September 14, 2012

"GALAPAGOS-A UNIQUE WILDLIFE EXPERIENCE” with Cliff Hence

A trip to the Galapagos Islands, located about 600 miles west of Ecuador, is a unique experience. It is one of the few places in the world where the wildlife comes to you. In fact, one of the rules is “You cannot touch the animals but they can touch you.” As you hike around these islands you have to watch where you step because the animals make no attempt to get out of your way. The wildlife is so tame because of the long isolation these islands experienced and the animals do not have the same fear of man as species elsewhere in the world.

The islands are geologically young, about 4 to 5 million years old. This is about 1/10 the age of the similar archipelago of Hawaii. However, unlike other archipelagos, these islands still retain about 90 percent of their original species. While there is a rich variety of wildlife there, the islands are known for their numerous endemic species. These include species of reptiles, some mammals and birds. Reptiles include several species of Galapagos Tortoises, Lava Lizards, the Marine and Land Iguanas, as well as a few species of snakes.

Reptiles are well represented because they have the ability to survive the long sea journey from the mainland to the islands. Mammals are less common, with the main representatives being Sea Lions, Fur seals, and a few species of rats and bats. But the major diversity in the islands is in the bird populations. There are 152 species recorded on the islands with 61 of these considered resident species. About 28 of the bird species are endemics seen nowhere else in the world.

Some of the unique species include Flightless Cormorants and the northernmost population of penguins.There is also a unique Galapagos species of hawk, heron, dove, rail, as well as four species of mockingbirds. Galapagos is also home to 14 species of Darwin’s Finches, a focus of modern evolutionary research. In this program we will visit several of the main islands and explore the variety of wildlife on land and underwater.

Cliff Hence has been an active birder in the Delaware Valley area for over 30 years. He is a retired photojournalist. Cliff has served as President and Newsletter Editor of the Wyncote Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society. With his wife Nancy, he has birded throughout the USA and Hawaii. Internationally, they have traveled to Europe and South and Central America on birding expeditions.

October 19, 2012

“Birds of Ancient and Modern Maya” with 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 Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. In addition to 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!

Rob Fergus studied urban bird conservation at the University of Texas, where he received his Ph.D. in 2008. He is the founding director of the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory, was the first executive director of the Travis Audubon Society, in Austin, Texas, and worked for the National Audubon Society for nearly five years as their Senior Scientist for Urban Bird Conservation. Dr. Fergus currently teaches urban ecology and sustainability courses at Rosemont College in Philadelphia and serves as a consultant to the bird pest control industry. When he isn't watching birds...well, Rob is always watching birds. But sometimes he does it on his own time with his three kids in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

EXTRA TREAT: In June, Jack Beltz participated in the National Audubon Society’s Coastal Maine Bird Studies for Teens; an intensive 6-day seabird conservation study on Hog Island, Maine. The program was led by some of the country’s best known birders and ornithologists (i.e., Scott Weidensaul, Steve Kress) providing sessions on field identification, bird song recognition, and conservation practices. A highlight of the trip was observing nesting puffins, terns and guillemots up close while hiding in a bird blind on Eastern Egg Rock during the breeding season. Jack is very grateful for Wyncote Audubon Society’s scholarship supporting his attendance. Hear his account of his adventures.

November 16, 2012

“Ornithological History of the Delaware Valley Area” with Bert Filemyr

We will follow a timeline of local people and places that are important in the history of American ornithology, and learn about the local connections of well known people like John Bartram, Alexander Wilson and John James Audubon plus lesser known but important individuals like John Cassin, Ed Harris, John Kirk Townsend and Graceanna Lewis. You will gain an understanding of the role of our area in ornithological history.

Bert Filemyr is an active birder in the Delaware Valley and throughout North America who has birded in 49 of the 50 states, as well as many of the Canadian provinces. Retired from his teaching career, Bert has plenty to keep him busy as he actively researches topics related to early American ornithology while pursuing his passion for birding. He is also the current treasurer and webmaster of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) and was a member of the championship Nikon/DVOC World Series of Birding Team, the Lagerhead Shrikes. He recently co-authored "The Composite Prints of Audubon's Birds of America".

December 2, 2012 ....ANNUAL BANQUET

"The First Frontier " with Scott Weidensaul, Dinner Speaker The word "frontier" conjures images of Conestoga wagons and Plains Indians on horseback, but for hundreds of years the frontier lay along the Eastern seaboard – the boundary between complex Native cultures and colonizing Europeans. Join Scott Weidensaul, author of the new book "The First Frontier," for an exploration of this older, wilder, darker period on Eastern history, when the land between the Atlantic and the Appalachians was contested ground – fought over by people who, despite differences of race, birth and language, considered it theirs, and worth dying for.

Scott Weidensaul is the author of more than two dozen books on natural history, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist "Living on the Wind," about bird migration, and "Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding." His newest book, "The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery and Endurance in Early America," was published in February 2012. Weidensaul is a contributing editor for Audubon and writes for a variety of other publications; he lives in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, where he studies the migration of hawks, owls and hummingbirds.

Make your reservations early.

January 18, 2013

“pOrnithology: The Birds and the Birds and the Bees ” with George Armistead

There are 10,000 species of birds in the world, and some of them have some pretty odd and unusual breeding strategies. George Armistead has birded on seven continents, both on his own and as a leader for Field Guides, Inc., and has witnessed some pretty unusual bird behavior. His description of the things that birds will do in order to leave more little birds on the planet promises to be as entertaining as it is informative.

George is the events coordinator for the American Birding Association. Prior to that he guided birding tours for 10 years, leading trips to all seven continents. He is also a research associate at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. When not working on bird book projects, he spends his free time observing and photographing birds at his favorite haunts along the coast between Cape May, NJ, and Cape Hatteras, NC.

