Kirtland Bird Club
Cleveland, Ohio
FOUNDED 1940
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CLEVELAND LAKEFRONT WINTER BIRDING TRAIL (PDF)

Kirtland Bird Club
Meetings & Trips
2012 - 2013
Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Bird Skinning Basics

Presented by Dr. Andy Jones

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History's ornithological collection contains over 30,000 specimens. Most of the specimens are prepared as "round skins", also known as "study skins". These specimens differ from the taxidermy mounts that you see on display throughout the museum galleries. Rather than trying to capture the exact shape and posture of the living bird, the skins emphasize long-term storage (a Red-bellied Woodpecker in the collection is over 170 years old) and the capture of data that will be of interest for ornithologists. Major research in ornithology de-pends on research collections like this one.

But how does one skin a bird? Instead of giving a talk illustrated with slides, Dr. Jones will actually prepare a specimen and talk through the process. There will be a live video projection of the process onto a screen so that everyone will be able to see what is happening. Yes, there could be some guts and gore involved, but the overall process is fascinating. It has not changed much in the last few centuries, and remains an important technique in ornithology.

About Dr. Andy Jones . . .

Andy Jones, Ph.D. is the William A. and Nancy R. Klamm Endowed Chair of Ornithology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Andy was among 35 prominent American ornithologists to be named an Elective Member of the American Ornithologists' Union in 2009. After completing his Ph.D. at the famous Bell Museum of Natural History, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior of the University of Minnesota, Dr. Jones coauthored research that revised the taxonomy of the terns of the world, and is pursuing similar work on the pygmy‐owls. His work also involves the evolutionary history of birds in the Philippines and Appalachians. Andy is an editorial consultant to the Cleveland Bird Calendar, chair of the research committee at Black Swamp Bird Observatory and former editor of The Ohio Cardinal.

Guests are always welcome
 

 
Saturday, December 22, 2012 all day

Cleveland Christmas Bird Count

If you are interested in participating in this important data-collecting effort, please contact Jerry Talkington at jerry073352 AT att.net or 440-946-0063 to sign up with a group and take a specific area.

 

January

Monthly Meeting

Wednesday, January 2, 2013
7:30 p.m.

The Origin and Evolution of
Praying Mantises
Presented by Dr. Gavin Svenson

Research using DNA has revealed a complicated history of distribution and evolution within the praying mantis in-sect group. With the origin of praying mantises at the beginning of the Jurassic (most modern lineages originating during the late Cretaceous) many of the divergences appear to be associated with the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, when all the continents of the southern hemisphere were one land mass. Dr. Svenson will discuss his research that aims to create a new and accurate classification system for praying mantises that reflects true evolutionary relationships.

About Gavin . . .
As of January Dr. Gavin Svenson has been the curator of invertebrate Zoology at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Following more than 10 years of fieldwork, Svenson has amassed one of the most diverse praying mantis collections in the world. With approximately 5,000 specimens, the Museum now houses this premier praying mantis collection and it forms the core of Svenson's research efforts and plays a central role in the research endeavors of the world's praying mantis biologists.

Guests are always welcome

 

February

Monthly Meeting 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Lake Erie: Ohio’s North Coast
Presented by Jim McCormac

Lake Erie is one of Ohio's greatest natural resources. It's certainly our most conspicuous feature, and plays an enormous role in influencing the Buck-eye State's flora and fauna. But Lake Erie is only one of five Great Lakes which collectively form a massive ecosystem housing 20% of all of the fresh water on Planet Earth. That’s enough water to cover the lower 48 states to a depth of nearly 10 feet.

Although Lake Erie is the smallest of the five lakes by volume, it is probably the richest and most diverse. The lake supports a world class fishery, is of global significance to migratory birds, and plays host to numerous rare plants and animals. This program will start as a water droplet, and plunge into the Great Lakes at the upper end of Lake Superior. We’ll then take a quick and wild ride through the system and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean before returning to Lake Erie, taking a look at what makes our Great Lake so special.

About Jim...
Jim works for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, specializing in nongame wildlife diversity issues, especially birds. Prior to this current position, he was a botanist with Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He was inaugural president of the Ohio Ornithological Society and served seven years as secretary of the Ohio Bird Records Committee. Jim was the 2009 recipient of the Ludlow Griscom award, given annually by the American Birding Association to individuals who have made significant regional contributions to ornithology. He is author of Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine 2004); The Great Lakes Nature Guide (Lone Pine 2009); and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage (Kent State University Press 2009). The latter won the 2010 Ohioana Book award. Jim writes a column, Nature, for the Columbus Dispatch, and has authored or coauthored over 100 scientific and popular articles in a variety of publications.


Field Trip
Sunday February 3, 2013
Perkins Beach, Edgewater Park, Cleveland
Target Species: Gulls and Waterfowl

9:00 a.m.

Leader: Tim Krynak, naturalist at South Chagrin Nature Center, Cleveland Metroparks will
conduct this walk for KBC and Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society members.

Winter birding can be wonderful on Lake Erie. Join us at Perkins Beach. We will bird there, then follow the birds to Wendy Park and other hotspots along the west side, as weather and sightings dictate.

Directions: From east—Take I‐90 west, exit onto Rt 2 when downtown and follow Rt 2, the Shoreway, passing the first exit for Edgewater. Stay right for the Lake Rd. exit. Turn right at the end of the ramp (north). Parking is by the lake.

From west—Follow I‐90 east, exit at West 117th Street, turn north to Clifton Road, turn right (east) onto Clifton. At West Blvd turn left (north) into Edgewater Park. Look for parking on the left by the lake.

Note: There are no facilities at Edgewater in winter.

 


Page last updated on Monday December 03, 2012

 



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