Valerie Barnes – Page 15 – Conococheague Audubon

February 2021 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on February 1, 2021February 22, 2021Posted in Birds, Monthly Message, Zoom

Hello fellow nature lovers,

I hope you are warm and cozy, enjoying this beautiful snow. With the second month of 2021 upon us I do have some good news to share with you. The Short-eared Owls did indeed make their long-awaited appearance along Bigham Road, just off Pumping Station Road in the Gettysburg area. Bob and I took eight different people to see them. Bob and I were there three times seeing the owls. While we saw only two at dusk the first time, the second time we were rewarded with quite a show of six SEOs early, around 4:15 PM. The third visit we saw four of them also around 4:20 PM. That was quite a chilly visit! Our visits were January 14, 16, and 18.

I also want to introduce you to our own CAS Feb. 8, 2021 meeting at 7 PM via Zoom. Our speaker for the evening is John Greer, presenting his Birds of the Far North: an Icelandic Adventure. Again, to participate in our Zoom presentation, you need to download “Zoom” onto your computer, tablet, or cell phone. You do not have to establish a Zoom account to watch our programs. Once you have Zoom installed, save the monthly email or access this post on Feb. 8, 2021. If you save the email you might want to set a reminder on it so that your email program reminds you. On that date, at about 6:50, open the email, press the link, and you will be admitted by our tech guru, Val Barnes close to 7 PM. You may choose to be connected via “video” where we will see your face, or you can connect via “audio only”. If you choose audio, you/we will see your name, but not your face. You will be able to see and hear the presentation without being seen. Once you have been invited, I ask you to kindly “mute” yourself until the end when John will entertain questions. At that time, you will need to “unmute” yourself before speaking. Too many unmuted voices at the same time create echoes and sound distortion. So, please, mute yourselves until you have a question to ask. I thank you in advance. For your information, there will be NO interruption this time in the presentation as we had last month.

Here is information for our Zoom link: Topic: CAS Feb. 8, 2021 Birds of the North by John Greer. Time: Feb 8, 2021; connect a little before 7 PM. Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7211203928?pwd=RXNwMjZpQVNvSHJGRld3cWZFQjJiZz09

Meeting ID: 721 120 3928; Passcode: cardinal20. Note: you won’t need this information if you click on the link.

Speaking of owls, I would like to share with you that Gettysburg College through Professor Ryan Kerney will be zooming a presentation by Jonathan Slaght, PHD about fish owls from Russia on Wednesday on February 10, 2021 at 5 PM. Jon spent four years studying these birds from 2006-2010. He has written a book about his experience called Owls of the Eastern Ice. The complete title of his presentation on Feb. 10 is Owls of the Eastern Ice: Negotiating Blizzards and Eccentrics in Pursuit of a Conservation Degree. Since you already have Zoom downloaded onto your computer now, press the following Zoom link at 5 PM:

https://gettysburg.zoom.us/j/98422749544 The meeting ID is 9842274+544.

Get ready and excited for the Great Backyard Bird Count on Feb. 12-15, 2021! You have four days to record how many birds of each species you see within 15-minute intervals. You can report as often as you’d like during the four days. Then, you should report your responses using e-bird. There’s a lot of information about this great birding event on this link: Great Backyard Bird Count Once you get onto that site, there is a short video about this event on the first page, plus other kinds of information.

Thus, here are all the February events:

Feb. 8, 2021 at 7 PM. Zoom meeting with John Greer presenting his Birds of the Far North: an Icelandic Adventure
Feb. 10, 2021 at 5 PM. Jon Slaght, PhD presents his Owls of the Eastern Ice: Negotiating Blizzards and Eccentrics in Pursuit of a Conservation Degree
Feb. 19, 20, 21, 2021. CANCELLED overnight auto trip to Blackwater NWR, Maryland for waterfowl has been cancelled.
March 6 field trip to Middle Creek WMA, led by Eric & Rhetta Martin. We meet at 6:30 AM at the Park & Ride, Scotland, Exit 20, I-81 northbound. Bring scopes, CBs, and lunch. Contact Eric and Rhetta if you intend to go (717-597-8675).

