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 2009

FROM PRESIDENT ANN BODLING

One of my favorite books "Let Your Life Speak" by Parker Palmer contains some good advice as we head into winter. He says, "In the Upper Midwest, newcomers often receive a classic piece of wintertime advice: 'The winters here will drive you crazy until you learn to get out into them.' Here people spend good money on warm clothing so that they can get outdoors and avoid the 'cabin fever' that comes from huddling fearfully by the fire during the hard-frozen months. If you live here long, you learn that a daily walk into the winter world will fortify the spirit by taking you boldly to the very heat of the season you fear."

Even though many of us would not choose winter as our favorite season, it is hard to deny that winter has a beauty and an invitation all its own. It is a time to soak up the silence of a snowy landscape, to be awed at the architecture of the trees we so often overlook when all is green and to joyfully welcome back the birds that call our land their home for these cold winter months. In the coming days, take the time and make the effort to heed Parker Palmer's advice to "get out" into winter. Go for walks and watch the familiar juncos and white-throated sparrows as they scurry through the underbrush. Go search for the harder-to-find rough-legged hawks and flocks of horned larks, American pipits and snow buntings in the farm fields or the elusive hermit thrush in the woodlands. May the winter season, even as it sometimes tries the soul, bring us a sense of joy and of gratitude for the birds we will miss and fondly remember when they leave us in May. Get out and go look for them while they are with us and enjoy the seeking as much as the finding.

PREVIEWS OF COMING EVENTS

Friday, January 9, 2009 - Club meeting at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, at 7:30 pm. Well-known local birder, Deuane Hoffman will present his program entitled Susquehanna River Conejohela Flats - A History and Seasonal Portrait. His interest in birding began at a young age and his passion with this hobby has grown immensely over the past 30 years. His love for birds has led him to travel very extensively throughout the ABA area and to visit four different continents. He has a particular interest for the demographics of PA bird distribution, having birded all 67 counties in the state on many occasions while recording at least 150 species of birds in each of these counties.

Saturday-Sunday, January 24-25, 2009 - Enjoy two days of winter birding in the Delmarva Peninsula area with leader Fred Zimmerman (717-892-3046). Two options are available for this trip-first is to travel to the Anchorage Motel on your own on Friday night and begin birding early Saturday morning; second option is to join the group at 9:00 am on Saturday morning at Cape Henlopen State Park Visitors' Center. You can bird Saturday and come home or stay Saturday night at the Anchorage Motel. If you need details as to the location of the motel or the meeting places, give Fred a call.

Friday, February 6, 2009 (Note: This is the First Friday) - Club meeting at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, at 7:30 pm. Paul Zeph will present a multi-media program entitled Kittatinny Songsters and the Susquehanna Water Gap. The Kittatinny Ridge is the largest contiguous forest in southeastern Pennsylvania, providing important songbird migration and nesting habitat. Many parts of the Ridge, however, are threatened, especially the "Susquehanna Water Gap," where the Ridge and River intersect. Paul Zeph, the Highland's Action Program Coordinator for the DEP, will discuss the birds we love and the efforts to protect their habitat in central Pennsylvania. Paul is also vice president of Appalachian Audubon Society.

Saturday, February 21, 2009 - This New Jersey shore field trip will be to birding spots north of Atlantic City. Leader is Gary Shirk (717-291-2172 or glshirk /AT/ verizon /DOT/ net) will take the group to Shark River Inlet, Manasquan River and Inlet, and the Barnegat Lighthouse area in New Jersey. Meet at 5:30 am at the Reading Interchange of the PA Turnpike.

Saturday, March 7, 2009 - This late winter field trip to Middle Creek WMA will be led by Bruce Carl (717-859-4179 or e-mail carls /AT/ dejazzed /DOT/ com) and Fred Habegger (717-859-2521). Emphasis will be on waterfowl. First option is to meet at 6:00 am at Stop #1 to see flocks of birds disperse from the lake at dawn. The second option is to join the group at 7:30 am, also at Stop #1.

