Featherless Flyer, December, 2016 P. 1

Featherless Flyer The Voice of The Friends of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge Foundation

December 2016

Volume 11, Issue 12

Our Eleventh Year

BEST IN SHOW

“Eye on the Prize” by Pam

Porter, shown at right, was

judged Best in Show for the

2016 HNWR Nature Photo

Contest. The photo also

garnered 1st Place in the

Advanced Artistic category

of the competition.

Winning entries were an-

nounced November 12 and

awards presented. All photos

in the contest had to have

been taken at the Refuge with-

in the last five years, and en-

tered in one of four categories,

Wildlife, Landscape, Flora/

Macro and Artistic. This year

for the first time, photographers could enter these categories either at the Be-

ginner/Intermediate Level or at the Advanced Level.

Ribbons were awarded for photos judged First, Second, and Third place in

each category in the two divisions, except for the Artistic category, at the Be-

ginner/Intermediate Level, which was not judged, as the minimum number on

entries for judging was not met in that category.

Cash prizes were awarded for the single photo judged as Best

of Show and for First Place in each category except Artistic-

Beginner/Intermediate. 2016 Contest Coordinator, Jesus

Moreno, stated that the winning entries were determined by a

panel of judges, Trey Neal, Bert Garcia, and Alison More-

no who reviewed the more than 300 submitted photos without

reference to entrant name.

The annual contest is sponsored by the Friends of Hagerman.

All the winning photos may be viewed online at friendsof-

hagerman.com/Gallery. See Page 2 for complete list of win-

ners.

December Calendar at HNWR

Dec. 1 - Adopt a Nest Box period opens, see

Page 3 Dec. 2 - 4 - final weekend of Archery Deer

Hunt at HNWR Dec. 3, 10 - 11:30 am Youth FIRST, Geese at

HNWR Dec. 6 -7 Refuge closed to the public for

hog control. Dec. 10 - Second Saturday, Natural History

of the Armadillo, with Dr. Mike Keck Dec. 17, 7 am - 5 pm - Christmas Bird Count

(Owl Count, 4:45 am) & Count Social 4 - 6

pm Dec. 24 -26 - Refuge Office, Visitor Center

closed for Christmas holiday.

C&E Express Tram Tours - weather permitting, 2 pm Saturdays, Sundays, AND Wed., Dec. 28; no tours Christ-

mas weekend; call 903 786 2826 for reservations.

Friends for TODAY support programs and activities for TOMORROW and ensure

that the Refuge will be here for wildlife AND people in the FUTURE!

Contents

Calendar, High on Hawg, Photo Contest Results Sighting, P. 1

Christmas bird Count, P. 2 Birding with Jack, Adopt a Nest Box, P. 3 Photo News, Visitor Center News, Coming Soon, Nature Nook, Thank You’s, P. 4

A great big thanks to the 222 people who attended the 7th An-nual High on the Hawg, and to the Ref-uge staff, workampers and Friends volunteers - Kathy Whaley, Gayle Ellis, Rusty Daniel, Jay Noel, Gary Hall, Bill & Carol Powell; Chair, Derek Miller, Michelle Cantu, Patricia Crain, Wes & Teresa Crawford, Mike & Pat Crone, Nancy Cushion, Bert Garcia, Becky Goodman, Connie Hardesty, Carl & Carolyn Hill, Skip & Melinda Hill, Jon Kirk, Waylen & Susan Knowles, Dick & Sue Mal-nory, Sandra Miller, Cindy Steele, Ron Varley, Larry & Helen Vargus, Judy Wilkins - who made it happen. Thanks also to the band sponsors, Landmark Bank and American Bank of Texas, to the Backroads Band and volunteers with Austin College Great Days of Service! 2016 High on the Hawg proceeds have furnished a new 21 cu ft. freezer for Refuge and Friends use and are go-

ing toward the construction of sheltered picnic tables

Featherless Flyer, December, 2016 P. 2

You Asked for It! The Garcias’ Peanut Butter Pie

was a hit at High on the Hawg, and here is

their recipe:

1 graham cracker crust (9 inches) 1 cup peanut butter (I use natural crunchy) 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 4 ounces cream cheese (softened) 1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping salted chopped peanuts if desired In a large bowl beat the peanut butter, cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping until completely mixed to-gether. Add nuts if desired. Pour onto crust.

