Allegheny Front Migratory Observatory A Comprehensive History
By Joan Bell Pattison
History of the Allegheny Front Migratory Observatory Published 2003
In the 1950s the Brooks Bird Club of Wheeling, West Virginia, began to have systematic hawk counts at several locations on the crests of the higher mountains in West Virginia (DeGarmo, 1953). One of the favorite places for hawk counting, known as Bear Rocks, is located on the high ridge at the northern end of Dolly Sods on Allegheny Front Mountain, approximately ten miles east southeast of Davis, West Virginia. The elevation is about 4,000 feet above sea level. The Dolly Sods plateau is rather flat, and virgin Red Spruce dominated much of the area before the trees were cut for lumber during the 1880's-1920's period. Later, fires burned vast areas including the two to four feet of accumulated humus, and as a result, rocky areas abound. The Red Spruce is coming back in some areas. Many of the exposed, taller spruce have branches, for the most part, only on the east side due to the strong, cold westerly winds. Aspen, Mountain Ash, Huckleberry, and Blueberry bushes are common, and their colors are strikingly beautiful in the fall. While they were conducting their fall hawk counts, many members of the Brooks Bird Club observed diurnal flights of numerous fall migratory passerine birds. Included among these observers was Ralph K. Bell, a Pennsylvania State University graduate in Poultry Husbandry, and the leader of the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO) from the time he founded the banding station in 1958 until the present day. Several articles had been written about the passerine migrations over Bear Rocks in the early 1950's. Wayne H. Davis (1953) wrote about the observations at Bear Rocks that he and Christy Weiland made on September 21, 1952. Maurice Brooks (1954) wrote about his observations in The Redstart, and in 1955, George A. Hall published the observations he and Richard Hessler had made (Hall, 1955). Ralph Bell, a licensed bird bander, had been banding birds at his farm in Clarksville, Pennsylvania, since 1954. After observing the fall migration of passerine birds at Dolly Sods for several years, Bell decided to net and band birds there to study the species that use this migration route. Field observers along the Atlantic coast had also observed that under certain weather conditions hundreds and even thousands of migrating songbirds were noted at certain coastal locations in the fall. Because of this, Chandler S. Robbins, James Baird, Aaron M. Bagg, and John Dennis planned large-scale banding of migrants along the Atlantic coast in the fall of 1955. About 1,500 birds were banded the first fall. Interest in the project and total birds banded increased greatly in 1956 and 1957. This project, sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Service, was dubbed Operation Recovery on the remote chance that one of the banding stations might recover a bird that had been banded at another station to the north. Ralph Bell was soon to be involved in this pioneer banding effort.
The Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of Interior issued a banding permit to Ralph Bell in 1954. Chandler S. Robbins, a biologist studying bird population and distribution with the Fish and Wildlife Service, extended an invitation for Bell to join him on his Christmas Bird Count in Oakland, Maryland, in 1954. As a result of this experience, Bell began his own Christmas Bird Count in Clarksville where he had been doing bird studies since 1927. Robbins and Bell became friends in the field and in purpose and continued to correspond about their common interest in birds. After hearing about the success of Chandler Robbins, et al. with Operation Recovery, Bell contacted Robbins and asked if he thought there would be any merit in setting up an inland banding station on the Allegheny Front Mountains in West Virginia. Robbins supported him completely in this endeavor. Bell then wrote to Charles O. Handley of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), explained what he wanted to do on Dolly Sods, and asked for permission to band in West Virginia. Charles Handley not only authorized Bell to band in West Virginia, Handley thought it was such a great idea that he offered to bring up some mist nets and assist in the project. So, the Dolly Sods project was launched. With permits in hand and support from Handley, Bell made arrangements to begin banding at Dolly Sods in the fall of 1958. Ralph Bell and his friend, Ralph Horn, arrived on Dolly Sods on September 17, 1958. Later that day Richard Hessler joined them. Net lanes were cleared along the path to the spring at the Red Creek cabin site (later the site of the present day Red Creek Campground), which is about two miles south of the hawk watching spot at Bear Rocks. The net lanes were, by road, approximately seven miles from the nearest house in one direction and ten miles in the other direction. The next morning the weather was not good; it was rainy and windy, but four nets were put up anyway. In spite of the bad weather, five birds were banded by Bell on Thursday, September 18, 1958. The species banded that first day at what would later be known as the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO) were Nashville Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, and Rufous-sided Towhee (now the Eastern Towhee). Friday, September 19, the weather was quite different. The sun came out and another net was set up near Bear Rocks. Charles Handley arrived from Charleston with five mist nets as he had promised. These nets were set up along Fisher Spring Trail, which is some distance south of the Red Creek Campground. Nineteen birds of II species were banded the second day. Saturday started out like a banner day for bird banding. Bell banded 21 birds of nine species before clouds moved in, and rain was falling by 9:30 a.m. Bell shut down the nets due to the rain. George Hall, a chemistry professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown, arrived later that day to assist. The first weekend of banding was set up to coincide with the Brooks Bird Club's Hawk Count. However, Sunday brought more rain and wind, and most hawk counters did not drive out from Davis, West Virginia, where many had spent the night at Warden's Hotel. Bell and his crew took down the nets. At that time, cattle and sheep foraged all summer long on Dolly Sods. The cows liked to come to the Red Creek site for grass and water. This meant when the nets were up, they were always in danger of being run into and torn. After taking the nets down and dismantling their camp, the men gave the mountains back to the cows, sheep, and bear hunters. Bell banded 54 individuals of 19 species during the first attempt at banding on the Sods. The species banded and the totals for each were Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, 1; Black-capped Chickadee, 9; Gray-cheeked Thrush, 4; Swainson's Thrush 12; Wood Thrush, 2; Gray Catbird, 2; Brown Thrasher, 1; Tennessee Warbler, 1; Nashville Warbler, 1; Magnolia Warbler, 4; Black-throated Blue Warbler, 2; Bay-breasted Warbler, 1; Ovenbird, 2; Common Yellowthroat, 2; Wilson's Warbler, 2; Eastern Towhee, 4; Lincoln's Sparrow, 1; Swamp Sparrow, 2; and Dark-eyed Junco, 1. Bell published a scientific report on the first banding at Dolly Sods (Bell, 1959). There was published, also, a report by James Baird, Aaron M. Bagg, Ian C. T. Nisbet, and Chandler S. Robbins in Bird Banding (Baird et ai, 1959). On page 151, the Baird report says, in part, "Stations at Inland and Gulf Localities. Intensive netting operations were conducted at Point PeIee, Ontario (Dow 1959) and at the Cedar Grove Ornithological Station on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan (Muller, 1959). Preliminary operations were conducted at several other stations, including the Michigan shore of Lake Michigan (Lawrence H. Walkinshaw), Bear Rocks on the Allegheny Front in West Virginia (Ralph K. Bell, et al.) and the entrance of Mobile Bay, Alabama (Thomas A. Imhof, et al.)