Monthly Meetings
| Meetings begin at 7:00pm with light refreshments and a social “half-hour”, followed by a brief business meeting. The main program will begin by 7:45 pm. Meetings are held at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, DE, the third Wednesday of each month. Different venues and dates/times will be announced in the Flyer and on this website |
| Wednesday, 15 February 2012 | |
| "The Big Year" | |
| Greg Miller | |
| Greg Miller, the real-life character (played by Jack Black) from the book and movie "The Big Year" will be sharing inspiration and inside information about this amazing experience.
He will cover how he got started birding, how he came to do a Big Year, the story behind the book, and what it was like to be a part of the filming as a bird consultant.
| |
| Wednesday, 21 March 2012 | |
| Breeding Bird Atlas: What We've Learned and Where We Need to Go This Year | |
| Anthony Gonzon | |
| Anthony will fill us in on the progress has been made in the Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas. He will detail which blocks still need some work, and what species we need more information on for the final year of the atlas. | |
| past events |
| Wednesday, 18 January 2012 |
| Christmas Count Wrap-up |
| Jim White, host |
| Jim White will host this meeting as we look at results (and many anecdotes!) from the Christmas Counts in Wilmington, Bombay Hook, Middletown, Rehoboth, and Prime Hook/Cape Henlopen. Remeber, January's meeting is chili night, so come and get the winter chill off! |
| Wednesday, 21 December 2011 |
| Plant a Bird Feeder! |
| Dr. Doug Tallamy |
| Doug Tallamy, Professor & Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology
Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology University of Delaware
and author of "Bringing Nature Home" will present the lecture Plant a Bird Feeder! Because our gardens and managed landscapes are large parts of the terrestrial ecosystems that sustain bird populations, we must keep them in working order. To do that we can no longer view plants only as ornaments but must consider all of their roles when selecting them for our gardens. Tallamy will discuss the important roles native plants play in maintaining food webs vital to birds in our landscapes, emphasize the benefits of designing gardens with these roles in mind, and explore the consequences of failing to do so. Landscaping in this crowded world carries both moral and ecological responsibilities that we can no longer ignore. |
| Wednesday, 16 November 2011 |
| The Gulf Stream in the summer of 2011 |
| Tom Johnson |
| Long acclaimed for its splendid diversity of seabirds and other marine life, the ocean well offshore the coast of the southeastern United States is still a fairly mysterious place. Here, pilot whales and scores of dolphins chase fish underwater while legions of shearwaters, petrels, tropicbirds, and terns wheel above. Join birder and ornithologist Tom Johnson as he shows photos and tells stories from his adventures surveying seabirds and marine mammals in the Gulf Stream in the summer of 2011 - he encountered lots of exciting life and is excited to share it with you.
Read about his work here! Tom graduated from Cornell University in 2010 with a bachelors degree in biology, and currently works as a field ornithologist, primarily aiding in bird survey work. In fall 2011 he is conducting the Morning Flight count for New Jersey Audubon, counting redirected migrant songbirds at Higbee Beach in Cape May. He plans to return to academia to pursue an advanced degree while studying birds. |
| Tuesday, 18 October 2011 |
| How the North Saved South Carolina's Coast after "The War" |
| Chris Marsh |
| South Carolina's modern day conservation story is a tale that includes West African slaves, the wealth of Northern industrialists, the impact of DDT, and the loss of habitat in the Everglades. During the past 25 years close to 300,000 acres in coastal South Carolina have been protected through private-public partnerships. This region encompasses a variety of expansive wetlands which attract birds from almost all areas of North America. The results of these efforts are told through the stories of the region's
birds and the photography of Tom Blagden, Eric Horan and David Soliday.
