November 9, 2026 Minutes, Covenant Presbyterian Church

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm by vice president Vic Laubach.
Led by Ann Cline, the ABC has purchased T-shirts and hats for sale for $20. They can be purchased at meetings and the bird seed pickup site on 11/14.
Membership:  Mona Bearor reports we now have 223 members, with 3 new people joining this month. She sends a welcoming email and packet of information to each new member.
Seed Sale:  We sold 8 tons of seed amounting to almost $27,000. Because of the sale we also received $1,000 in donations for Nature Camp and the Barn Owl Project. Many members renewed their membership through the sale form. Seed pickup is 11/14 at Expo.
Sightings:  Linda reported a Calliope Hummingbird at her home for a few days.  It has now moved on. Turkeys, Horned Larks, and American Pipits were reported. In addition to raptors, the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch has seen Pine Siskins and Common Loons, among other non-raptors.  Today 35 Bald Eagles were counted at the watch.
Christmas Bird Counts:  The Augusta County count will be 12/20/26 with Allen Larner coordinating.  The Waynesboro count will be 1/3/27 with Crista Cabe coordinating. 
Field Trips:  Upcoming trips will be to McCormick’s Farm on November 13 and Bells Lane on November 16.
Saw-whet Owl trip:  Several hardy members visited the Northern Saw-whet banding station in Rockingham County. Four owls were netted.  This project has continued for 25 years.
Birds and Brews:  Scheduled for 11/19 at Pro Renata Plus in Staunton.
Barn Owl Project:  Rich Wood reported that monitoring has begun at the boxes erected.
McCormick’s Farm Wood Duck Box:  This box is in need of replacing and Eric Null generously agreed to build a new one.
ABC Holiday Party:  In place of our regular monthly meeting the party will take place on December 14 at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The club will provide meat and drinks and attendees provide the rest.  Door prizes add to the fun. We will be collecting donations for The Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Program: Wildlife Corridors and Road-Stream Crossings in the Upper South River Watershed was presented by Dr. Tom Benzing.
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.  
– Marilyn Nash, Secretary