Three Rivers Birding Club
Bi-monthly Membership Meeting
Monday, March 3, 2003
6:45 — 9:30PM
Phipps Garden Center

A social gathering was held for thirty minutes in the large meeting hall before the meeting began. About 70 people were in attendance.

Jack Solomon called the meeting to order and recognized new members/visitors. Seven people attended for the first time, including two visitors who came to speak about the Purple Martin preservation efforts. Jack declared Fred and Carol McCullough to be the co-coordinators of research for the club. Jack stated that he will meet with the mayor soon to discuss erecting birding informational signs around the city.

Jim Valimont chaired the meeting and asked for committee reports. Mabel Matteson and Becky Byerly thanked members for bringing refreshments and encouraged others to provide treats for future meetings. Paul Hess provided a preview of The Peregrine coming out in April. Articles will include spring migration hot spots, the Red-necked Grebe irruption, support for Purple Martin preservation, and other topics. Paul announced that Fred and Carol will also be taking over leadership of the North American Migration Count. For information on how to become involved, look for an article in The Peregrine.

Mike Fialkovich provided news of recent bird sightings. The major news concerned the unusually large fallout of Red-necked Grebes throughout the state. At least 344 birds were reported in 22 counties with a large number appearing locally, especially along the Beaver River near Rochester. Several members, including Dave Wilton and Scott Kinzey, provided additional details. Scott had photos available of the Red-necked Grebes for members to view. Other birds mentioned were Red-throated Loon, Common Mergansers, an immature Bald Eagle, a Golden Eagle in Greene County, a Red-tailed Hawk attacking a squirrel, and Bluebirds.

Bob Machesney provided a treasurer¹s report and indicated that business has been slow recently. Fred and Carol recommended that the club accept responsibility for the IBA (Important Bird Area) at Raccoon Creek. More research is needed before making decisions concerning the North and South Buffalo Creek areas.

Jim discussed future outings. Mike will lead an outing at Pymatuning on Saturday, March 15. Jack and Sue Solomon have a trip scheduled to Moraine for Saturday, March 23. A leaderless outing will occur at Moraine on April 2. April and May will be busy months with one or two birding trips scheduled almost every weekend. Information concerning accommodations for the Crane Creek weekend excursion with Jack and Sue for May 3 and 4 will be placed on the web. Jim also stated that members can find birders almost any morning at Frick Park during spring migration.

Don Gibbon reminded members about the Frans Lanting photo workshop and slide show on April 12. He also asked for volunteers to advertise the program with available posters and to work on the day of the program.

Two members of the Purple Martin Preservation Society came to speak about their organization. The group coordinates conservation efforts and manages Purple Martin sites at Moraine and Sarver. They are trying to establish more sites along the Allegheny River. More information will be in the next issue of The Peregrine.

Pat and Sherron Lynch presented the evening's program, a slide show of the Birds of New Zealand. They emphasized bird identification, habitat, and conservation efforts. The birds and scenery were divided among the following categories: forest, nocturnal, shorebirds, rocky coast, grassland, gardens, alpine, lakes, marsh, and pelagic. A short quiz on albatross identification required audience participation.

Jack stated that Phipps Garden Center will be the meeting place for the club, normally on the first Monday of the month for the foreseeable future. The May meeting, however, will be held late in April in order to avoid conflict with spring migration. The April meeting will be the Members' Night. Members are requested to bring slides and refreshments. The September meeting will be moved to later in the month because of Labor Day.

Submitted by Pat and Sherron Lynch
Co-secretaries of Three Rivers Birding Club