RoadsideDinerArticleandPhotosbyMarkWestphal

IfyouareafrequenttravelerontheroadsofVilasorOneidacounties,morelikelythannotyouhaveseenournation’ssymbol,thebaldeagle,feedingonadeaddeer.Mostof thetimewepassthissceneby. Oftendrivingabout55mph,wekeepourfingers crossed that the eagle stays put so as not to become another patient at awildlife rehabilitation facility or worse. Early this April with snow still on theground, I came upon this not so uncommon sight as my wife, Tina, and I wereheading home after a trip to a local grocery store. Having already passed by theeagle,IaskedTinaifshewouldn’tmindturningaroundsothatIcouldobserveandhopefully photograph the eagle. Being the understanding spouse that she is, sheobliged.

BIRDSONGS

NewsletteroftheNorthLakeland

DiscoveryCenterBirdClub

June,2019;Volume15,

Issue2

SarahBesadny,Editorsbesadny@gmail.com

OfficersOpen,PresidentDebbyWilson,SecretaryDavidFoster,TreasurerSarahBesadny,MembershipDirectorDuanneSwift,ProgramDirector

Notall“eagleonroadkill”situationsprovidegoodopportunitiesforviewing,butthistimeallthepiecesworkedtogether.Trafficwaslightandtherewasplentyofroomtopullofftheroad.Thecarcasswasbackfarenoughfromthepavementsothatanyeaglescomingorgoingweresafefromanytrafficconcerns.Withmyunderstandingwifeatthewheel,Iwasfreetoobserveandtakepictureswithoutbeingdistractedbyanyvehicleobservationresponsibilities.Sittinginourcar,watchingtheeagleeatitsfill,wasliterallyawindowintothelifeofthismajesticbird.Withtwo-inchtalonsanchoringittoitsmeal,Iwatchedtheeagletear off bite-sized pieces of venison which quickly disappeared down the bird’sesophagus.Theeaglewasdoingwhatallcreaturesneedtodo….theyneedtoeattosurvive. It was making the most of a good opportunity to find food withoutexpending anymore precious energy than necessary. It was simply followingmothernature’srulesofbasicsurvival.Weoftenmarvelasaneagleswoopsdownandsnatchesafishfromacrystalbluelake.Forsomereasonaneaglescavengingaroadkill is somehow less romantic. My guess is that an eagle is much morepragmatic.Amealisameal!

As I watched the single eagle feed, another eagle flew in to check the menu.Momentslateracrowcautiouslyapproachedthevanishingcarcass,hopingtostealamorsel or two. No doubt other creatures had shared in this opportunity. Somecame in the daylight. Perhaps others with four legs, visited under the cover ofdarkness.WhileIfeltatingeofsympathyforthedeerthathadmetitsuntimelyend,I also came to realize that thedeer’s life anddeath continued to serve apurpose.Thedeerwaschangingintolifeandenergyforotherbirdsandanimals. Natureis,indeed,theoriginalandmostefficientrecycler. Inthenaturalworld,nothinggoestowaste.

Upon returninghome, Idownloaded thephotos Ihad takenontomycomputer. Ithought the imageof theeaglestandingon thedeerribcagewithmeat in itsbeaklookedreallycool.IeagerlysharedthephotowithTina.Althoughsheappreciatedmy efforts and enthusiasm, she indicated that such a graphic photowouldnot begracingthewallsofourdiningroomanytimesoon.Ohwell,atleastIcanstillsharethesephotoswithmyfellowbirders.Ihavealwaysbeenfascinatedbythefiercelookintheeyesofaneagle.Imarvelatthegraceandpoweroftheirwings.WecanbegratefulthattheLakelandareahassuchahealthypopulationofbaldeagles. Whilethesiteofaneaglesoaring inourNorthwoodsskiesiscertainlynotrare,itisasitethatIwillnevertakeforgranted.

