December 2013 Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club Minutes

Dec. 9, 2013

President Paul Anderson called the meeting of the Cayuga Bird Club to order at 7:30 pm. He inquired whether there had been interesting bird sightings in the past week, and Laura Stenzler reported the Snowy Owl that had been visiting a friend of hers in Danby. Many people had been able to enjoy seeing one or another of the Snowy Owls that have come to the area recently.

Delicious cookies were provided by Ann Mitchell and Marie Read. Linda Orkin and Meg Richardson will bring them next time.

The next meeting will be on Jan. 13 and will be the annual sharing of photos, hosted by Kevin McGowan. People may submit up to five photos and will have three minutes to discuss them. Instructions for how to do this are in the newsletter and on the website.

There have been three field trips since the last meeting:

Nov. 17, Bill Baker was joined by four people and went up to East Rd., where they saw swans, Snow Geese, and the ibises that have been around lately.

Dec.1, Bob McGuire led an impromptu trip up the east side of the lake joined by eight people. They saw Red-breasted Mergansers, Horned Grebes, and loons.

Dec. 7, Kevin McGowan led his annual trip to Niagara Falls. Besides many gulls, they saw Short-eared and Snowy Owls.

On Dec. 21 Gary Kohlenberg will lead a trip looking for Short-eared Owls from 3-6 pm. Look for details on the website.

Jan. 1 is our day for the annual Christmas Bird Count, which is being coordinated by Linda Orkin and Bob McGuire. Details are on the website. All are encouraged to participate. There will be a dish-to-pass dinner following the count at 6 pm and a reading of the compilation by Kevin McGowan at 7:30 pm.

Membership dues were due in October. If you have not renewed, please do so.

A resolution was put forth to set aside up to $500 per year for the use of the Conservation Action Committee. A proposal for the use of these funds must be submitted by the committee to the president and board for approval. This resolution was voted upon by club members and passed. 

A second resolution was brought up. This is a resolution required by the bank when there is a change in officers in the club. It outlines the banking powers with which the president, vice-president, and treasurer are entrusted. This resolution also was voted on and passed.

Carl Steckler read the list of the birds of the Cayuga Basin.

The speaker of the evening was Bob McGuire. His talk was entitled, “The Way West - Birding with a Microphone.” It was a fascinating and inspiring story of his travels across the country through Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, and Utah as he searched out birds and recorded their songs.

Respectfully submitted,

Becky Hansen