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Minutes of
Meetings
of Northeast Texas Field Ornithologists
Minutes NETFO Meeting, May 4, 2016, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United
Methodist Church in Longview Wednesday, May 4, 2016. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Fourteen members and one visitor attended.
Edmund welcomed everyone and then called for new or old business. There was
no business to be discussed. He then introduced David Brotherton.
Brotherton discussed “special” birds seen in the NETFO area during the April
migration. He then asked the members to share the “special” birds they had
seen during the recent migration period.
Next Brotherton introduced Happy King, NETFO member, who presented the
evening’s program on Sri Lanka, “Resplendent Island”. King recently travel
to Sri Lanka on a birding tour. She shared the details of her adventure
using her own pictures and pictures taken by Sam Woods, Tropical Birding
Guide. King’s informative presentation showed us not only the birds of Sri
Lanka but also interesting cultural and historical sites. Also pictures of
the wildlife she saw on this exciting trip.
The next NETFO meeting will be in September, 2016. Brotherton will send
details about this meeting at a later date via email.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, April 6, 2016, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United
Methodist Church in Longview Wednesday, April 6, 2016. We had ten
people attending.
David Brotherton talked about the recent field trip to Camp, Titus, and Red
River counties to find American Golden Plovers (which were located).
But the bird of the day was probably Crested Caracaras (several sightings).
Brotherton then showed a powerpoint on what birds to expect on which weeks
on a spring High Island trip, along with stats on what to expect.
Happy King gave a teaser on her presentation for next month from her trip to
Sri Lanka.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary, was not in attendance at this meeting, so
these minutes were compiled from notes reported by David Brotherton.
Minutes NETFO Meeting, March 2, 2016, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United
Methodist Church in Longview Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Mark Edmund,
President, presided and welcomed everyone. Fifteen members and one visitor
attended.
Next Wanda Bosmans, member, read a thank-you note from S.N.I.P. Pets. The
club donated to this organization in memory of Hazel Bluhm.
Edmund then shared a request from the Cypress Basin Texas Master Naturalists
that the monthly bird reports be posted to their website. Edmund asked the
members if there were any objections to posting the monthly bird reports.
There were no objections. Dorothy Metzler, member, asked if the
organization should consider that this website also host the NETFO website.
It was decided that Metzler would check with the organization and report
back to NETFO at the April meeting.
Next Edmund introduced David Brotherton who presented an interesting and
informative program about “What’s Coming in March.” Brotherton reviewed a
few of the birds expected to arrive in March and the dates they might arrive
based on stats for the last five years. Next he asked members to list 10
additional species typically arriving in March. After these lists were
discussed a calendar was presented to members listing the most species
arriving in March.
The next NETFO meeting will be April 6, 2016. At this meeting Brotherton
will discuss “What To See In High Island during April."
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, February 3, 2016, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United
Methodist Church in Longview Wednesday, February 3, 2016. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Sixteen members attended with three visitors.
Edmund welcomed all present and introduced the visitors. Edmund announced
the upcoming field trips and asked if there was any business to discuss.
There was no new business.
Next Edmund introduced David Brotherton who presented an interesting and
informative program. First Brotherton reviewed some “neat” January birds
spotted on different occasions last month. Next he reviewed the most common
sparrows found in the NETFO area. Using photos and sound notes he described
these sparrow species, where they could be most likely found and the call
notes of each species. Next he had the group play a game ranking the
sparrows from least to the most common. Barbara Cavin won with the most
complete list. Brotherton presented Cavin with a prize, “The Birding
Brothertons’ Calendar”.
The next NETFO meeting will be March 2, 2016. At this meeting Brotherton
will discuss “What’s Coming in March”.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, January 5, 2016, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United
Methodist Church in Longview Tuesday, January 5, 2016. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Ten members attended with one visitor.
Edmund stated that the first order of business was to elect officers for the
2016 year. Edmund had contacted the current officers and each one had
agreed to serve for the 2016 year. He presented this slate for approval.
Motion was made by Luanne Brotherton to elect the slate as presented. Peggy
Harding seconded the motion. The motion was approved by unanimous vote of
all members present. The officers for 2016 are:
-
Mark Edmund, President
-
David Brotherton, Vice-President
-
Wanda Bosmans, Secretary
-
Gene Peiter, Treasurer
-
Bob Metzler, Member-at-Large
In other business Gene Peiter discussed the membership dues for this year.
Since the organization did not meet on a regular basis the previous year he
suggested that we not charge dues for the 2016 year. David Brotherton made
a motion that the membership dues be waived for the 2016 year. Peiter
seconded the motion. The motion was approved by unanimous vote of all
members present.
Next David Brotherton presented a proposal that the organization change the
day that the organization meets. Last year it had been decided not to meet
on a regular basis and have only two scheduled meetings a year - one in
December and one in January. Brotherton suggested that we should start
regular meetings again to help keep and build our organization. He
volunteered to provide the programs for the meeting in 2016 if the club
agreed to meet on the first Wednesday instead of the first Tuesday. A
motion to change the day the organization meets from the first Tuesday to
the first Wednesday was made by Bosmans. Harding seconded the motion. The
motion was approved by unanimous vote of all members present. The
organization will now meet on the first Wednesday of the months of February
- May and then September - December.
Next Bosmans presented a motion to make a donation to a local pet rescue
organization in memory of a long-time member, Hazel Bluhm, who died in
April. Edmund suggested that the donation be $75.00. The motion was
seconded by Luanne Brotherton and approved by unanimous vote of all members
present.
Next Edmund announced the upcoming field trips and then introduced David
Brotherton who presented the program giving the results and highlights of
the Christmas Bird Counts. The totals for the counts were:
LOP -- 99 species; Tenaha -- 92 species; Longview -- 108 species.
The next NETFO meeting will be February 3, 2016. David Brotherton will
provide a program on sparrow identification.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, January 6, 2015, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United
Methodist Church in Longview Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Eight members attended with two visitors.
Edmund announced the upcoming
field trips and asked if there was any business to discuss. There was no
new business.
Next Edmund introduced David
Brotherton who presented the program giving the results and highlights of
the Christmas Bird Counts.
The next NETFO meeting will be
December 1, 2015. At this meeting we will plan and organize the Christmas
Bird Counts.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Note: The December 2015 meeting was cancelled, and the Christmas Bird Counts
were organized by email and telephone.
Minutes NETFO Meeting, December 2, 2014, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was
held at the Greggton United Methodist Church in Longview Tuesday, December
2, 2014. Mark Edmund, President, presided. Ten members attended.
Edmund announced the dates for this year’s
Christmas Bird Counts. The dates for the Christmas Bird Counts are:
-
Tyler -- Saturday December 20,
2014
-
LOP -- Saturday December 27, 2014
-
Tenaha -- Thursday January 1, 2015
-
Longview -- Saturday January 3,
2015
Edmund asked for volunteers to help with the
Tyler Christmas Bird Count. Anyone interested should contact Peter Barnes,
Tyler CBC director.
Next Edmund led discussions to plan and
schedule the Christmas Bird Counts for the LOP, Tenaha and Longview CBCs. A
list of counts and their participants will be emailed as soon as completed.
The next NETFO meeting will be January 6,
2015. David Brotherton will discuss and review the Christmas Bird Counts.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, November 4, 2014, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Mark Edmund, President, presided.
Ten members attended.
Edmund reminded
everyone about upcoming field trips and announced the dates for this year’s
Christmas Bird Counts. The dates for the Christmas Bird Counts are:
- Tyler --
Saturday December 20, 2014
- LOP --
Saturday December 27, 2014
- Tenaha --
Thursday January 1, 2015
- Longview --
Saturday January 3, 2015
Next Edmund
opened up the meeting to discuss the future direction of the NETFO Club.
Edmund suggested that the club should be less focused on monthly meetings
and more focused on field trips and field activities.
After some
discussion, Edmund proposed that NETFO will conduct three field trips (one
in the fall and two in the spring and have two (2) regularly scheduled
meetings in December and January each year. It was also noted that meetings
could be called and scheduled as needed. This motion was seconded by David
Weaver and approved by unanimous vote of the members present.
A motion made
by Bob Metzler and seconded by David Weaver stated that Article IV Section 2
of the NETFO Constitution would now reflect that the regular December
meeting shall be designated as the annual meeting of the general
membership, and shall be for the purpose of electing officers, receiving
reports of officers and committees, and for any other necessary business.
This motion was approved unanimously by the members.
In other
business the current slate of officers were asked by Edmund to serve for the
next year. David Weaver presented a motion that these officers should be
elected for the 2015 term. Candi Troop seconded the motion. The officers
were elected with a unanimous vote by the members present. The 2015 NETFO
officers are:
-
President –
Mark Edmund
-
Vice
President – David Brotherton
-
Secretary –
Wanda Bosmans
-
Treasurer –
Gene Peiter
-
Director-at-Large – Bob Metzler
The next NETFO
meeting will be December 2, 2014. At this meeting the Christmas Bird
Counts will be planned and organized.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
NETFO meetings for September and October 2014 were cancelled.
NETFO held no meetings during June,
July, and August 2014, due to our regular summer break.
NETFO meetings for April and May 2014 were cancelled.
Minutes NETFO Meeting, March 4,
2014, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Mark Edmund, President, presided.
Twelve members were in attendance.
First, Wanda
Bosmans, member, revealed the results of the “Bird Scavenger Hunt.”
Seven members participated and David Weaver won with 23 species.
Next, Edmund
called for any old or new business. There was no business to discuss.
Edmund then
introduced Peter Barnes, NETFO member, who presented the program. Barnes
recently took a birding tour to Uganda. Uganda has approximately 1000
species of birds. Barnes was able to see about half of these species.
