[Bristol-Birds] Tom Hunter chronicles Mendota Hawkwatch through the ages.

From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:26:43 -0400
Tom Hunter presented an excellent and informative program
on the Mendota Hawkwatch tonight when the Bristol Bird Club
met at the Steele Creek Park lodge.

For the first time, the history of hawkwatching  at Mendota
and in the region was methodically shared from the first 
few hawks seen by Lee R. Herndon somewhere in the
North Carolina mountains during the 1940s until this very night.

His collection of historical photos, documents, correspondence
and old and not-so-old records etched the steep history of
Mendota into everyone's heart and memory.

He took us back to another time when nearly 10,000 Broad-winged
Hawks flew over Mendota in a single day and that season ended
with a total fall flight of 23,184 Broad-wings!

Down thru the ages he ushered us along history's path with
the many great contributions of Herndon, Behrend, Russell
and then the unforgettable Finucane.

Without missing a beat he chronicled the years and service of
the many devoted, generous and hard-working coordinators of
the Mendota count, reminding us the actual dates of service
and years they each kept the vigil at the famous Clinch Mountain
lookout.

He recalled McConnell, Royston, Harrington, Scott, McDaniel,
Finucane and now himself.

BBC remembers the 15 years the club has coordinated coverage
and promotion of the Mendota Hawkwatch starting in 1997.

It was all wrapped into a PowerPoint clinic of topography, geography,
weather, graphic presentations of the many aspects of thermals
and how the dynamics of their physics.

Everyone was amazed at his tracing four Broad-wings which 
migrated south with satellite tracking equipment.  During an
eight-month journey one traveled from its nesting area in
Maryland 4,870 miles in 70 days and then returned in the
spring to the same nesting area after having flown no less
than 9,000+ miles roundtrip to southern Peru and back.

No other presentation has laced the history, the people, 
the science and the excitement of hawkwatching at Mendota, now
and then, as did this well-received program.

Hunter announced that this year's count will be conducted
August 28 thru October 5 this fall.

Rob Biller and John Hay will put together a BBC field trip to go
hawkwatching at Mendota on Saturday, Sept. 17.

BBC voted tonight to again be a sponsor of the Mendota
Heritage Hawk Festival schedule for Saturday, Sept. 10, in
the tiny town of Mendota.  It will feature a booth by BBC
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Ron Harrington has managed the booth
for about eight years.  The festival will be centered around the
Mendota Community Center.

Club Secretary Diana Worley passed a "get well card" around
for the 24 members attending to sign.  It is for Steele Creek
Park Nature Center Manager Jeremy Stout who last week was
suddenly hospitalized with a serious appendicitis attack and
underwent emergency surgery.  He is still recovering in the
hospital and is expected back to work in about a week.

Rob Biller rejoined the club tonight after a few years of fighting
a busy schedule.  Two new members, Barney Brehl and
Jeanie Brehl, of Kingsport, joined tonight.  They are members
of the BBC Facebook Club and found us that way.  Roger
Lemaster of Kingsport, who we first met when he turned out
for one of our FunFest birdwalks, attended his first meeting.
Rogers had recently joined with a sustaining membership.

Treasurer Janice Martin reported that plans are moving along
nicely with the Addilynn Memorial United Methodist Church
to host the BBC Friday, Sept. 16, banquet in the "Family 
Life Center" big auditorium with stage and spacious seating and
service area. 

Past President Dave Worley, who is chairing the 2012 TOS/VSO
Joint Meeting at Johnson City, TN said his committee will be
scheduling four new committees to work on details and continue
planning for the event which will be held at the Holiday Inn 
Convention Center on North Roan St.

Wallace Coffey detailed a Tuesday, Sept. 20, planning meeting
which members voted they wanted to have in the conference
room of the Steele Creek Park Lodge on that date at 7:30 p.m.
Worley and Tom Hay will begin arrangements for the BBC fall
birding field trips at Natural Tunnel State Park near Duffield, Va.

Attending the meeting were (* indicates dinner at Mad Greek
Restaurant):  Dave Worley, Diana Worley, *John Hay, *Laverne
Hunter, Fred Martin, Janice Martin, Rob Biller, Roger Lemaster,
*Roy Knispel, *Fay Wagers, Ron Harrington, *Wallace Coffey,
*Carolyn Coffey, Sheri Hiter, John Kelly, *Mary Erwin, Barney
Brehl, Jeanie Brehl, *Lois Cox, *Judy Roach, *Wilma Boy,
Ruth Clark, *Tom Hunter, Mary Clark.
[Bristol-Birds] Tom Hunter chronicles Mendota Hawkwatch through the ages.

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