ai_ G*7| , C-3 3 3 BXRD Volume 56 August 2010 Number 4 BACK TO THE CAROLINA SANDHILLS! CBC Fall Meeting 24-26 SEPTEMBER! Marion Clark It is absolutely urgent that we register for the fall meeting in Aiken, SC, 24-26 September, just as soon as possible. We are late getting this to you because all information regarding field trips was not available before the printer’s June deadline. Therefore, this is- sue of the Newsletter likely will reach your mailbox only a few weeks before the hotel's deadline of Sep- tember 9th for holding the CBC's block of rooms. We can get the same rates after that date, but rooms will be subject to availability. Remember that our headquarters are at the Country Inn & Suites at 3270 Whiskey Road in Aiken. Their phone number is (803) 649-4024, and you should call them directly, refer to the Carolina Bird Club block, and have a credit/debit card ready with which to hold your reservation. Standard rooms (two queen-size beds) are $84.36 per night including taxes, while two- room suites accommodating up to six people are $95.46 inclusive. All rooms have a microwave oven and a mini-fridge; a complimentary hot breakfast will be available beginning daily at 6:00 a.m. Directions to the headquarters hotel are as follows: Coming to Aiken via 1-20, take Exit 22/US 1 South and proceed about 7 miles to SC 1 18/Rutland Drive, which is a kind of “ring road” around the city. Turn left onto SC 118/Rutland Drive and continue southeast until its junction with SC 302/Pine Log Road. Go west/right on SC 302 and follow it until its intersection with SC 19/Whiskey Road where you will take a left/south. Country Inn & Suites is on the left at 3270 Whiskey Road, about 1.5 miles south of Aiken Mall. Please note that the Country Inn's sign is perpendicular to the highway and is not large enough for the big Carolina Bird Club banner. While there is not much time before the meeting, wait- ing for all the information has its advantages. Not on- ly are the trip leaders in place, but scouting reports indicate that the weather will not be quite so hot by late September (whew!), ponds at Silver Bluff Audu- bon Center & Sanctuary will be down assuring lots of shorebirds and the possibility of lingering Wood Storks, and the presence of up to fifteen Black-bellied Whistling ducks is likely at Phinizy Swamp. A highlight should be the Friday dinner at Newberry Hall in downtown Aiken with Patti Newell, University of Georgia doctoral candidate and CBC grant recipient. Patti will present some of the findings of her Rusty Blackbird research, a great deal of which was done at Lake Conestee near Greenville, SC. To get to New- berry Hall from Country Inn, go north into Aiken on SC 19 all the way to Richland Avenue. Turn left onto Richland Avenue for one block and again left to 1 1 7 Newberry Street SW. The buffet will include a choice of Black Oak Pit Cooked Ham or Baked Chicken Mar- sala for $23.69 inclusive. Although there is no vege- tarian entree, the buffet will include a mixed greens salad, seasonal mixed vegetables and orzo pasta with fresh spinach and pine nuts. On Saturday evening we will be outdoors at Silver Bluff for snacks, beverages and a cash bar for beer (Continued on page 4) CBC Newsletter (USPS# 023-534), August 2010, Volume 56, Number 4. Published bimonthly by the Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 353 Montabello, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1037. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CBC Newsletter , Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 1809 Lakepark Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612. 1 Whooping Cranes and More on the Central Texas Coast! Merrill Lester In March 2010 the CBC sent another exploratory party Kiskadee and Couch's Kingbird. Leaving Pollywog af- out West, destination: The Coastal Bend of Texas. ter a full day, we were rewarded nearby by the grub dished out (as well as the generous happy hour) at Led by Chief Scout Bruce Smithson, other members of Peoples Restaurant, our band were Terry Anderson, Kent Bedenbaugh, Judi Durr, Bob Moffett, Pru Williams and myself. Yes, the Whooping Crane was one of our main tar- gets, but we also managed to track down and record several other Texas specialties including a couple of rarities the first day. Assembling in San Antonio, we packed up our gear and headed down the trail to Corpus Christi, not ap- preciative of the unexpected cold and heavy wind that greeted