Lancaster County Bird Club
	Lancaster, Pennsylvania Founded December 8, 1937 to secure the cultivation of public sentiment in the preservation of our native bird life.

"CALL NOTES"
JANUARY - MARCH 2005

Friday, January 14, 2005 - Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. We start the new year with a program on India. Club member, Cliff Jones, will present "India--Birds, Tigers, and the Taj Mahal." A world traveler and also a well-known birder from the central Pennsylvania area, Cliff has presented numerous programs to our Club over the years and always does an outstanding program. You won't want to miss this one!

Saturday, January 15, 2005 - Field trip to Cape Henlopen and the Delmarva coast. Meet at 6:00 a.m. at the A.C. Moore parking lot in the Lancaster Shopping Center, located between Routes 501 and 272, just south of Route 30. Leader: Fred Zimmerman (Landisville 892-3046).

Friday, February 4, 2005 - Note: This is the first Friday of the month. Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. Long-time Club member Steve Rannels presents tonight's program. Steve takes us into the fascinating world of insects with his program, "An Inordinate Fondness for Bugs."

Sunday, February 6, 2005 - Field trip for winter field birds and then the waterfowl at Middle Creek WMA. This will be an afternoon trip. Meet at 1:00 p.m. at Martin's Country Market, along Route 322, just west of Ephrata. Leader: Jan Witmer (Ephrata 738-1855).

Friday-Monday, February 18-21, 2005 - A field trip to Canada in search of arctic birds that winter in southern Canada. This trip requires reservations. It is also subject to cancelation if the Canadian contact reports that the birds are not in the area. Leaders: Thom Kurtz and Nancy Clupper (Lancaster 299-9406). A nominal fee will be assessed trip participants for the Canadian guide.

Saturday, February 19, 2005 - Field trip to the central New Jersey coast, visiting Shark River Inlet, Manasquan River, and Barnegat Light. Meet at 5:30 a.m. at the Reading interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Leader: Gary Shirk (Lancaster 291-2172 or email glshirk@dejazzd.com).

Saturday, March 5, 2005 - Field trip to witness the waterfowl extravaganza at Middle Creek WMA. Leaders: Fred Habegger (Akron 859-2521) and Bruce Carl (Akron 859-4179 or e-mail carls@dejazzd.com). There are two meeting times for this trip. If you want to catch the early flight of Snow Geese off the lake, meet at Stop #l at 6:00 a.m. Otherwise, be at Stop #l at 7:30 a.m.

Friday, March 11, 2005 - Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. Tonight's program appears to be not only an educational one, but also a fun one. The program, entitled "Nocturnal Flight Calls of Migratory Birds--The New Century Ahead," is being presented by Bill Evans from New York state. Bill has been studying nocturnal flight calls for the past 19 years and has recently co-produced a CD-ROM reference guide to the flight calls of land birds in eastern North America. Part of his program will be to challenge the audience to identify recorded flight calls of birds flying over Pennsylvania that can be heard during migration.

Saturday, March 12, 2005 - A field trip to Chester County for lingering waterfowl and early migrants. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the junction of Routes 322 and 10 in Honeybrook. Leader: Joe Meloney (Honeybrook 610-857-5113).

Sunday, March 13, 2005 - An evening field trip to the Mt. Gretna area in search of displaying Woodcocks. Meet at 5:00 p.m. at the junction of Route 117 and Pinch Road in Mt. Gretna. Leader: Larry Coble (Elizabethtown 367-5083).

I have several things to bring to your attention:

1. Book Sales

A big THANK YOU goes out to both Bob Stevenson and our Club members! Bob's contribution of birding books to the Club were then made available to the Club members for purchase by donation. Even though no prices were attached to the books, an attempt was made to assess the current book collectors' market and the Club members responded beautifully. As a result of the sale, $427 was received by the Club.

Again, thank you to all who participated in this event for your generosity!

2. Harold B. Morrin Scholarship

Just a reminder that applications for this scholarship are due at my home, 967 Clearview Avenue, Ephrata, PA 17522-1336, no later than February l, 2005. As of this writing, I have received one application. Details about the scholarship and the application form were included in the last newsletter. This information can also be obtained from the Club's website

3. Three News Items from Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

a. The definitive reference on more than 700 species of North American birds has taken the leap into cyberspace. All 18,000 pages of the series, "The Birds of North America," are now universally available via "The Birds of North America Online" at http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA. It includes authoritative information written by 700 ornithologists about behavior, habitats, migration, and a host of other topics. Additionally, it offers video clips and vocalizations of the birds. To take a test drive or learn about subscription information click the link above, or phone 1-866-924-7342.

b. The Project Feeder Watch, begun 17 years ago, this year anticipates receiving it one-millionth participant to file a checklist of birds seen at their feeder. This event will be recognized through the awarding of a raft of prizes, including a pair of Swift binoculars and much more, by the Lab of Ornithology and its sponsors. To learn more about Project Feeder Watch or to sign up to participate, log on to their web site or call the Lab at 1-800-843-2473.

c. The 8th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count will once again be sweeping the nation during the weekend of February 18-21, 2005. This year's theme is "North America's Great Backyard." People are encouraged to count birds in their backyards, nearby parks or public lands during this period and then report the highest tallies for each bird species. Report counts over the internet. There is no fee or registration in order to participate. Reports are used to help researchers better understand bird population numbers and distribution across North America.