Friday, March 13, 2009 - Club meeting at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, at 7:30 pm. Joe and Mary Ann McDonald will present a program entitled Celebrating Biodiversity. Joe and Mary Ann are one of the most prolific and active husband-wife nature photography teams in the United States today. At least half of each year is spent in the field, leading photo safaris to Africa and other remote destinations, leading photo tours to various US destinations, and conducting digital photography courses and classes at their studio at Hoot Hollow, Pennsylvania, and at other US locations.

Sunday, March 15, 2009 - This evening field trip will be led by Randy Miller (717-664-3778). Meet at 5:00 pm at the junction of Route 117 and Pinch Road in Mt. Gretna in Lebanon County. Primary target is to observe the courtship ritual of the American Woodcock.

Saturday, March 28, 2009 - Birding along the Susquehanna River will be led by Jonathan Heller (717-940-6067 or jonathan /DOT/ heller /AT/ comcast /DOT/ net). Meet at 7:30 am in the parking lot of the John Wright Restaurant along the Susquehanna River in Wrightsville. This date usually coincides with the spring migration of Bonaparte's Gulls along the river. This field trip provides a good opportunity to see Little Gull and maybe even Black-headed Gull which can sometimes be found in among the "Bonies!"

MEMBERSHIP NEWS BY PAT WITMER

Current membership stands at 329, which is 15 members less than this time last year.

Welcome to our new members! If you do not know many Club members, please join us on a field trip, which is a good way to become acquainted, not only with LCBC members, but also with good birding areas.

I believe you will find our members both friendly and helpful to the beginning birder.

New Members:

• Higgins, Mr. & Mrs. John (Wendy) (Tabitha, Asher, Cassia, Simeon, Onycha,
• Jasper, Lilia, & Moriah), 533 Springville Road, Ephrata, PA 17522
• Lombard, Ms. Meredith, 1451 Mt. Pleasant Road, Columbia, PA 17512
• Pyle, Mr. & Mrs. Ted (Betsy), 240 Wolgemuth Drive, Lancaster, PA 17602
• Roda, Mr. & Mrs. Larry (Sandy), 2716 Royal Road, Lancaster, PA 17603

Old Friends Returning:

• Kline, Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth E. (Rebecca C.) P.O. Box 133, Silver Spring, PA 17575

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Tributes and memorial contributions received since October 1, 2008, are as follows:

In Honor of Jan & Pat Witmer

By Gayle Lawrence

In Memory of Chester Kauffman

By Carol Kalenich, By Thelma Kauffman, By Stede Mummert, and By Bess & Carl Nolt

The Board of Directors extends their appreciation to these members and friends for their generosity.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS BY BETTINA HEFFNER

Those traveling south on Rt. 372 this past summer and fall have most likely been delayed on the Norman Wood Bridge due to its repainting. The PA Game Commission and the PA Department of Transportation collaborated on the timing of the project, assured that no Bald Eagles or Peregrine Falcons were nesting there. In "Birds fly, bridge work begins; Norman Wood falcons leave nest", a front page article in the Intelligencer Journal of 7/28/08, Tom Raub was interviewed about the falcon activity in the area of the bridge; he saw his last falcon there in late May or early June. Tom knows the area well and was a good choice to offer a birding perspective. The reporter, however, got her bridges "crossed" and reported that falcons had nested on the Norman Wood Bridge, when in fact they did so on the Rt. 30 bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville. So, if you read the article and were surprised to learn that falcons had tried but failed to produce young on the Norman Wood Bridge, you now know the facts. It hasn't happened ... yet. If it does, chances are Tom could be the first to know.

Two hundred miles from Lancaster is Elk County, a great get-away for those of us wanting more open spaces to explore. In November, Bettina Heffner and her husband took off for Elk County to find some elk. The rut was over by then, the leaves were less brilliant, but the number of visitors was fewer and that was a good thing for the couple wanting to get lost in the Pennsylvania Wilds. John McGonigle included a summary of their two'day adventure in his "Outdoors" section of the Sunday News on 11/16/08. They followed the 127 mile Elk Scenic Drive as outlined in an informative booklet prepared by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. They saw about 100 elk, some very close to or on the road, which, according to Bettina, is not a good thing. For information on the Elk Scenic Drive, you may visit www.VisitPaGo.com or see Bettina or Roger Stoner. Roger was in Elk County a few weeks before, but he didn't get his name in the paper!

