Three Rivers Birding Club
Bi-monthly Membership Meeting
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
6:30 PM – 11:00 PM
The Claire Staples Residence, Pittsburgh, PA

Unbelievable! Utterly ridiculous! A night to remember! How do you describe the situation of the Three Rivers Birding Club when a scheduling snafu at the Phipps Garden Center had two organizations scheduled at the same time, and we were the ones left out in the cold and dark and rain? Unfortunately, we had no advance notice and no place to go. But, the show must go on and remarkably, Claire Staples made it happen.

It all started when Claire graciously opened her home to 3RBC officers for dinner with the evening’s guest speaker, Jon L. Dunn. After a relaxing and delicious meal, President Jim Valimont received a call at 6:30 PM to which his response was, “Are you serious?” The group was informed of the dilemma, and Sherron Lynch quipped to Claire, “How big is your basement?” Claire calmly and without hesitation said that it was big and volunteered that the whole meeting could be moved to her house!

The group sprung into action like a well-oiled machine. Jim and Paul Hess went to the garden center to find out what was going on and to draw a map and redirect traffic just a few blocks around the corner. Led by Claire and with help from Sheree Daugherty, Sue Solomon, Mike Fialkovich, Bob Machesney, Geoff Malosh, Pat and Sherron Lynch, and our guest speaker Jon, the basement TV lounge/guest bedroom was transformed into a small auditorium. Who can boast that they have almost 50 chairs and miscellaneous seating arrangements available at the drop of a hat? Claire can!

As the first guests trickled in, Pat stayed out in the cold to assume traffic duty, and Claire saw her dining room rearranged to accommodate refreshments. A huge crowd of 96 members and guests arrived and quickly filled the living room, dining room, basement/auditorium, and every available space to well over capacity. Amazingly, everyone acted calmly and accepted this inconvenience as if it were an everyday occurrence. The living room looked like a drop off point for Project Bundle-Up, and the remaining open floor space in the basement was used for seating by the agile or most daring and standing room filled up quickly along the back wall. Late arrivals spilled over onto the bleacher seats (steps to the first floor).

When Jim was still at Phipps catching the stragglers at meeting time, Sue Solomon stepped right up to welcome the crowd and start the business meeting as if nothing were amiss. The business reports, bird sightings, and announcements were given, although they may have been a little abbreviated under the circumstances. Details about the Christmas Bird Count can be found in the November/December newsletter on the 3RBC website. Sheree announced that the February meeting would be a members’ slide slam. There were no door prizes, name badges, or freebies on display, but did anyone notice?

Paul introduced the guest for the evening’s program. Jon L. Dunn is well known in the birding world as one of the greatest birders in North America. He has been instrumental in the publication of many birding books. These include books about gulls and warblers and the National Geographic field guides.

Jon, in the spirit of the evening, came through like a trouper. Without a podium or a microphone or room to move, he presented his program “The Challenge of Sparrows.” Fortuitously, Mike Fialkovich just happened to be carrying his own slide projector in his car; this had been intended to be the back-up projector in case of problems with the Phipps machine. The audience may not have been the most comfortable in such close quarters, but they were very attentive to the many clues Jon presented about sparrow identification. Some took notes indicating how serious they are about these little brown birds.

One of Jon’s major tips for sparrow identification was to learn the different genera into which the birds are grouped. Birds within a genus often have common characteristics such as body size, tail length, habitat preference, and skulking or cooperative behavior. Jon named the species and many subspecies within each genus and also discussed splitting and lumping that has occurred in the past or may need to occur in the future after further study.

Jon also emphasized the importance of behaviors as a really big help to identification. A typically skulking bird will probably not be the one sitting on the fence in front of you and singing his loud and clear song. The White-throated Sparrow, a member of the friendly genus Zonotrichia, is a gregarious bird, can be seen at feeders, and might even be heard singing in the winter. Baird’s Sparrow, in the genus Ammodramus, is an example of a solitary and secretive species that is uncooperative and hard to find unless it is singing.

Jon admitted that it is necessary to memorize the markings of sparrows in order to identify them. He pointed out some important parts such as the wing, head, and markings on the breast that should be studied. As he showed many sparrow slides, he noted these parts and how the colors or patterns are distinctive for certain species. He often reviewed by getting the audience involved in identifications. One drawback to relying on coloring and markings is the vast number of subspecies that can vary greatly, especially by geographic regions.

Two birds received special mention. LeConte’s Sparrow is Jon’s “favorite sparrow of all.” Worthen’s Sparrow of northeastern Mexico, one of the world’s rarest birds, is critically endangered and Jon has not seen this species yet.

After a few questions and answers, Jon was available to sign copies of his latest field guide and to reminisce with people he has met over the years. Copies of the Western Pennsylvania Birding Trail Guide, created by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, were offered free to members who had not picked them up at the last meeting.

What a great group of people; you couldn’t ask for a better organization. The problem was handled calmly, quickly, and without a whine or whimper. The can-do attitude was contagious and everyone pitched in to save the day. Claire will probably be sainted, or crowned, or declared Dame Claire at the next meeting, which hopefully will be held at the usual venue.

Pat and Sherron Lynch
Co-Secretaries of Three Rivers Birding Club