State College Bird Club
25 Jan. 2012
The State College Bird Club met at Foxdale Village on 25 Jan.
2012. Forty-nine members and guests attended; Nick Kerlin
presided.
Business
- Dorothy Bordner presented the Treasurer’s report and read the
checklist. Species of note observed within 25 miles of the Penn
State campus since 14 Dec. 2011 included: White-winged Scoter, Common
Goldeneye, Sandhill Crane, Short-eared Owl, Northern Shrike, Common
Yellowthroat, Lapland Longspur, and Red Crossbill.
- Keep the memberships coming in.
- A book was presented to Foxdale.
- Notify Ro Fuller by 8 Feb. if you plan to attend the 70th anniversary dinner. Need a volunteer to photograph the event
- Elections are coming up; nominations coming up in April.
Announcements
- Adam Sell will be the new Tussey Mountain Hawkwatch watcher.
- The avian education group at the PSU Arboretum will be leading field trips there.
Upcoming events
- Bald Eagle Birding Festival is 12 May. They’ve invited us to have a booth there, starting in the late afternoon.
- Upcoming field trips (dates to be announced):
- Big Valley – Greg Grove
- Middlecreek – Joe Verica
- 3/25, Bald Eagle State Park – Bob Snyder
- April, Huntingdon area – Ian Gardner
- May, Scotia Barrens – Alex Lamoreaux
Presentation
Nick Bolgiano gave a presentation on the birds of the western
U.S. His “tour” started at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area in
Kansas, which is the biggest inland marsh in the U.S. and is surrounded
by high ground. It’s managed for shorebirds, so it’s a great
place to see Great and Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night-herons,
Wilson’s Phalaropes, Stilt Sandpiper, American Avocet, White-faced
Ibis, and the premiere bird, the Long-billed Dowitcher.
Another Kansas wetland is Quiviera NWR, which is not as marshy as
Cheyenne Bottoms. Quiviera is managed for wildlife and uses fire
to maintain open areas. Species of note varies with the water
depth, but can include Northern Bobwhite Lark Sparrow, Wilson’s
Phalarope, Baird’s Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, American Golden-plover,
Snowy Plover, and western Willet.
Eastern Colorado has the Pawnee Grasslands, of which about half the
land is privately owned. One of the most common birds observed
was the Lark sparrow; Vesper Sparrow and Clay-colored Sparrow were also
common. Other notable species include Horned Lark, McCown’s
Longspur, Burrowing Owl, Swainson’s Hawk, and Loggerhead Shrike.
The Walden Ponds area of Boulder County, CO, produced a different
assemblage of bird species, including Black-headed Grosbeak,
Black-billed Magpie, Stellar’s Jay, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lazuli
Bunting, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, and Macgillivray’s Warbler.
Still higher in elevation, Rocky Mountain National Park produced Dusky
Grouse, Clark’s Nutcracker, and Prairie Falcon. Three-toed
Woodpeckers were found in the big swaths of dead Lodgepole Pines.
Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are in the central
canyonlands region of Utah. Black-throated Sparrow, Rock Wren,
Violet-green Swallow, White-throated Swift, and Juniper Titmouse call
the former home, while Ash-throated Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher,
Bushtit, and Say’s Phoebe are found in the latter park.
Nick also discussed three Wyoming sites: Jackson, Grand Tetons
National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. Species of note
included Cinnamon Teal, Brewer’s Blackbird, Black Rosy-finch, Gray Jay,
American Dipper, Western Grebe, Clark’s Grebe, Cassin’s Finch,
Townsend’s Solitaire, Pink-sided Junco, Harlequin Duck, and Barrow’s
Goldeneye.
The western tour ended in South Dakota, with quick looks at avian
fauna, such as White-winged Junco, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and
Yellow-breasted Chat In the Black Hills, Wind Cave National Park,
Custer State Park, and the South Dakota Badlands.
Minutes taken by Nan Butkovich, Secretary