SummaryoftheAnnualMidwestCraneCountand

theGreatWisconsinBirdathonBySarahBesadny

CraneCount: Itseemslikeagesago,buttheAnnualMidwestCraneCount(AMCC)wasconductedonApril13th,andthereforeiscoveredinthisquarterlynewsletter.Thisyear,likelastyear,wasn’tidealweatherfortheCountbutbecausetheCountisalwaysheldon thesecondSaturdayofApril,many intrepidbirdersheadedout tocountcranesfrom5:30a.m.–7:30a.m.Lastyearwhenwehadablizzard,onlyonecranewascountedinVilasCountyfortheAMCC.Thisyeartherewaslotsofsnowonthegroundandseveralcountsitesweren’taccessible,butwewerestillabletocount27cranes.Incomparisonhowever,threeyearsagowehadmoreusualSpringweather and we tallied 87 cranes. Data is important and keeping the protocolsconsistent from year to year helps researches to understand bird migration andhealthof thepopulation. Many thanks toallwhoparticipated thisyear, includingmanyDiscoverCenterBirdClubmembers.The Great Wisconsin Birdathon: The Great Wisconsin Birdathon first started in2012 and is coordinated by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.Anyonecanparticipateand4yearsagoourBirdClubdecidedtoformateamcalledthe Up North Hammerheads (hammerhead is a reference to a woodpecker andbecauseourClublogoisthePileatedWoodpecker…well,yougettheconnection).TeamspickanydaytheywantbetweenApril15andJune15thtobirdaslongastheywanttryingtotallyasmanybirdspeciesastheycanandtogetsponsorstodonateto the team’s efforts. Money raised by the Great Wisconsin Birdathon goes tosupport severalbirdprotection initiatives. Also,becausewebirdonbehalfof theDiscoveryCenterBirdClub,halfofwhatweraisecomesbacktoourClubtohelpussupportnot-for-profitbirdorganizationsandtoprovideprogrammingopentothepublic.This year we held our Birdathon day onMay 21st. It was a great day to be outbirding.ElevenBirdClubmembersandagueststartedbirdingat6:00a.m.andwefinallywrappeditupabout7:30p.m.Wehadagreattimeaswetalliedatotalof94species!Only94yousay?Well,wedidn’tfindadarnHouseSparrowinMinocquaand the water levels were so high everywhere we went we didn’t spot oneshorebird.Asmuchfunasitwastoseeeverybirdwesaw,thedayisaboutraisingfundsandourteamdidaterrific job! Wehaveraised$2,820. ManythankstotheteamandtoeveryonewhosponsoredtheUpNorthHammerheads.

BirdinginSpainArticleandPhotosbyElizabethStoneandDickTheile

ThisMay,wetookabirdingtriptoSpain,andrecommendSpainhighlyasaplacetolearn European birds. Bird populations in Europe are dwindling for a variety ofreasons(overhuntingintheMediterraneanduringmigration,habitat loss,changesin agricultural practices, and environmental toxins). However, in Spain, birds aredoing relatively well, and many internationally important migration areas arereceivingmoney forhabitatprotection fromtheEuropeanUnion. Spain is famousfor raptors, but offers a variety of classic European birds at the southern edge oftheirrange,aswellasMediterraneanbirdsatthenorthernedgeoftheirrange.Wetraveledinasmallgroupofsix,alongwithourAmericantripleader,CarlosSanchezfromNaturalist Journeys, and several local Spanish guides. In13days, our grouptallied 186 species, and our personal total was 181 species, including 155lifers. FromMadrid,we rodewest to theGredosMountainsofCastileyLeonandhikedthroughalpinemeadowssurroundedbywildibexes,withavarietyofraptorsoverhead.Next,weheadedsouthtotheExtramadura,aregionofpicturesquefarmsand forests which is home to Monfragüe National Park and the plains ofTrujillo. Driving further south, our group entered Andalucia, and found manywaterfowl and shorebirds in Doñana National Park and the Odiel Marshes, aUNESCOBiosphereReserve.inaddition,wehadahighlysuccessfulnightoutingfornightjarsandowls.LoopingbacktowardsMadrid,webirdedthesteppesandsalinelagoons of Castilla-La Mancha for grassland species, marsh species, and morewaterfowl. Throughoutthetrip,wewereimmersedinSpanishculture,samplingavariety of tasty local foods, watching a flamenco show, and viewing ancientcastles.ContactusforrecommendationsifSpainisyournextbirdingdestination!

