[DVOC] Weekly Digest - Number 08-45 - 11/2/08

Sun Nov 2 13:15:02 PST 2008

The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club  (DVOC) Weekly Digest 

Upcoming Meeting (Details and directions at  <http://www.dvoc.org/>
www.dvoc.org)

This Thursday November 6, 2008 - 7:30 pm at the Academy of Natural Sciences
in Philadelphia"

Program - Adrian Binns - "Watching East Africa's Unique Wildlife"

>From the savannahs of Kenya to Uganda's rainforest, from the Ngorongoro
Crater in Tanzania to the lakes in the Rift Valley, the abundant display of
wildlife in East Africa is unparalleled. With such a large concentration of
both mammals and avian species it is not surprising that a number of
different inter-actions and relationships can be found between them. We will
explore some of these unique relationships and take a look at some of the 14
(of 16 African) endemic avian families that East Africa hosts.

No Ornithological Study this meeting

DVOC Annual Banquet - Thursday November 20th - Deadline for signing up is
Saturday November 15! - Get your reservation in now!

Please set aside Thursday, November 20th for our Annual Banquet. We always
have a great time. Menu choices and prices are listed below, Full
information with reservation form is at
http://www.dvoc.org/Banquet/Banquet.htm 

A Google map of the location is on the club website.

Speakers: Clay and Pat Sutton, "Birds and Birding at Cape May (a Bird Walk
Through Time)," program and book signing by Clay and Pat Sutton

6 pm cash bar (munchies included!)

7 pm dinner

Choose from three entrees: Boneless Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Herb
Bread & Pine Nuts / Baked Salmon with Lemon Herb Peppercorn Cream Sauce /
Vegetarian 

All meals include: Fresh Seasonal Fruit Salad, Roasted Herb Potatoes, Green
Beans Almandine, Ice Cream, Rolls and butter, coffee, tea and decaf 

Cost per person - $46 (includes tax and gratuity)

Many thanks to Banquet Chairs Bernice and Joe Koplin for putting this
together.

Upcoming Field Trips  

November 8 (Saturday) - Saw-whet Owl Banding at Hidden Valley, PA

Visit Scott Weidensaul's banding station along the Kittitany Ridge on Second
Mountain in Schuylkill County during the peak of saw-whet migration. Meet at
the banding station at 6:30pm. Dress warmly. Expect to be out till 11pm.  

Limited to 15 participants. Sign up with Adrian Binns now! As of 11/2, the
trip is full. Contact Adrian if you want to be put on a waiting list.

Leader: Adrian Binns

November 22 (Saturday) - Brigantine (Forsythe) NWR, NJ

Forsythe NWR November is the time of year for waterfowl, but sparrows won't
be overlooked and last year on this trip we had a Cave Swallow which is rare
for this location. This trip is geared towards beginning birders - both
adult and young. The birds we will see this time of year are great to start
out with as they are easily visible, large, and they usually stay put for
excellent observations. Sandra Keller will also guide participants on
starting flight id. Again, the species this time of year make for an
excellent study.

The trip will be mostly driving as we circle the dikes probably 2 times, but
we may walk a trail for a short distance. Bring lunch or buy at one of the
many stores and/or restaurants along Rt. 9. Bring binoculars, scopes, field
guides, cold weather clothing - layers work best - and plenty of food and
drink.

Sandra will have many field guides and a scope for general use.

Meet in the parking lot by the restrooms at 11:30AM. We will probably go
until 4:30 or 5:00PM depending on whether Short-eared Owls are being seen.

Sandra may have to change the start time on this trip, so be sure and check
the web site a few days before. Inclement weather cancels, but Sandra may
switch to Sunday. Again, keep an eye on the web site. Directions to Forsythe
NWR are simple and are posted on many web sites and written up in many
books.

Bill Boyles "Guide to Bird Finding in New Jersey" has a good set of
directions.

Googlemaps and Mapquest are also excellent alternatives for driving
directions.

If any specific questions about the trip, please contact Sandra at
(856)383-2756.

Brigantine (Forsythe) NWR is marked on the Atlantic County Birding Page on
the club website.

Leader: Sandra Keller

November 28 (Friday) Hawk Migration at Raccoon Ridge, NJ

New in 2008 

Do you find yourself with nothing to do on the day after Thanksgiving? Want
to get out and burn off some of that turkey? Or pumpkin pie? Come join us at
Raccoon Ridge for a day of hawk watching. This late in the season usually
bring in Golden Eagles, Goshawks and other late migrants. We will meet at
the Blairstown Diner in Blairstown, NJ at 8:30 AM and proceed to the AMC's
Mohigan Lodge and hike along the Appalachian Trail for about two miles to
Raccoon Ridge. It will be COLD! Dress warmly with many layers. Bring lunch
and a pad to sit on. Meeting time is 8:30 AM. If you are going to attend,
please let Bob know in advance by email. He will try to arrange car pools. 

Leader: Bob Horton

The Blairstown Diner is marked on the Warren County Birding Page on the club
website..

2009 DVOC Membership Directory

It is time to start preparing the 2009 directory and that means it is time
for members to ensure that their contact information is correct. An update
packet will be circulated at the next couple of meetings for attendees to
check their information. If you are unable to attend and your contact
information has changed in the past year, please send the changes to
treasurer at dvoc.org. The contact information in the directory includes name,
address, e-mail address, home phone, work/daytime phone, and cell phone.

Looking For An End Of the Year Tax Deduction?

