Category: Uncategorized

Posted on

New York State Birders Conference 2023

David Allen Sibley will be the keynote speaker for the New York State Birders Conference, hosted by Saw Mill River Audubon September 22–24, 2023, in Tarrytown, New York. This event is also the 2023 meeting of the New York State Ornithological Association, which connects the birds and birders of the Empire State through over 40 Audubon chapters and bird clubs.

Sibley will be the keynote dinner speaker on Saturday night, and Tom Stephenson, co-author of The Warbler Book, will be the Saturday afternoon workshop keynote, with a focused workshop about learning bird sounds.

The conference will be held at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel and Conference Center in Tarrytown next to the Cuomo/Tappan Zee Bridge. Registration and all details are at www.nybirders.org.

Other event highlights include:

  • Excellent morning field trips on Saturday and Sunday to key birding hotspots led by local birding leaders. Special field trips include the opportunity for a guided kayak paddle in the Croton and Hudson rivers, as well as a wheelchair-accessible field trip to the State Line Palisades Hawk Watch overlooking the Hudson River.
  • Saturday afternoon workshops on birding and photography skills, advocacy, and arts, followed by the NYSOA annual delegates meeting.
  • Birding quiz for all ages led by the NYS Young Birders Club Friday night.
  • Ornithological research paper and poster sessions. Visit www.nybirders.org/research to be considered as a presenter. Open to researchers from high school to postgraduate, with free registration provided for selected researchers.
  • Saturday night banquet with delicious food, good company, and our very special keynote speaker.

Register as soon as possible at www.nybirders.org. Field trips and workshops will be space limited and available only by online registration.  Registration rates increase on July 1.

Conference questions and inquiries may be directed to info@nybirders.org.

Posted on

NY BBA III Breeding Codes: Confirmations

By Julie Hart, Atlas Project Coordinator

What are the different categories of breeding evidence?

The atlas breeding codes fall into four categories or levels: Observed, Possible, Probable, and Confirmed. As you can tell by their names, they range from weak to strong evidence for breeding. Observed and Possible codes indicate that a bird is present, but we don’t have enough evidence to say that they are attempting to breed.

Continue reading “NY BBA III Breeding Codes: Confirmations”
Posted on

Migration from Yahoo Groups to Groups.io

Red-throated Loon, from “A History of British Birds” (1862), Smithsonian Institution

Owing to the impending changes at Yahoo Groups, we are in the process of moving our email discussion group over to Groups.io. To subscribe to the discussion group there, you’ll first need to set up a Groups.io account—all you need is your email address (any email address) and a password. Once your account is set up, find the Mearns Club group by clicking on the button below. On the page that opens up, you’ll be able to request to join the group.

Mearns Club at Groups.io

Once your request is approved, you can go to the Subscription tab and specify how you’d like to receive group messages—for example, as individual messages, a digest, or not at all if you prefer to read the messages on the website.

Anyone can join the email discussion group at Groups.io. You do not need to be a member of the Mearns Club, although we encourage you to join. We welcome new members!