Using a map of Uganda, photographs, and videos, Barnes took the group on a
virtual tour of his recent trip. He also shared photos and details of his
visit with the mountain gorillas of Uganda. This was a very informative,
interesting, and entertaining program.
Edmund
announced that the next NETFO meeting will be April 1.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, February 4,
2014, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, February 4, 2014. Mark Edmund, President,
presided. Twelve members were in attendance.
Edmund called
for any old or new business. Gene Peiter, NETFO Treasurer, gave the
end-of-year financial report for the club.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO member, went over details for a “Bird Scavenger Hunt” planned for the
month of February with results to be announced at the March meeting.
Next Bob
Metzler, NETFO member, handed out 2014 calendars to everyone in attendance.
The calendars were made by Metzler using his great birding photographs.
David
Brotherton, NETFO member, announced plans for a field trip in Camp County on
Saturday, February 15.
There was no
other business to discuss so Edmund introduced David and Luanne Brotherton,
NETFO members, who presented the program. David and Luanne recently became
members of the TOS Century Club. Members in this small group have
identified 100 species of birds in 100 Texas counties. David and Luanne
told about the adventures they had while completing this task. This
was a very informative and entertaining program.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, January 7,
2014, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, January 7, 2014. Mark Edmund, President,
presided. Eleven members with 2 visitors were in attendance.
Edmund called
for any old or new business. There was no business to discuss.
Next Edmund
turned the program over to David Brotherton, NETFO member, who went over the
results for the Longview, Lake O’ The Pines and the Lake Murvaul Christmas
Bird Counts. Brotherton noted that the Caddo Warm-up Christmas count was
cancelled due to inclement weather. He also noted that the Longview count
was moved from Saturday to Sunday, December 15, due to rain. Brotherton
discussed the high and low numbers in each count. He also gave the
highlights of several other CBC’s in our area.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, December 3,
2013, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Mark Edmund, President, presided.
Fifteen members were in attendance plus two visitors.
Edmund
introduced D. D. Currie, member of the TOS Board of Directors. Currie asked
that the NETFO and/or the Tyler Audubon consider hosting a TOS weekend in
2014 or 2015. She suggested that the weekend be limited to two days with
TOS handling many of the details such as registration, rooms and any
necessary meetings. Currie wanted leaders from the local organizations to
plan and lead at least six (6) field trips for TOS members. There was some
discussion at the meeting but Currie asked that the group think about the
idea and discuss it in more details at future meetings. Currie will be the
contact person for more information or details and she will answer any
additional questions that the group may have.
Next Edmund
turned the program over to David Brotherton, NETFO member, who finalized the
plans for the December Christmas Bird Counts. The dates for the counts are:
The 20th
& last Caddo Lake Warm-up count on Saturday December 7th.
The 25th Annual
Longview Count on Saturday December 14th
The 37th Annual
Lake O' The Pines Count on Saturday December 21st
The 33rd Annual
Lake Murvaul Count on Wednesday January 1st.
Next Edmund
presented a slate of officers to be considered for next year. The officers
are:
President – Mark Edmund
Vice
President – David Brotherton
Secretary – Wanda Bosmans
Treasurer – Gene Peiter
Director-at-Large – Bob Metzler.
A motion was
made by Bob Metzler and seconded by David Weaver to accept the slate as
nominated. The officers were elected by a unanimous vote by the members
present.
There was no
additional business to discuss.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, November 5,
2013, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was
held at the Greggton United Methodist Church in Longview Tuesday, November
5, 2013. Mark Edmund, President, presided. Twelve members were in
attendance.
Edmund reminded everyone about upcoming field
trips and announced that the next NETFO meeting will be December 2, 2013, at
which time the Christmas Bird Counts will be planned. The dates for the
counts are:
The 20th
& last Caddo Lake Warm-up count on Saturday, December 7th.
The 25th Annual
Longview Count on Saturday, December 14th
The 37th Annual
Lake O' The Pines Count on Saturday, December 21st
The 33rd Annual
Lake Murvaul Count on Wednesday, January 1st.
Then Edmund called upon Dorothy Metzler, NETFO
Member, to discuss and plan the 20th Caddo Lake Christmas Warm-up
Count, and she handed out tally sheets to participants.
Next Edmund presented a slate of officers to be
considered for vote at the December meeting. The officers are:
President – Mark Edmund
Vice President – David
Brotherton
Secretary – Wanda Bosmans
Treasurer – Gene Peitner
Director-at-Large – Bob
Metzler.
There was no additional business to discuss.
Due to technical difficulties, the program
about duck identification was postponed until the December meeting.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes of NETFO Meeting, October 1, 2013, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was
held at the Greggton United Methodist Church in Longview Tuesday, October 1,
2013. Mark Edmund, President, presided. Nine members plus two visitors
were in attendance.
Edmund reminded everyone about upcoming field
trips and said the next NETFO meeting will be November 5, 2013. There
was no business to discuss.
Mike Dillon, NETFO member, reported on the Hawk
Watch on Saturday, September 28.
Next Edmund introduced Dillon who presented the
program, titled “Birds ‘n’ Stuff: 60 to 0.” Dillon discussed how you can
easily do some birding driving down the highway at 60 miles an hour. Using
pictures, he showed other things such as dragonflies,
moths, grasshoppers, plants and trees that can be seen and photographed when
you start slowing down to 0. Dillon showed that birders not only look for
just birds, but also observe the world of nature around them.
Meeting adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Instead of our regular September meeting (which
would have fallen on the day after Labor Day), we had a field trip on
Saturday, September 7, to Mason Lake at Eastman Chemical.
Minutes of NETFO Meeting, May 7, 2013, Longview, Texas
For the final
meeting before our summer break we gathered on Tuesday May 7th at
Eastman Chemical's Mason Lake. Nine birders enjoyed a cool breeze, a
beautiful sunset and good birding during the field trip to the Mason Lake
area. We spotted 25 species (list follows) with the highlights being
the great views of Gray Catbird, Anhinga and Common Nighthawk. We very much
appreciate Eastman Chemical Company allowing us to visit their property.
This ends our
regular meetings for 2012-2013. We'll take the summer off and resume club
meetings in September. I hope everyone enjoys good birding during the
summer.
1. Anhinga (7)
2. Gray Catbird (2)
3. Northern Cardinal
4. Pied-bill Grebe (6)
5. Red-wing Blackbird (6)
6. Great Egret
7. Eastern Kingbird (3)
8. Wood Duck (7)
9. Pileated Woodpecker
10. Barn Swallow (12)
11. Prothonotary Warbler
12. Blue-wing Teal (15)
13. Great-tailed Grackle (6)
14. Great Blue Heron
15. Mourning Dove (2)
16. Orchard Oriole (2)
17. Gadwall (2)
18. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
19. Tree Swallow
20. Coot
21. Green Heron (4)
22. Barred Owl
23. Common Nighthawk (3)
24. Indigo Bunting
25. Scissortail Flycatcher (3)
Mark A. Edmund,
NETFO President
Minutes of NETFO Meeting, April 2, 2013, Greggton United
Methodist Church, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Mark Edmund, President, presided. Nine
members were in attendance.
Edmund reminded
everyone about upcoming field trips and said the next NETFO meeting will be
May 7, 2013. There was no business to discuss.
Next Edmund
opened up a discussion on some books which he received for Christmas from
his daughters. He gave a brief review of each book and then passed the
books around for members to examine.
The first book,
The Bedside Book of Birds:
An Avian Miscellany, by Graeme Gibson,
is a beautifully illustrated book that uses poems, folk tales,
parables, and legends to show birds through the centuries.
The second book, Avian Architecture: How
Birds Design, Engineer, and Build, by Peter Goodfellow, describes
how birds around the world design, engineer, and build their nests
spotlighting their unique engineering techniques. This book is filled
with many pictures and descriptions.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes of NETFO Meeting, March 5, 2013, Greggton United
Methodist Church, Longview, Texas
The regularly
scheduled meeting of NETFO was held at the Greggton United Methodist Church
in Longview Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Mark Edmund, President, presided.
Thirteen members and one visitor, Darrell Wilson, attended.
Edmund reminded
everyone about upcoming field trips and said the next NETFO meeting will be
April 2, 2013.
Next Luanne
Brotherton gave a short presentation on the upcoming Texas Birding Classic,
April 15 – May 15, 2013. She encouraged members to get a team together and
enter this event. Additional information and applications can be found
at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.
Next Edmund
discussed a project that NETFO could do by writing area birders identified
as E-Bird users informing them about our NETFO organization and inviting
them to our meetings. Bob Metzler offered a motion stating that the club
should mail out these invitations. David Weaver seconded the motion. The
motion was approved unanimously by the members. Gene Peiter asked that
information about the club be placed in the Longview Public Library. All
members present agreed this should be done, and Edmund said he would check
with the library.
Last, Bob
Metzler reviewed his 2012 “ABA Big Year” of birding. He told about all the
travel involved, showed pictures of many of 632 species he saw during this
year, and told about some of the interesting adventures and misadventures he
had during this full year of birding. This presentation made all the
members present wish that they could do this adventure.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, February
5,
2013, Greggton United Methodist
Church,
Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was
held at Greggton United Methodist
Church in Longview Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Mark Edmund, President,
presided. Eleven members attended.
First item of
business Gene Peiter, Treasurer, presented the NETFO Financial Statement for
the 2012 year. He stated the ending balance for December 2012 was
$2538.10.
Edmund
announced that the next scheduled meeting is March 5, 2013. Bob Metzler
offered to present the program for March on his “Big Year” of birding.