About the speaker: Dr. Chris Marsh, Executive Director of the Low Country Institute, has studied and taught about the ecology of coastal South Carolina for 27 years, and has studied birds and coastal habitats for over 35 years. He helped initiate the Master Naturalist program in South Carolina and trains teachers on how to be effective presenters and how to use experiential education as part of their classroom curriculum. |
| Wednesday, 21 September 2011 |
| The non-breeding season movements of a tropical bird: The Veery |
| Kitt Heckscher |
| Using geolocator technology, Kitt tracked five Veeries in 2009 as they migrated from White Clay Creek State Park to South America and back. This research was the first to successfully use geolocator technology to track a forest-dependent songbird from its breeding grounds through equatorial South America and the first to reveal the migratory routes and confirm the wintering locations of individual Veeries. The presentation will focus on the migratory movements and wintering areas of these birds. Some limited data from birds tracked in 2010 will also be presented. |
| Wednesday, 15 June 2011 |
| DOS Picnic and Delaware Bird-A-Thon Awards |
| DOS Members |
| Picnic held at the Flint Woods Preserve in Centreville, DE.
The picnic will begin at 5:30pm. and hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided.
Please bring a side dish to share. Awards ceremony will follow dinner, and if time allows, a birdwalk too!
|
| Wednesday, 18 May 2011 |
| Past, Present and Future |
| Richard Crossley (Come at 6:30 PM for a special meet-and-greet!)) |
Please join us for an outdoors get-together at 6:30 PM (1/2 hour early) at Ashland Nature Center to chat with Richard Crossley! This talk, by the author of the new Crossley ID Guide, is a story told in a Yorkshire brogue through a camera lens that loves color and art. Come hear tales of lessons learned while growing up in the wild British birding scene. From traveling around the world to living in Cape May, Richard has seen it all. With humor and depth, Richard will highlight the thoughts behind the revolutionary 'The Crossley ID Guide' series. But, is changing how we look at books and birds enough? 'Hell, no' says Richard. Come listen to his past: perhaps it will change your thoughts on the future! Bring your copy of the book for Richard to sign.
Richard Crossley is an internationally-acclaimed birder and photographer. His goal is to popularize both birding and a love of the outdoors, through a combination of books, TV projects and the internet. After wetting his feet with The Shorebird Guide, he began to work on the "The Crossley ID Guide". Whether you call it work or love, his goal was to take every image and piece them together in the book's revolutionary format. Richard lives in Cape May with his wife Debra, and daughters Sophie and Sam.
|
| Wednesday, 20 April 2011 |
| The Rarest of the Rare - The Composite Prints of John James Audubon's Birds of America |
| Bert Filemyr and Jeff Holt |
| Bert and Jeff will explain the story behind Audubon's monumental work "Birds of America" and the special "composite prints". In 1838, as John James Audubon's creation was nearing completion, he requested that his engraver, Robert Havell, produce 13 extra, unique prints. Havell was instructed to combine images from two or more separate plates into a single print. These special prints are commonly known as a "Composite Prints". Only two full sets, along with a handful of individual prints, of these rare prints exist today and are rarely if ever seen by the public. Bert and Jeff did extensive research and travel to unlock the story behind these prints. Their work resulted in the publication of a book on this subject which has become a standard reference source for Audubon print scholars. They will provide an overview of Audubon, his work, and the production process to provide background for the discussion and analysis as to how and why these unique plates were made. Illustrations depicting all 13 of the Composite Plates will be shown.
Their book is available at Amazon.com. Do a search for "Audubon Composite Prints"
Jeff Holt and Bert Filemyr reside in the Philadelphia area and are active field birders both locally and nationally. They have combined their passion with birding with their interest in early American Ornithology and the publications of that time. Both are long time life members and officers of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC)."
