Hoffmann Bird Club

Established 1940

 

2005–2006 Officers

President – Gary Soucie                    413-458-0309

139 Woodcock Rd.

Williamstown, MA 01267

wf5f@adelphia.net

Vice President – Noreen Mole           413-442-6327

132 Sunset Street

Pittsfield, MA 01201

Smole@berkshire.rr.com

Secretary – Lucy Ketchum               413-443-9456

235 Melbourne Road

Pittsfield 01201

lucynk@rcn.com

Treasurer – Marilyn Konefal            413-499-7848

34 Elaine Drive

Pittsfield, MA 01201

Mkonefal@berkshirelife.com

Other Executive Committee Members

Kate Ryan, 528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com   
Dave St. James, 442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net
Audrey Werner, 802-823-5017,werner@vgernet.net

 

 

Club Committees   (Your participation is invited.)

Annual Dinner—Open for your participation
 (This committee chair is unoccupied at press time, awaiting a volunteer.)

Bird Conservation—Kate Ryan
(413-528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com)

Century Run—Dave St. James
 (413-442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net)

Christmas Count—Tom Collins
(413-499-2799, tcollins@nycap.rr.com)

Field Trips—Noreen Mole
(413-442-6327, Smole@berkshire.rr.com)

Hospitality—Priscilla Bailey
 (413-442-4937)

Membership— Ed Neumuth
(413-884-4961, eneumuth@berkshire.net)

Nominating—Audrey Werner
(802-823-5017, awerner@vgernet.net)

Publicity—Jody Soules
(413-528-6566, djswbcs@berkshire.net)

Refreshments—Kathy Furey (413-499-4670)

Scholarships & Awards—Ed Neumuth
(413-884-4961, eneumuth@berkshire.net)

Speakers & Programs—Gary Soucie (ex officio)
(413-458-0309, wf5f@adelphia.net)

The Big Sit!—Gael Hurley
(413-684-3512)

Youth—Sarah & Roger Reed
(413-528-3623, roger@ijest.com)

 

 

2005-2006 Hoffmann Bird Club Schedule



Meetings are held at Berkshire Life Insurance, 700 South Street, Pittsfield (499-4321), or at Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, West Mountain Road, Lenox (637-0320). Consult the schedule for the specific dates and locations. Most meetings begin at 7:00PM and are open at no charge to everyone interested in birds. Light refreshments and the listed programs are provided.

Field Trips: Times listed are departure times; please arrive a few minutes early to meet the leader(s) and car-pool when possible. Most local trips last until lunch, unless otherwise noted. For out-of-town trips, you must contact the trip leader in advance for confirmation. All participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Call the leader if you have questions. Trips scheduled later will be announced on the Hotlines.

September 2005

Sun 9/4 Hawley Bog 7:00AM
Join leader Bob Wood for this pleasant walk on the short trail through the bog in search of migrating
olive-sided flycatchers. Meet at the Creamery General Store on Route 9 in Cummington for this half-day trip. (413-384-3724, rrwood50@hotmail.com)

Fri, 9/9 Potluck & Monthly Meeting 5:30PM 
Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, 427 W. Mountain Road, Lenox 
Birding by Tape, Pro or Con?—a panel discussion with Bill Cook, Rene Laubach, Kate Ryan, Dave St. James, & HBC members in attendance.
Please bring a hot or cold dish to share. 
Beverages are provided.


Tue 9/13 South Shore Barrier Beach & Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary 5:30AM
Join the search for shorebirds, gulls, terns and other littoral migrants. All-day trip; bring lunch. Leaders: Dave St. James & Ed Neumuth. Please contact Dave (413-442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net) for more information.

Sat 9/17 Blueberry Hill Hawk Watch & Pig Roast Combined event with the Allen Bird Club. Meet Tom Collins at the Price Chopper in Lenox at 7:30AM for trip to West Granville. Bring a dish to share; nominal fee for roast. In addition to raptors overhead, the hill’s woods host migrating passerines. Please contact Chris Blagdon (413-684-1808) by 9/10 if you are attending. Contact Tom Collins for trip information (413-499-2799, tcbirder@nycap.rr.com). Rain date: Sun 9/18

Sat 9/24 Hammonassett State Beach & Bantam Lake 7:00AM
Meet at the Big Y parking lot in Great Barrington for an all-day trip to the Connecticut shore in search of migrants, with a visit to Bantam Lake for migrating waterfowl. Bring lunch and scope. Leader: Kate Ryan (413-528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com). 