." In the fall of 1959, Bell established a more ambitious program to band the migrating birds on Dolly Sods. Bell was assisted by George Hall, Ralph Hom, Gordon Knight, Charles Sior, Virginia Sior, and Allen Sior in various capacities. Knight, a West Virginia University student and licensed bander, had banded at Operation Recovery at Ocean City, Maryland, with Chandler Robbins. Although three banding sites were tested in 1958, it was decided to use only the Red Creek Campground in 1959. There were many birds there, a spring nearby for water, and plenty of space to camp if you avoided the many rocks. The 12 campsite locations that are there today were not constructed until years later. The station was operated continuously from September 3 to September 13, and then on the weekends of September 18-20, 26-27, and October 10-11. Ten was the usual number of nets used. Bell and Knight banded 432 birds of 51 species during the 18 days of operation. Wing measurements and estimates of fat deposits were taken from most of the birds banded, but without scales, no body weights were taken. Probably the most unexpected birds caught were two Saw-whet Owls. Gordon Knight (1960) wrote a report on the 1959 Dolly Sods banding effort. It is important to note that the AFMO station closes earlier in the fall than the coastal stations due to the cold and snow at this high elevation. The road to Dolly Sods is gated each year by the Forest Service due to the deep snowfalls at the higher altitude. The date the road closes, in the late fall or early winter, varies, depending on the amount of snow. On November 6, 1958, Bell wrote in a letter to Robbins, "Maybe Hall would apply for a banding permit if he could get more experience ... and I'll see that he gets that experience." Hall followed Bell's suggestion. When the 1960 fall banding season approached, Hall had applied for and obtained his permit. From the 1960 banding season until the fall of 1998, when he retired from banding, Hall banded birds at AFMO. Originally Bell wore many hats at Dolly Sods, including the leadership of the station, field study and research projects, and the actual banding. As noted previously, he wrote the project summary report after the first year. In 1960, George Hall indicated interest in writing the yearly summary report, and each year since the 1960 fall banding season, Hall has compiled and written a summary of all the volunteer banders' records, including a list of the species, number of birds banded, and other related data. Hall also lists the banders, number of net hours, and number of visitors, lists the countries represented among visitors to the banding station, and gives credit to all the people who help. The reports are distributed to AFMO banders, managers of other banding stations, and other interested people. Most of the annual reports have been published in The Redstart (Hall, 1961, and bibliographic note). During the first five years of operation, all of the banding was done at the Red Creek Campground. The birds banded were a mixture of migrants, feeding or resting after a night's flight, and summer residents. In 1963, Bell changed the banding site to what has become its permanent location. He did this because he had observed in September, 1962, that the campground nets were not catching many birds and that many migrants were flying over the campground in a southwesterly direction. He followed deer trails to the eastern edge, or rim, of the mountain (more than 200 yards northeast of the campground), and he saw that there were large flights of birds funneling up through a slight gap in the ridge, which formed a natural bowl below the eastern rim of the mountain. The next fall, 1963, the usual II nets were put in place at the campground, and another four nets were placed at the rim near the center of the gap on a trial basis. The nets at the rim proved so successful that in 1964 only two nets were placed at the campground, and at least eight nets were placed at the rim. In the fall of 1965 more net lanes were cleared at the rim, and the campground nets were eliminated entirely. After the nets were moved to the rim site, the species mix radically changed from the campground catches, because most of the birds caught at the rim were actually migrating. Many dedicated people contributed to the success of the AFMO banding operation. Some of the early helpers were John Morgan, who had a banding sub-permit under Bell and lived in a tent at the campground from September 1 to 28, 1967, and banded 1,267 birds of 65 species; Thomas and Virginia Olsen, who parked their trailer at the campground for banders to use; and Cora Williams of Indiana, Pennsylvania, who came to help with the banding in 1966 and operated the station for much of September for the next few years (Williams, 1967). In the late 1960's and the 1970's, Jack Linehan banded, and sometimes brought his University of Delaware classes up to the station, and AFMO became a learning center where visitors could learn about birds and bird banding. Among the station volunteers there have been several families. Since the early 1970's, John and Genevieve Findley and their family were great contributors to the project. The Findlay’s were campground hosts for about 25 years and were very kind and helpful to the many campers who came to the Red Creek Campground. They were ever present to see that the nets were not disturbed after the banding was finished for the day. Also, the Findlay’s were experts on the flora, fauna, and history of the Dolly Sods area (Findley, 1999). In 1973, they discovered a new variety of cranberry on Dolly Sods, and working in conjunction with West Virginia University botanist, Earl Core, it was named Green Cranberry (Vaceinium macrocarponforma Dahlei'). The variety Dahlei was named for the original owners of the Dolly Sods, the Dahle family. The Findlay’s' son, Sheldon, brought enough limestone chips, and the whole family pitched in to help make a wonderful path from the parking lot to the banding area. Jack Minear and his wife Joleene, and Harold Findley and Jennifer Findley and their families, have been a great help in many aspects of the operation. In 1969, Carol and Frederick McCullough visited AFMO and met Ralph Bell. He began training them to help at the banding station. Bell sent them a Brooks Bird Club membership application, and they joined the club. The McCullough’s continued to come to AFMO with their young sons and helped in many ways over the years. Bell, recognizing their knowledge of birds and their long-time dedication to the station, offered to be their master permittee. Fred and Carol obtained their sub-permits under him, and began banding at AFMO in 1999. Being avid hikers, they have been a great help to the many visitors at Dolly Sods and can tell them much about the numerous hiking trails in the area. Trudy Smith of Lyme, Connecticut, upon the recommendation of the Banding Office, traveled to Bell and his wife, Betty's, home to obtain experience to have the use of mist nets added to her banding permit. According to Bell, Trudy "had the fire some people have for the study of birds," and in 1977 he invited Smith to band at AFMO. This was the beginning of her long association with the banding station. Trudy and her husband, Earl, came for many years to participate. They would sometimes stay for extended periods. Trudy was known for always saying a prayer of thanks to God every morning when she held the first bird of the day to band. She was also known for sleeping perpendicular to the wind on really windy nights, so if Charles Ziegenfus trailer, in which she was staying, blew over, she would be standing upright. This marks her great sense of humor, which should be packed in everyone's camping gear, as it is vital to teamwork. Trudy once left food outside the trailer in a cooler overnight, and a bear ate her ham and butter and drank the milk. Her experience is well known and campers to this day take precautions, as bears still frequent the area. In 1978, Leon Wilson from Ona, West Virginia, began banding at AFMO. He and his wife, Dolores, would bring their trailer and stay for an extended period. Leon was noted for his wonderful ability to share his knowledge with the many participants and visitors. He banded almost every year through 1995. To this day, many people get a tear in their eye when they return in the fall to AFMO because they remember Leon so fondly. Maxine Kiff, a relative of Leon Wilson's, came to band for many years, as did Clark Miller, who was great in the field of public relations. The banding station served as a model station for those who wanted hands-on experience before going on to start projects of their own. Frances Pope and Connie Skipper, who came a few times to band at Dolly Sods, now operate their own banding station near Oakland, Maryland. People came from near and far. Jo Lane Stern and Ephe Olliver (former supervisor of the Monongahela National Forest) came to AFMO from Elkins, West Virginia, to band for many years. They and other Brooks Bird Club members stayed at the West Virginia D R cabin at the foot of the mountains near Laneville. George and Cleo Mayfield, who were banders from Tennessee, flew a private plane to the airport in the valley town of Petersburg and then rented a car to get to Dolly Sods. In the late 1970's, Donald and Martha Shearer came up to help with the banding operation and parked their trailer at the campground for banders to use as housing if needed. It can get very cold, windy, and rainy up on top of the mountain, so a protected place to sleep was greatly appreciated. Anne