The Gentle Light Of Peace

Once a species is lost, no genius of man, no laboratory wizardry, no appeals to the Divine can ever recreate even a single feather or utter a fresh note of song... it is lost forever.

Gentleman of the Ailes

YUMA CLAPPER RAIL Tempera, 7½" x 10½" Courtesy of The Arizona Game and Fish Department A TRULY ENDANGERED SPECIES. ENCROACHMENT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT THREATENS THE LAST TINY REMNANTS OF HIS ONLY HABITAT.

California and along the Pacific coast of Mexico to Guatemala. Casual in British Columbia.From eastern Washington, southern Idaho, central Alberta,southern Saskatchewan to southern California, southernNevada, northern Utah, southern New Mexico, west Texasand southern Arizona. Absent on the northwest coast.

Marshes, mudflats, alkaline lakes and ponds (summer);coastal bays (winter).

Depression on sand or platform of grass on mudflat.

Olive, blotched (3-4).

The American Avocet with upturned bill makes one wonder if the bird had been feeding in rocks and injured the beak. This ratherunusual feature among birds has apparently not been to the Avocet'sdisadvantage in probing for aquatic insects for the birds are commonaround shores and marshes over much of North America. Thebrownish-red plumage on the head and neck is worn by both sexesonly during the breeding season and replaced by a dull grey in thewinter.

RUDDY DUCK PAGE 39

Southern British Columbia south through Pacific states andfrom northern Nevada, northern Utah, and Colorado southto Mexico. Casual in southeastern Alaska.

From central British Columbia, northern Alberta, centralSaskatchewan south to Mexico.

Fresh marshes, ponds and lakes (summer); also salt bays(winter).

Woven basket attached to reeds above water.

Whitish, very large (6-10).

The Ruddy Duck is classified as a diver and it and theMasked Duck are grouped with the stiff-tailed ducks. The neck isshort and frequently the short stiff tail is held cocked over the back.During the breeding season the male Ruddy swims with the bright bluebill pointed straight down and slightly in the water. The tail is cockedover the back and the churning feet make him appear like a cinnamonmotor boat with a white spot fore and aft. The female will swim alongin front or slightly to the side of the male with neck and bill loweredand stretched forward in a submissive posture.

SHOVELER PAGE 39

From coast of southern British Columbia, southeastern Washington, Utah, Colorado south; also Hawaii.

From western Alaska, Mackenzie Bay, Great Slave Lakesouth to southern California (uncommon), southern to central New Mexico, and Nebraska.

Fresh water marshes, ponds, sloughs, (summer); also saltbays (winter).

Down-lined hollow in dense grass or sedge stands.

Pale olive (6-14).

The male shoveler is one of the most striking of the dabbler with a broken wing. We can tell you from experience that a foundling goose is not at all as loving as a foundling baby. In the short time it took to transfer the bird from the car to the pen, we were slapped, bit and kicked in an Olympian kind of frenzy - not to mention another weapon a goose can employ to make you quite untidy.

During the whirling donnybrook, I had a brief but good chance to examine the injured wing and found a clean break in the radius without any serious damage to the muscles or arteries. An immediate new crisis arose. How do you find a veterinarian in this kitty-puppy paradise who would take on a hissing, biting wild goose during the hectic few days before Christmas?

We found Dr. Jon Tschannen nearby, who did an outstanding job of pinning the bone and immobilizing the wing with swaths of tape. A glance back at his operating table as we left the bird to his care was an awesome revelation to the cornucopian capacity of a goose's biological weapons.

We rounded up the necessary provisions to sustain a convalescing Canadian honker and promptly named him C.C.G. (Ceil's Christmas Goose).

On a call from the vet, we retrieved C.C.G. To see my lovely and quite proper wife willingly sitting in the front seat of our car with 11 pounds of struggling, hissing goose on her lap was one of those unforgettable sights. Threading our way through jamming holiday traffic, we saw some very graphic double takes as people in cars alongside would grasp what they were looking at. Well, each to his own. I'll take a snapping wild goose to a yipping lap dog any day.

