February 2024 Meeting Minutes

Cayuga Bird Club

monthly meeting via Zoom

Monday, February 12, 2024 

7:30-8:45pm

Meeting was called to order promptly at 7:30pm by club president Stephanie Herrick.

59 Zoom participants were on mute with the chat option, used at the end for Q&A. 

Reading of the birds was skipped as this doesn’t work well via Zoom.

Last month’s minutes were approved. They can be found on the home page of Cayugabirdclub.org via the see meetings and speakers page link.

Next month we return to in-person meeting, Monday, March 11 at 7:30pm at the Foundation of Light. Wildlife biologist of Montezuma NWR, Linda Ziemba, will present Wetland Management For Migratory Birds at Montezuma NWR.

Great Backyard Bird Count begins 2/16-2/19 using both Merlin & eBird.

CBC field trips of the past month will be described in the next newsletter.

Upcoming CBC field trips of 2/17 & 3/9 can be found on the website.

Beginner bird walks will continue every Saturday and Sunday as follows: November through March 9:30am start time. April through October 8:30am start time.

Young Birders field trips will be 2/25 & 3/9.

The Conservation Action Committee chair, Jody Enck, is seeking volunteers to help with grassland surveys & also a Prothonotory Warbler monitoring method using recordings. Contact jodyenck@gmail.com

Spring Ornithology with Steve Kress will begin Tuesday, March 26 from 7 to 9 PM for eight weeks. This will be a hybrid course so in person attendance is not necessary. Meetings will be at Kendal. For more information and to register: www.cayugabirdclub.org/spring-ornithology 

Help wanted! 

Cayuga Bird Club will be hosting the annual NYSOA conference in 2025 and the planning committee is in need of additional volunteers. Contact Stephanie at sph1@cornell.edu

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’ s annual program for 800 5th graders, KDT (Kids Discover the Trail) needs two or three more volunteers. They should have some positive experience working with children, be willing to complete training and be available during the month of May from 9 AM-1:15pm for a minimum of four sessions. Extensive background in birds & nature is not necessary as training will be provided. Contact Chelsea Benson at cbenson@cornell.edu

Rare Bird Alert can now be accessed via Discord. Many states are pleased with this method: Tinyurl.com/NYSRBA-Discord

On the CBC Facebook page, Stephanie posted a photo of a screech owl that made itself at home in a kestrel box, 3 weeks after it was hung in their yard. The photo received over 3.4K reactions and so many comments! 

At 7:44pm the speaker, Luke DeGroote of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History was introduced.  His presentation, The Clear & Present Danger of Bird-Window Collision. He opened for questions at 8:20 and ended at 8:45pm. The program was recorded.