Hi Susan & Tennessee Birders, The Attwater's Prairie Chicken is the Texas coast race of the Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido). There is an Attwater's Prairie Chicken refuge just west of Houston Texas where a very small population is being protected in their native habitat. Last April, on a trip between the Texas Hill Country and the ABA Conference in Beaumont, my husband & I decided to stop by the refuge to try to see some of the Prairie Chickens. When we arrived, we learned that the population there is extremely threatened. The Ranger who spoke with us told us that at that point, there were less than 150 of the birds remaining in the area. He also told us that while the management of the refuge keeps a close watch on the population, the areas of the refuge where the Attwater's Prairie Chickens live and breed are closed from the public. There was also a race of the Greater Prairie Chicken called the Heath Hen that lived and bred on the Atlantic coast. It has been extinct since 1932 according to Kenn Kaufman's Lives of North American Birds. After the ranger explained the peril that faces this race of the Greater Prairie Chicken, we fully understood that it was much more important to give the birds some privacy than to try to see them. We were sorry that we didn't get to see them, but we are glad that the refuge is making full efforts to protect the habitat and the remainder of the population in that area. Thanks for mentioning the National Geographic article. I want to pick up a copy and read about them. Good Birding, Dana Hamilton Birmingham Al =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ----------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================