C.C.G. made it clear from the second he was in the pen that he wanted no part of humanity. In the months that followed, no one could approach that cage without being held at bay with hissing threats.

Another crisis arose. We were in violation of federal laws by having a live, wild, migratory bird in our possession. Visions of Johnny Cash singing a ballad about my peculiar term at San Quentin swam through my mind. The problem was solved by giving the bird (I was going to say goose) to the proper state authorities with the understanding that it would be in my custody until the wing healed enough to be released.

Here was an unparalleled opportunity to do a really study of a wild goose.

From the day we had him to the day he was released three months later, his daily, 24-hour vigil was a corner station facing the direction from which he was found. We even turned the cage around and he promptly shifted over to the proper corner.

For the first few days, the only sound he made was the hissing threat to anyone near the cage. He quickly evaluated the presence of our dog and ignored it with a kind of regal indifference. The dog has an excellent rapport with the few wild things that I've kept around and, after the first examination, seems to understand what it's all about and stays a discreet distance away.

Just when we felt comfortable about having such an exotic guest in our quiet neighborhood, our

worst fears were incarnated. About two o'clock one morning we were lofted out of our beds by a great, ringing, piercing honk. You can't imagine how incredibly loud that alien sound can be. Seconds later found me barefooted in the frosted grass of our back yard, alternatively hushing and humming lullabyes...rattling his feed can (praying). He simply retreated to the farthest corner, his back wedged into the angle, neck straight, head back, and let loose with another blast. The next sound I expected to hear from down the alley was whoopee horns and to be blinded by rotating red lights. But C.C.G. promptly shut up. My jiggling in the cold grass with flapping pajamas in the moonlight had turned him thoughtful.

Strangely, except for occasional cronks, that was the last call he made until we released him months later. A flight of geese had probably passed over and he had answered their cries. Gradually, our anxieties subsided until one night we were startled by a thrashing, clanking sound and found C.C.G. trying to stand in his two-quart water pail. The first order of the morning was to give C.C.G. a wading pool, remonstrating myself for being so thoughtless. He flatly ignored it and from that time on made ridiculous attempts to stand, with dirty feet, in his tiny water dish. This kept me constantly busy cleaning it out, because, I'll tell you, even I wouldn't drink that.

I was determined to supply him with the best of cuisine: golden kernels of corn with grit to aid digestion. He scooped it up with rattling mouthfuls. A few days later I added a mix of grain sorghums. That's the last day he touched the corn. I later threw 10 pounds of it away when I found weevils beginning to set up domestic activities.

He preferred the grain out of a two-pound coffee can instead of scattered on the floor with gravel. He'd alternatively take a drink, then duck his wet bill deep in the grain and come up festooned with round, golden globules like some kind of Christmas ornament. With a snap of his head he cleaned that off and scattered seed for yards around the pen. The sparrows were deliriously happy, and soon I was feeding every feathered bum which came along. C.C.G. and I should share an Audubon medal for compassion to bird life.

In my observations, I found a goose's eye to have a remarkable range of expression and move-ment. The covering of his bill is thin, breaks easily, and has a rich, warm blood supply. (How else could he fly hundreds of miles in sub-zero weather at 10,000 feet?) About the time the geese began to head back to their northern summering places, C.C.G. began to change. His appetite slowed down and he began to get restless. The night came when he launched him-self in great thrashing crashes against the wire of his cage. His bandages and the pin had been removed for some time now, but the injured wing just didn't seem right.

There was no way we could justify keeping that poor bird penned up. The decision with the authorities was to release him at the Papago Zoo ponds where a small resident population of Canadian honkers live happy lives. ducks. The body pattern of white, cinnamon, white and black make it easily identifiable. But, in spite of its obviously large bill, the green head of the male is often mistaken for that of a mallard.