MEMBERSHIP NEWS BY PATRICIA P. WITMER

Current Club membership is 366, ten more than this time last year.

Welcome to our new members! If you don't know many Club members, please join us on a field trip, which is a good way to get acquainted, not only with Club members but with some of the good birding areas nearby. I think you will find our members both friendly and helpful to those beginning their new hobby of birding.

• New Members:
  
  Chew, Roy G., 5 Trinity Lane, Lititz, PA 17543
  Myers, Mr. & Mrs. Herbert E. (Sarah E.), 615 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy, 17552
  Wendel, Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth C., 211 Wintergreen Way, New Holland, PA 17551

PLEASE NOTE: After serving for more than five years as the compiler of this column, Randy Miller has asked to be relieved of this duty. A big THANK YOU is due to Randy for his efforts with this article over the years. We really appreciated his work.

Fortunately for the Club, we have found a replacement for Randy. Beginning with the April-May-June newsletter, "Birds on the Move" will be compiled by Ms. Barbara Hunsberger, 984 Woodridge Boulevard, Lancaster, PA 17601. Her phone number is Lancaster 393-4091, and her e-mail address is phunsberger@comcast.net. So, beginning immediately, please submit your sightings to her. If you have a computer available, Barb would prefer that you e-mail your sightings, but she will gladly accept telephoned or mailed sightings as well. She needs to receive your sightings for December, January, and February no later than March 10th for publication in the next newsletter.

Just a reminder! We need your help in this endeavor! One of the purposes for the establishment of our Club was to document and publish the existing birdlife of the county. Our focus is not just on rare or uncommon birds, but also on more common species in unusual numbers, out-of-season, or exhibiting behavior that would be of interest to our members. Please don't be bashful--if you report a sighting at our monthly meeting, that should also be submitted since the compiler may not always be present at the meeting.

We are entering our second year of the second Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas and are looking for volunteers to help survey breeding birds anywhere in the state. Regionn 79, found on page 79 of the Pennsylvania Gazetteer, still needs a lot of help. We are looking for volunteers to do 25 hours of coverage in a ten-square-mile block over the next four years. The web site with information regarding the Breeding Bird Atlas is www.pabirdatlas.org.

Editor's Note: If you are interested in helping with this worthwhile program, please contact Randy Miller at Manheim 664-3778.

Editor's Note: Items for this column are solicited from our members. If you want to share a synopsis of a birding vacation with other members, please send it to Ms. Bettina Heffner, 539 North Mary Street, Lancaster, PA 17603-3009, or e-mail her at bettinahef@msn.com. Any questions? Call Bettina at Lancaster 393-2546.

Sandy & Gary Lockerman traveled to southeastern Arizona in September. A visit two decades ago gave them a taste of the area's fantastic birding. They birded in Madeira, Garden, Carr, Ramsey, and Miller Canyons. Some of the western birds seen were Elegant Trogon, Violet-crowned, Broad-billed, Broad-tailed, and Anna's Hummingbirds; Gray and Zone-tailed Hawks; Arizona, Acorn, and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers; Montezuma Quail, Say's Phoebe, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Lucy's and Townsend's Warblers, Hepatic Tanager, Green-tailed and Spotted Towhees, and Roadrunner. They finished the trip with 26 new species and were finally able to get their life lists over the 500 mark with a total of 503.

Birding can be relaxing, fun, challenging, competitive, and as Betty Gish describes, "awesome." Betty reports that on September 23rd she and her son were canoeing on the Conestoga River. In the Hunsecker and Butter Road area, as they approached a bend in the river, a mature Bald Eagle came cruising very low over the water and sailed right over their heads ... Awesome indeed!!

Congratulations to Chester & Thelma Kauffman upon their 65^th wedding anniversary! The family celebration was recorded in The Sunday News on October 3, 2004. The couple has three children, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

In the current issue of Eagle, the newsletter of The North Museum of Natural History and Science, John & Jeanette Wolff are featured in "Volunteer Spotlight" for their 12 years of working with the conchology collection. They have been numbering shells and putting them into a data base. John became interested in shells in 1984 when he attended a lecture at the Museum. Since then the couple has traveled around the world collecting shells. The Museum has a collection of approximately 8,000 marine and 6,000 land specimens.