Birds that have been seen in the vicinity: Ruddy Duck at Greencastle Reservoir; Common Redpoll, Short-eared Owls in Gettysburg; Snow Bunting, Horned Larks, and Lapland Longspur along Church Road near Pleasant Hall; and a Wilson’s Snipe along Rowe Run by Bill Oyler.

If interested in helping out with the 2021 PICK UP PENNSYLVANIA campaign March 1- May 31, 2021, please see the flyer with registration information/links.

Stay safe and healthy!

Terri

January 2021 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on January 3, 2021January 3, 2021Posted in Birds, Monthly Message

Hello fellow nature lovers,

It’s difficult to think that Christmas 2020 has come and gone. It may have been a difficult time for some of you. I am sure you are resilient in maintaining family relationships despite the Covid-19 restrictions, if only being able to do so virtually. I have no doubt that you are quite content to leave 2020 behind. We are all now hopeful for a more promising, life-filled 2021.

Some of you have signed up to see the Short-eared Owls typically seen on the Gettysburg Battlefield. Unfortunately, none have shown up yet. My husband, Bob and I were over in Gettysburg Dec. 28, 2020 and didn’t see any. We staked out last year’s location to no avail. We were not the only ones. There were four other people staking them out as well. There have been no Gettysburg sightings of SEOs posted on ebird.org.

Speaking of Short-eared Owls (SEOs), they have been seen at the Hopewell Township Park, near Shrewsbury, York County, on Dec. 29, 2020. That is a long one hour 40-minute trip to make with the end possibility of “getting skunked.” Bob and I saw SEOs about three years ago at that same park. We led a trip there because there were no SEOs being seen in Gettysburg. Our group saw no SEOs that particular evening. Thus, I will keep you posted if any SEOs are seen in Gettysburg.

The recent Christmas Bird Count (CBC) under the direction of Valerie Barnes was a success. According to Val’s report, there were 80 different species recorded by 55 observers. A total of 18, 492 birds were seen by these observers. There were some excellent birds recorded. As you may already know, the Rufous Hummingbird which has been showing up at Kathy Lauver’s since mid-October was still seen on Dec. 19, CBC count day. The Townsend’s Solitaire and seven Evening Grosbeaks are still being seen at Caledonia State Park. During the CBC the other following birds were seen: Peregrine Falcon, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Meadowlark, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, one lone Eastern Screech Owl, Merlin, 8 Snow Buntings, Eastern Towhee, Wilson’s Snipe, and Purple Finch. The following birds reached an all-time high count: Cooper’s Hawk (26), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (25), Common raven (15), Carolina Wren (157), Hermit Thrush (16), and Northern Cardinal (636). I am grateful to the Zone Captains and all the participants in this year’s CBC count. As usual, Val Barnes did a fantastic job of keeping all the numbers straight. She will have a detailed report in the March Naturally.

There will be NO January Covered Dish dinner this year due to the Covid restrictions.
Our Feb. 8, 2021 general meeting will be done via Zoom. John Greer will speak about Birds of the Far North: An Icelandic Adventure. This should be a “cool” presentation. Don’t miss it!
I will send the Zoom link in my ‘February at Conococheague’ letter.
I am sorry that you missed December’s meeting with Bob Keener and his Birds of Ecuador. It was replete with splendid photos and amusing anecdotes. Please don’t miss our February Zoom meeting.

For your viewing pleasure I have included this two-minute video put out by National Audubon Society.

Enjoy! May you all have a wonderful New Year!

“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to com, whispering ‘it will be happier’…”~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

Terri Kochert

November 2020 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on November 2, 2020November 2, 2020Posted in Monthly MessageTagged birds, Zoom

Hello fellow nature lovers,

Most of the beautiful fall colors have waned. We all look forward to the culmination of the election on Nov. 3, 2020. Again, I encourage you all to go to the polls to vote (if you have not already mailed in your ballot). Whatever the outcome, life goes on. We have much to be grateful for, living in these United States of America. Prayerfully the rights and privileges we already experience will continue.

Just a reminder to all that we are looking for a new Vice President. Ken Higley, due to extenuating circumstances, has stepped out of that role. So, if you know of anyone wishing to serve CAS in that capacity, please advise me ASAP.