EuropeanGreenfinch

GreatSpottedWoodpecker

EurasianJay

ViewsFromAboveandBelow–TheStoryByGuyDavid

OnJune20,2019,13clubmembersandguestsledbyDonnaRocheventuredtotheAshlandarea foradayofbirding. Theclubsponsorsa trip to thisareausuallyatleast twice a year and it always is one of ourmemorable annual field trips. Thisparticulardayturnedouttobeextraspecialforourgroup!OneoftheregularbirdinghotspotsthatwefrequentinAshlandistheXcelEnergyHotPond.OvertheyearswehavelearnedthatthereisaPeregrineFalconnestingbox atop the power plant sowe stopped to see if we could spot nesting falcons.WhenwetrainedouropticstowardthenestboxwewereimmediatelyrewardedbysightingaPeregrineFalconperchedontheroofnearthenestbox.Success!Readytomoveon!Whilewewere thereoneof our groupmembersnoticed a lady sitting inher vanwhoseemedintentonwatchingthenestbox.Bystrikingupaconversationwiththeladyitwaslearnedthatherhusbandwaspartofabirdbandinggroupthatwouldbebandingthefalconchicksthatmorning. Hmmmm…maybeweshouldstickaroundtoseewhatWEcouldsee.ShortlythereafterwenoticedacloudofRockPigeonstakeflightfromtherooftopasdidtheadultfalcons.Thenwecouldsee4peopleontheroofwithhardhatsandonecarryinganuprightbroomapproachingthenestingbox. Whytheuprightbroom?It soon became evident that the adult falconswere in a panic and began to divebombthebandingparty. Thebroomhelpedkeep the falconsaway fromthehardhats! We could hear the birds calling and see themdesperately trying to protecttheir nestlings. They surely could not realize that the human intruders werefriendlytowardtheircause.

TheBirdClubwatchingfrombelowBanderswithprotectivegearPhotobyJohnRadloffPhotobyGuyDavid

Wewatched the banding group proceed to cover the entrance to the nest box topreventthenestlingsfromjumpingoutandthenremoving4chicksoneatatimetoperformtheirbandingroutine.Thebandersnoticedthatwewereintentlywatchingfrombelowandtheyaccommodatedusbyholdingupthechickstodisplaythemtous. We could see them through our binoculars and some of us got a better viewthroughourspottingscopes. Ievenmanagedtodigiscopesomephotos fromourperspective. Theentireprocess tookabout25minutes, fromaround10:00amto10:25am!

After the nest boxwas secured and the banding group leftwewaited around foranother10minutesorsotoseeiftheadultswouldimmediatelygotothenestbox.They didn’twhilewewere there. We did observe them flying by, presumably tocheckonthechicksinthebox,buttheydidnotenterthebox.Myguessisthattheystayedawaytonotattractfurtherunwantedattentiontotheirchicks.Thenexttimetheywouldvisittheboxwouldbetodeliverfoodastheyreturnedtotheirnormalroutine.Aswelefttheareatomoveontoournextbirdinghotspot,wehadseveralquestionsaboutwhatwehadwitnessed.OurnextstopwasatMaslowskiBeach.Aswewerebirdingtheareaastrangerapproacheduswhoturnedouttobeoneofthemembersofthebandinggroup.Hewastheguyinthegreenjacketthatwehadseen.Hisnameis JohnRadloff,aregularbirdingvolunteer in thearea. Amongthe things thatwelearnedfromJohnwasthatthe4bandedchickswereabout3weeksoldandthat2weremaleand2werefemale.

BandingPeregrineFalconChicksPhotobyJohnRadloff

ItwasremarkablethatJohnRadloffcaredenoughtoseekoutourgrouptointeractwithusandanswerallofourquestions. Hedefinitelyaddedalottothequalityofourexperience thatday! Whataunique thing itwas forus tobeable toobservesuch an event from the ground level far below, then have one of the participantscometospeaktous,andthenforthatparticipanttoalsosharehisphotosfromtherooftopoperation!

JohnRandolphforwardedseveralemailswithphotosfromJohnRadlofftohisbirdclubcontact list,somefromaboveprovidedbyJohnRadloffandsomefrombelowprovided by me. I asked Sarah Besadny, our Bird Songs editor, to select somephotostoincludewiththisarticlesothattheeventwouldbepreservedviathebirdclub’snewsletterandwebpage.Enjoy!

