Join PCAS Overnight Field Trip to "Birders' Paradise" October 25, 26
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Please join us in late October for an overnight field trip to the Great Salt Plains!
Here’s how Melyn Johnson of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, describes the area:
“One of the primary attractions in Alfalfa county is Great Salt Plains Lake, a natural phenomenon that is a
birder’s paradise. The lake covers 8,690 surface acres with 41 miles of shoreline—a shallow, salty lake, about
half as salty as the ocean. More than 300 bird species have been documented in the area. Thirty-six of the 40
species of shore birds have been sighted here, and it is entirely reasonable to expect to see 100 species of
birds in a single day. . .”
Mark your calendar and reserve your room now! We are guaranteed a group of tent sites, but if you
prefer to stay at the Cherokee Inn (about 20 miles from the campgrounds) make your reservations now:
580-596-2828!
On Sat., Oct 25th, we will meet at 9 AM at the public parking lot across from City Hall and carpool to
Cherokee.
In Cherokee, we will eat lunch together at the Cherokee Station, which is right next door to the
Cherokee Inn for those who’ve reserved there. Then we’ll travel to the GSP campground to set up our
tents before an afternoon/evening of birding led by Paul van Els, followed by a delicious meal around the
campfire.
Sunday morning we will meet at the campground for a delectable camp breakfast cooked by Les
Imboden, followed by morning birding led by Paul van Els, before heading back to Stillwater.
Please check the website for more information, or e-mail Susan Walker or Les Imboden.
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From the President's Desk
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Three years ago I began serving as President of the Payne County Audubon Society (PCAS).
Significant improvements have been made during this period due to the dedicated work of the Board and
other active and enthusiastic members of the organization.
In this my last “President’s Desk” column, I would like to recognize those Board members who have
now moved on but who served on the Executive Board, as Directors, or as Committee Chairs during my
tenure: Rebecca Bond (Nature Camp Director), Sarah Donelson (Programs), Carolyn Hunger (Birdathon),
Pat Jaynes (Oklahoma Audubon Council, Teal Ridge Committee, Kaw Lake Eagle Watch, GBBC), Helen
Jordan (Nominations/Elections, Mailbox), Joyce Konigmacher (Vice President, Feathers columnist), Elicia
Ligon (Director), and Karen Melcher (our most excellent secretary and recorder of our Board minutes).
Thank you all for your outstanding service. And thank you Joyce for continuing to write your Feathers
column, "In My Yard."
I would also like to commend those who have worked with me over the past three years and who
are returning to serve another term. Jim Ownby and Tim O’Connell will continue to organize one of our
major activities, the Christmas Bird Count. Thanks to them, PCAS usually leads the state in number of
participants and number of species sighted. Jim also continues to chair the Scholarship/Awards
Committee, and Tim has encouraged many of his students to participate on field trips, Birdathon, and
GBBC.
Thank you also to Elaine Stebler, who has served the past three years as Chair of the Education
Committee, which oversees Nature Day and Nature Camp. Elaine will continue in this role. Thank you also
to Freddy Miller, who has ably served as Treasurer and Vice President during my tenure, and will
continue as the PCAS Vice President.
Les Imboden became a member of the PCAS Board last year and greatly increased the field trip
opportunities for members. He has been an excellent treasurer and has furnished many ideas. Crystal
Cork also became a member last year and serves one of the most important functions of PCAS: Director
of Nature Day in October and Nature Camp in June. Her enthusiasm and organizational abilities are
exemplary. Crystal involves her family members. The excitement and learning by children during these
events is a wonderful experience to observe.
Iris McPherson will also continue as the Membership Chair. Iris does an exceptional job of keeping the
membership list current, an important and significant task. I also appreciate her service in providing
refreshments at our monthly general meetings, which are held on the first Thursday of the month.
