Three Rivers Birding Club Southwestern Pennsylvania

Bimonthly Membership Meeting
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
7:30 PM -- 9:30 PM
Hybrid Meeting Originating from Beechwood Farms in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thirty-nine members were in attendance at 3RBC's April membership meeting, held in the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania's Beechwood Farms auditorium. In addition, thirty-six computers were logged on to the meeting via Zoom, with several shared by more than one person. In total, approximately eighty individuals viewed the meeting, which featured a talk by Amber Wiewel, coordinator of the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas 3.

President Mike Fialkovich called the meeting to order at approximately 7:30 pm. He and other club officers, directors, and members made the following announcements and reports.

• Mike began by reminding everyone that the club's newsletter, The Peregrine, is available in both a paper version and in a fully electronic format. He urged all members who have the capability to switch to the electronic version, since it saves paper, postage, and processing. Members who wish to switch to the e-version should contact Tom Moeller.


• Club secretary, Frank Moone, announced that the club, now officially a non-profit, is preparing for its first-ever board of directors election at the October meeting. The current nine-member board's terms expire at the end of 2025, and members have the opportunity to help shape the club's path going forward. Nominations to be considered for the board open June 1 and close September 1. To qualify, nominees must be at least 18 years of age and members in good standing for at least a year. Dave Brooke, Chair of the Nominating Committee, is accepting nominations -- email him at davbrooke@gmail.com. Birding is evolving, and our club is too. This is your opportunity to have a say in 3RBC's direction. Step up, get involved, and help guide the future of birding in our community!


• 3RBC board member, Sheree Daugherty, announced that the club is in need of several volunteers to fill some key posts. She noted that we need the following: 1) a Facebook manager to oversee the club's Facebook page; 2) an individual to work with Steve Thomas organizing outings; 3) someone to work with Carol McCullough in arranging the club's programs; 4) folks to work on the Hospitality Committee to help out with in-person meeting logistics, and 5) individuals to work with Tom Moeller's Newsletter Distribution Committee, processing, stuffing, and preparing the newsletters and membership reminders for mailing.


• Brian Shema, Operations Director for ASWP, announced that Audubon will be bringing speaker Tiffany Kerstin to town, and she will give a talk entitled, "Birdie Big Year: Elevating Women Birders." Tiffany will speak on 7 May at 7:00 PM at Duquesne University's Africa Room. Brian told us that Tiffany didn't set out to do a Big Year, but after a series of unanticipated and serendipitous events, she suddenly found herself amidst one. As a sexual assault survivor, she spent 2021 traveling to all corners of the lower 48 states, tallying birds and gifting personal safety alarms to women she met along the way. Her goal was to see 700 species and to raise awareness of women's safety in the outdoors. She ended up surpassing her goal and setting a new record of 726 species. In her presentation, Tiffany will lead us through the fear, empowerment, struggles, and healing that all played vital roles in the personal growth she experienced on this wild adventure. This is a free event. Those interested should register at: ASWP - Tiffany Kersten.


• The Peregrine editor, Bob Mulvihill, was not in attendance, so there was no preview of the next issue's upcoming articles.


• Treasurer Tom Moeller reported that club memberships have decreased to 339, translating to about 430 individuals. The club lost 15 memberships from those who did not return from September 30, 2024. Since our last meeting, we added three new memberships and one returned after a lapse. 21 memberships have yet to renew from December 31, 2024, and there is only a limited time for them to do so. Most will probably be cut from the rolls due to lack of response. As always, Tom extended his thanks to new members who have chosen to join us, and to our loyal ongoing members for their continued support and generosity.


• Webmaster Tom Moeller reported that the club's site contains an announcement regarding the reopening of Middlecreek Wildlife Management Area's trails; in addition, Sam Sinderson's recent article in The Peregrine on his trip to Borneo can also be accessed there, a longer version with more of Sam's photos.. Tom thanked club member and volunteer Holly Hilliard for her great work as the club's Facebook Manager. Thanks, Holly!