|
| Wednesday, 16 March 2011 |
| Birding the Rest of Delmarva |
| Jim Rapp |
| The Delmarva Peninsula is home to some of the premier birding locations on the east coast. Delaware birders
frequent sites like Bombay Hook, Prime Hook, and Cape Henlopen, but how often do we venture farther afield to
visit birding gems like Blackwater or Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuges, hike through Pocomoke State Forest,
or paddle Nassawango Creek? Jim will share his extensive knowledge of Delmarva birding sites, including a
preview of some the sites being visited during this year's Delmarva Birding Weekend! |
| Wednesday, 16 February 2011 |
| Birds Among the Ancient and Modern Maya |
| Rob Fergus |
| Birds have played important roles in Mesoamerican cultures for thousands of years. Rob Fergus explores the
connections between birds and various Mayan cultures as revealed in their ancient art and his ongoing field work
with seven modern Mayan communities in Guatemala and Belize. In addition reviewing the songs and calls of
Central American birds, if you want to know how the Turkey Vulture got its red head, which bird you can burn to a
crisp to make into a love potion, why you can't have sex before you plant your corn crop, or how to cure warts,
this is the program for you! |
| Wednesday, 19 January 2011 |
| DOS Christmas Count Roundup |
| CBC Compilers |
| Whether you're a regular CBC participant or an armchair enthusiast, are all welcome to join us on Wednesday, January 19th at Ashland Nature Center for our annual DOS Christmas Bird Count roundup and chili cook-off! Count compilers including Jim White, Andy Ednie, John Janowski, Sally O'Byrne, and Frank Rohrbacher will regale us with tales of high counts, rarities, and adventures afield during this, the 111th Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
The meeting will be pot-luck style as usual, so please consider bringing a crock of chili, a pan of cornbread, a salad, hors d'ouevres, beverages, or dessert to share! Please email me and let me know what you plan to bring so that I can make sure everything is covered!
Matt Sarver |
| Wednesday, 15 December 2010 |
| By DOS for DOS |
| DOS Members |
| Join us for our traditional night of birding tales and research results from several DOS Members. Our December 15th meeting will feature several short presentations by DOS members on a variety of topics, from birding Alaska's Kenai Peninsula to the latest adventures of the Delaware Dunlins youth birding program. If you have something you'd like to share, and can put it into a 5, 10, or 15 minute presentation, I'd like to hear from you! We still have a couple of open slots for the meeting. Always a good time, and some special Christmas Cheer is sure to be in the air! |
| Wednesday, 17 November 2010 |
| Sparrow Beaks and Salty Marshes |
| Russ Greenberg |
| Russ's talk will explore the unique adaptations of Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrows, Atlantic Song Sparrows and other sparrows that occupy marshes along the North American coast. Much of the ongoing field research for this project has been conducted in the coastal marshes of Delaware Bay. Come learn about the secret lives of these marsh sparrows!
Russell Greenberg, director of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC), has conducted research on the ecology and conservation biology of Neotropical migrants for almost 30 years. Russ earned a PhD. at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at UC Berkeley studying the ecology of migratory birds in Panama. His research has focused primarily on bird habitat use on the wintering grounds in Latin America, with emphasis on human dominated landscapes. In particular, he has examined the use of various agroecoystems such as coffee and cacao farms and cattle pastures. His research has been published in 110 papers and has resulted in conservation initiatives, such as the Bird-friendly coffee program of the Smithsonian Institution. Greenberg's research has also included comparisons of bird faunas in the Russian and Canadian boreal forest, the conservation biology of birds in tidal marshes, and the "psychology" of foraging (in particular the fear of novelty) as it relates to how readily birds adapt to changing environments.
|
| Wednesday, 20 October 2010 |
| Kingfishers and their Allies |
| Jeff Gordon |
| Nearly all of North America is blessed to have the Belted Kingfisher as a resident, at least part of each year. Even non-birders recognize and appreciate the distinctive behaviors, spectacular plumage, and unusual life history of this unique species. But as wonderful as the Belted Kingfisher is, it is just one of dozens of spectacular kingfishers to be found around the world. Kingfishers include some of the world's most most extravagantly colorful and bizarre-looking birds. And if you broaden the scope to include some of their allies in the Order Coraciiformes, things get really wild: bee-eaters, rollers, mot-mots, hornbills, hoopoes--these stout-billed birds must surely rank high on any list of the world's most incredible animals, feathered or not. Join us for a fun, informative survey of the kingfshers and their bretheren, from their role in mythology to their amazing natural history, to an appreciation of their sumptuous coloration.