One board member has been the “workhorse” of PCAS the last three years. Susan Walker has
turned Feathers into a first-rate newsletter. Each issue gets better. We could not continue to support our
many activities without Birdathon. Susan has chaired the event the last two years, and donations
continue to increase. Last year Susan established an impressive Web site for PCAS. She noted that much
of the history of PCAS had not been recorded and then agreed to serve as Historian. Now our history is
on our Web site and was described in a recent issue of Feathers.
Susan is always willing to accept new responsibilities. Despite her many other duties, she has agreed
to serve as President for the coming term, which starts in September. I know that she will be an
outstanding president.
Thank-you to all of you past and continuing PCAS Board members. I truly feel that my greatest
accomplishment during the past three years was in assembling an outstanding Board.
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Big Day Competition Raises Birdathon Funds
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Last Friday, [May 9th] three teams held a Big Day competition to raise money for Payne County
Audubon Society's annual Birdathon. Each team needed to include at least one beginning birder,
although we applied the term "beginning" rather loosely. We restricted our searches to Payne County
and went from 7PM Thursday to 7PM Friday (at which point we met at my house for a tally rally and
terrific buffet dinner my wife had ready - way to go, Honey!)
The teams were:
"Pish'n Accomplished" - me, Andy George, Casi Morgan, and Will Jessie
"Wrenegade Funk" - Jason Heinen, Paul van Els, Cassondra Walker, and Jessica O'Connell (no relation)
"See-there Waxwings" - Vince Cavalieri and Matt Stone
And the winner is . . .
Wrenegade Funk with 128 species! Congratulations!
2nd place: Pish'n Accomplished with 114 species
3rd Place: See-There Waxwings, 105 species, with limited field time
Collectively, we encountered 137 species in Payne County last Friday. No team found roadrunner,
shrike, screech owl, or kestrel, and the nesting Cooper's Hawks that were silent and went unnoticed in
my neighborhood on Friday were noisily cackling on Saturday morning. So I guess as a ballpark figure,
there were about 140 species in Payne County last Friday.
Here’s the complete list:
Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue
Heron, Cattle Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey
Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck,
Mississippi Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk,
Peregrine Falcon, American Coot, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper,
Spotted Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sand-piper, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper,
White-rumped Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher,
Wilson's Phalarope, Forster's Tern, Black Tern, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove,
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Common Nighthawk, Chuck-will's-widow, Chimney
Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy
Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Eastern
Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, White-
eyed Vireo,Bell's Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow,
Fish Crow, Horned Lark, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow,
Cliff Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch,
Carolina Wren, Bewick's Wren, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Blue-bird, Gray-
cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird,
Brown Thrasher, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Tennessee Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler,
Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Prothonotary
Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-
breasted Chat, Summer Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Lark Sparrow,
Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern
Cardinal, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Dickcissel, Red-
winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Common Grackle, Great-tailed Grackle,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch,
and House Sparrow.
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I usually look forward to late August and early September with both a sense of anticipation and a
sense of dread. That is the time when there are more hummingbirds at my feeders than at any other
time of the year. That is also the time of their fall migration, and that means that I won’t see them again
until April of next year.
This year, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds have been particularly plentiful. In early August, the
mature males started showing up. Each one would try to find a tree with just the right perch from which
he could defend as many feeders as he could see. Once he was staked out, he scanned his area
constantly. His head turned so much, you would think you were watching a scene from “The Exorcist.” As
soon as he spotted a potential intruder, he would swoop down and dive-bomb the offender. I am not
aware that hummers have any particular ‘call’ but you sure can tell when they are irate! That angry
chittering reminds me of the sound wrens make when an unwanted guest is in the area of their nestlings.
I noticed a hummer that appeared somewhat different this year. This particular bird obligingly came to
the feeder that is closest to my house, and is therefore the easiest for me to home-in on with the
binoculars. After consulting five different field-guides, I came to the conclusion that I was seeing a male
Black-chinned Hummingbird . . . repeatedly. When dusk approached, and it was time to tank up before
‘last call,’ the bird actually sat still for quite some time with his beak embedded in the feeder, gulping
away until he was almost too fat to fly.
