2023-2024 Programs

Programs are presented at AAS Chapter Meetings (monthly on 3rd Thursday evening from 6:30 to 9:30)

Meeting location: Christ Presbyterian Church

421 Deerfield Road

Camp Hill, PA 17011

Sept 21, 2023 (Completed)

Majestic Raptors: Close Encounters with Live Birds of Prey

Join us for an unforgettable experience as we bring these majestic hunters up close and personal. Wildlife rehabilitator, Peggy Hentz, will share her passion for these magnificent creatures, sharing insights into their behaviors and the individual birds’ engaging stories.

Oct 19, 2023 (Completed)

Northern Saw-whet Owl Research Project

Join Sandy Lockerman, a licensed bird bander, to explore the northern saw-whet owl project spearheaded by the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg.  Learn some interesting facts about PA’s smallest owl, some of their biology and migration secrets, and examine discoveries made after 27 years of this nighttime banding project.

Nov 16, 2023 (Completed)

Majestic, Miraculous, Monarchs, Presented by AAS Member Lorrie Preston

Monarch butterflies are an iconic species in nature, readily identifiable to most people due to their large size and brilliant orange and black coloration.  Most of us grew up seeing them regularly in our yards and gardens.   In the last couple of decades, however, their population has experienced massive declines.  This program will cover the Monarchs' life cycle and give you specific steps to take to make your property an inviting stop over for Monarchs during the breeding or migrating seasons.  

Zach will be bringing seeds of native plants, including swamp milkweed (relevant to Lorrie's talk), to give for free and encourage other members to bring native plant seeds to share.

Nov 30, 2023 (Completed)

Climate Change and Penn’s Woods – What Does the Future Hold?

Greg Czarnecki, Director of Applied Climate Science, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

This presentation will look at the current and projected impacts of climate change globally, in the U.S., and here in Pennsylvania. We’ll also look at how one state agency, DCNR, is adapting to climate change to minimize impacts on state parks, state forests, and natural resources.

Dec 14, 2023 (Completed)

The Third Pennsylvania Bird Atlas

Sean Murphy, State Ornithologist

The First and Second Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlases provided a snapshot of the population status and distribution of birds within the Commonwealth in the years 1983-1989 and 2004-2009. No other bird surveys are as comprehensive, and for that reason, the results are critical to the establishment of conservation priorities for Pennsylvania birds. The Third Pennsylvania Bird Atlas will be conducted 20 years after the Second from 2024-2028. The Atlas will be open to all volunteer birders, regardless of skill level, primarily by using the popular “eBird” online database to record observations. It also will be the first time a Pennsylvania Bird Atlas will incorporate winter surveys in addition to breeding season surveys, which will help refine the understanding of the year-round distribution and relative abundance of Pennsylvania’s bird populations.

Join us at 6:00 p.m. (note the earlier time) for socializing, Bantam Roasters Coffee, a mini-silent auction, and refreshments. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m., followed by the program. We meet at Christ Presbyterian Church, 421 Deerfield Road, Camp Hill, PA 17011.

Jan 18, 2024 (Completed)

Butterflies for Beginners   

Charlie Smith, Cornell University

Join Charlie Smith for an introduction to some of the more frequently encountered butterflies of New York and Pennsylvania, with a few distinctive rarities included.  He will also describe some native plants (mostly) attractive to butterflies.  The PowerPoint presentation will be illustrated with many of his own photographs.

Join us *VIRTUALLY* at 6:30 p.m. for socializing. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m., followed by the program.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vd-quqz4rHN21czq7D2lcjPTQ1AFJWnvC

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Feb 15, 2024 (Completed)

Wildflower Meadows: What’s all the Buzz?

Laura Jackson

After reading Doug Tallamy’s book, “Bringing Nature Home,” in 2008, the Jacksons were inspired to grow native plants and research their many benefits to pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. That eventually led to planting about 3 acres of native wildflower meadows in fallow hay fields that were overrun with invasive plants. This presentation will illustrate various planting methods and maintenance challenges, as well as some close and surprising encounters with insects and birds found in wildflower meadows.

March 21, 2024 (Completed)

Returning the Wild to the Wilderness: Loss, Legacy, and New Opportunity

Thomas Keller, Furbearer Biologist, PA Game Commission

This presentation will focus on the history of natural resources loss in Pennsylvania, our legacy of restoration, and potential opportunity for continuing that into the next generation.  It will focus specifically on the American marten and the potential for reintroduction into the state.  The topics will include marten habitat, impact to other species, and answer the questions of why would this be considered and why now.

April 18, 2024 (Completed)

Things that go ZEEP in the night: unravelling the mysteries of nocturnal bird migration

Andy Wilson, Gettysburg College

Audio recording of flight calls provides a fascinating insight into the unseen world of mass nocturnal bird migration. In 2021, Andy Wilson recorded nocturnal migrants from his backyard in Frederick MD for the entirety of the spring and fall migration cycles. The results exceeded expectations, with almost 100,000 birds of more than 120 species recorded, including several species that are rare in western Maryland. Andy will talk about the methods used for nocturnal flight recording, and discuss some of the surprising rarities detected, and fascinating seasonal patterns shown by the commoner migrants. More recent studies in southern Pennsylvania will also be discussed.

May, 2024

Join the Appalachian Audubon Society and celebrate another successful year at our annual picnic. This event will again be at Lower Allen Park’s Fernlawn Pavilion. Stay Tuned for more details.