TwomaleandtwofemalePeregrineFalconChicksPhotobyJohnRadloff

BanderJohnRadloff(greenjacket)speakingtotheClubaboutbandingthePeregrineFalconsPhotobyMarkWestphal

SpeciesProfile:Ruby-throatedHummingbird–

(Archilochuscolubris)ArticleandPhotosbySarahBesadny

Ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are marvelous, minute,mastersof thewing. Thesebeautifulcreaturesarewhat firstgotmeinterested inbirding. Theyare fascinatingbirds towatchandevenmore fascinatingwhenyoulearnoftheirincrediblecharacteristics.HummingbirdsareonlyfoundinNorth,CentralandSouthAmericamakingthemaNewWorldbird. It isestimated that thereare320-330speciesofhummingbirds.MorethanadozenspeciesofhummingbirdsspendtheirsummersintheUSandtheRuby-throated Hummingbird is the only species regularly found east of theMississippiRiver.Ruby-throated hummingbirds spend thewinter in Central America. Beginning inJanuary,theymaketheirwaytowardstheYucatanPeninsula,gainingweightastheygo.The“usual”weightofaRTHUis.12ounces.BythetimetheyarereadytoleavetheYucatantheyhavenearlydoubledtheirweight. Why?BecausetheyneedthatstoredfattoFLYACROSSTHEGULFOFMEXICOtocontinuetheirmigrationnorththroughtheUS.Canyouimagine?ThattinycreatureflyingacrosstheGulf–that’salmost500miles! Malesmigrateabout tendaysearlier than females. Themales(theoneswiththerubythroats)begintoshowupintheUSinFebruaryandbyMaywebegintoseethemshowupatourfeedershereintheNorthwoods.Bandingrecordshaveshownthathummersoftenshowupatthesamesummeringspotandusethesameperchandoftennest treeastheydid inprioryears. Maleswill feverishlydefend their territory –usually anarea ranging from18-22 squareyards toup to anacre. The sizeof the territorydependsupon the available foodsupply.Hummingbirds do not form pairs. The male is only interested in defending aterritory and reproducing. He does not build a nest, incubate eggs or feed thenestlings. Femalesreproducestartingintheirsecondyear(twoseasonsaftertheywereborn).Ifthefemalehasnestedintheareainpriorsummersshemayrebuildher nest if the energy necessary for rebuilding isn’t greater than building fromscratch. The female builds her nest before she starts looking for a suitablemale.Shepicksasuitablenestingareabasedonavailablefood–bothnectarandinsects.Bob Sargent, an expert on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds wrote in his Wild BirdGuidetoRuby-throatedHummingbirds:“Siteselectionmustbeconsideredcarefully.Nearby foodsources,camouflage,proper limbsize,andprotection frompredatorsare all factored into the decision. The limb must be strong and flexible, able towithstand being severely blown about by the wind. It cannot droop lower thanthree yardswhen battered by heavy rainfall. The limb selected is almost always

about a pencil size or slightly larger in diameter and is located near the tip of adownward-slopingbranch.Itisnormallyonthebottomstoryoflimbs,withamplefoliageabove it tooffer shade fromspringandsummersun.” Allof thisdecision-makingcomingfromabirdwhosebrainisthesizeofaBB!Thenestismadefromplantdownandsoftplantmaterialandthensapandspiderwebs to keep it all together. The walls of the nest are flexible to accommodateneededspaceastheybabiesgrow.Thenestwallsarecoveredinlichensthatgrowonthetreeinwhichthenestisbuiltsothatthenestiscamouflaged.

Thefemalelaystwoeggsabout2-3daysapart.Theincubationperiodonaverageis14daysandthenit’sanother18-23daysuntilthebabiesarereadytofledge.Whenthebabyisbornitisaboutthesizeofahoneybee.Oncethebirdshavefledgedthemotherwillcontinuetofeedthebirdsforanother7-10days.Jim and I were lucky enough to have a Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest rightoutside our bedroomwindowwhen we lived in Philadelphia. It was thrilling towatch the two babies grow (especially watching their bills grow from tiny stubswhentheyareborntolongbillsbythetimetheyfledged).Itwasnervewrackingtowatch thenestget thrustaround inhighwindsor towatch thebabiesmovetheirrumpsoverthesideofthenesttopoopwithoutfallingoutofthenestbeforetheycouldfly!SomeotherfascinatingfactsaboutRuby-throatedHummingbirds:

• Theybeattheirwingsabout50timesaSECOND• Theirheartbeats250timesaminuteatrestand1200beatsaminutewhen

feeding• Theyflyonaverage30milesperhour,butupto50milesperhourduringan

escapeand63milesperhourwhentheydive

FledglingRuby-throatedHummingbird…inawellcamouflagednest

WeareluckytohavethesebeautifulbirdshereintheNorthwoodsandit’seasytogetgreatlooksatthemifyouhaveanectarfeeder.Youcanwitnesstheirfeistinessdefending the feeder,watch themhoverwithwingsmoving so fast it’s just ablurandmaybe even see them fly backwards – hummers are the only bird able to flybackwards. If you put out a feeder (or lots of feeders!) please also take on theresponsibilityofensuring that the feeder iskeptcleanand filledwithnectar. Thefeeder can be cleanedwithmild soap andwarmwater or soak it in a solution ofvinegarandwater if it isreallydirty. If thenectarbeginstogetcloudybeforethefeederisempty,it’stimetochangethenectar.Nectariseasytomake.It’saratioof1partsugarto4partswater.So,let’ssayyouwillmake4cupsofnectar,boil4cupsofwaterandthenstirinonecupofplanwhitesugaruntilitisdissolved.Letitcooldownbeforefillingafeeder. Donouserawsugarorhoneyandpleasedonotusered foodcoloring. Youngbirdswillbe showingupatour feeders in July somakesureyou’re readywith freshnectarandclean feeders so thatyoucanenjoy thesebeautiesupclose!

Resourcesusedforthisarticlewere:

• WildBirdGuidetoRuby-throatedHummingbirdsbyRobertSargent• Thewebsitehummingbirds.net

FemaleRuby-throatedHummingbirdfeedinghertwobabies

LifeListQuarterlyByGuyDavid

Asmanyofourbirdclubmembersknow,BonnieandIhavesoldourhomeinLacduFlambeauandwearemovingtoourhomeinArizonainJuly,2019.Becauseofthisfact, this Life List Quarterly will be my last. Writing this column has been acommitmentofminetotheDiscoveryCenterBirdClubsincethebeginning. Ithasbeen tremendously rewardingas I haveneverbeenat a loss forbirding things towrite about for the club. The reason? Well, it’s because there always have beenreallyinterestingthingsgoingonwiththeclubasweenjoyedsomuchtimetogetherinthepursuitofbirds.Ourclubhasneverlostthatfocusasourprimeobjective.IlookedinmycomputerfilesandfoundthefirstLifeListQuarterlythatIwroteinSeptember,2004.Itisreproducedhereinunderthe“LookingBackward”sectionofthiscolumn.Ithinkitisniceonceinawhiletolookbackfromwhencewecame.LookingBackward(to2004)“MaintainingtheNLDCBirdClub’sLifeListhasbeenaveryinterestingendeavor.Itis

exciting to see the growth of the club’s observation records, beginning with our

inauguralmeetingandoutingtothePowellMarshVista.

The Club Life List is beingmaintained as a computer file using theMicrosoft Excel

computerprogram.Asaspreadsheetprogram,Excelisusefulforeasilyrecordingand

summarizing the club’s observation data. This data can then be studied to reveal

interestinginformationabouttheclub’sobservationsandsuccess.

Thespreadsheetisbasedonthetaxonomiclistof422speciesrecordedinthestateof

Wisconsin and verified by the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO) Record

Committee.Usingthis listhelpstoensurethatourrecordedobservationsare“likely”

forourgeographicarea. Inaddition,usingthis listalsoallowsaneasywaytolearn

whetherwe observed any unusual species. The reason for this is that theWSO list

identifiesrare,casual,accidental,andextinctspeciesforWisconsin.

Sincethisspreadsheetconstitutes11printedpages,thereistoomuchinformationfor

thisnewsletter.Aprintedcopyoftheclub’scompletedatawillbeavailableforviewing

duringourOctober clubmeeting.A summaryofourdata fromMay throughAugust

follows.

1. 9 Numberofoutingsfortheperiod.

2. 89 Totalnumberofspeciesobservedsofar.