• Outings Director Steve Thomas announced that the following Spring outings will take place:
  
  
  • April 5 – Yellow Creek
  • April 9 – Woodcock Walk
  • April 25 – Warblers at Sewickley Borough Heights Park
  • April 26 – Boys Home Park, South Fayette Township
  • May 2 – North Park
  • May 9 – Warblers at Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • May 10 – Deer Lakes Park
  • May 11 – Harrison Hills Park
  • May 17 – Beginning Birders, Sewickley Heights Borough Park
  • June 1 – 3RBC's Annual Picnic, Harrison Hills Park
  • June 21 – Jacob's Creek Educational Wetlands, Fayette County
  
  Outing participants must follow club guidelines. When appropriate, social distancing is recommended; equipment sharing is discouraged; wear a mask when appropriate. Each outing leader may set additional restrictions and requirements: some leaders require pre-registration, and numbers of participants may be limited. Each leader may discontinue the outing at any time if conditions warrant such an action. Attendees should also note that pets are not permitted on 3RBC outings. Please see the full outing listing on the website for all restrictions and requirements that may apply! As always, check the club's web site and Facebook page for details, directions, and possible last minute changes or cancellations.


• President Mike Fialkovich gave his recap of highlights of recent bird sightings: the biggest news is the appearance of a Barnacle Goose in Creighton, a first for Allegheny County; Tundra Swans have been reported in the area; a flock of Snow Geese in Natrona Heights and a solitary Snow Goose in Churchill; Long-tailed Ducks at Dashields Dam; American Wigeon at Tarentum; Greater Yellowlegs at Boyce-Mayview Park; Pectoral Sandpipers at Imperial and Wingfield Pines; Woodcocks displaying have been reported; Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Wingfield Pines; Barn Swallow at Wingfield Pines; Brown Thrasher at North Park; Vesper Sparrow at Imperial; early Savannah Sparrows at Findlay Township; Louisiana Waterthrush at Crouse Run; Black Vultures at Edgeworth, Emsworth, Hartwood Acres, Wingfield Pines and Greenfield; Virginia Rail at Wingfield Pines; Sandhill Cranes over Gibsonia; Lesser Black-backed Gull at Aspinwall; Bonaparte Gulls at Highland Park Bridge; Great Egret at Duck Hollow and Sharpsburg Docks; Snowy Owl at North Park; Red-headed Woodpeckers at North Park; Fish Crow at Squirrel Hill; Marsh Wren at Wingfield Pines; Pine Siskin at Allison Park; hybrid Spotted x Eastern Towhee at Beechwood Farms, and Red-necked Grebe at Sharpsburg.


• Program Director Carol McCullough informed the members that the club's June 4, 2025, meeting will be hybrid — both in-person at Beechwood Farms Auditorium and on Zoom. The meeting will feature Kenn Kaufman, an American author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist renowned for his accessible field guides on birds and butterflies. He gained early recognition in the 1970s as a teenage birder who hitchhiked across North America, an adventure chronicled in his book Kingbird Highway. Over his career, Kaufman has become a prominent figure in the birding world, contributing significantly to bird identification resources and conservation efforts, and he is the only person to have received the American Birding Association's lifetime achievement award twice. At our June meeting, Kenn will present, "The Hidden History of American Warblers." The many species of small, colorful warblers are popular with birders, providing some of the peak excitement of spring migration. But they have a complicated history. Two centuries ago the American warbler family hadn't been defined yet, and naturalists were identifying some of the warblers as flycatchers, creepers, titmice, or thrushes. The females, males, and fall plumages of some warblers look so different from each other, that they were originally described and named as separate species. Even after these were figured out, some hybrids caused confusion for years, and at least one mysterious warbler vanished for no obvious reason. Kaufman has been studying the history of these birds for several years. This talk draws on material from his two most recent books, A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration (2019) and The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness (2024). This will be a hybrid meeting starting at 6:30 PM (ET) in-person at Beechwood Farms auditorium and a Zoom meeting at 7:00 PM (ET) for those who cannot attend in person. The business meeting will begin at 7:30 PM, and Kenn's presentation will start around 8:00 PM. Details on how to join the online event, including Zoom passcodes and other instructions, will be supplied a few days before the meeting.

