Howard County Bird Club

Howard County Bird Club

A Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society
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Meeting and Field Trip Information

MEETINGS

In Person

at Robinson Nature Center. Building opens and social hour at 7:00 p.m. Business meeting and program at 7:30 p.m.

If you are symptomatic of an illness, we encourage you to attend the program virtually. Although masks are no longer required, they will be available for those who would feel more comfortable wearing them if you attend in person.

Robinson Nature Center

6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia MD

By Zoom

Current Howard County Bird Club members will automatically be notified on how to attend. If you have not done so before, here is how to participate in a Zoom meeting.

Non-members can attend by emailing HCBC Programs to get the link for the meeting.

Previous Programs 

Here is a complete list of all programs given at Howard County Bird Club meetings.

Starting December, 2020, previous programs were recorded and are available on  the HCBC channel on YouTube

FIELD TRIPS

Trips especially useful for less experienced birders are so marked as are ones that are wheelchair accessible. Check with HCBC field trip leader,  e-mails, and here for trip details and changes. Some trips may be have limits on numbers or require  you to register with the trip leader in advance. Participants are responsible for reaching out to the field trip leader if they have specific questions about the trip, health concerns, or require accommodations to attend the trip. Trip Organizer will cancel the field trip if weather or other conditions make the trip unsafe or inadvisable. Whenever possible, the cancellation will be posted here before the trip starts. Report arrival and departure to the leader. Do not go ahead of leader while walking or in caravan. Speak quietly on a walk or move to the back of the group when talking. “Bird listening” is as important as “Bird watching”. Do not play bird song or call recordings without leader approval. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. No pets! Binoculars and a field guide are recommended but are not necessary. Birders should carefully consider health risks before attending a field trip. Attendance is at your own risk. Maryland Ornithological Society and Howard County Bird Club are not liable.

Previous Field Trips 

This is a complete list field trips held by the Howard County Bird Club.

Also see MOS Calendar of Events.

Trip Leaders, you should cancel because of really bad weather or dangerous situations. Let me know if you do so a notice can be posted in the web.

Please ask during the introductions: “Is this anyone’s first field trip? Don’t hesitate to ask for pointers on things you see or hear that you’d like to know more about.” It is also helpful ask for everyone to introduce themselves since there will be some who don’t know everyone. And give any non-member a business card if they want one.

Large groups: At the leader’s discretion, large numbers of participants may be divided into two or more groups with each guided by another experienced bird walk leader.

Trip leader reports: At the beginning of the trip, circulate a sign-up sheet, asking for name(s) and email addresses. Remind participants to make way for others (especially bicyclists and those with baby strollers) on the path. Send a legible photograph of this list to the webmaster, who will transcribe it and send you a copy of the transcription so you can notify participants of an eBird report (if you desire). As a trip leader, you can use your eBird report as a basis for your report to the webmaster. To do this, open the report to be used. Click on View or Edit. When that opens, click on Email Yourself. Forward the email you sent yourself to odenata@msn.com, adding the following:
• Trip leader(s) name(s). Recorder’s name (if not the trip leader).
• Date of trip (if not eBird report date)
• Location of trip (if not in eBird report)
• Details (unless in eBird report)
• Additional comments (if desired)
At the end of the trip, tell the participants that there will be a report of the trip on the HCBC website available from the front page in the “CALENDAR” tab: Click “Previous field trips.”
If you communicate to participants after the trip (e.g., to share an eBird report) please include the phrase, “This field trip report will be posted on the HCBC website: https://howardbirds.website/birding/field-trip-reports/ .”

If there is a limit on the number of participants:

  1. Leader decides on the number of participants and posts it with the description of the trip.
  2. Leader keeps track of the people registering and starts a list of standbys (how many is decided by leader).
  3. When limit on number of standbys is reached, leader notifies webmaster who adds phrase “QUOTA FILLED” to calendar entry.

Only the leader can decide on the number of participants and standbys. It is up to the leader to notify standbys that there is an opening.