3. 38 Greatestnumberofspeciesforoneouting(BearskinTrail,July26,2004).4. 8 Lowestnumberofspeciesforoneouting(August27,2004whenwefocusedon

birdbanding).

5. 0 Numberofrare,casual,andaccidentalspeciesrecorded.6. Speciesrecordedmostcommonlyduringcluboutings,indecreasingorder.

No.Outings

SpeciesObserved

8 Common Loon, Blue Jay, Black-Capped Chickadee, and Song

Sparrow.

7 AmericanCrow,AmericanRobin,AmericanGoldFinch

6 Red-BreastedNuthatchandChippingSparrow

5 Mallard,GreatBlueHeron,Red-eyedVireo,HermitThrush,Ovenbird,

Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow, and White-Throated

Sparrow

4 Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Black-Throated Green

Warbler

3 9species

2 22species

1 37species

Acomparisonof clubdataagainst the species thatwemighthavebeenable to find

yieldedthefollowingresults. Pleasenotethatforthiscomparison,onlythosegroups

thatinclude10ormorespeciesontheWSOlistwereincluded.

Now that the club has these observation records, we have the potential for some

interesting discussions during upcoming clubmeetings and outings. Items that we

mightdiscussincludethesequestions.

1) Whydidwe“miss”recordingsomespeciesweknowtobecommoninourarea?2) Whenplanningoutings,whenandwheremighttheclubgotorecordlocalspecies

we“missed”?

3) Howdidclubchoicesforoutingsaffecttheoutcomeofspecieswerecorded?

WSOGroup No. Species in the

Group Included on

theWSOList

No. of Species in the

Group Observed by

the NLDC Bird Club

DuringthePeriod

Ducks 42 8

HeronsandBitterns 11 2

Hawks 17 4

Sandpipers 34 5

GullsandTerns 32 3

Woodpeckers 10 5

Flycatchers 14 4

Owls 11 0

Thrushes 10 4

Warblers 42 14

Sparrows 31 6

Blackbirds 14 5

4) What skills might club members work on to help observe some local but lesscommonlyobservedspecies?

5) Howmightthislistbedifferentifwefocusedourobservationrecordsona) Birdfeeders,b) Birdsfoundaroundourhomes,c) Warmandsunnydays?

6) WhenandwhereelseinWisconsinmighttheclubvisittofindbirdsnotcommonlyfoundinourlocalregion?

7) Shouldcluboutingsbeplannedto:a) Seeourlocallycommonandeasytofindspecies?b) Findandrecordlesscommonlyobservedspeciesinourlocalarea?c) FindandrecordspeciesfoundinWisconsinbutnotusuallyinourlocalarea?

InsummarytheNLDCBirdClubhadawonderfullysuccessfulfirstquarterandweare

offtoagreatstart!Lookingtogetherattheresultsofourobservationswillgiveclub

membersaninexhaustiblefieldofpossibilitiesforplanningourfuture.”

ThePresentHowaboutTHATforadoseofnostalgia?Thebirdclub,inourfirstyear,managedtoconduct13outingsandfieldtripswhilerecording111species!Theclub’sveryfirstouting was to Powell Marsh andwe recorded 34 species. How do I know thesethings? It is because the club has maintained records that yield that kind ofinformation!Thatwasagreatstartanditalsowasthebeginningofthebirdclub’sstructure for recording our successful birding endeavors. The Excel spreadsheetthatwasmentionedin2004stillisinuseandnowcontains14years’worthofdata.Not mentioned in the September 2004 column was the fact that the process ofregularly recording birds on eBird during our regular outings had already begun.The eBird database was new to us that year! The club’s first eBird record wasrecorded onMay 22, 2004 and our eBird record has been continuous ever since.ThequestionsthatIposedin2004stillareapplicabletotoday.IthinkitwouldbeveryinterestingifafutureBirdSongsauthorwouldrecreatetheWSO grouping table in my 2004 report updated to the club’s current status ofachievement.Iamconfidentthattheresultswouldbeimpressiveandthatthedatawouldshowthat,evenafter14yearsofclubbirding,therestillarespeciesavailabletoour life list thatwehaven’tobservedyet! Someof thosecouldbe found inourownhomearea.Knowing that I would have to relinquish the duty of recording all of the club’sbirdingdataviathespreadsheetandeBird,Icontactedthemembersofthebirdclubboardofdirectorstoinformthemthatifthedatabasesaretobemaintainedgoingforwardtheboardwouldneedtoappointanewpersonforthisresponsibility.Iwassogratifiedtoquickly learnthatSarahBesadnywouldtakeonthemaintenanceof

