South Mountain Airs

The Newsletter of the South Mountain Audubon Society

August – September 2013, Volume XXXVIII #3 – The E-mail Edition

SMAS Annual Club Picnic

Please note that South Mountain Audubon has no club activities of any kind during the month of July.

Monday August 12th – Annual Picnic

The Annual SMAS picnic will be held at Ms. Laura Hershey's home, 8164 Carlisle Pike, York Springs, PA,
17372. Dinner will be at 6pm. Please bring a dish to share with other attendees. All are welcome to come at
5pm. Please bring a place setting for yourself and those in your group.
And do not forget to psych yourselves up for the “Annual SMAS Bean Bag” competition.
Directions: Northbound on US #15 at the York Springs exit, go East on PA #94, Carlisle Pike. #8164 will be on
the right shortly East of the interchange.

UPCOMING SMAS PROGRAMS & PRESENTATIONS

Unless indicated otherwise, all SMAS Programs are held at the Adams County Agricultural Resource Center,
670 Old Harrisburg Road, Gettysburg, PA at 7:30 PM. A room number for the SMAS meeting will be posted on
the front lobby entry inner door.

UPCOMING MONTHLY PROGRAMS

Monday September 9th - “Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of Reintroduction of Bald Eagles to PA”
Patti Barber, the PA Game Commission's wildlife biologist for threatened and endangered bird species, will show
a video which tells the story of the Bald Eagle in our state. She will also bring us up to date on relevant statistics
for the current season.

Ms. Barber has worked with a wide variety of birds on three continents. She received her bachelor’s degree in
biology from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut, and her master’s degree in
zoology from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Her master’s research focused on behavioral ecology issues
associated with mate guarding and paternity in Red-faced Warblers. After completing her master’s Patti worked
with federally listed Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Florida Scrub-jays on the Avon Park Bombing Range in
central Florida. Currently, Patti is the Game Commission’s wildlife biologist responsible for threatened and
endangered birds. Patti and her family reside in Schuylkill County.

Monday October 14th - “A Fledgling Experience – Inside the Nest Box”

Ms. Nancy Putt, York County Coordinator for the Bluebird Society, presents: “A Fledgling Experience” - slide
show / video “Inside The Nestbox about bluebirds, and what we can do to promote nesting success for bluebirds
and other cavity nesting birds.
Ms. Putt's interest in bluebirds started 15 years ago when she created a “Bluebird Trail”at Range End Golf
Course, the Audubon Sanctioned Golf Course where she is employed as the horticulturist. This is when she
joined up with the Bluebird Society of PA, serving currently as Secretary (and is a past President).

UPCOMING SMAS FIELD TRIPS

Contact Mike O'Brien, Field Trip Chair, as necessary for more information on all Field Trips, the annual
Christmas Bird Count and the Spring Migration Count: 717.642.6676 Res / maddogobrien@gmail.com E-mail.
Please let the Leader know in advance if you plan to attend any field trip, especially if you plan to go direct.
Trips are subject to weathering out, especially in the colder months, or otherwise being changed. In addition, if
we have only one or two known attendees, we may change, cancel or reschedule a given field trip. We cannot
alert you unless we hear from you.

Wednesday September 25th - Hawk Watch Trip – Location To Be Decided (TBD)

We will be having our traditional annual trip to see migrating raptors as usual, but we are not making a decision
on a location until we hear from interested attendees, learn how many are coming, and if there are any specific
physical requirements. We may go to the Tuscarora Ridge summit where US #30 passes over the crest of the
ridge, near McConnellsburg, PA; the Waggoner's Gap Hawkwatch where PA Rte #74 crosses the mountain
outside Carlisle, PA, or Monument Knob at Turners Gap along South Mountain in Washington County, just east
of Boonsboro, MD.

Broad-winged Hawks will still be going through at this time. Kestrels and Red-tailed Hawks should be
present in good numbers and most other raptors are possible at this time.

This is just a few weeks away, so let us know if you are interested.

We will carpool to the extent possible. Bring a chair if you wish as well as personal/food/drink items.
Bring apparel as dictated by the weather. Tentative meeting time is 8:30 AM with return in mid-afternoon.

Saturday December 14th - #114 Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) - Gettysburg Areas
All are invited and welcome to join SMAS for the 2013 CBC. This will be the 114th consecutive Christmas Bird
Count and is an example of Citizen Science at its best.
Please note the annual CBC is traditionally in lieu of a December field trip.
Please see the upcoming 4th Quarter Newsletter for complete information and details on this year's CBC.
Mark your calendars now for the #114th Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Book Review

The Handbook of Bird Photography by Varesvuo, Peltomaki & Mate

The beautiful photographs alone make this book a worthwhile purchase. This softcover book is 358 pages long
and there are stellar bird photos from around the world on almost every page.
As a novice and amateur photographer I found some of the information on the mechanics and techniques of
photography to be way above my level of understanding or ambitions, but for those who are more experienced
than I am and who have a much higher level of photographic capabilities than I do, this would be an excellent
resource.

Having said that, I would recommend this book even to a beginning nature photographer who is interested in
birds or other types of nature. Simple tips on basic photography are numerous and they include such topics as
acquiring appropriate accessories, finding productive bird photography areas, using weather issues to one’s
advantage, lighting, cropping, and focus for still and motion photographs. The book is divided into short,
interesting chapters and the read is informative as well as captivating.
While much of the book is based on the photographers’ experiences photographing in Finland, there are chapters
devoted to various places around the world including Iceland, Costa Rica, Hungary and Japan.

This review was graciously provided by Linette Mansberger, a South Mountain Audubon member and Board
Member / Secretary.