This surprising visitor stayed around my area for about a month. At first, the male Ruby-throat, who
had staked out this feeder as his territory, would actually attack the Black-chinned when it was perched
on the feeder. Blackie would sit on the feeder, and then kinda go into a ‘rared-up’ position, his body
language appeared to say, “What the heck is the matter, here? I’m just trying to have a drink.” But the
Ruby-throat spread his tail, hovered, and ‘stood’ his ground. This whole interaction reminded me of a
stand-off in a saloon . . . a scene from a Western movie.
Honestly, these tiny little birds provide more entertainment than anything on television. I will surely
miss them when they all leave the area.
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September Picnic in the Park
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September 4th dawned sunny and bright despite storms in the preceding days, so our potluck picnic
season opener at Couch Park saw 27 people in attendance: Kevin Allen, OK 4-H Coordinator; Andy
George, director; Sonja Hannon, member; Dwayne & Leslie Elmore, director; Jason Heinen, Team
Wrenagade Funk; Patty & Les Imboden, treasurer; Helen Jordon, Team Old Timers; Pat Jaynes, Team
Old Timers; Freddy Miller, vice president, Team Birding Family; Helen Miller, Team Old Timers; Adrian
Monroe, student; Tim O’Connell, director, Team Pish ‘n Accomplished; Tim’s children Katie &James
O'Connell; Elaine Stebler, director, Team Semi-solitary Twit; Marla Steele, OSU junior interested in
Japanese birds; Mai Onoue, OSU freshman interested in U.S. birds; Lu Skillern, Director; Dale
Talkington, member and friend of Ed Glover), Jeff & Susan Walker, new president; Jerry Wilhm,
outgoing president; Alicia, an interested birder who heard of us through the NewsPress.
Those are the names I can remember. I apologize to anyone who was there but whose name I have not
recorded.
We also had two guests from Red Rock, Oklahoma. Ann McFerron & Pat Hoerth of Turtle Rock Farm
Retreat—2 miles east of I-35 near the Billings exit—brought a table display explaining their rural refuge
and inviting PCAS to come bird the property.
What they did not tell us was that they are sisters and two of the daughters of former two-time
Republican governor, Henry Bellmon. Nor did they tell us that their retreat is on the 1,000-acre spread
where Bellmon was born and raised. Go to http://turtlerockfarmretreat.net for more information.
After enjoying a great potluck feast, we held a brief meeting. Jerry passed out the 2008-2009 brochure,
which lists our programs and field trips for this coming season, and then held a quick election of officers,
introducing the new board members present.
Susan provided Birdathon statistics and announced Birdathon award winners to end the picnic/meeting.
2008 Birdathon Statistics
19 — Number of BIRDATHON participants
8 — Number of BIRDATHON teams
$2552.75 —Dollars raised by Ed Glover ((Team Solo Sensation)
$1227.00 -- Dollars raised by Helen Jordan & Helen Miller(The Old Timers)
$931.50 — Dollars raised by Pat Jaynes (The Old Timers)
$422.20 — Dollars raised by Tim O’Connell, Andy George, Casi Morgan (Team Pish’n Accomplished), Vince
Cavalieri, Matt Stone (See-There Waxwings), and Jason Heinen, Paul van Els, Cassondra Walker, Jessica
O'Connell (Team Wrenegade Funk)
$395 — dollars raised by Freddie Miller, Erica Miller, John Frink (Team Birder Family)
$220 — dollars raised by Susan Walker, Dean Bloodgood (Team Grey-crested Binobirders)
$209 — dollars raised by Elaine Stebler (Team Semi-solitary Twit)
$5977.45 —TOTAL amount of money raised by BIRDATHON participants
2008 Birdathon Award Winners
Edwin Glover--GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD (Most money raised—$2552)
PTERODACTYL AWARD (Oldest participant)
GREEN-BACK HERON AWARD (Most money contributed by one sponsor)
Vince Cavalieri--RARA AVIS AWARD (Most unusual sighting—Western Grebe)
Team Wrenegade Funk--HAWKEYE AWARD (Most species sighted—128)
Team Pish’n Accomplished-- SAPSUCKER AWARD (Best Team Name)
Team Old Timers--SITTING DUCK AWARD (Most Backyard Species)
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Tree of Life Study to Affect Future Field Guides?