ourspreadsheetandMaryJenkswouldtakeontheresponsibilityofmaintainingtheclub’seBirdrecord.Since thenMary and Sarahmetwithme at theMinocqua Library for a couple ofhours during which time I transferred the club’s eBird account to Mary’s emailaddress and I provided computer files to Sarah containing all of the club’sspreadsheets of record. Includedwere files for the club’s life list, ChristmasBirdCountrecords,andBirdingFestivalrecords.IamsogratefultoSarahandMaryfortheirwillingnesstocarryonwithrecordingthe club’s birding data. Itwould have been depressing if it had all come to end!ThankyouSarahandMary,somuch,foryourwillingnesstotacklethistask.Thankyou,thankyou,andthankyou!!!!!NowontomyfinalLifeListQuarterlyreport.I’llkeepthisshort.Theclub’slifelistattheendof2018included271speciesofbirdsandthisrecordstillstandsasofthiswriting. Comparing theclub’seBirdrecordwith thespreadsheet, there isa slightdiscrepancy. The eBird record shows 271 species and that is the most officialrecord.Thespreadsheethas2additionalrecordstoyield273species.Thereasonfor this is that the spreadsheet includes2hybrids thatwouldn’t be recordedas adistinct species in eBird. One of those exceptions include a Ross’s Goose x SnowGoose hybrid that we encountered at Maslowski Beach in Ashland. The otherexception was a Golden-winged Warbler x Blue-winged Warbler hybrid(Brewster’s)thatwasencounteredinLakeTomahawkduringaDoveRoadouting.So far, the clubhasneverhad a yearwhenwedidn’t get to add at least onenewspeciestotheLifeListbutthatyearissuretocome!Maybethiswillbetheyear?Theclub’sannuallistalsoisofftoahealthystartwith118speciesrecordedsofar.Thishasbeenaccomplishedvia11outings!Yes,theclub’sabilitytofindbirdsandidentifying the birds that havebeen foundhaswonderfully improved since2004!Weshouldbeproudofthat!I suspect that the number of species that the club has encountered during 2019actuallyisgreaterthan118.ThereasonIthinkthatisbecauseanentireday’sworthofbirdingdatarecordedduringthe2019NorthwoodsBirdingFestivalhaveyettoberecordedineithertheclub’seBirdrecordoronthespreadsheetrecord. Ihavebeenassuredthatthiswillbedoneeventuallyso,hopefully,thenextBirdSongswillinclude theupdatedrecord. BirdingFestivalwasheldon the latestdateever thisyearsoIsuspectthatsomeofthemigratingspeciesweremissedthisyearanyway,butitseemslikelythatsomespeciesthatwereencounteredthatSaturdaymayhavebeenspeciesnottobeobservedbytheclubduringtherestoftheyear.LookingForwardWhen Mary Jenks and Sarah Besadny met with me I provided an orientationregardinghowIhadbeendoing thingswithbirdclubdata. Theyquicklygrasped

their respective tasks. I am comforted knowing that they will carry on withrecordingtheclub’sbirdingdataandservetheclubverywell. Goingforwardtheywill make their own decisions and judgments regarding their best way of doingthesethings. Thebirdclubbirdingrecordsare incapableanddedicatedhands. Ihopethatthebirdclubwillsupportthemaswellasyoudidformeovertheyears.That’s it, time togetback tosorting,packingandothermovingpreparation tasks.Maybe I’ll see some of you on the trail in AZ sometime or maybe in WisconsinbirdinghotspotsshouldBonnieandIwanderbackthiswaysometime.Goodbirdingtoyouandmaytheclubliveon!Editor’sNote:OnbehalfoftheentireDiscoveryCenterBirdClubIwouldliketothank

Guy forall thathedid in formingtheClub,providing leadership throughhis timeas

ClubPresident,hiscontinuedleadershipin“non-formal”ways,hisparticipationinour

weeklybirdwalksand for keepingdetailedand informative recordsand translating

thedataintointerestingarticles.Thankyou,Guy!