Meetings & Programs

Faridah Dahlan & Ingred Rochon

Did you know that molecular and microscopic identification of feathers plays a key role in aviation safety? The Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab processes over 11,000 wildlife strike cases each year to determine which species of birds are involved in collisions with aircraft – the first step to implementing preventative measures to keep both birds and people safe. Learn how the lab identifies both whole feathers and fragmentary bird remains (aka “snarge”) using the Smithsonian’s collection of 600,000 bird specimens, as well as the resources of the museum’s Laboratories of Analytical Biology.

Presenter Faridah Dahlan is a molecular specialist who has worked for the Feather Lab since 2008. Ingrid Rochon began working at the Smithsonian in 2016 as a museum technician, joining the Feather Lab in 2023 as an apprentice microscopist under Dr. Carla Dove.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Club Member Sheila Martin

This is a continuation from last last spring. Jump on board with WCBC member Sheila Martin as we pictorially explore untamed Patagonia - where some of the world’s most stunning landscapes are filled with wildlife to the max! Moment by moment the experience of hiking the walkways around Iguazu Falls is simply nature at its finest. And, for Sheila, when Plush-crested Jay & Chestnut-eared Aracari appeared on the parking lot, she knew it would be days of incomparable sighting thrills, including up to two dozen dizzying endemics to follow, just in that pre-tour locale! Atlantic coastal Argentina in November offers exceptional close-up wildlife observation, straight down to the straits of Tierra del Fuego - with Red Knots ready to migrate, and Austral Negrito & “Loica” ever-present. Farther inland, we find the best puma-viewing on the planet! It was southern-hemisphere springtime ’22 - and all the breeding birds were showing off their best. While in Chile, the quaint atmosphere, friendly locals and Patagonia Sierra-finch, Tufted Tit-tyrant plus Magellanic Woodpecker further enriched her experience. Relive with Sheila her outrageously memorable jaunt through a stark & jaw-dropping part of the globe, full of scenery, wild mammals, and birds, birds, BIRDS!

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Tom Lindeman

Birds, native plants and pollinators have CO-evolved over the millennia. The importance of the inter-connected relationships among them has a critical impact on the ecosystem. We will discuss how individuals can make a difference in fostering these relationships and help create a healthy habitat for all concerned.

Tom "Dedko" Lindeman is:
- An Educator, Consultant, and Interventionist as an Ambassodor for The Xerces Society and a local Advocate for DarkSky International.
- A student/observer of honey bees" in central-eastern Pennsylvania (village of Egypt in central eastern Pennsylvania) and has been housing bees, packaging honey products, relocating swarms, making new friends, and sharing "Bee Talk' presentations with civic, education, and fraternal groups. Tom believes there is much to learn from the honey bee "superorganism" behaviors and how they can be applied to human society. He maintains an actively-managed website, www.Dedkosbees.com
- A career educator, holding advanced degrees in education of the deaf/hearing impaired, as well as an administrator of education programs for adjudicated and disadvantaged youth.
He and his wife Diane have two adult children and four grandchildren.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Hank Davis

I became passionate about Hummingbirds on a trip to Cuba with the Delaware Nature Society in 2013. Since then, I have traveled to Ecuador 3 times, Costa Rica 2 times, Brazil 4 times, Mexico once, Trinidad & Tobago once, and Peru once. I still have many more countries to go to. I would love to see all 360+ species but realize that will not happen. There are places where one just does not go to see Hummingbirds. So far, my life list is 160 species, of which I have photographed 149. This presentation is primarily a photographic journey of my quest to see Hummingbirds.

Hank Davis is originally from New York City but has lived in the Delaware Valley for 50+ years. Upon his move to the area, he gained an appreciation for nature and open space. Ultimately, this led to a career in horticulture that lasted many years. Since his retirement, he decided to pursue his lifelong passion in photography. While his primary photographs are of horticulture, he has recently included birds, dragonflies and butterflies to his portfolio.
Hank also serves the community by volunteering to take photographs for the Delaware Nature Society, Bucktoe Creek Preserve, Longwood Gardens and the Delaware Center for Horticulture.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Jason Weckstein

Jason Weckstein, Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Associate Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University will talk about iconic specimens from the Academy of Natural Sciences Ornithology Collection. The Academy of Natural Sciences Ornithology collection is approximately the 6th largest bird collection in the world and is the 2nd largest University based bird collection in the world. The collection is worldwide in scope and houses a large proportion of the described bird species in the world. Jason will touch on some of his favorite specimens in the collection including endangered, extinct, and little known species from around the world.

Jason Weckstein obtained his BS in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan (1993), his MS in Zoology from the University of Minnesota (1997), and his Ph.D. in Zoology from Louisiana State University (2003). For his dissertation, he reconstructed the coevolutionary history and host-parasite associations between toucans and their ectoparasites using DNA sequences. After the Ph.D. he continued studying birds and parasites as a postdoctoral fellow at the Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where he stayed on as a staff scientist until joining the Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Sciences faculty and Academy of Natural Sciences in 2014 as an Associate Professor/Associate Curator.

