it does not concern me nearly as much as the fact that the two rail species occupy the same habitat as an endangered species that can be mistaken by hunters for a legal target. As a birder, I know that size itself can be deceiving as a tool for identification. With this in mind, it is possible that a King Rail might easily be mistaken for a Virginia Rail, as both have similar field marks.

Low's article even warns that King Rails are present in rail habitat during the hunting season. In light of this disclosure, failure to offer Missouri Conservationist readers and hunters keys to differentiating the two species seems irresponsible. We Missouri citizens rely on the MDC to take seriously its mission to educate the public and, more importantly, to responsibly manage and sustain our precious wildlife resources.

I know firsthand that mistaken targets account for a certain percentage of hunter kills. During opening weekend of dove season this year on the Aldrich arm of Stockton Reservoir, I watched as an MDC agent picked up a dying Killdeer that had been shot by a dove hunter. Hunters do make mistakes, and we know all too well the stories surrounding past mistakes leading to the death of Whooping Cranes and other endangered species by hunters. How many King Rails can we sacrifice and still justify this "utility bird" hunting season?

Let's all show a bit more respect for these incredible bird species and their close, endangered relatives. And, if hunters need to "tune up for the fall hunting season", I suggest they sharpen their skills on clay pigeons and leave our native "utility birds" alone.

Respectfully,

Greg Swick
Christian County
Missouri

Wood Stork in Missouri

Birders in Missouri have had an excellent year for observing post-breeding dispersers in our state. A Roseate Spoonbill, Neotropical Cormorants, White Ibises, A Tri-colored Heron, a Common Moorhen, White-winged Doves, and others have found themselves far away from traditional stomping grounds. My favorite wanderer was photographed by Marvin D. at Four Rivers Conservation Area on August 12.



On July 28 this immature Wood Stork was first sighted at the Four Rivers Conservation Area near Rich Hill, Missouri in the extreme west central part of the state. There have only been a handful of Wood Stork sightings in Missouri since birders began to keep accurate records near the turn of the 20th century. The bird is very cooperative, and, for the most part, has been seen in the exact location of the original sighting. Marvin and I were lucky enough to catch its early morning open beak swishing fishing technique. Seems to be very effective for catching small fish.