This fall the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) hosted several tours of its game land projects designed to preserve habitat for wildlife and to grow healthy forests. The tour of Game Land 145 near Mount Gretna was featured in John McGonigle's "Outdoors" section of the Sunday News on 9/21/08. A group photo included Fred Habegger, one of about forty people who attended. When asked later about his experience, he said that he was curious about the tree-cutting practices of the PGC, as he has some skepticism about it as a land-management tool. Attending the tour was a good way to learn about the reasoning behind the practices. See Fred at a club meeting to learn more about his experience.

Congratulations to Jane and Leon Schreffler, who have been honored by the North Museum of Natural History and Science as this year's recipients of the Sandra Fruitman Award for their volunteer activities at the Museum. The Museum's newsletter and calendar, Eagle, features them in the winter edition. Their involvement with the Museum extends beyond their roles as volunteer curators in the field of ornithology. Leon is pictured leading a bird walk and Jane is pictured helping out on Family Science Sunday. Pick up a copy of Eagle at the Museum. There's lots going on and the Schrefflers are helping that happen.

Reporter Diane Bitting's account of spying Red-tailed Hawks along Rt. 283 tells a familiar yet nonetheless exciting story. In both Lancaster papers on 12/9/08, she relates her tale by quoting Bob Schutsky and Jerry Book and using two hawk photos by Tom Raub. Bob said the birds are very noticeable due to their size and being out in the open. Jerry said the birds are very tolerant of people in cars. Bob related his pastime of birding as he drives, counting Red-tails and Kestrels. Jerry related the bird's adaptation to suburban and urban settings. The article was titled "She brakes for hawks". We can relate to that.

BIRDS ON THE MOVE (MARCH-MAY) COMPILED BY GLENN SHAFFER

Editor's Note: Please report your sightings to Glenn Shaffer, 221 Maxson Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601. He prefers to have reports sent to his e-mail address (twoshaffers /AT/ yahoo /DOT/ com), but will accept mail or phone reports (717-569-2519). Our focus is not just on rare or uncommon birds, but also on more common species that appear in unusual numbers, out-of-season, or exhibiting behavior that would be of interest to our members. Your help is needed in making this column a way of recording the county's bird life. If you send a report to the Pennsylvania Birding List or make a verbal report at an LCBC meeting, please send that report to Glenn also. Thank you for your help!

REPORT OF COMPLETED EVENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2008 - There were 12 participants on this trip to Memorial Lake State Park and Second Mountain Hawk Watch. Leader Rosemary Spreha reported a total of 64 species including 26 Wild Turkey, 7 species of warblers including many Yellow-rumped, Palm (5 in one group), Magnolia and Black-throated Green. A female Hooded Warbler teased those at the hawk watch with her insect catching show. Both Kinglets and a Blue-headed Vireo were also seen at Memorial Lake. At the hawk watch there were many Sharp-shinned Hawks, a couple of Cooper's Hawks and Osprey. A Merlin flew in close to the owl decoy and a Red-shouldered Hawk was seen well. Other species of interest included a Fox Squirrel at Memorial Lake and a yellow-phase Timber Rattlesnake at the hawk watch.

Friday, October 10, 2008 - Dr. Art McMorris from PA Game Commission presented an illustrated talk on the natural history, decline and recovery of the Peregrine Falcon in PA. The Peregrine is the fastest bird and can reach up to 200 miles per hour in a stoop after its prey, which consists almost entirely of other birds. Beginning in the 1940's, the use of DDT led to a severe decline of the birds in the lower 48 states and none in the Eastern U.S. by 1961. DDT was banned in 1972 under the Endangered Species Act. Successful efforts to restore the species to viable levels began in the 1980's and in 1999 the Peregrine was removed from the endangered species list except in the Northeastern U.S.

