7:30 PM Academy of Natural Sciences
Meeting called by President Martin Dellwo
Vice President: George Armistead
Secretary: Linda Widdop
Attendees: 34
Guests: Lauren Diamond, Dr. Charles Wurster, Marie Gladwish, Rob Horton
Opening Remarks Martin Dellwo
Marty Dellwo calls the meeting to order and welcomes members and guests.
Committee Reports
Billings Big Year: Art McMorris
Art asks members who participated in the 2016 contest to hand in checklists by end of January and describes the Bob Billings Big Year competition.
Full information on the Bob Billings Big Year is on the DVOC website: http://dvoc.org/wp/about/committees/billings/
Membership: Phil Witmer
Phil Witmer welcomes a new member – Allison Federman.
Field Trips: Tony Croasdale
Birding Philadelphia Lecture at Andorra Library
January 24, 2017 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Andorra Shopping Center, 705 E Cathedral Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19128, Philadelphia, PA
Lecturers: Tony Croasdale and Matthew Halley
Houston Meadow
January 28, 2017 @ 10:00 am – January 29, 2017 12:00 am
Houston Playground, 900 Grakyn Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19128, USA
This walk will be for both winter botany and birding. The grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs of Houston Meadow attract a variety of birds that feed on the seeds and fruits, especially sparrows. We should also see goldfinches and bluebirds.Pennypack on the Delaware
Trip Leader – Tony Croasdale
February 4, 2017 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
State Rd & Pennypack Trail, Philadelphia, PA 19136
Pennypack on the Delaware is a phenomenal place to bird in the winter. The bald eagle nest is active and visible due to the lack of leaves. Great cormorants, common goldeneyes, canvasbacks, and other deep water birds are seen in the river.
Trip Leader – Tony Croasdale
Cindy Ahern announces that the June 10 – 14 Field Trip to Maine is filling up. Contact Cindy directly is you are interested in joining this trip.
Field Trip details can be found at http://dvoc.org/wp/activities/field-trips/
Upcoming Meetings: George Armistead
February 2nd at the Academy of Natural Science – George Armistead – Crying Wolf: The Proper Use of Playback
February 16, 2017 @ 7:30 PM at The Academy of Natural Sciences – Bill Stewart – 9 (very true) Bird Stories
After spending forty years birding, both as an advocation and profession, Bill’s birding adventures have had a way of delivering some unexpected, unpredictable and down right unbelievable situations and circumstances. For an entertaining look into 40 years of passionate birding, please join Bill as he shares his stories telling very true tales from the field!
Meeting schedule and details can be found at http://dvoc.org/wp/activities/meetings/
Conservation: Anne Reeves
Anne announces that the Conservation Committee has awarded two grants for 2016. $876.20 has been awarded to the Hawk Mountain Broad-wing Hawk Project. $500 has been granted to the Cooperative Avian Conservation and Outreach project.
The 2016 Rosalie Edge Award for Conservation was awarded to Dr. Steven Kress for his work on Project Puffin. From the award nomination: “Stephen Kress is Director of the Seabird Restoration Program and Vice president for Bird Conservation of the National Audubon Society. He received his B. S. in Zoology and M.S. in Wildlife Management from Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in Environmental Education from Cornell University. Steve began Project Puffin in 1973 and has remained its Director since the beginning. He is also Manager of National Audubon’s Maine Coastal Island Sanctuaries. He was Ornithology Instructor at the Audubon Camp in Maine on Hog Island from 1969 through 1981, and Director of the Camp from 1982 through 1986. He is a Laboratory Associate at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY.”
Announcements
George Armistead, Anne Reeves, Tony Croasdale and Keith Russell met with architects and people from BioPhilly and Tracy Cohen from AKRF engineering to start a focus group to deal with window strikes in Philadelphia. Anne reports that 80% of window strikes happen in residential areas.
Linda Widdop announced that she has used camera equipment available to members. Tony Croasdale eventually took the equipment as a donation to the Wissahickon Environmental Center where he works.
Local Notes/Sightings
Win Shafer reports 4 DVOCers spent MLK weekend on Long Island where they tallied many birds including Townsends Solitaire, Rufous Hummingbird and a Pink-footed Goose. The DVOC has traditionally had a trip to Long Island on this weekend but this trip was unofficial. Pink-footed Goose was a new species added the DVOC Long Island total species list for this trip.
Rob Horton reports a Cooper’s Hawk doing a display flight flaring tail and moth-like flight. Spring is in the air.
Phil Witmer had a Cooper’s Hawk crash into their window at home in Montgomery County.
Cindy Ahern spent a weekend in Finger Lakes NY for gulls – Iceland, etc plus Snowy Owl at the regional airport.
George Armistead reports a good day in FDR park Rusty Blackbirds, 2 Merlins, a couple of Peregrine Falcons, Brown Thrasher
Marty photographed a Merlin, Black-headed Gull and 2 Saw-whet owls are being seen at Tinicum recently. Signs mark the Saw-whet Owl locations.
Marty Dellwo reports that pelagic trip out of Brooklyn had many Black-legged Kittiwakes. He also saw 2 Peregrine Falcons circling center city near 24th St last week.
Katrina gives advice to paint temper paint in 1 inch strips on the outside of windows to prevent bird strikes.
Rick Mellon adds that adding gill netting spray painted black hung on the outside of windows keeps birds away too.
Rob Bierregaard uses blueberry netting to achieve the same results.
Henry Armistead reports 21,000 Redheads at Pea Island MD.
Barbara Granger reports that her husband saw a Bald Eagle flying over Burlholme Park in Philadelphia while walking the dog last week.
Presentation – Dr. Charles Wurster – DDT Wars: Character Assassination, Slander, and DDT Science
Dr. Charles Wurster, a founding trustee of Environmental Defense (formerly the Environmental Defense Fund, EDF), presents a talk on his new book, DDT Wars.
Adjournment
Martin Dellwo Adjourns the meeting at 9:25 PM. About a dozen members gathered at Cherry Street Tavern to continue the discussion.