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| PGAS monthly programs are held on the second Tuesday of
each month,
September through June, in partnership with the Patuxent
Bird Club, the PG County chapter of the Maryland Ornithological
Society.
Except for the December holiday party at Watkins Regional Park and
other special events, programs are held in College Park, MD at
the College Park Airport Annex. There are no programs scheduled
in
the summer months. The formal program always begins at 7:30 pm,
but
doors open at 7:00 for informal conversation, refreshments, and
exchange
of birding news. Each program opens with brief statements from
leaders
of both clubs about upcoming events, items of interest and other club
business,
followed by the featured speaker with a question-and-answer period
afterwards.
Click on the location links below for directions and click on the
program
dates for more information about the presentations. PGAS members
are encouraged to attend monthly meetings and non-members are always
welcome. |
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Tuesday,
January 12, 2010, 7:30 pm
College Park Airport Annex, College Park, MD
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Wintering Waterfowl in Chesapeake Bay and Offshore Coastal Waters
Doug Forsell
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Doug Forsell, from the Chesapeake Bay Field Office of the US Fish and
Wildlife Service, will discuss the status and trends of wintering
waterfowl of the Chesapeake Bay; other wintering waterbirds and their
habitats in open waters of the Bay such as seaducks, loons, and
gannets; the results of recent offshore coastal surveys from New Jersey
to North Carolina; and the threats faced by offshore birds, including
sand mining, bycatch in gillnets, and wind power development.
Doug has studied migratory birds for over 35 years, 33 of those with
USFWS. He spent ten years in Alaska primarily studying the at-sea
distribution and abundance of marine birds and four years as the refuge
manager of five remote tropical Pacific islands where he censused and
studied breeding biology of 12 species of tropical seabirds and
monitored wintering green sea turtles. Since 1990, he has worked
to implement the Waterfowl Management Plan of the Chesapeake Bay
Program by interpreting waterfowl population trends, surveying
waterbirds in offshore waters, assessing the mortality of waterbirds in
anchored gillnets, modeling diving duck distributions, and identifying
and mitigating threats to birds and their habitats. Most
recently, he has completed several years of aerial winter waterbird
surveys from New Jersey through Virginia to determine the distribution
of waterbirds to 14 miles offshore and is using the data to influence
sand mining and wind power development.
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Tuesday,
February 9, 2010, 7:30 pm
College Park
Airport Annex, College Park, MD
PROGRAM
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER - WE WILL TRY TO RESCHEDULE
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Bird Studies and Other Wildlife in Argentina
Matt Perry
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Large populations of
ducks, a variety of species, and liberal hunting bag-limits make
Argentina a popular destination for both North American and
European waterfowl hunters. Information on the biology, behavior, or
management of ducks in Argentina is meager. Recent studies by
researchers at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center utilizing satellite
radio telemetry, are aimed at filling the existing information gap on
four duck species common in the hunter’s bag: the rosy-billed pochard
(Netta peposaca), white-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata),
black-bellied whistling duck (D. autmnalis), and the fulvous whistling
duck (D. bicolor). Research is conducted on a very large previously
heavily-grazed ranch that is now totally managed for wildlife. Numerous
wildlife species have benefited from the management and will be
discussed in the presentation by Dr. Matthew Perry, who is the lead US
researcher on this privately funded research project.
Directions to
the College Park
Airport Annex
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 7:30
pm
College Park Airport
Annex, College Park, MD
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The
Big Picture
George Jett
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Many hotshot birders have set out to see 300 species of birds in
Maryland in a single calendar year. In 2008, George, believing
that seeing 300 species in a year was highly overrated, set out to
photograph 300 or more species of birds in Maryland. In order to
justify the carbon footprint this effort would leave, George undertook
this challenge to raise money for the American Bird Conservancy's
efforts to protect the Blue-billed Curassow, a critically endangered
species in central Colombia. George will relate his experiences
in this quest - the trials, tribulations, successes, and failures- and
share some of his excellent photographs, many of which are field guide
quality.
George Jett is a retired chemical engineer who worked at the U.S. EPA
for 30 years, retiring in 2003. He now does volunteer
conservation work such as helping to protect the Mattawoman watershed
in Charles County, coordinating the Charles County effort during the
MDDC Breeding Bird Atlas, and consulting and collecting data for the
Audubon IBA efforts in Charles County. George has been birding
and photographing for nearly 40 years. Recent publications
include the Handbook of the Birds of the World, The Handbook of the
Mammals of the World, The Shorebirds Guide by Michael O'Brien, and
numerous others publications. His travels have taken him to many unique
parts of this globe, plus nearly every nook and cranny of
Maryland. Many of his images can be found on his website: www.georgejett.net.
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Tuesday,
April 13, 2010,
7:30
pm
College
Park Airport
Annex, College Park, MD
Warbler
ID Seminar with Slides and Sound
Mike Bowen
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Check back in the spring for more info
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 7:30
pm
College
Park Airport
Annex, College Park, MD
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Environmentally Sound Storm Water Management
Keith Underwood
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Check back in the spring for more info
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Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 7:30
pm
College
Park Airport
Annex, College Park, MD
Check back in the spring for more info
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PO Box 2598, Laurel, MD 20709-2598