The Red Hills Christmas Bird Count produced 72 species. Drought conditions were serious in this area, reflected in the low numbers of raptors and water birds. Mountain Bluebirds were also at an all time low. Best birds were 1 Lark Sparrow, 6 Purple Finches, 1 Eurasian Collared Dove, 1 Herring Gull, and 4 Double-crested Cormorants.
Our Sooner Lake field trip included some special guests: our January speaker Jim Rising, and three ladies from Oklahoma who really helped us find our way around. We found a good selection of waterfowl, including several Horned Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers, and five Common Loons. We saw a pair of Bald Eagles with a nest. We managed to find our target species - a single Short-eared Owl and three Smith's Longspurs, all scared up from the prairie grasses.
Our January meeting featured Dr. James Rising, author of A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrow's of the United States and Canada. His insights into the identification of these difficult species educated us all.
Twenty-two people attended the Eagle Watch at Chaplin Nature Center, and were treated to the sight of numerous Bald Eagles along the Arkansas River.
On January 31 a devastating ice storm hit Arkansas City and the surrounding area, taking its toll on Chaplin Nature Center. Fortunately the only structure damaged was the bluff staircase, but trees were mangled and the trails choked with fallen limbs. The worst casualty of the storm was Rex Herndon, who fell and broke his heel. Surgery and many days in a cast followed, but he has made a good recovery.
Many volunteers worked to clean up the Nature Center and make the trails clear and safe. Besides Wichita Audubon members, volunteers included neighbors from Ark City, the GE Elfuns, SLC Volunteers from Cowley County Community College, and Americorps volunteers.
The speaker for our February meeting was Glenn Salisbury, coauthor of "Insects of Kansas." He gave us a fascinating look at backyard insects.
Twelve people spent a morning formulating the Wichita Audubon long term plan and rewriting the mission statement.
The night hike at Chaplin Nature Center was an adventure in learning to cope with and enjoy the darkness. They saw deer, heard owls, and located spiders with their flashlights.
A field trip to Chisholm Creek Park was very cold and windy, but clear and sunny. A Fox Sparrow, some Field, Song, and Harris' Sparrows were seen, along with the usual assortment of woodland passerines.
Our March program was another crowd pleasing video by Lowell wilder. Entitled A Voice Crying in the Wilderness, the video followed a canoe trip on the Myakka River Wilderness in Florida. The crying voice turned out to be the Limpkin.
Chaplin Nature Center received a laptop computer and digital camera through a grant from the P.R.A.I.R.Y. Project, a coalition of education agencies in south central Kansas.
The Pawnee Prairie Park field trip was again windy and cold but sunny. Phoebes had just arrived and were singing. We had good looks at Cedar Waxwings and Fox Sparrows, and saw lots of Song Sparrows, with a total of 35 species
Wichita Audubon and the Great Plains Nature Center cosponsored a workshop on shorebird identification. Gene Young gave us an intense two hours of detailed information. The twenty-five participants then had the opportunity to put their new knowledge to work on a field trip to Slate Creek Marsh. Drought had reduced the shorebird habitat at the marsh, but we saw enough birds to get some practice on those pesky "peeps." Just as interesting were the numerous LeConte's Sparrows scurrying through the grass like mice.
The April program was presented by Dr. Chris Rodgers from the Biology Department at Wichita State University. He shared the results of his many years of study into the winter survival strategies of birds.
Ten volunteers helped cleanup Chisholm Creek Park for one of our biannual trash pickups.
This year's extended field trip went to Big Bend National Park in Texas for four days. Fifteen people participated. The weather was great, and we got most of our target species, including the Common Black Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Elf Owl, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Mexican jay, Gray Vireo, Colima Warbler, Lucy's Warbler, Hepatic Tanager, Varied Bunting, and Scott's Oriole. We had a good list of herps, mammals, butterflies, and wildflowers, too.