National Audubon Society invites

everyone to participate in its annual

Christmas Bird Count. By Jean Flick

The count, which takes place in December, provides

important data about the state of the bird population through-

out the world. This annual count has been ongoing since

1900, when it began as a replacement for the tradition of bird

hunting on Christmas Day. During the first count in 1900, 90

bird species were tallied. Last year alone, Hagerman Circle

volunteers observed 21, 879 individual birds representing 104

bird species, and over 2100 species were identified in the total

multi-nation count. That's a lot of data!

The Audubon Society describes this event as the nation's

longest running citizen science bird project. To date, over 200

peer-reviewed articles have resulted from analysis of the data

gathered, and federal agencies use the data in decision-

making processes that impact bird populations.

This year's count will take place at Hagerman National

Wildlife Refuge on Saturday December 17th. Everyone with

an interest is encouraged to participate in one of several

ways.

Volunteers can join the count at the refuge, with options

of an early morning owl count, half-day (morning only), or full-

day participation. The owl count begins at 4:45 am and the

regular count begins at 7:00 am, lasting until 5:00 pm for the

full day. Teams are assigned specific areas within a fifteen

mile radius and count all birds seen in their assigned ar-

ea. Inexperienced birders are teamed with more experienced

team members.

If you live within the fifteen mile Hagerman Circle area,

you can also participate in the feeder watch program, counting

all birds at your home feeder on that day.

Volunteers can pre-register at

http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/Contact (see sidebar)

or register upon arrival at the refuge on the day of the count.

For feeder watch information, e-

mail friendsofhagerman@gmail.com.

The Friends of Hagerman will provide a snack supper for

the count volunteers, from 4 - 6 pm., in the FOH building.

2016 Winners:

Beginner Wildlife

1st On Golden Pond - Wildlife - Kim

Morris (shown at right)

2nd

Thorns - Wildlife - Kim Morris

3rd

Smartweed Egret -Wildlife-- Kim Morris

Beginner Landscape

1st

Sunset Noir - Landscape-- Kim Mor-ris

2nd

Raasch Trail Canopy - Landscape-- Carly Pryor

3rd

Dry July - Landscape-- Carly Pryor

Beginner Flora-Macro

1st

Grasshopper On Stem - Flora-Macro - Chris Crites

2nd

Purple Dragonfly - Flora-Macro - Chris Crites

3rd

Butterfly Escape - Flora-Macro - Chris Crites

Beginner Artistic

Category not judged.

Advanced Wildlife

1st

Balancing Act - Wildlife - Michael Sweatt

2nd

Double Takeoff - Wildlife - Dana Crites

3rd

Snowrunner - Wildlife - Melinda Hill (Shown on Page 4, R)

Advanced Landscape

1st

Winter Sunset - Landscape - Ron Varley (Shown below)

2nd

Hagerman Fog - Landscape - Ron Varley

3rd

Goodnight Sun -Landscape - Pam Porter

Advanced Flora-Macro

1st

Green Lynx Spider - Flora-Macro - Laurie Sheppard (Shown on Page 4, L)

2nd

Curly Purple Flower - Flora-Macro - Dana Crites

3rd

Lotus -A Peek Inside - Flora-Macro - Laurie Sheppard

Advanced Artistic

1st

Eye On the Prize - Artistic - Pam Porter

2nd

Lost in the Fog 656 - Artistic - Lee Hatfield

3rd

Black-necked Stilt - Artistic - Laura Cooper

Best in Show

Eye On the Prize - Artistic - Pam Porter

Bye Bye Youth FIRST - Hello, The Refuge Rocks

In 2017, the HNWR Youth Program will meet on the THIRD

Saturday, rather than the FIRST Saturday.

