Hi MD/DC Birders:
In a recent message from Bill Hubick I noted that the MDBirding Group
now consists of about 650 subscribers. This is excellent! My sense,
from some of our message threads, is that some subscribers may be
relatively new to the local birding community, and we welcome you.
I wanted to take an opportunity to provide a plug for the Maryland
Ornithological Society, the MOS. Please note that my comments are
provided from a personal standpoint, and not from any official capacity.
When my wife and I first learned about the MOS back in the 1980s (...
ahem!), a few years after we got hooked on birding, we held a vision
that the group was bunch of esoteric scientists (i.e.
"ornithologists") who were probably into arcane things such as
population dynamics research statistics and stomach contents food
studies. What later seriously piqued our interest in the organization
was when we learned that the MOS held annual conventions that
included field trips. A brochure one year held out the prospect of
heading to the convention at Wisp in Garrett County, with a chance of
seeing our first Saw-Whet Owl, which was was quite appealing. Even
though we didn't join the MOS at that time or go to that convention,
we did soon attend our first local chapter meeting (of the Anne
Arundel Bird Club) and then we joined the MOS shortly thereafter.
The point of this message is to let anyone who is not already
familiar with the MOS know that the organization, despite a possibly
highfalutin name, is not a bunch of stuffy scientist, but rather it's
just the state bird club, consisting of mostly amateur members who
are keenly interested in various facets of birds and birdwatching.
I would encourage subscribers of MDBirding to join and support the
MOS. Many of the activities that foster birding happen either at the
local chapter level, or within the standing or special committees of the MOS.
The MOS web site is here ...
http://www.mdbirds.org/index.html
Most people join the MOS and become a local chapter membership at the
same time; however, you can also join the MOS as a member-at-large
without associating with a local chapter. DC residents sometimes join
the Montgomery Chapter or as members-at-large. We also have at-large
members who want to follow what happens within the MOS, from nearby
northern Virginia and other border states.
Local chapters typically hold monthly meetings with presentations on
subjects dealing with birds, birding, and other related nature
topics. The local chapters also sponsor nearby field trips which
offer opportunities to learn about new local nature spots and also
for beginners to hone their birding skills with other members. Some
chapters have special projects that they support; for example, the
Baltimore Bird Club supports the Cylburn Mansion in Baltimore,
especially the bird specimens on display in the museum there. Most
local chapters have their own newsletters, in addition to the
statewide newsletter, The Maryland Yellowthroat.
The current local chapters (details available at links on the MOS web
site, above) are:
Allegany/Garrett Chapter
Washington County Bird Club
Frederick Bird Club
Carroll County Chapter of the MOS
The Baltimore Bird Club
The Harford Bird Club
Cecil Bird Club
Montgomery Bird Club (Montgomery County and DC)
The Howard County Bird Club
Patuxent Chapter of the MOS (Prince George's)
Anne Arundel Bird Club (Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and
St. Mary's Counties)
Kent County Chapter of the MOS (Kent and Queen Anne's Counties)
Caroline Chapter of the MOS
Talbot County Chapter of the MOS (Talbot and Dorchester Counties)
Tri-County Chater of the MOS (Somerset, Wicomico, and
Worcester Counties)
Note that if you wish, you can also join a second, or third chapter,
in addition to your "home" chapter. By the way, anyone can attend any
meeting, anytime, anywhere; and anyone can participate in any field
trip anywhere in the state (unless special attendance or RSVP
restrictions apply). Most of our bird counts (May Counts, Christmas
Bird Counts, Mid-Winter Counts, etc.) are organized at the local chapter level.
Many activities that support birding, state-wide, happen at the state
MOS level. Board of Director meetings are held quarterly with the
various Chapter and committee representatives. You can get a sense of
state-level MOS volunteer activities from the list of current committees:
Conference (i.e., Convention)
Conservation
Communications
Maryland Birdlife (our journal)
Maryland Yellowthroat (our newsletter)
MOS Website
Earthshare
Investments
Library
Long-Range Planning
MD/DC Records
Nominations
Research
Sanctuary
Scholarship
Seasonal Counts
Statewide Educational Activities
Youth Programs
Atlas
Alternate Energy
Collections
Historian
Important Bird Areas
Mailing Lists
MD Birding Trail
Nest Records
Sales/Merchandise
World Series of Birding
Some of the ongoing MOS activities working with encouraging youth
(our next generation of birders) is amazing and highly encouraging.
So, whether you would just like to join the MOS and a local chapter
to read the newsletters, or if you should later decide to participate
in local activities and take advantage of the many opportunities to
help out, we would welcome you!
Thanks for listening ...
Happy Holidays!
Phil
===================================================
Phil Davis, Secretary
MD/DC Records Committee
2549 Vale Court
Davidsonville, Maryland 21035 USA
301-261-0184
mailto:<PDavis...>
MD/DCRC Web site: http://www.MDBirds.org/mddcrc/rcindex.html
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