Contributions to the DVOC Conservation Fund are tax deductable. Any
contributions received by the club before 12/31 will be passed on to Scott
Wiesenthal's Saw-whet Owl Banding and Research Project, our major 2008
recipient. Make your check payable to DVOC and send it to Bert Filemyr, DVOC
Treasurer, 1314 Lenore Road, Meadowbrook, PA 19046

Something Special At This Year's Banquet
Send Your Photos of DVOC Members for our Annual Banquet!!

All members are invited to participate in a photo display to be shown during
cocktail hour at this year's Annual Banquet.  This will be a photographic
review of our members' birding activities for this year.  We need more
pictures! Even if you will not be at the banquet, we would love to see you
represented.  Any photo of you or other DVOC members taken while at a
birding location this year is welcomed.  Did you take a birding trip with
other DVOC members?  Did someone take your picture as you birded your
backyard? Were you photographed while birding during a family vacation?  Are
you a distant DVOC member who just cannot get to this year's banquet?  Send
a photo or two of yourself and/or other DVOC members "in action." Pictures
of people (at least one DVOC member should be in each photo) only, not
birds.  Simply send photos as an e-mail attachment to
<mailto:membership at dvoc.org> membership at dvoc.org.  Be sure to label the
message with the location of the shot and who is depicted.  Come and enjoy
viewing the photos during the social hour prior to the start of dinner.
(Thanks to club member Connie Goldman for taking the initiative on this.)

After An Absence Of Several Years - DVOC Hats Are Available

The new batch of hats has arrived and they will be available at this week's
meeting. There are three color choices, khaki, navy, green.

The cost is only $17 each. You can pay in cash (exact change is really
appreciated!) or a check made out to DVOC. Membership Chairperson Connie
Goldman is heading this initiative.

Get yours while they last! (Connie was unable to make the last meeting. She
will be at the upcoming meeting with the hats!)

A Request From Club Member Tony Croasdale
            Hello, my name is Tony Croasdale, I am an DVOC member and am
currently working at Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center in West
Philadelphia. Cobbs Creek offers a great facility consisting of class rooms,
a lab, meeting spaces, some exhibits and displays, a garden, library and an
amazing mural of the local ecosystem. The center serves a community
traditionally not served by most environmental centers being in such an
urban and low income area. The park the center is located in a quite
beautiful wooded stream corridor. I have the privilege of coordinating after
school environmental science clubs at 8 local Philadelphia School District
elementary schools and will be starting a birding club for middle and high
school students that will be open to kids region-wide. 
            I am writing to request donations of field guides to birds,
insects, trees etc for use in the center and for the after school clubs. We
would also like to put together a bird feeding station at the center so
donations of feeders, Sheppard's hooks, bird baths etc would be greatly
appreciated too. We are also looking to put together a pelt box and native
herp collection as well. I have very limited resources to work with and am
looking to really increase the traditional nature center function of this
center so I'd welcome any thoughts or ideas on what sorts of resources folks
out there have and are willing to contribute. We also want to be able to
host local school children and I'd like to have materials available for fun
activities with them. 
            I did a similar drive for field guides while working at John
Heinz NWR as an AmeriCorps VISTA and it was very successful and I'd like to
thank everyone who contributed. I hope everyone got a thank you letter
mailed to them. The success of that program made me really feel that the
birding community was indeed just that, a community. 
            I will be having the donations sent to my parent's address as
the center currently isn't open consistently and my folk's house is set up
to receive packages nicely. Cobbs Creek is a non-profit organization so I'm
sure we can arrange a receipt for tax deductable donations. 

December 18th Meeting - Photo Contest (updated 10/3)

Format: Digital only

Well, fall is here and many of you have taken some great trips and shot some
wonderful photos. Will you win the DVOC slide contest? Prizes will be
awarded in four categories: Birds, Natural History (non-avian fauna and
flora), Scenery, and Birders (one year, former President Bob Sehl was shown
riding a camel).
Entries must be submitted in advance to Frank Windfelder. You can submit a
MAXIMUM of 5 shots in the categories of Birds and Natural History, but only
three in Scenery and Birders. Prizes will be awarded.

Put your pictures on a CD and either email them, snail mail them, or hand
them to Frank Windfelder at a DVOC meeting.

Items Available for Purchase at DVOC Meetings

DVOC Hats - $17 each

DVOC car window stickers - $1 each
"Birders Conservation Handbook: 100 North American Birds at Risk" by Dr.
Jeff Wells - only $25 (limited supply)

"Song of the Blue Ocean" by Dr. Carl Safina - signed by author - A $17 value
now only $12 (limited supply)

____________________________________________________________________________
________________________
Report Your Sightings to the Delaware Valley RBA
The Delaware Valley RBA is posted on Thursday evenings at
<http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm>
http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm
It is also available at 215 240 7547
Report your sightings to  <mailto:rba at dvoc.com> rba at dvoc.com or 215 240 7547
The general guidelines of what to report are on the Delaware Valley Rare
Bird Alert Page -  <http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm>
http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm

Merchandise Available!
Both DVOC merchandise and Nikon/DVOC Lagerhead Shrikes merchandise are
available at our on-line store. 
 <http://www.cafepress.com/nikondvoc> http://www.cafepress.com/nikondvoc
 <http://www.cafepress.com/dvoc> http://www.cafepress.com/dvoc

Information on the Club and Club activities are at  <http://www.dvoc.org>
www.dvoc.org

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