State College Bird Club

January 28, 2015


The State College Bird Club met at Foxdale Village on January 28, 2015.  Approximately 30 members and guests attended, including two first-time visitors. Diane Bierly presided.

Business

•    The minutes of the December 10 meeting were read.
•    Dorothy Bordner presented the Treasurer’s Report. The checking account balance was $1711.34.
•    Ro Fuller said the next meeting would be February 25, and that the program would be by Kathleen Kolos who will give a program entitled “Examining the Breeding Ecology of Northern Saw-whet Owls in Three Study Regions of Pennsylvania."
•    Diane Bierly said she was hoping to lead an owling outing sometime near the end of February.
•    Diane read the checklist of species seen within 25 miles of Old Main since December 10th.

Announcements

•    A Winter Raptor Survey primer session will be held at Shaver’s Creek on January 29.

Presentation

The evening’s program was presented by Bob Snyder who gave a presentation on the Birds of South Africa.  He took working trips there between 2012 and 2014 as part of a worldwide research effort at the Ukulima Root Biology Center to grow drought resistant crops.

Bob visited a farm and several national parks where he saw and photographed birds. At Marakele National Park, which is a mountainous area, he also saw a number of large mammals, including the plains zebra, warthog, waterbuck, and giraffe. As for birds, he saw many types of buntings and a Black-shouldered Kite there. Another particular good location for birding was the Pilanesberg Game Reserve in the NW Province, which is an old crater. Birds seen and photographed there included a number of shrike species and the Kori Bustard. He also saw an African Wild Dog, which is very rare, and White Rhinoceroses, hippos, and baboons.


Submitted by Ron Crandall, Secretary.