February 9, 2026 Minutes, Covenant Presbyterian Church

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Vice-president Vic Laubach.
Former ABC President Jack Holt is doing well after surgery.
Antonio Martinez announced that Friends of the Middle River is inviting the ABC to a spring float/birding trip. Details will be forthcoming.
Field Trips: Jo King will lead a trip to McCormick’s Farm on 2/18/26. Penny Warren will lead a trip to Bells Lane in Staunton on 2/20/26. Three members took a pelagic trip to the Outer Banks and in spite of extremely cold weather found Dovekies, Razorbills,
Skuas, gulls, Gannets and more.
January 2026 Challenge: Robyn Puffenbarger reported that 10 ABC members accepted a challenge to find 100 species during the month of January in the Augusta County/Waynesboro/Staunton area. Seven members succeeded and found it to be a fun adventure that made the cold days of January go faster. Next year there will be more information for anyone that wants to participate.
Christmas Bird Counts: The Augusta CBC found 78 species with a highlight being a Tennessee Warbler. The Waynesboro CBC found 67 species with a Merlin and Peregrine Falcon being highlights. Weather was challenging and likely contributed to lower-than-normal numbers.
Programs: Lynne Parks and Marilyn Nash gave a beginner birding talk at the Staunton Public Library. Rich Wood gave a talk through the Augusta Parks and Rec Department on owls.
Nature Camp: Scholarships were awarded to 8 students for the camp this summer. These scholarships are made possible by funds raised through the fall annual seed sale.
Program: Andrew Rapp of the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory shared information about several important and fascinating research projects being conducted. Among them are the Kiptopeke Hawk Watch, Sunset Beach Morning Flight (another migration count), College Creek Hawk Watch in the spring, Monarch Migration, Craney Island Waterbird Count, and a Pollinator Project.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm. Submitted by Marilyn Nash, Secretary