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by Jerry Wilhm
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Is it possible that your bird identification guide may undergo extensive revision in the future?
Birds in most field guides (e.g. Stokes Field Guide to the Birds and Golden Book’s A Guide to the
Identification of Birds of North America) are arranged according to their evolutionary histories. Birds have
been placed into these groups largely because of their external characteristics, including their
embryological development, fossil record, and behavior.
But, a recent landmark study suggests that many of the groupings in our field guides do not reflect true
evolutionary relationships.
The Field Museum in Chicago has led a five-year study with seven other institutions to do an
unprecedented genetic study of birds. The study, involving 18 researchers, is reported in Science
magazine (June 27, 2008; page 1763).
Nuclear DNA was examined in 169 species of birds representing all major living groups. “This is the most
important single paper to date on the higher-level relationships of birds,” according to Joel Cracraft who
is curator of birds at the National History Museum in New York City. The museum was not part of the
genetic study.
This landmark study found many cases in which seemingly similar birds were distant relatives or birds
long assumed to be unrelated were closely related.
For instance, a close relationship exists between the sleek falcon and the gaudy parrot, but falcons are
not as closely related to hawks as previously thought. If this is true, falcons may not belong in the
scientific order named for them, Falconiformes.
Grebes are not closely related to loons as ornithologists have long believed, but surprisingly are closely
related to flamingos. Ducks and geese are genetically more closely related to pheasants and quail than
to loons. Many interesting relationships can be seen on page 1767 of the Science article.
Hawks and falcons resemble each other in many ways (e.g. talons, pointed beaks, general shape). How
could these animals not be closely related? They apparently diverged early on the evolutionary tree and
developed similar structures independently. Biologists call this convergent evolution and there are many
examples among plant and animal groups.
The bird study is part of a larger, federally-funded study called "Assembling the Tree of Life," which
objective is to trace the evolutionary origin of all living things—now at 1.7 million identified species.
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Flights of Fancy: Biking & Birding the Blue Danube
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by Susan S. Walker
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This past summer I had the opportunity to bicycle the length of the Danube River. While the emphasis
was on cycling and not birding, I took my new Princeton Field Guide Birds of Europe with me and kept my
eyes open. (This field guide is wonderful, BTW. Fine lines separate the species on each page, something
my Peru bird book did not have, and which caused me some confusion, particularly with birds of similar
plumage.)
That aside aside, probably the most prevalent species were White Storks, Mute Swans (and their
cygnets), Eurasian Collared Doves, Carrion Crows, Hooded Crows, and White Wagtails.
One of my first photos was of a family of four white storks on a German rooftop. The adults (yellow bills)
were encouraging the young (black bills) to fly. As with fields of sunflowers, there were to be many more
opportunities to photograph white storks. One village in Romania had eleven white stork nests atop its
telephone poles, nearly one nest for each pole. We passed fields full of foraging storks and saw storks
foraging along the riverside also.
There were many mute swans and their young in the River; and white wagtails, European goldfinches,
and yellowhammers were common, flitting at trail- and roadside. European goldfinches have a red face,
black-and-white head, and a broad yellow wingbar. They appear to me to wear black “ski goggles.” They
are quite beautiful as, of course, are our own yellow and black American Goldfinches.
The yellowhammer looked to me a bit like a yellow sparrow; however, it is classified with the buntings.
At the Romanian/Bulgarian border I saw a crested lark. This nondescript brown bird looks most comical
because its crest sticks straight up and is quite tall.