Sunday, October 19, 2008 - There were 9 participants including leader Bruce Carl on this LCBC field trip visiting selected areas in northern Lancaster County, which included SGL 220, fields and woodlands along Forest Road, and Middle Creek WMA. A total of 56 species were identified on today's trip which included the following highlights: 3 Great Egret, 35 Ruddy Duck, 3 Northern Shoveler, 1 Palm Warbler, 1 male winter plumaged Scarlet Tanager, 20-25 Chipping Sparrow, 7 Purple Finch and an estimated 175 Pine Siskin (most feeding on the extensive cone crop in the area along Forest Road).

Saturday, November 1, 2008 - Leader Rosemary Spreha once again made the arrangements for 15 eager participants to observe the banding of Northern Saw-whet Owls at the Hidden Valley banding site near Friedensburg, Pa. The group met at the site at 6:30 pm. The first net check came up empty but the next time the volunteers came back with two NSWO in bags. Bander George Gress explained the many measurements that he took. Seven more owls were netted in the next hour. Another net check and three more owls were removed from the nets. Most of the group had left when the volunteers went up for the last net check and found one more owl. Twelve were processed while the group was there and a total of thirteen for the night. It was a very successful and informative night at the banding station. Club members generously adopted many of the owls for the benefit of the project.

Friday, November 14, 2008 - Noted naturalist and TV personality, Jack Hubley, delighted an audience of adults and children alike, with his program on critters found beyond your back door. Jack brought a number of live specimens from his personal collection, including a skunk, opossum, black snake and Red-tailed Hawk. Jack told a number of humorous anecdotes about his experiences with the animals and explained aspects of the natural history of each species. He also made sure that all members of the audience could see animals up close and personal as he paraded the animals throughout the audience.

Friday-Sunday, November 21-23, 2008 - Leader Gary Shirk led a field trip for 16 participants to Woodland Beach, Bombay Hook, Cape Henlopen, Chincoteague NWR, Shad Landing, Ocean City (MD), Indian River Inlet and Silver Lake (Rehoboth Beach), Prime Hook and Ocean Pines. Even though the weather was cold and windy with a little snow, the group identified 108 species. Among the species observed were Brown-headed Nuthatch, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Gannets close to shore, Canvasback and Redhead Ducks, Marbled Godwit, Avocet, Rusty Blackbird and many Bald Eagles. Other species of interest included Sitka Deer, Chincoteague Ponies, and Delmarva Squirrel.

Friday, December 12, 2008 - Baltimore photographer and writer, Middleton Evans presented Rhapsody in Blue: A Celebration of North American Waterbirds, a program based on his book of the same title which came out last fall. He captivated his audience with his intimate portrayal of bird life, saying that he did not take pictures of birds, but rather, the birds graced him with incredible moments. In a poetic, literary style, Mr. Evans shared with us his minutes and sometimes hours with the birds. He often mentioned how good luck, being at the right place at the right time and patience all contributed to his success in capturing quality time with his subjects. He also gave credit to his digital camera with its auto-focus technology, which he started using in 2004. His favorite spot for waterbird photography is Florida. His Rhapsody in Blue gallery came be seen online at www.ravenwoodpress.com.

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

HAROLD B. MORRIN SCHOLARSHIP

The Lancaster County Bird Club is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the Harold B. Morrin Scholarship. The purpose of the scholarships is to provide financial support for educational or research experiences which promote or develop an interest or leadership in natural history, with a preference given to the field of ornithology. Application guidelines and forms are available at the LCBC web site on the scholarship page or at the monthly LCBC meetings held at the Farm & Home Center. Applications are due to LCBC President Ann Bodling, 39 Trail Road South, Elizabethtown, PA 17022, by February 1, 2009 and scholarship awards will be decided by March 1, 2009.

Project FeederWatch and Great Backyard Bird Count

It is not too late to join many other American citizen scientists and to collect and submit data to Cornell Lab of Ornithology through Project FeederWatch, which is currently underway and runs until April 1. Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the highest numbers of each species they see at their feeders from November through early April. Feeder Watch helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. You may join Project FeederWatch at any time during the season.

Another project of shorter duration from Cornell is the Great Backyard Bird Count. GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It's free, fun, and easy-and it helps the birds. You can find additional information about these citizen scientist projects and others at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.birds.cornell.edu. Have fun this winter and help the birds!

Created for the Internet on ... 17 January 2009