Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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Ways for members to support Conococheague Audubon Society.

March 2026 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Get Involved, Monthly MessageTagged , ,

Greetings Conococheague Auduboners and friends –

I think spring is coming after all. Saturday, February 28 was gorgeous and warm – what a treat! For me, best of all, a Pine Siskin popped in on Friday and was here yesterday as well. I hope you are seeing good birds in your yards, too.

Our last FREE nature film of this season will be shown at 7 PM, Thursday, March 5, at Chambersburg Area Middle School South (1151 E. McKinley St.). Come get tuned up for migration with “Watching Warblers”. Door prizes will be awarded following the film. Admission is free, but we happily accept donations at the door.

SOAR Bird Walks will take place on the first and third Saturdays (7 and 21 March).

Our next regular meeting takes place on March 9, Monday, at 7:00 PM. Gabriel Foley, executive director of the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership, will present “Results of Recent MD and DC Breeding Bird Atlas”. Our regular meetings occur at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Please join us in person or via Zoom. We welcome everyone.

The first planning session for the Beginning Birders’ Workshop (June 6) will occur before this meeting, so come at 6:30 to participate.

We’re already starting to plan for our next season. Please submit budget requests covering  June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027 to Donna Hocker no later than March 15, 2026.

Field trips coming up this month include:

  • March 7, Saturday. 8:00 AM Middle Creek WMA, Lancaster County auto tour for WATERFOWL.  Meet at the Park & Ride, Scotland Exit 20, I-81 northbound.  Bring scopes, binoculars, and lunch.  Eric and Rhetta Martin, 717-597-8675. 
  • March 19, Thursday. 7:15 PM Tentative outing for WOODCOCKS at Heisey Road orchard with Bob Keener.  Head to 5207 Heisey Rd, Shippensburg but park 0.10 mile off of Stillhouse Hollow Rd.  Bring flashlights. Bob Keener, 717-658-8765.
  • March 28, Saturday. CONSERVATION CLEAN-UP. Adopt-A-Highway clean-up on 2 miles of Route 997 (Black Gap Road) west from I-81.  Pick up trash on section with wide shoulders, easy walking.  Supplies provided.  Meet at 9:00 AM at Scotland Park & Ride, I-81 exit 20.  Sign up with Joe & Vanessa Miller, 717-377-6507 (Joe), millerhouse@embarqmail.com.

Please contact the leader in advance and check our website for any last-minute updates. We have a change for one trip in May: Bill Oyler’s field trip in the Fort McCord area has been shifted to May 30.

We continue to seek volunteers for these positions: Film Chair and Vice President. Please contact me to offer your services. Elections will take place at our April 13 meeting, so we really need a candidate for Vice President soon!

Thanks to all who have made a donation. If you would like to, please send your check to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

February 2026 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation, Get Involved, Monthly Message, News

Winter is COLD. Birds are flocking to our feeders. This week I’ve had four special visitors: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, and Hermit Thrush. In spite of careful looking, I haven’t seen any Pine Siskins (yet!). May you enjoy many good birds in your yards, too.

SOAR Bird Walks will take place on the first and third Saturdays (7 and 21 February).

Our next regular meeting takes place on February 9, Monday, at 7:00 PM. Our own Doug Powless will present Notes from PA Atlas Observing.  Our regular meetings occur at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Please join us in person or via Zoom. We welcome everyone.

Join us on a winter field trip February 20 – 22, Friday – Sunday to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge for WATERFOWL.  Leave from the leaders’ home at 9:00 AM Friday. Bring scopes, binoculars, and lunch.  Make your own motel arrangements.  Leaders are Eric and Rhetta Martin, 717-597-8675, home or 223-205-7910, Rhetta.

We’re already starting to plan for our next season. Please submit budget requests covering  June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027 to Donna Hocker no later than March 15, 2026.

We continue to seek volunteers for these positions: Film Chair and Vice President. Please contact me to offer your services. Thanks to Jim Hook for volunteering to be Conservation Chair and Donna Hocker for being willing to serve as Hospitality Chair, as long as we find a new Treasurer.

Thanks to all who have made a donation. If you would like to, please send your check to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

January 2026 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Get Involved, Monthly Message

2025 is fading fast. 2026 steps in with promise: authors and recipes to discover, old friends and family with whom to share time, the possibilities of new birds to see. Check out Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s bird cams. May you have a joyous new year!

We continue to seek volunteers for several positions: Conservation Chair, Hospitality Chair, Film Chair, Vice President, and Treasurer. Please contact me to offer your services. We need you!

