Minutes – JAN 18, 2018

7:30 PM Academy of Natural Sciences (Commons)

Call To Order: President George Armistead

VP: Linda Widdop
Secretary: Gregg Gorton

Minutes from last meeting approved.

Attendees:

43; guests: Liz Armistead; Dan Kobza; Josh Copland; Bull Gervasi; Walter Hart; guests with the evening’s speaker, Jason Weckstein, included Therese Catanach (a post-doctoral fellow at ANS-Drexel) and Emily Ostrow (Drexel University Bachelor’s/Master’s Student)

Committee Reports:

Membership Committee: Linda Widdop

New Members: Bernard (Billy) Brown; Lucille Larkin; Krista Wolk
New applications received: Dan Efroymson, Michael Morell, and Moed Gerveni

Bob Billings Big Year Competition: Art McMorris

All members are urged to sign up for this competition by March 31st—to find the most species in the DVOC area in 2018, so you can win bragging rights, plus an honorarium.

Field Trips: Linda Widdop

Jan 21st at 7:30AM – Walk Leader: Sandra Keller – At Taylor’s Lane Wildlife Preserve in Cinnaminson, NJ—will lead the first of her WALK-A-MONTH walks. Directions: http://dvoc.org/activities/field-trips/

January 28 at 7:30AM (NOTE: change of date) – At Barnegat Light State Park parking lot, meet Linda Widdop for a photography-friendly walk (so bring your cameras!). Possible birds: Harlequin Ducks, Gannets, ?Snowy Owl!, other wintering ducks.

Cassinia: Matt Halley

Copies of Cassinia , vol 76 (2014-2016), were handed out to members who had not yet received one. Note that all articles from this issues are posted on the DVOC website, from which they can be downloaded; and, past issues can also be downloaded.

Programs: Linda Widdop

February 1st – TBA
Details and Meeting Schedule can be found at http://dvoc.org/wp/activities/meetings/

Announcements:

Bird Philly: Tony Croasdale
There are now going to be 4 locations for backpacks with bins and a field guide for use by urban birders, since a new one has been added in Cobbs Creek Park. And, this Saturday, January 20 at 10AM at Pennypack on the Delaware will be the 3rd anniversary of Bird Philly—meet at 10AM for a walk and then a run to Sweet Lucy’s Barbeque for lunch.

Paul Guris: January 27, a Pelagic Trip out of Cape May; and Feb 10th out of Cape May – Pelagic – Dovekies possible. Go to See Life Paulagics web site: http://paulagics.com/

February 2, at 7pm–Scott Weidensaul will give a talk: “Life and Ecology of Snowy Owls” – at Community Center Auditorium, Foulkeways at Gwynedd, 1120 Meetinghouse Rd, Gwynned, PA

Received: Kentucky Ornithological Society publication—The Kentucky Warbler, Nov 2017 issue

Local Notes:

Matt Halley – Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census – Common Raven at Morris Park Philadelphia); Red-Shouldered Hawk at Mt. Moriah Cemetery (Philadelphia)

Bert Filemyr – Many Short-eared Owls and Harriers, along with a few Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings—at Fowler Beach Road, part of Prime Hook NWR in Delaware

Navin Sasikumar – Noted that a Canvasbacks was found at Queen Lane Reservoir in East Falls during the Mid-Winter Bird Census.

Art McMorris – Mid-Winter Bird Census – at Fort Mifflin and Army Corps of Engineers sites, with Rob Bierregaard: a Peregrine Falcon and a Ross’s Goose with some Canada Geese near Bartram Avenue and Holstein Avenue

Anne Bekker – immature Red-Shouldered Hawk near Kitchen’s Lane in Wissahickon Valley Park

Paul Guris – seen on two Sea Bass Pelagic trips (Dec 22 and 29th) – 40 Manx Shearwater, over 100 Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Razorbills, and over 2600 Red Phalaropes (the most Paul has seen in the Atlantic);

Marty Dellwo – At the N.E. Water Treatment plant on Mid-Winter Census day: Palm Warbler, Eastern Phoebe

Navin Sasikumar: Two Sandhill Cranes were seen over the Wissahickon Environmental Center during the Mid-Winter Bird Census

Henry Armistead – At Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina on December 28, 2017 – about 15,000 Red-necked Grebes;

George Armistead – Just back from a California trip: had many California Condors (up to 22) soaring along the ridge in Big Sur; and got his lifer Lawrence’s Goldfinch

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Program Speaker:

Jason Weckstein, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Ornithology, Academy of Natural Sciences – Drexel University; Associate Professor at Drexel University in the Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science (BEES) Department: “A Tour of the Collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences – Drexel”
Jason first gave a brief lecture on the many uses of museum collections; we then toured the bird collection in groups, ending when the Academy was closing down at 10pm.

Jason Weckstein with an Imperial Woodpecker specimen

After Meeting:

at Cherry Street Tavern;  about 10 members gathered