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