Robert Coley and Barbara & Peter Hunsberger spent two weeks birding in southeastern Brazil. By their report, Brazil has more bird species than all of North America. They saw or heard around 400, with each life list increased by over 200 birds. Starting from Rio De Janeiro, they headed into the mountainous Atlantic rain forest in Itatiaia National Park. They spotted the Frilled Coquette and other hummingbirds, the Giant Antshrike and other antshrikes, tanagers, antbirds, cotingas, manakins, antvireos, warbling-finches, as well as the target bird, the Itatiaia Thistletail. Next they flew to Iguacu Falls and located the huge Toco Toucan and other toucans, motmots, toucanets, aracaris, antpipits, piculets, and pygmy-tyrants. They flew on to Cuiaba and the Pantanal, the huge wetland to the north where they spotted the Jabiru and other storks, the Hyacinth Parrot (the largest parrot), cardinals, honeros, cachlotees, piping guans, papkeets, herons, and wood-rails. Other animals seen were Spectacled Caiman, Giant Otter, Capybara, and Jaguar. The flight from Cuiaba to Chapada and environs went through Brasilia. At the Veu de Noiva Falls, the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle was sighted, reportedly the rarest hawk-eagle in the New World. The newly described Chapada Flycatcher was seen at Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park.

Sunday, October 3, 2004 - This trip to Memorial Lake State Park and Second Mountain Hawk Watch, both near Indiantown Gap, was led by Rosemary Spreha. A total of 16 participated in various portions of the trip on this beautiful sunny day. Sixty-three species were identified with highlights being Lincoln Sparrow, Swainson's Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, Prairie Warbler, both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Northern Goshawk, and an interesting interaction of a Bald Eagle with a Golden Eagle at the hawk watch.

Wednesday, October 6, 2004 - Only two people were on Jay George's hawk watching endeavor that journeyed to Waggoner's Gap, just north of Carlisle. Although the sky was blue and the winds were low most of the day, eight raptor species were identified. Among the observations were good looks at an immature Bald Eagle, a Peregrine Falcon, quite a few Cooper's Hawks, and a great view of a Red-shouldered Hawk. Seventeen other bird species were recorded including Winter Wren, Purple Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Raven.

Friday, October 8, 2004 - In spite of competition from the Presidential Debates, a good turnout of about 90 people were in attendance at this meeting. Program presenter Clyde McMillan-Gamber did not disappoint them. His slide program on a year of wildlife at Middle Creek WMA was an interesting and informative one. Along with the slides of all forms of wildlife--plants, amphibians, etc., but mostly birds--Clyde's love of nature and his belief in conservation was very evident in his excellent commentary accompanying the presentation.

Sunday, October 17, 2004 - This trip to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was postponed one day due to the rain forecast for Saturday. Leader Dave Gochnauer had a windy, cloudy day for this day on the mountain. Thirty species were identified with the major raptor species being three adult Bald Eagles, one immature Golden Eagle, one adult Peregrine Falcon, and two Merlin. Another interesting observation was seeing ex-presidential candidate and congressman Dick Gephart on the North Lookout.

Friday, November 12, 2004 - Program presenter Adrian Binns took us on a birding tour of his homeland with his slide presentation "Morocco--Birding the Edge of the Sahara Desert." Born in Morocco and educated in England, Adrian leads a birding trip to Morocco. Not only did we get to see many of the beautiful birds of Morocco, but also the varied habitats and a sampling of the culture of this western African country. An excellent program!

Friday-Sunday, November 12-14, 2004 - This fall trip to Chincoteague, Virginia, was led by Gary Shirk. There were 11 participants and, in spite of inclement weather in the early stages of the trip, they enjoyed good success by identifying 105 species. Among the highlights were Peregrine Falcon, Marbled Godwit, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Pelican, Northern Gannet, Savannah Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, probably both Nelson and Salt-marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and Snow Buntings. The trip concluded at sunset at Bombay Hook NWR with the outstanding flight of Snow Geese returning to the ponds at the refuge.

Friday, December 10, 2004 - A good crowd for the holiday season of 95 people attended this month's Club meeting and were treated to an outstanding program. Ramsay Koury, an avid birder from Camp Hill and active in Appalachian Audubon, presented his slide program, "Peru--Land of Ancient Wonder and Modern Marvel." On his 13-day trip to Peru, he visited many habitats from the high Andes to the Pacific Coast, observing approximately 550 bird species. Included with his many slides of a wide variety of beautifully-colored birds were various habitat scenes illustrating the different areas he visited. Through his commentary, we were informed about some of the historical and cultural aspects of Peru, a very attractive destination for birders.

Saturday, December 11, 2004 - This trip to Conowingo Dam led by Jan Witmer was shortened by rain showers, but was successful in observing the target species. We managed to have 18 Bald Eagles of various ages in sight at one time. Other highlights were the sightings of three Bonaparte's Gulls and approximately 30 Great Blue Herons.

The results of the three Christmas Bird Counts will be published in the Annual Research Issue of "Call Notes."