Edmund reminded
everyone about upcoming field trips and the Great Backyard Bird Count
February 15 – 18. He reminded members about NETFO’s possible participation
in the Tyler State Park’s International Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, May
11. NETFO has been asked to help with morning bird walks and setting up a
booth to provide information about our club. Final details about this
project will be discussed in the March meeting.
Edmund
discussed that the Greggton United Methodist Church’s Trustees had
tentatively agreed to allow NETFO to use the Community Room for an annual
donation of $100. Edmund said the trustees will meet later in February and
formally approve this arrangement. Vera Garlough presented a motion that
the organization use this facility with this financial agreement. The
motion was seconded by Wanda Bosmans. The motion passed with a majority of
the members present voting for this arrangement.
Last, Mike
Dillon presented the video “Bombs to Birds”. This is a documentary that
tells the story of the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant which is located on
the shores of Caddo Lake. This documentary shows how this plant was
transformed into the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge plus a look to the
future with problems that still need attention.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, January 8,
2013, Greggton United Methodist
Church,
Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was
held at Greggton United Methodist Church in Longview Tuesday, January 8, 2013.
Mark Edmund, President, presided. Thirteen members with one visitor
attended.
Several
business items were discussed. First, Edmund presented a list of current
NETFO members and asked the members present to verify or update their
information on the list. Next, Edmund presented a slate of officers for the
2013. The slate included: President - Mark Edmund, Vice President – David
Brotherton, Secretary – Wanda Bosmans, Treasurer – Gene Peiter, and
Director-at-Large – Bob Metzler. Ray Berry presented a motion to approve
this slate of officers for 2013. Mike Dillon seconded the motion. The
motion was approved by all members present. There was no other business to
discuss.
Edmund
announced that the next scheduled meeting is February 5, 2013. The
place for the meeting will be announced via email. At the next meeting Mike
Dillion will present the video “Bombs to Birds” about the conversion
of Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant to the Caddo Lake National Wildlife
Refuge.
Edmund reminded
everyone about upcoming field trips and encouraged members for suggestions
for future field trips including a possible Birding Scavenger Hunt. He
discussed NETFO’s possible participation in the Tyler State Park’s
International Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, May 11. NETFO has been asked to
help with morning bird walks and setting up a booth to provide information
about our club. Final details about this project will be discussed in
future meetings.
Edmund also
provided a list of upcoming Birding Festivals for Texas and the surrounding
states. Also, he encouraged members to participate in the Great Backyard
Bird Count February 15 – 18.
Bob Metzler
showed the members a beautiful calendar he had made using his own
photographs of local birds. He offered to make calendars for anyone
wanting to have a copy for $15. Orders were placed after meeting.
Last, David
Brotherton discussed the results of the Christmas Bird Counts including the
Lake O’ Pines, Longview and Murvaul CBC.
Meeting
adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, December
4,
2012, SeeSaw Children's Place,
Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting of NETFO was
held at the SeeSaw Building in Longview Tuesday, December 4, 2012. Mark
Edmund, President, presided. Thirteen members attended.
Several business items were discussed.
First, Edmund announced that a slate of officers for next year would be
presented at the January meeting for approval. Next, he presented a motion
that the Greggton United Methodist Church would become our organization’s
new meeting site. Dorothy Metzler seconded the motion. The motion was
presented for vote and the motion was approved by the members. A motion
was made by David Weaver and seconded by Bob Metzler to make a $200 donation
to the SeeSaw Children's Place for allowing us the use of their building.
The motion was approved by the members.
Edmund announced that since the next
scheduled meeting was January 1, and this is the day scheduled for the
Lake Murvaul Christmas Bird Count, that the January meeting will be moved to
January 8, 2013. Edmund reminded everyone about the upcoming
field trips and the dates of the other Christmas Bird Counts.
Next, Dorothy Metzler discussed the results
of the Caddo Lake Warm-up Count that was held on Saturday, December 1. Metzler
stated that there were 20
participants and that the bird numbers were quite low overall, and many that
we usually find were completely absent this year. She said that the species
total was only 99, the lowest species count since 1994.
There was not a scheduled program for the
evening. In place of the program David Brotherton went over the assignments
and territories for each of the the upcoming Christmas Bird Counts.
The next NETFO meeting is January 8, 2013.
At this meeting David Brotherton will discuss all the Christmas Bird Counts
and talk about the number of species found and any unusual sightings. Also
at this time we will discuss programs for next year’s meetings.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, November
6,
2012, SeeSaw Children's Place,
Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting
of NETFO was held at the SeeSaw
Building in Longview Tuesday,
November 6, 2012. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Six
members attended.
There were several business
items discussed. First, Edmund
announced that a slate of
officers for next year would be
presented at the December
meeting for approval. He also
announced that our
vice-president, Linda Price, had
resigned this office. Next, he
talked about the fact that the
Greggton United Methodist Church
had offered our organization a
room for our meetings. It was
decided that this will be
discussed in more detail at the
December meeting.
Edmund reminded everyone about
the Caddo Warm-up CBC slated on
Dec 1. He announced the
upcoming field trips and also
announced the dates of the other
Christmas Bird Counts.
Lake O’ Pines CBC – Saturday,
Dec 15, 2012
Longview CBC – Saturday,
December 22, 2012
Murvaul CBC – Saturday, January
1, 2013
Tyler Audubon CBC – Saturday,
January 5, 2013
Mike Dillon announced that the
IBA (Important
Bird Areas)
survey was almost complete at
Wright Patman and that he and
others on the team plan to start
gathering data at the Lake O’
Pines in January hoping to make
this area also an IBA.
Edmund introduced the program
for the evening. He showed a
video entitled “A Murder of
Crows”. This was a very
interesting, informative and
entertaining video.
The next NETFO meeting is
December 4, 2012. At this
meeting we will organize and
discuss the upcoming bird
counts. Also at this time we
will discuss programs for next
year’s meetings.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, October 2,
2012, SeeSaw Children's Place,
Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting
of NETFO was held at the SeeSaw
Building in Longview Tuesday,
October 2, 2012. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Fifteen
members and guests attended.
There were no business items to
discuss. Edmund announced the
dates of the Christmas Bird
Counts. The dates are:
Caddo Warm-up CBC – Saturday,
December 1, 2012
Lake O’ Pines CBC – Saturday,
Dec 15, 2012
Longview CBC – Saturday,
December 22, 2012
Murvaul CBC – Saturday, January
1, 2013
Tyler Audubon CBC – Saturday,
January 5, 2013
Dorothy Metzler discussed plans
for the Caddo count. Explaining
about the “warm-up count” and
asking for participates to sign
up for the count. Metzler
issued maps and the count lists
to those planning to
participate.
Next Edmund introduced the
speaker for the evening, Cliff
Shackelford. Shackelford is a
Nongame Ornithologist with Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department in
Nacogdoches, Texas. His topic
for the evening was "Who Gives a
Hoot: The Owls of East Texas."
First Shackelford told about
three ways to help conservation
in the state. These are:
Buy Texas Parks and Wildlife
Conservation specialty license
plates – Horned Lizard,
Purchase a Duck Stamp,
Donate time and money to at
least one conservation group.
Next Shackelford discussed myths
and facts about owls. There are
over 200 species of owls in the
world. Discussing a few of
these he went on to discuss the
United States’ species and then
the owls we should see in our
local east Texas area.
Shackelford went over the size,
habitat and hunting strategies
of these local owls. He also
played tape recording of their
calls. Shakleford gave a very
interesting and informative
program.
After a question and answer
session, the meeting was
adjourned.
The next NETFO meeting is
November 6, 2012 and the program
will be announced later.
Wanda Bosmans,
NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, May 1,
2012, SeeSaw Children's Place,
Longview, Texas
The May 1 meeting was held at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Six
members attended.
Mark reviewed the field trips
planned for May and reminded
everyone that this was our last
meeting before our regular
summer break.
After a short discussion it was
decided to skip our September 4
meeting and instead have a field trip on
September 8. Plans
were made to meet at 6:00 pm on Saturday,
September 8, at the Iron Bridge
on Tally Road.
Mark said he would email us
directions to the Iron Bridge
area. Linda Price discussed
potential programs for our
upcoming fall and winter
meetings. There being no
further business, Mark showed
Linda Price's
DVD on "Watching Warblers" by
Michael Male and Judy Freith.
This excellent video presented
the songs and
breeding habits and habitats of the warblers
of Eastern North America.
The meeting was adjourned.
Minutes submitted by Dorothy
Metzler.
Minutes NETFO Meeting, April 3,
2012, SeeSaw Children's Place,
Longview, Texas
Our April meeting was cancelled
due to the imminent threat of
severe weather.
Minutes NETFO Meeting, March 6,
2012, SeeSaw Children's Place,
Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting
of NETFO was held at the SeeSaw
Building in Longview Tuesday,
March 6, 2012. Linda Price,
Vice- President, presided. Ten
members attended.
There was an announcement about
a trip to Red Slough in April.
There was a short discussion
about this trip; trip plans will
be finalized at a later date.
Next Price introduced Peter
Barnes, NETFO member, who
presented a program on his
recent trip to Bhutan. Barnes
gave many interesting facts
about the demographics of this
country. One point about the
GNP versus the GNH factor led
for more discussion. The GNH
stands for Gross National
Happiness. Barnes used a
power-point presentation to show
pictures taken during this trip
of the landscapes, the people of
Bhutan and most important, the
beautiful birds he saw there.
There were no further
announcements or business.
Price will present the program
at the next meeting on Tuesday,
April 3, 2012.
The meeting was adjourned.