October 2005

Sat 10/1 Eph’s Pond/ Hoosic River 8:00AM
This small North County area boasts several good avian micro-habitats. Leaders: Paula Wells (413-597-2342) & Juliet Flynt (413-644-9301). Meet at the Cole Athletic Fields on the Williams College campus. (If you aren’t familiar with the campus, caravan with Gary Soucie—413-458-0309, wf5f@adelphia.net—from the intersection of Routes 7 & 43 in south Williamstown at 7:45AM (Bloedel Park, across Route 7 from The Store at Five Corners).


Mon 10/3 Monthly Meeting 7:00PM
Berkshire Life Insurance, 700 South Street, Pittsfield
Penguins on Parade—An Antarctic Ecologue
Video presentation by Henry W. Art, Samuel Fessenden Clarke Professor of Biology & Director, Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College. 

Wed 10/5 Pleasant Valley Sanctuary 7:00AM
Half-day trip to Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Pleasant Valley Sanctuary in Lenox for fall migrants. Meet at Berkshire Museum. Leader: Dave St. James (413-442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net).

Sat 10/8–Sun 10/9–Mon 10/10 Cape May, NJ
Leader: Chris Blagdon. Make your reservations ASAP at the Blue Amber Motel (609-884-8266). Contact Chris for details (413-684-1808).

Sun 10/9 The Big Sit! Dawn to dusk
Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Holmes Road, Pittsfield. Coordinator: Gael Hurley (413-684-3512). Worldwide event. Count bird species that are seen or heard during the height of fall migration from a 17-foot-diameter circle. Lots of fun! Bring lunch and a chair.
(E-mail contact: Gary Soucie, wf5f@adelphia.net.)

Sat 10/15 The Meadows, Northampton 7:00AM
Some real surprises often in store in this are of the Connecticut River Valley. This is a 3/4-day trip, so bring lunch. Meet at the Allendale Shopping Center, Cheshire Road, Pittsfield. Leader: Chris Blagdon (413-684-1808). 

Sun 10/23 Moran Wildlife Mgmt. Area 7:30AM
Meet at the Moran WMA parking lot on west side of route 8A, north of Route 9. Leader: Bob Wood (413-384-3724; rrwood50@hotmail.com). 





Field-trip leaders can’t guarantee particular birds, but will show you the good spots to return to on your own.


November 2005

Sun 11/6 59th Bartlett Hendricks Memorial Waterfowl Census 7:30AM
Join the annual census of Central Berkshire lakes & wetlands! Meet at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. Bring lunch and scope. Trip ends around 3PM. Coordinator: Tom Tyning (413-499-4660, ext 295; ttyning@berkshirecc.edu).



Mon 11/7 Monthly Meeting 7:00PM Berkshire Life Insurance, 700 South Street, Pittsfield
The Christmas Bird Count: From Historical Conservation to 21st Century Citizen-Science by Geoff LeBaron, Christmas Bird Count Director, National Audubon Society.

Sat 11/12 NW Conn Waterfowl Census 9:00AM
Meet at Bartholomew’s Cobble. Bring lunch and scope. Trip ends around 2PM. Leader, Kate Ryan (413-528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com). 

Sat 11/12–Sun 11/13 Dead Creek, VT TBA
Join Audrey Werner & Brendan Collins for snow geese, rough-legged hawks, and other early wintering birds and migrants (shrikes and finches). Contact Audrey (802-823-5017, awerner@vgernet.net) for motel info and meeting place and time. 

Sat 11/19 Baldwin Hill, Prospect Lake, & Smiley’s Pond 8:00AM 
Meet at the Big Y in Great Barrington for this half-day trip. Leader: Jill Johnson (413-528-3562).

