Delaware Valley Ornithological Club
Time: 7:36pm
Call To Order:
President: George Armistead
VP: George Armistead (covering for Linda Widdop); Secretary: Navin Sasikumar (covering for Gregg Gorton)
Attendees:
Members present: 27; four guests
Reports from Council:
none
Committee Reports:
Membership:
Bonnie Witmer
No New Members
Billings Award:
George Armistead
Sandra Keller is the 2018 winner, having seen 303 species (302 of them in N.J.), more than any other entrant. The award presentation will take place on March 21, 2019, and members of Bob Billings’ family will be present for the award and for a short talk by Sandra about her year. Congratulations to her! The area map for the Billings Competition can be found
Field Trips:
George Armistead
Discovery Center Bird Walk
The Discovery Center
March 9, 2019 @ 8:00 am – 9:30 am
3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19121
Trip Leader: TBA
Woodcocks & Spotlighting for Night Creatures
March 22, 2019@6:00pm-7:00pm
Cobbs Creek Environmental Center
700 Cobbs Creek Parkway, Philadelphia
Trip Leader: Tony Croasdale
http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L1027761
Cape May Area Birdwalk
Meet at Concrete Ship (USS Atlantus – western terminus of Sunset Blvd.)
April 06, 2019 @ 8:00 am – 1:30 pm
500 Sunset Blvd, Cape May, New Jersey, 08204
Trip Leaders: George Armistead, Martin Selzer
Joint DVOC/Wyncote Audubon field trip
Bring food, or we can make a quick stop at Wawa.
Plan: Birding in the main spots at Cape May and perhaps up the Bayshore, looking for returning Piping Plovers, migrating Bonaparte’s Gull and (fingers crossed!) hopefully for a Little Gull, or Sandhill Cranes somewhere along the way. Good time of year for migrating loons and grebes too. We will adapt our day to where the area’s birds are.
Note: Monitor BirdPhilly Chatter group on WhatsApp and DVOC Facebook page for updates prior to trip, and for live updates during the day of April 6th.
Discovery Center Bird Walk
The Discovery Center
March 31, 2019 @ 8:00 am – 9:30 am
3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19121
Trip Leader: TBA
–>Please contact Linda Widdop if you want to lead a trip outside Philadelphia: Linda@techimpact.org
–>Please contact Tony Croasdale if you want to lead a walk inside Philadelphia (for DVOC’s BirdPhilly initiative): Tony.croasdale@gmail.com
(Details for all walks/trips can be found at http://dvoc.org/activities/field-trips/ )
Cassinia:
Barb Granger: Cassinia is “cooking” – the new issue is currently in the editing phase.
Upcoming Program:
Hummingbird Habitat
March 21, 2019 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Speaker: Cindy Ahern
Cindy Ahern’s journey began with a visit from a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, resulting in the transformation of her yard into a full-fledged bird habitat! Along with the hummingbirds, her suburban property has a list of 129 other bird species! Cindy will share tales of successes, drawbacks, and surprises along the way, with suggestions for attracting hummingbirds, along with other tips for creating a bird-friendly urban/suburban habitat! She is an adjunct professor in Temple University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture in the Tyler School of Art.
Included in the meeting will be the presentation of the 2018 Bob Billings Big Year award to Sandra Keller, who saw 303 species of birds in the DVOC program area in 2018. Members of Bob Billings’s family will be present, and Sandra will give us a brief talk about her big year effort.
Announcements:
Sally Creighton: Karen Schwager broke her knee while walking her dog.
Local Notes:
Bert Filemyr: Varied Thrush continues near an office complex with plenty of parking in the back by dumpsters and a Cranberry Tree that the bird likes. It is at 3893 Adler Place in Bethlehem, Northampton County, PA. A Boreal Chickadee continues at Merrill Creek Reservoir, Harmony Creek, Warren County, NJ, as well. Best to look for it in the morning.
Win Shafer: A flock of Evening Grosbeaks is visiting a private feeder near Stroudsburg.
Brad Whitman: Visited Barnegat Light and had about 50-70 Long-tailed ducks.
Barb Granger: Has a ’round’ of robins at her bird feeders, eating sunflower seeds and bullying the house sparrows.
George Armistead: Was out in San Diego and had Scripp’s Murrelet. Tried for Mountain Quail but didn’t get it.
Marty Dellwo: At Pennypack on the Delaware, other birders mentioned to him that the Bald Eagles have been on the nest since February.
George Armistead: At Tinicum, the eagles are still building the nest. Also had a lone turkey.
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Evening Program:
Owl in the Box
Speaker: Lisa Potash
Lisa gave a wonderful talk highlighting her journey with Eastern Screech Owls in her yard. She talked about the various owls she has had over the years and showed everyone wonderful photos and videos of their behavior.
Main Meeting Adjourned: 8:47pm
Janie Hill and her mother had a deceased Eastern Screen Owl with an egg that they brought for the Academy collection; and, it was briefly displayed after the meeting.
After-meeting Gathering at Cherry Street Tavern:
After the formal meeting, some members enjoyed beverages and bird-chat.