STATE COLLEGE BIRD CLUB

26 Sept. 2007

The State College Bird Club met at Foxdale Village on 26 Sept. 2007.  Deborah Grove presided. 

Business

Nan Butkovich read the April meeting minutes, which were approved.  Dorothy Bordner read the treasurer’s report and checklist.  Attendees reported 129 species within a 25 mile radius of Old Main since 1 September.  Species of note included Peregrine Falcon and American Golden-Plover. Bill Toombs was thanked for arranging the meeting place. 

Upcoming activities:

• The Big Sit is on 14 Oct.  There are currently three circles planned:  Stone Mountain Hawk Watch (Trudy Kyler), Shaver’s Creek (Greg Grove), and the beach at Bald Eagle State Park (Bob Snyder).
• Nan Butkovich will lead a field trip at Millbrook Marsh on 20 Oct.

Presentation

This month’s speaker was Jamie Flickinger, Wildlife Diversity Biologist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.  Her topic was “In Search of Barn Owls.”  Barn Owls are cavity-nesting open grassland birds that are considered to be a vulnerable species in Pennsylvania.  They average 4-6 eggs per clutch and may double-clutch in a year.  They are also short-lived, averaging only 2-4 years.  She is currently working on a Barn Owl conservation initiative to assess various features about Barn Owls, such as habitat, status, movement and dispersal.  The study was initiated due to a decline in Barn Owl populations caused by loss of habitat and limited food supply.  Barn Owls are poorly studied in Pennsylvania.

Recorded by

Nan Butkovich, Secretary