We are about to experience our first ever CAS Zoom meeting. Harry Campbell of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, according to his company’s COVID-19 protocols, will be joining us at Norlo Park Community Center via Zoom instead of in person at our November 9, 2020 general meeting. The title is Chesapeake Baby: Saving a National Treasure. The Zoom meeting will begin at 7:15 PM and will last a total of 40 minutes. Please note: WE WILL STILL BE MEETING at Norlo Park Community Center at 7 PM. Prior to the Zoom meeting, the Youth Contests Winners will be announced and awarded their prizes. Please join us as we acknowledge both the photography merits of the Best Bird Photos and more so, the tenacity of the Longest Bird List winners. I believe you will be greatly surprised with the skill expressed by our winners. We are grateful to all who participated in this year’s Youth Contests. Please come to encourage our young people.

An errant Rufous Hummingbird has created quite a stir in the birding community. All were rushing to get a look and possibly to get a photo or two. I have included a few photos, taken by Bob Keener, in the above attachment. Also, many had the opportunity to see a migrating flock of 90 American Golden Plovers along Mud Level Road in Shippensburg, Oct. 16, 2020. Also seen in October were Least and Solitary Sandpipers, a Wilson’s Phalarope at the Keefer Road pond, a Brant at the Greencastle Antrim Commons, Pine Siskins, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and a raft of 30 Buffleheads at the Long Pine Dam on October 31.

CAS is inviting anyone to participate in our general meeting on Nov. 9, 2020 via Zoom or in person. Please find below the actual link to the Nov. 9 Zoom meeting. IF you feel uncomfortable about using Zoom, perhaps you can join one of our three practice sessions THIS COMING WEEK. Use the same link for any of the practice sessions and for the real meeting at 7:15 PM on November 9.

CAS Practice Zoom 1 (2020-11-03 at 11AM)

CAS Practice Zoom 2 (2020-11-04 at 4 PM)

CAS Practice Zoom 3 (2020-11-04 at 7:30 PM)

Regular meeting via Zoom: Nov 9, 2020 07:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7211203928?pwd=RXNwMjZpQVNvSHJGRld3cWZFQjJiZz09

Meeting ID: 721 120 3928

Passcode: cardinal20

I hope to see your smiling face Nov. 9 at the Norlo Community Center at 7 PM.

Until then, please vote. Good birding to you, one and all!

Terri Kochert

August 2020 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on August 3, 2020August 3, 2020Posted in Birds, Monthly MessageTagged birds

Greetings all fellow nature lovers!

We are indeed in the dog days of summer. Can it get any warmer? Any more humid?

Bob and I have enjoyed watching the vigorous courting antics of a house wren couple. They zoomed all over our back yard, past our ears, and onto other neighbors’ yards, only to return much later to a small birdhouse we have attached to the side of our backyard swing. We are still waiting to witness the fledging of the chicks. The time must be near. We have been watching the adult (female) bring food to the little ones and removing the fecal sacks.

Though the CAS Bluebird trail near Upper Strasburg, PA has been officially postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown, one of our members has taken it upon herself to watch over a total of 22 bluebird boxes in the Penn National area. On July 8, 2020 Ruth Barton wrote:

Two of the boxes had fledged since her last visit and there were no new nests.
She had only one active tree swallow nest with chicks and cleared out all other tree swallow nests.
Four of the 22 boxes were inaccessible due to tall weeds.
As of July 8, there were 16 empty boxes ready for new residents. (We can only hope there will be more bluebird baby chicks hatched before migration season.) Thank you, Ruth, for this report and for your tenacity!

Also, on July 8 Jim Hook decided to check out the CAS Bluebird Trail with its 25 boxes. He noted:

The 12 boxes off Wye Road appeared to be dominated by tree swallows, with only one active bluebird nest containing one egg.
Two of the four new boxes off Pine Road revealed two bluebird nests.
Three of the four boxes on Joel Burkholder’s lane had evidence of bluebirds. Two of the boxes had bluebird eggs.
The Druckenbrod Lane’s five boxes are dominated by house wrens, with evidence of three earlier bluebird nests.
Jim reported that he found a total of five active bluebird nests with eggs that day. Thank you, Jim for your curiosity!

In mid-July, a young female birder, Miriam Weaver, located an anomaly on her family’s farm. She noticed that this new sparrow had a significantly different (“insect sounding”) song and appearance from the other house sparrows around her family’s farm. She had found a clay-colored sparrow.

