President’s Message John Wright

Happy New Year and with that the Resolutions that we make. I for one am not into making those that are difficult to keep. This is why simply doing one new thing is easier than you may think.

The chapter will soon be coming up on our busy time of the year and would love everyone to participate. So if you haven’t had the opportunity before, this is a good time to start -- or continue -- making a contribution. Bird Fest is right around the corner and we could use volunteers to help promote, support, and assist our Chairs in organizing. There is also an opportunity coming in the springtime to help with fundraising.

Do you have an idea(s) to make these events even better than last year? Now is the time to step up.

With these two areas, we hope to raise more awareness of our chapter and make a contribution to the area that will long be remembered. We can’t do it without the support of our members. With that in mind, a simple resolution of bringing your ideas and support to making that difference, will take us one step closer to achieving the goals of the chapter and Audubon.

I sincerely hope that your holiday season was wonderful and memorable for you all, and as always, let us know how we can help you as well.

Don McKee is our guest speaker for January. He will tell about his attempt, in 2004, to see more species of birds in Mississippi during a calendar year than anyone. His presentation will focus on the unusual birds, special places, and unique individuals that he encountered during the year.

The meeting will be in the Hattiesburg Zoo Education Center at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, January 4, 2007.

December Program Highlights Josh Hodge

At the December meeting, Larry Morgan entertained us with a presentation on his trip to Alaska this past June. His Southern perspective left many wondering if maybe Alaska and Mississippi are not all that different? Larry had some great photos of Alaskan wildflowers and wildlife, but his amazing landscape photos stole the show.

Thanks, Larry!

NOTE: Melanie Driscoll, who was originally scheduled for the December meeting, will now be our speaker at the April 2007 meeting. She will be giving two shorter presentations on Louisiana’s Important Bird Areas and the search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Please note this change in your yearbook.

Bird Quiz Larry Smith

For January: In Winter, in Hattiesburg, how do you tell a Winter Wren from a House Wren?

A real birder would be able to give at least three distinguishing field marks.

Answer to December Quiz:

The eight Anatidae (ducks, geese, and swans) that have nesting records in MS are: Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Mottled Duck, Blue-winged teal, Hooded Merganser, and, the most recent addition, Ruddy Duck. Oops, I just discovered another newcomer: The Black-bellied Whistling Duck was not even on the list in 2001. I looked this up in Birds of North America, and the breeding range given does not include Mississippi, but they are listed as casual or accidental in the state. Could be the BNA has not yet caught up with the MS Records Committee. BNA does note that the range of Black-bellied Whistling Duck is expanding toward our neighborhood, and there are nesting records in Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida. The center of population of these ducks was near the Rio Grande River in the early 1900s, and more recently has moved to near the Corpus Christie area.

These nesting records are according to the 2004 Checklist of Birds of Mississippi, compiled by the MS Ornithological Society Bird Records Committee.

Part of the reason for this question was to draw attention to the considerable amount of information that can be found on that tiny little card that most of you have folded away and tucked into the pages of your field guide. Perusal of the front page will tell you that nesters are marked with an asterisk. Codes for the cryptic combinations of letters following each bird’s name can be translated into useful information as to the abundance or lack of the bird in the different seasons and in different parts of the state.

REMINDERS

It’s not too late to sign up for Christmas Bird Count: Saturday, December 30 from dawn to dusk. Teams are still sparse and could use extra eyes and ears!

If interested, call Larry Smith, 601-264-8364, for details.

Teams so far include

• Rayborn’s Raptors, northwest quadrant

• Blackwell’s Blackbirds, Hattiesburg & Lagoons

• Lafferty’s Larks, Petal

• Smith’s Sparrows, McSwain’s

• Hodge’s Herons, Timberton

Remember, lunch at Shoney’s at 11:33 (more or less) unless you are bogged down in birds. If you are, call in. Compilation at 3207 Arlington Loop after dark, or 6:30 p.m., whichever comes first.

And, . . .

Remember to check your newsletter mailingß label to determine if you have paid your dues for this year. If you see RED on your address label, then your “dues are due.” The date in red tells you when your membership expired. You can give renewal dues to Lin or Diane at the meetings or mail:

Lin Harper, Treasurer, 544 W. 4th Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401.

