September 8, 2025 Minutes, Covenant Presbyterian Church

The meeting was called to order at 7:05 by Vice-President Vic Laubach.
Recent Sightings: A variety of birds are being seen locally, including a Golden Eagle. On Rt. 610 many warblers were seen including a Yellow-throated, Canada, Blackburnian, and Chestnut-sided. A Blue-winged warbler was seen at the hawk watch along with Blue Grosbeaks.
Field Trips: In August Jo King reported 44 species at McCormick Farm including 5 swallow species. Upcoming trips include Rt. 610, Augusta Springs, and Chimney Hollow. Information will be on the website.Membership: Ramona Bearor reports we are now up to 219 members, including 10 that joined over the summer.Hospitality: The next Birds and Brews will be at Plaza Antigua on 9/23.
Bird Seed Sale: Crista Cabe reported that the online store will be up and running soon. Seed pick-up will be on November 8th at Expo. Volunteers are needed to help.
Conservation: The native plant gardens at the Augusta County Library and Montgomery Hall Park are doing well due to hard work by Lynne Parks and Ann Cline. Lynne and husband Chris have been completing bird surveys at the Lyndhurst Ponds for the Department of Wildlife Resources in their efforts to improve habitat.
Education: (1) Nature Camp applications will be on our website soon. The application deadline is December 15th. (2) Rich Wood will be conducting a 4-week Beginning Birding Class in October through the Augusta County Parks Department. There will be 3 weeks of class and then a field trip. The club bought binoculars for anyone to borrow that needs a pair. (3) Rich is editor of our newsletter which will be published quarterly.
Hawk Watch: The Hawk Watch began August 15 and will continue through November 30th. 482 raptors have been counted so far with Ospreys and Bald Eagles doing well. Two Mississippi Kites, 1 Golden Eagle, and 1 Merlin have been counted. Vic shared that usually the third week of September brings the most birds, with a majority of those being Broad-winged Hawks. The most variety of birds is usually seen the first week of October.
Birds of Augusta County: The records for the 5th edition of the Birds of Augusta County has been compiled by Allen Larner and Mona Bearor is coordinating the printing. Pre-orders are being taken.
Blue Ridge Packs and Tracks: Paige French represented this non-profit organization that provides Track chairs for hiking, hunting, birding and other outdoor activities for those that have mobility issues and otherwise might not be able to be active outside. They are an all -volunteer organization and provide an attendant for those using the chairs. The chairs are suitable for a variety of ages. Paige brought one of their 2 chairs for all to see. The ABC gave a generous donation in support of this work.
Program: Flight Risk: Bird/Glass Collisions. Lynne Parks gave a sobering program on the 1 billion birds, primarily song birds during migration, that die every year from glass collisions. Surprisingly more die from low-rise buildings with 1-6 floors and our homes, rather than the high-rises that we might expect. 107 different species have been documented losing their lives for this reason. We learned that birds that are stunned, rather than die outright, might fly away but actually highly likely to die later due to injuries not readily evident. If you find a stunned bird, it’s important to get it to a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are things we can all do to decrease glass collisions: (1) Turn off outside lights between 10 pm and 6 am during migration season (2) Any outside lights that must be left on should face downward rather that up to the sky. Blue LED lights are worse for birds than warmer colored bulbs. (3) Use motion sensors to turn on outside lights so the lights aren’t on continually. (4) Place bird feeders either within 3 feet of a window or 30 feet away from the window. (5) There are a variety of ways to treat the outside of glass to prevent collisions, such as markings on the glass including decals and dots, Acopian BirdSavers (hanging cords) or other hanging objects, create patterns on the glass with soap or tempura paint, UV reflective glass, patterned film applications, and window screens. You can also close blinds and move plants away from the window. “Lights Out Baltimore”, StopBirdCollisions.org, The National Audubon Society, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, are all good resources for how to decrease bird/glass collisions.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm. Submitted by Marilyn Nash, Secretary