February 15, 2013

“PERU: Birds of the Inca and Amazon ” with Kevin Loughlin

Best known for the iconic ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru is home to nearly 2000 species of birds! Amidst rubble from ancient Inca and pre-Inca structures we can find endemic Inca Wrens and Green-and-White Hummingbirds. Colorful tanagers flock in the canopy of the cloud forest and the endangered Spectacled Bear can still be found here... with luck. Following the rivers as they flow east out of the mountains we come to the Amazon Basin where, in Peru, the mighty Amazon River is formed.

Oxbow lakes hidden deep in the forest offer glimpses of Giant Otters, as the unlikely Hoatzin growls and grumbles from the tree-lined shores. Macaws and parrots color the sky with reds, greens, yellows and blues as they flock to the clay licks.

Join, Kevin Loughlin, owner of Wildside Nature Tours, for this color-filled photographic journey through the mountains, forests and rivers of Peru!

March 15, 2013

"Birding Hotspots in California " with Jane Henderson

This PowerPoint presentation will take you from the Salton Sea in the southern part of California, to Mt. Shasta in the north. It will take you from seacoast to inland areas, and will include images of many different bird species.

Jane Henderson has visited California many times over the years, and has traveled all over the state. Jane is an active local birder, is a member of DVOC, and currently serves as President and Program Chairperson of Wyncote Audubon Society.

Pleae NOTE:

There will be a brief presentation from the Cheltenham Waterhsed on animal habitat in watersheds and any initiatives that could effect the Parry or Perely Bird Sanctuaries along the Tookany Creek main branch, prior to our regular speaker

April 19, 2013

“New South Wales: Australian Surf & Turf” with Steve Kacir

During October of 2010, Steve Kacir joined friends Nikolas Haass and Raja Stephenson on an exploration of the Australian countryside. About a week’s worth of time was spent in the state of New South Wales, seemingly a land rich with dichotomies. Some of Australia’s best-known cities and landmarks sit on the coast, but new species are discovered every year in the region, sometimes not a day’s drive away from the urban centers. New South Wales is one of those places where you can see penguins and parrots on the same day. Albatrosses, skua and giant- petrels feed while your boat is still in sight of land. Dragons fight falcons in the bush while Wombats graze and Euros leap across the hillsides. Like any landmass once part of Gondwanaland, New South Wales has its enigmas: nocturnal parrots and warblers that aren’t warblers (or wood warblers even) and trees out of the Jurassic. Join Steve to learn more about birding in the Sydney area, Manly Island, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, the Capertee Valley and more.

Born and raised in Ohio, Steve Kacir became fascinated by the natural world at an early age. Whether exploring the Mentor Lagoons or reading countless books on wildlife, Steve’s early interests betrayed his passion for wildlife and ecology. At Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), ornithologist Dr E.H. Burtt, Jr introduced Steve to the concept of birding. While at OWU, Steve acted as the field assistant for the ornithology labs and was an assistant curator for the OWU zoology museum.

His undergraduate research explored European Starling bill color changes, avian microflora & microfauna and the relationship between anting and ant-secreted antibiotics. The birding addiction didn’t set in until Steve’s senior year, when a Merlin swept past him and landed in a small tree just outside of the OWU Zoology building. The realization that one could get so close to such a majestic and powerful bird was the spark that set off all future birding obsessions.

Graduating from Ohio Wesleyan with a B.A. in Zoology, Steve studied Diamondback Terrapin population genetics at Ohio University, before relocating to the Midatlantic region. While living in Pennsylvania, Steve met Nikolas Haass and joined the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC); both of these events were pivotal in his development as a birder, naturalist and wildlife enthusiast. Today, Steve works at the University of Pennsylvania, using studying the pathology of human autoimmune disorders. He leads field trips for the DVOC, often focusing on photography and nightbirding. Steve oversaw the development of the Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert, compiling a weekly summary of birding news in the Delaware Valley. Steve volunteers with the Delaware Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA), and also volunteered with the Pennsylvania BBA and performed bird censuses for the Lower Merion Conservancy. Steve has presented talks to local bird clubs on topics including paleornithology, poisonous birds and flightless birds.

May 17, 2013 – ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING and Election of Officers

" EXPLORING THE WEST WITH JOHN JAMES AUDUBON:THE LAST EXPEDITION "
with Bob Peck

In the spring of 1843, the well known naturalist and artist John James Audubon set off from New York City on what was to be his longest and last great expedition of discovery. With a small party of friends and associates, the self-proclaimed "American Woodsman," who had recently completed his landmark work, The Birds of America, traveled by boat from Saint Louis up the Missouri River to the mouth of the Yellowstone. Officially, he was gathering information and specimens for his newly launched book on American mammals, The Viviviparous Quadrupeds of North America, but he was also on the lookout for new birds while fulfilling the quest of a lifetime.

Using images of Audubon's western paintings and the surviving specimens and artifacts gathered during his nine month expedition, historian Robert McCracken Peck will describe Audubon's last great adventure and put its accomplishments into the broader context of its time.

Mr. Peck, a Fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (to which Audubon was elected a corresponding member in 1831), is the author of the B.B.C. book Land of the Eagle: A Natural History of North America and co-author of A Glorious Enterprise: The Academy of Natural Sciences and the Making of American Science. He was a consulting curator for the exhibition "Audubon in the West," which traveled throughout the United States in 2000 and 2001. A fully illustrated catalog with essays by Mr. Peck and others accompanied the exhibition. In 2010 Peck and a colleague discovered Audubon’s first published illustration of a bird on an Ohio bank note.