Posts – Page 2 – Conococheague Audubon

February 2024 from the Presiddent

By Valerie BarnesPosted on February 2, 2024February 2, 2024Posted in How to Get Involved, Monthly Message, Outreach, Zoom

I want to know how January disappeared so fast! It seems as if every month evaporates before I get my arms around it. In January we had some really cold days and at least 3 rounds of snow. Will we get more this month? Sigh…

Please note that our next (February 12) meeting about phone apps is Zoom only. We will NOT meet in person at St Luke. To join, either use the link below or visit the calendar event to find the link,

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

Meeting ID: 721 120 3928

Passcode: cardinal20

The 27th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place from Friday, February 16, through Monday, February 19, 2024. Read about the event, if you like, and submit checklists of birds seen at your favorite location(s) anywhere each day, using eBird. Any checklist submitted in the GBBC time window will count; no need to pre-register.

We are already starting to get requests to help out at local community events. Please consider volunteering for these:

Seventh grade students at Greencastle-Antrim Middle School participate in Pa’s Trout in the Classroom program and will be releasing fingerlings at Caledonia State Park on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Along with releasing fish into the stream, the coordinator would like to have science-related presentations for the students to participate in throughout the day. Students would be in 10 groups (about 25 students per group) and would rotate to different stations every 20 minutes. Students will arrive at the park around 9 and will be departing around 1:15 pm. Would you be interested in presenting an environmentally based lesson for the students?
Conococheague Institute is planning a Get to Know Nature event on Saturday, April 13. We hope to have some of these activities there: Information on planting native plants to attract pollinators and birds, avoiding bird/window collisions, bird identification, bird feeding, bird-related craft projects, nature scavenger walk, bird watching walk. The more volunteers, the more we will be able to do! Would you like to help at our table?
Other opportunities will arise soon. So, let us know what you want to do and when you might be available!

If you plan to go on the Martin’s trip to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge February 16-18, please contact Eric and Rhetta ASAP (717-597-8675) to learn about making motel reservations.

Treasurer Donna Hocker asks that Committee Chairs submit budget requests for the June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025 season to her ASAP, if you haven’t already provided them. If anyone else has ideas about potential expenses or income for the upcoming season, please contact a committee chair, director, or officer as soon as possible.

Elections are scheduled for our Annual Business Meeting on April 8. We have 3 new folks who are stepping up to be directors: John Carter, Larry Williams, and Sharon Williams. This is wonderful news and we thank John, Larry, and Sharon as well as the nominating committee (Terri Kochert, John Greer, and Sue Greer). More on elections next time…

It’s always a good time to make a donation to Conococheague Audubon Society and mail it to PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Anyone interested in joining our leadership team? Please contact conaudubon@outlook.com and tell us what you would like to do.

Check back often to see what’s been added or changed. Good birding!

January 2024 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on January 7, 2024January 7, 2024Posted in Birds, How to Get Involved, Monthly MessageTagged birds, donate, films

As 2023 draws to a close, let us share our wishes for peace around the world and hopes for our planet and its fauna and flora. Let this be a year when we all do what we can to be good stewards for our communities, feathered friends, and our friends and family.

Sometime this winter, Bob and Terri Kochert plan to lead a trip to the Gettysburg area to see Short-eared Owls, if the owls start appearing on a regular basis. Contact the Kocherts to sign up.

Our annual covered dish dinner and members’ photo show will take place on Monday, January 8, 2024, at 6 PM at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church. All are welcome. Members typically contribute one dinner item (casserole, meat, vegetables, salad, pasta, fruit, rolls, etc.) 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.

Our second nature film, Season of the Osprey, will be shown Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 7 PM at Chambersburg Area Middle School South. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed.

The Art Sale to benefit Conococheague Audubon is expected to continue through January at Wallspace Gallery and Framing, 1769 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Members James and Deborah Wheeling are selling 140 fine art bird prints collected over 50 years and will generously donate all proceeds to CAS. Many prints are numbered and signed. 34 artists are represented, including Robert Bateman, Guy Coheleach, Ray Harm, and Roger Tory Peterson. Most prints are unframed, but approximately 16 framed prints are still hanging at Wallspace. Regular gallery hours are Tues-Fri 10-4:30, Sat 10-2; other times by appointment, 717-264-7210. Browse the catalog online at Wallspace.com or in person at the gallery.

Our Treasurer, Donna Hocker, asks that committee chairs, directors, and officers submit budget requests for the June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025 season by February 1, 2024. If anyone else has ideas about potential expenses or income for the upcoming season, please contact a committee chair, director, or officer as soon as possible.

May 2024 be full of good health, good cheer, and good birds!

Scott Weidensaul for 11 December meeting!

By Valerie BarnesPosted on December 7, 2023December 7, 2023Posted in Birds, News, Zoom

The originally-planned presenter (Steve Huy) for our December 11 meeting is unavailable, but a colleague has volunteered to make the presentation. Instead of Steve, we will hear from SCOTT WEIDENSAUL about Project SNOWstorm. Scott Weidensaul is the author of more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Living on the Wind” and his latest, the New York Times bestseller “A World on the Wing.” Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon and writes for a variety of other publications, including BWD and Living Bird. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society and an active field researcher, studying saw-whet owl migration for more than 25 years, as well as winter hummingbirds in the East, bird migration in Alaska, and the winter movements of snowy owls through Project SNOWstorm, which he co-founded. Scott will be presenting via Zoom. This is a rare treat!

December 2023 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on November 30, 2023November 30, 2023Posted in Birds, Monthly Message, Zoom

Colder nights have settled in and our winter visitors are here. Juncos flit around under the shrubs and feeders. Brown Creepers hug the tree trunks. Can our first snowfall be far off?

If you haven’t already, do stop by the Festival of Trees at the Franklin County Visitors Center on the square in Chambersburg. Our white birch tree is really lovely, as are many other trees and wreaths. The Festival ends Saturday, December 2, so time is running out!

The opening reception for the sale of Jim and Deb Wheeling’s collection of bird prints went well last Saturday. The collection will be available at Wallspace Gallery and Framing through January. You can view the collection online at Wallspace.com. The catalog is accessible from the homepage or under Exhibits | Current Exhibit. The shop is at 1769 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17202. Regular hours: Tues-Fri 10-4:30, Sat 10-2. Other times by appointment, 717-264-7210. The prices are really reasonable; at least 22 of the 140+ prints have already been sold. When I was there earlier this week, there were still some framed prints on the walls upstairs at the gallery. Remember that the proceeds are all being donated to Conococheague Audubon Society.

Our regular meeting program at 7 PM on December 11 is Project Snowstorm, by Steve Huy. Project SNOWstorm uses innovative science to understand snowy owls. The program will be available in person at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church or via Zoom.

Visit the calendar on this site to see other upcoming activities.

Thanks for your support for Conococheague Audubon and the birds! If you haven’t mailed in a donation yet, it’s never too late. Please make out your check to Conococheague Audubon and mail to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

Take care, stay warm, and good birding!