us. Our spirits soon rallied however when we arrived at our first stop, Choke Canyon S.P., where we were immediately greeted by the Northern Jacana that had set up winter camp there. Among more perma- nent residents we noted before leaving were Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Ladder-backed Woodpecker and Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Our second stop along the way was at the hospitable Borntrager Farm, where we made acquaintance with another aberrant winter resident, a Northern Wheatear. While scraping the mud from recent rains off our boots before leaving, we picked up some tasty homemade peanut brittle that served us well as a recurring treat during the days ahead. Having established our base camp in Corpus Christi, we started our second day with the same cold and windy weather. Piling on a few layers of clothing left us a bit better prepared as we headed for Bril Witt Park, where we obtained nice views of Upland Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew and American Golden-Plover. Birditig the Coastal Texas Brush lands Our next day continued the warming trend and found us exploring parts of Aransas NWR and areas further north, including the Guadalupe River Delta area. High- lights included an early arriving Broad-winged Hawk, Louisiana Waterthrush, a Black-throated Green War- bler (unfortunately, not the Townsend's Warbler previ- ously reported), distant views from the observation tower of a pair of Whooping Cranes, and a pretty good cheeseburger at the Cracker Barrel (not the chain) in Tivoli. Afterwards, our sightings included Mottled Duck, Great Horned Owl and with information provided by one of the locals at the restaurant, a nice- ly hovering White-tailed Kite. A warming sun greeted us next at the Botanical Gar- den, where a variety of birds were observed, including Inca and White-winged Doves, Cave Swallow, Black- chinned Hummingbird and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. Moving on to the Flans & Pat Suter Wildlife Park, we encountered numerous shorebirds, including Marbled Godwit, American Avocet & Stilt Sandpiper. Along the shore were Gull-billed Tern, Roseate Spoonbill and Reddish Egret. Our final birding stop for the day was Pollywog Pond, where our experience established it as the place to find Least Grebe (provided you can find Pollywog - not that we had any problems). While there, we also had our first encounters with Great Our distant view of the Whoopers increased our antici- pation the next morning as we boarded the 'Skimmer' out of the Rockport area. We were in fact rewarded with lengthy and close looks of the Cranes. Per infor- mation obtained from Aransas NWR and related web site searches, the lowest number of Whooping Cranes found along the Texas coast was 16 in 1941 . It was 1954 before the first nesting site was located in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territo- ries. Canada. The peak estimate for the Wood Buffalo/ Aransas flock was 270 reached during the fall of 2008. During the spring of 2009, the estimate had dropped to 247. Deaths occurring at Aransas that winter were 2 Whooping Cranes attributed to the scarcity of Blue Crabs (a prime food source) because of prolonged drought. With im- proved conditions, the March 10, 2010 flock estimate had rebounded to 263, including 17 young (21 1 of the total flock overwintered at Aransas NWR). We also obtained first looks at Neotropic Cormorant, Common Loon, lots of shorebirds and flocks of White Ibis flying by close to our boat. On the “gustatorial” side, another late lunch included a wonderful shrimp gumbo and delicious fresh, fried oysters (seafood lovers can do well here). Before finishing up the day we were able to locate White-faced Ibis plus a nicely pink-breasted Franklin's Gull amongst several Laughing Gulls lounging about at Indian Point. Our boat trip for the cranes fittingly tied into our following day’s trek out to the King Ranch, founded and developed by onetime steamboat Captain Richard King and his descendants. We successfully rendez- voused in the early morn- ing dark with the head bird wrangler for the ranch, Tom Langschied (also a research scientist associated with Texas A&M University - Kingsville). With Tom on point, we trailed further south to the No- nas Division of King Ranch where the terrain is more like that associated with the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The King Ranch consists