Book Review : Kingbird Highway Josh Hodge

Kenn Kaufman dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen and hit the road to learn as much about birds as he could. Three years later, hitchhiking around the country, he attempted to see more birds in North America during a calendar year than anyone before had. Kingbird Highway is the story of that year.

The reader should not expect a laundry list of species; the reader should expect to feel like he is joining the adventure. In conversational prose that feels like your best friend is telling you about his day, Kaufman captures the monotony of the road, the beauty of his destination, the thrill of the chase, and the fatigue of such a monumental quest.

However, the most important lesson to take from Kingbird Highway is the sense of community. Kaufman encounters many other birders during his travels. During his early travels, he visits the Jacoby Creek Country Club, a red shack on the northern coast of California where local birders gather to bird the area. The Tucson Five forms in the fall of 1972, when four birders at the University of Arizona discover each other, including Kaufman as the honorary fifth member. And during his Big Year, Kaufman receives rides with the IDIOTs (Incredible Distances in Ornithological Travels) of the Lancaster County Bird Club and attends the first convention of the American Birding Association in Kenmare, North Dakota, where he met the legendary Roger Tory Peterson.

Every birder should read this book. And to those anti-listing birders wondering why they should read a book about a twitcher, nothing could sum it up better than some early advice that Kaufman received. Before Kaufman began pursuing a Big Year, Kaufman asked Rich Stallcup, who did not seem like a competitive person, why he was pursuing a California Big Year. Stallcup replied, “The record doesn’t matter....The list total isn’t important, but the birds themselves are important. Every bird you see. So the list is just a frivolous incentive for birding, but the birding itself is worthwhile....The journey is what counts.” And what an incredible journey it is.

Personal Notes from Your Vice President Josh Hodge

As many of you know, this is my first year of birding; look for an article about my first year in the next newsletter. I will be documenting my second year of birding, including my attempt to set a new Mississippi Big Year record, with an online journal (a.k.a. blog). The address is http://sophomorebirder.blogspot.com.

Also, I am trying to organize a camping trip to one of the barrier islands, probably Horn Island, this spring for 3-7 days. If you are interested, please email me at joshua.hodge@yahoo.com. Exact dates, location, and duration will be determined by those that are interested in participating.

Preview of Things to Come . . . Chuck Gramling

Audubon Center January Field Trip

Come one, Come all, for our January 21 field trip. Where are the birds? Where is the hospitality? They are on the Mississippi Gulf Coast! Pascagoula River Audubon Center Director Mark LaSalle has extended a cordial invitation to us for a trip to the newly dedicated Audubon Center at Moss Point to have a look-see. All members and the public are invited to join us to see this historically set Audubon Center. I would especially invite those of you who are not active in our group but receive our newsletter; join us to get active with Audubon. While there, we should want to plan an additional Pascagoula marsh boat trip for April’s spring bird migration time. The Gulf Coast does harbor many wintering birds, and Mark has agreed to take us around to several birding spots with help from our MS Coast Audubon Society bird watchers. You know, you can’t help but pick up on that wonderful SW Louisiana accent Mark has, and he has graciously insisted upon preparing us a great gumbo for lunch. The whole trip is free for all. Yes, make that 90 minute drive down with us for a look see of the Pascagoula River Audubon Center, a generously offered lunch prepared by Mark, and some good birding spots afterwards hosted by those great Gulf Coast birders. We will have two or three birding spot stops after leaving the center. For us whole-day-birders, we will check out the birding/nature trail MS Coast Audubon has built at Vancleave.

We will depart Saturday, January 21 at 8:30 AM from Hattiesburg’s Hardy Street University Mall (Roses) parking lot. Mark is a great host, and his insistence on feeding us some good food shows the spirit that Audubon is all about. I am requesting a head count so food can be prepared for the approximate group size (Please call me or raise your hand at our January meeting for planning the meal preparation, or just show up and take your chances!). Bring your binoculars and a snack to share while we are checking out the birds. I can’t promise any of the rare Purple Pelicans, but you ought to come! Questions? Call me, Chuck Gramling @ 601-268-3859.