Our annual covered dish dinner and members’ photo show is at 6:00 PM on Monday, January 12, 2026 at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81), 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Please plan to join us for good food and fellowship. Members typically contribute one dinner item and/or a dessert. Coffee, tea, and pots/jugs of water will be provided. Bring your own table setting, including a napkin, flatware, plate, bowl, and mug/cup. Let’s try to avoid plastic and disposable items! If you have a few photos you wish to share, please bring them on a USB thumb drive. Bring a friend; all are welcome!

Our next free nature film, Islands of Wonder: Borneo, will be shown at Chambersburg Area Middle School South on Thursday January 29 at 7 PM. The address is 1151 E. McKinley St., Chambersburg. Door prizes will be awarded at the end of the program, including one pair of binoculars for a  youth. Donations are welcome.

One Christmas Bird Count remains: Saturday, January 3, 2026 in the Newville area. To volunteer, contact Vern Gauthier, 717-385-9526,  verngauthier14@gmail.com.

SOAR Bird Walks will take place on the first and third Saturdays (3 and 17 January).

Thanks to all who have made a donation. If you haven’t yet, please send your check to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

December 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Get Involved, Monthly Message, ZoomTagged , ,

As I type, our first real snowfall is winding down. It is lovely outside, with the ground white and branches draped with snow as well. Birds are happily visiting feeders in the yard. As we ease towards the first day of winter, it feels as if it’s here already. Days are certainly shorter!

We continue to seek volunteers for several positions: Conservation Chair, Hospitality Chair, Film Chair, Vice President, and Treasurer. Please contact me to offer your services. We need you! Many thanks to Ron George for agreeing to be the next President!

Our next regular meeting takes place on December 8, Monday, at 7:00 PM. We look forward to hearing from local birding enthusiast Andy Markel about Adrenaline Birding Big Month. Our regular meetings occur at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Please join us in person or via Zoom. We welcome everyone.

We had a good turnout for our first free nature film last month. The next one is January 29 – Islands of Wonder: Borneo.

SOAR Bird Walks will take place on the first and third Saturdays (6 and 20 December).

Christmas is coming, so we have Christmas Bird Counts coming, too. Sign up with the compiler if you want to start participating in one you haven’t done before.

  • December 20, Saturday. Chambersburg area (PACH).  Lisa Coombs, 715-602-2838, lcoombs58@gmail.com.

Our annual covered dish dinner and members’ photo show is at 6:00 PM on Monday, January 12, 2026 at St Luke’s. Please plan to join us for good food and fellowship. Members typically contribute one dinner item and/or a dessert. Coffee, tea, and pots/jugs of water will be provided. Bring your own table setting, including a napkin, flatware, plate, bowl, and mug/cup. Let’s try to avoid plastic and disposable items! If you have a few photos you wish to share, please bring them on a USB thumb drive. Bring a friend; all are welcome!

Inputs for the next issue of the newsletter are due December 15 to Jane Bussard, janenbussard47@gmail.com. 

Thanks to all who have made a donation. If you haven’t yet, please send your check to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

November 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Get Involved, Monthly MessageTagged , , ,

The Juncos are back, so it really must be fall and easing into winter. Have you seen a Red-breasted Nuthatch? A Brown Creeper? How about a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker? Those are all standard winter visitors to my yard, but I haven’t seen that Nuthatch or a Sapsucker yet.

We continue to seek volunteers for several positions: Conservation Chair, Hospitality Chair, President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Please contact me to offer your services. We need you! Also, those of you who agreed to write letters to accompany our charitable contributions, please send your letter(s) to Donna Hocker dlhocker@yahoo.com before the end of the year; please double-check the address for the recipient.

Our regular meeting takes place on November 10, Monday, at 7:00 PM. We’ll start by announcing the Youth Contest Winners and then enjoy hearing about Kyle Rambo’s Big Year 2024. Our regular meetings occur at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church (off Route 997, near Scotland exit off I-81) 2695 Luther Dr, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Please join us in person or via Zoom. We welcome everyone.

Our first free nature film will be on November 13, Thursday at Chambersburg Area Middle School South (1151 E. McKinley St.). Come see Journey of the Broad-winged Hawk, a PBS nature film. It depicts the migration of the Broad-winged Hawk from NH to PA to TX to Ecuador. Door prizes will be awarded following the film. Admission is free, but we happily accept donations at the door.

SOAR Bird Walks will take place on the first and third Saturdays (1 and 15 November).

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology shared this link before Halloween: Spooky Birds! It’s fun, so you might want to check it out.

Thanks to all who have made a donation. If you haven’t yet, please send your check to Conococheague Audubon Society, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

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