of 825,000 acres divided into four divisions. Birding on the ranch must be done through one of their scheduled tours. In addition to bump-gating (ask someone who's been there), Tom demonstrated his obvious birding expertise while guiding us to such finds as: Green Jay, Long-billed Thrasher, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Vermilion Fly- catcher, Hooded Oriole, Greater Roadrunner, Pyrrhu- loxia, Black-crested Titmouse, Tropical Parula, Olive Sparrow, White-tailed Hawk, Sprague's Pipit, and Brewer's Blackbird, to name a few! Our successful outing was wrapped up later at a nice Mexican restau- rant, complete with a strolling Mariachi Band! Over the next two days, we hit several spots around the Corpus Christi area with some of the action as follows: Tule Lake - lots of early a.m. shorebirds and Marsh Wren; Hazel Bazemore Park - Green Kingfish- er & Swamp Sparrow; Corpus Christi Lake area - Cassin's Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow & Swainson's Hawk; Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center- lots of ducks, waders, a few shorebirds & Least Bittern; Port Aransas Wetlands Park - Bronzed Cowbird, American Pipit, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck & Horned Lark; Shell's Restaurant for yet another late lunch (group designated as best of the trip - 1 recommend the Zieg- enbach beer, purportedly only sold in Texas); Para- dise Pond- both Black & Yellow-crowned Night-Heron & Nashville Warbler; Packery Channel - Hudsonian Godwit & Sandwich Tern. After a fulfilling week of birding, it was time to head back up the trail, with a short stop again in the Choke Canyon S.P. area to pick up Fulvous Whistling-Duck, plus a bonus Black-throated Sparrow. But before turning in our saddles and bedrolls and bidding “hasta la vista” to the Lone Star State, we managed to pick up Lesser Goldfinch as well in the San Antonio area. Finally, our band of birders dined again on seafood for our last meal together where we reveled in our many enjoyable birding experiences, with some of our new- comers to Texas counting lifer numbers in the 30's & 40's. All hat and no cattle perhaps, but happy and successful birders?... you bet! Buckaroos and here's wishing future Happy Trails to Texas to all of you too! Whooping Crane Crested Caracara 3 Aiken Fall Meeting Field Trip Schedule Marion Clark Friday, September 24 Saturday, September 25 Full Day Trips Full Day Trips Trip 1 - Gum Swamp Rd & Horse Creek Water Trip 1 1 - Beaverdam Ditch & Brickyard Ponds Treatment Plant - 7:00 AM -7:00 AM Trip 2 - Stevens Creek HP & National Wild Turkey Federation HQ -7:15 AM Trip 1 2 - Wings & Things at Silver Bluff -7:15 AM Morning Half-Day Trips Morning Half-Day Trips Trip 1 3 - Fort Gordon -6:15 AM Trip 3 - Gum Swamp Road -7:15 AM Trip 14 - Phinizy Swamp - 7:30 AM Trip 4 - Phinizy Swamp - 7:45 AM Trip 15 - Aiken State Natural Area - 7:45 AM Trip 5 - Aiken State Natural Area - 8:00 AM Trip 6 - Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary -8:15 AM Trip 16 - Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary - 8:00 AM Afternoon Half-Day Trips Afternoon Half-Day Trips Trip 1 7 - Phinizy Swamp - 1 :45 PM Trip 7 - Phinizy Swamp - 1 :45 PM Trip 1 8 - Gum Swamp Rd - 2:00 PM Trip 8 - Lover’s Lane & Levee - 2:00 PM Trip 19 - Lover’s Lane & Brickyard Ponds - 2:15 PM Trip 9 - Hitchcock Woods - 2:30 PM Trip 1 0 - Brick Pond Park -2:15 PM Trip 20 - Hitchcock Woods - 2:30 PM (Continued from page 1) Did YOU KflOW? and wine, a presentation of this Audubon center's mission, and perhaps some owling as well. To reach • Silver Bluff from our hotel, go right out of the parking lot toward Aiken until you reach SC 302. Turn left on- to SC 302, bearing left in a short distance when it be- comes Silver Bluff Road. Follow SC 302/Silver Bluff • Road all the way to the sanctuary, crossing both US 278 and SC 125, then following the signs to the Visi- tor Center. The last couple of miles of this road is un- paved. • We can expect excellent local support from the Au- gusta-Aiken Audubon Society, and the town of Aiken is known for its Southern hospitality. It is the “Original • Winter Colony - Where Visitors Are Always in Sea- son.” Aiken became popular as a winter resort for golfers and horse-lovers in the late 19th century. The • spacious downtown area is full of Victorian architec- ture and lovely gardens; it is a walker's dream! • Hurry and get your arrangements and reservations made, and