Wanda Bosmans, NETFO Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, February
7,
2012,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting
of NETFO was held at the SeeSaw
Building in Longview Tuesday,
February 7, 2012. Linda Price,
Vice-President, presided. Eight
members attended.
There was a short discussion
about some recent bird sightings
and field trips.
Next Price called for any new or
old business. Gene Peiter,
Treasurer, presented the NETFO 2011
Financial Statement. He noted
that the expenditures for the
year were only $10.00 short of
the income from membership dues
leaving a balance of $2413.00 on
December 31. 2011.
There was no other business to
discuss. Then Price introduced
Mike Dillon, NETFO member, who
presented a program on the
Important Bird Areas Program (IBA).
Dillon talked about the fact
that IBA is a global effort to
identify and conserve areas that
are not only vital to birds but
also to plants and animals.
Dillon discussed the need for
IBA. There are currently 32 in
the state of Texas but not any
in our immediate area. He then
went over some of the criteria
used to qualify as an IBA.
Next Dillon discussed the fact
that the Corps of Engineers at
the Wright Patman Lake in
Northeast Texas are currently
working to have this area
declared as an IBA. Then he
talked about how NETFO members
could help with this project.
Currently Dillon and Ray Berry,
NETFO members, are birding the
area each week counting and
logging information about
certain species that are of
interest in this area. He went
over the list of birds of
interest in this area. Dillon
says others may help by also
birding this area and then
forwarding this information on
to him. He will email all
members the list of birds and
the identifying facts needed for
this survey. Dillon closed by
suggesting that more information
about IBA could be found on the
Audubon Web site.
Price announced that Peter
Barnes, member, would present
the program about his recent
trip to Bhutan at the March
meeting.
The meeting was adjourned. The
next meeting will be Tuesday,
March 6, 2012.
Wanda Bosmans, Secretary
Minutes NETFO Meeting, January 3,
2012,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
The regularly scheduled meeting
of NETFO was held at the SeeSaw
Building in Longview Tuesday,
January 3, 2012. Mark Edmund,
President, presided. Seventeen
members attended.
Edmund announced future field
trips and discussed some recent
unusual bird sightings. Edmund
then introduced Peggy Harding,
member, who gave a review of
several recently published field
guides. The guides are as
follows:
Paul Sterry and Brian
E. Small, Birds of Western
North America: A Photographic
Guide,
Paul Sterry and Brian
E. Small, Birds of Eastern
North America: A Photographic
Guide,
Kenn Kaufman, Field
Guide to Advanced Birding,
and
National
Geographic Field Guide to the
Birds of North America 6th
Edition.
Next, Edmund called for any new
or old business. There was no
business to discuss. Edmund
then introduced David Brotherton,
member, who presented a program
over the three Christmas Bird
Counts, Longview, Lake 0’ the
Pines, and Tenaha. Using
spreadsheets for each count,
Brotherton discussed the number
of species sighted for each
count, Longview (104), Lake O’
the Pines (104) and Tenaha
(101). He then discussed the
high and lows for the last ten
years of certain species of
birds on each count.
Linda Price, member, announced
that Mike Dillon, member, would
present the program over IBA
(Important Bird Areas) at the
February meeting.
The meeting was adjourned. The
next meeting will be Tuesday,
February 7, 2012
Wanda Bosmans, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
December
6,
2011,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
The meeting was called to
order by Bob Metzler, President.
Dorothy Metzler encouraged
everyone to attend Cliff
Shackelford's talk at the
Michelson Museum of Art in
Marshall on December 13, as well
as the Birds in Art exhibit
which will be at the museum
until January 7. Metzler
also reported
on the December 3rd Caddo
Lake Warm-up Winter Bird Count.
A total of 105 species were
counted, with
Greater Yellowlegs and Willet being new
species for the count.
Mark Edmund passed out maps and checklists for the up-coming
Christmas Bird Counts and
assigned participants to
territories.
Longview CBC will be on December 17,
Lake ‘O The Pines on December 26,
and Tenaha/Murvaul count on
January 2nd. The Tyler CBC is
December 31
and anyone wishing to
participate should contact Peter
Barnes. See Activities
page on NETFO website for
information.
Mark Edmund
reminded everyone of the
up-coming TOS Winter Meeting in
Amarillo on January 12-16, 2012,
and of Sparrowfest, sponsored
by Friends of Balcones
Canyonlands National Wiildlife
Refuge, on January 28, 2012.
There being no further
business, Linda Price gave a
short audio quiz to help us
review our bird sounds. It was very
challenging and entertaining.
Peggy Harding, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
November
1,
2011,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
President Bob Metzler presided
over the meeting. He asked for
any new business.
Mike Dillon asked if any members
of the club would like to help
in trying to get Lake Wright
Patman designated as an
important bird area. He said
there is some historical data
for the area, but more sightings
of birds there are needed. Those
interested in helping were to
contact him after the meeting.
A discussion followed about
entering old records into eBird
particularly for the Texas
Century Club.
The officers that were nominated
at the last meeting were
presented for election to take
office January 1, 2012. They
are:
President: Mark Edmund
Vice-President: Linda Price
Secretary: Wanda Bosmans
Treasurer: Gene Peiter
Eddie Ray made the motion to
elect the slate of officers. It
was seconded by Mike Dillon and
approved as presented.
Dorothy Metzler passed out a
species checklist for the
upcoming Eighteenth Annual Caddo
Lake Warm-up Winter Bird Count
scheduled for December 3.
Participants and details were
worked out.
At our next meeting
on December 6th details for the
Christmas Bird Counts will be
finalized.
Mark Edmund passed out
information on the "Birds In
Art" exhibit at the Michelson Museum of
Art in Marshall, Texas with show
dates of November 3 to January
7, 2012. Mark reminded everyone of
the upcoming field trip
Saturday, November 5, at Lake ‘O
The Pines lead by David Brotherton, followed by dinner
at Catfish Village and the Owl
Prowl afterwards. Mark also reminded members of the
upcoming field trip to the Rio
Grande Valley led by Peter
Barnes on November 12.
There being no further business,
Mark Edmund presented a very
informative program on "Endangered Species."
Peggy Harding, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
October
4,
2011,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
Bob Metzler, President, presided
over the meeting.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Bob
Metzler announced that the
Nominating Committee had a slate
of officers to present for
election at the next meeting in
November. They are:
President: Mark Edmonds
Vice-President: Linda Price
Secretary: Wanda Bosmans
Treasurer: Gene Peiter
FIELD TRIPS: Mark Edmund
announced that the Red Slough
field trip scheduled for October
16 had to be cancelled. The
tentative Cooper Lake State Park
area field trip scheduled for
November 5 is changed to Lake ‘O
The Pines and will be led by
David Brotherton.
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS were
discussed and dates set for:
Caddo Lake Warm-Up Count –
December 3, 2011
Longview CBC – December 17, 2011
Lake O' The Pines CBC – December
26, 2011
Tenaha/Murvaul CBC – January 2,
2012
PRESENTATION: There being no
further business, David Wolf,
from Nacogdoches and a VENT Tour
Guide, gave a presentation on
“Alaska: Birding on the Edge”.
It was a great program and
enjoyed by all.
Minutes submitted by Peggy
Harding, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
September
6,
2011,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
Bob
Metzler, President,
presided over the meeting.
Election of Officers --
Bob Metzler and Mike Dillon
volunteered to serve as
nominating committee. Gene
Peiter agreed to serve again as
treasurer. Peggy Harding
declined to server again as
secretary. The nominating
committee will present a slate
of officers at our October
meeting (to be voted on at
November meeting).
NETFO Facebook Group --
Dorothy Metzler encouraged
everyone to join our NETFO
Facebook group, which currently
has 25 members.
Field Trips -- Mark
Edmund passed out two pages with
information on field trip ideas
and birding festivals in Texas
and surrounding states.
Programs -- Linda Price
announced that David Wolf would
present a program at our October
meeting.
Presentation -- The
business meeting was adjourned,
and Bob Metzler presented a
PowerPoint program on Birds and
Birding with photos from his
travels.
Minutes submitted by Dorothy
Metzler.
NETFO Minutes,
May
3,
2011,
SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
Mark Edmund, Vice President,
presided over the meeting in the
absence of President Bob
Metzler. Nine members were
in attendance.
Old Business
1.
Speaker’s budget –
the group discussed setting
an annual budget to use for
reimbursing speakers and for
making copies of handouts by
speakers. The following
motion was made by Linda
Price and seconded by Happy
King. Motion passed.
MOTION -- The annual budget
for reimbursement of
speakers will be $250. In
addition, up to $25 per year
will be budgeted for copying
speaker’s handouts.
2.
Upcoming Field Trips
– Trip to the Sabine Mines
area south of Hallsville on
May 21. Contact Peter
Barnes for information.
Also bird banding at Tom
Walker’s farm this Saturday,
May 7.
New Business
1.
Club Development
Discussion – the group
discussed a variety of ideas
related to club
development. No actions
were taken at this time.
These items may be revisited
after meetings resume in
September.
·
Create a
Facebook page for NETFO.
Several members mentioned
how much they use Facebook
to keep in touch with
others. They thought
Facebook would provide
another good method for
prospective members (or
visitors to East Texas) to
learn about NETFO and our
activities. ACTION – Mark
Edmund to discuss with
Dorothy Metzler.
·
Create a
Twitter account for NETFO.
·
Use club
projects as a means to
spread the word about NETFO
and attract new members.
Two potential projects
mentioned were updating
breeding bird information
for the NETFO area and
building and maintaining
bluebird boxes.
·
Consider
changing the club’s name by
adding “and Naturalists” to
attract a wider audience.
