Scott Weidensaul is the author of more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind, about bird migration, Return to Wild America: A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul, and his newest book, Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding.  Weidensaul writes for such publications as Audubon, Nature Conservancy and National Wildlife; he lives in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, where he studies the migration of owls and hummingbirds.

Linda M. Feltner is an artist who specializes in both the aesthetics and science of natural history. Her work adheres to the strict standards of scientific accuracy, while combining the creativity of artistic design and the realism of nature into what has become her trademark.

Linda has produced natural history art for over thirty years. Her career developed through interpretive media design, book and magazine illustrations, exhibitions, classroom teaching, lectures, and as a birding field guide.

Considered to be North America's "Dean of Rainforest Painters," Richard Sloan was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he attended the American Academy Of Art. He then worked as an advertising illustrator before joining Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo as staff artist.

In the spring of 1998, the University Of Arizona Press published "The Raptors of Arizona," a 220-page volume on the birds of prey of the Southwest featuring 42 Sloan paintings. In recognition of this work, in August 2003, he was inducted into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. Sloan's painting of Burrowing Owls wil be featured on 2010 Wings Over Willcox commemorative shirts.

The Platte Valley of Nebraska is the focal point for the spring migration of about a half million Sandhill Cranes, several million geese (Canada, Cackling, Snow and White-fronted), and up to ten million other waterfowl (especially dabbling ducks). Like many great wetlands, it is threatened by development and agriculture, but remains on of the most spectacular birding areas of the world. Paul Johnsgard has studied the Platte Valley and its bird life for nearly half a century, and has written several books on the natural history and birds of this region.

For the past four decades, Dr. Johnsgard has concentrated his research on the comparative biologies of several major bird groups of the world, having published nine world monographs (waterfowl; grouse; cranes; shorebirds; pheasants; quails, partridges & francolins; bustards, hemipodes & sandgrouse; cormorants, darters & pelicans, trogons & quetzals) and six monographs on various North American bird groups (waterfowl; grouse & quails; auks, loons & grebes; owls; hawks, eagles & falcons; hummingbirds). He has also written or co-authored single-topic monographs on the stiff-tailed ducks (Ruddy Ducks and Other Stifftails), sexual selection in arena-breeding birds (Arena Birds), and on avian social parasitism (The Avian Brood Parasites).

There are two criteria for a painting that Anne Peyton places in each of her finished pieces: One is that the final image shows respect for the subject; the second is that viewers can learn something after studying the art. They are two principles that the artist has carried over to her new career as a wildlife artist, concentrating on birds and avian art.

For 20 years, Anne was one of the most sought after motorsports artists, accurately depicting all types of racing vehicles that drew the attention of drivers, sponsors and enthusiasts alike.

To celebrate the diversity of bird species wintering in the Sulphur Springs Valley, we are very pleased to present Dr. James D. Rising as our 2004 Wings Over Willcox keynote speaker.

Dr. Rising will describe "What is a Sparrow?" with an orientation to sparrow classification and will discuss the natural history of many of the sparrow species found in the Sulphur Springs Valley, including Savannah, Cassin's, and Baird's sparrows, along with McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. He will tell us about sparrow migration and territorial, courtship, and breeding behaviors. Dr. Rising will also discuss how historical and modern losses of grassland habitat have impacted our sparrow species. His presentation will be enriched with beautiful photographs of these often overlooked birds. Prior to and following his talk, Dr. Rising will sign copies of his books for those attending the banquet.

Dr. James D. Rising was borm and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He received B.A. and PhD degrees from the University of Kansas (Zoology). His thesis research focused on the hybridization of Baltimore and Bullock's orioles in the Great Plains, especially in western Kansas. He has continued to study avian hybridization in the Great Plains through the years, and it is because of his research, in large part, that the two orioles have been split again (Northern Oriole to Bullock's and Baltimore orioles).

After doing a year of postdoctoral study at Cornell University, Dr. Rising received a tenure stream position at the University of Toronto. Today he is a Professor in the Department of Zoology and cross-appointed in ornithology to the Royal Ontario Museum. Much of his research in recent years encompasses the geographic variation and systematics of sparrows, especially Savannah and Sharp-tailed Sparrows. In addition to technical papers that he has written, he has coauthored (with David Beadle) two books, A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of The Sparrows of the United States and Canada (19%) and Sparrows of the United States and Canada: The Photographic Guide (2002).