Featherless Flyer, December, 2016 P. 3

Excerpts from the weekly bird survey write-up by Jack Chiles, Master Naturalist

November 1, 2016

We found 66 species today, but did not see a single goose. We did see a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets which

could be an indicator of a good year for kinglets. We saw a FOS Vesper Sparrow and a FOS Fox Sparrow. There was

an abundance of Northern Flickers. There are still no rafts of ducks on the lake. It will probably take a strong cold front

to make that occur. On the road to Meadow Pond we saw 42 Wild Turkeys, a really nice sighting since they have been

scarce all summer.

November 8, 2016

On a cool and cloudy morning we found 58 species of birds. The most exciting sighting of the day was a pair of Ring-

necked Pheasants on the road to the Goode area. They seem to be tame and are most likely released birds or possibly

escapees. Nevertheless, it was exciting to see such beautiful birds out in the wild. They were first sighted on the refuge

a couple of weeks ago. A few Snow Geese and Ross's Geese have arrived and were resting on Goose Point. Ducks are

very scarce but there is now plenty of great habitat for them. All of the marshes have water and vegetation just awaiting

the arrival of the ducks when the first strong cold front pushes them south. The Black-bellied Whistling Ducks are still

present and like the area by the low water crossing north of headquarters. We found a Belted Kingfisher at Sandy Point.

November 15, 2016

On a cool morning, starting out calm, we tallied a total of 73 species. One of the better finds of the day were 4

Buffleheads in Steedman Marsh. 1200 white geese were on Goose Point. There were many species of ducks, on the

lake as well as in the marshes. Many of the duck species on the lake were too far out to identify as to specie. The area

north of headquarters near the photo blind was excellent for sparrows. We also were afforded excellent views of a

Marsh Wren there. Later in the morning at least 1500 Double-crested Cormorants came in and were swimming on the

lake. Western Meadowlarks were singing. On the road to the Goode Area we saw a couple of Cedar Waxwings. There

were still shorebirds at Deaver Pond, including Long-billed Dowitchers, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs and Least

Sandpipers. We saw a White-breasted Nuthatch near Meadow Pond. We saw a Belted Kingfisher north of

headquarters. The Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are still present.

November 22, 2016

A great morning of birding resulted in a species count of 86, one of the better November bird census counts that I can

remember. Ducks are arriving in good numbers with 3 Wood Ducks, 39 Gadwall, 2 American Wigeon, 322 Mallards, 48

Northern Shovelers, 1033 Northern Pintails, 53 Green-winged Teal, 38 Redhead, 4 Ring-necked Duck, 53 Lesser

Scaup and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers. The marshes are full of water and vegetation and the ducks are loving it. On

the road to Goode birds were numerous with at least 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 6 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a

Brown Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Fox Sparrows a Spotted

Towhee, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, etc. Out west on Short Road we found a Loggerhead Shrike, Vesper

Sparrows and a pair of mature Bald Eagles. We saw a Cooper's Hawk and a Sharp-shinned hawk along with

American Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks. It was a dreary day, but the birds were very active.

November 29, 2016

Good day of birding at the refuge with 74 species of birds plus one River Otter feeding in the lake and 3 Bobcats in the

road north of headquarters. We found a female Greater Scaup along with a female Bufflehead in Steedman Marsh.

There are now at least 4000 white geese. At least half of the geese are Ross's. There were almost a thousand gulls,

mostly Ring-billed with a few Franklin's, Bonaparte's and Herring Gulls. We saw a Hairy Woodpecker at the Goode

picnic area along with more than 100 American Goldfinches. There are a lot of ducks in the marshes. The 2 Black-

bellied Whistling-Ducks are still hanging out in the Marsh north of headquarters See friendsofhagerman.com/BirdSurvey for complete census data.

Birding with Jack

Adopt-a-Nest Box 2017 We have 20 nest boxes up for adoption for the 2017 season, first come first

served, starting on December 1. Adopters get their name on their designated box and weekly emailed reports,

including photos of nesting activity during the nesting season. The adoption fee is $30.00.

The Adopt-a-Nest Box form can be downloaded friendsofhagerman.com/News, starting December 1, or obtained

in the Nature Nook. Please complete the entire form. Boxes may be adopted for yourself or as a gift.

