White-crowned Sparrow photo courtesy of Brian Ratledge from 2019 Christmas Bird Count
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Christmas Bird Counts!
Forsyth County - December 19
I hope everyone has been enjoying all of the Northern finches and Red-breasted Nuthatches in the county this year, please keep an eye out for Evening Grosbeaks too! We are going to conduct our annual CBC count on 12/19 this year. It's going to be a little bit different this year to keep everyone as safe as possible. If you don't feel like birding with a group please let me know. I'm happy to assign an individual to a section or you can do some feeder watching. I'm going to have more teams this year to keep the groups smaller. I think it's a good idea to not carpool anywhere and to not participate if you have symptoms associated with COVID-19. The countdown event will be held via zoom or a similar platform. I've received a ton of emails related to the count, I am still working on the teams, it would be nice to have a few additional leads. Please let me know if you would like to join or have any questions.
The Hanging Rock Christmas Bird Count is two weeks from today on Wednesday, December 16. As always we welcome all levels of experience. We start at 8 and count till noon, but this year we won't meet indoors afterwards for lunch. Let me know if you will join us and your preference for area of the park to count. We will agree ahead on locations so everyone can go straight to their assigned area.
We are still on schedule to have the 6th annual Pilot Mountain CBC on Monday Dec 21, 2020. Let me know if you are able to count and let me know which area you normally cover.
This could be an exceptional year for irruptives with Red-breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskins already infiltrating NC, and evening grosbeaks now beginning to arrive. Any feeders inside the circle, watch closely!!!
Audubon recommends no carpooling with other than family members, keep distant on trails, wear masks, no countdown meet ups for covid safety, although an outdoor spaced countdown probably could happen if there was interest.
Plans are underway to mark the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Forsyth Audubon in 2021. Ann Robertson is starting the celebration by interviewing some of our members, so we can get to know each other while we are socially distanced.
From Childhood Adversity to a Lifetime of Adventure and Learning from Legends - which makes this man, "The Legendary Royce Hough!"
From the moment Chester and I joined ASFC in late 1998, we knew Royce Hough was an expert birder with an exceptional knowledge of bird calls and songs. He was always the one listening hard, and the one who cited multiple field marks when he nailed a hard ID. He was also very soft-spoken and unassuming. We had no idea this accomplished birder's career began when he experienced a medical issue as a child that enforced a year of isolation at home. During this time, Royce's uncle sent him the landmark book, Birds of America, illustrated by Louis Agassiz Fuertes and edited by T. Gilbert Pearson (foreshadowing North Carolina as future home!). As a 10 year old, Royce wasn't at first strongly drawn to it, but his father was. When Royce recovered, he and his Dad began to seek out and ID birds they read about in Birds of America. They lived in the heart of Washington, D.C., but had access to places such as Rock Creek Park along the Potomac River. By the time Royce was in high school, they were active in the local bird scene, both participating in and leading field trips.
Royce also had the great good fortune as a teen to bird with Dr. Roger Tory Peterson along the C&O Canal, a wonderful birding area in DC. Dr. Peterson took an interest in him as a young birder. He told Royce that "a bird heard is a bird seen, so learn bird songs". Royce said that Peterson "was very big on bird sounds". Royce took that advice to heart and it served him well.
College at Washington & Lee and a stint in the Army Air Defense Artillery took Royce away from DC, and he never returned there to live. At W&L, he had the great fortune of meeting a lovely Hollins student, Harriet Houston. They wed, and had 58 very happy years together. Harriet was literally a beauty queen, but her outer beauty was more than matched by her inner beauty. The progression of spiritual growth was her lifelong quest, and the serenity it yielded is reflected in a wonderful family legacy. She was also an award-winning collector of seashells, a perfect complement to Royce's quest for shorebirds.
One of Royce and Harriet's first adventures as a married couple were Royce's grad school years at Cornell, where both were very active in Sapsucker Woods and the Lab of Ornithology. In another lucky twist of fate, Royce birded at Cornell with Dr. Arthur Allen and his son, David. Dr. Allen, of course, led the Lab's original efforts to record bird songs and calls. So again, Royce had lessons from the seminal birders and ornithologists of modern times, with particular emphasis on the importance of bird vocalizations.
Royce and Harriet moved to Winston-Salem in 1963 for his job at Wachovia Bank. He worked there with local banking legends Archie Davis and John Watlington. (A theme is developing here - quality attracts quality!). There wasn't an Audubon group then. Royce sought out local birders by looking at the National Audubon Christmas Count records to see who participated. A series of phone calls at last led him to connect with Gardner Gidley, and a fast friendship was born that lasted until Gardner's death a few years ago. Those of you who have been in ASFC longer will remember Margaret & Gardner and the tales of their hospitality for the Tanglewood Counts. Royce told me that for years, he would start the Tanglewood Count with Fred Hill, another original member. They would get up very early to go owling. About 9 am, they would go to the Gidley's warm and inviting home for backyard birding laced with egg nog. About 10:30, they would head out for the rest of the count - and it seemed they saw lots more birds fueled by the egg nog. As Royce described it, the early days of his birding in Winston-Salem were informal but lots of fun, with a hard-core group of dedicated birders who enjoyed each other's company, shared information about sightings, and learned from each other. Ramona Snavely
One of those early birders was of course the now-legendary Ramona Snavely. Royce said there came a time when 'most everyone had been President of the club, and the leaders felt that Ramona was the most knowledgeable and deserving of the office. She didn't want to do it because she didn't like to stand in front of people and talk. Royce said he, Bob Witherington, and Charlie Frost took Ramona aside and said, we will cover for you in the talking if you will just take the job. She grudgingly agreed. Then, she stood up at the first meeting and never sat down. Royce said the role brought Ramona out in a very nice way, and made her the Ramona we now remember.
