Delaware Valley Ornithological Club
Time: 7:35pm
Call To Order:
President: George Armistead
VP: Linda Widdop; Secretary: Gregg Gorton
Attendees:
Members present: 51; guests: 7 – A. Susan Harrison, Luc & Therese Jacobs, Jeanne Fritz, Clyde & Donna Younkin, Liz Billings
Reports from Council:
none
Committee Reports:
Membership:
Phil Witmer (for Bonnie Witmer)
New members: Carol Beam, Eva Preston, Liz Pettit
Applicants: Vernon LaVia, Bull Gervasi
Field Trips:
Linda Widdop
Discovery Center Bird Walks
May 19, June 8, and June 22, 2019@8am
Fairmount Park, East Reservoir
3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia
Leaders: May 19 – TBA; June 8 – Keith Russell; June 22 – TBA
Upper Roxborough Reservoir Walk
May 19, 2019@8am
Leader: Anne Bekker & Co-Leader
Meet at Port Royal Ave and Lare Street entrance
June 4, 2019@7am-11am
Lakehurst Naval Air Center: TRIP IS FULL ALREADY
2494 S. Hope Chapel Road (also called Rte. 547)
Manchester Twp., NJ 08759
Leader: Bob Horton
–>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/ and http://birdphilly.org/events.html
Up-coming Program:
Linda Widdop
Birds in Mayan Civilization
June 6, 2019@7:30pm
Speaker: Rob Fergus
Picnic:
August 3, 2019 at 1pm – at the Guris’ House in Green Lane, PA
Conservation:
Anne Sarah Bekker
Please go to Riverfrontnorth.org to complete your survey for recommendations regarding the redevelopment of that area of Philadelphia!
Announcements:
George Armistead: congratulations are due to Frank Windfelder, who saw his 300th Philadelphia species on his birthday, May 12, 2019! (–Applause–)
Local Notes:
Linda Widdop: saw a mature Bald Eagle on Stenton Avenue in Philadelphia, being chased by crows.
Win Shafer: twelve Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were reported in Reading, PA. And a Yellow-breasted Chat was at Rushton Farm in Willistown, Chester County. Finally, in Belleplaine, NJ, 44 singing Worm-eating Warblers were found after the rain today!
Tory Sindlinger: led the carbon-free DVOC youth team, called “Sudden Stops & Terns,” which peregrinated around Cape Island and came in 3rd in that category with 111 species! That included some Red Knots seen in flight. (–Applause–)
Phil Witmer: noted that the BirdPhilly World Series of Birding Team truncated their planned route so that Matt Halley, who had sustained an injury, could continue to be part of the team! And then the team found a Swallow-tailed Kite!!
Debbie Beer: had Hooded Warbler, Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Ovenbird, and several other warbler species in Springfield, Delaware County.
Dan Efroymson: Holger Pflicke recorded a Mourning Warbler at FDR Park. And in Houston Meadow in Roxborough, there was an Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Gregg Gorton: found a Spotted Sandpiper in Shortridge Park, Wynnewood, PA, for the first time since he began birding there in 1993, for species #151 at that site. The habitat along the creek has changed somewhat due to stream restoration, so that may explain the presence of the new species there.
Linda Rowan: a pair of Red-tailed Hawks are nesting on a power line tower visible from her backyard.
Katrina Rakowski: thirty-eight species of birds were found near Independence Hall one day this week! And, we should acknowledge all the DVOCers who participated in the WSB: Tony Croasdale, Matt Halley, Linda Widdop, Alan Crawford, and Tory Sindlinger (plus Katrina herself).
George Armistead: was shocked by the number of migrants in the Independence Hall area! They were found in the blocks extending from the Commodore Barry statue, which is two blocks south of Independence Hall, over toward the river. George also reported two new birds for his south Philly yard–Black-throated Blue Warbler (male) and Swamp Sparrow.
Brian Quindlen: had 53 species of birds on the nature trail at Bethel Springs Elementary School in Garnet Valley, Chester County, PA. Those birds included lots of warblers, and a Bobolink and a Veery were also found (bird numbers 128 and 129 for the school!).
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Evening Program:
Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons & Vultures of North America
Speakers: Kevin Karlson & Pete Dunne
Kevin & Pete gave a reprise of the talk they gave at the Annual Banquet last year, when only about half of the registered attendees made it to the hall due to the blizzard that afternoon and evening. In the more intimate setting, their talk this time was even more delightful. It was chock-full of world-class photographs that many of the leading raptor photographers had contributed to their 2017 book with the same title as this evening’s talk. Kevin & Pete were good-humored in their own repartee and in that with the enthralled audience. Whether one had attended the talk previously, or not, this presentation was a winner!
At pre-meeting dinner, in BEES classroom, and trying out BirdPhilly T-shirts
Meeting adjourned at 9:18pm
After-meeting Gathering at Cherry Street Tavern:
After the formal meeting, ten members enjoyed beverages and bird-chat.