This could expand the club
from mainly a birding club
into plants, insects,
geology, etc…
·
Restart summer
field trips. The club does
not meet during the summer
months of June, July and
August but some members
noted that in the past we
still had field trips during
those months.
Presentation – Linda
Price presented information on
Breeding Birds of East Texas.
The meeting closed with everyone
wishing Daniel Weaver ‘Good
Luck’ as he relocates to
Indonesia for the next two
years. Daniel has taken a
position teaching at a school
there. He says he’ll follow us
on Facebook if we’ll get the
page up and running!
Next meeting is September 6th.
Minutes submitted by Mark
Edmund, Vice President.
NETFO Minutes,
April 5,
2011, SeeSaw
Children's Place, Longview, Texas
Mark
Edmund, Vice President, presided
over the meeting in the absence
of President Bob Metzler.
Mark talked about the good field
trip we had to Lake Bob Sandlin
and announced the next field
trip at Eastman Chemical on
April 16th which he
is leading. Linda Price,
Program Chairman, had questions
about speaker fees available
within each year. Mark said he
would get with Bob to work up
some guidelines.
Linda Price
gave a presentation on New World
Warblers. The presentation gave
an overview of warbler species
with information about warblers
commonly seen in East Texas.
Club members brought books to
share that they found useful for
learning warblers. The review
also covered using under-tail
and under-tail covert patterns
to identify warblers seen from
below. Dorothy Metzler, though
absent, sent along a print-out
of Songs and Calls of East Texas
Breeding Warblers.
We had one
new member attend the meeting.
There being
no further business the meeting
adjourned.
Peggy
Harding, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
March 1,
2011, SeeSaw
Childrens Place, Longview, Texas
Bob Metzler, President, presided
over the meeting. Upcoming
field trips were discussed.
Linda Price will lead a field
trip on April 2nd to
bird the lowlands of Southern
Morris and Camp Counties. On
April 16th Mark
Edmund will lead a field trip to
Eastman. And Bob Metzler
said he planned to go to the
Texas Gulf Coast in late April
for spring migration. He
suggested that if others plan to
go around the same
time, they might want to get in
touch with him.
Next month’s program will be a
Warbler Review by Linda Price.
She suggested that we bring any
favorite books or other aids on
warblers to show and tell
afterwards. Linda also
suggested, if there was enough
interest, she would give a
program on birding gadgets,
electronics, etc. at the
Longview Library’s multi-media
room, perhaps sometime during
the summer (although in recent
years we have not had club
meetings in June, July and
August).
Peter Barnes, member of NETFO
and Tyler Audubon Society, gave
a power point presentation on
his trip to Peru. He showed
some beautiful bird pictures.
He also told us about some of
the places he visited and shared
pictures of the scenery. It was
very informative and enjoyed by
all.
Meeting adjourned.
Peggy
Harding, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
February 8,
2011, SeeSaw
Childrens Place, Longview, Texas
Our
February meeting was postponed
from the first Tuesday (February
1) to the following Tuesday
(February 8) because of
inclement weather.
Mark
Edmund, Vice-President, presided
over the meeting in the absence
of President Bob Metzler.
We had three new visitors.
When asked how they found our
club, all said they found us on
the Internet.
Member
Linda Price asked if NETFO was
willing to pay for part of the
printing cost for a brochure
she had been working on
with members of Tyler Audubon.
Members in attendance discussed
some problems with it and decided
to table the subject for now.
Linda Price
told the group about program
ideas she was working on and asked for guidelines on how many
outside speakers she should try
to arrange and how much of their
costs we were willing to
reimburse. After a discussion
members decided we could
probably afford to pay for two
or three speakers per year,
perhaps more if they were coming
from nearby, or less if coming
from distant places and
requiring overnight
accommodations.
Linda Price
shared a DVD about “Watching
Sparrows” by Michael Male and
Judy Fieth. It was very
informative with beautiful
pictures of all the sparrows,
their songs, their habitat and
maps showing the locations of
permanent residents, breeding
and winter residents.
Upcoming
field trips were discussed.
Meeting
adjourned.
Peggy
Harding, Secretary
NETFO Minutes,
January 2,
2011, SeeSaw
Childrens Place, Longview, Texas
Vice-President Mark Edmund
presided over the meeting in the
absence of President Bob
Metzler. Linda Price gave a
short, very informative
presentation on the upcoming
Rusty Blackbird Hotspot Blitz
scheduled for January
29-February 13, 2011 and handed
out some copies of information
on the event.
David Brotherton, coordinator of
the three area Christmas Bird
Counts, gave the total species
for each count as: Longview
103, Tenaha/Murvaul 101 and Lake
O’The Pines 112. He gave a
report on the high and low
numbers of species for each
count compared to previous
counts. He also gave a
presentation of graphs on how
certain species in our area
compared with other counts
across the Country which was
very interesting.
Upcoming field trips were
discussed.
There being no further business
the meeting was adjourned.
Peggy Harding, Secretary
December 7,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Bob
Metzler, President, presided.
Dorothy Metzler gave a brief
summary of the Caddo Lake
Warm-up Winter Bird Count which
netted 107 species for the 23
participants. New for this count
was the Neotropic Cormorant.
Plans were finalized for
the Longview Christmas Bird
Count (December 18), Tenaha CBC (December
23), and Lake O' the Pines CBC
(January 1). If you missed
signing up to participate, contact David Brotherton to
see if there are any available
slots.
After a discussion of our
inventory of checklists, patches
and tee-shirts, Dorothy Metzler
made a motion to sell the
checklists for $1.00 and the
patches for $2.00. It was
seconded and approved by
unanimous vote followed by a
brief shopping frenzy. Mark Edmund shared a list of
Texas and nearby upcoming
birding festivals. Thanks,
Mark - this is enticing!
The evening's program, presented
by Bob Metzler, was his TOS
2009 Summer Arizona Trip, with
an addition of the 2010 Rio Grande
Valley Bird Fest. The
Power Point showed beautiful
bird pictures as well as flora
and fauna spotted on these trips
as Bob pointed out many
interesting details about the
birds and trips.
Recent sightings and news were
discussed. Meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
November 2,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place, in
Longview, Texas. Bob Metzler,
President, presided. Plans
were made and tally sheets
handed out for the Caddo Lake
Bird Count, to be held on
December 4. Plans for the
other counts will be firmed up
at our December meeting.
Longview Christmas Bird Count
will be December 18, Lake Murvaul will be December 23, and
Lake O' the Pines and Tyler will
both be January 1. Also
David Brotherton has scheduled
the Owl Prowl for Nov. 13.
Linda Price and Peter Barnes
have collaborated on a brochure
that would be useful for new
birders. Linda asked if
the NETFO group would share
expenses with Tyler Audubon to
get a larger number printed at
one time. There was
discussion of this and Linda
offered to get more information
about printing costs.
After a short discussion Eddie
Ray made a motion to post the
NETFO bird checklist on the
website. Candy Troop seconded
the motion and it was approved
by unanimous vote. It was
suggested and agreed that our
checklist, patches, and T-shirts
be brought to the next meeting.
The evening's program, presented
by Mark Edmund, was "State
Birds." The Power Point
presentation included great
photos of all the state birds
with interesting facts about the
adoption of birds by the
individual states.
Cardinal was the #1 most popular
choice with seven states
adopting it as their State Bird.
Women's groups and school
children heavily influenced many
of the state choices.
Everyone learned something from
this interesting program.
Next month's program will be
"Birds of Arizona" presented by
Bob Metzler. Recent
sightings and other news were
discussed. Meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
October 5,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. A slate of
officers was presented and
elected:
President: Bob Metzler
Vice President and Field Trip
Coordinator: Mark Edmund
Secretary: Peggy Harding
Treasurer: Gene Peiter
Programs and Membership: Linda
Price
Notifications and Information:
Candy Troop
Webmaster: Dorothy Metzler
Dates for upcoming Christmas
bird counts were discussed, but
not finalized. The Caddo
Lake count will be December 4.
Mark Edmund is working on field
trips to LeTourneau Bottoms and
Red Slough, probably in
February. The evening's
program, presented by Bob
Metzler, was a Power Point of
outstanding photos titled,
"Birds, Mammals, Flowers, and
Scenes in Alaska" from a June
2009 TOS trip led by Jim Hailey.
It was delightful to see the
birds in full breeding plumage.
Members discussed recent bird
sightings and news. The
meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
September
7,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Wanda Bosmans presided
for Bob Metzler.
Nominations for officers were
taken from the floor:
Linda Price for programs,
nominated by H. King.
Gene is willing to continue as
treasurer.
Linda Price volunteered to work
on membership as well as
programs.
Bob Metzler was nominated for
president by Dillon.
Mark Edmond volunteered for vice
president and field trip
coordinator.
Peggy Harding volunteered
to replace Happy as recording
secretary.
David Brotherton will coordinate
bird counts,
Candy will be contacted about
continuing to do postcards.
Dorothy Metzler will maintain
the website.
This slate will be presented for
vote at the October meeting.
Members were reminded to renew
their Limited Use Permits this
month. Upcoming field trips
were discussed. The field
trip to Richland Creek NWR has
been changed to Saturday,
September 18. Eastman
fieldtrip - September 25.
Please make reservations with
Mark or Peter ASAP. An owl
prowl is tentatively scheduled
at this point.
