BIRD’S EYE VIEW from East Ozarks Audubon Society September, 2015 To Otter Slough in Search of Rails Trip Report by Judy Bergmann Any excuse to visit Otter Slough Conser- vation Area during spring migration is a good one, as any avid birder can tell you. But when Dr. Bill Eddleman, ornithology expert at Southeast Missouri State University, of- fered to give East Ozarks Audubon a guided search for rails, it seemed pure serendipity. This birder, for one, was showing up! As did others. Meeting Bill on May 2 were five EOAS members, Diane Dicker- son, Mark Henry, Sue Ha- gan, Mick Sutton and me, along with Allen Gathman from Cape Girardeau who had heard of the trip from a MoBirds posting, and Alan Brant from Piedmont, an EOAS invitee. The weather was sunny and warm, a pleasant change from the unseasonably cool weather we had been having. A look around the visitors’ center area quickly yielded Summer Tanager, Yellow- throated Warbler, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and an unexpected female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We heard Prothonotary Warbler and Com- mon Yellowthroat nearby. Moving our cars toward the intersection of Conservation Lane and CR 675, we got sidetracked by shorebirds feeding in shallow pools near Cypress Lake. Among many nearby American Coots we viewed Short- billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Plovers, Pectoral Sandpipers, and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons fed or perched at the backs of the pools. At the intersection of CR 675 and Con- servation Lane we were rewarded not yet with rails, but with a Bell’s Vireo singing from nearby trees. Yellowthroats were sing- ing in the cattails where we hoped to find rails. We watched a Palm Warbler, and then another, as well as a hummingbird, foraging among the cypress trees on an earth berm that paralleled the road. Alan Brant turned out to be a botanist, and he identified for us several lovely wild- flowers such as Blue Star. Suddenly Alan and Bill spotted something moving stealthily through the vegetation under the cypress and willow trees. Bill whispered he thought it was a rail- -and so it was: a Sora! Everyone enjoyed decent looks as the Sora picked its way along. Bill had found us a rail, but he had to leave. He and his wife needed to travel to Kansas City to see a brand new grandson! But he had already arranged for Allen Gath- man to take over as trip leader. The remaining intrepid birders continued right along. We drove down the south loop of Conservation Lane which is nearly always teeming with birds in the mornings. We saw and heard more Bell’s Vireos, a Blackpoll Warbler, and a cooperative Brown Thrasher. Continued on page 6 Our three R’s: Recycle, Restore, Respect An elusive rail Photo by Steve Dilks
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BIRD’S EYE VIEW
from East Ozarks Audubon Society September, 2015
To Otter Slough in Search of Rails Trip Report by Judy Bergmann
Any excuse to visit Otter Slough Conser-
vation Area during spring migration is a
good one, as any avid birder can tell you. But
when Dr. Bill Eddleman, ornithology expert
at Southeast Missouri State University, of-
fered to give East Ozarks Audubon a guided
search for rails, it seemed pure serendipity.
This birder, for one, was showing up! As did
others. Meeting Bill on
May 2 were five EOAS
members, Diane Dicker-
son, Mark Henry, Sue Ha-
gan, Mick Sutton and me,
along with Allen Gathman
from Cape Girardeau who
had heard of the trip from a
MoBirds posting, and Alan
Brant from Piedmont, an
EOAS invitee. The weather
was sunny and warm, a
pleasant change from the unseasonably cool
weather we had been having.
A look around the visitors’ center area
quickly yielded Summer Tanager, Yellow-
throated Warbler, Tufted Titmice, Carolina
Chickadees, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and an
unexpected female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
We heard Prothonotary Warbler and Com-
mon Yellowthroat nearby.
Moving our cars toward the intersection
of Conservation Lane and CR 675, we got
sidetracked by shorebirds feeding in shallow
pools near Cypress Lake. Among many
nearby American Coots we viewed Short-
billed Dowitchers, Semipalmated Plovers,
Pectoral Sandpipers, and both Greater and
Lesser Yellowlegs. Great Egrets and Great
Blue Herons fed or perched at the backs of
the pools.