Jeffrey A. Gordon is a writer, photographer, tour leader, and naturalist who lives in Lewes, Delaware. He is a frequent speaker at various birding and nature festivals. As man of you may know, Jeff was recently chosen as the new President of the American Birding Association! For more information on Jeff's activities, visit www.jeffreyagordon.com Thom Amendinger's talk on Bird Conservation at Duke Farms has been postponed. Jeff Gordon's talk is taking its place. |
| Wednesday, 15 September 2010 |
| The 10 Most Important Things You Can Do for Birds & Bird Conservation |
| Paul Baicich |
| Doomsday predictions and personal self-denial are not always the best ways to
address our modern bird-conservation problems. To save birds you are not
required to slash your wrists. In this talk, Paul Baicich will identify the five
most serious threats to birds today and then outline ten things we can all do
that will help birds, their habitats, and, ultimately, their future... as well
as our own. These ten approaches are really modest yet surprising. In
combination they are highly effective.
Paul J. Baicich has been an active birder since his early teens in New York
City. A former employee of the American Birding Association, he edited 14 of
their "ABA Birdfinding Guides," edited Birding, ABA's bi-monthly magazine, and
served as ABA's Director of Conservation and Public Policy. His concerns
include an abiding interest in bird conservation and studies in the breeding
biology of North American birds. In this last regard, he has co-authored (with
the late Colin Harrison) A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North
American Birds (1997). His next book will be one he's co authored (with Margaret
Barker and Carrol Henderson) on the history of bird feeding in America. Among
his many other activities, he has been working for the National Wildlife Refuge
System on a consultant basis on issues of popular birding and parallel refuge
receptiveness. |
| Wednesday, 16 June 2010 |
| Annual Picnic -- 5:30 to Dark! |
| DOS Members (at the Flint Woods Preserve) |
| Join us for the annual get-together as another season of birding activity draws to a close! 5:30PM until dark. At the Flint Woods Preserve
Wrap-up of the year's events, Bird-A-Thon prizes, and general good company. Evening bird walk will follow the dinner. Check back soon for more details! Bar-b-que and other refreshments will be provided. You are encouraged to bring a covered dish to share! For directions, click here |
| Wednesday, 19 May 2010 |
| Climate Change and Bird Migration: The North American Bird Phenology Program |
| Jessica Zelt |
| Jessica, from the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center will present her ongoing work with The North American Bird Phenology Program, an effort to preserve and digitize a nearly-forgotten collection of six million Migration Observer Cards that record spring and fall arrival and departure dates of North American birds. These handwritten cards contain almost all of what was known of bird distribution and natural history from the late 19th century through the Second World War. The bulk of the records were produced by a network of observers (as many as 3,000) that included many famous ornithologists of the time. Today, a network of volunteers is hard at work databasing the historical information. The arrival times from this project will be compared with more recently collected arrival data, as well as historical weather and climate data, to provide critical insights into changes in bird distribution, migration timing and migration pathways. Find out what is being revealed and learn how you can participate in the program from your own home!