Oct. 2 - Camp Tyler
Oct. 16 - Lake Tawakoni
Nov. 6 - Sabine Mining
Christmas Bird Counts were
tentatively scheduled and will
be firmed up at our October
meeting:
Dec. 4 - Caddo Lake Warm-up
Count
Dec. 18 - Longview
Dec. 23 - Lake O' the Pines
Dec. 26 - Tenaha
Jan. 1 - Tyler
A power point program on Ebird
was presented by David
Brotherton, Luanne Brotherton,
and Linda Price. This online
birding data program is a great
tool for garnering data about
bird distribution, hot-spots and
additionally for keeping track
of your personal records of
sightings. The site
includes access to data about
birds world-wide as well as
North America. Linda showed us
how to use the information to
actually increase our skills as
birders out in the field.
Recent bird sightings were
discussed. The meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
May 4,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longiew, Texas. Bob Metzler,
president, presided.
Peggy Harding presented a
PowerPoint program on her recent
trip to Costa Rica. Her
informative program included
excellent photos, maps, and an
amusing account of an
adventure-filled three weeks of
birding in the tropics. Thanks
also to Linda Price for her
assistance with the photo
editing, PowerPoint, and
computer. This was a
wonderful program to wind up our
spring meetings.
The members discussed recent
bird sightings and other news.
It was noted that meetings will
be suspended for the summer and
will reconvene the first Tuesday
of September.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
April 6,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Wanda Bosman
presided.
Two visitors were introduced.
Linda Price presented a Power
Point program on "Birding in
Ontario," based on several years
of birding experience in that
area. Her informative program
included maps and excellent
photos of many birds (including
Grey Owl, Snowy Owl, and Barred
Owl) and was enjoyed by all.
The members discussed recent
bird sightings and other news.
May's program will be a report
on a recent trip to Costa Rica
by Peggy Harding.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
March 2,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Bob Metzler,
President, presided.
In new business, it was decided
that Candy will e-mail the
monthly "cards" to those with
e-mail access.
"Birding Optics" was the power
point program presented by Mark
Edmund. His research was very
informative and led to a lively
discussion.
Linda Price will present
"Birding in Ontario" at the
April meeting.
The members discussed recent
bird sightings and other news.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
February 2,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Bob Metzler,
President, presided.
Two visitors from Mount Pleasant
were introduced.
Members and visitors discussed
recent bird sightings and other
news. Happy King shared photos
and commentary from Tropical
Birding's Aug.'09 NW Ecuador
Introtour and Nov. '09 at La
Selva Jungle Lodge, Ecuador.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
January 5,
2010, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas, with fifteen
members present. Bob Metzler,
President, presided.
Dorothy Metzler reported on the
results from the Caddo Lake Bird
Count. David Brotherton
summarized the results from the
Longview, Lake of the Pines, and
Tenaha Christmas Bird Counts. Everyone enjoyed the "Texas
Highs" quiz for our NETFO area
bird counts.
Linda Price and Donna Orr
reported on their experience
hearing a Northern Saw-whet Owl
near Tenaha. Wanda Bosmans scheduled
volunteers to do programs for
the rest of our spring meetings.
The members shared recent bird
sightings and other news.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
December 1,
2009, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Bob Metzler,
President, presided.
Members continued finalization
of plans for the Caddo Lake
Winter Bird Count on December 5
and the following Christmas Bird
Counts:
Longview - Dec. 19; Lake O' the
Pines - Dec. 26; Tenaha/Lake
Murvaul - Jan. 2. If you
have an interest in
participating in one of these
counts, please contact Bob or
Dorothy Metzler.
Questions by one member led to a
lively discussion of owl
behavior and sightings.
The members shared recent bird
sightings (from Ecuador to East
Texas) and other news.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
November 3,
2009, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Bob Metzler,
President, presided.
Members discussed plans for the
following bird counts:
Caddo Lake on Dec. 5, Longview
on Dec. 19, Lake of the Pines on
Dec. 26, Tenaha/Lake Murvaul on
Jan. 2. If you have an
interest in participating in any
of these counts, please contact
Bob Metzler.
The evening's program, presented
by Mike Dillon, was a Power
Point show of photographs taken
during his trip to the northern
part of Australia in October
2008. Included were
beautiful images of birds and
dragonflies. After the program
members shared recent bird
sightings and other news.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
October 6,
2009, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw
Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. David
Weaver, Vice President and Past
President, presided
in the absence of President Bob
Metzler who was recovering from
surgery. There were eleven
members present and one visitor.
Wanda Bosmans told us about her
summer trip to Wyoming and gave
a short review and some
interesting facts and trivia
from the book “Amazing Birds A
Treasury of Facts and Trivia
about the Avian World” by Dr.
Roger Lederer. Dorothy Metzler
asked questions from a “Bird
Trivia” game which everyone
seemed to enjoy. And Eddie
and Nancy Ray told us about
their summer trip to Montana and
some of the birds they saw.
Christmas Bird Counts were
discussed. Dorothy Metzler
announced that the Caddo Lake
Warm-up Count would be on
December 5. Mark Edmonds said
he would contact David
Brotherton about the dates for
the Longview, Lake O' the Pines,
and Tenaha/Murvaul counts and
report back to the club.
Next meeting will be November 3
with Mike Dillon presenting a
second program on his trip to
Australia.
Meeting Adjourned.
Peggy Harding
for Happy King, Club Secretary
September 1,
2009, NETFO General Membership Meeting
--
cancelled due to the program
presenter's surgery.
May 5,
2009, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw
Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Wanda
Bosmans presided until Bob
Metzler, President, arrived.
The evening's program was
presented by Mark Williams,
Manager, and John Stevens,
Forrester, for Caddo Lake NWR.
They gave a power point program
showing the former Longhorn Army
Ammunition Plant and an overview
of renovations being done to
prepare for the September 26
grand opening of the refuge.
The emphasis of this refuge is
migratory birds and endangered
species like the Red-cockaded
Woodpecker. Although there
are no Red-cockaded Woodpeckers
currently in residence, it is
hoped that the pine savannah
habitat they require will be
ready for them to move in within
10 years. In the meantime,
the refuge will host hunters,
horseback riders, scout troops,
and of course, birders.
This may be a good place to
check out fall migration.
After the program, members shared
recent bird sightings and
discussed other
related topics.
The meeting was adjourned.
We will take a break for the
summer and reconvene on
September 1, 2009.
Happy King
Club Secretary
April 7,
2009, NETFO General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
SeeSaw Children's Place in
Longview, Texas. Bob Metzler,
President presided.
The evening's program, presented
by Peter Barnes, was an overview
and Power Point show of
beautiful photographs taken
during his recent trip,
Oct.-Nov. 2008, to Madagascar.
Included were images of many
species endemic to the island.
During a discussion of upcoming
field trips and programs, it was
noted that May 5 will be our
last meeting until September
2009. We hope to have Mark
Williams with the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Dept. presenting a
program on Caddo Lake NWR at the
May meeting in preparation for
the opening of the refuge to the
public.
The members shared and discussed
recent bird sightings.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
March 3, 2009,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
|
NETFO
members
held
their
regularly
scheduled
meeting
at
SeeSaw
Children's
Place
in
Longview,
Texas.
Bob
Metzler,
President,
presided.
Peggy
Harding
gave a
power
point
program
about
her trip
to
Alaska
this
past
June.
Her
travels included
birding
from
southern
Alaska to
northern
Alaska
and
back.
The
photos
and
descriptions
had us
all
tempted
to grab binoculars and
head
north.
Following
the
presentation
and club
business,
members
shared
recent
bird
sightings
and
field
trips.
Meeting
was
adjourned.
Happy
King
Club
Secretary |
February 3, 2009,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
NETFO members
held their
regularly
scheduled
meeting at
SeeSaw
Children's Place
in Longview,
Texas.. Bob
Metzler,
President,
presided.
Club business
included the
annual
treasurer's
report,
submitted by
Gene Peiter.
Wanda Bosmans
reported that
she has programs
lined up through
May.
Mike Dillon gave
a program about
his recent
(October) trip
to Australia.
His spectacular
photos of native
birds,
dragonflies and
other wildlife
left us all
eager to log a
similar trip.
After the photo
presentation
Mike showed us
his camera
equipment and
shared tips that
have proven
helpful to him.
Following the
program and club
business,
members shared
recent bird
sightings and
discussed other
related topics.
Meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
January 6, 2009,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
|
NETFO members
held their
regularly
scheduled
meeting at
SeeSaw
Children's Place
(formerly the
Campfire
building) in
Longview, Texas.
David Weaver,
President,
presided.
David Brotherton
presented
summaries of the
Longview, Lake
O' the Pines,
and Tenaha
Christmas Bird
Counts, and
Dorothy Metzler
presented a
summary of the
Caddo Lake Bird
Count.
Wanda Bosmans
reported that
she had lined up
program
presenters for
February (Mike
Dillon), March
(Peggy Harding),
and April (Peter
Barnes).
Following the
presentations
and club
business,
members shared
recent bird
sightings
and discussed
other related
topics.
Meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
|
December 2, 2008,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
NETFO
members held
their
regularly
scheduled
meeting at
SeeSaw
Children's
Place
(formerly
the Campfire
building) in
Longview,
Texas.
David
Weaver,
President,
presided.
Instead of a
formal
program,
members
spent the
evening
planning for
the upcoming
annual
Christmas
bird counts.
Caddo Lake -
December 6
Longview -
December 20
Lake O' the
Pines -
December 27
Lake Murvaul.-
January 1
Tyler -
January 3
After the
planning
session,
members
shared
recent bird
sightings.
Meeting was
adjourned.
Happy
King
Club
Secretary
|
November 4, 2008,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
|
NETFO members
held their
regularly
scheduled
meeting at
SeeSaw
Children's Place
(formerly the
Campfire
Building) in
Longview, Texas.
David Weaver,
President,
presided.
