Birding club thoughts
May 3, 2007 · Print This Article
The idea of starting a birding club in the area has been discussed several times with a few friends of ours, and now I believe it is time to ask our readers if anyone would be interested in such a venture.
Starting a birding club in our area can be a very rewarding project. Making new friends, learning about birds and sharing experiences are just a few of the benefits a club can provide.
We are open to any and all suggestions to make this work. Field trips, public bird walks and guest speakers are just a few of the rewarding experiences a birding club can bring.
I will gladly provide the web space for a birding club and will advertise the club’s existence (and what it stands for) on a regular basis and via a variety of channels.
Some thoughts: Maximize access to club activities. Move indoor meetings and field excursions meeting points around the area to allow those who live on the fringe areas to participate. Schedule field trips for Saturdays and Sundays to take in different work patterns of members and sometimes schedule mid-week evening outings.
Build confidence in birdwatching newcomers. Welcome newcomers to club meetings by assigning experienced members to talk to them. Also assign a member with good people skills and birding experience to be ‘field mentors’. Advertise field outings as being suitable for ‘beginners’. Increase recreational birdwatching activity.
Creation of a club newsletter, field trips to noted birding hotspots and setting up local ‘user-friendly’ bird counting scheme i.e. a gardenwatch. Undertake training sessions for the various bird-counting schemes, such as the GBBC, Breeding Bird Survey, etc. Get new members to accompany experienced survey workers to de-mystify the process of survey work.
There are so many things a local birding club can bring to beginners and the experienced alike! Let’s hear from you and get the ball rolling. Simply click on “Leave a passing comment” at the end of this article and let us know what you think and if you would participate.
Happy birding!
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John,
Some of us who live between Harrisburg and Chambersburg have talked about starting a Birding Club, but that has not happened so far. Instead we have formed a loose group of 7 folks who do some birding together (2 in Shippensburg, 1 from Newburg, 1 from Camp Hill & 3 from Newville). We do some birding together and report to one another via phone or internet when we find birds of interest. It seems like we may be a adding a few more folks to our number soon as a few others have started to join us on our outings. Like the walk of the Big Spring we are taking this morning. Its is just another way to approach the formation of a briding group that I thought I would share. The blog I have is intended to improve communication in and make it easier for folks to interact with and become part of the group.
Vern
Vern;
Thank you so much for your suggestions. I was thinking about posting a date and time for a bird walk on this site to see what kind of a response we get.
This morning would have been perfect as my wife and I walked around Great Pond in Biddeford Pool and saw many warblers.
Tomorrow, I will post some great pictures of these Warblers, along with a Savannah Sparrow and a White-Throated Sparrow.
Again, thanks for your suggestions Vern!
John Briggs