Shreve (a well-known artist in addition to being a bird enthusiast), remembers these times fondly, when she and Connie Katholi banded at AFMO. In our 2004 visit to her and husband, Harvey's, home in Florida, Shreve laughed when she remembered how she and Connie had enjoyed the Shearer's trailer. She and Connie went so far as to create a big sign, saying, "Baysinger's Sweethearts," and hung it on the trailer. (Earl Baysinger was chief of the Banding Office at that time.) In the late 1970's and in the 1980's, Kathleen and Michael Finnegan were an important factor at the station (Finnegan, 1979). Kathleen helped with net tending and Mike, being a fine artist, used his talent by making signs, as well as assisting at the station. They, like all participants, took their skills and applied them wherever they were needed to improve the station operation. During the early years, most of the banding was carried out in a small cave that was slightly below the east rim of the mountain. Bell chose this cave because banders could be out of the wind and rain on unfavorable weather days. Steps were made down to the cave from large rocks found in the area, and Bell put up a large board with hooks in the cave to hold the banding equipment. He also built a wooden railing for people to hold onto when they went down the steps to the cave. Banders still use the cave on busy days. Bell carved directional arrows for north, east, south and west on the large, flat rock above the cave. It serves as a reminder of the early banding efforts at AFMO. The banding was carried out, for the most part, in the cave up to 1979. Since the path to the cave was very steep, LeJay Graffious, who had been helping at the station since 1977, offered to construct a banding shed on a level place above the cave. In 1980, Graffious designed and built the shed where most banding is done now. LeJay, his wife, Helen Ann, his son Jay, and some other volunteers assemble the shed at the start of the banding season each August, and then dismantle it in October. The shed is stored for the winter in a building at the foot of the mountain near the Laneville D R cabin. We are grateful to the Division of Natural Resources for allowing us to use their building. After many years of helping at AFMO, Graffious obtained, as many had before, a sub-permit under station leader Bell, and he began banding in 1994. Charles Ziegenfus, professor of Mathematics and Ornithology instructor at James Madison University, began banding at AFMO in 1983. Ziegenfus is an authority on the Slate-colored race of the Dark-eyed Junco and many other species, and he enjoys teaching about bird behavior, plumage, migration, and data analysis. He still bands at AFMO and brings his trailer and leaves it all fall to be used by banders who do not have a place to stay. Beginning in 1981, Kenneth Heselton and Susan Heselton assisted at AFMO for many years, and then like many others, Sue was inspired to obtain a banding permit. She began banding at the station in 1989, and Ken in 1998. In 1987, Ken designed and built a two-tier net assembly, which he called the "AFMO hi-Io net." Bell dubbed his invention the "Kentraption." Ken's purpose was to help catch some of the higher-flying birds that fly above the standard nets, and his netting system has helped a great deal to satisfy this goal (Hooker, 1988). Also, in 1981, Judith Ward and Roy Ward began volunteering at AFMO. Judy, too, acquired her sub-permit under Bell and began banding at the station in 1982. She obtained her master permit in 1988. In 1983, a bander named Walter Fye and his wife Annabelle, Carl Rowe and Ruth Rowe, and Benjamin Myers and Evelyn Myers began their trek to the station every year to help. Also, Robert Dean and Ruth Ann Dean started helping in the mid-1980's. Bob began banding at AFMO in 1994. Everyone around Bob learns something about the birds and nature, because he is an exceptional teacher, and he shares his love of God's world with a gentle enthusiasm. To celebrate the 100,000th bird banded at AFMO, Melvin Hooker, although not a bander, summarized 10 years of data, 1975 through 1984, from the AFMO banding efforts (Hooker, 1986a; Hooker, 1986b). Hooker listed the number of birds banded of each species during that period and made charts showing the start of the migration, when the migration peaked and when it ended for 30 of the most commonly captured species at AFMO. Hooker's wife, Harriet, came up with him and also volunteered at the station. Bell has written a paper on the recoveries of banded birds at AFMO from 1958 through 2002, which can be found elsewhere in this issue of The Redstart. In the 1980's, Bell began corresponding with Laurie Goodrich who is now the Senior Monitoring Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near the town of Kempton, Pennsylvania. He wrote to her about the hummingbirds that they were seeing flying over their respective stations in the fall. The Hawk Mountain flyover counts inspired Bell to do some limited species counts at AFMO, and in 1990 serious attempts were made to count Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Blue Jays, and American Goldfinches as they migrate in the daytime and most fly over the nets. Some years huge flights of Blue Jays go by the station, as you will note in Bell's paper elsewhere in this issue of The Redstart. Monarch Butterflies are also counted, and dragonflies, as the Green Darner and Black Mantled Glider are known to migrate, also. Other species seen migrating over Dolly Sods were also documented. Many interested people have helped compile the records for the AFMO flyover count. Iverean Pierce helped lead the identifying and counting from 1990-1996. In 1997, JoAnn Graham assumed these duties, and she continues to do this with the help of her husband, Philip Graham, and other volunteers. The Grahams have been coming to Dolly Sods since 1983 and have been net tenders for many years. Seeing the flyover species being counted helps create a lot of interest about migration among the volunteers and visitors at the banding station. Bell hopes to expand the flyover counts to include more species in the future. In 1986, Lynn Barnhart began helping at AFMO and, in 1991 started banding at the station. Lynn's knowledge of herpetology, snakes in particular, has captivated children and adults every time he is around. Maintenance of the net lanes is a necessary component of efficient operation of the station. Thomas and Dawn Fox and their sons, John (Jay) and Matthew, began helping with this and other tasks at AFMO in the late 1980's. The Fox family and Charlotte Duffield have done considerable work with the maintenance of the net lanes in the past few years. Also, this time marked the arrival of Randolph (Randy) and Elizabeth (Beth) Ritter. In 1996 Randy announced that he had obtained his sub-permit under Janet Shaffer (an AFMO bander who has her own banding station called Bedford Valley in Bedford County, Pennsylvania), and he began banding in earnest at the station. Randy and Beth became the campground hosts in 1998, after John and Genevieve Findley were no longer able to continue on a full-time basis. I started banding at AFMO in 1991 with my father, Ralph Bell, as master permittee. In 2000, Ralph asked me to be co-leader of AFMO with him. My husband, Donald Pattison, helped his father-in-law, Bell, at the station in the 1970s, and he has been coming again since 1990. He and I stay at the banding station nearly the entire time of the fall banding operation. I have worked side-by-side with my father, assisting him with his banding in many ways since he obtained his banding permit in 1954. Because of his mentoring and my apprenticeship under him for over forty years, I know his method and the purpose of the project, and I am familiar with all that is under the umbrella of the AFMO. I plan to continue his vision for the AFMO bird banding station for its continued operation into the future. There will be many people in the future, as there have been in the past, who seek out the station. Some come as a result of their reading, and others hear by word of mouth. For example, William Agee and Doris Agee started coming up to AFMO in 1999, because they were told at a nature workshop at Canaan Valley Resort that they would learn what they wanted to know about birds at the banding station. They have continued to come to the station to volunteer. Allegheny Front Migration Observatory is one of the oldest annually operated bird banding stations in existence in the United States. The number of birds that have been banded there in the 45 years it has been in operation from 1958 to 2003 is 195,622 with 120 species banded. For a discussion of recoveries of birds banded at AFMO and foreign recoveries made at AFMO, see Ralph K. Bell's article in the Volume 70 Issue 4 of The Redstart.