It breeds in the northern part of the USA west of New York and into western Canada.
It winters in Texas and throughout Mexico.
This is the first time one has been discovered in Franklin County. It is only the second account on record of one in Pennsylvania.
Of course, such good news travels fast. Soon, the Weaver farm in the Orrstown area was inundated with curious birders. Some attempted and did indeed get some great photos. Please see my attachment with these photos. There were reports of still seeing it yet on July 31.

Thursday, July 30, Bill Oyler reported four glossy ibises were seen off Sandy Mount Road, Pleasant Hall area near Bender’s first pond. Many went to see them.

For your amusement, I am including the URL for an interesting story of how a mother cat adopts newly hatched ducklings. You will have to copy and paste this website into your browser. It should appear immediately. https://youtu.be/570khFoaE4s

Currently we plan to meet as usual at the Norlo Park Community Center on September 14, 2020. We are asking that you wear a mask and social distance. Members will disinfect the premises before your arrival.

Just for your information National Audubon is making some new combinations. National Audubon Society announced on July 7 that Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offices are being merged into the new Audubon Mid-Atlantic office. We will still correspond with Kelly McGinley of the Harrisburg regional office.
Val Barnes and Janet Tice have been working to update and improve our CAS website. The new site will allow us to change or add pictures more easily, identify how to contact CAS leaders via email or phone, let you view maps where we meet, and show all our activities on a calendar. If you see any problems not related to calendar events, please let Val or Janet know.

Stay cool and safe!

Terri Kochert

Clay-colored Sparrow by Jefferson Shank, 2020-07

Support CAS!

By Valerie BarnesPosted on July 26, 2020January 3, 2021Posted in UncategorizedTagged donate

Greetings, members and friends of Conococheague Audubon Society,

We hope you are healthy and safe in this COVID-19 era. Another summer is on the wing as we approach a new season of lively birding activity. Some aspects of our planned activities remain tentative, but we are hopeful that all will proceed as planned. Check this website for updates.

Unfortunately, we’ve had to cancel this year’s films due to COVID-19. Stay tuned for the 2021-2022 season!

~~We are offering three FREE high-quality nature films for your family’s viewing pleasure:~~

January 21, 2021: “Last Stand of the Great Bear,” (National Geographic), Great Bear rainforest of British Columbia; brown, black, “spirit” bears, wolves, and salmon fishing.
March 25, 2021: “Saving Songbirds,” (PBS), international efforts to save songbirds.
April 8, 2021: “Return of the Clouded Leopards,” (National Geographic), a tale of two orphaned cubs. (This was originally scheduled for March 2020.)

All films will begin at 7:30 PM at Chambersburg Area Middle School South, with pre-show musical entertainment at 7. While the films are free, we still need your support and will accept donations at the door.

Your contributions are what keep us operating as a fully volunteer organization. All our activities are FREE to participants. Thanks to your donations, we give Audubon Adventures, an interactive science newspaper, to area third- through fifth-grade classrooms. Our Beginning Birders’ Workshop in June introduces both children and adults to the skill and thrill of identifying colorful local birds. We offer scholarships to local youth and adults interested in birds and conservation. This spring we gave Michaux State Forest a supply of native seeds for habitat restoration.

Your assistance allows us to provide the community with current educational and conservation programming through our scheduled monthly meetings (second Mondays at 7 PM in Norlo Park Community Center). Bring your family and friends – all are welcome. During the October and November meetings, we hope to see many entries for our annual youth birding contests – Longest Bird List and Best Bird Photo of the year.

Other ongoing projects that your contributions fund are the Norlo Park Native Plants Garden; Christmas bird count citizen science; educational, interactive exhibits and presentations; the Naturally newsletter; and other conservation efforts. We need your help to continue our conservation and educational outreach, and we thank all of you for joining us in being good stewards of the earth in our daily lives.

We appreciate your support. Please make a generous gift. Complete this form and send it with your check by September 30. Thank you.

We hope to see you at some of the 2020-2021 Conococheague Audubon events. Please wear a mask to keep us all safe. Please check this website to confirm the status of the event you plan to attend.

Thank you for your help,

Terri Kochert, President