State College Bird Club Zoom Meeting
October 26, 2022


Presiding: Doug Wentzel

Recording: Peggy Wagoner Saporito

Attendance: 31

Meeting Format: Zoom (due to Covid)

Treasurer’s report:(Karen Kottlowski):

The SCBC checking account balance is $4544.08 and saving account balance is $17573.08. If you haven’t already done so, dues can be mailed to Karen. For instructions and mailing address, see our website www.scbirdcl.org


Bird Club Field Trips: (Susan Smith)

Our last field trip of the season will be Sunday, November 13, 2022, 8:00-11:00 am: for winter birds at Bald Eagle State Park led by Bob Snyder.


Announcements/Other Activities:

One SCBC logo ball cap is still available for $20 purchase. Contact Susan

Project Feeder Watch begins soon. Anyone is welcome to join Shaver’s Creek staff to count birds at their feeders on weekends throughout the winter. To learn more about Project Feeder Watch see: feederwatch.org

Just a reminder; the next annual meeting of PSO (PA Society of Ornithology) will be held at Shaver’s Creek, May 19-20, 2023.

Nick Bolgiano described the hawk watch along the Bald Eagle Mtn/Allegheny Front corridor he initiated this week to focus on counting golden eagles using this area for migration. Golden Eagle migration tends to occur November through mid-December.  Nick’s plan is to observe the migration from Ralph’s Pretty Good Vista along the Allegheny Front Trail, Black Moshannon State Park on days with east and south winds and from the Bald Eagle hawk watch on Karl Striedieck’s land during north and west winds. The watch started on October 25 from the Allegheny Front site with no golden eagles counted as of yet.

Greg Grove updated us on the status of the Old Crow wetland/Rutter’s truck stop development. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requested Rutter’s address 40 points/issues of concern. Rutter’s has returned their answers to DEP. Now it is up to DEP and Huntingdon Co. Conservation District to decide if the issues are adequately addressed by Rutter’s.

Nick Kerlin requested money from SCBC to replace old bluebird boxes at Soaring Eagle Wetland along the Bald Eagle creek.  After board discussions, the request will be presented to the membership during the November meeting.


Notable Bird Sightings: Greg Grove’s Summary

(Sept 29 - Oct 26, 2022; Centre and its contiguous counties)

Waterfowl migration has begun. Surf scoters were observed at both Bald Eagle State Park and Treasure Lake. Red-necked grebes, a rarity for fall migration were seen at BESP. Among the shore and water birds, a Black bellied plover was seen in Juniata county and the night flight of an American golden plover was recorded. A late American bittern was seen on Oct. 8 and a yellow-crowned night-heron was recently spotted in Port Matilda along Bald Eagle creek.

A couple of reports of Rufus or Allen’s hummingbirds have been confirmed in Centre County. Carolina chickadees have been seen in Juniata county, now apparently an overlap zone with the black-capped. The night flight calls of several marsh wrens were recorded.

Watch for a likely winter finch invasion coming soon. An evening grosbeak was reported in the area in the last few days; red crossbills, purple finches and a few pine siskins have all been reported.

Unusual sparrows that have been sighted include Nelson’s and clay-colored. A dickcissel was photographed on October 9.

During October, 22 species of warblers were reported in ebird including a couple of sightings of Connecticut warbler. Most species have now moved through our area, though yellow-rumped warblers are still being reported.


Speaker: Larry Ramsey: “Birding the Trans-Pantaneira” Mato Grasso State, Brazil

(This entire presentation can be viewed for the next month or two at:  https://psu.zoom.us/rec/share/Hc26qSWLetrAKfCPrhqK7X4zNbw0FgOTBNkECrtPgeWmnOT-4BDHdovQsVNiNArP.sLsjs8tMFB2EVBlg?startTime=1666826279000

After retiring from an illustrious career in the department of Astronomy at PSU, Larry and his wife Mary have enjoyed traveling to and birding in a number of interesting locations/habitats around the world. In addition, their appreciation of the outdoors and natural environment has inspired them to manage their own property for the benefit of wildlife which includes 42 bluebird boxes.

Larry shared his own and some of Mary’s beautiful photos of the many birds and other wildlife they encountered during their Sept. 2019 trip to the Pantanal region of Brazil. The 75,000 square mile Pantanal, located primarily in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso Sul, is the largest tropical wetland in the world. At some point between October and March, 80% of the land area is flooded, with the northern Pantanal flooding first and as it dries, the south becomes flooded.

The wetland consists of seasonally flooded grassland, marshes which retain water year-round, and forested land including gallery forests along rivers, dry forests on elevated ground and forest islands on small patches of elevated land surrounded by wet areas.

Traveling with a very small group including only 2 other birders and local guides, the Ramsey’s birded all these habitats as they traveled with Wildside Nature Tour.

Their journey began in Pocone in Mato Grosso and ended in Porto Jofre, along the Rio Sao Lourenco. They traveled and birded along the 120 km (91 miles) rugged dirt road, the Trans Pantaniera. They also travelled by boat on the river to view and photograph wildlife. Being a tropical wetland, it was hot and humid with temperatures 95-100F during the day and not much cooler at night.

Accommodations included Aymara Lodge in a dry forest adjacent to an oxbow lake, Pousada Piuval, a 17,300-acre working ranch and Hotel Porto Joffre along the Rio Sao Lourenco on the border of Mato Grasso and Mato Grasso Sul.

Larry photographed the amazing array of birds, as well as other wildlife and a few examples of vegetation and beautiful flowers found in the Pantanal. He showed us examples of huge concentrations of large wetland birds such as ibis, herons, egrets, spoonbills, and storks that are prevalent.

Although none of the species he shared with us (other than an American golden plover) are found in our region of the world, some of the bird families were familiar, including woodpeckers, doves, jays, kingfishers, flycatchers, blackbirds, tanagers cardinals, gnatcatchers, nighthawks, cuckoos, hawks and falcons.

But there were many species from groups not found in our region. These included some of the South American icons such as macaws, parrots, toucans, rhea, caracara, as well as a kaleidoscope of other birds. The list included (but was not limited to) antbirds, manakins, curassow, cassiornis, woodcreepers, spinetails, cacholote, donacobius, crake, trogon, kiskadee, sun grebe, horneo, jacana, screamer, cacique, greenlet, pootoo and many more.

In addition to the birds, Larry had wonderful photos of many of the renowned South American species such as anaconda, caiman, jaguar, ocelots, howler monkeys, giant river otter, tapir, capybara, anteater, marmosets and a few interesting lizards.

The variety and abundance of wildlife found along the Trans-Pantaneira is the reason Larry believes this trip would be a wonderful experience for both birders and non-birders alike. .