November 2017 events for the Caroline County Bird Club

Please join us -

Sunday, November 12, 2017. Bird Trip to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

 Meet at Denton Rite Aid parking lot at 7:00 am to car pool. Dress appropriately for walking and standing outside and bring snacks/lunch and something to drink.  And of course, if you have them, bring binoculars and spotting scopes.

More information about the wildlife refuge - https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Chincoteague/about.html

Thursday, November 16, 2017. Program.  Matt Pluta, Choptank Riverkeeper "The State of the Choptank River: a review of our current water quality sampling results and local initiatives.”

This is part of the Midshore Riverkeeper initiatives - http://www.midshoreriverkeeper.org/

7:30 PM, Caroline County Public Library, 100 Market St., Denton. 

All activities are free and open to the public.

Don't forget to visit our Facebook page and Like us!  Just go to Caroline County Bird Club!

Caroline County Bird Club has a great upcoming program on Best Practices for Building and Installing Bluebird Box Predator Guards on Oct 19

Come join us! Thursday, October 19, 2017

George Beston will show us some best practices for building and installing bluebird box predator guards.  He will also cover predator guards for bird feeders.

 

7:30 PM, Caroline County Public Library, 100 Market St., Denton.  

All our meetings and programs are free and open to the public!

Caroline County Bird Club invites everyone to its 4th Annual Big Sit! Saturday, Oct 7, 2017

Caroline County Bird Club invites everyone to its 4^th Annual Big Sit!

DATE:  Saturday, October 7, 2017

WHERE:  Tuckahoe State Park Lake Gazebo near public restrooms

TIMES:  7:30 am – 6:00 pm

WHAT IS THE BIG SIT! ?

The Big Sit! is an annual bird-a-thon in that the object is to tally as many bird species as can be seen or heard within 24 hours. The difference lies in the area limitation from which you may observe.   It is free and sponsored by Bird Watcher’s Digest.

RULES OF PLAY:

·       We will have a 17-foot diameter (circle) marked around the gazebo.

·       There will be Caroline County Bird Club members participating with a team leader.

·       This is free and open to the public.  The more the merrier! Bring binoculars and scopes if you have them.  Bring some chairs. Bring food and drinks.  Stay as long as you like!

·       Passers-by are welcome!

·       Observations can only be made from within our pre-determined 17-foot (diameter) circle.

·       If a bird is seen or heard from within the circle but is too distant to identify, the circle can be left to get a closer look/listen to confirm the bird's identity. However, any new bird species seen or heard while confirming the original, can't be counted unless it's seen or heard from an "anchor" who stayed behind in our circle, or is seen by you when you return to your circle.

·       The group leader will make sure sightings are within the designated area (or flew over it).

·       We will keep a list and tally the number of species that we observe.

PLEDGES REQUESTED:

·       For every species seen, the Caroline County Bird Club will donate a dollar.  We ask for others to pledge as well.

·       Proceeds will go to Tuckahoe State Park’s Scales and Tales Program.

This event is co-sponsored by Tuckahoe State Park

Gearing up for a great 2017 Fall with the Caroline County Bird Club!

-->

Sunday, September 3, 2017.  Bird Walk at Tuckahoe State Park.  Leader:  Danny Poet.

Meet at Queen Anne’s side parking lot near boat ramp at 8 am. 

Saturday, September 9, 2017.  Maryland Ornithological Society Board meeting – Caroline County Bird Club host. Refreshments will be provided. 

Caroline County Public Library, 100 Market St., Denton from 7:30 am – 2 pm.



Photo by Danny Poet

The full Fall schedule is located to the left of this posting.

Caroline County Bird Club bird walk at the Lynch Preserve in Two Johns May 6 hosted a small but mighty turn out of both humans and birds

Danny Poet and Debby Bennett co-lead the walk.

