This was a hybrid meeting, broadcast on Zoom.
Call to Order: Barb Bassett
Call to Order: 7:30 PM
Attendees: 20 viewers.
In person: 9
Gregg Gorton moved to approve minutes of the last meeting and Marty Dellwo seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Committee Reports
Membership – Barb Bassett for Rebecca Reicherter
New members since the last meeting:
Peter DeStefano
Ilana Fields
Robert Santangelo
Field Trips – Linda Widdop
If you wish to lead a field trip, contact Linda: linda@techimpact.org
Upcoming field trips:
| DATE | TIME | TRIP | LEADER |
| 1/1/25 | 9:00 – 12:00 | Start the New Year off at Heinz | Cliff and Nancy Hence |
| 1/4/25 | 12:00 AM – 11:45 PM | Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census | Holger Pflicke |
| 1/18/24 | 11:00 – 12:30 | Winter Gulls at Glen Foerd | Holger Pflicke |
| 2/15/24 | 10:00 – 11:30 | Winter Gulls at Glen Foerd | Holger Pflicke |
| 3/2/24 | 10:00 – 11:30 | Winter Gulls at Glen Foerd | Holger Pflicke |
Conservation – Perri Strawn
Rob Karchnyak is installing bluebird boxes at FDR Park in the hope of attracting birds to breed at the park.
Nominating Committee – Art McMorris
Art McMorris (Chair) reported the Nominating Committee’s slate of nominees for the Jan. 9 2025 election.
The nominees are:
Officers (for 1-year terms):
President: Barbara Bassett
Vice President: Navin Sasikumar
Secretary: Manny Dominguez (Nilesh Shah chose not to be renominated)
Treasurer: Martin Dellwo
Councilors-at-Large (for 3-year terms):
Perri Strawn
Rob Karchnyak
No additional nominations were made from the floor. Nominations are now closed.
Billings
Art says: “Go Birding!”
He reviewed the purpose of the award. All the details are on the website.
Cassinia – Barb Bassett for Holger Pflicke
The digital copy will be coming out soon.
Communications – Navin Sasikumar
No report.
Announcements
Karl Lukens, a long-time DVOC life birder, passed away in November 2024.
Local Notes
Marty Dellwo reported on a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at Corson’s Inlet State Park in NJ. He and other Philadelphia birders saw and photographed the bird.
Barb Bassett and Art McMorris reported on the group of DVOCers’ Cape May CBC experience. Best bird was the Yellow-breasted Chat and they missed Fish Crow and Boat-tailed Grackle. She mentioned that Common Ravens are no longer rare in Cape May County. She observed three of these birds at Cape May Point.
Barb Bassett also participated in the Gloucester County CBC and reported on a large group of twenty-eight Sandhill Cranes.
Nilesh Shah recorded a single Common Raven flying overhead in Maple Glen during the CBC in Upper Dublin. He also observed a surprising number of Eastern Bluebirds during the same count.
Kristen Cooney mentioned that a lot of Northern Harriers are present in some of the Natural Lands preserves (Bryn Coed and Binky Lee) in Chester County and in Valley Forge National Historical Park.
Linda Rowan happened to see a Red-tailed Hawk feasting on a squirrel in Levittown.
Kevin Berkoff noticed a Pine Warbler while he was waiting for the light to change at the intersection of Lincoln Drive and Wissahickon Avenue.
Luc Jacobs found an Iceland Gull at Struble Lake in Chester County.
Programs: Navin Sasikumar
Next programs:
- January 9th – Annual Members night (Discovery Center)
- Please sign up for the Potluck
- The event opens at 6:00 PM
- January 16th – Crafting your own bird adventure – Tanya Burnett
Evening Program
This meeting was the annual member’s photo contest. All the entries were shown to the audience in the room and on Zoom and winners were announced. Congratulations to all participants and especially the winners. Thanks to Navin Sasikumar who hosted and to the judges – Troy Bynum, Lauren Diamond, and Linda Timlin.
195 Photos were submitted by 17 members in 7 categories. Photos came from 18 U.S. states and 18 countries.
The winners in each category are listed below and the actual photos are available here:
Birds
1 – Black-and-red Broadbill, Kevin Berkoff
2 – Toucanet Mom Putting up with Screaming Kids, Linda Widdop
3 – Brown Violetear, Tanya Burnett
Fauna
1 – Ribbon Snake East Spring Peeper, Doug Wechsler
2 – Hoverfly, Matthew Cohen
3 – Brown Tent-making Bat, Tommie Catanach
Flora
1 – Devil’s Beggarticks with Housefly, Matthew Cohen
2 – Fern Furl, Kristen Cooney
3 – Blackjack Oak Leaf Closeup in Autumn, Doug Wechsler
Scenery
1 – Aerial photo of Custer State Park Wildlife Drive, Kristen Cooney
2 – Big Sur Wave Crashes Against Rock, Doug Wechsler
3 – Cow on Top of the World, Linda Widdop
Birders
1 – Hummingbirds in the Hand, Doug Wechsler
2 – Starry Night-Heron, Ethan Kang
DVOC Area
1 – Red Knot Flock, Doug Wechsler
2 – Bright Palm Warbler, Christian Scheibe
3 – Laughing Gull Colony, Doug Wechsler
Bird of the year – Baltimore Oriole
1 – Oriole with Fishing Line, Ed Norman
2 – Preparing to Fly, Matthew Cohen
Avocet Award
Great Egret Jumping, Matthew Cohen
Steve Kacir Memorial Award for Photographic Achievement
Puffin Close-up, Kevin Berkoff
Adjournment
After the winners were announced, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.