Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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October 2022 from the President

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

Dear Conococheague Auduboners and friends –  

It certainly feels like fall, with cooler days and nights. Some of our fall/winter visitors are checking in, with Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak each making an appearance at my house in the past few weeks.  

This month we are focused on a project with Michaux State Forest. The foresters are working to restore habitat at a few locations where a patch of forest was cleared several years ago. Come listen to PA Department of Forestry’s Mike Wright describe the project at our 7 PM October 10 general meeting at St. Luke Evangelical Church. Then join John and Sue Greer on a couple of field trips to visit the sites and learn how you can help monitor birds there. 

Our 2021-2022 Youth Contests end on October 10. Participants, please submit your bird photos and lists of birds observed to Terri Kochert just before our general meeting starts. 

If you are interested in recording the birds you observe on a Christmas Bird Count, please contact Valerie Barnes (BarnesVa4@comcast.net or 717-352-4397) for the December 17 Chambersburg area count and/or Vern Gauthier (verngauthier14@gmail.com or 717-385-9526) for the December 14 Buchanan Trail CBC in Franklin/Fulton Counties.  

The Big Sit, originated by the New Haven Bird Club, kicks off Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 12 a.m. midnight and closes Sunday, October 9, at 11:59 p.m. Designate a 17-foot circle and observe everything you can from inside that area. Report your results via eBird. Visit www.thebigsit.org to learn more. 

We continue to look for someone to handle Publicity for our activities. Please contact Valerie Barnes to volunteer. 

The winter finch forecast is available at https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2022. There’s nothing too exciting forecast, but we should watch for Redpolls, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, and Purple Finch. 

Upcoming activities include: 

  • Oct. 10, Monday   MEETING. 6:45 PM Youth Contest Bird Photos & Lists due.  7:00 PM Bird Monitoring Project in Michaux State Forest,  Mike Wright, Bureau of Forestry. The presenter will come to us from a remote location via Zoom. Arranged by Sue and John Greer. 
  • Oct. 22, Saturday   FIELD TRIP. 8:00 AM “Introduction to Bird Monitoring Project in the Michaux, Part 1.”  Meet at Mont Alto State Park parking lot on Rt 233 (across from pavilion).  Bring binoculars, snack, and sturdy walking shoes.  Expect an easy approx. 3-mile walk.  John Greer, 443-255-8871, jngreer@aol.com. 
  • Oct. 29, Saturday   FIELD TRIP. 8:00 AM “Introduction to Bird Monitoring Project in the Michaux, Part 2.”  Meet at Mont Alto State Park parking lot on Rt 233 (across from pavilion).  Bring binoculars, snack, and sturdy walking shoes.  Expect an easy approx. 4-mile walk.  John Greer, 443-255-8871, jngreer@aol.com. 
  • Nov. 5, Saturday   FIELD TRIP. 8:00 AM for FALL MIGRATION at The Conococheague Institute.  Meet at the Visitor Center, 12995 Bain Rd, Mercersburg.  Bring Binoculars.  Larry and Sharon Williams, 717-655-7414. 

Check the calendar event on our website for updates. 

Thanks to all who have made a donation to keep Conococheague Audubon alive. It’s never too late to mail a check to CAS at PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. May you enjoy fall and see lots of good birds, 

  Valerie Barnes, President 

September 2022 from the President

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

Dear Conococheague Auduboners and friends –

The days are still hot, but some nights are cooler. Fall must be coming! In my backyard I’ve recently seen a very young Northern Cardinal and several young Blue Jays. It seems late for both species to be fledging. More typical are the young American Goldfinch, one of the latest breeding birds in our area.

Member donations are our main means of support. So, if you haven’t already, please make whatever contribution you can and mail it to Conococheague Audubon Society, P.O. Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. If you are a local-only member, this is also the standard time to renew your membership. Local-only membership costs $15 for the year; please consider making a donation as well.

We continue to hope one of you will volunteer to contact local media outlets as Publicity Chair. Please contact me (Valerie Barnes). If you are interested in joining Terri Kochert at our display table at the Chambersburg Farmers Market on September 24, please contact Terri.

Our activities begin this month:

  • Year-round , BIRD WALKS. SOAR (Studying Ornithology Around the Region) walks, 8:00 AM first and third Saturdays; various locations in Franklin County.  Larry and Sharon Williams, 717-655-7414; or The Institute, 717-762-0373, https://natureandcultureinstitute.org/events/. 
  • Sept. 10, 2022, Saturday, FIELD TRIP. 7:15 AM for FALL MIGRANTS.  Meet at 7:15 AM at the Park and Ride, Scotland Exit 20, I-81 northbound.  One mile walk in wet grass at Heisey Orchard.  Then by car on Michaux SF roads with additional walk(s) of up to half mile, with trip ending between 12 and 1 PM.  Bring binoculars and snack.  Bill Oyler, 717-360-5191, oylerbill@gmail.com.
  • Sept. 12, Monday, MEETING. 7:00 PM Weird and Wonderful Birds, Jeanne Verhulst.  A fun look at unusual birds.  Speaker via Zoom.  Arranged by Janet Tice.
  • Sept 20-22, Tues.-Thurs., FIELD TRIP. Trip to Cape May NJ for WARBLERS.  Options for migrating raptors and seabirds.  Bring scopes and binoculars.  Find and make your own motel and meal arrangements. Signup deadline is Sept. 16.  Sue Greer, 443-255-9559, sgreer412@gmail.com.

Check the calendar event on our website for updates.

The American Ornithological Society establishes the official common English names for bird species. AOS is trying to change harmful and exclusionary English bird names in a thoughtful and proactive way to address racial and cultural issues associated with some species’ names. Just for fun, the National Audubon Society is asking for suggestions about renaming several species currently tagged with someone’s last name. You can submit your ideas online. According to a recent email, NAS established a Board Task Force to “examine the name and the legacy of John James Audubon. This initiative is integral to the organization’s mission to root itself in equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging and the need to interrogate our present decisions through the prism of the Audubon that we would like to become in the future.”

If you would like to order a Conococheague Audubon T-shirt, please check out your options on the Chapter T-Shirt page of our website. Contact Donna Hocker, Treasurer, to place your order. We must order at least 12 at a time, any mix of sizes.

Enjoy the end of summer and early fall. Good birding!

  Valerie Barnes, President

Support CAS!

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged

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

How you can get involved with Conococheague Audubon

By casbirdsPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged ,

Join Our Leaders

CAS is currently in need of a membership chair and a vice president. These positions are vital for us to continue our goals of conserving and protecting wild birds and other wildlife. If you feel your background and skills are compatible with an active stewardship organization and would like more information about either position, please contact Terri Kochert, president.

Shop Via AmazonSmile

If you purchase items through the website https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1485719 Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase amount to Conococheague Audubon at no extra cost to you! CAS received donations from Amazon each year since we joined the program.

Make a Donation

Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to CAS by mailing a check to Conococheague Audubon Society, P.O. Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222. We appreciate your support!

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