Carol next introduced the evening's speaker, Amber Wiewel, coordinator of the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas 3, combining a breeding bird atlas (our third) and a wintering bird atlas (our first ever). Carol explained that Amber's talk will give all of us a general intro to the Atlas, including the very basics of participating, and she will share with us the results of the first year, including both the breeding and winter seasons. Amber grew up in Missouri where she fell in love with birds in the Ozarks. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri and studied birds and other wildlife in Missouri, California, Puerto Rico, and western Africa before earning a master's degree from Iowa State University. She worked as a wildlife biologist for the US Geological Survey in Maryland and Pennsylvania before taking on the role of Pennsylvania Bird Atlas Coordinator in 2023.

Amber began her presentation by outlining the broad goal of the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas project: to map bird distribution across the state from 2024 to 2029. She explained that this is the third breeding bird atlas for Pennsylvania, with previous ones published in 1992 and 2012. Unlike the previous iterations of the atlas, this one will include both breeding and winter birds. Amber was quick to highlight the vital importance of citizen science in this project, noting that it complements other bird monitoring efforts by covering areas and times that are often underrepresented in traditional data collection. The atlas data captured is used to establish conservation priorities, species status assessments, and for research purposes.

Inaccurate data is worthless, so Amber emphasized the importance of accurate data collection in the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas project, especially the need to use the correct breeding codes at the right time, as the data will be visible to everyone. Atlas workers do make every effort to 'clean up' the data before publication, but it's far better to get it right the first time! Amber also explained how to use the eBird app and website for data submission and how to interpret the data available for each block. She also encouraged participants to think about the reasons behind their coding decisions and to use the available resources for more information.

Amber went into some detail about the eBird platform itself, highlighting its usefulness for tracking species and breeding patterns. She shared current data from the 2024 breeding season, noting that 178 breeding species were confirmed, with 43 of the 62 priority species also confirmed. Amber made a point of noting the importance of the need for continued data which tracks both rare and common species.

She also introduced the concept of point-count surveys, in which a paid staffer visits a tightly defined location on a specific date and birds there for a specified duration, recording all that they see. The point-count locations for the current atlas will replicate those from 20 years ago. The atlas is also experimenting with using trained volunteer point-counters in addition to paid staff and comparing the data from both sources. She felt that using two groups of point-counters increases the possibility of detecting more or different species.

In a major move to enhance its scope, the third Pennsylvania Atlas will also document non-breeding birds during the winter season. This is important since how and where a bird spends its winters has a significant impact on bird populations. She mentioned that only a few states have conducted winter atlases, and Pennsylvania is leading this effort. Amber explained the sampling scheme for the winter atlas, which involves assigning each block to one winter in which to be to be completed.

Needless to say, completing both of these atlas goals will require a substantial volunteer corps. To date, the volunteer turnout has been impressive, with 1,900 volunteer birders participating during the first breeding season and 400 additional volunteers joining for the winter season. She expressed her satisfaction with the progress made and the data collected so far, despite the challenges posed by the weather.

She also highlighted some of the interesting species observed during the winter, such as snow buntings and purple finches.

Regarding atlas progress and challenges, Amber reiterated the need for more participants and the importance of completing blocks. She mentioned the block completion rate was low in the first year, but there are many blocks close to completion. Amber also talked about the importance of marking blocks as complete in eBird.

She commented on plans for block boosting efforts and the need for more nocturnal surveys. She also noted the winter Atlas's need for better recruitment for under-covered counties. She emphasized that there are different levels of participation in the atlas and encouraged people to adapt the project to their comfort level.

Ms. Wiewel concluded the presentation by discussing various ways to access information and get help. She mentioned the website, social media channels, and the availability of promotional materials. She also addressed issues about map interpretation, data collection methods, and safe dates for breeding codes. She explains that there are tools available to help determine which species can be coded on specific dates. Amber clarified that she is the only full-time staff member working on the project, though she is aided by some part-time assistance.

Finally, Amber closed with a discussion on how to protect sensitive bird location data, offering options such as delaying reporting, hiding checklists, or masking locations within blocks.

After her informative talk, Amber took several questions from the audience. President Fialkovich thanked her for her work, thanked the members, and adjourned the meeting.

— prepared by Frank Moone on April 21, 2025