If you are within range (or not!) of the Eastern Panhandle of WV, Potomac
Valley Audubon Society invites you to the following January events. See
below for details on each of the 5 events.
Jan 14 Program Meeting: "Doing a Big Bird Year in West Virginia" with Matt
Orsie
(and possibly a presentation by one of last year's summer camp
scholarship winners)
Jan 18 Field Trip to Altona Marsh
Jan 24 --Winter Botany Field Trip with EP Native Plant Society at Yankauer
--Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on birding field trip to BRCES
--Help with C&O Mid-Winter Bird Survey
Wednesday January 14, 7:30 "Doing a Big Bird Year in West Virginia"
presented by Matt Orsie. Mr. Orsie has made a name for himself in the West
Virginia and neighboring birding communities. In just four short years, he
has become a birding fanatic whose enthusiasm for birding and generosity
for sharing are well known. For the last five years, he has made his home
in the Summit Point area of the Eastern Pan-handle of West Virginia with
his wife, Jan and great kid Andrew. He works in the computer software
industry, but that hasn't stopped him...he is not your typical techy. His
digiscope photos can be found at
http://ogeh.oracleicenter.com:8078/wvdigi.htm, many of which are from West ;
Virginia. Besides birding and photography, Mr. Orsie enjoys hiking,
backpacking, canoeing, astronomy and most outdoor activities. This should
be a great program, so bundle up, bring the kids and ask a friend to join
you. (Our monthly meetings are held at the USGS Leetown Science Center in
Leetown/Kearneysville, WV.)
Sunday, January 18, 8:00 a.m., Field trip to The Nature Conservancy's
Altona Marsh in Jefferson County and neighboring ponds for over-wintering
passerines, raptors and waterfowl. Ken Hunter will lead. We will meet at
the parking lot for the Tuscawilla Shops on Tuscawilla Hill Drive off Rt.
50 between Middletown and Charles Town (about a block from the
marsh). Please let us know if you are planning on coming, we would like to
let you know if we have to postpone due to weather. (Contact Patsy Hunter
at 304-725-3936 or phutner@xxxxxxxx)
Saturday, January 24, (Sunday, Jan 25 back-up date) -The 6th annual
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park Mid-Winter Bird
Survey The format will be as in previous years: to tally species and
numbers on a mile-by-mile basis using the mileposts along the towpath. The
goal is to cover the entire 184.5 miles of the canal with many teams
covering two to three miles. This is a DC Audubon event, realized by a
multi-regional and multi-organizational effort.
This survey requires familiarity with the birds along the Potomac
River. If you are a beginning birder they will try to match you with more
experienced birders. Since most teams cover 2-3 miles it requires walking
4 to 6 plus miles. For more information and a look at the data that has
been gathered, see: http://www.dcaudubon.org/canal.shtml. Digital ;
checklists and instructions will be emailed, and the information posted to
MDOSPREY and other sites. Please contact Mike Milton at 202-965-6672 or
mike.milton@xxxxxxxxxxx. (Note: most of the miles are already covered, but
you can join a team or cover the few miles that no one else has.)
Saturday, January 24, 1:00 p.m. Winter Botany Field Trip at Yankauer Nature
Preserve- PVAS will be co-sponsoring this winter walk with the Eastern
Panhandle Native Plant Society. Leading the walk will be Larry Stritch,
president of EPNPS. The subject of this walk will be the various trees and
shrubs throughout the preserve. It's a lovely place to be outdoors on a
winter day....
Saturday, January 24, 8:00 a.m., Birding the Blue Ridge Center for
Environmental Stewardship The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy will lead its
regular monthly bird walk at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental
Stewardship (BRCES). This beautiful 900-acre preserve is located on
Harpers Ferry Road, Rt. 671, in northwestern Loudoun County, VA. It
includes meadows on the valley road and heavily forested slopes on the Blue
Ridge and is only a few miles south of Harpers Ferry and the confluence of
the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. We will meet at the Neersville
Volunteer Fire Station on Rt. 671 at 8:00 a.m. Questions: Contact Joe
Coleman at 540-554-2542 or jandkcoleman@xxxxxxxxx.
Stay healthy and happy birding!
Diana Cummins
Harpers Ferry,WV
Jefferson County
montex@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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