Species seen and/or heard were the following:

Mourning Dove     2
Grackle    4
Mockingbird  1
Catbird   2
Tufted Titmouse      2
Pileated Woodpecker    1
Robin       3
American Goldfinch    3
Brown Headed Cowbird  2
House Finch     2
Starling     2
Turkey Vulture     2
Fish Crow   1
Cardinal     1
House Wren 2
Great Blue Heron  1
Brown Thrasher     1
Red Bellied Woodpecker    2
Carolina  Chickadee   1
Great Crested Flycatcher 3
Mallard  2
Louisiana Waterthrush    1
Carolina Wren 1
Worm-eating Warbler 2
Veery       1
Red-winged Blackbird   6
Ovenbird   2
Canada Goose    2
Common Yellowthroat   1
Wood Thrush    2
Blue Jay 1
Acadian Flycatcher  1
Scarlet Tanager   1
Red-eyed Vireo  2
Wood Duck  1

Caroline County Bird Club thanks Nick and Margaret Carter for picking up trash at the Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary March 31, 2017

As part of Project Clean Stream Day,  the  Caroline County Bird Club held a garbage cleanup of the Myrtle Simon Pelot  Sanctuary and nearby area  on Friday, March 31,  with the Friends of Gravelly Branch. 

Thanks to Nick and Margaret Carter for cleaning up the Sanctuary today!!!



Anyone is welcome to walk the Sanctuary.
  This sanctuary was purchased in 1972 using a bequest to the Maryland Ornithological Society from Mrs. Myrtle Pelot of Ridgely, MD. It is approximately 60 acres of deciduous swamp forest varying from 9 to 20 feet above sea level.

Originally the land was part of an old mill property with Draper Mill Road forming the dam, which impounded Gravelly Branch. The dam washed out in 1937, and the rich pond sediments now support a thriving forest. It is located in the Red Bridges area of the Choptank River, an area that local birders have enjoyed for years. Pelot Sanctuary is an oasis for flowers, birds, and other fauna in the midst of a predominantly agricultural area.

A marked trail begins at the sanctuary sign and there is a rest area with benches approximately 200 yards in on the left. There is parking  along the road near the bridge.

Directions:  From Rt. 313 Greensboro, turn right on to Whitelysburg Rd.   
Left on Wothers, then Right on Boyce Mill Rd.  
Left on Drapers Mill Road- look for sanctuary sign on the right.

Caroline County Bird Club program March 16, 2017 features outdoors photographer Danny Poet

Come join us for  "The Best of Danny Poet nature photos" (rescheduled from January)

Danny Poet is the President of the Caroline County Bird Club.  He is also a great outdoors photographer and always has some good stories to go with some of his photos.

Photo by Danny Poet

7:30 PM, Caroline County Public Library, 100 Market St., Denton.

Please join us!  All our meetings and programs are free and open to the public.

                                                                                                                                                                               

Caroline County Bird Club program on White Tern Nesting Citizen Science Project in Oahu, Hawaii February 16, 2017

Please join us at the Caroline County Bird Club's next meeting Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 7:30 pm at the Caroline County Public Library, Denton, MD.

Rich Downs will give a presentation on the White Tern Nesting citizen science project he is leading in Oahu, Hawaii. There aren’t any white terns on the Eastern Shore but they are amazing birds to study and their unique relationship with the city of Honolulu is very interesting. More information on the project at www.whiteterns.org 

                                                                                                  Photo by Rich Downs

All our meetings and programs are free and open to the public.

 

Caroline County Bird Club movie night Jan 19. 2017 - come learn how to better identify Shorebirds of Eastern Northern America

Change in plans for Caroline County Bird Club program this Thursday, Jan 19, 2017----

We will be showing the DVD "Shorebirds: A Guide to Shorebirds of Eastern North America" produced by Richard K. Walton and Greg Dodge. It is approx 50 minutes long.

 You will enjoy this DVD, whether you would like to hone your skills at identifying shorebirds or just to enjoy the fabulous photos and videos of these challenging birds!

Please come join us and bring a friend! All our meetings and bird walks are free and open to the public! Refreshments will be served. 7:30 pm at the Caroline County Public Library.

Danny Poet will give his presentation at our March 16, 2017 meeting.