[Bristol-Birds] Capacity BBC crowd on hand to welcome Michael Sledjeski and Leslie Gibbens !

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:10:49 -0400















 Rankin Bottom
ECOLOGICAL POWER ZONE

Michael Sledjeski and Leslie Gibbens came to Bristol from Del Rio
in Cocke County, TN Tuesday and dazzled a capacity crowd with
beautiful picutres and an entertaining talk about the famous 
birding paradise located at upper Douglas Lake.

The couple, along with Don Miller and Rick Knight, have spent
many years watching the arrivals and departures of a parade
of waterbirds and shorebirds as migrants arrive in early August 
and the flight continues well into September.

Most of their nearly 50 trips each year are by water in a canvas
canoe powered by an electric trolling motor.  Birders converge on
the sprawling mudflats at the confluence of the Nolichucky and
French Broad rivers.

Gently floating into shallow water, Michael has collected an amazing
photo treasurer of Tennessee's most rare shorebirds, gulls and 
waders.  Often he is within just a few feet of a calm and tolerant 
subject and can quietly capture excellent digital images.

The couple lives about 15 air 
miles from Rankin and it takes 
them nearly 45 minutes to drive 
there and haul their boat.

They were equally thrilled to 
come "north," as Michael puts it, 
and spend time away for a 
couple of days.  Wednesday 
they will visit Watauga Lake.  
Leslie works in a public library 
and Michael is retired after having worked as a rural mail carrier.

He has lived in Del Rio since 1973 and Leslie moved there gradually, 
in the late 90s.  They rebuilt a wood and canvas canoe in 1998. They
didn't want to demolish it on the river, so they took it out to Douglas Lake
where they couldn't help notice the phenomenal assortment of birds 
at Rankin.  Around 2000, began the  "Rankin Bottoms Project" with 
the goal of "preserving & maintaining wildlife habitat" and they started 
recording bird sightings, and seeking recognition and increasing 
public awareness of the importance of the area.  

Michael has become not only a conservationist but an author,
journalist and appears on TV to talk about rare birds and promoting
their project which is recognized as an Audubon Important Bird Area.

"We've come to expect the unexpected whenever we visit Rankin
and Douglas," he said before the talk.

Two BBC members
stepped into prominent
roles with the club
when they were elected
officers for 2012-13.
At the far left is President
Lois Cox and to her right
Faye Wagers who is
the first new BBC 
Secretary in nearly a
decade.  
 
Those attending the meeting at Steele Creek 
Park were (* dinner at Mad Greek):
Dave Worley, Diana Worley, Janice Martin, Fred Martin, Sarah 
Killam, Jack Litz, Michele Sparks, *Rick Knight, *Wallace Coffey,
*Carolyn Coffey, *Faye Wagers, *Wilma Boy, *John Kelly, 
*Sheri Hiter, *Lois Cox, Jeanie Brehl, Barney Brehl, *Loraine Hale,
*Bert Hale, *Michael Sledjeski, *Leslie Gibbens, *John Moyle,
*Judy Roach, *Roy Knispel, Mary Clark and Ruth Clark.

Bert Hale and Loraine Hale renewed their membership in
BBC and their friends were glad to see them again.

[Bristol-Birds] Capacity BBC crowd on hand to welcome Michael Sledjeski and Leslie Gibbens !

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