we'll see you there! Aiken is named for William Aiken, president of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. The town was chartered in 1835. The original designer of Aiken’s layout was Hora- tio Allen, an engineer who later helped build the Brooklyn Bridge. Some streets in downtown Aiken are still dirt. Why? To provide a softer surface for horses as they are walked between paddocks and barns! Aiken is home to the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum. Winston Churchill and Fred Astair both stayed at the historic Willcox Inn in Aiken. Aiken features more than seventy historic build- ings in three National Register Historic Districts. 4 Aiken Fall Meeting Field Trip Descriptions Trip 1: Gum Swamp Road & Horse Creek Water Treatment Plant Gum Swamp Road traverses the Savannah River swamp system on the SC side of the river. The road, which is partly paved and partly dirt, goes through hardwood and tupelo gum swamps, fields and de- ciduous woodlands. It is an excellent area in which to look for migrants. We will do this by driving and stopping to bird along the way. Bring your own lunch. At lunchtime we will drive a short distance to Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site for a picnic. There is a small store at Beech Island where you may buy something to drink. After lunch we will go to the Horse Creek Water Treatment Plant near North Au- gusta. Often there are a variety of shorebirds in one or more of the basins, and there is an interesting swamp at the entrance to the plant. An introductory safety/security talk at the visitor check-in station is given to all guests. This trip will be all driving and walking around near the vehicles. Trip 2: Stevens Creek & National Wild Turkey Federation HQ Stevens Creek is a SC Natural Heritage Preserve bet- ter known for its rich, deciduous Piedmont forest than for its birds. However, in addition to rare plants, it harbors migrating warblers and thrushes this time of year. The American Woodcock is a year around resi- dent here. Another permanent resident, Bachman's Sparrow, is possible nearby; but it is harder to locate in the fall than in the spring. We will stop for lunch at the Old Edgefield Grill (moderate prices; bring cash or credit card) en route to the headquarters of the Na- tional Wild Turkey Federation near Edgefield. After a captivating talk, and seeing six dioramas about the phenomenal restoration and management of wild tur- keys during the last half-century, we will walk one of the trails there to look for this noble gamebird and others sharing the same habitat. The driving loop is about 75 miles, with some walking at both sites. Trips 3 and 18: Gum Swamp Road This trip will explore Gum Swamp Road, as noted above under Trip 1 , but does not continue to Redcliffe or the treatment plant. Trips 4,7,14 and 17: Phinizy Swamp Phinizy Swamp Nature Park is one of the great re- sources of this area, hence four half-day trips. It is 1,150 acres of award-winning constructed wetlands, the tertiary wastewater treatment for Augusta, GA, and pristine natural swamp with miles of trails, board- walks and dikes. Look for fall songbird migrants, wading birds, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk and perhaps even a lingering Painted Bunting or Black- bellied Whistling Duck. You may also see alligators, otters and likely see many shimmering dragonflies and gorgeous butterflies, as well as viewing the splendor of these well-managed wetlands. This is a must-see! Trips 5 and 15: Aiken State Natural Area Some of the best bay-swamp habitat in the state can be loaded with migrating warblers and thrushes. The edges of the Cabin and Fishing Lakes can also be quite good. Along the 3-mile trail be on the look- out for Wild Turkey, Red-headed Woodpecker, White- eyed Vireo, Brown-headed and White-breasted Nut- hatches and Pine Warbler. Great Horned and Eastern Screech Owls might be found in the primitive camping area, although seeing one is a long shot during the daylight hours. Trips 6 and 16: Silver Bluff Audubon Center & Sanctuary Another must-see! Hundreds of Wood Storks are here in late summer, and some have stayed until Thanksgiving in the past. The draw-down of Kath- wood Ponds, which are managed for the storks, should also have a good variety of shorebirds. Rarer species like the American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and White-rumped, Baird's and Stilt Sandpipers are occasionally