This was a hybrid meeting, broadcast on Zoom. We had a speaker and a live audience in the BEES classroom and the meeting was broadcast on Zoom.
Call to Order: President Barb Bassett
Call to Order: 7:30 PM
Attendees: 23 on Zoom
In person: 21
Martin Dellwo moved to approve minutes of the last meeting and Bert Filemyr seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Committee Reports
Membership – Navin Sasikumar for Rebecca Reicherter
One new member Mark Gotlib.
Field Trips – Linda Widdop
If you wish to lead a field trip, contact Linda: linda@techimpact.org
Upcoming field trips:
| DATE | TIME | TRIP | LEADER |
| November 8 | 7:30-9:30am | Silver Lake Nature Center – Bucks County | Linda Rowan |
November 8 | 8:00 – 10:00am | Bird Walk at The Discovery Center | TBD |
| November 15 | 7:30-9:30am | Silver Lake Nature Center – Bucks County | Linda Rowan |
| November 22 | 7:30-9:30am | Silver Lake Nature Center – Bucks County | Linda Rowan |
| November 29 | 7:30 – 9:00am | Silver Lake Nature Center – Bucks County | Linda Rowan |
| December 6 | 8:00 – 10:00am | Bird Walk at The Discovery Center | Navin Sasikumar |
| December 7 | 8:30 – 2:00pm | Barnegat Inlet Bird Walk | Linda Widdop |
| January 17 | 7:300am – 6:00pm | Parque Natural Metropolitano – Panama City and Surroundings | Tanya Burnett |
Conservation – Rob Karchnyak
The Conservation Committee is beginning the process to apply for certification to designate Philadelphia as an official “Bird Town”.
Rob also mentioned that they are working with Bird Safe Philly to start the process to retrofit the windows at the visitor center at John Heinz NWR. They are looking for volunteers to help with the process in March.
Billings – Art McMorris
Go Birding!
Cassinia – Holger Pflicke
No report.
Banquet – Navin Sasikumar for Lauren Diamond
Navin Sasikumar reminded folks that the banquet will be next Friday November 14th with Jason Hall as speaker. Tickets are now available.
Announcements
Navin Sasikumar announced the changes to the constitution will be listed on the website soon. He also reminded folks about the annual photo contest, the deadline and the date of awards.
Rob Karchnyak announced there is an article in the November issue of GRID magazine about Bird Safe Philly.
Local Notes
Linda Widdop’s friend who is a non-birder, found a Northern Saw-whet Owl in a small pocket park in Center City Philadelphia.
Marty Dellwo noted there was a chaseable Chestnut-collared Longspur in Cape May County, at the Villas. Marty also had a Northern Wheatear at South Cape May Meadows, Cape May County.
Manny Dominguez found a Hudsonian Godwit at Penrose Ponds in Philadelphia County.
Victoria Sindlinger reported that her bird club, the University of Pennsylvania Quackers recently took a field trip to Cape May. They saw a Common Raven and at least 10 Brown Pelicans flying by on Cape Island. On October 28, Victoria also had had her earliest Fox sparrow on Penn campus, as well as a Lincoln Sparrow.
Rob Karchnyak noted that a Vesper Sparrow and Pine Siskin were recently reported at FDR Park, in Philadelphia County.
Bert Filemyr noted it has been a great year for Godwits in the state of Delaware with Hudsonian Godwit and Marbled Godwit being seen at Raymond Pool, Bombay Hook NWR.
Andrew Ednie, a Delaware state birder in attendance, noted he had Evening Grosbeak’s and 30 to 40 Purple Finches at a feeder in Delaware.
Sean Bradley noted Purple Finch flocks feeding on Crabapple and Dogwood fruit in Andorra Meadow last week and had a flock of 6 of them at Upper Roxborough Reservoir as well.
Programs
December 4th meeting will be an in-person meeting only, Jason Weckstein will be giving a tour of the Academy’s collection.
Evening Program
Matthew Halley (in-person) – Rediscovery and history of Alexander Wilson’s house in Philadelphia
Matthew Halley gave a highly detailed and extraordinarily interesting talk on his rediscovery of the “father of American Ornithology” Alexander Wilson’s Philadelphia home. Wilson’s home where he produced his seminal work “American Ornithology (1808–14) was long thought to have been demolished. Matthew Halley, with over a decade of detective work was able to reveal that Wilson’s house still stands at 733 Spruce St.
Adjournment
After the presentation and some questions, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15pm.