Visit the North American Bird Phenology Program Website
|
| Wednesday, 21 April 2010 |
| Why Delaware Fish and Wildlife Matters to Birds....And Why Birders Matter to Delaware Fish and Wildlife! |
| Karen Bennett |
| Karen Bennett, Program Manager of Natural Heritage, Endangered Species and Private Lands Programs for the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, DNREC, will highlight some of the Division's most exciting and challenging bird conservation projects. Learn how the birding community makes many of these projects possible in obvious and not-so-obvious ways, and how birders can help the state protect bird populations. |
| Wednesday, 17 March 2010 |
| Birding Colombia |
| Matt Sarver & Lauren Morgens |
| DOS Vice President Matt Sarver and his fiancèe Lauren Morgens will recount their recent birding trip to Colombia in the company of Delaware hawk-counters Forrest Rowland and Cyrus Moqtaderi. The group flew into Medellín, the former home of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar, and spent two weeks roaming the Andes in search of rare Colombian endemics. In cooperation with Fundación ProAves, and armed with notebooks, binoculars, cameras, and sound recording gear, the group visited several bird preserves and traveled into a few areas never before explored by modern ornithologists. Join us for an evening of adventures in the Andes! |
| Wednesday, 17 February 2010 |
| Radio Tracking Turkey Vultures |
| David Barber |
| David Barber, research biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will give a presentation on research in the tracking of Turkey Vultures using radio telemetry. |
| Wednesday, 20 January 2010 |
| CBC Roundup **At the DuPont Environmental Education Center** |
| Jim White |
| ** Please note: this month our meeting will be held at the DNS' DuPont Environmental Education Center, on the Wilmington waterfront** Join us for the annual wrap-up of this year's Christmas Bird Counts. There will be great stories, and interesting tallies of bird numbers and species. Find out what is happening to some of your favorite species. Take the chill off by sampling the fare as we continue the tradition of our Annual Chili Night! |
| Wednesday, 16 December 2009 |
| DOS Member's Night |
| DOS Members |
By DOS, for DOS! Members present their own bird-related experiences. This year we feature:
|
| Wednesday, 18 November 2009 |
| The State of Pennsylvania's Breeding Birds: a preview of the results of the 2nd PBBA |
| Robert Mulvihill |
| The 2nd PBBA was completed in 2009, 20 years after the end of the first breeding bird atlas. More than 3,300 volunteers and a dozen paid field staff conducted formal and informal surveys in all 4,937 blocks in the state, submitted over 850,000 records, and documented 219 species. Although the data are still being checked, edited, and analyzed, there already are many interesting and important results that the project Coordinator, Bob Mulvihill, will share with us during this program. The published atlas is a year and a half or two away, so you don't want to miss this sneak preview of coming attractions!
|
| Wednesday, 21 October 2009 |
| Forrest & Jeff's Excellent Ecuadorian Adventure |
| Forrest Rowland & Jeff Gordon |
| In March of 2009, 9 intrepid local birders joined Forrest Rowland & Jeff Gordon for a 2 1/2 week tour through northern Ecuador, visiting many of that country's most celebrated birding sites. Along the way, they encountered mudslides, giant earthworms, and a rainy season that just wouldn't quit. Join Forrest and Jeff for a lavishly illustrated recounting of their adventures from the peaks of the Andes to the humid Amazonian lowlands. |
| Wednesday, 16 September 2009 |
| Nocturnal Migration of Birds In The 21st Century |
| Bill Evans |
| A discussion from the front lines of research and conservation of night migrating birds. Bill will review the astounding phenomenon of nocturnal bird migration, present selected research from his studies monitoring avian night flight calls, and update the DOS on conservation efforts toward minimizing the impacts of wind turbines, communications towers, and artificial light on night migrating birds.
Bill Evans has spent more than 20 years studying the nocturnal flight calls of migrating birds in North America. He initiated the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's avian night flight call research in 1994 and in 1998 founded the nonprofit called Old Bird. The current focus of this organization is in using acoustics for long-term monitoring of various songbird species and for mitigating bird mortality at tall man-made structures. In addition, the organization provides instructions and tools for anyone interested in establishing their own night flight call monitoring station. Bill's work has been described in The New York Times, New Scientist, NPR, BBC, PBS, Science and many popular conservation and birding magazines. Descriptions of his works and publications related to nocturnal bird migration may be found at www.oldbird.org |
* Please help!* If you'd like to help out with the monthly meetings (set up refreshments, etc.), please contact Joe Sebastiani.
