February Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club

Ithaca, New York

Minutes   

Membership Meeting

February 11, 2019

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Diane Morton.

Cookies: Thank you to Jane Leff and Ann Manzano.

Welcome to new members and visitors.

January meeting minutes posted at cayugabirdclub.org. Approved.

Share your photos night gallery on our CBC website. Photos will be selected to use in the banner of our Facebook page. Ann Mitchell’s Ruffed Grouse photo is the first for the Facebook banner.

Trip report:

Feb 10 around the lake trip with Bob McGuire: 24 participants, gulls, waterfowl, two Snowy Owls, Peregrine Falcon, Horned Lark.

It went so well that Bob will lead a group around the lake again in two weeks. Feb 24, 8 am - 4:30pm

Upcoming Field Trips:

Sat. Feb 16 7:30 am  2:30 pm, Matt Young (who works at the Lab of O)

• Finches, other winter birds.

• Meet at Lime Hollow Nature Center at 7:30 am.

Next weekend is also the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can report the birds of your yard or wherever you are birding on that day via eBird. Learn more at gbbc.birdcount.org.

Sun. March 3 8am - 4:30pm, Suan Yong - Around the Lake - meet at Stewart Park

Sat. March 9 8am - 12:30pm  Ken Haas - West side of the Lake - Meet at Ithaca Children’s Garden, big turtle.

eBird Workshop - February 23 at Cornell Lab of O, led by Diane Morton and Phil McNeil, 10 am. For CBC members only. Come with your questions about using the eBird mobile app or eBird.org website.

Other announcements:

Feb. 28 “Wild About Stewart Park” Benefit Fundraiser at Cinemapolis. Bird and Landscape photography on the big screen with live music. Our own Sarah Blodgett will be showing bird photos at this event. $25 suggested donation, sponsored by the Friends of Stewart Park

CBC eBay auction of items donated by Richard Tkachuck. Sold 44 items and netted approx $450. Richard Tkachuck is interested in supporting local conservation projects as well as bird conservation in Central America.

New Business:

CBC Conservation Action Committee has planned projects at the south end of the lake, including putting up bird houses for small cavity-nesting birds at Stewart Park and Jetty Woods, a bird-house building event for children, weekly bird walks at Stewart Park in April and May, and installation of a Purple Martin house at Stewart Park.

The Conservation Action Committee submitted an proposal in December to the American Birding Expo to fund most of these projects. We found out 2 weeks ago that we did not receive funding, but the proposal was in the top 10 of over 120 submissions.

Our club’s executive committee met last week to discuss the conservation action committee’s projects and possible funding from our own cash resources. The executive committee came to a consensus to recommend that the Cayuga Bird Club support these projects by directing $2500 of club funds for that purpose. 

Diane reported that the club is in good financial condition. We have $450 from Tkachuck auction, $1600 received from Holbrook Travel after last year’s Costa Rica trip, and additional cash reserves. A portion of our cash reserves is from a $4000 donation made a decade ago: an anonymous donor gave this donation to cover printing costs of the club’s book, “Native Plants for Native Birds”, with a request that profits from sales of the book go toward conservation activities.

Recommended Motion:

The Cayuga Bird Club shall direct $2500 of club funds for conservation action committee projects at the south end of Cayuga Lake, including installation of nest boxes and a Purple Martin house, activities for children, binoculars for public bird walks, and habitat improvement for birds.

Motion by Bob McGuire, seconded by Carl Steckler

Jody Enck answered questions about the proposed projects.

Voice Vote: Approved unanimously

Passed around a sign-up sheet to help with planned Conservation Action Committee projects.

Reading of the list of Cayuga Lake Basin Birds was done by Ken Haas.

Program speakers: Ian Davies, eBird Project Coordinator, and Julie Hart, NY Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator.  Ian and Julie presented information about NY Breeding Bird Atlas III - to begin January 1, 2020 and continue for five years. eBird will be used to enter sightings, with breeding codes, for the surveys.

Meeting adjourned at 9pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Poppy Singer, Recording Secretary