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 2010

FROM PRESIDENT ANN BODLING

Let's start off with a question... When I say the words "rare bird" would you immediately think of Northern Mockingbird? No? Hmmm.... According to the "Upland Plover" newsletter, a 1932 precursor to our current "Call Notes," Lancaster County had a whopping record of seven known Northern Mockingbird sightings by 1932. Two were breeding records in the southern part of the county and five were "wandering or possible migrating birds" further north. Conversely, if I were to ask about the last time you saw Cattle Egrets what would you say? Would you remember that 27 years ago there were 4,500 Cattle Egrets seen flying in to roost on Rookery Island, near Washington Boro? That was Clyde Gamber's report from the Cattle Egret Count on September 10^th, 1982. Times have changed, have they not?

Recently, I had the honor of transferring the Lancaster County Bird Club's archives to the Lancaster County Historical Society (now known as LancasterHistory.org) where they will be housed and made available to all who ask to see them. As I paged through our early newsletters, field trip reports and Club meeting minutes I encountered names I have come to know well, names of legends and of other, perhaps more ordinary, members no longer with us, names that have built the Lancaster County Bird Club into what it has become today. In future President's Corner musings I will include some of the stories and memories of people who are and have been an integral part of the LCBC over the decades. We have an extraordinary history of recording and caring for the bird life of Lancaster County from the 1930's through the present. I am very pleased to be a part of carrying that legacy into the future, building on the vision and enthusiasm of those who have gone before us. In that respect, times haven't changed all that much after all.

LCBC BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S REQUEST

Please contact Barbara Hunsberger (717-393-4091 or e-mail phunsberger [AT] comcast [dot] net) if you have any documents or other material relating to the activities and history of the Club that you would be willing to donate to the collection located at the Lancaster County Historical Society.

PREVIEWS OF COMING EVENTS

Friday, January 8, 2010 - Club meeting at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, at 7:30 pm. Dr. Todd Underwood, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Kutztown University will present a lecture titled, Egg Discrimination as a Defense Against Brown-headed Cowbird Parasitism. Dr. Underwood has conducted studies that show some bird species seem to have more refined abilities to discriminate against foreign objects in their nests.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - Eiserer-Hickey Lecture at 7:00 pm at Franklin & Marshall College's Roschel Center for Performing Arts. Title of the lecture is No Child Left Inside: Birds as a Doorway to Nature, by Bill Thompson, author and editor of Bird Watcher's Digest. Sponsors for the lecture are F & M, Lancaster County Bird Club, and the North Museum of Natural History & Science. Bill Thompson's kids loved watching TV and playing on the computer. Like other parents, he worried that they weren't getting outside enough, that they were losing their connection with nature. Fortunately, there are things we can do. Kids are fascinated by birds, which makes birding an excellent way to get kids out of the house and into the natural world. Bill spent three years working with his daughter Phoebe's elementary school class to create a new bird book for kids called The Young Birder's Guide to Eastern Birds. He'll discuss how the book was created, how to get kids interested in nature, and will share stories about his own birding adventures as a young birder. Bill will also offer some insight into countering the growing trend of "nature deficit disorder."

Saturday, February 20, 2010 - This New Jersey shore field trip will be to birding spots north of Atlantic City. Meeting time is 5:00 am at the Reading Interchange of the PA Turnpike. Doug Anderson (341-7076 or e-mail doug [DOT] anderson [AT] pennmanor [DOT] net) will lead the group to Shark River Inlet, Manasquan River and Inlet, and the Barnegat Lighthouse area in New Jersey. Target birds include wintering sea ducks, Harlequin Ducks and Purple Sandpiper.

Friday, February 26, 2010 - Club meeting at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, at 7:30 pm. Note: This is the 4^th Friday of the month. Kim Van Fleet, Important Bird Area Coordinator for Audubon Pennsylvania will present a program titled, Wind Turbines, IBAs and Wildlife. There are six ridge-associated Important Bird Areas (IBAs) located within the Valley and Ridge Province of Pennsylvania. All of these IBAs were designated as such due in large part to the high concentrations of raptors and songbirds that utilize them during fall and spring migration. Recently, concerns have arisen about wind farm development on numerous ridge-tops in Pennsylvania. Many targeted wind development sites are lands located on ridges along key raptor migration corridors.

