Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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October 2024 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged , ,

We needed rain, and we got it. We’re ready for a little sunshine now, please. Our thoughts are with those who really got hit by Hurricane Helene; we were lucky. Fall migrants are still passing through. A Swainson’s Thrush stopped by to eat Burning Bush berries in my back yard. I look forward to seeing one or two every fall.

This year the Big Sit is scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, October 12, 2024 starting at 12 a.m. midnight and closing Sunday, October 13, at 11:59 p.m. You may bird anywhere. But, all observations must be made from within a circle no more than 17 feet (5.2 meters) in diameter. To participate, register your circle and report your observations via eBird. Learn more by visiting the Big Sit website: https://www.thebigsit.org/. It’s fun to spend several hours sitting in a birdy place, visiting with your co-birders and noshing on snacks.

We’ve signed up to host a display table at Tayamentasachta Environmental Center’s Apple Festival on Saturday, October 12 from 9 – 3. Please contact Terri Kochert  at terri.kochert81@gmail.com or 717-264-3692 to help.

Entries for our Youth Contests are due at the October 14 general meeting. Entries for the “Best Bird Photo of the Year” and “Longest Bird Species List of the Year” contests will be accepted for two age groups: 5 to 15 and 16 to 18. Winners for the cash prizes will be announced at our November 11 meeting. Please arrive a few minutes early for the October meeting so you can submit your entries to Terri Kochert. At the meeting we’ll hear from Andy Markel about Adrenaline Birding; Big Day/Big Months/Big Years. As usual, the meeting will be held at St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church at 7 PM.

Five members led 90 seventh-graders from Greencastle-Antrim Middle School on bird walks September 19 at Tayamentasachta. The highlight of the day was a very cooperative Great Horned Owl. Nine members worked to clean up a stretch of Route 997 on September 28. Thanks to all our volunteers! If you would like to help at some future event, please contact Terri Kochert.

If you haven’t already, please consider donating to Conococheague Audubon to keep things rolling. Mail your donation to CAS at PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

September 2024 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Conservation, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged

Summer is winding down and kids are already back in school. Can cool fall nights be far behind? We’re keeping our eyes peeled for those confusing fall warblers. My favorite is the Chestnut-sided Warbler, with its lime green back. What’s yours?

Let’s collect our thoughts about why we joined Audubon. Send an email to ConAudubon@outlook.com and we’ll publish them in the next Naturally. Maybe we can inspire each other to dedicate more time to our feathered friends and the environment.

Conservation Chair John Greer sends this message: Please Join Us!  Come out on Sept. 28, 2024, to help clean up our section of Rt 997.  We have adopted a two-mile section under PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program that runs from I-81 to Main Street in Scotland.  Volunteers are needed to pick up trash on all or part of this section.  Training and safety gear will be provided.  Meet at the Park and Ride at the intersection of I-81 and Rt 997 at 9:00 a.m.  For details, call John Greer at 443 255-8871 or email him at jngreer@aol.com.  See you there!

If you would like to volunteer to help at one of our outreach events, please contact Terri Kochert at terri.kochert81@gmail.com or 717-264-3692.

If you haven’t already sent your donation to help CAS, it’s not too late. Please mail your check to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. Good birding!

August 2024 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Monthly Message, OutreachTagged ,

Shorebird migration seems to be underway. Recently folks have seen a Baird’s Sandpiper at the farm pond along White Church Road. Subscribe to eBird alerts to be notified about Franklin (or other) County rarities so you know what’s in the area.

Terri Kochert reports that a woman who sets up at the Chambersburg Farmers’ Market makes tote bags from birdseed bags. What a cool idea! You might want to make your own or give your bags to her to use.

John Greer reminds us to save the date for the PA Adopt-A-Highway clean up scheduled for Saturday, September 28 at 9 AM. Supplies will be provided. Sign up with John: 443-255-8871, jngreer@aol.com

According to an article about “Bird Olympics” in the Washington Post, on a race of birds flying horizontally, the Mallard would win, with a speed of about 103 mph. While we often think of the Peregrine Falcon’s fast dive (at about 242 mph), it’s the Mallard that flies fastest horizontally. Who knew?! In terms of flying quietly, the Barn Owl is hard to beat. And an Ostrich could outrun any human in the 100 m dash – finishing in just 6.04 seconds. Birds are pretty amazing!

If you haven’t already received it, keep an eye out in your snail mail for our annual fundraising letter and the 2024-2025 Activities List. We depend on and appreciate your financial support. Good birding!

January 2024 From the President

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

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.

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.

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

October 2023 From the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Birds, Conservation, Monthly MessageTagged ,

It’s officially Fall, and birds are coming through. Enjoy these lovely days and cool nights. Our visiting Flamingos are gone; one flew away and the other died en route to a different rehabilitation place. It was sad to see them go, but what a glorious time it was to have them visit! This winter’s finch forecast is available. See https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2023-2024?mc_cid=e9ddf5df38&mc_eid=42119ad7ac .

Roy Brubaker, Forest District Manager at the Michaux State Forest informed me about a public meeting Wednesday, October 18 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the South Mountain Fish and Game Meeting room; 11547 Loop Rd, Fayetteville, PA 17222. The session gives the public the opportunity to express ideas about plans to repurpose the South Mountain Golf Course property as the next location for the Michaux Resource Management Center (district headquarters and visitor center). Roy states: “please understand our primary objective at the District, Bureau, and Department level is to ensure the expression of community care interests surrounding the Michaux — both its history and its future – during our public input meeting on 10/18.” If you have opinions about this topic, please attend the public meeting.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is sponsoring clean-up efforts to keep trash out of our oceans. If you organize and register an event, they will provide some supplies. Visit https://www.keeppabeautiful.org/programs/pick-up-pa/ .

Conservation Chair John Greer reminds us the best way to limit the amount of plastic that ends up in the environment is to reduce our use of plastic in the first place. 

TIP:      Reduce your plastic consumption by buying products in cans or glass, and then recycling them. Note that recycling glass is increasingly difficult as many centers no longer accept glass. We will continue to search for options.

Youth contest entries are due at the October 9 meeting! Come early (6:45 p.m.) to submit your best bird photos and list of bird species observed this year. Come for the program “Birding Antarctica” presented by Mike and Cheryl Saylor.

The Big Sit® is scheduled for October 7-8, 2023. Select your 17-foot diameter circle and sign up to participate. Report your results via eBird. It’s a great excuse to sit outside on a beautiful fall day and watch birds!

Thanks for your support for Conococheague Audubon and the birds! If you haven’t mailed in a donation yet, it’s not too late. Please make out your check to Conococheague Audubon and mail to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

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