At the intersection of CR 675 and Con-
servation Lane we were rewarded not yet
with rails, but with a Bell’s Vireo singing
from nearby trees. Yellowthroats were sing-
ing in the cattails where we hoped to find
rails. We watched a Palm Warbler, and then
another, as well as a
hummingbird, foraging
among the cypress trees on
an earth berm that
paralleled the road. Alan
Brant turned out to be a
botanist, and he identified
for us several lovely wild-
flowers such as Blue Star.
Suddenly Alan and
Bill spotted something
moving stealthily through
the vegetation under the cypress and willow
trees. Bill whispered he thought it was a rail-
-and so it was: a Sora! Everyone enjoyed
decent looks as the Sora picked its way
along.
Bill had found us a rail, but he had to
leave. He and his wife needed to travel to
Kansas City to see a brand new grandson!
But he had already arranged for Allen Gath-
man to take over as trip leader.
The remaining intrepid birders continued
right along. We drove down the south loop
of Conservation Lane which is nearly always
teeming with birds in the mornings. We saw
and heard more Bell’s Vireos, a Blackpoll
Warbler, and a cooperative Brown Thrasher.
Continued on page 6
Our three R’s: Recycle, Restore, Respect
An elusive rail Photo by Steve Dilks
Bird’s Eye View, September 2015, page 2
From the EOAS President By Karen Adams
Editor’s note: Expert birder and a Chapter Founding
Member, Karen stepped up to Interim President early this
year. Though she declined nomination to make her
presidency permanent, we are glad she will be staying on
the Board as Vice President.
Today, as I write this
column, it is mid-July and it
is HOT! We have gone
from extraordinary amounts
of rain and cooler weather
to hot and steamy – so much
so that some of my garden
produce is mostly cooked
when I pick it (okay, that’s
not really true, but close).
For this time of summer, the
birds seem to be unusually
busy at the feeders, eating more seed than normal.
Whether that is a function of weather or just a greater
concentration of birds is a question for a more
learned individual than me. Since our last newsletter, we have lost an ardent
and long-time supporter of East Ozarks Audubon.
Mrs. Mary Crouch, wife of the late Dr. F. R. Crouch
for whom our Sanctuary is named and mother of our
treasurer, John Crouch, passed away at the age of 104
years. After her passing, John informed us that Mary
had bequeathed $10,000 to our Chapter for
maintenance and improvements at the Sanctuary.
There are some stipulations and the Board will be
discussing how we can best utilize the money as well
as memorialize her life and legacy to our Chapter.
Mary’s life was a testament to kindness and
service not often seen these days. Her obituary and
accompanying newspaper article listed numerous
accomplishments and attributes. I would like to take
this opportunity to add my own remembrance. Back
in the mid 1980’s when the Sanctuary property was
being obtained from the State, and later during some
bumpy times for the Chapter, I was EOAS President.
Mary wrote me several notes of encouragement and
advice on dealing with the issues at hand. I
appreciated her wisdom and the caring way that she
expressed it. Those of us who knew Mary are blessed
by her memory, and as a Chapter we are blessed by
her bequest. May we do our best to honor her
memory.
Happy birding!
Scratchinpeckin By Neil Gunn
Editor’s note: Incoming President Neil Gunn is a long-
time member of EOAS, a retired school teacher, and a
strong voice for conservation. He offered his own
suggestion for his column’s name, asking if anyone had
used it before: not likely!
Can’t help but wonder what effects this banner
year for rainfall will produce. The verdant Missouri
countryside, due to the
wet summer of 2015,
now shows the results
on floral and faunal
communities. The
drought of 2012 took
its toll on seed stocks
and insect populations,
with effects rippling
up the food chains. So
now? EOAS would
like to tap into the bountiful, collective resource we
have, the eyes and ears of the membership. What we
see and experience in nature should be shared! Many
of us observe the intrinsic beauty of our locale,
logging some pretty neat things in the woods, at our
homes, feeders, on the roadsides….
We’ll start this process slow and simple, truly
experimental. Optimally, an interactive website could
produce an excellent forum but that appears to be
cost prohibitive for EOAS. So, send your tidbits to: