CALENDAR

What about cancellations?

Meetings at the Robinson Nature Center are cancelled if the Howard County Government has announced government buildings are closed and will not open for the day. For other venues where a Howard County Bird Club (HCBC) event was scheduled, the cancellation will be posted on the front page of the HCBC website in a banner headline and on the website calendar. Field Trips and Workshops may be cancelled at the discretion of the leader and announced in advance when possible. The cancellation will be posted on the front page of the HCBC website in a banner headline and on the website calendar.

Previous programs

Previous field trips

Cape Henlopen

Broken Land Parkway Park and Ride (west side)

Meet at the Broken Land Park and Ride Lot West at 6:00 a.m. and plan to carpool. All-day driving trip to the Delaware shore, stops to include Indian River Inlet, Cape Henlopen State Park, and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Entry into Delaware State Parks is free from December through February. Target species include wintering seaducks, Great […]

Wingspan event at Wild Birds Unlimited, Columbia

Wild Birds Unlimited 6955 F, Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD, United States

Wingspan (https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/) is an engine-building game where players create a birding preserve with several different bird cards representing different species of birds. If you do not know how to play the game, someone will be availcable to teach you. Bring your Wingspan board with you if you can. Coordinator: John Henri Rorabeck,  johnhenri14@gmail.com

Midwinter Count

Join the Howard County Bird Club’s Thirty-Nineth Annual Midwinter count on Saturday, February 1, 2025.  Joe Hanfman auk1844@gmail.com is the count coordinator. You may volunteer to participate by contacting one of the area coordinators listed below: Area 1 Wes Earp wesandsue@gmail.com Area 2 Russ Kovach Russell.kovach@gmail.com Area 3 Chuck Stirrat Stirrcr1@gmail.com Area 4 Mike McClure […]

Lake Elkhorn

Lake Elkhorn 7244 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Maryland, United States

Meet at Dockside Parking lot. Easy walking along the lake and to Forbay Pond. Waterfowl, sparrows and winter finches are possible. The lake can turn up interesting surprises. No facilities. Leader – Allen Lewis, allenrlewis@gmail.com  

A Search for Owls

Learn how to find owls by habitat and signs. Our target species are Long-eared, Saw-whet, and other owls. No facilities. Sign up with the leaders by Wednesday, Fed 5 by 7:00 p.m. prior to the trip. Leaders – David Cummings, wcummings9@gmail.com Gregg Petersen, sig29@aol.com Reservations required.

HCBC Meeting

Robinson Nature Center 6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia, MD

Conservation Programs at the National Aquarium by Hallie Carter Hallie will discuss the mission of the Aquarium as a whole and the various habitat restoration projectss and community activities they lead and develop. Hallie is a Conservation Project Manager at the National Aquarium. Originally from Southern California, she moved to Maryland to attend the University […]

Birds and Beverages Feeder Watch and Walk during the Great Backyard Bird Count

Howard County Conservancy at Mount Pleasant 10520 Old Frederick Rd, Woodstock, MD

 Sat. Feb. 15, 2025. 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Howard County Conservancy at Mount Pleasant. Join Woody Merkle (HCC-MP) and Val Swan (Howard County Bird Club). Bring your hot chocolate and participate in Cornell's Great Backyard Bird Count by identifying and counting birds at the feeders from the warmth of the Guldesky education […]

Woodcock Search – date to be determined

Late February or early March, exact date to be determined based on the weather. Watch for details. Leader - Mary Lou Clark, doctorfx_99@yahoo.com

Wingspan event at Wild Birds Unlimited, Columbia

Wild Birds Unlimited 6955 F, Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD, United States

Wingspan (https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/) is an engine-building game where players create a birding preserve with several different bird cards representing different species of birds. If you do not know how to play the game, someone will be availcable to teach you. Bring your Wingspan board with you if you can. Coordinator: John Henri Rorabeck,  johnhenri14@gmail.com

Centennial Park

Centennial Park (West) 4651 Centennial Lane, Ellicott City, MD

Meet at the West end parking lot. Easy walking around the lake on paved path. Waterfowl expected, early migrant passerines possible. Facilities available. Leader – Russell Kovach, Russell.kovach@gmail.com

HCBC Meeting: Birding Idaho’s Snake River Plain by Wes and Sue Earp

Robinson Nature Center 6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia, MD

The volcanism that reshaped the Rocky Mountains into Idaho’s Snake River Plain created an expansive diverse sagebrush steppe. Cut by deep gorges and underlain by deposits of basalt lava the result was a habitat ideal for both rodents and breeding raptors. In addition, aquatic features including expansive manmade lakes, three of the worlds five largest […]