In addition to these and other common sightings, I saw several grey herons (grey versions of our
great blue) and little egrets (below: black legs, black bill), and in the fields the common crane with its
tailfeather bustle.
My favorite bird of the whole ride was the hoopoe. On one very long, hot day, a hoopoe lit in the shade
of a Lombardy poplar about 30 feet from me. When I got to within 10 feet or so, the hoopoe flew to the
shade of the next poplar and lit again in the road. It did this over and over until I decided that it was
really a Disney hoopoe, come out to lead me merrily into the city.
Who could not love these striking brown-and-black birds with their short legs, long thin bills, and
comical scientific name?
I was on the road for 33 days through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria,
and Romania. I had my Minolta pocket binocs with me and was looking for birds, so saw more than
expected. Here are a few others: Pygmy Cormorant (Romanian Black Sea Delta); Purple Heron, Common
Quail, Black-headed Gull, Common Cuckoo (cuckoo clock sound-alike), Alpine Swift, Grey-headed
Woodpecker, Woodlark, Barn Swallow, European Robin, Lesser Grey Shrike, Common Magpie, Blackbird,
and Eurasian Jay, among others.
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A Little Birdie Told Me . . .
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by Susan S. Walker
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60th Class Reunion.
After a 7 month hiatus in their travel due to Nona’s cancer treatments, Jerry & Nona Wilhm took to the
road the second week of June and drove to Kansas City. There Jerry attended his 60th high school
reunion—the third that he’s attended—and Nona got in some visiting with her sister-in-law.
Joint PCAS-Sierra Club Meeting
On August 23rd, the Sierra Club invited several PCASers to attend an evening get together. Les
Imboden reported: “The event was well attended. I counted 25 people. The group included me, Iris
McPherson, Elaine Stebler, and Pat Jaynes. I took several PCAS brochures and there was quite a bit of
discussion of future joint efforts as the route to greater general participation.”
Birds & Burgers
Speaking of joint endeavors, on Saturday, October 18th, PCAS will offer Birds & Burgers, a joint venture
with the Sierra Club at Pecan Springs Quail Preserve (aka Les & Patty Imboden’s homestead). Tim O’
Connell will lead a morning of birding, followed by lunch prepared on site. After lunch, participants may
choose to fish one of the Preserve’s ponds or go on a native plant walk. For more information and
details, go to the PCAS Web site home page.
From the Seat of My Bike
It is amazing how much wildlife one sees when pedaling a quiet bicycle. My favorite animal sighting was
the European hare. It is HUGE! When I first spotted one ahead on the trail, I thought it was a good
sized dog. I later read that if you are unsure whether it is a rabbit or a European hare, it’s a rabbit,
because there’s no mistaking the hare.
One day in Austria I saw a pair on a levee we were riding. One ran off the levee and across a field. The
other tried to hide in the bushes. Only trouble was, this animal is so large that its ears stuck out of the
top of the bushes and gave it away. I was by myself but laughed aloud.
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BIRDATHON with Ed Glover
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by Ed Glover
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This is Saturday, so I will not be fixing breakfast for Ronnie my birding partner and neighbor from
across the street. By habit I awaken near 6 AM. The sky is still too dark to observe birds, so I prepare my
own breakfast of microwave bacon, oatmeal, coffee, orange juice, whole wheat toast, and fruit. A good
substantial meal for a birdwatcher.
As I finish eating, the backyard is becoming light enough to see. What a beautiful sight nature
displays. A background of beautiful green lawn and trees against which the radiant colors of the birds
display themselves: The rich yellow of the American goldfinch, the bright reds of the northern cardinal,
the raspberry touch to the house and purple finches as they competed for food at the feeder, edging the
pine siskin and occasional Carolina chickadee in the breakfast competition.
