STATE COLLEGE BIRD CLUB

28 March 2007

The March meeting of the State College Bird Club was held on March 28 at the Schlow Library at 7:15 with Greg Grove presiding for President Jim Dunn. 42 members and guests were present.  Dorothy Bordner delivered the Treasurer's Report.

A field trip to BESP will be led by Bob Snyder on April 15.

BBA blocks are still available.

The annual PSO meeting at Harrisburg was announced. Scott Weidensaul, Pulitzer Prize winner, will be the banquet speaker.

The annual Birding Cup competition to benefit Shaver's Creek Environmental Center will be held on May 15.

The bird list was read by Dorothy Bordner and birds seen between March 1 and March 28 were noted. A Northern Shrike was seen on Buffalo Run Road.

Next month's speaker is Doug Gross who will speak on Bald Eagle recovery in PA. It will be on April 25 in the Borough Building.

Deuane Hoffman presented a program on the Conojehela Flats in Lancaster County. The Flats are in the Susquehanna River above the Safe Harbor Dam. The Dam holds back water creating Lake Clarke and as well as sand bars in the river. The level is adjusted almost every day according to electrical needs. This adjustment creates the effect of tides with the sand bars above and under water during the day.

Hake and Dyke described birds in the area as early as 1950. Bob Schutsky began his observations in 1975. In 1997 Jerry Book lobbied the PGC to establish a no-wake zone which helped make the Flats a good area for shorebirds and other waterfowl.

Seasons at the Flats are Fall Aug - Oct, Winter Nov-Feb, Spring Feb-Apr, and Summer May through July, the slowest season. Shorebirds migrate through in the spring but in a shorter time frame than the fall when the bird flow is longer.  38 different species of shorebirds have been documented in the Fall.

Another important bird of the Flats is the Prothonotary Warbler. Nesting by this warbler has been re-established in the area and nest boxes are being offered as well. 5 nest boxes were  used the past year.

Another project in the Harrisburg area is the investigation and protection of heron rookeries on islands in the Susquehanna.

Respectively Submitted by

Deborah Grove