DVOC

DVOC MEMBERS' PHOTO CONTEST DEADLINE TOMORROW, 11/30!! Please submit photos to: [email protected] Further details and rules:https://dvoc.org/activities/photo-contest/

Last chance!! Quit procrastinating! Sign up for tonight's banquet: https://dvoc.org/events/from-zero-to-9400-a-life-of-birding/ And enjoy from the comfort of your own home.

Join us for this week's virtual meeting, Oct. 15th. Members and non-members welcome! https://dvoc.org//eighty-five-years-and-counting-discover/

Don't wait! Register today for Thursday's Annual Banquet!! https://dvoc.org/events/from-zero-to-9400-a-life-of-birding/ 6:30pm Enjoy a beverage while connecting with local birders. 7pm Linda Widdop will kick off the formal portion of the event. Julian K Potter, Rosalie Edge and Witmer Stone awards will be presented to this year's winners; follow by our speaker, Peter Kaestner, a world-renowned independent birder who has spent a lifetime sharing his passion for birds with others. Along the way, he has birded in 174 eBird countries and currently holds eBird’s biggest world life list (9075). His IOC list stands at 9290 as of May 2019. Peter is also recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the first person to see a representative of every bird family in the world.

Meetings are back!! The bad news: The Academy of Natural Sciences is closed to the public so we will not be able to meet in person. The good news: We are holding DVOC meetings via Zoom! We will use our traditional format of club business followed by a presentation with a virtual Cherry Street Tavern get-together afterwards. As always, meetings are open to members and the public. This week's meeting:... The Cassatt Preserve: The Headwaters of Birding at the YMCA October 01, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Speaker: Brian Quindlen Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us//regi/tJ0odOyrrD4tGdWJC8thewI9r38xGYwpY9ec After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Presentation: The Upper Main Line YMCA in Berwyn, Pennsylvania is unlike most other YMCAs. It is situated on a 54-acre campus in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Twenty of these acres contain the Cassatt Preserve, which is part of the first conservation easement in the state of Pennsylvania. This property has a unique history for both the habitats and the people who have enjoyed it over the last century. Serving first as a summer estate, then a Norbertine monastery, and finally a YMCA, this property would eventually be home to a robust youth birding program and environmental education center. This program is a tribute to the history of the habitats, people, and birds that make this property special. Brian BQ Quindlen is an avid birder, photographer, digiscoper, and educator from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a Pennsylvania state certified K-6 elementary school teacher and K-12 environmental educator, BQ connects students with nature in a formal education setting. Outside of the classroom, BQ enjoys connecting people with nature almost as much as he loves birding itself! You can check out Birding with BQ on YouTube and Instagram! Also, BQ is the leader of the Garnet Valley Trailblazers nature program, an environmental education club and summer camp that takes students from first through twelfth grade birding. BQ has worked for over fifteen years at the Upper Main Line YMCA’s Environmental Education Complex. There he coordinated the YMCA Earth Service Corps, an environmental service-learning and leadership program for middle school and high school students. Through this program, the Y Birding program was born. Y Birding students competed in the World Series of Birding fifteen times, during which BQ was either a competitor or a coach for the Y’s decorated youth teams. Outside of youth birding, BQ is a Past President of the Birding Club of Delaware County.

They need a hand down at Heinz

Interested in hearing the latest in the world of ornithology? The seventh North American Ornithology Conference [NOAC VII] is going virtual! Here's your chance to experience discussions of scientific research in all areas involving birds. This year’s conference theme is Flight Paths Addressing Global Challenges, and has so far attracted over 1,200 attendees, including professional and amateur ornithologists, students, educators, government officials and policy-makers, researchers, and vendors. Hurry! Registration closes Friday, 7 August at 11:59 PM Eastern Time! https://naocbirds.org/registration/

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion The DVOC is committed to attracting and engaging a diverse membership as we encourage people of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientation, physical abilities, religions and beliefs and socio-economic or other backgrounds to embrace birding and nature. Racism and discrimination in America remains systemic. We see this reflected in the limited participation by people of color in our programs and birding generally. The DVOC condemns racism and all forms of discrimination. That is an easy statement to make, but more difficult to put into action. We recommit ourselves to the ongoing and sometimes difficult task of translating our words into action. Read more to see what we are doing: https://dvoc.org/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