Through the patio door comes the happy song of the Carolina wren, the northern blue jay, the messy
European starling, the red-bellied and hairy woodpeckers, and an occasional call from the northern flicker
and great crested flycatcher.
Dropping down to ground level, we find quite a group of the sparrow family feeding. The proper
Harris’, the regal white-crowned, the short-tailed Lincoln’s, the nervous savannah, the timid field, the
fussy house, and the prim white-throated sparrow, all happily feeding, despite several interruptions by a
busy brown thrasher, an eastern towhee, and a catbird.
Moving to dogwood height we find a busy house wren family enjoying their new home. Higher up the
tree, we find the eastern phoebe watching a beautiful painted bunting near the mock orange bush.
Higher up further in the cottonwood we watch a Mississippi kite perch on a high branch near a red-
shouldered hawk that nests nearby. Since the cottonwood is fruiting its cotton we can hear the northern
oriole’s plaintive call.
Dropping back to hackberry tree level we find those two sneaky but deadly hawks, the Cooper’s and
the sharp-shinned taking inventory of their breakfast menu.
The backyard is a beautiful picture painted by Mother Nature, but with time pressing, we move to our
next site: The Jim and Carol Solick ranch at 6400 Western Road. Jim and Carol own and maintain a
sizable acreage which includes a landing strip for aircraft and a clean and clear lake of several acres that
is occupied by long-whiskered catfish and other varieties of warmwater fish and other aquatic life.
Carol, the perfect hostess, invites me to have a cup of peppermint tea while we observe the birds in her
backyard. Jim and Carol have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the purple martin family, which did
not show up last year. As we sip our tea, we both turn to look out the back door and both let out a big
“whoop!” The purple martin family has arrived!
Through the picture windows, we identify tufted titmice, red-headed woodpecker, eastern bluebird,
American turkey, eastern and western meadowlarks, white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches,
chipping sparrows, and two immature roadrunners.
We move outside. A large bird flies up from the pond, which we identify as a great blue heron, flying
close behind a hen mallard. At a distance we hear a bobwhite quail whistle.
The wind picks up so we move inside again. We identify a chipping sparrow and more white-crowned
sparrows. It is nearing time to meet my appointment at the Rehab Center of SMC—that great workout
center and rejuvenation spa of Stillwater.
On the way home I hoped to see the lark sparrow, but no luck. I did, however, find a beautiful prairie
falcon perched on the utility wire at the junction of Western and McMurtry roads, which bird I had seen
earlier, so on to my next site, the Teal Ridge Wetlands on 19th.
The Teal Ridge Wetlands were established on land my grandmother Andrews staked during the “run”
of 1889. At this site grandfather Andrews’ sawmill turned cottonwood logs into crude lumber used to
build cribs for grain storage and shelters for livestock. Today, this park is developing into an excellent
birding site. The Teal Ridge Committee has done a magnificent job in establishing and maintaining the
area. Barn, bank, and tree swallows feed in the area along with the chimney swift. In a far corner, a pair
of northern shovelers can be seen, as well as several killdeer plovers.
Soon it is time to move to the next site: east and west Boomer Lake. I observe Canada geese and
their darling goslings, a lot of American coots, the double-crested cormorant, gadwall duck, ring-billed
and Franklin’s gulls, eastern and western kingbirds, scissor-tailed flycatchers, a turkey vulture, red-tailed
hawk, and least terns.
I am very pleased to share my Birdathon observations with you and encourage you and your family
and friends to enjoy this adventure.
Thank you very much for you financial support as well. Monies raised will be spent for PCAS nature
programs.
