February Meeting Minutes

Minutes of Cayuga Bird Club meeting - Feb. 8

Eduardo Inigo-Elias “Birds and Birding Cuba from Zuzuncitoto to Guantanamo”

Meeting was called to order by President Jody Enck and announcement of upcoming events was made.

1) Sat., March 5 Outdoor Sportsman Expo - Cortland, NY; joint table with the Ornithology Lab. If interested in helping contact Jody Enck

2) Wed., March 9 6-8 pm Opening of photo exhibit, “Our Feathered Neighbors at Salt Point and Lansing” by Marie Read

Our next Club meeting will take place on Mar. 14. The evening’s speaker Anastasia Dalziell, a  Post Doctoral Associate at the Ornithology Lab will present “Strange Tales of a Curious Bird: recent research on the Superb Lyrebird.”.

A field trip report was given by Bob McGuire. 13 people and 11 scopes traveled around the Lake and saw a total of 55 species. Upcoming trips include: Diane Morton leading an 8 am-12 pm trip on Feb. 20; Ann Mitchell leading an around the lake trip (7:30 am -4 pm) on Feb. 21; and John Confer will lead a trip March 5 or 6 depending on the weather. As always, check the CBC website calendar for updates and details.

There was a “shout out” for the work done by Wes Blauvelt and Susan Danskin on an insurance review. Results were a change of insurance companies with better coverage and price! Thanks for this behind-the-scenes work!

Also acknowledged were Meena Haribal’s efforts in bringing the film The Messenger to the Cornell Cinema.  There will be a showing on Sunday, April 10 at 4:30 pm at a cost of $4-4.50. Help is needed with publicity and additional arrangements. Contact Meena.

Before Susan Danskin came forward for the “reading of the List”, everyone greeted a familiar visitor, past-President Deirdre Anderson.

Our speaker, Eduardo Inigo-Elias, gave a detailed description of the diversity of Cuba’s ecosystem as well as the diversity of his positions of interaction with the scientific community in the US and Cuba and with the government of Cuba. A few of the outworkings of his endeavors include: rapid biological inventories; an updated audio guide, “Cantos de las Aves de Cuba”, for training of park rangers as well as school programs; campaigns for the protection of birds captured and sold as pets; Festival of the Endemic Birds of the Carribean; a National Center of Protected Natural Areas; distribution of scientific literature, incl. Ornithological Conservation journals; Birds of North America field guide in Spanish and then English; urban birds and citizen science projects (with development of indigenous materials); sound recording projects; teaching and training in graduate courses; scientific illustration; the Archibald Biological Station; and others. He continues to see the need for collaboration for the sake of many fragile bird species in the country of Cuba.

Respectfully submitted,

Colleen Richards