seen. More likely are both species of yellowlegs and Solitary, Pectoral, Spotted and Least Sandpipers. Bald Eagles often are seen. Trip 8: Lover’s Lane & Levee This trip will be a drive down Columbia Nitrogen Rd. to a swamp that is good for waders and shorebirds. Proceeding down Lover's Lane past open fields and a new part of the Brickyard Ponds, we’ll turn onto an unpaved road that goes through hardwoods, fields and swamps. From there it's up to the Augusta, GA, levee, which was built to provide flood protection from the Savannah River. Dirt was dug from the sides, creating “creeks” left and right. All of these sites are good for fall migrants. The trip is mostly by car with stops to get out and bird. 5 Aiken Fall Meeting Field Trip Descriptions Trips 9 and 20: Hitchcock Woods Hitchcock Woods is a magnificent old Longleaf and Loblolly forest of 2,252 acres right on the edge of downtown Aiken. The hilly woods are crossed by Cuthbert Branch, with bay-swamp thickets along its banks. It is the preserved Longleaf Pine-Wiregrass ecosystem of the Sandhills and is the main attraction here. All plants and animals typical of this habitat may be expected, supplemented by migrating birds. In fact the best birding is this month and next when migrant warblers can be found. The park is laced with miles of bridle and hiking trails, and a moderate amount of walking will be required. A rare treasure indeed! Trip 10: Brick Pond Park This relatively new North Augusta park reaches to the Savannah River. As to be expected, look for any number of both waterbird and songbird migrants, as well as permanent residents in this splendid mixture on this broad strip of the Sandhills. Trip 11: Beaverdam Ditch & Brickyard Ponds Beaverdam Ditch was dug to get storm water away from Augusta, GA, and into Phinizy Swamp. The trail along the ditch goes through a hardwood swamp that is excellent for fall migrants. This part of the trip will be all on foot and will take most of the morning. After lunch at a fast food restaurant (or you can bring your own), we will go to the brickyard ponds that were cre- ated when clay was removed for making bricks. We'll check both old and new ponds for birds, mostly by car. Color Marked Whimbrels Nineteen Whimbrels were banded in June at Kanuti Lake, Kanuti NWR, Alaska. These birds should be migrating south now and could show up on a beach or wetland near you! If you should see a banded Whim- brel, look for black flags with 2 white numeric-alpha characters (adult birds) or (for hatch year birds) metal and color bands ONLY above the joints. Please report sightings to: Christopher Harwood Wildlife Biologist Kanuti NWR 101 12th Ave., Room 262 Fairbanks, AK 99701 907-455-1836 Trip 12: Wings & Things At Silver Bluff See trips 6 and 16 above for a description of Silver Bluff Audubon Sanctuary, perhaps the premier birding site in the area. This trip will be for most of the day (bring lunch) and will feature creatures like butterflies and dragonflies as well as birds and all plants. A good deal of walking is to be expected, and you should pack a lunch, although soft drinks are available at the Visitor Center where we will picnic. The Satur- day evening event, remember, is also at Silver Bluff. Trip 13: Fort Gordon, Georgia The only Red-cockaded Woodpecker colony in the area is on this military reservation. Because the woodpeckers leave the colony early to forage, we must leave our hotel at 6:15 am. After viewing these birds (hopefully!), we will bird other areas of this Army post, including upland pine forests, low-lying and wet- ter sites, as well as a usually-productive pond. Trip 19: Lover’s Lane & Brickyard Ponds This trip will be a drive down Columbia Nitrogen Rd. to a swamp that is good for waders and shorebirds. Proceeding down Lover's Lane past open fields and a new part of the Brickyard Ponds, we’ll turn onto an unpaved road that goes through hardwoods, fields and swamps. Then it’s on to the brickyard ponds that were created when clay was removed for making bricks. We'll check both old and new ponds for birds, mostly by car. Help Haiti and Learn Birds! The authors of the Princeton University Press’s field guide to Haiti and the Dominican Republic have cre- ated an iPhone app on the birds of Haiti and the Do- minican Republic with all proceeds going the Haiti earthquake disaster relief effort. Check it out at: http://press.princeton.edu/bloq/2010/06/02/the-birds- of-the-dominican-republic-and-haiti-iphone-app- available-all-proceeds-qo-to-disaster-relief/ 