There will be a drawing for box numbers on February 11, 2017.

Featherless Flyer, December, 2016 P. 4

The Voice of

Friends of Hagerman NWR

Foundation

6465 Refuge Road

Sherman, TX 75092

Phone: 903-786-2826

friendsofhagerman@gmail.com

http://www.friendsofhagerman.com

http://www.friendsofhagermannwr.blogspot.com/ http://www.facebook.com/FOHNWR

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

6465 Refuge Road

Sherman, TX 75092

Phone: 903-786-2826

Featherless Flyer

Editor/Publisher: Sue Malnory

Contributors: Jack Chiles, Jean Flick,

Laurie Sheppard, Helen Vargus

Refuge Liaison: Kathy Whaley

Coming in January, 2017

January 1 - 2, & 16, Refuge, Visi-

tor Center closed for federal holi-

days.

January 14, 10 am, Second Satur-

day, Dr. Wayne Meyer, Virtual

Travel to Peru - Magnificent Hum-

mingbirds and More.

January 21, 10 - 11:30 am -The

Refuge Rocks - free nature pro-

gram for youth at HNWR, for ag-

es 4 - 7 AND 8 - 12.

January 21, 1 - 3 pm - FOH Na-

ture Photography Club Meeting.

FOH Nature Photography Club The FOH Nature Photography Club met Saturday, November 19, for a program by Randall Patterson on DSLR for beginner and intermediate users. Randall also led an early morning photo-shoot on the Refuge that day. Bimonthly club meetings are held at the Refuge and are open to anyone interested in nature photography, regard-less of experience level or type of photo equipment. Visi-tors may attend free of charge; there are nominal dues for membership. Photographers

are invited to share their HNWR photos at meetings and on the Friends of Hagerman Facebook Page. Photos taken at HNWR by members are being fea-tured on the Friends’ web Gallery. The theme for shar-ing for the January 21, 2017, meeting is “Seen in De-cember/January at HNWR. Photo files for sharing are to be emailed to fohphotoclub@gmail.com, with the photographer’s name in the file name.

NATURE NOOK

VISITOR CENTER NEWS

THANK YOU’s for November, 2016

Youth FIRST - The Armored Armadillo - Martha Coppedge, Holly Neal, Larry

& Helen Vargus, and Lydia Brandt.

Second Saturday: Workamper Adventures, Bill & Carol Powell and Barry &

Lynn Burkardt

Butterfly Garden volunteers: Don Lawrence, Teresa Crawford, Bonnie

Baker, Judy Wilkins, Kathy Nance, Linn Cates, David Turner, Rebekah Roach,

Sue Abernathy, Sue Malnory

Workampers - Bill and Carol Powell

Publicity - Helen Vargus

Web Content Assistance - Laurie Sheppard; IT - Leonard Getrum

Thank you to Ed and Ann Supina, long time Visitor Center volunteers who

are “retiring”.

Holidays Ahead! The Refuge Office and Visitor Center will be closed December 24 - 26. In addition, the Nature Nook will close at noon on Friday, December 23. Refuge lands will be open as usual, sunrise - sunset.

Areas of HNWR Closed Goode (including the picnic area and Haller ’s Haven Trail), Sandy (including Oilfield Road and adjacent pads) and Godwin Units will be closed to the public, 2 pm Thursday, December 1 through Sunday, December 4. Please obey signs and barricades.

On Tuesday, December 6 and Wednesday, December 7, the entire Hagerman NWR will be closed to the public for hog control program.

Welcome Back!! Courtney Anderson, 2015 SCA intern, is back as a USFWS employee based at Hagerman NWR.

Refuge Road work is nearly completed!!

Enjoy what you’ve read? For a free monthly email link to this newsletter, please visit our

website at: www.friendsofhagerman.com/Contact

Just in!! New bird feeders and

feeding aids, just in time for

cooler weather.

.

Laurie Sheppard

Melinda Hill

Puzzled about giving gifts? We have

jigsaw puzzles for adults and kids, na-

ture themed playing cards and games!