From President Linda Widdop: Hi Members and Friends I miss you. I miss seeing everyone at the DVOC meetings. I miss the speakers and presentations. I miss voting on the minutes. I miss the local notes. I miss going to the Academy of Natural Sciences. I miss dinners at Asia on the Parkway. I miss Cherry Street Tavern. The COVID pandemic has forced us to cancel all of our spring meetings. We have scheduled a few unofficial virtual get-togethers to try to keep our club member...s in touch. It is a fun distraction from our isolated lives but not the same as our regular meetings. We had one of those virtual get-togethers scheduled for this Thursday June 4th but due to the recent events, we have decided to reschedule it for the following week. Instead, I encourage you to join a Livestream discussion Birding While Black: A Candid Conversation with Christian Cooper and Drew Lanham a 2 part event which is scheduled on Thursday. I believe that this is an important and timely discussion that should take center stage and has relevance to our club as we continue to diversify our membership and encourage birders from all ethnicities, genders and socio-economic backgrounds to embrace birding and nature. To join the event, go to tinyurl.com/blackbirders or https://www.facebook.com/events/929755667465192/. This discussion is one event in a week long BlackBirdersWeek. Until we can meet again, please stay safe and healthy. I miss you. See more

This probably goes without saying - all meetings are canceled until further notice. Check out our group page for local notes.

The DVOC Meeting for 3/19 has been CANCELLED. President Linda Widdop has this message: Looks like the pandemic caught up to us. Our speaker cancelled her trip to Philly and will be rescheduled for later date. Due to that and the fact that we should keep our distance, we have decided to cancel the meeting entirely. Sorry about this. Hopefully we can resume regular scheduling in April.... According to our historian, Bert Filemyr, the club hasn’t cancelled a meeting due to epidemic in the past. This is unprecedented. Stay safe and in good health. We need you out there birding! Migration is happening. Cowbirds at my feeder, Phoebes along the Pennypack Creek, Woodcocks displaying!

Sharing a press release from Friends of Forscythe. Our own Linda Widdop, President DVOC, will be on the panel. Linda is looking for help manning a table with DVOC literature. Panelists will discuss why bird populations continue to decline, what birds are being affected, efforts to track the remaining bird populations, the effects of bird loss on biodiversity in North America and the world, and offer actions that people can do to help stem this decline. The audience will be invited to participate by asking questions to the panelists. This informative event will take place on March 7, 2020, at the Alton Auditorium, located in the Student Center of Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Road, Galloway, NJ. Seating is limited; you can reserve your seat by going to: www.eventbrite.com (search event: Gone Missing)

Here's photos from the Annual Members' Meeting on Jan 9th. For the second year, it was held at the Discovery Center.

Tomorrow is the annual members meeting at the Discovery Center. Here's the information: https://dvoc.org/events/annual-members-meeting/

Hello all! Remember our next event is on 1/9/20. It is the Annual Members Meeting Potluck. It will be at the Discovery Center. Our speaker will be Bert Filemyr, "From the Archives: An Interesting meeting..." https://dvoc.org/events/annual-members-meeting/ Both members and non-members are welcome to attend.

5 more days until the DVOC Banquet! November 21 6:30 pm Everyone is invited - both members and non-members If you have purchased your ticket, we really look forward to seeing you there!... If you are planning on attending and you have not purchased your ticket, now is the time! The deadline for purchasing is approaching! Go to https://dvoc.org/about/committees/banquet/ If you do not wish to purchase online contact [email protected] If you are not planning on attending, why not? We hope you will rethink your decision. We would love to see you there! The DVOC Annual Banquet is a unique event in the DVOC calendar. It is a once a year opportunity to gather with old and new friends and celebrate the year. There is an enjoyable social hour before the meal featuring a pop up art exhibit and a slide show of the past year After the meal, the three major DVOC awards will be announced and presented. (Potter, Stone, and the Rosalie Edge Conservation Award). Our featured speaker this year is Jeff Gordon, President of the American Birding Association. On this the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the ABA his topic is "It’s Too Late to Stop Now: Sharing the Gospel of Birding in the 21st Century" The event is at the : Penns Landing Caterers Sheet Metal Workers International Association 1301 S Christopher Columbus Blvd Philadelphia, PA 19147 This central location is easily accessible from I95 in Philadelphia and features ample free parking. For further information contact [email protected] (And for those who remember last year, there is no snow in the forecast this year!)