As it swims about feeding with the shovel-shaped bill, the small combs along its sides serve to strain the floating plant and animal life which comprise its diet. Depending upon what it finds to eat, the shoveler as a table bird can be either excellent or totally unpalatable.

Arizona State Game and Fish Department, and Roy Tomlinson of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, have resulted in some valuable information about them, and recently the Bureau of Reclamation and the California Fish and Game Department have allocated funds to biologists to undertake additional studies dealing with the habitat requirements and biology of this rather unique subspecies.

YUMA CLAPPER RAIL • PAGE 42

Winters Coastal marsh areas in Mexico.

Breeds Upper end of Topock Marsh south along Colorado River to the delta north of the Gulf of California. Marsh areas southeastern portion of the Salton Sea in California.

Habitat Cattail marshes and mudflats (summer); unknown in winter.

Nest Dry hummocks in crotches of small shrubs just above water.

Eggs Pinkish buff (4-7).

Clapper Rails are shy birds found primarily in coastal salt marsh situations along the eastern and western portions of the United States and Mexico. The Yuma Clapper Rail is an anomaly in that it occupies fresh-water marsh habitat along the Colorado River from the Topock Marsh area south to the Colorado delta at the Gulf of Mexico. This particular subspecies is considered to be rare and endangered, and damming, dredging and development along the Colorado River have eliminated large portions of its breeding grounds. Initial studies of the Yuma Clapper Rail, by Dick Todd of the

WOOD DUCK • PAGE 47

Winters From southwestern British Columbia through Pacific states to southern California; a few from Colorado south into New Mexico and Arizona.

Breeds Southwestern British Columbia, southern Alberta, eastern Saskatchewan, Washington, northern Idaho, northwestern Montana, western and central Oregon, and central California.

Habitat Timbered swamps and rivers, ponds.

Nest Down-lined tree cavity.

Eggs White (10-15).

The Wood Duck's nesting habit separates it from other North American ducks except the Black-bellied Tree Duck. Wood Ducks nest high (perhaps 20 feet) above the ground in tree cavities. They will also nest in boxes placed in trees in the breeding grounds. The female calls her newly-hatched young from the lofty nest, and the young fall either into the water or to the ground below. Their bones, which are cartilage at that age, are resilient, and their heavy down helps break the fall.

After I netted the goose and re-ignited all his pent-up animosities, we put him into two burlap bags. One from the bottom to bind his wings and legs, and one from the top to blank out his vision. I had forgotten that you can see quite well through a gunny sack, and I paid for that bit of forgetfulness all the way to the Zoo. C.C.G. bit and stabbed me like a wild man. He had become painfully stronger since his convalescence and I had welts all over my legs.

I've been referring to C.C.G. as a "him" but the truth was I really didn't know for sure. Only another goose knows, since the sexes look alike - unless you want to undertake a struggling, clumsy, clinical examination. That area of a goose is hazardous, so I just settled for calling it "him."

We found out for sure at the release site at the big pond at the Zoo. The Zoo biologist loosened the restraining sacks around C.C.G. and pointed him toward freedom. I have his scramble on film. I also have on film a portion of a vivid piece of reality about nature and the creatures of the wild.

C.C.G. hadn't made ten strides when a loud harsh scream resounded from across the pond. A giant honker, neck stretched astonishingly high, ran to the water's edge. Because he couldn't fly, he literally vaulted across the water, pumping his powerful wings like savage oars, screaming his outrage at the intruder. The battle to define territory was enjoined in a flash. C.C.G. was no match. His penned months put him out of condition for this and he had to be rescued. He was released again, much farther away. Then, to our consternation, he swam full back across the pond but was completely ignored! The big gander, having made his point, aloofly disregarded C.C.G. The female which followed her mate into battle now snuggled up to his side, her head bent demurely, while he arched and preened in lavish pride.

