Next program Thursday, May 19 - Members' photos

This will be our last program until the Fall.

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

There will be a laptop and projector. Bring your photos on CD, thumbdrive or be able to pull them up from the Internet. Danny Poet and Dawn Brownlee-Tomasso coordinators.

Next Program April 21 on Wood Ducks

Thursday, April 21 – Caroline County Bird Club program about the Maryland Wood Duck Initiative presented by John Chew.

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

Please join us to learn about the Maryland Wood Duck Initiative. Presenter, John Chew is an Advisory Director of MWDI and manages the Conquest Farms and Bloomfield Farms Wood Duck projects in Queen Anne’s County.

The Maryland Wood Duck Initiative is an all-volunteer wildlife conservation effort started in late 2004. MWDI’s mission is to enhance Maryland’s Wood Duck population and to generate a greater appreciation of the wetland habitats in which they live by advocating and demonstrating a “Best Practices” approach in artificial nest box programs. Educational and other youth oriented activities which complement the “Total Wetland Experience” are increasingly being incorporated into their projects.

All Caroline County Bird Club events are activities are free and open to the public.

For more information about the club, go to: http://carolinebirdclubmos.blogspot.com

For more information about MWDI, go to: http://www.mwdi.net/mwdi/index.asp

Great April 9 bird walk at Camp Todd!

Birds seen and/or heard:

Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Wood duck
Mallard duck
Black vulture
Turkey vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Barred Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted nuthatch
White-breasted nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Pair Eastern Bluebird (she had grass in her bill and was visiting bluebird box on new bluebird trail
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee (Debby got on Beauchamp Road on camp side)
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch

Caroline County Bird Club celebrates 60th Anniversary!

You are cordially invited

To a celebration of the Caroline County Bird Club’s

60^th Anniversary!

Date: Thursday, March 17, 2011

Time and location: 7:30 PM at the Caroline County Public Library, Denton

Event includes refreshments, slide show and exhibits

Bring any old photos you have!

Caroline County Bird Club was the 7^th established Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society and the first Chapter established on the Eastern Shore.

Next Meeting Feb 17

Danny Poet will be presenting a short program about the Eastern Blue Bird.

We will also have a special, bonus program about the Maryland Herpetology Atlas project presented by Scott Smith.


Photo by George Jett http://www.georgejett.net/?q=gallery&g2_itemId=876

Here is some information from the Maryland Amphibian & Reptile Atlas December 2010 Newsletter to give you an idea of the importance of this atlas work:

Ranking America's Biodiversity, Maryland ranks 26th in the country for reptile diversity. There are 51 reptile species in Maryland with the
majority being snakes. Unfortunately, the percentage of Maryland’s reptile species that are at risk of extinction earns the state a ranking of 13th, relative to the rest of the country, for the
percentage of native species at risk. It is never good when a state’s ranking for the percentage of species at risk is higher than its ranking for diversity!

The benefits of the Atlas project to Maryland’s reptiles is the same as the benefits to native amphibian species. To make informed decisions regarding the protection of Maryland’s reptile
species, an accurate assessment of the current distribution of those species is required. This is invaluable when prioritizing land for conservation purchases and making land management
decisions. Furthermore, the results of the project will yield a baseline to which future changes in reptile distributions can be assessed.

Additionally, the Atlas project provides an excellent opportunity to raise public awareness of the plight of reptile species, both at home and globally. There are many horrible
misconceptions about reptiles. Anyone ever heard the saying “The only good snake is a dead snake”? Through the MARA project we have an opportunity to address and correct those
misconceptions. This is a chance to introduce people to these unique and amazing species and inform Maryland citizens about the ecological importance of reptiles.

I hope you all can come to hear more about this important work!

Blackwater Refuge Bald Eagle laid earliest in year egg ever

According to USFWS, a Blackwater Refuge Bald Eagle laid the earliest-in-year egg ever recorded there, 1/13. Same eagle just laid egg #3. Eagle Cam http://ow.ly/3Hs9n

Link to FoB website: http://www.friendsofblackwater.org/camhtm2.html

Can you identify these woodpecker holes by their shape?