Many people have participated in banding at AFMO over the years. Several have passed away, and some have moved on to other pursuits. Each individual has left us with special memories of their hard work, humor, vision, and dedication. Their names and the years they banded at AFMO are as follows:
Ralph K. Bell, Founder, 1958 to date; Gordon Knight, 1959; George A. Hall, 1960 to 1998; Constance Katholi, 1965 to 1974; Maxine Kiff, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986; John Morgan, 1965, 1968; Thomas Olsen, 1965; Anne Shreve, 1965 to 1975; Cora Williams, 1965 to 1970; Clark Miller, 1966, 1972 to 1975,1978,1979; Jack Linehan, 1968 to 1970, 1973 to 1979; Avis Newell, 1972 to 1974, 1976 to 1978; Frances Pope, 1972 to 1978, 1980, 1983; John Willets, 1973 to 1977; Ephe Olliver, 1975 to 1988; Arthur Dunnell, 1976; Gloria Aiken, 1977; Joseph ImBrogno, 1977 to 1979; Janice Musser, 1977; Trudy Smith, 1977 to 1982, 1989 to 1992; JoLane Stern 1977 to 1991; Leon Wilson, 1978, 1980 to 1988, 1990 to 1995; Susan Edmunds, 1979, 1983; George Mayfield, 1979,1980,1985,1995; Julie Simpson, 1981 to 1983,1995; Judith Ward, 1982-2001; Walter Fye, 1983 to 1995,1997,1998,2000; Harry Slack, 1983; Sally Thayer, 1983; Charles Ziegenfus, 1983 to date; John Jones, 1985; Constance Skipper, 1986, 1990; Robert Hogan, 1987; Patricia Hogan, 1987; Barbara Bilsborough, 1989, 1991, 1992; Susan Heselton, 1989 to date; Lynn Barnhart, 1991 to 1995, 1997 to date; Joan Bell Pattison, 1991 to 1994, 1996 to date; Janet Shafer, 1992 to 2000; Robert Dean, 1994 to date; LeJay Graffious, 1994 to date; Elizabeth Gatewood, 1995; Cleo Mayfield, 1995; David Skinner, 1995 to 1997; Randolph Ritter, 1996 to date; Steven Huy, 1997,2000; Kenneth Heselton, 1998 to date; Susan Heselton, 1989 to date; Carol McCullough, 1999 to date; Frederick McCullough, 1999 to date;
All of the 49 banders were volunteers at AFMO, and all had their own supply of bands. The banders and their families have been very helpful and generous in donating their time and effort to participate in banding and in compiling their records and making them available for the station records and annual reports. This banding station, also, has been blessed with the support of many other volunteers who tend nets, help keep records and maintain the net lanes, give talks to the visitors about birds and the purpose of the station, and perform many other duties that have insured that the banding operations work smoothly and efficiently. In addition, the USDA Forest Service, the Monongahela National Forest, the Potomac District Ranger Station, the West Virginia DNR, and other government agencies have been very cooperative and helpful. Our sincere thanks and appreciation go out to everyone. Over the years, there have been thousands of visitors to the banding station at AFMO from all over the United States and many countries of the world, including England, Australia, Scotland, France, Denmark, Isle of Man, The Netherlands, Columbia, Italy, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, China, Germany, New Zealand, Belgium, Japan, India, Germany, Brazil, Holland, Newfoundland, Belize, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Iraq, Russia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Canada, Honduras, and Costa Rica. 0 doubt some come to see the mountain and to get away from the constant stress of life in the civilized world. The isolation on the mountain is, at times, changed somewhat by an influx of blueberry or cranberry pickers, hikers, and sightseers. Regardless, the remote mountain to -where the moon and stars are much brighter; where you can hear the owls; the thumping of the Ruffed Grouse; the howls of the coyotes; the wind whistling in the red spruce; the nocturnal calls of the thrushes, warblers, and other passerines; and the campfires, circled around with old and new friends-is great for the body and soul. "Wilderness is the salvation of the world. Perhaps this is the hidden meaning of the howl of the wolf, long known around mountains but seldom perceived among men." (Aldo Leopold)
Special Acknowledgements
This history of the AFMO was made possible by Ralph K. Bell's library of articles, including many by Bell himself (Bell, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967,1968,1969, 1970a, 1970b, 1970c, 1971, 1986). Also important were the AFMO yearly summaries of banding carefully compiled by George A. Hall, and diaries, letters, publications, and journals that were kept with meticulous and loving care by Ralph Bell, as well as interviews I had with Lynn Barnhart, Ralph Bell, Robert Dean, John Findley, Joleene Findley, Walter Fye, Laurie Goodrich, LeJay Graffious, JoAnn Graham, Philip Graham, Kenneth Heselton, Susan Heselton, Ralph Horn, Maxine Kiff, Gordon Knight, Jack Linehan, George Mayfield, Carol McCullough, Frederick McCullough, Donald Pattison, Iverean Pierce, Elizabeth Ritter, Randolph Ritter, Chandler Robbins, Harvey Shreve, Anne Shreve, Trudy Smith, Leon Wilson, Cora Williams, and Charles Ziegenfus. I thank Anne Shreve for reading the manuscript. lowe all of these people a huge debt of gratitude.
References
Baird, J., Bagg, A. M., Nisbet, l. C. T., & Robbins, C. S. (1959). Operation Recovery - Report on mist netting along the Atlantic Coast in 1958. Bird Banding, 30(3), 143-171.
Bell, R.K. (1959). The banding operation on Allegheny Front, September 1958. The Redstart, 26(2), 38-39.
Bell, R.K. (1964). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct. 1964, EBBA News, 27(6),254-258.
Bell, R.K. (1965). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1965, EBBA News, 28(6),284-288.
Bell, R.K. (1966). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1966, EBBA News, 29(6),272-274.
Bell, R.K. (1967). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1967, EBBA News, 30(6),245-247.
Bell, R.K. (1968). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1968. EBBA News, 31(6),267-270.
Bell, R.K. (1969). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1969. EBBA News, 32(6),264-266.
Bell, R.K. (1970a). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1970. EBBA News, 33(6),295-296.
Bell, R,K. (1970b). A bird banders diary, ov.-Dec., 1970. EBBA News, 34(1), 39-40.
Bell, R.K. (1970c). A bird banders diary, migration along the Allegheny Front, EBBA News, Vol. 34(2), pp. 77-80.
Bell, R. K. (1971). Untitled report on Eastern Bluebirds on Dolly Sods. In C. Katholi (Ed.), The Gathering Cage. The Redstart, Vol. 38( 1), pp. 22-23.
Bell, R.K. (1986), A bird banders diary, results of AFMO bandings lumped into five year periods, The Redstart, 53(1),41-42.
Brooks, M. (1954). The ornithological year: 1954. The Redstart, 22(1), 1-3.
DeGarmo, W.R. (1953). A five-year study of hawk migration. The Redstart, 20(3),3954.
Davis, W.H., (1953). A diurnal warbler migration at Bear Rocks. The Redstart, 20(1), 16-17.
Findley, J. (1999). Dolly Sods-a botanist's paradise, The Redstart, 66(2),64-66.
