December 2023 Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club
Meeting Minutes
Foundation of Light
12/11/23
7:30pm

Reading of the List, by VP Ken Haas, after welcoming 2 newcomers & explaining the list as

birds seen just this past week, using an eBird list of possible birds within a 30 mile radius of

Long Point State Park. He asked for a show of hands of how many people actually enjoy

having the list read aloud, and almost everyone raised their hand. Ken stressed that all levels

of birders are welcome in CBC.

● Call to Order by Ken Haas, giving Stephanie Herrick, President, a break from responsibility

since she’s physically present, but just now returned from a trip to Kentucky.

● Prior Month’s Meeting Minutes approved.

● TY to Sara Jane for her homemade cookies! And to Colleen for ALDI cookies!

● Jane Bain has volunteered to bring cookies to our next in-person meeting in March.

● Next Month’s meeting will be via Zoom; February too.

• ○Monday, January 8, 2024 (2nd Monday of the month) via Zoom. 

• Kevin McGowan will again host one of the club’s most popular events: Share Your Photos Night. 

• Maximum of 5 photos in 5 minutes. 

• He “likes seeing bad photos of good birds.” 

• Send photos by January 5th to Kevin with subject line: Bird Club photo submission January 2024.

● Annual Christmas Bird Count will be 1/1/24 followed by reading of results 1/2/24 at

7pm, preceded by a dish to pass dinner at 6pm at Foundation of Light. It will not be

available via zoom as a hybrid but Suan is hopeful that it will be recorded & made

available.

● Recent Field Trips: Wes Blauvelt provided a summary of 12/9 owling adventure. From

visitor’s center overlook of Taughhannock Falls,15 participants viewed about 30

vultures (Turkey vultures & possibly some Black vultures) in a Christmas tree with one

peregrine falcon in the middle. 11 Northern Harriers put on a show in Hector. And

maybe 1 birder saw a short-eared owl in the FLNF. On 11/18 the Youth Birders enjoyed

a Cornell Raptor Program. 12/2 they birded in Stewart Park & one young participant

saw 6 lifers along the shore!

● Upcoming Field Trip: 12/16 7am-4pm Lake Ontario Shores For Winter Birds, led by

Meena Haribal. Expect to see gulls, scoters, ducks, maybe a purple sandpiper & snow

buntings

● Motus update: 

• • CBC members monitor our two towers (Myers’s Point & Mt Pleasant) to detect radio-tagged migratory birds

  • Swainson’s Thrush was tagged in Costa Rica 3/2023, then pinged flying over Guatemala, then Texas. 

  • On 10/16/23 it was pinged in Virginia then 10/23/23 at Myers’s Point! 

  • Areas between apparently don’t have Motus towers. 

  • On 11/10/23 it was pinged midway between Medellín & Bogotá, South America! 

  • It was mentioned that some go all the way to Argentina!

● Conservation Action Committee update: 

• there are still two spots open for Belize/Guatemala 3/30-4/7 trip. 

• Contact Jody Enck, if interested. 

• For the winter season, Jody wants to focus on online research regarding habitat quality
  & is looking for volunteers interested in this, rather than pulling invasive privet. 

• Contact Jody to join the team.

● SOSK is scheduled as hybrid Tuesday nights 3/26-5/14/24 at Kendal. Fee is $125

● Bird Academy is having a sale

● 2nd edition of Birding The Cayuga Lake Basin is now available at Ithaca Agway.

● Speaker: Ton Schat, Cayuga Bird Club member, traveler and photographer 

presented Madagascar: Birds, lemurs, chameleons, and other amazing critters. 

He began at 8pm & finished at 8:50pm after several questions. A recording will soon be available.

●  There were approximately 50 present.