Martha Conger Hagar

Martha Conger Neblett Hagar (June 14, 1886 – November 24, 1973), known as Connie Hagar, was an American birdwatcher and naturalist whose observations were valued by professional ornithologists, particularly her early observations of hummingbirds on the Texas coast.

Childhood and personal life Born Martha Conger Neblett in Corsicana, Texas, Hagar was the first of three children born to Robert Scott and Mattie Yeater Neblett. Her father was mayor at the time of her birth and was by profession a lawyer, and her mother was the daughter of Reverend A.J. Yeater. At home, the children learned to play piano, enjoyed reading, and history. Their home in Corsicana was a three-story pillared white house with fourteen rooms, six halls, and two verandas, with fine woodwork, linens, and silver.

After graduating from high school in 1903, Hagar attended Forest Park College, a girls' school in St. Louis emphasizing music and literature. Hagar married her childhood sweetheart Lynn Brooks, who worked for Southern Pacific Railroad, and moved to Ennis, Texas. During this time, she discovered she was going blind and was prescribed a dietary supplement of malted milk with an egg, which cured her sight problems. During her marriage to Lynn Brooks, the couple moved to New Orleans, but after 14 years of marriage at the age of 35 Hagar went home to take care of her ill mother. On her journey home, she met oil man and realtor Jack Hagar, who courted her for five years, during which time Hagar began watching birds in her yard. They married on April 2, 1926. In 1940, Hagar experienced vision problems and was diagnosed with cataracts that the doctor attributed to malnutrition; he prescribed Hagar three beers a day to hydrate her and provide nutrition. Her vision improved and she continued the habit of drinking three beers a day for the rest of her life.

Birdwatching Hagar began birdwatching after returning to Corsicana at the age of 35. She and her sister Bert began Nature Club in January 1923, with eighteen members, affiliated with the National Audubon Society and the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. After marrying Jack Hagar, she became more serious and volunteered for a bird-banding effort promoted in a magazine article. She wrote an article for the ornithological journal Wilson Bulletin on the nesting habits of red-winged blackbirds.

In 1928, she began her "Nature Calendar," a journal of observations that she would end up keeping for more than thirty-five years with very few breaks. After she proved her competence at identifying birds, Obersholser had faith in her observations. The two had an ongoing correspondence, and Oberholser visited several more times over the years. He recommended Connie and Jack (despite Jack's lack of interest in birds) to the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). and contributed to local newspaper columns including her own columns in local papers. She published a checklist of the birds of the central coast of Texas in 1962.

Alfred Eisenstaedt photographed Hagar in the field for a September 10, 1956 feature titled "An Eminent Company of Amateur Naturalists" in Life Magazine, he worried that her silk dress would detract from her authenticity. In 1962, the National Audubon Society annual meeting was held in Corpus Christi so that Hagar would be able to attend and receive a special award for her achievements in ornithology and conservation. Peterson unveiled the first trail sign along the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail in 1994 at the Connie Hagar Cottage Sanctuary.