6 Bonus Field Trip to Huntington Beach State Park, SC September 11-12, 2010 Huntington Beach State Park is one of the premier birding sites in SC. Join us to visit the varied habitats in the park (diverse wooded areas, lake and ponds, marshes, beaches and ocean, jetty). We will spend the en- tire Saturday in the park, and Sunday morning either revisiting parts of the park or visiting other nearby bird- ing spots, such as South Litchfield Beach. The latest HBSP bird checklist can be found at http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/files/State%20Parks/hbsp bird list.pdf Fee: $10 (registration fee will be refunded if cancellation before Aug. 28) Logistics: HBSP charges $5 per person entrance fee unless you have an annual State Park pass (which admits all the occupants of a vehicle at no charge). Those wishing to carpool to the park should meet at 7:45 a.m. at the north end of the parking lot of the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort (14276 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island, SC 29585) on US 17 just south of the entrance to HBSP. Otherwise, we will meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot at the east end of the causeway which passes between Mullet pond and the marsh area. Be prepared for a 3 mile round trip walk on the beach to the jetty at the northern end of the park. Bring a scope if you have one, drinks (plenty of water), snacks and a picnic lunch. Restrooms are located at several convenient places in the park. To register: To reserve a place on this trip, or for more information, contact Paul Serridge at: paulserridge@yahoo.com. Participation is limited to 14 people plus the leader. Read The Chat and the Newsletter anywhere you have Internet access! The most recent editions of the Newsletter and The Chat are online on the CBC website. Older editions of The Chat are free for anyone to download, but the CBC Newsletter and the two most recent calendar years of The Chat are available only to CBC mem- bers. All CBC members will use the same username and password to access these publications. The username is "member" and the password is "birdfun". This is a membership benefit, please don't share the password with non-members! The password will be changed from time to time, but can always be found in the most recent print edition of the Newsletter. Go to http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/newsletter to access the Newsletter, and http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/chat to access The Chat. Welcome New Members! The Carolina Bird Club extends a very warm welcome to our newest members! Angela Bagley Williamston, NC Jason Courter Liberty, SC Wade Mclnnis Moravian Falls, NC Bobby & Jenny Nicks Cary, NC Sue Skolochenko Valdese, NC Alan and Elizabeth Waters Conover, NC 7 The group in the Santa Catalina Mountains CBC Visits Arizona! In late May and early June a group of CBC’ers visited Southeastern Arizona on the “A Taste of Arizona!” bonus trip. With close to 150 species of birds seen (as well as Tiger Rattlesnake, Gila Monster, and excep- tional scenery) participants had a chance to sample the birdlife of the “Sky Islands” and enjoy the varied habitats as we birded from the Sonoran Desert lowlands to the pine-studded mountain tops. Look for a write- up of the trip in the next issue of the Newsletter. Until then, enjoy some scenes from Arizona! Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson Enjoying the Spotted Owi in Mi Her Canyon Arizona is “birder friendly”! Spotted Ow I, Miller Canyon, Huachuca Mountains Saguaro National Park CBC Aiken Fall Meeting Registration Form Name(s) Address City Day Phone Evening phone Email Fall 2010 Meeting 9/24-9/26 Meeting Registration (Member) x $20 = $ Meeting Registration (Non-member) x $25 = $ Friday Buffet Dinner (each) x $23.69= $ Total Enclosed = $ *To pre-register for field trips, place the trip number(s) in the boxes above. Club policy requires all field trip participants to comply with the field trip leader’s assessment and requests concerning the physical ability of each participant to make or complete the trip. Meeting registration at the door costs $30. I release and discharge (and will not make a claim against) Carolina Bird Club for injury, death, or property damage arising from my participation at this meeting and/or Club field trips. This release of liability is