STATE COLLEGE BIRD CLUB

24 MAY 2006

The State College Bird Club met at the State College Borough Building on 24 May 2006.  Twenty-six members and guests attended; Greg Grove presided. 

Business

Deborah Grove read the April meeting minutes, which were approved.  Dorothy Bordner read the Treasurer’s report and checklist.  Attendees reported  177 species within a 25 mile radius of Old Main since the last meeting.  Species of note included: American Bittern, Chuck-will’s-widow, and Marsh Wren.  Greg Grove announced that Pennsylvania’s first confirmed nesting Merlin has been reported. 

No field trips are scheduled for the next month.  However, trips to Black Moshannon State Park and some Breeding Bird Atlas “block-busting” trips are being considered.  Should these materialize, they will be announced on the SCBIRCL listserv and on the Bird Club website.

Presentation

Doug Wentzel, Program Director, Naturalist, and Instructor at the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, discussed PA Audubon’s Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail. With its diversity of habitat and large number of species, the Susquehanna watershed is a natural candidate for such a trail.  The approximately 200 sites are administered by various local, state, and federal governments as well as organizations such as Audubon. 

Supporting the trail are two publications.  One is a website at http://www.pabirdingtrails.org.  The other is a booklet containing maps, descriptions and directions, descriptions of relevant Audubon programs, important bird areas, and discussions of the basics and ethics of nature watching.  Wentzel concluded the program with a brief discussion of some of the activities at the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, noting that the marsh boardwalk is nearing completion.

Recorded by

Nan Butkovich, Secretary