As a teenager, Dr. Rising and family annually took vacations to southeastern Arizona, staying in Cave Creek Canyon before it was a well-known birding site. He recalls seeing his first Cassin's Sparrows in courtship display at Willcox Dry Lake, in August, sometime in the late 1950s. In recent years he has visited that area on several occasions. Dr. Rising is married to Trudy Kite and has two sons and two grandsons.

Cranes have been a moving force in Caryl's life for many years. Their elegant grace has been a recurring theme in her work for several years, ever since she first saw them at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, where she has also been Featured Artist at the Festival of the Cranes. Caryl has begun to migrate with the birds, showing her crane impressions in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nebraska, where the Stuhr Museum at Grand Island featured her work in a solo show in March 2001.

As a teacher of The Book Arts and Creating Reading Materials in Native Languages, Caryl travels to distant corners of the world where she keeps her sketchbook and camera handy to record the life around her. At Three Crane Studio, these impressions become paintings and limited edition etchings and serigraphs.

Caryl studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of New Mexico. Her work is available at her Three Crane Studio and the Red Bird Gallery in Albuquerque, and the gift shop at the Bosque del Apache NWR. Her work will be featured at the 2004 Wings Over Willcox festival, where Caryl will be sell her limited edition serigraphs at the Trade Show.

We are honored to have Dr. George Archibald, the world's leading authority on cranes, as the keynote speaker for the 10th Annual Wings Over Willcox Banquet. Dr. Archibald, along with Ronald Sauey, a colleague from Cornell, established the International Crane Foundation (ICF) in the spring of 1973, as the world center for the study and preservation of cranes. Dr. Archibald currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for this organization, headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin. One of Dr. Archibald's first goals for ICF was to establish a "species bank" of captive cranes. Under his supervision, ICF has now built the world's largest and most complete collection of cranes, and is credited with the first captive breeding of two endangered species.

Ironically, the "man on the street" would recognize Dr. Archibald not as a leader in international conservation, but as the man who danced with a crane. He successfully bred, through the use of artificial insemination, a human-imprinted Whooping Crane named Tex by imitating the courtship dancing and behavior of a male crane. The "offspring" is the celebrated male Whooping Crane named Gee Whiz. Today, Gee Whiz has seven offspring.

Dr. Archibald is a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission, and has been the subject of numerous television, radio and newspaper features. Dr. Archibald is an honorary member of the Russian Ornithological Society, and Chinese Ornithological Society, and is an Honorary Inspector of China's Zhalong Nature Reserve. Over the past decade, Dr. Archibald has received numerous awards including the Fellows Award from the MacArthur Foundation, a Gold Metal from the World Wildlife Fund, the Conservation Award from the Ryerson Nature Center in Chicago, the Roll of Honor for Environmental Achievement of the United Nations Environment Program, the National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation, and the Conservation Award from the National Audubon Society.

Doris, a long-time resident of Willcox and southeastern Arizona, is the creator of our cover. Her husband, G. H. "Marty" Martin, an avid birdwatcher, cultivated her interest in birds and in painting birds. He is her strongest supporter and critic.

As a self-taught artist, Doris has experienced many successes with her art and prefers to paint with acrylics or watercolors. A few of the art shows where she has exhibited her paintings include; the Southeastern Arizona Fine Art Show, Cochise County Fair, Benson Art Show, and Christmas Apple Festival Art Show. Doris has received many awards and ribbons for her work. She designed a label for a local restaurant to be used on their popular barbecue sauce, and has sold paintings throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada and England. She is a member of the Willcox Art League, where she has been chosen artist of the month and served twice as the organization's Vice President.

Doris is a graduate of Bowie High School in Bowie, Arizona, and the Southwestern Oregon Community College where she received a degree as a Family Service Aid for the Community Action Program. She has four children, fourteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Bill Clark will discuss and show photos of many of the world's 64 species of eagles. He will describe the four major kinds of eagles and share some of his many field experiences with eagles in the field on four continents. This will include the capture of Golden Eagles by hand, Indian style. Bald Eagles are featured in a sequence of behavioral photographs showing eagles being eagles.