entered into on behalf of all members of my fami- ly, including all minors accompanying me. I certify that 1 am the parent or legal guardian of any such minors and that I am over 18 years of age. Signature Date Signature Date Make check payable to Carolina Bird Club and send to: CBC, 353 Montabello, Blooniingdale, IL 60108 O Please update my address or other contact information as listed above Sunday, Sept. 19 is the last date you can cancel and receive a refund of your registration fee and banquet charge. Cancel by contacting the Headquarters Secretary (contact info is on the back page of this newsletter). If you have to cancel after the refund cutoff date, please notify the Headquarters Secretary so we can give your field trip space to someone on the waiting list. State Zip Field Trip Sign-Up A.M. 1 st/2nd Choice P.M. 1 st/2nd Choice All Day 1 st/2nd Choice Friday / / / Saturday / / / • All field trips ha ve a limit to the number of partici- pants. Status of the field trips will be posted on www. caroiinabirdciub. ora. However, the status could change by the time your registration is pro- cessed, so be sure to indicate your second choic- es and check the list when you arrive at the hotel to see which trips you are on. If your first and se- cond choice trips are full, you will be contacted to make another selection. • Water and snacks are a good idea to take along on the field trips. • All trips will leave from the hotel at the times indi- cated on the schedule. • Participants will carpool from the headquarters hotel to the birding sites. If you have room in your vehicle to take old or new friends, please advise the trip leader. Similarly, if you desire to ride along with someone who is volunteering to drive, a contribution towards fuel is appropriate if driving distances are sig- nificant. • As you visit businesses around town, consider letting merchants know that you are visiting as part of the Carolina Bird Club’s meeting, and that you sup- port the conservation of Aiken’s natural areas. 9 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES Carolina Bird Club, Inc. 1809 Lakepark Drive Raleigh, NC 27612 3 9088 0 557 4262 I Ly I IVU I I O ge Paid at Bloomingdale, IL 60108 and additional mailing offices I I li ll I ll II I ll Ml II II I ll ll I ll ll I 8*i*******MlXED flOC 270 142 0/3000 SMITHSONIAN LIBRARIES NHB 25-MRC 154 BOX 37012/SERIALS WASHINGTON DC 20013 Upcoming CBC Meetings Aiken, SC September 24-26, 2010 Nags Head, NC January 28-30 2011 CBC Board Members President, Taylor Piephoff Charlotte, NC, 704-545-2314 piephofft@aol.com Vice-Presidents Dwayne Martin, Hickory, NC David McCloy, Southern Pines, NC Paul Serridge, Greenville, SC Secretary Lucy Quintilliano, Charlotte, NC Treasurer Carol Bowman, Southern Pines, NC NC Members-at-Large Ron Clark, Kings Mountain John Ennis, Leland Katherine Higgins, Mouth of Wilson, VA Skip Morgan, Manteo SC Members-at-Large Marion Clark, Lexington Don Faulkner, Easley Immediate Past President, Steve Patterson, Lancaster, SC Editor of The Chat, Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC Website Editor, Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC Editor of CBC Newsletter, Steven Shultz 4201 Sentimental Lane, Apex, NC 27539 919-779-2826, newsletter@carolinabirdclub.org Deadlines for submissions are the 15th of December, February, April, June, August, and October. Headquarters Secretary, Dana Harris, Bloomingdale, IL 630-453-8270, hq@carolinabirdclub.org CBC Website: www.carolinabirdclub.org The CBC Newsletters published bimonthly by Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Founded in 1937 the membership is open to anyone interested in birds, natural history, and conservation. Current dues are: Individual & non-profit, $25; Associate (in household with individual), $5; Student, $15; Patron, $50 and up; Sustaining & businesses, $30; Life, $400; Associate Life (in household with Life Member), $100 (both Life memberships can be paid in four annual installments). Membership dues of $25 include $4 for a subscription to CBC Newsletter and $5 for a subscription to The Chat. Cost for CBC bird checklists, including postage: 10@$2.50, 25@$6, 50@$11.75, 75@$17.75, and 100@$23.50. Submit application for membership, change of address, and payment for checklists to: CBC Headquarters Secretary, 1809 Lakepark Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612. Copyright © 2010. 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