| Next DOS member
meeting: January 20th!
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| Long-tailed duck by David
Lewis.
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Letter from
the President
I love winter birding.
Many people think of winter as a nadir in
the birding year, but I will take a crisp
January morning standing in the teeth of an east
wind on the incoming tide at Indian River Inlet
any day. Gannets plunge diving offshore,
Long-tailed Ducks bobbing in the waves and maybe
an alcid will fly by or a white-winged gull.
Maybe not rarity season like late fall,
but still ripe with possibility for the
unexpected.
January is also an
important date for anyone that keeps any kind of
year list. Everyone starts at 0 on 01
January and the fun of building a list starts
all over again and sets up the only time a
birder is happy to see Starlings and House
Sparrows. During the health crisis, we have
encouraged birders to participate in the DOS
Backyard Birding Challenge, a friendly
competition hosted on eBird to see who can find
the most birds in their yard in a year. Those
who have participated have been amazed at the
variety of birds in their backyard when they
really start looking. In 2020, 13 birders
reported over 100 species in their yards in
Delaware and most of these were from average
suburban yards. It is a safe, fun, and low
environmental impact way to bird. Check it out
under the Citizen Science tab on the
DOS webpage.
As the health crisis
drags on, remember that getting out to bird
is a great way to relieve stress and forget
about everything else for a while. I believe it
can be done safely if you avoid crowded areas
and keep your distance from others. A great
opportunity is to explore under-birded areas.
2020 will go down as one of the most epic rarity
years ever in North America, but who know what
2021 will bring? I hope everyone birds as much
as they can and has a safe and happy
2021. -Mike
Moore, DOS
President | |
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January
20th Meeting
 Join
us for the annual Christmas Bird Count recap
with CBC compilers from across the state, where
we will learn about the most exciting
discoveries our counters made! In addition, we
will catch up with Lisa Smith and hear about
some of Tri-State Bird Rescue’s best
stories from 2020. Meeting will take place
over Zoom from 7pm-9pm. Members receive a Zoom
link via email a few days prior
to meetings. | |
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Missing
your December Flyer
and Ornithologist?
Don't worry - they are
in the mail, but caught in the USPS holiday
backlog. Be on the lookout for them
soon!
In the meantime, click here
to read a digital copy of the December Flyer.
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Get
to know DOS member
Kayla
Krenitsky!
Kayla
checking an American Kestrel box at Auburn
Valley State Park.
Have
you been enjoying DOS’s new Instagram account? If
so, please join us in thanking Kayla Krenitsky,
who volunteered to create and manage this new
outreach effort! Ms. Krenitsky attended the
University of Delaware and earned degrees in
Wildlife Conservation and Agriculture and
Natural Resources in 2015. She is originally
from Harrisburg, PA and currently lives in
Newark. Get to know more about Kayla
below!
How long have you been
a DOS member?
I have been a
member of DOS since the fall of
2018.
What is the best
thing about being a part of DOS?
My favorite thing about DOS is the field trips.
I’m able to bird in new locations and learn from
the expertise of other DOS members. One of the
most memorable trips was to Granogue Estate with
Bill Stewart and seeing over 50 Common
nighthawks!
Do you have a
‘spark’ bird? My “spark” bird was
a Cedar waxwing – I vividly remember birding in
college in White Clay Creek State Park and I was
thrilled to find one, which was a lifer for me
at the time.
What is
your favorite bird and why? I have
so many! But one of my favorites is the American
bittern. I love that they lift their striped
necks and slightly sway to mimic marsh grasses
and reeds. I also appreciate the precision of
their stealthy hunting
behaviors.
What is your
favorite bird song? My favorite
bird sounds belong to the American woodcock. The
“peent” call is cute and unique, and I love the
twittering sound made by air rushing through the
primaries during the mating display
flight.
What’s the
farthest you’ve traveled to bird or see a
particular bird? Costa Rica and
Alaska. In Costa Rica, I was able to see a
Scarlet macaw, Keel-billed toucan, and Mottled
owl among many more. Birding in Alaska was
incredible as well – from Marbled murrelets,
Common murres, and my favorites, the Horned and
Tufted puffins!
Where
(that you haven’t been yet) do you daydream
about birding most? I want to bird
in Kenya and Uganda very badly. I would die
happy if I could see a Shoe-billed
stork.
Do you create
bird-related art? Yes! I paint in
watercolor and acrylics.
 A
Mourning Dove painted by Kayla.
Share
a favorite bird fact. Corvids are
extremely intelligent and they behavior
fascinates me, especially the ability to problem
solve and build tools. One of my favorite facts
is that they have been documented leaving a nut
in the middle of the road and waiting for cars
to run over it and crack it open, and then
retrieving it.
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Membership News
If
you’re interested in serving on the DOS
Membership and Outreach Committee and/or
contributing towards the efforts described
above, please get in touch with me at: [email protected]
-Meghann
Matwichuk, Membership
Chair | |
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Conservation
Science Grants: Apply now!
The
Delaware Ornithological Society (DOS)
Conservation Science Grants support innovative
investigations into bird conservation
challenges. DOS encourages projects with a
strong emphasis on species and habitat
conservation and management.
We also are
interested in projects that greatly enhance our
understanding of the conservation requirements
of bird species of conservation concern. To be
eligible for funding, projects must be located
within the state of Delaware or within the
Delaware Estuary in Pennsylvania or New Jersey
(see www.delawareestuary.org/interactive-estuary-map/).
Projects in adjacent areas with results that are
transferable to this focus area may be
considered at the discretion of the committee
(please contact us before submitting). Grants
are reviewed annually by a grant review
committee appointed by the DOS Conservation
Chair. This grant program is funded using a
portion of the money raised by the Delaware
Bird-a-Thon.
ELIGIBILITY
— Open to non-profit organizations;
university-affiliated researchers, including
graduate students; and to qualified unaffiliated
researchers.
SIZE OF
GRANTS — Not to exceed
$3,000
TIMELINE —
Applications must be received by March 15,
2021.
HOW TO APPLY —
Application materials can be found at here.
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Youth Birding
Update
Do
you have a favorite birding spot in Delaware,
Pennsylvania, or Maryland? The DOS Youth Birding
Committee wants to know! We are looking to
organize information about the best places for
families to go birding in the region, but we
can't do it without your help. Fill out the
survey at the link below to tell us all about
where you like to go birding and the features
that make it great! Questions? Contact us at
[email protected] | |
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DOS Backyard
Birding
Challenge |
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The DOS backyard
birding challenge was fantastic this
year! Check the final 2020 leaderboard
below. You can join in on the fun with a
clean slate in 2021! Learn
more
here. | |
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*Rankings
as of Dec 31,
2020. |
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| What's
this bird? Click here
for the answer. Photo by Katie
Bird.
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