[Ed Glover is our premiere Birdathoner. This year his sponsors helped him raise $2552.75 in funds for the
PCAS. Thank you Ed and thank you all of Ed’s sponsors! SSW]
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First Bird Walk of the Season
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by Les Imboden
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As you can see from the photo above, Sunday's weather was most cooperative for the first PCAS bird
walk of the fall season. Leader Les Imboden was joined by his wife Pat, along with Pat Jaynes and Lynn
Malley. The foursome would soon find that the trees at Oklahoma Botanical Gardens were full of birds,
and that the birds were intent on showing off their calls but not their feathers. It was like pulling teeth,
but in the end the group had either seen or heard these species: Mississippi Kite, Scissortail Flycatcher,
House Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Carolina Wren,
Western Wood peewee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Robin, Carolina Chickadee,
Northern Cardinal, Barred Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern
Phoebe, European Starling, Canada Goose, Mourning Dove, Summer Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
(we think).
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Quarterly Quiz to Make you a Wiz
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by Jerry Wilhm
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Birds in Cliches - No. 2
In the Winter 2007 edition of Feathers, we found that many common clichés mentioning birds date back
centuries. Here are ten more clichés relating to birds for you to identify. (Answers bottom of page)
1. “Nay if thy wits run the wild- ____ chase, I have done” (a fruitless search or pursuit). From Shakespeare’
s Romeo and Juliet (1596).
2. An ugly ____ (unattractive child who turns into a beautiful adult). From Hans Christian Anderson’s 1843
fairy tale in which a cygnet hatched with a brood of ducks is despised by its mother and siblings until it
becomes a beautiful swan.
3. “The self-applauding bird the ____” (having an extremely high opinion of one’s importance). In William
Cowper’s Truth (1781).
4. He has an ____ around his neck (a burden or curse). From “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1798) by
Samuel Coleridge. A sailor shot an ____ which was considered unlucky; the sailor was punished by having
the dead bird hung around his neck.
5. “He’d make the ____ fly” (to shape things up and cause a commotion). Alludes to hunting when dogs
are set on a bird. Quote appeared in John Neal’s Brother Jonathan (1825).
6. It’s for the ____ (useless, not to be taken seriously). One writer suggested this expression dates from
the first half of the 20th century and alludes to droppings from horses from which small birds would extract
the seeds. If this is true, it is a euphemism for the term horse_ _ _ _.
7. “When men are men of the world, hard words run off them like water off a ____ back (easily, smoothly).
Charles Kingsley in The Water Babies (1863).
8. “Curses are like young ____; they always come home to roost” (one’s mistakes always catch up with
one). In English poet Robert Southey’s Curse of Kehama (1809).
9. “Putting all your ____ in one basket” (to risk all one’s resources in a single venture). Appeared in
Samuel Palmer’s Moral Essays on Proverbs (1710).
10. “Holy men I thought ye . . . but ____ sins and hollow hearts I fear ye” (a major transgression). In
Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (1613); Queen Katherine is chiding Wolsey and Campeius.
(Source: Christine Ammer, The Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches, Checkmark Books, 2001.)
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Dwayne Elmore to Give October 2 program on Prairie Grouse
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Mark you calendar now because you will definitely want to be at the Stillwater Public library on
October 2nd at 7:30 PM to hear Dr. Dwayne Elmore’s presentation on prairie grouse.
Elmore, grew up in Tennessee where he attended the University of Tennessee to obtain his B.S. in
Natural Resource Management. He went on to earn an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Mississippi State
University and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology from Utah State University.
Presently Dr. Elmore is an assistant professor and the wildlife extension specialist with the OSU
Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.
Elmore’s special interests include wildlife habitat relationships, the role of disturbance and scale to
maintain sustainable ecosystems, and social constraints to conservation.
When not working, Elmore can usually be found birding with his wife, Leslie, or hunting birds with his
two German Shorthairs.
In his October program, Elmore will discuss the ecology of Oklahoma’s two native grouse species:
Lesser-prairie Chicken and Greater-prairie Chicken. He will also explain the present status and threats to
both species and what steps are being taken to mitigate these threats.
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Answers to Wiz Quiz
1. Goose
2. Duckling(s)
3. Peacock
4. Albatross
5. Feathers
6. Birds
7. Ducks
8. Chickens
9. Eggs
10. Cardinal
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