September 2018 Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club

Ithaca, New York

Minutes -  Membership Meeting

September 10, 2018

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by Wes Blauvelt. Minutes from the May 14, 2018 were approved as written. Guests and new members were introduced. Cookies for the meeting were provided by Wes Blauvelt. Cookie contributors for the October through December meeting were requested. A sign up sheet was circulated. 

Old Business: A field trip report was presented by Ann Mitchell. Field trips scheduled for the next month include September 22 by Meena Haribal, September 29 by Gladys Birdsall and October 6 and 7 by Mark Chao.

New Business: The annual meeting of the Cayuga Bird Club will be held on October 8, 2018. Election of officers and approval of amendments to the club by-laws are scheduled at that time. A slate of officers for the next year have been identified. They include Diane Morton - President, Donna Scott - Vice President, Ken Kemphues - Treasurer, Poppy Singer - Recording Secretary, Colleen Richards - Corresponding Secretary, and Wes Blauvelt - Director. Each officer is elected to a one year term. The director is elected to a three year term. In addition, Tracy McLellan has agreed to serve as the Newsletter Editor. Several standing committee chairpersons are still needed. Chairpersons for the Nominating, Membership and Christmas Bird Count need to be filled. 

The annual Migration Celebration is scheduled for September 15, 2018. Sponsored by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the Cayuga Bird Club will host a station at this event. Information on the club, instruction in the use of Merlin and eBird and a quiz for youth to help them identify “What’s Your Bird Watching Style” will be among the activities that will be offered to the public. Jody Enck, Gladys Birdsall, Diane Traina and Wes Blauvelt will staff the station, but other members are welcome to participate in this event. 

The annual Montezuma Muckrace is also scheduled for September 14-15 and the CBC will sponsor up to two teams. One team has been organized and members were encouraged to form a second team. Funds raised by this event will benefit the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge and other areas of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.

The New York State Ornithology Association conference is scheduled to take place October 5-7 in Rochester. The Cayuga Bird Club will have three delegates attending the meetings: Diane Morton, Kevin McGowan and Wes Blauvelt.

Jody Enck reported on the activities of the Conservation Action Committee. The committee has been very active this past summer, working to develop a plan to initiate habitat restoration in several areas at the south end of Cayuga Lake. 

Checklist - Review of Birds of the Cayuga Lake Basin: Diane Morton read the checklist. There were 150 species observed or reported by members within the Cayuga Lake Basin during the week prior to the meeting.

Guest Speaker: Muhammad Arif, a club member, was the featured speaker for the meeting. Muhammad’s topic was “Backyard Birds of Bangladesh”. He has traveled to Bangladesh on several occasions and has captured photographs of more than 50 species from this tropical river delta country. His photographs and knowledge of the country was well received.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Wes Blauvelt