Meeting Report
Fall 2002
By Stan and Dana Hamilton

Crossing the causeway, cresting the “hump” of the bridge, stretching to see what was on those little sandbars out in Mobile Bay as the island came into view, our anticipation grew as we wondered what delights this AOS meeting would bring. With the recent barrage of tropical storm activity, one never knows what may turn up on Dauphin Island, particularly in the fall.

We wandered into the Shell Mounds to see what we could find. We were lucky enough to run across Steve McConnell on the path near the water-drip. He told us that a male Black-throated Blue Warbler had been seen just a few minutes earlier. This cooperative little bird was relocated many times on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, flitting around near the ground, providing excellent views of this much sought after species.

The weekend held many other opportunities to see interesting birds. Several Philadelphia Vireos and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher were seen. An immature Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was out on the wires or on the fence just east of the Shell Mounds for most of the weekend. A Roseate Spoonbill perched with the herons and egrets in the pines at the edge of the marsh at the Airport. The falcons were out in force all weekend. When the shorebirds and waders on Pelican Island scattered simultaneously, a Peregrine Falcon was almost always the culprit who had stirred them up. Merlins soared at lightning speed, and Kestrels arrived in large numbers by the end of the weekend. Broad-wing Hawk kettles were observed over the Shell Mounds, at Ft. Gaines and Ft. Morgan.

Friday afternoon, Karen and Mike Wilson cheerfully greeted the AOS members as they registered for the weekend activities. Friday night, the AOS members exchanged birding stories while enjoying the “pot luck” snacks.

During the announcements, John Porter gave us more good news about recent FODIAS land acquisitions. The Goat Tree property and the Tupelo Gum Swamp are outstanding examples of the progress that has been made to protect as much as Dauphin Island as possible for the wildlife and for future generations. Rick West told us that the data from the 2002 Alabama Breeding Bird Atlas is already being used for a conservation project called AL GAP at Auburn University. He encouraged AOS members to send in their 2002 data if they have not already done so.

Dr. Bill Summerour shared slides from the extensive research he conducted to document the breeding activity of the Red Crossbills and Whip-poor-wills in the Talladega National Forest. He also took us on a photographic journey to the wilds of Alaska. He educated us while he entertained us with anecdotes of his research and travels. We are truly fortunate to have gifted educators such as Dr. Summerour among us in AOS.

Greg Harber presented a slide show that combined the beauty of nature with the peaceful jazz of George Winston. Greg’s artistic photographs of birds, butterflies, flowers, sunrises, and sunsets ended the evening by increasing our appreciation of the beauty that surrounds us daily.

It was difficult to decide which of the Saturday morning field trips to attend. Bill Summerour’s trip to Ft. Morgan located a Clay-colored Sparrow and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers. Howard Horne’s Dauphin Island Dash located the rarities on the island and provided a large number of life birds for a birder who was new to the area. Tom & Joan Siegwald were the “pied pipers” of field trip leaders as they caravanned around the island. Most field trips have participants drop out as they go along, but Tom and Joan ended their trip with more cars than when they started. John Stowers and Don Ladner ferried 31 birders out to Pelican Island by boat. This generous pair had even set up a “welcome station” complete with cold water and bananas for snacks. Allen Tubbs led the Pelican Island birders to views of Snowy, Piping, and Semi-Palmated Plovers, Red Knots, Marbled Godwits, Sandwich Terns, Short-billed Dowitchers and other assorted shorebirds. A Great Black-backed Gull was seen by some members of the group at the southeast end of the island.

On Saturday night, our speaker was Roger Clay, a biologist from the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Nongame Wildlife Program. His Power-Point presentation offered insight into the changes that have occurred in the Mobile Bay area. It was interesting to see the shifts in the shapes and sizes of the barrier islands in the Mobile Bay area. It was intriguing to see his historic photographs of Sand Island with houses surrounding the lighthouse. Slides of the wildlife surveys that he conducts on Gaillard Island document the recovery of many bird populations that breed on this manmade island.

Sunday morning, Howard Horne took birders on a dash to locate the rarities that had been found during the weekend. Birders scrambled to locate the reported birds that they had not yet seen. A trip to Ft. Morgan in search of the previous day’s Clay-colored Sparrow (not relocated) yielded a pair of Western Kingbirds and Common Ground Doves.

Sunday afternoon, after compilation, a weather front moved in. New birds began dropping in as many of the birders headed home. By Monday morning, the weather system had dropped large numbers of birds into the “birdy spots.”

Every AOS meeting has its special memories. This year, at the close of the AOS Fiftieth Anniversary year, it is appropriate that the thing that stands out in my memory is the quiet way that so many AOS members worked behind the scenes to make the weekend better. Each person contributed something in his own way. Thanks to everyone who made the weekend a success!