March 11, 2024 Minutes, Covenant Presbyterian Church

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Rich Wood.
New members Donna and Matt were welcomed. Rich encourages everyone to bring a friend and help grow our club. Meetings are open to the public.
Recent Sightings: Migrants are just starting to appear. Birds of note are Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Canvasbacks, Phoebes, Goldfinches, Fox Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Towhees, Woodcocks, and Tree Swallows.
Field Trips: The February McCormick’s Mill field trip led by Jo King found 30 species. Her next trip there is 3/20/24. The Bell’s Lane field trip found a Bald Eagle and lots of Bluebirds.  The Cowbane Prairie in Stuarts Draft where members frequently bird has construction going on around it and parking may be an issue. Weekends may be better.
Newsletter: We need a new newsletter editor. The newsletter is a very important way to communicate within our club and the public. It is not difficult to do and Rich will train you. You don’t need special knowledge or advanced computer skills. Please consider helping out in this manner – go ahead, just do it! Please let Rich know that you can help at  Beagleboy831@comcast.net
Hospitality: The setting of our May brunch was discussed. The decision was made to hold it at McCormick’s Mill on May 11. Details will follow.
Education: Recent calculations indicate that since 2005 this club has contributed over $50,000 in scholarships to Nature Camp for 99 children. That is something to be very proud of.
Virginia Home Grown is a public television program whose mission is “….to enrich growers and gardeners of all levels by connecting to new voices and fresh ideas, to highlight the unique richness of gardens and natural ecosystems throughout Virginia, and serve as a resource for our community.” Our own Robyn Puffenbarger was recently featured on a program and is a regular contributor. Check it out on VPM.
Program: We learned how magical and extraordinary hummingbirds are from Bruce Peterjohn through his zoom program, “Everything You Wanted to Know About Hummingbirds But Were Afraid to Ask”. He has been banding hummingbirds and doing research on them for many years. Increasingly more hummingbirds are appearing in Virginia during winter months. If you find such a bird you can contact Bruce at b.peterjohn@verizon.net.
The program adjourned at 8:15 pm.  -Marilyn Nash, Secretary