Photographer, author, and lecturer, Bill Clark has over 30 years experience working with birds of prey, including five years as Director of the National Wildlife Federation's Raptor Information Center. He has published numerous articles on raptors; has traveled extensively world-wide studying, observing, and photographing raptors; and has led raptor and birding tours and workshops, both at home and abroad, in recent years with his company, Raptors. Clark regularly teaches evening and weekend courses on raptor field identification and biology and frequently presents lectures on raptors.

Bill has written a recently released raptor field guide for Europe, and is writing another for Africa, as well as a companion raptor photographic guide. He and Brian Wheeler, coauthors of the Photographic Guide to North American Raptors, are also revising their Peterson series guide, Hawks. Clark has also written raptor accounts for a bird field guide for India, which is currently in preparation. He has published numerous articles on identification, taxonomy, and migration of birds of prey. For the last 30 years, Clark has coordinated the Cape May Raptor Banding Project in New Jersey. Bill is well on his way towards his personal goal to see and photograph all of the world's diurnal raptors.

As a teacher of The Book Arts and Creating Reading Materials in Native Languages, Caryl travels to distant corners of the world where she keeps her sketchbook and camera handy to record the life around her. At Three Crane Studio, these impressions become paintings and limited edition etchings and serigraphs. Caryl is particularly moved by cranes. Their elegant grace has been a recurring theme in her work for several years now, ever since she first saw them at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.

Last year, she was the Featured Artist at the Festival of the Cranes there. Caryl has begun to migrate with the birds, showing her crane impressions in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nebraska, where the Stuhr Museum at Grand Island featured her work in a solo show in March, 2000. Caryl studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and University of New Mexico. Her work is available at her Three Crane Studio and the Red Bird Gallery in Albuquerque, and the gift shop at the Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. Her work will be featured at the 2002 Wings Over Willcox festival, where Caryl will be selling her limited edition serigraphs at the Trade Show.

Dan Fischer's close association with the borderland region began after arriving as a young boy with his parents in Yuma, Arizona, in 1937. Although his professional career was that of an engineer in industry, his preoccupation, or second vocation, has clearly been related to natural history subjects with a strong emphasis on birds. For over fifty years he has traveled the borderland scene pursuing and photographing birds while retracing the journeys of many early explorers and naturalists.

As a resident of the Southwest for most of his life, he expanded these interests to where he became a serious student of the historical aspects of ornithology during the last several years. Following a suggestion to write about early naturalists, his fascination grew to where he began systematically researching the subject. Consequently, after reviewing several hundred journal entrees, manuscripts, and publications on the topic, a book on this long neglected subject finally took form. Early Borderland Naturalists: A Chronology of Southwestern Ornithologists, 1528-1900 has been completed and will be published by the University of Arizona Press and is scheduled for release in the fall of 2001. Dan's photographs have also been illustrated in several magazines and books.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 18, 1993 Contact:Ellen Clark

The Willcox Playa sandhill cranes are ba-ack! Resident & migrant waterfowl are increasing in numbers daily in the area.
Plans are underway for the first annual WINGS OVER WILLCOX/ sandhill crane celebration in Willcox January 28, 29 & 30, 1994.
Guided tours will be offered to the Willcox Playa, Cochise Lake, the AEPCO Ash Pond, Muleshoe Ranch & Chiricahua National Monument. A "Hawk Stalk" through the County promises many species of hawk.
Seminars, workshops, field trips and interactions designed both for the novice and expert bird enthusiast and for those especially interested in the birds of Southeastern Arizona will be offered.
A trade show on Saturday will feature information about wildlife and related products.
A banquet with guest speaker Phil Smith of Arizona Game and Fish Department will include an art auction.
A photo contest is underway now and the winners will be featured at the trade show. The winning photo will be included in the art auction as will framed posters from Arizona Game & Fish Department.
Other activites include special programs for kids. For more information call the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture at (602) 384-2272 or 1-800-200-2272.