[DVOC] Weekly Digest - Number 09-14 - 4/5/09

Sun Apr 5 13:57:57 PDT 2009

The Delaware Valley Ornithological Club  (DVOC) Weekly Digest 

DVOC Hats

Now that spring is here and we are out in the field more, remember that DVOC
hats are available for only $17 at meeting.

Save the Date
Get out your calendar now and mark Thursday November 19th. That is the date
of the club's annual banquet!

>From the 4/2/09 Meeting

www.towerkill.com <http://towerkill.com/> 
www.oldbird.org/  <http://www.oldbird.org/> 
Wild Bird Memorials <http://www.oldbird.org/Birdmemorial.htm> 

Change in Dues Beginning in 2010

On 4/5/09 Council, after considerable debate and thought, decided to change
the cost of an annual membership and a life membership beginning in 2010.
Full information is at http://www.dvoc.org/Membership/Membership.htm

Current members are encouraged to start a three year life membership payment
plan before the end of 2009. You can become a life member at the old cost.

World Series of Birding Scouting

The club's team, the Lagerhead Shrikes, is looking for birders to help scout
for this year's event. If you can spend a couple of hours on May 6,7,8
(Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) checking some locations in New Jersey, we
would love to have you involved. Remember the more species the team
identifies, the more money is raised for the DVOC's Conservation Fund.
Contact Bert Filemyr for further information.

Request for Photographs

Frank Windfelder is looking for photos of cormorants for an upcoming Orni
Study. He thanks all those who have contacted him. He still needs photos of
Neotropic Cormorants. Contact Frank if you have any photos that he could
use. fwindfelder at yahoo.com 

Upcoming Meeting

Thursday April 16, 7:30 pm at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Program - Andy Smith, "Ten Million Years and Still Going: Sandhill Cranes on
the Platte River and Elsewhere."

Each year 500,000 Sandhill Cranes or eighty percent of the North American
population gather on the Platte River in Nebraska before heading North to
breeding grounds. The spectacle of their leaving the river at dawn to go to
the surrounding corn fields and returning at dusk is amazing to behold as
thousands of birds fill the sky. Millions of waterfowl and at times Whooping
Cranes also use the region as a stopping point during migration.

Ornithological Study - "Glass: Reducing Bird Strikes" - Phil Witmer

Interesting Links

This appeared online on April 1.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg63q3w3_0cv7p4vgw

Submitted by Hart Rufe

New Jersey Pinelands Birding and Wildlife Trail
A form to nominate your favorite birding location is available at -
http://www.njwildlifetrails.org/ 

2008 Conservation/World Series of Birding Fundraising

DVOC is pleased to support the "Willistown Conservation Trust Bird Banding
Station in Rushton Preserve" as our 2009 Conservation project.  The proceeds
from our World Series of Birding team fundraising will be donated to WCT for
this project.  See our Conservation section for more details, and send in
your pledge form now.  Our winning DVOC team Nikon/Lagerhead Shrikes has
begun preparing for the big event, and we appreciate your support!

More information is at http://www.dvoc.org/Misc/Donating.htm

The 2009 Pledge/Donation form is at
http://www.dvoc.org/WSB/WSB2009/2009WSB_PledgeForm.pdf 

Upcoming Field Trips  

April 18 (Saturday) - COASTAL DELAWARE

Looking for early migrants and lingering winter visitors. We will begin in
new Castle County and head south into Kent County. Bring lunch and scopes.
Contact leader the week before for meeting time and place. 

This is a joint field trip with Wyncote Audubon. 

Leader: Lynn Jackson 

April 19 (Sunday) - RIVERWINDS AND NATIONAL PARK DREDGE SPOILS, NJ

A spring morning is planned at Riverwinds and later at the National Park Red
Bank Dredge Spoils, both adjacent to Philadelphia in Gloucester County. Jeff
has personally seen over 130 species at Riverwinds alone and the dredge
spoils is an excellent place for over wintering waterfowl and nesting marsh
species. Targets for the morning will be early migrants and nesting
bitterns, rails, Moorhen, Coot and Pied-billed Grebe. Meet at 7AM at
Riverwinds

Leader: Jeff Holt

April 25 (Saturday) - BOMBAY HOOK NWR PHOTOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP

New in 2009

This field trip will focus on photographing early breeders, overwintering
birds and early migrants at Bombay Hook NWR. All data accumulated will be
entered in the Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas project, but we'll focus a lot
of time on photographing the refuge and its wildlife. We won't necessarily
look for any specific species, but will try to find wildlife engaged in
interesting behaviors at distances that will allow us to compose some good
photographs. Whether you're new to photography or a pro, you're welcome on
this trip. I will be shooting almost exclusively with a Digital SLR and
300mm lens. Digiscopers and more traditional photographers are both welcome,
and we'll do our best to find some subjects for everyone. If interested,
contact Steve Kacir and let him know whether you'll be digiscoping or just
using a camera. Some information about your lens will also help in planning
our approach to this trip. In case of foul weather the trip will be
rescheduled. The trip will run all day, but we'll probably break for a hot
lunch.

Field Trip meeting place: Refuge Headquarters Parking Lot

Meeting Time: 7:30am

Leader: Steve Kacir

Recent Website Enhancements

(4/5/09) Change in Dues Beginning in 2010

(4/3/09) Diving Bird Quiz Ornithological Study

(4/3/09) Minutes of the March 19, 2009 Meeting

(4/1/09) Cassinia XXXVI 1946

(4/1/09) Delaware Valley RBA

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)

Information on the Birds of North America discount program is available at
http://www.dvoc.org/Membership/DVOC_BNA.htm 

Bert Filemyr and/or Jeff Holt will have copies of their book "The Composite
Prints of the Audubon's Birds of America" available at most meetings - $12
each

____________________________________________________________________________
________________________

DVOC is on Facebook. Check out
http://www.facebook.com/pages/DVOC-The-Delaware-Valley-Ornithological-Club/4
9975018421 

The DVOC has a discount program for Birds of North America Online. Check out
http://www.dvoc.org/Membership/DVOC_BNA.htm 

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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