The evening's
program was
about Cornell
Lab of
Ornithology's
Project Feeder
Watch, presented
by Dorothy
Metzler, with
assistance from
Bob Metzler and
Candy Troop. We
learned how to
become a citizen
scientist by
counting the
birds at our
feeders. Nearly
16,000
participate
annually
providing
important data
about changes in
bird
populations.
For more
information go
to
www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw..
After the
program members
shared recent
bird sightings
and discussed
other related
topics.
We were reminded
that the November 22
evening owl
prowl will be
preceded by a
morning half-day
field trip at
Eastman, led by
Candy Troop.
Meet at the
circle at 8:00
a.m. Be
sure to let her
know by Friday
if you plan to
attend so she
can arrange for
transportation
inside Eastman.
Meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
|
October 7, 2008,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
NETFO members
held their
regularly
scheduled
meeting at the
Campfire
Building in
Longview,
Texas. David
Weaver,
President,
presided.
The evening's
program was a
picture
presentation by
Stephan Lorenz
of photos taken
during a summer
spent on Buldir
Island, Alaska,
where he
conducted a
research project
on seabird
breeding
productivity and
nesting success.
His photos and
anecdotes were
enjoyed by all.
We are looking
forward to a
future program
about his
birding experiences
in Australia.
In new business,
the November 22
evening owl
prowl will be
preceded by a
morning half-day
field trip at
Eastman, led by
Candy Troop.
Meet at the
circle at 8:00
a.m.
|
September 2, 2008,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
NETFO members held
their regularly
scheduled meeting at
the Campfire
Building in
Longview, Texas.
David Weaver,
President, presided.
A program on
shorebirds was
presented by David
Brotherton.
A database of
shorebird
sightings in this
area, during the
month of September
for the past 10
years was reviewed.
This program left us
eager to check out
the local mudflats
this month.
A nominating
committee was
discussed but no one
volunteered.
Instead, members
volunteered for
offices and
were elected by
acclamation.
Officers for 2009
are: Bob Metzler -
President, David
Weaver - Vice
President, Gene Peiter - Treasurer,
Happy King -
Secretary, Wanda Bosmans - Program
Chair, and Candy
Troop - Monthly
Mailout. Our
thanks to all who
volunteered.
Dates for the
Christmas Bird
Counts were proposed
as follows:
Dec. 27 Lake O' the
Pines
Jan. 1 Tenaha/Lake
Murvaul
David Brotherton
will lead an Owl
Prowl Nov. 22.
Meet at David
Beard's Catfish
Village (Hwy 155 on
Lake of the Pines)
3:00 PM to bird;
5:00 for dinner; owl
prowl to follow
dinner.
Highlights of recent
sightings and summer
trips were shared.
The meeting was
adjourned.
|
May 6, 2008,
NETFO General
Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their
regularly scheduled meeting at
the Campfire Building in
Longview, TX. David
Weaver, President, presided.
For the evening's program Peggy
Harding showed excerpts from Jon
L. Dunn's Hummingbirds DVD.
Wow! lots of information and
beautiful photography of the
wild birds.. Thanks Peggy!
Members shared photos and
anecdotes from recent birding
trips. The next meeting will be
the first Tuesday in September,
when we will be treated to a
program on shorebirds.
The meeting was
adjourned.
April 1, 2008,
NETFO General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly
scheduled meeting at the Campfire
Building in Longview, TX. David Weaver,
President, presided.
For the evening's program Bob and
Dorothy Metzler presented a slide and
audio presentation of local and
migrating birds and their songs. This
was much appreciated as members prepare
for spring bird sightings.
Future programs were discussed. Peggy
Harding will present a DVD program on
hummingbirds at our May meeting. Members
shared recent sightings and "hot spots"
for viewing warblers. It was noted that
Hummingbirds have been sighted recently,
so it's time to get the feeders out
again.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
March 4, 2008,
NETFO General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly
scheduled meeting at the Campfire
Building in Longview, TX. David Weaver,
President, presided.
For the evening's program, everyone
offered something, from photos of local
area butterflies to "favorite bird
species" and "most memorable birding
experiences." A number of members
shared their experience participating in
the February Great Backyard Bird Count.
Future programs were discussed.
Dorothy Metzler agreed to present a
slide program of spring migrants and
their songs at our April meeting.
And Peggy Harding will present a DVD
program on hummingbirds at our May
meeting.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
February 5, 2008,
NETFO General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled
meeting at the Campfire Building in
Longview, Texas. David weaver, President,
presided.
Gene Peiter passed out copies of the treasurer's report.
Wanda Bosmans once again asked members to
sign up to present a program or arrange for
a speaker for an upcoming meeting. If
no speaker can be found for our March
meeting, Wanda suggested that each member be
prepared to give a short talk about their favorite
bird species.
Bob and Dorothy Metzler presented a Power
Point program from Cornell Lab of
Ornithology on the Great Backyard Bird Count
and Project Feeder Watch with great photos
and many tips for feeding birds. The
Backyard Bird Count will be Feb. 15-18,
2008, and more information for anyone
wishing to participate can be found at
http://birdcount.org.
Members shared personal "feeder" stories and
the meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
January 8, 2008,
NETFO General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled
meeting at the Camp Fire USA building in
Longview, Texas. David Weaver, president,
presided. David Brotherton presented
summaries of the Longview, Lake O' the
Pines, and Tenaha Christmas Bird Counts.
Members discussed possible involvement in
hosting a spring 2009 TOS convention
along with the Tyler Audubon Society. A future field trip was
suggested for the Mineola Preserve. Recent
bird sightings and photos were shared.
The meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
December 4, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members
held their regularly scheduled meeting at the Camp Fire
building. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Meeting was called to order and visitors were
introduced. David Brotherton led the planning for the
Christmas Bird Counts: Longview, Dec. 15; Lake of the
Pines, Dec. 29; and Tenaha, Jan. 1. Dorothy Metzler
gave a summary of the recent Caddo Lake Bird Count.
Members shared recent sightings. The meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
November
6, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at Camp
Fire USA, 1601 W. Fairmont St., in Longview. Club
President, David Weaver, presided.
Ricky W. Maxey, Wildlife Diversity Biologist with Texas
Parks and Wildlife, gave a Power Point presentation titled
"An Introduction to Endangered and Threatened Species of
East Texas," followed by an open discussion of questions
from the floor. This presentation included highlights
of recovery efforts currently in progress.
The nominating committee presented a slate of officers which
was unanimously approved.
President, David Weaver
Vice President, Wanda Bosmans
Secretary, Happy King
Treasurer, Gene Peiter
(Other officers, directors and committee chairs are listed
on the About NETFO
page.)
The
Owl Prowl was set for November 17, with David Brotherton.
Meet at David Beard's Catfish Village (Hwy 155 on Lake O'
the Pines) at 6:00 PM for dinner. Owl Prowl at 7:00 PM.
Plans for the December 1 Caddo Lake Bird Count were firmed
up and tally sheets passed out. Dinner after will be at the
Metzlers' lake house.
Members shared recent bird sightings. The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
October 2, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at St.
Mary's Catholic Church. David Weaver, president,
presided. The meeting was called to order and visitors
were introduced.
A report on the September 23 hawk watch was given.
There was a good turnout and over 100 hawks were spotted.
Upcoming field trips were discussed including Lake of the
Pines on October 13. (Meet at Pop's Landing at 8:00
AM.) Also, David Brotherton has offered to lead an Owl
Prowl in November. The date will be posted on the
Activities page of this website when that information is
available.
The nominating committee will present a slate of officers at
the November meeting. We voted to give St. Mary's
Church a $75.00 donation. The comment was made that perhaps
our annual donation should be hand delivered since the
church did not appear to be aware of us. David Weaver
volunteered to deliver it.
The evening's program was given by Paul Bruckwicki,
Biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, about
progress at the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. It is
hoped that the refuge will be open for visitors by spring of
2008. We all got a great preview with the large maps
that were given to our group.
Recent bird sightings were discussed, and the meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
September 4, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at St.
Mary's Catholic Church. Wanda Bosmans presided in the
absence of David Weaver, president. Attendees included
members and five visitors. Bob Metzler and Mark Edmunds
were elected as the nominating committee to develop a slate of
officers for the upcoming election.
Tyler Audubon field trips coming up in September have been
forwarded by Peter Barnes to those on his email list and also
have been posted
on the NETFO website. They should be very interesting for
anyone able to attend. Also David Brotherton will be
conducting a Hawk Watch on September 22, at Dangerfield State
Park beginning about 10:00 am. Bring a lounge chair,
binoculars, snacks and drinks for a great time watching fall
migration. Tentative dates for the Christmas Bird Counts
were set as follows:
Dec. 1 - Caddo Lake
Dec. 15 - Longview
Dec 29 - Lake O' the Pines
Jan. 1 - Lake Murvaul
Jan. 5 - Tyler
The evening's program was Identifying Hawks In Flight, presented
by David Brotherton. David recommended the book, Hawks
in Flight by Dunne, Sibley & Sutton and gave some great tips
just in time for the upcoming hawk watch. Now we all know
what "kettling" and "boiling" mean.
Summer bird sightings were discussed, and the meeting was
adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
May 1, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at St. Mary's
Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
For the evening's program, Mark Edmund gave a power point
presentation, "How do I see what I want to see?" This program
explored the mechanics of optics with pointers for selecting the
best optics for the desired usage. At the conclusion, members shared
their own experiences with optics.
Recent bird sightings and trips were discussed.