Sun 11/20 Cape Cod Bay South Shore 6:00AM
All-day trip for migrating loons, grebes, sea ducks. Bring lunch and scope. Leaders: Dave St James (413-442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net) & Ed Neumuth. Please contact Dave for more information.




December 2005

Mon 12/5 Monthly Meeting 7:00PM
Berkshire Life Insurance, 700 South Street, Pittsfield
Members’ Night & Christmas Count Details
Please bring 10 slides or digital images, and holiday sweets to share. Also, learn the details of and sign up for the Christmas Bird Counts.

Sat 12/10 Cape Ann TBA
All-day trip to search for coastal birds. Bring lunch and scope. Contact Noreen Mole (413-442-6327, Smole@
berkshire.rr.com) or Brian Faggioni (413-274-0149, faggioni@bcn.net).

Sat 12/17 Central Berkshire Christmas Count
Join a team and keep the great tradition going. For info: Tom Collins, Coordinator (413-499-2799, tcbirder@nycap.rr.com). Blizzard date: Sun 12/18

Sat 12/17 North Berkshire Christmas Count
Count Williamstown, New Ashford, North Adams, Adams, under the auspices of North Berkshire Audubon. Contact Gary Soucie (413-458-0309, wf5f@adelphia.net) or Pam Weatherbee (413-458-3538) for more information. Rain date, Sun 12/18

January/February 2006

Because of unpredictable weather and travel conditions, no Club meetings are scheduled for January & February.

Sun 1/1/06 South Berkshire Christmas Count
Join a team and welcome the New Year in winter birding. Coordinator: René Laubach, (413-637-0320, rlaubach@massaudubon.org). 


Jan/Feb Winter Specials Trip TBA
Eagles? Owls? Hawks? Snow birds? All-day? Half-day? This is a weather-dependent trip, so watch the 
E-mail Hotline or contact leader, Gary Soucie, for information (413-458-0309, wf5f@adelphia.net).

Sun 1/8 SE Mass and Buzzards Bay 5:30AM
Join leaders, Kathy Mills and Tom Collins, to search for wintering waterfowl, loons, grebes, passerines. Bring lunch and scope. If you will be coming, let Tom know (413-499-2799, tcbirder@nycap.rr.com).

Sun 1/15 South County Farm Fields 9:00AM
Meet Jill Johnson (413-528-3562) at the Big Y in Great Barrington for this half-day trip in search of horned larks, snow buntings, and other winter birds. 

TBA February Hotline Trip TBA
Watch the E-mail Hotline for details, or contact Tom Collins (413-499-2799, tcbirder@nycap.rr.com).

Sat 2/18–Sun 2/19 Winter Coastal Trip TBA
Join us for the Club’s annual full-day or overnight trip to Cape Ann, Plum Island, Salisbury Beach, Joppa Flats. Call Chris Blagdon (413-684-1808) for details.

March 2006

Winter is a-winding down! Loud sing Hooray!

Mon 3/6 Monthly Meeting 7:00PM
Berkshire Life Insurance, 700 South Street, Pittsfield
A Refuge Like None Other, a presentation by Andrew French, Project Leader, Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Sat 3/19 Leader’s Choice Trip 7:00AM
Meet Dave St. James (413-442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net) at the Berkshire Museum on South Street, Pittsfield, to search for signs of spring. If it’s happening yet in Berkshire County, Dave knows where it’s at.

April 2006

Sat 4/15 White Memorial & Bantam Lake 7:30AM
Half-day trip to Litchfield, CT, in search of early spring migrants. Be prepared for wet walking. Meet at the 
Big Y in Great Barrington. Leader, Kate Ryan (413-528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com). 

Thu 4/20 Monthly Meeting 7:00PM
Berkshire Life Insurance, 700 South Street, Pittsfield 
New Guinea’s Birds of Paradise, Wildlife, and Traditional People by Bruce Beehler, Vice President, Melanesia Program, Conservation International, Washington, DC.; author of A Naturalist in New Guinea and co-author of The Birds of Paradise and Field Guide to the Birds of New Guinea.

