Social Behavior of Cliff Swallows: Insights from a 30-Year Study will be the topic of this week’s Second Saturday program at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.  The program begins at 10 a.m. in the refuge’s Visitor Center.

Presenting the program will be Dr. Charles R. Brown, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Tulsa.  Brown is a native of Sherman, and became interested in birds at age 11 when he began studying Purple Martins.  He birded extensively at Hagerman through junior high, high school, and college.  He received a B.A. in biology from Austin College and a Ph.D. in biology from Princeton University.  He was on the faculty at Yale University before joining the University of Tulsa in 1994.  Brown has been doing a long-term study of cliff swallow social behavior and ecology in western Nebraska since 1982.  He is the recipient of the American Ornithologists’ Union’s Elliot Coues Award in 2009 and the Animal Behavior Society’s Exemplar Award in 2011.

photo by Grace Haight

Youngsters ages 4-10 are invited to the Second Saturday for Youth program, Learn About Fish, also on September 8.  The program begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 11:30.  There will be hands-on nature crafts and games.  Children under age 6 must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult.  To assure adequate supplies for each youth, advance registration is required and can be made by calling the refuge at 903-786-2826.

Also on Saturday, the Friends of Hagerman Photo Club will be meeting at 12:30 in the audiovisual classroom.  The theme for sharing is “Landscapes,” with the option of using HDR for your image.  All Second Saturday activities are free of charge and open to the public.  Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma.  For more information, call the refuge or visit www.friendsofhagerman.com