THE BECKHAM BECKHAMBIRDCLUB.ORG MARCH 2016 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Transcription

1 THE BECKHAM OBSERVER BECKHAMBIRDCLUB.ORG MARCH 2016 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY MARCH DINNER MEETING University Club Tuesday, March 8 6:00 p.m. Social Hour (Cash Bar), 7:00 p.m. Dinner As most of you know the speaker at our March Dinner Meeting was to be Dorian Anderson, a birder who did a Big Year entirely by bicycle. Unfortunately, Dorian will be unable to join us this year. However, we are pleased to announce we have secured another excellent speaker for the March 8th dinner. We are delighted to welcome Neil Hayward, the current holder of the ABA Big Year record. Here's a little about Neil and his talk: In 2013 Boston birder Neil Hayward suffered a devastating bout of the Big Year. The temporary insanity resulted in almost 250,000 miles of travel, taking him to the remote corners of this continent; by the year s end, he d netted some 750 species of birds and broke Sandy Komito s ABA Big Year record set in 1998 and made famous in the book and movie The Big Year. Neil is the field trip coordinator and board director for the Brookline Bird Club. He has given talks at birding festivals, ornithological clubs and associations, and Audubon Society chapters throughout the United States. We are delighted to have him as our 2016 Dinner Meeting Speaker. Please join us to hear about exotic birds, remote places, volcanoes, polar bears, Aleutian plumbing and more! The club wishes to recognize and thank the Louisville Audubon Society for its generous support of the dinner meeting.

2 FIELD TRIP A field trip for BBC members led by Neil Hayward will be on Wednesday morning at Anchorage Trail at 9:00 a.m. Please indicate on the reservation form that you will be coming to the field trip. If you have already sent in your reservation form but want to come on the field trip just send an patjanebell@bellsouth.net or phone PLEASE NOTE ON THE RESERVATION FORMS THE DEAD LINE FOR MAKING RESERVATIONS. ALL CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO BECKHAM BIRD CLUB. REFUNDS ARE NOT GUARANTEED AFTER THE DEADLINE. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS WITH THE DINNER RESERVATIION. SEND IT TO THE BBC POST OFFICE BOX WITH THE RENEWAL OR MEMBERSHIP FORM FOUND ON THE BBC WEBSITE. DINNER MEETING AND FIELD TRIP NAME(S) I (We) will attend the dinner meeting. I (we) attend the field trip. PHONE NO. Dinner Meeting -$32.00 ea. Make check payable to Beckham Bird Club. Please list any special dietary needs. Print names of people with whom you wish to be seated. (Table of 8) Mail to Jane Bell, 1876 Dove Creek Blvd, Louisville, KY DEADLINE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

3 Saturday, February 27 8:00 a.m. - Noon Wednesday, March 2 6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Saturday, March 5 Sunday, March 6 8:30 a.m. -??? Saturday, March 12 Sunday, March 20 8:30 a.m. noon UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS OHIO RIVER, INDIANA SIDE Meet at Ashland Park; for directions contact trip leader TOM SAWYER STATE PARK For Woodcocks. Meet at parking lot on Hurstbourne Lane south of the airfield. GARVIN-BROWN PRESERVE / HAYS KENNEDY PARK / PUTNEY POND - Meet at the parking lot of Hayes-Kennedy Park off Upper River Road MUSCATATUCK NWR / HARDY LAKE - Meet at the Muscatatuck visitor center at 8:30 a.m. Bring lunch. BECKLEY CREEK PARK - Meet at the PNC Achievement Center near the Egg Lawn. BECKLEYgeneral2013.pdf POPE LICK PARK Meet at main parking area near billboard. Rand Falls Carl Bochmann Andrew Melnykovych Pat & Jane Bell Rob Lane Rand Falls Saturday, March 26 GARVIN-BROWN PRESERVE / HAYS KENNEDY PARK - Meet at the parking lot of Hayes-Kennedy Park off Upper River Road.. Michael Autin Sunday, March 27 8:30 a.m. Noon CHEROKEE PARK / NETTELROTH Meet at the foot of Maple Road Bridge 5. Carol Besse Kentucky Ornithological Society Spring Meeting Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park April 29- May 1, 2016 Registration: $ ($3.00 for students) If you are ready to see spring migration in one of the best places in Kentucky you will want to join KOS at their spring meeting in western Kentucky. Field trips are planned for the weekend and speakers for Friday and Saturday night. Reservations are being accepted at the KOS rate of $80.96 plus fee and tax per night until March 29. Call More information about the speakers and field trips will be on the KOS website at birdky.org next month.

4 Anchorage Trail, January 30 PAST FIELD TRIPS Fifteen members enjoyed a gorgeous and unseasonably warm day on the Anchorage Trail. A total of 36 species was seen. Best bird of the day was an Orange-crowned Warbler which was, unfortunately, seen only by the leader and two others. Other highlights included at least four Red-shouldered Hawks, excellent looks at a Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a very cooperative Belted Kingfisher and a nice pair of Green-winged Teal at the lake. A great morning to be out enjoying the birds and the outdoors! Creasey Mahan/Reformatory Lake, February 6 Nine Beckham members walked the trails at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve in Oldham County. The woods were quiet however we did get good looks at a Red-Shouldered Hawk that had been calling. At the pond next to the playing fields a Wilson's Snipe flew up and off. We had many Bluebirds and several American Tree Sparrows, a Hairy Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. At Reformatory Lake there were no ducks beyond 2 Hooded Mergansers. Lots of Canada Geese. Best finds were a Bald Eagle, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and a Red-headed Woodpecker. Indiana Side Ohio River, January 16 It was a cold, snowy day as the 7 BBC members scanned the river for birds, but not cold enough to send the birds down to us. A distant male Norther Pintail was a nice addition though. Early arrivals were treated to two Bald Eagles locking talons in mid-flight. The group had an unobstructed view of an eagle building its nest at Clark Cabin. It was slow going from there adding two Herring Gulls, 2 Brown Creepers and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Things picked up at Perrin Park with American Wigeon, Ring-necked and Ruddy Ducks and two Cackling Geese. A Merlin flew briefly into a nearby tree. Traveling in and around Eagle Steel, the group picked up Black Vultures, American Kestrel and 60 Hooded Mergansers. The lake at North Point provided about 30 more Hooded Mergansers, Gadwall and American Black Ducks. The day ended with 52 species. RALLY FOR LAND CONSERVATION FUNDING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY Governor Matt Bevin's new budget wants to continue transferring funds out of the Kentucky Heritage Lands Fund into the general fund over the next 2 fiscal years. This would take even more money for the upcoming budget cycle than last year. Much of this money comes from the sale of the specialty nature plates which is funded by people voluntarily choosing to spend a bit more on their license plates with the belief that they are supporting the purchase of natural lands within the state for preserve status and habitat protection. In addition to setting a terrible precedent for robbing money from specialty plate funds, the concern is that this will essentially wipe out all funding for land acquisition and management for nature preserves in the state, as the Heritage Lands

5 Fund is the only funding source that exists for buying and protecting bird and animal habitat. Here is a link to a page about the rally with a place to sign up: Conserve Kentucky. Please join the rally and show that you want to fund land conservation for in Kentucky. Money from the nature plates does not go toward land conservation funding.