Fri 4/21–Sat 4/22 / Sun 4/23 Boreal Birds of the Northeast Kingdom, VT TBA
Target species include black-backed woodpecker, boreal chickadee, spruce grouse, gray jay, other boreal species. Snowshoes may or may not be advised. Contact the Lakefront Inn in Island Pond (802-723-6507, www.thelakefrontinn.com)—by early March, if possible—to reserve 1 or 2 nights, as you choose. Call leaders for other details: Audrey Werner (802-823-5017, awerner@vgernet.net) or Gary Soucie (413-458-0309, wf5f@adelphia.net).


Sat 4/22 Woodcocks in Flight 6:30PM
Meet at the Price Chopper on the Pittsfield/Lenox Road in Lenox for this early-evening trip to the Housatonic River Valley WMA on New Lenox Road near Decker Landing. Leader: Judith Butler (413-684-4151). 

Sat 4/29 Plum Island (Parker River Refuge) TBA
All-day trip to search for early coastal migrants. Bring lunch and scope. Call leader, Chris Blagdon, for details (413- 684-1808).

Sun 4/30 North County Wetland Sampler 8:00AM
Explore several of North Berkshire’s “birdy” ponds and marshes. Meet Gary Soucie (413-458-0309 or wf5f@adelphia.net) at the brick tourist-info kiosk on the east side of Route 7, about 2 miles north of Vacation Village Center or 3.25 miles north of the Mobil station in Lanesboro.



It soon may be time to take down the feeders in 
bear-problem areas. Check local laws & advisories.



May 2006



Fri 5/5 HBC Annual Meeting & Banquet 
Join fellow Hoffmann Bird Club members at the 
Cork N’ Hearth on Route 20 in Lee.
5:00 PM for cocktails; 6:00PM for dinner. 
After a brief business meeting to elect officers, enjoy Tom Tyning, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Berkshire Community College, & Bartlett Hendricks Memorial Waterfowl Census Coordinator: Berkshire Waterfowl: T Plus 60 Years and Still Counting.

And don’t forget to sign up for the 
HBC Century Run/Mass Audubon Birdathon. 
Watch your mailbox for the invitation & reservation information. Reserve early!


Sat 5/6 Clarksburg State Park 8:00AM
Explore the forests, marshes, and water’s edge of this often-overlooked natural area. Meet Paula Wells (413-597-2342) & Juliet Flynt (413-644-9301) at the park entrance on Route 8, north of North Adams, or call to caravan from Mass MoCA at 7:45AM.

Sun 5/7 Tune-up for Century Run 5:30AM

Bird Bartholomew’s Cobble & Three Mile Pond area to sharpen your skills for the upcoming Century Run/
Birdathon. Leaders: Chris Blagdon, (413-684-1808) and Brian Faggioni (413-274-0149, faggioni@bcn.net). 

Wed 5/10 Housatonic River Valley WMA 6:30AM
Meet Gael Hurley at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield (413-684-3512).


Now that hummingbirds are returning, don’t forget to take your nectar feeders inside at day’s end when overnight temps drop below 50F—especially if your feeders have perches. Hummers that drink cold nectar while perched sometimes can’t keep their wing muscles warm enough to fly, so may fall to the ground where they are easy prey. 
(Birds & Blooms last year published a reader’s photo of a torpid hummingbird hanging upside-down from the feeder, waiting for the air and its flight muscles to warm up sufficiently.)

Fri 5/12–Sat 5/13 HBC Century Run / Massachusetts Audubon Society Birdathon TBA
Sign up for one of the Century Run/Birdathon teams to join the fun and friendly competition. Details & signup sheets at the banquet and on the Club E-mail Hotline. Coordinator: Dave St. James (413-442-9876, dpstj@
bcn.net).


Fri 5/19 Mount Auburn Cemetery TBA
All-day trip to America’s first landscaped cemetery and a major stopover hot spot for spring migrants in Cambridge, MA. Bring lunch. Contact leader, Chris Blagdon (413-684-1808). 

Sat 5/20 Housatonic Valley Association Trail
& Hinsdale Flats 7:00AM
Meet at HVA trailhead on Old Dalton Road, across from Partridgefield Trading Post, approx. 1 mi north of traffic light in Hinsdale. Parking adjacent to trailhead. Leaders, Lynne Roberson (413-655-8815) and Dennis Regan (413-655-8145).