In the 1950s the Brooks Bird Club of Wheeling, West Virginia, began to have systematic hawk counts at several locations on the crests of the higher mountains in West Virginia (DeGarmo, 1953). One of the favorite places for hawk counting, known as Bear Rocks, is located on the high ridge at the northern end of Dolly Sods on Allegheny Front Mountain, approximately ten miles east southeast of Davis, West Virginia. The elevation is about 4,000 feet above sea level. The Dolly Sods plateau is rather flat, and virgin Red Spruce dominated much of the area before the trees were cut for lumber during the 1880's-1920's period. Later, fires burned vast areas including the two to four feet of accumulated humus, and as a result, rocky areas abound. The Red Spruce is coming back in some areas. Many of the exposed, taller spruce have branches, for the most part, only on the east side due to the strong, cold westerly winds. Aspen, Mountain Ash, Huckleberry, and Blueberry bushes are common, and their colors are strikingly beautiful in the fall. While they were conducting their fall hawk counts, many members of the Brooks Bird Club observed diurnal flights of numerous fall migratory passerine birds. Included among these observers was Ralph K. Bell, a Pennsylvania State University graduate in Poultry Husbandry, and the leader of the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO) from the time he founded the banding station in 1958 until the present day. Several articles had been written about the passerine migrations over Bear Rocks in the early 1950's. Wayne H. Davis (1953) wrote about the observations at Bear Rocks that he and Christy Weiland made on September 21, 1952. Maurice Brooks (1954) wrote about his observations in The Redstart, and in 1955, George A. Hall published the observations he and Richard Hessler had made (Hall, 1955). Ralph Bell, a licensed bird bander, had been banding birds at his farm in Clarksville, Pennsylvania, since 1954. After observing the fall migration of passerine birds at Dolly Sods for several years, Bell decided to net and band birds there to study the species that use this migration route. Field observers along the Atlantic coast had also observed that under certain weather conditions hundreds and even thousands of migrating songbirds were noted at certain coastal locations in the fall. Because of this, Chandler S. Robbins, James Baird, Aaron M. Bagg, and John Dennis planned large-scale banding of migrants along the Atlantic coast in the fall of 1955. About 1,500 birds were banded the first fall. Interest in the project and total birds banded increased greatly in 1956 and 1957. This project, sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Service, was dubbed Operation Recovery on the remote chance that one of the banding stations might recover a bird that had been banded at another station to the north. Ralph Bell was soon to be involved in this pioneer banding effort.
The Fish and Wildlife Service in the Department of Interior issued a banding permit to Ralph Bell in 1954. Chandler S. Robbins, a biologist studying bird population and distribution with the Fish and Wildlife Service, extended an invitation for Bell to join him on his Christmas Bird Count in Oakland, Maryland, in 1954. As a result of this experience, Bell began his own Christmas Bird Count in Clarksville where he had been doing bird studies since 1927. Robbins and Bell became friends in the field and in purpose and continued to correspond about their common interest in birds. After hearing about the success of Chandler Robbins, et al. with Operation Recovery, Bell contacted Robbins and asked if he thought there would be any merit in setting up an inland banding station on the Allegheny Front Mountains in West Virginia. Robbins supported him completely in this endeavor. Bell then wrote to Charles O. Handley of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), explained what he wanted to do on Dolly Sods, and asked for permission to band in West Virginia. Charles Handley not only authorized Bell to band in West Virginia, Handley thought it was such a great idea that he offered to bring up some mist nets and assist in the project. So, the Dolly Sods project was launched. With permits in hand and support from Handley, Bell made arrangements to begin banding at Dolly Sods in the fall of 1958. Ralph Bell and his friend, Ralph Horn, arrived on Dolly Sods on September 17, 1958. Later that day Richard Hessler joined them. Net lanes were cleared along the path to the spring at the Red Creek cabin site (later the site of the present day Red Creek Campground), which is about two miles south of the hawk watching spot at Bear Rocks. The net lanes were, by road, approximately seven miles from the nearest house in one direction and ten miles in the other direction. The next morning the weather was not good; it was rainy and windy, but four nets were put up anyway. In spite of the bad weather, five birds were banded by Bell on Thursday, September 18, 1958. The species banded that first day at what would later be known as the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO) were Nashville Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, and Rufous-sided Towhee (now the Eastern Towhee). Friday, September 19, the weather was quite different. The sun came out and another net was set up near Bear Rocks. Charles Handley arrived from Charleston with five mist nets as he had promised. These nets were set up along Fisher Spring Trail, which is some distance south of the Red Creek Campground. Nineteen birds of II species were banded the second day. Saturday started out like a banner day for bird banding. Bell banded 21 birds of nine species before clouds moved in, and rain was falling by 9:30 a.m. Bell shut down the nets due to the rain. George Hall, a chemistry professor at West Virginia University in Morgantown, arrived later that day to assist. The first weekend of banding was set up to coincide with the Brooks Bird Club's Hawk Count. However, Sunday brought more rain and wind, and most hawk counters did not drive out from Davis, West Virginia, where many had spent the night at Warden's Hotel. Bell and his crew took down the nets. At that time, cattle and sheep foraged all summer long on Dolly Sods. The cows liked to come to the Red Creek site for grass and water. This meant when the nets were up, they were always in danger of being run into and torn. After taking the nets down and dismantling their camp, the men gave the mountains back to the cows, sheep, and bear hunters. Bell banded 54 individuals of 19 species during the first attempt at banding on the Sods. The species banded and the totals for each were Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, 1; Black-capped Chickadee, 9; Gray-cheeked Thrush, 4; Swainson's Thrush 12; Wood Thrush, 2; Gray Catbird, 2; Brown Thrasher, 1; Tennessee Warbler, 1; Nashville Warbler, 1; Magnolia Warbler, 4; Black-throated Blue Warbler, 2; Bay-breasted Warbler, 1; Ovenbird, 2; Common Yellowthroat, 2; Wilson's Warbler, 2; Eastern Towhee, 4; Lincoln's Sparrow, 1; Swamp Sparrow, 2; and Dark-eyed Junco, 1. Bell published a scientific report on the first banding at Dolly Sods (Bell, 1959). There was published, also, a report by James Baird, Aaron M. Bagg, Ian C. T. Nisbet, and Chandler S. Robbins in Bird Banding (Baird et ai, 1959). On page 151, the Baird report says, in part, "Stations at Inland and Gulf Localities. Intensive netting operations were conducted at Point PeIee, Ontario (Dow 1959) and at the Cedar Grove Ornithological Station on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan (Muller, 1959). Preliminary operations were conducted at several other stations, including the Michigan shore of Lake Michigan (Lawrence H. Walkinshaw), Bear Rocks on the Allegheny Front in West Virginia (Ralph K. Bell, et al.) and the entrance of Mobile Bay, Alabama (Thomas A. Imhof, et al.)." In the fall of 1959, Bell established a more ambitious program to band the migrating birds on Dolly Sods. Bell was assisted by George Hall, Ralph Hom, Gordon Knight, Charles Sior, Virginia Sior, and Allen Sior in various capacities. Knight, a West Virginia University student and licensed bander, had banded at Operation Recovery at Ocean City, Maryland, with Chandler Robbins. Although three banding sites were tested in 1958, it was decided to use only the Red Creek Campground in 1959. There were many birds there, a spring nearby for water, and plenty of space to camp if you avoided the many rocks. The 12 campsite locations that are there today were not constructed until years later. The station was operated continuously from September 3 to September 13, and then on the weekends of September 18-20, 26-27, and October 10-11. Ten was the usual number of nets used. Bell and Knight banded 432 birds of 51 species during the 18 days of operation. Wing measurements and estimates of fat deposits were taken from most of the birds banded, but without scales, no body weights were taken. Probably the most unexpected birds caught were two Saw-whet Owls. Gordon Knight (1960) wrote a report on the 1959 Dolly Sods banding effort. It is important to note that the AFMO station closes earlier in the fall than the coastal stations due to the cold and snow at this high elevation. The road to Dolly Sods is gated each year by the Forest Service due to the deep snowfalls at the higher altitude. The date the road closes, in the late fall or early winter, varies, depending on the amount of snow. On November 6, 1958, Bell wrote in a letter to Robbins, "Maybe Hall would apply for a banding permit if he could get more experience ... and I'll see that he gets that experience." Hall followed Bell's suggestion. When the 1960 fall banding season approached, Hall had applied for and obtained his permit. From the 1960 banding season until the fall of 1998, when he retired from banding, Hall banded birds at AFMO. Originally Bell wore many hats at Dolly Sods, including the leadership of the station, field study and research projects, and the actual banding. As noted previously, he wrote the project summary report after the first year. In 1960, George Hall indicated interest in writing the yearly summary report, and each year since the 1960 fall banding season, Hall has compiled and written a summary of all the volunteer banders' records, including a list of the species, number of birds banded, and other related data. Hall also lists the banders, number of net hours, and number of visitors, lists the countries represented among visitors to the banding station, and gives credit to all the people who help. The reports are distributed to AFMO banders, managers of other banding stations, and other interested people. Most of the annual reports have been published in The Redstart (Hall, 1961, and bibliographic note). During the first five years of operation, all of the banding was done at the Red Creek Campground. The birds banded were a mixture of migrants, feeding or resting after a night's flight, and summer residents. In 1963, Bell changed the banding site to what has become its permanent location. He did this because he had observed in September, 1962, that the campground nets were not catching many birds and that many migrants were flying over the campground in a southwesterly direction. He followed deer trails to the eastern edge, or rim, of the mountain (more than 200 yards northeast of the campground), and he saw that there were large flights of birds funneling up through a slight gap in the ridge, which formed a natural bowl below the eastern rim of the mountain. The next fall, 1963, the usual II nets were put in place at the campground, and another four nets were placed at the rim near the center of the gap on a trial basis. The nets at the rim proved so successful that in 1964 only two nets were placed at the campground, and at least eight nets were placed at the rim. In the fall of 1965 more net lanes were cleared at the rim, and the campground nets were eliminated entirely. After the nets were moved to the rim site, the species mix radically changed from the campground catches, because most of the birds caught at the rim were actually migrating. Many dedicated people contributed to the success of the AFMO banding operation. Some of the early helpers were John Morgan, who had a banding sub-permit under Bell and lived in a tent at the campground from September 1 to 28, 1967, and banded 1,267 birds of 65 species; Thomas and Virginia Olsen, who parked their trailer at the campground for banders to use; and Cora Williams of Indiana, Pennsylvania, who came to help with the banding in 1966 and operated the station for much of September for the next few years (Williams, 1967). In the late 1960's and the 1970's, Jack Linehan banded, and sometimes brought his University of Delaware classes up to the station, and AFMO became a learning center where visitors could learn about birds and bird banding. Among the station volunteers there have been several families. Since the early 1970's, John and Genevieve Findley and their family were great contributors to the project. The Findlay’s were campground hosts for about 25 years and were very kind and helpful to the many campers who came to the Red Creek Campground. They were ever present to see that the nets were not disturbed after the banding was finished for the day. Also, the Findlay’s were experts on the flora, fauna, and history of the Dolly Sods area (Findley, 1999). In 1973, they discovered a new variety of cranberry on Dolly Sods, and working in conjunction with West Virginia University botanist, Earl Core, it was named Green Cranberry (Vaceinium macrocarponforma Dahlei'). The variety Dahlei was named for the original owners of the Dolly Sods, the Dahle family. The Findlay’s' son, Sheldon, brought enough limestone chips, and the whole family pitched in to help make a wonderful path from the parking lot to the banding area. Jack Minear and his wife Joleene, and Harold Findley and Jennifer Findley and their families, have been a great help in many aspects of the operation. In 1969, Carol and Frederick McCullough visited AFMO and met Ralph Bell. He began training them to help at the banding station. Bell sent them a Brooks Bird Club membership application, and they joined the club. The McCullough’s continued to come to AFMO with their young sons and helped in many ways over the years. Bell, recognizing their knowledge of birds and their long-time dedication to the station, offered to be their master permittee. Fred and Carol obtained their sub-permits under him, and began banding at AFMO in 1999. Being avid hikers, they have been a great help to the many visitors at Dolly Sods and can tell them much about the numerous hiking trails in the area. Trudy Smith of Lyme, Connecticut, upon the recommendation of the Banding Office, traveled to Bell and his wife, Betty's, home to obtain experience to have the use of mist nets added to her banding permit. According to Bell, Trudy "had the fire some people have for the study of birds," and in 1977 he invited Smith to band at AFMO. This was the beginning of her long association with the banding station. Trudy and her husband, Earl, came for many years to participate. They would sometimes stay for extended periods. Trudy was known for always saying a prayer of thanks to God every morning when she held the first bird of the day to band. She was also known for sleeping perpendicular to the wind on really windy nights, so if Charles Ziegenfus trailer, in which she was staying, blew over, she would be standing upright. This marks her great sense of humor, which should be packed in everyone's camping gear, as it is vital to teamwork. Trudy once left food outside the trailer in a cooler overnight, and a bear ate her ham and butter and drank the milk. Her experience is well known and campers to this day take precautions, as bears still frequent the area. In 1978, Leon Wilson from Ona, West Virginia, began banding at AFMO. He and his wife, Dolores, would bring their trailer and stay for an extended period. Leon was noted for his wonderful ability to share his knowledge with the many participants and visitors. He banded almost every year through 1995. To this day, many people get a tear in their eye when they return in the fall to AFMO because they remember Leon so fondly. Maxine Kiff, a relative of Leon Wilson's, came to band for many years, as did Clark Miller, who was great in the field of public relations. The banding station served as a model station for those who wanted hands-on experience before going on to start projects of their own. Frances Pope and Connie Skipper, who came a few times to band at Dolly Sods, now operate their own banding station near Oakland, Maryland. People came from near and far. Jo Lane Stern and Ephe Olliver (former supervisor of the Monongahela National Forest) came to AFMO from Elkins, West Virginia, to band for many years. They and other Brooks Bird Club members stayed at the West Virginia D R cabin at the foot of the mountains near Laneville. George and Cleo Mayfield, who were banders from Tennessee, flew a private plane to the airport in the valley town of Petersburg and then rented a car to get to Dolly Sods. In the late 1970's, Donald and Martha Shearer came up to help with the banding operation and parked their trailer at the campground for banders to use as housing if needed. It can get very cold, windy, and rainy up on top of the mountain, so a protected place to sleep was greatly appreciated. Anne Shreve (a well-known artist in addition to being a bird enthusiast), remembers these times fondly, when she and Connie Katholi banded at AFMO. In our 2004 visit to her and husband, Harvey's, home in Florida, Shreve laughed when she remembered how she and Connie had enjoyed the Shearer's trailer. She and Connie went so far as to create a big sign, saying, "Baysinger's Sweethearts," and hung it on the trailer. (Earl Baysinger was chief of the Banding Office at that time.) In the late 1970's and in the 1980's, Kathleen and Michael Finnegan were an important factor at the station (Finnegan, 1979). Kathleen helped with net tending and Mike, being a fine artist, used his talent by making signs, as well as assisting at the station. They, like all participants, took their skills and applied them wherever they were needed to improve the station operation. During the early years, most of the banding was carried out in a small cave that was slightly below the east rim of the mountain. Bell chose this cave because banders could be out of the wind and rain on unfavorable weather days. Steps were made down to the cave from large rocks found in the area, and Bell put up a large board with hooks in the cave to hold the banding equipment. He also built a wooden railing for people to hold onto when they went down the steps to the cave. Banders still use the cave on busy days. Bell carved directional arrows for north, east, south and west on the large, flat rock above the cave. It serves as a reminder of the early banding efforts at AFMO. The banding was carried out, for the most part, in the cave up to 1979. Since the path to the cave was very steep, LeJay Graffious, who had been helping at the station since 1977, offered to construct a banding shed on a level place above the cave. In 1980, Graffious designed and built the shed where most banding is done now. LeJay, his wife, Helen Ann, his son Jay, and some other volunteers assemble the shed at the start of the banding season each August, and then dismantle it in October. The shed is stored for the winter in a building at the foot of the mountain near the Laneville D R cabin. We are grateful to the Division of Natural Resources for allowing us to use their building. After many years of helping at AFMO, Graffious obtained, as many had before, a sub-permit under station leader Bell, and he began banding in 1994. Charles Ziegenfus, professor of Mathematics and Ornithology instructor at James Madison University, began banding at AFMO in 1983. Ziegenfus is an authority on the Slate-colored race of the Dark-eyed Junco and many other species, and he enjoys teaching about bird behavior, plumage, migration, and data analysis. He still bands at AFMO and brings his trailer and leaves it all fall to be used by banders who do not have a place to stay. Beginning in 1981, Kenneth Heselton and Susan Heselton assisted at AFMO for many years, and then like many others, Sue was inspired to obtain a banding permit. She began banding at the station in 1989, and Ken in 1998. In 1987, Ken designed and built a two-tier net assembly, which he called the "AFMO hi-Io net." Bell dubbed his invention the "Kentraption." Ken's purpose was to help catch some of the higher-flying birds that fly above the standard nets, and his netting system has helped a great deal to satisfy this goal (Hooker, 1988). Also, in 1981, Judith Ward and Roy Ward began volunteering at AFMO. Judy, too, acquired her sub-permit under Bell and began banding at the station in 1982. She obtained her master permit in 1988. In 1983, a bander named Walter Fye and his wife Annabelle, Carl Rowe and Ruth Rowe, and Benjamin Myers and Evelyn Myers began their trek to the station every year to help. Also, Robert Dean and Ruth Ann Dean started helping in the mid-1980's. Bob began banding at AFMO in 1994. Everyone around Bob learns something about the birds and nature, because he is an exceptional teacher, and he shares his love of God's world with a gentle enthusiasm. To celebrate the 100,000th bird banded at AFMO, Melvin Hooker, although not a bander, summarized 10 years of data, 1975 through 1984, from the AFMO banding efforts (Hooker, 1986a; Hooker, 1986b). Hooker listed the number of birds banded of each species during that period and made charts showing the start of the migration, when the migration peaked and when it ended for 30 of the most commonly captured species at AFMO. Hooker's wife, Harriet, came up with him and also volunteered at the station. Bell has written a paper on the recoveries of banded birds at AFMO from 1958 through 2002, which can be found elsewhere in this issue of The Redstart. In the 1980's, Bell began corresponding with Laurie Goodrich who is now the Senior Monitoring Biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near the town of Kempton, Pennsylvania. He wrote to her about the hummingbirds that they were seeing flying over their respective stations in the fall. The Hawk Mountain flyover counts inspired Bell to do some limited species counts at AFMO, and in 1990 serious attempts were made to count Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Blue Jays, and American Goldfinches as they migrate in the daytime and most fly over the nets. Some years huge flights of Blue Jays go by the station, as you will note in Bell's paper elsewhere in this issue of The Redstart. Monarch Butterflies are also counted, and dragonflies, as the Green Darner and Black Mantled Glider are known to migrate, also. Other species seen migrating over Dolly Sods were also documented. Many interested people have helped compile the records for the AFMO flyover count. Iverean Pierce helped lead the identifying and counting from 1990-1996. In 1997, JoAnn Graham assumed these duties, and she continues to do this with the help of her husband, Philip Graham, and other volunteers. The Grahams have been coming to Dolly Sods since 1983 and have been net tenders for many years. Seeing the flyover species being counted helps create a lot of interest about migration among the volunteers and visitors at the banding station. Bell hopes to expand the flyover counts to include more species in the future. In 1986, Lynn Barnhart began helping at AFMO and, in 1991 started banding at the station. Lynn's knowledge of herpetology, snakes in particular, has captivated children and adults every time he is around. Maintenance of the net lanes is a necessary component of efficient operation of the station. Thomas and Dawn Fox and their sons, John (Jay) and Matthew, began helping with this and other tasks at AFMO in the late 1980's. The Fox family and Charlotte Duffield have done considerable work with the maintenance of the net lanes in the past few years. Also, this time marked the arrival of Randolph (Randy) and Elizabeth (Beth) Ritter. In 1996 Randy announced that he had obtained his sub-permit under Janet Shaffer (an AFMO bander who has her own banding station called Bedford Valley in Bedford County, Pennsylvania), and he began banding in earnest at the station. Randy and Beth became the campground hosts in 1998, after John and Genevieve Findley were no longer able to continue on a full-time basis. I started banding at AFMO in 1991 with my father, Ralph Bell, as master permittee. In 2000, Ralph asked me to be co-leader of AFMO with him. My husband, Donald Pattison, helped his father-in-law, Bell, at the station in the 1970s, and he has been coming again since 1990. He and I stay at the banding station nearly the entire time of the fall banding operation. I have worked side-by-side with my father, assisting him with his banding in many ways since he obtained his banding permit in 1954. Because of his mentoring and my apprenticeship under him for over forty years, I know his method and the purpose of the project, and I am familiar with all that is under the umbrella of the AFMO. I plan to continue his vision for the AFMO bird banding station for its continued operation into the future. There will be many people in the future, as there have been in the past, who seek out the station. Some come as a result of their reading, and others hear by word of mouth. For example, William Agee and Doris Agee started coming up to AFMO in 1999, because they were told at a nature workshop at Canaan Valley Resort that they would learn what they wanted to know about birds at the banding station. They have continued to come to the station to volunteer. Allegheny Front Migration Observatory is one of the oldest annually operated bird banding stations in existence in the United States. The number of birds that have been banded there in the 45 years it has been in operation from 1958 to 2003 is 195,622 with 120 species banded. For a discussion of recoveries of birds banded at AFMO and foreign recoveries made at AFMO, see Ralph K. Bell's article in the Volume 70 Issue 4 of The Redstart.
Many people have participated in banding at AFMO over the years. Several have passed away, and some have moved on to other pursuits. Each individual has left us with special memories of their hard work, humor, vision, and dedication. Their names and the years they banded at AFMO are as follows:
Ralph K. Bell, Founder, 1958 to date; Gordon Knight, 1959; George A. Hall, 1960 to 1998; Constance Katholi, 1965 to 1974; Maxine Kiff, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986; John Morgan, 1965, 1968; Thomas Olsen, 1965; Anne Shreve, 1965 to 1975; Cora Williams, 1965 to 1970; Clark Miller, 1966, 1972 to 1975,1978,1979; Jack Linehan, 1968 to 1970, 1973 to 1979; Avis Newell, 1972 to 1974, 1976 to 1978; Frances Pope, 1972 to 1978, 1980, 1983; John Willets, 1973 to 1977; Ephe Olliver, 1975 to 1988; Arthur Dunnell, 1976; Gloria Aiken, 1977; Joseph ImBrogno, 1977 to 1979; Janice Musser, 1977; Trudy Smith, 1977 to 1982, 1989 to 1992; JoLane Stern 1977 to 1991; Leon Wilson, 1978, 1980 to 1988, 1990 to 1995; Susan Edmunds, 1979, 1983; George Mayfield, 1979,1980,1985,1995; Julie Simpson, 1981 to 1983,1995; Judith Ward, 1982-2001; Walter Fye, 1983 to 1995,1997,1998,2000; Harry Slack, 1983; Sally Thayer, 1983; Charles Ziegenfus, 1983 to date; John Jones, 1985; Constance Skipper, 1986, 1990; Robert Hogan, 1987; Patricia Hogan, 1987; Barbara Bilsborough, 1989, 1991, 1992; Susan Heselton, 1989 to date; Lynn Barnhart, 1991 to 1995, 1997 to date; Joan Bell Pattison, 1991 to 1994, 1996 to date; Janet Shafer, 1992 to 2000; Robert Dean, 1994 to date; LeJay Graffious, 1994 to date; Elizabeth Gatewood, 1995; Cleo Mayfield, 1995; David Skinner, 1995 to 1997; Randolph Ritter, 1996 to date; Steven Huy, 1997,2000; Kenneth Heselton, 1998 to date; Susan Heselton, 1989 to date; Carol McCullough, 1999 to date; Frederick McCullough, 1999 to date;
All of the 49 banders were volunteers at AFMO, and all had their own supply of bands. The banders and their families have been very helpful and generous in donating their time and effort to participate in banding and in compiling their records and making them available for the station records and annual reports. This banding station, also, has been blessed with the support of many other volunteers who tend nets, help keep records and maintain the net lanes, give talks to the visitors about birds and the purpose of the station, and perform many other duties that have insured that the banding operations work smoothly and efficiently. In addition, the USDA Forest Service, the Monongahela National Forest, the Potomac District Ranger Station, the West Virginia DNR, and other government agencies have been very cooperative and helpful. Our sincere thanks and appreciation go out to everyone. Over the years, there have been thousands of visitors to the banding station at AFMO from all over the United States and many countries of the world, including England, Australia, Scotland, France, Denmark, Isle of Man, The Netherlands, Columbia, Italy, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, China, Germany, New Zealand, Belgium, Japan, India, Germany, Brazil, Holland, Newfoundland, Belize, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, Iraq, Russia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Canada, Honduras, and Costa Rica. 0 doubt some come to see the mountain and to get away from the constant stress of life in the civilized world. The isolation on the mountain is, at times, changed somewhat by an influx of blueberry or cranberry pickers, hikers, and sightseers. Regardless, the remote mountain to -where the moon and stars are much brighter; where you can hear the owls; the thumping of the Ruffed Grouse; the howls of the coyotes; the wind whistling in the red spruce; the nocturnal calls of the thrushes, warblers, and other passerines; and the campfires, circled around with old and new friends-is great for the body and soul. "Wilderness is the salvation of the world. Perhaps this is the hidden meaning of the howl of the wolf, long known around mountains but seldom perceived among men." (Aldo Leopold)
Special Acknowledgements
This history of the AFMO was made possible by Ralph K. Bell's library of articles, including many by Bell himself (Bell, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967,1968,1969, 1970a, 1970b, 1970c, 1971, 1986). Also important were the AFMO yearly summaries of banding carefully compiled by George A. Hall, and diaries, letters, publications, and journals that were kept with meticulous and loving care by Ralph Bell, as well as interviews I had with Lynn Barnhart, Ralph Bell, Robert Dean, John Findley, Joleene Findley, Walter Fye, Laurie Goodrich, LeJay Graffious, JoAnn Graham, Philip Graham, Kenneth Heselton, Susan Heselton, Ralph Horn, Maxine Kiff, Gordon Knight, Jack Linehan, George Mayfield, Carol McCullough, Frederick McCullough, Donald Pattison, Iverean Pierce, Elizabeth Ritter, Randolph Ritter, Chandler Robbins, Harvey Shreve, Anne Shreve, Trudy Smith, Leon Wilson, Cora Williams, and Charles Ziegenfus. I thank Anne Shreve for reading the manuscript. lowe all of these people a huge debt of gratitude.
References
Baird, J., Bagg, A. M., Nisbet, l. C. T., & Robbins, C. S. (1959). Operation Recovery - Report on mist netting along the Atlantic Coast in 1958. Bird Banding, 30(3), 143-171.
Bell, R.K. (1959). The banding operation on Allegheny Front, September 1958. The Redstart, 26(2), 38-39.
Bell, R.K. (1964). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct. 1964, EBBA News, 27(6),254-258.
Bell, R.K. (1965). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1965, EBBA News, 28(6),284-288.
Bell, R.K. (1966). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1966, EBBA News, 29(6),272-274.
Bell, R.K. (1967). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1967, EBBA News, 30(6),245-247.
Bell, R.K. (1968). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1968. EBBA News, 31(6),267-270.
Bell, R.K. (1969). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1969. EBBA News, 32(6),264-266.
Bell, R.K. (1970a). A bird banders diary, Sept.-Oct., 1970. EBBA News, 33(6),295-296.
Bell, R,K. (1970b). A bird banders diary, ov.-Dec., 1970. EBBA News, 34(1), 39-40.
Bell, R.K. (1970c). A bird banders diary, migration along the Allegheny Front, EBBA News, Vol. 34(2), pp. 77-80.
Bell, R. K. (1971). Untitled report on Eastern Bluebirds on Dolly Sods. In C. Katholi (Ed.), The Gathering Cage. The Redstart, Vol. 38( 1), pp. 22-23.
Bell, R.K. (1986), A bird banders diary, results of AFMO bandings lumped into five year periods, The Redstart, 53(1),41-42.
Brooks, M. (1954). The ornithological year: 1954. The Redstart, 22(1), 1-3.
DeGarmo, W.R. (1953). A five-year study of hawk migration. The Redstart, 20(3),3954.
Davis, W.H., (1953). A diurnal warbler migration at Bear Rocks. The Redstart, 20(1), 16-17.
Findley, J. (1999). Dolly Sods-a botanist's paradise, The Redstart, 66(2),64-66.