In the months passing, we found C.C.G. to be content and happy in what is now his permanent home. We had treated him as well as we could, and he repaid by being the model for all three geese on pages 28-29.

We need to be caught up short now and then about the basic truths of creation's plan or else we'll let our natural emotions turn into maudling sentiment, which can be very dangerous to proper management of wildlife.

A human, forming an association with a wild creature, can arrive at false conclusions if he doesn't have further knowledge of wildlife in a natural habitat. It never occurred to me when watching Walt Disney's nature films, which I thoroughly enjoyed, that many people would accept them carte blanche as absolute reality.

In truth, you can love wildlife to death. Total protection for wildlife today is a near impossibility. Man has, in one form or another, altered nature's program everywhere so that protection has to be translated into management, and management has to be the Godchild of scientific knowledge of wildlife biology. Proper protection where needed and continued harvesting of surplus wildlife is an absolute necessity to preservation of the whole. Placingbirds and animals on endangered species lists, for instance, without consideration for intelligent management should conditions change, is folly. Today you can protect wildlife to disaster. At times, the future of wildlife and humanity looks bleak. But man is not a dumb animal. All signs point to a renaissance of appreciation of this marvelous planet Earth. Continuous efforts flow toward stabilizing our natural heritage. Renowned publications such as this Arizona Highways touch upon millions of hearts on this globe. It is impossible to truly evaluate the enormity of the grace of uplifting spirits which flows from these pages like a current around the Earth. We can be reasonably sure that the sight of a greenwing teal, twisting light as thistledown on the ringed surface of a quiet pond, will really never be lost forever. Too many hearts quicken to the sight and sound of passing waterfowl to let trends of progress undo that completely. Autumn leaves falling in swirling rhythms gather human souls in concert to thrill with the passing seasons. So many

"HOME AGAIN" Mallards, Oil 24" x 36" from the collection of William K. DuPont This early spring scene of Mallards returning to their home in a Canadian Ducks Unlimited project is a fitting complement to the painting of a flight of southerning Mallards on the front cover. There they find a break in the low overcast and have set their wings and begin an excited chatter at finding their waystop and are dropping down to the welcome comfort of the marshy shoreline. Cover painting for the 1970 Annual Report of Ducks Unlimited Inc.

people are touched by this glorious land that they will strive to preserve and recreate where possible the intimate contact of human soul to the spirit of the wilderness. The exciting whispering of wings across the Arizona skies will tell joyful tales season after season. To the rancher and farmer, to outdoorsmen, and to all those whose paths in life merge with the rays of sunrise and who know the sight and sound of wild flight, the preservation of this priceless gift is an absolute must. To those who no longer thread their way through frosted marsh grass, for whatever reason, the knowledge that it is still there... that blue-grey mists rise out of violet shadows and drift across the pale disc of a December sunrise; that mallards and canvasback still cut the silence of dawn with thrilling passage; that autumn suns, glowing deep red, like embers from campfires of the past, still flood the crown of the sky with the benediction to the love of the Creator... this is peace and strength and hope. Larry Toschik

Prints of "The Whispering Skies of Arizona" Available

Because the reader response to Arizona Highways is so warm and personal, for those who wish to own fine, large, frameable reproductions made from the original paintings, the artist selected seven subjects from this series to make up into fine art prints. They are reproduced in full color on heavy, matte finish, smooth coated stock with titles and ample margins. He personally supervised the entire production of 1,000 reprints from color separations to press run, and the design of proper flat packaging.

A special collector's print edition of 150 each of subjects 2, 3, 4 and 7, engraved with the artist's colophon and registered in the buyer's name, are available at $100 per print.

For your convenience, order directly from: Larry Toschik's "Whispering Skies" 325 East McDowell Road Phoenix, Arizona 85004 Larry Toschik's original paintings are handled by The Gallery Wall, Phoenix, Arizona; the Taos Art Gallery, Taos, New Mexico; Gallery Americana, Carmel, California; and Crossroads of Sports, New York City.