Conococheague Audubon Society

PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222

ConAudubon@outlook.com

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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!

October 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in UncategorizedTagged , ,

Temperatures are drifting a little lower in the area, and there are good reports of migrating birds.

September 25, 2025 marked a new record night for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast. The migration tool recorded more than 1.2 billion birds. Amazing!

Many thanks to Joe and Vanessa Miller for leading a group of 12 who cleaned up a 2-mile stretch of PA Route 997 on Saturday, September 27. Before our first meeting of the year, Ron George and Tracy Snyder helped 10 participants see and identify 10 species of birds around St. Luke’s. Maybe we should make that an annual event…

We are seeking volunteers for several positions: Conservation Chair, Hospitality Chair, President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Please contact me to offer your services. We need you! If you would like to help take Greencastle-Antrim students on a bird walk at Tayamentasachta on Monday, October 20, please contact Terri Kochert [terri.kochert81@gmail.com or 717-263-3692].

Our only October activities are the regular meeting on Monday, October 13 and SOAR Bird Walks on the first and third Saturdays (4 and 18 October). Youth Contest Bird Photos and Lists are due at 6:45 PM at the regular meeting. Members Jeff and Sue Schmaltz will present 5 Years of Birding in our Mobile Home at 7 PM. At the November 10 meeting, we’ll announce youth contest winners and enjoy Kyle Rambo’s Big Year 2024 program. 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.

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!

September 2025 from the President

By Valerie BarnesPosted on Posted in Monthly MessageTagged

The past several days in August have been fall-like, with cooler temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Shorebirds are coming through, so migration is happening, too. You never know what may drop into your yard, so inspect your visitors carefully!

Our activities are ramping up, so check the calendar on this site to see what’s happening. Here’s one extra event not on our calendar:

Thursday, September 11: A special invitation from Conococheague Institute. Step into the past and celebrate the season at the Conococheague Institute’s fall TACC Mixer, where we’ll be showcasing a taste of their upcoming 1775: Harvest on the Homestead event! Falconer Patrick Miller of Miller’s Wildlife will be bringing his feathered friends with him!  September 11th 5pm to 7pm TACC Mixer at CI

  • You should have received the annual fundraising letter and this season’s Activities List. Thanks to all who have responded with a donation. For those who haven’t yet, please make whatever contribution you can and mail it to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

Current volunteer opportunities include Hospitality Chair and Conservation Chair; see the latest Naturally for what’s involved in each position. Three officers are ready to step down as well: Valerie Barnes from being President, Lisa Coombs from being Vice President, and Donna Hocker from being Treasurer. Please contact an officer ASAP with questions and/or to volunteer.

Good birding!

August 2025 from the President

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

I hope you are having a wonderful summer filled with good birds and fun outings. Things are pretty quiet in my yard, with a surprise Ovenbird popping in for a quick visit last week. Young Woodpeckers continue to explore the world in their dorky ways.

Joe and Vanessa Miller have volunteered to organize our highway clean-up day on September 27, 2025.  This is part of PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program. We have “adopted” 2 miles of PA-997 from I-81 west to Main Street, Scotland. It is easy walking on wide shoulders. Supplies are provided. Meet at 9 AM at the Scotland Park & Ride, I-81 northbound exit 20.  Even if you are unable to pick up trash, we need a driver to shuttle supplies, and we need a pickup truck to carry filled bags. Please join us to help beautify PA. Contact Joe and Vanessa at 717-377-6507 or millerhouse@embarqmail.com.

Bill Oyler will lead our first field trip of the season on Monday, September 1 for FALL MIGRANTS. Meet at 7:15 AM at the Park & Ride, Scotland Exit 20, I-81 northbound. Field trip includes walking in wet grass at Heisey Orchard and other possible walks as we travel Michaux SF roads, with field trip ending by 1:00 PM. Bring binoculars and snack or lunch. Bill Oyler, 717-360-5191, oylerbill@gmail.com.

Year-round SOAR (Studying Ornithology Around the Region) walks continue at 8:00 AM on the first and third Saturdays at various locations in Franklin County. Larry and Sharon Williams, 717-655-7414; or Buttonwood Nature Center, 717-762-0373, https://buttonwoodnaturecenter.org/ .

The first regular meeting for our new season will be on September 8. Ron George and Tracy Snyder will dazzle us with excellent bird photos to illustrate their Bird is A Verb program – terrific for beginning and experienced birders alike. They’ll start the evening earlier than usual, at 6 PM, with birding outside St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church; so, bring friends and family who are new to birding! . Bring binoculars if you have them. The meeting will start, as usual, at 7:00 PM.

We have a new logo depicting a Northern Cardinal. Now you can support Conococheague Audubon Society by making a donation and selecting a hat! Three colors of the baseball-style hat are available – Royal Blue, Khaki crown with Royal Blue bill, or Khaki crown with Charcoal bill. All are 6-panel, unstructured, low-profile garment-washed cotton, with a mesh lining and a tuck-away leather back strap and buckle. One size fits all. We’re asking for a donation of $20 to defray the cost. Come to a meeting to see the hats in person and select the ones you want. Decals depicting the new logo are also available.

We’ve finalized the Activities List for the upcoming season and will be mailing it to you soon, along with our annual fundraising letter. Please make whatever contribution you can and mail it to CAS, PO Box 20, Fayetteville, PA 17222.

Volunteer opportunities include Hospitality Chair and Conservation Chair. Three officers are ready to step down as well: Valerie Barnes from being President, Lisa Coombs from being Vice President, and Donna Hocker from being Treasurer. Please contact an officer ASAP with questions and/or to volunteer.

We’ll be posting the new activities on this website over the coming weeks, so check the calendar for updates and details.

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