[Bristol-Birds] Re: Epic account of rare White Ibis at Bristol TN

  • From: "Janice Martin" <redwing@xxxxxxx>
  • To: <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>, "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:55:31 -0400

This is truly a great story. It reads like a good piece of fiction and it is 
made all the more interesting because it is a true story.  It would be nice if 
we could have Elizabeth as our honored guest at our bird club meeting.

Janice Martin
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Wallace Coffey 
  To: Bristol-birds 
  Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 12:09 AM
  Subject: [Bristol-Birds] Epic account of rare White Ibis at Bristol TN


   A fabulous success story for the Bristol Bird Club !

















   An immature White Ibis has been reported from Sutter Pond
   on Millwood Rd. in eastern Bristol Tennessee, Sullivan Co.

   This photo was taken 29 June 2009 by Ann Oakley, who said
   today that the bird had been there a few days before she made
   the picture and was there until about last weekend.  She 
   has been away for a few days and will try to get us a better end
   date.  She does not know if the bird is still in the area.  She 
   believes it was moving between Sutter Pond and the little spring
   house in her family's yard along Millwood Road -- a distance of
   a few hundred feet. 

   We've had only about a dozen records for the species in the
   five-county Northeast Tennessee birding area.  A similar 
   date range was from 21 June to 3 July 2000 when Frank Ward
   and Howard Langridge, along with many other birders, had 
   nine of the species at Siam Valley in Carter Co., TN
    



















   The Bristol report comes to us as the result of a most amazing 
   set of  birding circumstances -- proof of what bird study, record 
   keeping and community outreach has produced due to the 
   unexpected  good effort and success of the Bristol Bird Club.

   It also underscores the impact of children programming 
   at the  Bristol Public Library.

   David Oakley, a retired chemist who lives in northwest Arkansas,
   e-mailed two images of this ibis to Wallace Coffey on Thursday
   evening.  He suggested that this would be a Bristol area record
   that we would want to know about.  David Oakley, brother to Sid
   Oakley who owns Oakley-Cook Funeral Home in Bristol, began 
   to attract birds to his Arkansas home.  That led to developing an
   interest and considerable skill with bird photography and then to
   birding as a serious hobby.  David eventually found his
   way back to childhood friend and high school classmate 
   Wallace Coffey, who David knew was a birder even back then,
   more than a half century ago.  Wallace and Dave have, for
   several years, exchanged photos and worked on identification
   together.

   At the April meeting of the BBC, Michelle Page, Children's 
   Librarian at the Bristol Public Library,  was on hand and the 
   BBC agreed to provide children's birding walks as part of the 
   library's 8-12 year old program.  Club member Michele Sparks 
   volunteered to facilitate the bird walks for BBC and the first 
   was scheduled for Monday, June 11, from 5 pm to 6 pm.

  One of the very talented and brilliant children who came to 
  Michele's event that evening was 8-year-old Elizabeth Oakley
  who lives on Millwood Road.  Elizabeth's grandfather David
  Oakley had, from time to time, sent Elizabeth photos he had
  taken and encouraged her interest in birds by asking her to
  ID the birds in his e-mails.

  Michele, a fifth grade teacher in the Sullivan County School
  System at Indian Springs Elementary, was the BBC's region
  "Birder of the Year" for 2008.  She knew how to relate to the 
  children and how to achieve the educational and entertainment 
  goals for such an event.

  Michele gave each child a small notebook and explained the
  importance of keeping good records and writing down what
  birds look like and such.  She also had on hand a copy of 
  Rick Knight's The Birds of Northeast Tennessee -- Second
  Edition published by BBC in 2008.  Ann Oakley purchased
  a family copy from BBC.

  The Bristol Bird Club / Bristol Public Library sponsored event
  for children excited Elizabeth.  She began wanting to observe
  all of the birds she could and began to write notes.

  Would you believe, that along that tiny stream which runs in
  the Oakley front yard, Elizabeth and her mother, on a family
  yard bird walk, discovered one of the region's truly rare birds
  -- an immature White Ibis ?

  Two photos were e-mailed to David Oakley on the morning of
  16 July 2009 and then forwarded to Wallace by David.  Within
  moments, Wallace found a phone number for the Bristol Oakley
  family and left a message.  Ann returned the called within an 
  hour to Wallace's cell.  When this story was relayed to Michele
  Sparks, she was ecstatic !  The fruits of labor for a teacher and
  a birder had paid off big time for the Oakley family, young
  Elizabeth, grandfather David, Wallace, the Bristol Bird Club,
  librarian Michelle Page and the Bristol Public Library.

  Elizabeth is the daughter of Ann and Greg Oakley of Bristol
  and the great granddaughter of Dot Oakley Bibee.

  Let's go birding . . . .

  Wallace Coffey
  Bristol, TN






------------------------------------------------------------------------------



  No virus found in this incoming message.
  Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
  Version: 8.5.375 / Virus Database: 270.13.17/2242 - Release Date: 07/16/09 
18:00:00

JPEG image

JPEG image

Other related posts: