State College Bird Club

September 28, 2016

The State College Bird Club held its first meeting of the fall on 28 Sept. 2016 at Foxdale Village.  Thirty-six visitors and members were present.

Business

Diane Bierly opened the meeting by introducing the club officers and board members as well as the Foxdale resident who arranges for the club to meet there.

Jean Miller read the Treasurer’s report.

Diane had a few announcements, including updates from former members who’ve moved on to other places.    The speaker at the next meeting will be Justin Brown, who will discuss avian influenza viruses.  Also, banding at the Arboretum will continue through 26 Oct.

Diane also read the checklist; 140 species were reported.

Presentation:

Mike and Laura Jackson were the first speakers and discussed efforts to protect Golden-winged Warbler habitat in the US and Honduras.  They started by discussing what they have been doing at their Bedford Co. property to protect breeding habitat of that species.  They also have been working with Juniata Audubon to protect wintering habitat in Honduras, efforts that have included partnering with the owners of a coffee farm, whose family has been growing shade-grown coffee since 1915. 

Funds raised by Juniata Audubon resulting from this partnership were donated to students at a Honduran university.  The students chose to use the funds to sponsor a birding festival for local children and help make them aware of the importance of migratory birds and their habitats. 

Their project culminated in an eco-birding trip to Honduras in Feb. 2016.    During the time they were there, they visited a wide array of habitats, such as cloud forests, thorn forests, cattle ranges, lake habitat, and lowland tropical rainforests.  They saw roughly 300 bird species during the eleven days they were there. 

The second presentation was by Emilio Garcia, a member of the Honduran family.  After some brief background, he traced the progress of his family’s coffee beans “from tree to cup” and focused on how shade-grown coffee is grown, harvested, and processed, as well as the methods used to ensure the crops are also organically farmed. 

Minutes by Nan Butkovich