Weckstein is a fellow of the American Ornithological Society and has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 50 presentations at universities and both national and international scientific meetings. He has over 20 years of experience working in natural history museums and has conducted research on birds and their parasites in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Ghana, Malawi, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Mexico. In addition to teaching, training, and research, Jason's additional interests at the Academy of Natural Sciences include collections building, curation, and public outreach.

Weckstein’s research focuses on three main areas: 1) avian comparative biology and evolutionary history, 2) biodiversity of birds and their parasites, and 3) coevolutionary history of birds and their parasites. He utilizes field collected bird and associated parasite specimens and analyzes their DNA sequence data to reconstruct their ecology and evolutionary history.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Constance Sidles

Crows are among the smartest of all birds. They can recognize human faces, pass knowledge along to new generations, work together to protect each other, set up sentries to watch for danger, even use tools. Indeed, all members of the crow family (called corvids) are intelligent, including ravens, jays, and magpies. If you'd like to learn more about these geniuses of the avian world, join master birder and author Constance Sidles as she takes you into the secret world of crows.

Constance Sidles is a master birder and long-time member of Birds Connect Seattle (formerly Seattle Audubon Society), where she served on the board and is chair of the Publications Committee. She currently serves on the Conservation Committee. Connie is on the faculty of the University of Washington as an instructor in continuing education programs. She also teaches classes for various Audubon societies across the country. Connie is an author with more than 600 published articles and is founder and president of Constancy Press. She has written four books about nature focusing on her favorite “backyard” Montlake Fill, (formally called Union Bay Natural Area) on the University of Washington campus.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Robert S. Mulvihill

The National Aviary in Pittsburgh Does Bird Conservation Around the World. Formally designated as the “National” Aviary by an act of Congress signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, the National Aviary was first established as a local Conservatory-Aviary in 1952. For more than 70 years the facility has pursued its mission to “Inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds.” In addition to serving as a popular recreation and education destination, the National Aviary pursues important bird conservation work around the world. Ornithologist, Bob Mulvihill, will give us a look behind the scenes at some of the National Aviary’s ground-breaking contributions to bird conservation efforts, from Louisiana to the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, South Africa, Guam, and right back here in Pennsylvania, too.

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Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Club Member John Mercer

John is back to tell us about another one of his trips, this time to Belize with the Hawk Watch Association of North America. It had participants from all over the country, and besides hawk watching they did a lot of regular birding finding 230 species of birds. They also had some interesting cultural experiences.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Jeff Kenney and Angela Romanczuk

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Jeff Kenney has lived in Chester County for most of his life. Having been introduced to birding as a child by his father Mike, Jeff’s passion for birds and nature was mostly dormant until being rekindled in 2020. Now an avid (and moderately obsessive) state and county lister, Jeff’s favorite place to bird in Chester County is the Crow's Nest Preserve/State Game Lands 43 complex in Elverson. Jeff currently resides in Phoenixville with his two dogs, Vita and Grits, and is a founding board member of In Color Birding Club, as well as a Force of Nature volunteer with Natural Lands.
 

Angela Romanczuk has lived in multiple Pennsylvania counties, but has spent most of her adult life in Montgomery and Chester counties. While Angela has always loved being outdoors, it wasn’t until 2020 that she was introduced to birding. She now enjoys exploring under-birded areas all over Pennsylvania and is forever on the lookout for the American Woodcock. Angela’s favorite local places to bird are Crow’s Nest Preserve in Chester County, Congo Open Space in Montgomery County and her backyard. She is a founding board member of In Color Birding Club and a Force of Nature volunteer with Natural Lands.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Presenter TBD

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Info about Presenter TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Presenter TBD

Program Description TBD

Info about Presenter TBD

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.

Robert Galardo

If tropical birds and butterflies fascinate you, then you’ll be sure to enjoy this virtual presentation. It will be an up-close and personal look at these colorful denizens of Honduras. To date, more than 800 species of birds and over 1,300 butterflies have been found there. This little known Central American country still receives little attention, but Robert will take you on a picture-filled journey on what he, and other colleagues, have been doing there for the past 30 years. After nearly two decades of field work, Robert published two lengthy volumes on the birds of Honduras (in English and Spanish). He and his partner, Olivia, then set out to start working on the country’s butterflies; a field of fauna that was virtually unknown. After seven years of field work, they finally finished the first edition of the Guide to the Butterflies of Honduras. Join Robert on this enlightening presentation and get to know the beautiful country he calls ‘home’.

Robert is originally from California. His passion for all things natural lead him to get a degree in Natural Resources Planning and Interpretation from Humboldt State University in his home state. Immediately after graduating, he joined the Peace Corps and served as a volunteer in Honduras from 1993-1996. He remained in that country and has been there ever since. He and Olivia reside at Emerald Valley, an international butterfly center, home to 755 species of butterflies and 200 birds.

Note: This meeting will be held in person at the meeting house and via Zoom. Zoom signon will start at 7:15 to enable the meeting to begin at 7:30.