The point of this from Royce's perspective is that birders help each other. There is a reason to "flock together.". Not only do you have more fun, but you learn from and support each other individually. And, of course, you can organize group activities that forward learning, fun, and causes that the group endorses.
Royce remembers when the local bird club decided to become an Audubon Chapter. He said it was partly an economic decision, because Audubon returned $5 to each chapter for each member, and there were about 150 members listed in our area. But, it was also a recognition that as birders who conducted winter and spring counts, they were already part of something larger; so, it was made official in 1971.
Royce and Harriet were away from Winston-Salem for about a decade, returning in the early 90s. In that time, the club became much more organized, and membership expanded beyond the small cadre he had known. He described the newer folks as "real go-getters," an example being Nancy Sommer, the first Conservation Chair of the group. (As an aside, Nancy used to bring multiple copies of hand-written notes to meetings so she could give them to ASFC members to mail to their congressional delegation urging them to support conservation causes.). The field trips he had known continued, with additions of monthly bird walks and other activities such as educational outreach.
Royce's official leadership roles in the group included President, Count Compiler for a decade or so, and Treasurer. He has not been as active in the club in recent years, but his interest in birds is strong as ever. I asked what advice he might give to this audience. He said the most important thing is to be around experienced birders. Take advantage of all field trips you can. He pointed out that birding is a social sport. You see more with other people and it is more enjoyable. Also, you can bird while doing other things. A lifelong angler, Royce said he can bird while fishing, but he can't fish while birding. Good point. (I believe I even remember reading reports from some people who bird while in meetings near a window!)
Royce was kind enough to answer a selection of the excellent questions that Heather Moir put together earlier this year. I'm going to paste those now to let him speak for himself. It was a privilege to learn more about Royce during our Thanksgiving morning phone conversation. I want to thank him for his patience with me, and for his decades-long devotion to birding, particularly with Forsyth Audubon Society. We are very fortunate to have him in our midst.
Favorite Bird:
The Osprey. It is a majestic bird, a spectacle to see and most interesting and fun to watch at length. I have fished all my life which has brought me in contact, at least visually, with Ospreys in many habitats from the coast, to streams and lakes in NC and into the mountains of the West.
Nemesis Bird:
The Great Gray Owl. These birds are not possible to see in NC, but I have searched for them whenever I have been in their territory. I even took a trip to Minnesota one February with the objective of finding a “can’t miss” GGO at Sax Zim Bog (we all missed it). I also visited my son at his home in Idaho where he had found a GGO on most float fishing trips (I was able to miss it there as well).
How I got involved in Forsyth Audubon:
I have been interested in birding since I was eleven years old. When our family moved to Winston-Salem in 1963, I searched out birders from a listing of Christmas Count participants in Audubon Field Notes. That brought me in contact with Ramona Snavely who was then the count compiler. After a few years the small bird club decided to apply for an Audubon chapter and receive a small part of each member’s dues to the Audubon Society. We became the Audubon Society of Forsyth County in 1971, I believe. The first members included Ramona, me, the Hammonds, the Gidleys, Fred Hill, Bob Witherington, Charlie Frost, Peg Cochrane, Jackie Shelton and a few others I can’t recall. So, except for the years we were in Florida in the 80’s, I have been a member of FAS even before it was so named.
Order "Birding Guide to Forsyth County"!
The fifth edition of "Birding Guide to Forsyth County," by David Disher, is now available. David's book, in a handy 6 x 9 paperback format, compiles documented observations for 280 bird species in Forsyth County. Learn what birds can be seen here and during which weeks of the year you are most likely to see them. Photos of uncommon sightings are included. Information on local birding spots also is included. For $15, this is a great gift for your favorite birder. All profits go to our chapter. Copies are available at Wright's Backyard Birding Center, 3906 Country Club Rd., Winston-Salem, and at Wild Birds Unlimited, 1589 Skeet Club Rd, High Point. Copies also are available for sale at our monthly chapter meetings. If you have a smart phone or tablet, download the electronic version available for $4.99 from www.lulu.com.
Follow us!
Forsyth Audubon is pleased that Hannah Addair is managing Forsyth Audubon's Instagram! We now have a presence on Facebook and Instagram. Visit us on Social Media! Tell your friends!
Forsyth Audubon T-shirts are here! They are available now at most of our chapter events, or you can pick one up at Wright's Birding Center during business hours. There are two different styles to choose from, both with our fabulous brown-headed nuthatch logo. The soft cotton poly blend shirts are $20.00 and the polyester tech tee with the cool dri wicking fabric is $25.00.
