State College Bird Club Zoom Meeting
December 14, 2022


Presiding: Doug Wentzel

Recording: Peggy Wagoner Saporito

Attendance: 33

Meeting Format: Zoom


Treasurer’s report: (Karen Kottlowski):

The SCBC checking account balance is $4843.08 and saving account balance is $17573.08. Karen thanked this year’s auditors, Julia Plummer, Ron Crandall and Kathy Bechdel, who recently looked through and approved the books from fiscal year 2021-22. She also thanked Jean Miller our former treasurer, for keeping the books in good order during the 2021-22 fiscal year.


Bird Club Field Trips: (Susan Smith)

Susan is working on scheduling spring field trips. Anyone with ideas for locations and leaders can contact Susan.


Announcements/Other Activities:

Christmas bird counts are approaching. A special thanks to our local compilers who devote their time and effort toward this large undertaking including Bob Snyder (Bald Eagle); Bob Fowles and Jen Lee (State College); Jon Kauffman (Raystown); and Deb Grove (Huntingdon).

Mark your calendars, the annual PSO (PA Society of Ornithology) Birding Festival will be held on May 19-21, 2023 in State College. Some of our members will be leading bird walks for the event.


Special Vote – SCBC Endowment

The motion to establish an endowment managed by Centre Foundation using SCBC funds generated during the past 60+ years was passed by the Board on December 7, 2022. This same motion was presented to the membership present at tonight’s meeting. With matching funds provided by Centre Foundation, this endowment is expected to generate around $1000 annually for SCBC.  We would recoup our initial investment in approximately 11 years.

The goal is to set up the endowment with Centre Foundation before December 31, 2022 so that our initial endowment investment will be matched dollar for dollar by Centre Foundation during their special ’40 for 40’ campaign. We will establish the endowment with an initial investment of $12,500 of existing SCBC funds. Members are encouraged to add to this initial fund if they wish. Funds that are added to our initial $12,500 investment during the 30 days after the fund is established will also be matched by Centre Foundation dollar for dollar up to a total match of $25,000. In other words, if we ended up, at the end of 30 days, with a total initial SCBC endowment of $25,000, Center Foundation will match that with an additional $25,000 giving us a total endowment of $50,000.

Funds generated by this endowment will be given annually to SCBC by Centre Foundation. Each year we will use these funds to support bird conservation within the State College region. Projects/research/scholarships to be funded will be decided and voted upon annually by the Board and SCBC membership and will likely vary from year to year.

Members at tonight’s meeting who have worked with Centre Foundation in other capacities spoke highly of the foundation. Dick Sprott moved to adopt the motion and Larry Miles seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken and the motion passed unanimously.


Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch

 Jon Kauffman and Nick Bolgiano interviewed candidates for the position of counter during the spring 2023 season. Andrew Bechdel will be our official raptor counter this spring on Tussey. Welcome Andrew!


Notable Bird Sightings: (Nov 16 – Dec 14, 2022; Centre and its contiguous counties)

Since Greg Grove is busy working on the third edition of Breeding Birds of Pa, he was unable to join us tonight. Individuals entered their interesting sightings into the Zoom chat which included Joe G. seeing a previously banded cardinal.


Speaker: Waha Thuweeka (Comanche/Numunuh name)/ William Voelker (taxpayer name): “Protocol for the Understanding of Pigmentation Challenges in Raptors”

Waha Thuweeka (William) described the philosophy, science and activities of the organization he founded and directs, Sia: The Comanche Nation Ethno-ornithological Initiative.

William, a 6th generation ‘bird person’ within his tribe, Numunuh (Comanche), has had a lifelong commitment to raptors and their importance in traditional Comanche culture. His passion was sparked as a boy and encouraged by his German father who made efforts to save birds of prey in the 1950’s and 60’s from the slaughter perpetrated upon all predators which was the norm during that unenlightened period. As a young man, William went to Cornell University where he studied with Tom Cade, founder of the peregrine fund who successfully bred, in captivity, critically endangered peregrine falcons for reintroduction into the wild.

Using what he learned, William established Sia in Cyril, OK.  The word Sia means feather which, for Comanche, is the physical means by which to connect to the energy of the avian species to which it belongs. The organization Sia adheres to the legitimate indigenous culture that was present prior to European settlement.

Sia is involved in captive breeding as a means of preserving and increasing populations of eagles and raptors. William is the only indigenous individual to have bred both species of native eagles (bald and golden) in captivity, releasing more than 400 into the wild since 1970. With such experience, Sia has also worked with 28 species of endangered eagles from 5 continents, collaborating with researchers in the locations where these eagles are native such as in Spain with the Spanish imperial eagle and the Scottish isle of Rum with the white-tailed sea eagle.

All of the birds that Sia cares for are fed a diet of high quality whole animals. The geologic and botanical environment of birds is also maintained. All birds are vaccinated against avian diseases such as West Nile virus and avian flu.

In addition, Sia has established the only tribal repository to ethically collect and legally distribute feathers and parts to members of federally recognized tribes for traditional, culturally appropriate uses. All of the feathers come from birds Sia cares for and are cleaned using standard protocol to prevent any distribution of avian diseases.

William discussed how during the past century, indigenous culture has been monetized by some and has led to distortion of traditional culture. William described how activities such as multitribal pow wows are commercialized and how large sums of prize money paid to dancers who compete with elaborate costumes adorned with many feathers has led to illegal killing of birds. These activities, which Sia is countering, are in direct conflict with traditional culture.

In Oklahoma, Sia works extensively with Red tailed hawks, particularly those that exhibit white feather variations. Many indigenous cultures hold in high esteem, animals that exhibit unusual pale or white variations from what is typical for the species. For tribes of the Plains, it was white bison. For Comanche culture it was the red-tailed hawk (RT) with unusual white plumage. Since these birds were so different from others of their species, they were considered ‘medicine birds’ touched by the almighty. Feathers from white birds are culturally very important.

Using both science and tradition, Sia is exploring the white/pale color variations caused by lack of pigmentation. Since 1962 when the first white RT was studied, 680 individuals with some degree of white plumage have been studied. Terminology used to describe lack of pigmentation includes leucism and albinism but, unless the actual lineage of the birds is known, these terms are not very useful.

William described two forms of white pigmentation. In some birds, feathers lack almost all pigmentation, but there is still just enough pigment to give the feathers a cream color. These feathers when exposed to sunlight absorb harmful UV rays which end up destroying the feathers. Birds that exhibit this type of pigmentation do not survive past their first year.

For birds with complete lack of pigmentation, their pure white feathers reflect all sunlight and therefore the feathers are not destroyed by UV light.

Sia has kept RT that can not be released back to the wild which have varying degrees of white plumage for captive breeding. William has been able to observe patterns of white feathers on the bodies of these bird over the decades of their lives. With each feather molt, the presence of white feathers varies in location on the body and in the total amount on each RT.

These observations raise a lot of questions about the mechanisms determining plumage coloration and pigmentation. Embracing scientific study of DNA, isotopic geographic profiling and epigenetics, while honoring cultural traditions, Sia hopes to begin to understand these mechanisms.  It appears that equal numbers of male and female birds exhibit white plumage. To begin to understand the presence of white plumage, parents are paired to study the expression of white plumage in offspring.  Interestingly, some of the offspring of white birds never exhibit white plumage. Diet does not appear to be a factor in the presence of white plumage since all birds are fed the same high quality, whole animal diet. Work must continue to understand the presence of white plumage.