Sun 5/21 Pittsfield State Forest 6:30AM
Half-day trip to search for spring arrivals in another often-overlooked area. Meet at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. Leader: Noreen Mole (413-442-6327, Smole@berkshire.rr.com). 

Fri 5/26 River Road, Kent, CT 6:00AM
Three-quarter-day trip to a major migratory stopping place. Cerulean & worm-eating warblers are the main target species. Meet at the Lenox Price Chopper parking lot. Bring lunch. Contact leader, Noreen Mole (413-442-6327, mole@berkshire.rr.com), for more information. 

June 2006

Sat 6/3 North Lake & Katterskill Falls 7:00AM
Meet at Columbia–Greene Community College in Hudson, NY. This Greene County, NY, trip involves hiking for winter wren, Swainson’s thrush, and Canada warbler. Contact leader, Bill Cook, for driving directions and other information (518-851-3678).


Sat 6/4 Birding in New Ashford / Mount Greylock Area 7:00AM
Meet at the old Brodie Mountain Ski Resort parking area on route 7 in New Ashford for a pleasant morning woodland walk in varied habitat. Leader: Matt Kelly (413-458-3290; peace@vgernet.net).

Mon 6/5 Whip-poor-will Search 8:15PM
Meet at the Appalachian Trail parking lot off Route 23, Monterey for this evening trip. Contact Kate Ryan (413-528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com). 

Fri 6/9 HBC Picnic & Birding at Pleasant Valley
Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, 427 W. Mountain Road, Lenox
5:00PM for birding, 6:00PM for the picnic. Please bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share. Fried chicken & beverages provided by the Club. (Please call Kathy Furey at 413-499-4670, so we order enough chicken.)

Sat 6/10 East Branch, Housatonic River 9:00AM
Canoe or kayak for birds and other wildlife from Bullards Crossing, off Route 8 south of the traffic light in Hinsdale. You must supply your own boat and other equipment; life jackets are required. Sponsored by the Housatonic Valley Association. Leaders: Lynne Roberson (413-655-8815) and Dennis Regan (413-655-8145).

Sun 6/11 Tyringham Cobble 6:30AM
Half-day trip. Meet Kate Ryan (413-528-4355, DivinDucky@aol.com) at the Cobble parking lot (or at the intersection of Tyringham Road & Route 102 at 6:15AM). 



Note: The Club’s monthly meetings, suspended for the summer, resume in September. Field trips & outings continue through the summer months.


Wed 6/14 October Mountain 6:00AM
Meet Dave St. James (442-9876, dpstj@bcn.net) at McDonald’s on Route 20 in Lee for his annual trrip to October Mountain State Forest.

Sat 6/17 Adams/Cheshire Sampler 7:30AM
Meet Jim Fassell (413-743-5841) at the Allendale Shopping Center, Cheshire Road, Pittsfield, to explore the bird-rich back roads and farmlands of Adams and Cheshire. Rain date: Sun 6/18

Sat 6/24 Hancock Sampler 7:00AM
Discover off-the-beaten-path birding at the western edge of the county. Meet at the beaver pond on Whitman Road (across from Hancock Elementary School) at Route 43 in Hancock. Leader, Katharine Wiencke (413-458-1846). 



July 2006

TBA Phelps Trail Breeding Birds TBA
Short, easy trip for breeding tanagers, warblers, buntings, sparrows; longer, more strenuous climb for additional woodland warblers, thrushes, creepers, woodpeckers, others. Meet Gary Soucie & Marina Brodskaya (413-458-0309, wf5f@adelphia.net) on Sloan Road, immediately east of the Field Farm swamp (about a mile from Route 43), for carpooling (if needed) or to caravan to the limited-parking trailhead. 

August 2006

Daily 8/17–8/31 Evening Nighthawk Watch
Bring a chair, relax, and watch the migration. Meet one hour before sunset at the public gardens at 350 Williams Street, Pittsfield. Coordinators: Scott & Joan Robinson (413-637-3408).





See you next month, to kick off the Hoffmann Bird Club’s 2006–2007 birding year!