It was noted that this was our last meeting until September. We were
informed that we will be changing rooms in the fall, but that a room
will be made available.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
April 3, 2007, General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at St. Mary's
Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
For the evening's program, Bob Metzler showed excerpts from Barbara
Cavin's DVD, "Watching Warblers", by Michael Male and Judy Fieth.
The photography and audio were spectacular and served as an
excellent review.
Recent bird sightings were shared. Renewal of our application
for use of the room at St. Mary's was discussed. We'll need to
apply again in June.
Next month will be our last meeting before summer break. Mark
Edmund will present the program, and his topic will be Birding
Optics.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
March 6, 2007, General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at St. Mary's
Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
An application has been made and approved for our meetings at St. Mary's
Catholic Church until June. We'll need to re-apply at that time for the
following year.
Recent bird sightings were shared.
The evening's program was Dragonflies and Damselflies, presented by Mike
Dillon. Great photos of Dragons and Damsels and very informative. Now
we all have an exciting new project for the summertime!
The meeting adjourned.
February 6, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 at St. Mary's
Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Members and guests were welcomed. David Weaver reported on the February 3
field trip. Another trip is scheduled for Eastman on February 10 at
8:00 a.m. Wanda Bosmans reported on the program
schedule for 2007. Wanda then led the evening's member participation
program. Members brought their favorite field guides and bird books to
review and share. Highlights included a book report on The Big Year,
given by Bob Metzler, and Bird IPods from Candy Troop's electronic toy box.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
January 2, 2007, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 at St.
Mary's Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Members and guests were welcomed. David Brotherton reviewed the data
from the Longview, Lake of the Pines, and Tenaha Christmas bird counts.
Among other observations, it was noted that the Loggerhead Shrike was not
found at either Lake of the Pines or Longview.
A financial statement was given by Gene Peiter. Plans were discussed
for visiting the Wood Duck roost at LeTourneau Bottoms. Program
ideas and suggestions were discussed. Wanda Bosmans
has offered to schedule programs for our meetings if each of us will
help by taking responsibility for one program this year, either by
presenting a program or arranging for someone to present one. For our February program Wanda
asked everyone to bring their favorite field guides, identification aids or
birding gear for a roundtable show-and-tell program.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
December 5, 2006, General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled
meeting at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Members and guests were introduced and
welcomed. During the business portion
of the meeting members reported on the
recent Owl Prowl. Dorothy Metzler gave
a report on the Caddo Lake bird count noting
that the 99 species was low for this count.
Plans were made for the Longview bird count
on Dec.16, Lake O' the Pines bird count on
Dec. 30, and Tenaha bird count on Jan. 1.
Candy Troop will send meeting reminder post
cards beginning in January. Wanda Bosmans
has a sign up sheet for future programs and
is encouraging everyone to be ready to fill
it in at the next meeting.
The evening's program was a PowerPoint
presentation of birds and other photos by
Bob Metzler. Detailed photos of many species
we can expect to see on the bird counts were
shown along with discussion of their
identifying marks.
November 7, 2006, General Membership
Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled
meeting at 6:30 at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Members and guests were introduced and
welcomed. During the business portion of the
meeting a slate of officers was nominated and
elected as follows:
President - David Weaver
Vice President - Bob Metzler
Secretary - Happy King
Treasurer - Gene Peiter
Webmaster - Dorothy Metzler
Bird Reports - Peter Barnes
Bird Statistics - Mike Dillon
Publicity/Hospitality and Postcard Mailout - Candy Troop
Dates were set for Christmas Bird Counts: Caddo
(Dec. 2), Longview (Dec. 16), Lake of the Pines
(Dec. 30), and Tenaha (Jan 1).
The evening's program was postponed due to
technical difficulties and will be presented by
Bob Metzler at the December meeting.
Dorothy Metzler shared an article discussing
quality binoculars under $200, and members
shared their favorite field guides. The meeting
adjourned.
Happy King
October 3, 2006, General Membership
Meeting
NETFO Members held their regularly scheduled meeting
at 6:30 at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Club
President, David Weaver, presided. Members and
guests were introduced and welcomed. During
the business portion of the meeting the need for
additional members on the nominating committee was
discussed. Future field trip possibilities
were suggested. A suggested contribution of $75.00
to St. Mary's for building usage was voted upon and
passed.
The evening's program was presented by Gina Donovan,
Communications Director of the Texas Committee on
Natural Resources ( TCONR) and director of the
Neches River Protection Initiative. She gave an overview of the
proposed Neches River National Wildlife Refuge,
which will protect 25,000 acres of bottomland
hardwood habitat for migratory birds and other
animals. She discussed the threats to the Neches
River by the proposed Fastrill and Rockland
Reservoirs, and the need for a study of the entire
river in order to obtain designation under the
National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. She also
discussed
the current situation on Texas state park funding
and asked that members and friends contact
their representatives to voice their support for
protection of the Neches River as well as funding
for our state parks.
Upcoming field trips of interest will be posted on
the web page. Interesting bird sightings were
noted.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
September 5, 2006, Field Trip
In lieu of our regular meeting, a dozen NETFO members
and friends met at the Iron Bridge area of Mason Lake on Eastman's
property for an evening field trip. Wood Storks,
a Roseate
Spoonbill, a Green
Heron, a Tricolored Heron, Great Blue Herons,
Great Egrets, White-faced Ibis, Wood Ducks,
Red-shouldered Hawk, a Yellow Warbler and
others were observed. Wildlife in and around the lake
that provided entertainment included nutria, raccoons,
and a beaver. The
trip adjourned after sunset, and bats were spotted
flying by as we arrived back at our vehicles.
Happy King,
Club Secretary
with additional input from Mark Edmund
May 2, 2006, General Membership Meeting
NETFO members held their regularly scheduled meeting at
6:30 at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Club President, David
Weaver, presided. The program for the evening, presented by
Dr. Ron Gutberlet, was a powerpoint of Birding the Lower
48: A 2005 Big Year. During his big year, Ron birded in
all 48 states and listed in excess of 640 species! After the
program, members were reminded that we will not meet again
until Sept. 5th. Members were asked to think about program
ideas and fieldtrips for next year. Meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
April 4, 2006, General Membership Meeting
NETFO Members held their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30
at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver,
presided.
Members and guests were welcomed. We were delighted to have two
presentations this evening. The first, by Diya Sikka, was on
Block Printing: The Art and History. Diya used her own
beautiful print of a kingfisher to illustrate the step by step
process of making a block print.
The second presentation was by Beverly Grage, a rehabilitator of
raptors and large birds of prey, from Lindale, Texas. She gave a
PowerPoint presentation depicting her recent rehabilitation
activities. People in need of a rehabilitator for any injured
wild animal can call Texas Parks and Wildlife for a
rehabilitator referral in their area.
During the business portion of the meeting, members were given a
reminder to pay annual dues if they have not already done so.
Don Kiser is updating the mailing list. There is a need for
someone to serve on the Raptor Rehabilitation Advisory
Committee Board. An invitation was extended for any who wish to
attend a presentation by Mark Klym, on Hummingbirds and
Wildflowers, at the Tyler Audubon and Native Plants joint
Meeting, April 11, 7:00 at the Pollard Methodist Church in
Tyler. He will also do a book signing at Barns and Noble from
4:00-6:00, that same day. NETFO tee shirts are on sale from
Candy Troop at the bargain price of $10.00.
Meeting was adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
March 7, 2006, General Membership Meeting
NETFO Members held their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 at St.
Mary's Catholic Church. Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Members and guests were introduced and welcomed. During the business
portion of the meeting, members were reminded to pay annual dues if
they have not already done so. Bob Metzler is still working on
formation of a team for the Birding Classic in late April. An
invitation was extended for any who wish to attend a presentation by
Mark Klym, on Hummingbirds and Wildflowers, at a joint
meeting of the Tyler Audubon
and Native Plant societies, April 11, 7:00 at Pollard
Methodist Church, 3030 New Copeland Road in Tyler. Suggestions for
future field trips would be welcome. Dencil Marsh gave an update on
the Longview Arboretum.
Since the scheduled speaker was not able to come, the evening's program was presented by Dorothy
and Bob Metzler. They shared
excerpts from CD's, Flight Calls of Migratory Birds by
William Evans and Michael O'Brien, and Birding by Ear by
Dick Walton and Robert Lawson.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
February 7, 2006,
General Membership Meeting
NETFO Members held their regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 at St.
Mary's Catholic Church.
Club President, David Weaver, presided.
Weaver welcomed members and guests. During the business portion of the
meeting, formation of a team to send to the Texas Birding Classic in
April was discussed. Also Mark Edmund gave a summary of the Feb. 4 field
trip to Eastman, where 65 bird species were sighted. Additionally, there
are two more trips scheduled for February, a woodcock "hunt" at Lake of
the Pines on the 18th, and Lake Bob Sandlin on the 25th.
The evening's program was presented by Vanessa Adams, an Area Biologist,
from Texas Parks and Wildlife. She gave a power point presentation of
the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area with an emphasis upon birding in
the area.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
January 10, 2006, General
Membership Meeting
NETFO Members held their regularly scheduled meeting after completion of
Bird Counts, on January 10, 2006, at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Club
President, David Weaver, presided.
Weaver welcomed members and guests. During the business portion of the
meeting future field trips were proposed and three trips were scheduled:
Jan. 28 (Eastman), Feb. 18 (Lake of the Pines), and Feb. 25 (Lake Bob
Sandlin). Future programs were discussed and new program ideas would be
welcomed.
The evening's program, presented by David Brotherton, was The CBC
Results and What They Might Tell Us, comparing results for the past 10
years. Also pictures were shared of the Brown Pelican and the
White-winged Scoter visiting at Eastman.
The meeting adjourned.
Happy King
Club Secretary
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