The Queens County Bird Club will be meeting at 8:00 pm this Wednesday, February 19, 2020. Free admission. Refreshments will be served starting 7:30pm. Please arrive prior to the meeting start of 8pm because we cannot leave the door to this building open - you need to ring the entry bell and someone has to let you in.
QCBC is meeting at the Alley Pond Environmental Center’s “temporary” home for the next two years: 224-65 76th Ave, Oakland Gardens, NY 11364. This is in the Alley Pond Park parking lot, north of 76th Ave, east of Springfield Blvd. For a Google map: https://tinyurl.com/Alley-Pond-76th-Ave-parkg-lot <https://tinyurl.com/Alley-Pond-76th-Ave-parkg-lot> Our presentation topic is “Cupwings and Rollers, Partridges and Parrotbills: Birding Southern Asia” by Donna Schulman. Some people think the best thing about birding India and Southeast Asia are the names of the birds. Is there anything more irresistible than ‘Pygmy Cupwing’ or as charming as ‘Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush’? Well, the birds themselves. The 1,300 or so diverse species that populate southern Asia alternately amuse, fascinate, frustrate, and satisfy our nonstop thirst for the new and the fantastic. Donna toured India in 2016 and Thailand and the Malay Peninsula in 2019, both tours sponsored by the American Birding Association. Birding many of these areas can be challenging—the mountain forests are dense, the saltpans wide, and the birds tend to be secretive. Fortunately, bird photography has become a popular activity and eco-tourism a growing industry; feeding stations and ‘hides’ in the mountains, and well-run national parks allowed for good looks, vivid photographs, and wobbly video. This presentation will focus on the wonderful birds found in the very different habitats within these three countries. Of course, since we are all naturalists as well as birders, there will also be mammals (Tigers, anyone?) and other interesting creatures, hopefully giving you a taste of the rich natural resources of these countries. Donna learned how to bird with QCBC and has branched out from Queens to Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe. A librarian by trade, she reviews birding books for 10,000 Birds and Birding magazine, and has discussed “Best Birding Books of the Year” on the American Birding Association podcast three years running. Donna’s photographs have been used online and for educational purposes by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, NJ Audubon, and other organizations, including the new informational signs at Negri-Nepote Grasslands, Somerset, N.J. Her photos have been featured in Birding and Birdwatching Magazine. She is an adjunct professor at the School of Management and Labor Relations, Rutgers, and a past editor of QCBC’s News and Notes. Hope to see you Wednesday! Nancy Tognan nancy.tog...@gmail.com <mailto:nancy.tog...@gmail.com> Vice President, Queens County Bird Club See http://www.qcbirdclub.org <http://www.qcbirdclub.org/> for more information on trips, speakers, and other events. See our 'Birding Maps & Locations' page for directions to and info about many local birding hotspots * QCBC is a tax exempt, charitable organization {501c3}. * -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
