Delaware Valley Ornithological Club
Time: 7:30pm
Call To Order:
President: Marty Dellwo subbing for George Armistead
(with VP: Linda Widdop; Secretary: Linda Widdop subbing for Gregg Gorton)
Attendees:
Members present: 23;
Reports from Council:
none
Committee Reports:
Membership:
Linda Widdop on behalf of Bonnie Witmer
New member – Kuenhi Tsai in attendance
New applicant – Richard Ziegler
Conservation Committee – Anne Bekker
Need nominations for Rosalee Edge Award – for a non-member doing conservation work. 2 nominees so far. Deadline is today but could be extended. Award presented at banquet.
Banquet Committee – Lauren Diamond
Banquet order forms available via print and also online. Lauren encourages everyone to register online if possible. Speaker is Jeff Gordon, ABA President. Ticket price is still $49.50. New menu options available.
Nov 21, 6:30 PM at Sheet Metal Workers Union hall.
Field Trips:
Linda Widdop
Glen Foerd On the Delaware – November 16, 2019 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Trip Leader – Tony Croasdale
5001 Grant Ave, Philadelphia, PA
Discovery Center Bird Walk – November 23, 2019 @ 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Trip Leader – Keith Russell
3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19121
–>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:
https://dvoc.org/activities/field-trips/ and http://birdphilly.org/events.html
Up-coming Program:
Linda Widdop
Red Knot Update
November 7, [email protected]:30pm-9pm
Speaker: Larry Niles
Banquet:
Lauren Diamond
Save this date: Nov 21, 2019 at 6:30pm! The banquet will again be at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Hall on Delaware Avenue. The Bird Art Show will take place again this year, and Jeff Gordon, President of the American Birding Association, will be the featured speaker.
Announcements:
Bob Horton has books to donate. Please take any that you want
Matt Halley “Show and Tell” – The oldest house in Philadelphia was owned by the Drinker family. House is no longer there but was turned into Sportsman Depot and run by John Krider. Taxidermy for bird specimens that are now in the Academy were prepared there. In the book
“Forty Years Notes of a Field Ornithologist,” by John Krider, a specimen is mentioned that is the only specimen of this species ever collected in Philadelphia–a Smooth-billed Ani shot on Petty’s Island. PA Records committee has not accepted this into the PA records. Label has many inaccuracies – “Shot on Peter’s Island in Delaware River opposite Kensington.” Peter’s Island is located in the Schuylkill River. Petty’s Island is in the Delaware River but not near Kensington. Krider’s book states that the Ani was shot in Sept in “the meadows below the built-up part of the city of Philadelphia . . .” Matt suspects that someone mislabeled the specimen and that Krider’s account should be considered.
Linda Widdop reports that Bert Filemyr is recovering nicely from recent hip surgery
Local Notes:
Linda Widdop reports Swainson’s Hawk at Cape May
Cassin’s Kingbird also reported at Cape May
John – Chester County loop has lots of warblers and vireos, Cape May has Eurasian and American Wigeon.
Matt Halley – White-crowned, Song, Savannah, White-throated and Swamp Sparrows at Dixon Meadow in Montgomery County, Sora, Virginia Rail
Anne Bekker also had Vesper Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Sora, Virginial Rail and Bobolinks
Marty Dellwo reports Merlin from Big Sit platform.
Evening Program:
San Diego and the Salton Sea
Speaker: Cliff Hence
The Salton Sea is California’s largest inland body of water and has become a prime birding spot in southern California, despite some very unusual conditions there. The ‘Sea’ is 235 feet below sea level and about 10 times as salty as the ocean. It was created in the 1905 when a 40-mile canal used to irrigate the area for agriculture flooded due to high rains. It’s estimated that 63 billion gallons of water a day poured into the dry waterbed of the Imperial Valley for about 18 months. This created the area that became known as the Salton Sea. It is also located right on the San Andreas Fault. The Sea has no outlet and is fed with runoff from area farms, which increases the salinity of the water. Surprisingly there are some species of fish that can survive in this environment. They provide a food source for over 400 species of birds that use the valley as a stopover or wintering spot. Thousands of White Pelicans, Cormorants, Snow and Ross’ geese, and various species of Ducks as well as Gamble’s Quail, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Roadrunner, Burrowing Owl and others visit the area each year. The area can be birded throughout the year, but because the temperatures easily can reach the 100’s in the warmer parts of the year, the cooler months are the prime time to visit the area.
The San Diego area is also a great birding area because of its proximity to the ocean. Despite prolific development of the area and a large naval base, there are still many natural areas that provide a large variety of avian diversity. Numerous gulls and terns including Gull-billed, Caspian, Elegant and Least Terns that can be seen as well as the occasional pelagic species in and around the city. There are also seals and Sea Lions basking on the rocks and promontories along the coast.
Meeting adjourned at 9:24pm
After-meeting Gathering at Cherry Street Tavern:
After the formal meeting, the speaker and some club members enjoyed beverages and bird-chat.