Meetings and Programs

  7:30 PM at Location: Nolde Forest EEC, 

(In person only, no Zoom*

 (Joint Meeting with the Mengel Natural History Society.) (Location: Nolde Forest EEC)

(The full exhibit is open in the Nolde Mansion during business hours from May 1013, 2022) 

Russ Hoffman's will bring a sampling of the exhibits pictures over to the McConnell Hall at Nolde and Russ will share stories of how, when and where he captured these remarkable images. Russ will share valuable tips for those seeking to try to be bird photographers. Members and guests will enjoy light refreshments. Bring snacks to share; drinks are provided.

The full exhibit will be displayed in Nolde Mansion during the week prior to the meeting, 8:00 am-4:00 pm. 

--------------

Due to recent problems with internet access at the meeting location, we are unable to have the meeting available live via Zoom as well as in person.  

*Mike Slater is planning on making video recordings of the meetings with the speaker's permission and making them a available here on this site a few days after each meeting.

Russ Hoffman at his exhibit, Photo by Lucy Cairns

7:30 PM at Location: Nolde Forest EEC, 

(In person only, no Zoom*)

To paraphrase Thoreau, I have traveled much in Reading. A layoff and COVID-19 isolation allowed me to explore the bird life possibilities within the city limits. We'll talk about the places, the people and the birds I encountered during my City of Reading Big Year counts. 

--------------

Due to recent problems with internet access at the meeting location, we are unable to have the meeting available live via Zoom as well as in person.  

Mike Slater is planning on making video recordings of the meetings with the speaker's permission and making them a available here on this site a few days after each meeting.

Fox Sparrow at Angelica Park

Photo by Russ Hoffman

Mar 11, 2022 7:30pm - American Kestrel Conservation: Successful Partnership, PGC and the Birding Community  - Dan Mummert, PGC, Wildlife Diversity Biologist In 2015, the American Kestrel was added to Pennsylvania’s list of species of conservation concern due to a loss of nearly half their population since the mid-1960’s throughout North America. In response, the PA Game Commission’s southeast region created a kestrel conservation initiative that is working to learn more about their local population and help in their conservation. This presentation will discuss this program and the team effort it has been between the PGC and the birding community.  

COVID Guidelines for our Spring 2022 meetings at Nolde Forest EEC, your Board of Directors asks:             

•  If you are feeling ill, have recently been exposed to COVID-19, or are  awaiting the result of a test for COVID-19, please stay home.              
• If you are not fully vaccinated, please wear a highly effective mask                          (N95, KN95, or KF94
• If you are fully vaccinated, make a decision about wearing a mask based on your individual risk for severe disease and the risk to  loved ones. 

Due to recent problems with internet access at the meeting location, we are unable to have the meeting available live via Zoom as well as in person. 

Mike Slater is planning on making video recordings of the meetings and making them a available here on this site a few days after each meeting.

American Kestrel

Photo  by Mike Slater

Feb 11, 2022 7:30 pm - Ecology of the Northern Clapper Rail - meeting by Zoom only

Elisa Elizondo, University of Delaware, Ph.D. candidate

It's spring! Time to head for the coastal marshes with hopes of glimpsing elusive clapper rails (Rallus crepitans crepitans). The Saltmarsh Habitat Avian Research Program (tidalmarshbirds.org) is 

dedicated to the study of salt marsh birds and recent efforts led by Lisa Elizondo seek to uncover more information regarding this secretive species. This program will include recent data from Delaware on clapper rail nesting ecology and movement patterns, including the first chick survival data and the first GPS tag data.

(Meeting Via Zoom Only)

Read some more about the Clapper Rail research.

 Photo: A GPS tagged Clapper Rail at the Delaware Woodland Beach Wildlife Area (Photo: Elisa Elizondo, University of Delaware)  

Jan 14, 2022,  7:30pm - Migration and Overwintering Strategies of Veeries Breeding in the Mid-Atlantic Region - meeting by Zoom only.

Christopher M. Heckscher, Prof. of Environmental Science & Ecology, Delaware State University and Todd J. Underwood, Prof. of Biology, Kutztown University

Veeries breed in dense, wet forests of eastern North America and are easily recognized by their distinctive song. Using the latest tracking technology suitable for small songbirds, we followed the migration of Veeries from their breeding grounds in the Mid-Atlantic Region to their overwintering sites in South America. In this lecture, we will discuss patterns of migration, hurricane avoidance, overwintering locations, and movements, and compare the overwintering locations of birds that breed at French Creek State Park in Pennsylvania to birds that breed at White Clay Creek State Park in Delaware. 

(Meeting Via Zoom Only)

Please contact us at membership@bairdornithological.club if you are a guest or a member who needs a link.  

Veery in Pennsylvania

Photo by Ken Lebo

November 12, 2021? *

Scott Weidensaul

BOC 100TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET PROGRAM

 Below is a press release from Scott’s publisher describing his latest book, which will be available for signing and sale 

A World on the Wing
The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
by Scott Weidensaul (Author)

An exhilarating exploration of the science and wonder of global bird migration.
In the past two decades, our understanding of the navigational and physiological feats that enable birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch has exploded. Certain species, such as thrushes, avoid dehydration by “drinking” from their own muscles and organs, extending their flight range by more than two thousand miles; it now seems all but certain that birds orient themselves using Earth’s magnetic field through a form of quantum entanglement that made Einstein queasy.
These and other revelations convey both the wonder of bird migration and its global sweep, from the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China to the remote mountains of northeastern India to the dusty hills of southern Cyprus. This breathtaking work of nature writing also introduces readers to those scientists, researchers, and bird lovers trying to preserve global migratory patterns in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.

Please see the printable reservation PDF form

Scott Weidensaul is the author of nearly thirty books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind. A writer and re-searcher specializing in birds and bird migration, he is a native of Pennsylvania now living in New Hampshire.

Male Rufous Hummingbird in Pennsylvania.

Photo by Mike Slater