STATE COLLEGE BIRD CLUB

28 September 2005

            The September meeting of the State College Bird Club was held on September 28. President Jim Dunn presided.  22 members and guests met at the State College Borough Building at 7:15. The minutes of the May meeting were read by Deb Grove and approved by members Dorothy Bordner delivered the Treasurer's Report.

            Dorothy Bordner read the checklist: species of birds  were seen between September 1 and September 28. Noted birds were American golden plover, caspian tern at BESP and a total of 26 warblers seen in migration.

            The evening's program on Birding in Arizona was presented by John Yerger, the president of the Penn State student bird club. A senior, majoring in Wildlife,  John has spent 2 summers at the Southwest Research Center near Portal AZ in the Chirichuahuas and this past summer traveled to AZ to locate birds for Mike Lanzone.

            John began his talk by describing the 4 biomes which exist in AZ, the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Madres, Chihuahuan Desert, and the Sonoran Desert. The biomes also consist of 4 Life Zones which are based on altitude and consist of up to 4500 feet the grass hills and desert, 3500 to 5000 feet foothill vegetation, 5000 to 7000 feet sycamores, cottonwoods and canyon groves, and then above 7000 feet,  conifers and spruce firs. John described bird life at each level and as well as other fauna and flora. Questions from the audience touched on how to plan a trip to Southwest AZ, what to make a priority.

Respectively Submitted by

Deborah Grove