Sunday, January 8, 2012

January 2012 Meeting of the Salem County Nature Club

The December Meeting of the SCNC was a roaring success.  Not only were there loads of good things to eat, the slide show was amazing.  Thanks to all of you who contributed your wonderful photos to the show.  There sure is a lot of wildlife in Salem County.

The Board of Directors held their annual meeting Tuesday January 3.  Here are some of the things that we discussed:
1.     Coming up with special incentives for people who join as members, (Getting your dues early enables us to plan better for paid speakers.)  One suggestion was to have a member’s newsletter.
2.     Holding three or four Serious Bird Walks, open to members only.  These walks would be longer and might cover areas outside of Salem County.
3.     How can we get more children or young people involved with the Club?
4.     Plant or animal to use as our symbol on a logo. Suggestions were: vulture, hawk, butterfly, Great Blue Heron or tree frog. We would appreciate member input.  We are looking for a symbol that will be recognized in silhouette and is not used by any other local organization.
Minutes from this meeting will be available shortly.

Activities:
January 14 and 15:  The 2012 Eagle Count will take place.  Anyone who would like to join me on the count for a few hours can contact Marilyn at 856-935-2384.

 January 21:   Veteran Eagle Watchers Jeff and Cathy White will be doing an “Eagle Watch” on Sunset Drive in Mannington.  They will be there with their scopes from 8am until 11am.  You will be treated to great company and hopefully lots of Eagles.  This is an Eagle hotspot where you should see a number of mature and immature eagles. If you have Eagle questions, the Whites are the people to answer them.

February 18:  Don’t forget the 2012 Cumberland County Eagle Festival which takes place at the Mauricetown Firehall in Mauricetown, NJ.  The indoor part of the Festival runs from 8:00 am. until 4:00 pm.  There are lots of speakers to be heard and walks to be taken. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. We will have a booth there and would appreciate your stopping by. For more information go to www.co.cumberland.nj.us


The following is the schedule for the first six months of 2012.
January and February are film months.  This is done in case we have to cancel due to bad weather.


January: 
We will be showing the film, “A Murder of Crows-Birds with an Attitude”.  Most of us see crows as a spooky addition to our environment.  Join us to watch the film and learn more about them. Did you know that a group of crows is called a murder?  Were you aware that crows are considered to be among the most intelligent creatures in the world?  Did you know that they mate for life and raise their young for five years?  Would you be surprised to learn that crows can use tools to get their food?  This film will teach us to see the crows we normally ignore in a new light.


February:  
We will be showing the film “Life in Cold Blood” hosted by David Attenborough.  “Amphibians and reptiles ruled the world for nearly 200 million years, and today there are well over 14,000 species.  Ranging from some of the largest, most deadly creatures on Earth to the smallest and strangest, these are some of the most fascinating and dramatic animals on the planet.” Join us to learn about some of these amazing creatures.


March:  
Famed author and naturalist, Pete Dunne, will be doing a reading from his newest book.  Pete is the Director of Cape May Bird Observatory.  Mr. Dunne is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of birds as well as his sharp sense of humor. Hearing Pete speak is both educational and entertaining. As of this writing his latest books include, “Bayshore Summer-Finding Eden in a Most Unlikely Place” and “Arctic Autumn-A Journey to Season’s Edge”.  Pete is such a prolific writer that he might just have something new to share with us by March. This is a “don’t miss” meeting.  We are lucky to have a writer and speaker of Mr. Dunne’s caliber speak to a small club such as ours.


April:  
David Lord will do a Power Point Presentation entitled, “Migrants and How to Find Them”.  David is an associate naturalist with Cape May Bird Observatory and first mate on the nature boat the “Osprey”.  David has a way breaking down hard to remember information and linking it together in a whimsical way so that we cannot forget what he has taught us.  This presentation will try to make finding migrants a little easier and much more fun.


May:  
Salem County Nature Club member, Brynn Rielleywill do a presentation on wolves and coyotes.  Brynn spent last summer working with wolves and is sure to have some fascinating stories to tell us.  She will also be telling us about the Coyotes that are found right here in Salem County.

June:  
Jeff Kiger is what I would call a “friend” of Salem County Nature Club.  He is always willing to help us out with bird identification.  He has loaned us images for some of our past programs.  Jeff will be showing his amazing photographs taken at Fort Mott, Finns Point, and Supawna Meadows. Jeff spends a lot of time at  these sites taking photos and just enjoying nature.  He is always willing to share his special birding hotspots with other photographers.  Jeff’s photos show us what a great natural treasure can be found right next door.