Saturday, March 6, 2010 - This late winter field trip to Middle Creek WMA will be led by Bruce Carl (717-368-4842 or e-mail carls94 [AT] ptd [DOT] net) 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 12, 2010 - Club meeting at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, at 7:30 pm. Tonight's talk is titled, Wild Delaware: a Photographic Journey Across the First State. Kevin Fleming spent one year photographing wildlife and wild places all across Delaware. He will use the photographs from his book, Wild Delaware to illustrate the birds and animals of the state and some of the places most of us never see. Complementing the photos in the book are essays by several of Delaware's wildlife writers including Derek Stoner, former LCBC member. Mr. Fleming will have copies of his book for purchase.

Sunday, March 14, 2010 - This evening field trip will be led by Ann Bodling (Elizabethtown 717-367-8340 or e-mail thistlebrook [AT] gmail [DOT] com). 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 27, 2010 - 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!"

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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 Laboratory of Ornithology through ProjectFeederWatch, 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. Feeder Watchers periodically count the highest numbers of each species they see at their feeders from November through early April. FeederWatch 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!

MEMBERSHIP NEWS BY PAT WITMER

Our membership is currently 328, only one below this time last year.

Welcome to our new members! Please join us on field trips, which is a good way to become acquainted, not only with LCBC members, but also with good birding areas. I think you will find our members both friendly and helpful to the beginning birder.

New Members:

• High, Mr. & Mrs. Douglas (Mary Alice), 21 Blackhorse Road, Paradise, PA 17562
• King, Ms. Joan, 205 Fox Hollow Road, Pequea, PA 17565
• VanOrmer, Ms. Roberta, 2330 Wicklyn Road, Lancaster, PA 17601-3234
• Welsh, Mr.& Mrs. William (Jane), 159 South East Street, Spring Grove, PA 17362-1215

Old Friend Returning:

• Parr, Ms. Nancy, 436 Crosswinds Drive, Lititz, PA 17543-7809

LCBC CONTRIBUTIONS

The Lancaster County Bird Club Board of Directors has approved the following contributions for the 2009-2010 year:

• Lancaster County Conservancy - $1000
• North Museum (for Ornithology Department) - $500
• North Museum (for Eiserer-Hickey Lecture reception) - $500
• Ned Smith Center (for Saw-whet Owl Banding Project) - $200
• Lancaster County Elementary Envirothon - $500
• Kiptopeke Birdathon - $100
• PA Game Commission (Middle Creek) - $200
• TOTAL - $3,000

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS BY BETTINA HEFFNER

Highlighting this quarter are the birds themselves, specifically a Sandhill Crane and an Allen's Hummingbird.

On 12/12/09 Harrisburg's Patriot News ran "Sandhill crane that strayed from its typical home becomes a celebrity in Mount Gretna." On 6/15/09 a passerby saw the big bird, not knowing its species, but having the good wit to contact Randy Miller. Randy's information about the crane was used in the article, including the fact that Sandhills have been spotted 14 times in Lebanon County since 1997, with most passing through. Apparently none has stayed as long as the current bird. "That bird has educated a lot of people" said Randy.

Those of us who attended the club meeting on 12/11 witnessed avian history in the making. Joanna Sadler reported that a friend still has a hummer at her feeder. Scott Weidensaul, our guest speaker, indicated with enthusiasm that he wanted to see her after the meeting. Then, on 12/14, the Lancaster daily paper had on the front page Ad Crable's "Birders humming over discovery here." The bird was a female Allen's Hummingbird, the first for Pennsylvania! Scott did indeed speak with Joanna after the meeting, and went, upon invitation, to the home of Debra Raudenbush in Leola where he caged the bird, measured the width of the outermost tail feather, identified the bird, and then banded it. Scott has made previous visits to Lancaster County for hummers. On 12/8 he banded a Rufous at the home of Eric Witmer in Ephrata.

BIRDS ON THE MOVE (SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 2010) 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 4, 2009 - Rosemary Spreha led a group of 4 participants for a morning walk to Memorial Lake State Park and to Second Mountain Hawk Watch in the afternoon. Five additional members joined the group at the hawk watch. Total number of species observed was 55. Highlights included a fly-by Peregrine Falcon at Memorial Lake, hundreds of migrating American Robins and Blue Jays, Great Egret at Memorial Lake, a singing Field Sparrow, 3 Palm Warblers, 1 Black-throated Blue Warbler, 1 Pine Warbler, and a great look at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo at hawk watch. The hawk watch yielded good accipiter flight, mostly Sharp-shinned Hawks, and a couple of Cooper's Hawks. There were also Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, male Northern Harrier and a couple of Osprey. Other wildlife of interest included deer, box turtle and red-striped turtles at Memorial Lake.

Friday, October 9, 2009 - H. Eugene Wingert, an instructor of Environmental Studies of Biology at Dickinson College, presented his talk titled, The History of Pennsylvania Forests. He began by describing the tundra ecosystem 14,000 years ago in PA. As the climate warmed, forests developed. Humans entered the landscape about 10,000 years ago and have affected the landscape ever since. The forests have been clear-cut three times since the Colonial period. Today both man and deer heavily impact the ecology of the forests. Regeneration of the forests occurs where hunting and/or fire is present.

Sunday, October 11, 2009 - Bruce Carl led a group of nine participants in northern Lancaster County, visiting SGL 220, woodlands along Forest Road and Middle Creek WMA. A total of 65 species were identified that included the following: 7 species of warblers - Tennessee, Nashville, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Palm (both the yellow eastern & grayer western forms were seen), Black & White and Common Yellowthroat; 7 species of sparrows, many Chipping, Field, Song, 1-2 Lincoln's, Swamp, White-throated and White-crowned. Other highlights included Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Red-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, both Ruby & Golden-crowned Kinglets, American Pipit, Blue-headed Vireo, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Purple Finch.

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - Rosemary Spreha led a group of ten participants to Hidden Valley Golf Course chateau near Friedensburg, PA, to observe the banding of Saw-whet Owls. Number of species observed was two. Bander James C. Logan chose to delay opening the nets until the light rain ended. The crew opened the nets at around 7:30 and the first few net checks came up empty. Jim Logan had brought along a PowerPoint presentation on the owl-banding program, which he showed to the group. The 9:00 p.m. net check produced two birds, a Northern Saw-whet Owl and an Eastern Screech Owl. Jim explained the banding procedure as he went through all the measurements. Two members "adopted" the Saw-whet. The Screech Owl was not released until the Saw-whet had safely departed the area since Screech Owls like to dine on the smaller owl species.

Friday, November 13, 2009 - Natalie Belfanti from Hersheypark's Zoo America presented a lively program titled Paws, Claws, Scales and Tails. This program focused on a variety of birds and animals native to North America. To the delight of the many children and adults alike, she brought live animals including reptiles, birds of prey, and some mammals: an Opossum and a Dumbo Rat. She spoke about the life style of each species and carried each one throughout the audience. After the presentation she encouraged the audience to come forward to touch some of the animals and to ask questions.

Friday-Sunday, November 20-22, 2009 - Derek and Roger Stoner led the annual trip to Chincoteague NWR, which included stops at Bombay Hook, Cape Henlopen, Shad Landing, Ocean City (MD), Indian River Inlet, and Silver Lake in Rehobeth Beach. Eleven bird club members identified 115 species. Highlights of the trip included 24 Common Eiders and 20 Snow Buntings at Cape Henlopen and 47 White Ibis and 1 Cave Swallow at Chincoteague NWR. Also seen on the trip were large flocks of Eastern Meadowlarks, and passing flocks of Brown-headed Nuthatches and Palm Warblers. Non-bird species included Sitka Deer, Chincoteague Ponies and the rare Delmarva Fox Squirrel.

Friday, December 11, 2009 - Well-known author and naturalist, Scott Weidensaul presented a lighthearted exploration of his many avian research projects, from banding hawks and tiny Saw-whet Owls to studying western hummingbirds that are not supposed to be in the East in December but are. Most interesting was his theory that the western hummingbirds come east due to an aberration in their genetic code and not by storms or some other weather phenomena. Best of all we learned that anyone with some enthusiasm and time may make important contributions to the science and conservation of birds, and have a good time doing it.

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 remind members 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 on the LCBC web site at www.lancasterbirdclub.org 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, 2010 and scholarship awards will be decided by March 1, 2010.

If you have any questions

If you have any questions regarding items in the newsletter, Club meetings/programs, or field trips, please feel free to contact a member of the Board of Directors. For your convenience, their names and phone numbers are listed below:

Created for the Internet on ... 9 January 2010