Highlights from the First Fifty Years

Meeting to organize Howard County Bird Club (HCBC) held on November 1, 1972.  +  First public meeting and program on December 14, 1972.  +  First Field trip.  +  First issue of newsletter published.

First May Count HCBC compiled.

Howard County Rare Bird Alert authorized using a telephone tree.

Mounted bird and nest collection begun.  +  American Goldfinch named Howard County Bird at HCBC’s suggestion.  +  Spring Wildflower Checklist project begun.

Trifold brochure created.

“Attracting Birds in the Maryland Piedmont” published.  +  First HCBC seed sale.  +  Annual bus trips with Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks (HCDR&P) initiated.  +  First annual list: bird species seen in Howard County in 1979  +  First comprehensive list of birds ever seen in Howard County.

Columbia Waterfowl Committee merges with HCBC.

HCBC donates $3500 to Nassawango Creek Sanctuary as a Tenth Anniversary event.  +  First HCBC display at Howard County Fair.

First Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia begun. Autumn Wildflower Survey begun.

Reception and dinner honoring Chandler Robbins’ second edition of “Birds of North America.”

“Preliminary Checklist of Birds of Howard County, 1956-1984” published.

First annual Howard County Mid-winter Count.

HCBC Board of Directors adopted five-year goals.

Membership surpassed 300 for first time.

Trifold displays created.

Twentieth Anniversary celebration .  +  “The Butterflies of Howard County, Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist” published.

“Checklist of the Birds of Howard County, 1956-1993” published.  +  New Member Packet created.  +  First seasonal summary of bird records in newsletter.

First Annual Fall Count.

“Birding Howard County, Maryland” published.  +  “The Electronic Goldfinch” website and message board established.

HCBC newsletter renamed “The Goldfinch.”  +  Odonate survey begun.

Twenty-fifth Anniversary celebration.  +  Howard County Rare Bird Alerts sent by email as well as by telephone.

First unofficial Big Day field trip.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) transferred mounted bird and nest collection to HCDR&P.  +  John C. Clegg Memorial Meadow dedicated.

Marjorie Mountjoy bequest received.  +  Second Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of  Columbia begun.

First Sparrow Big Day.

Final year of HCBC display at the Howard County Fair.

Special sale of Pennington-donated suet and feeders at a meeting.  +  Four bird and dragonfly informational signs designed for Meadowbrook Park.  +  Annual seed sale moved to The Wildlife Authority.  +  Bird Photo Gallery created for website as the first of seven photo galleries.  +  First of 12 annual Howard County Odonate Counts co-sponsored with HCDR&P.

HCBC and the Howard County Conservancy began offering occasional joint programs.

Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas (“Herp” Atlas) begun.  +  HCBC Facebook account established.

Meetings moved to Robinson Nature Center (RNC).  +  “The Goldfinch” available in electronic as well as print form.

Multi-year butterfly survey project begun.

First official Howard County Big Day.

Emy’s Meadow created.

Initial planning with Howard County Conservancy for Skywatch site at Mount Pleasant.

HCBC leases 11+ acres along Underwood Road to preserve Dickcissel habitat; same site also leased in 2018.  +  Martha Chestem bequest received.

Dedication of Chandler S. Robbins Skywatch at Mount Pleasant.  +  First color printing of “The Goldfinch.”

Overhaul of the HCBC website; content management system changed to WordPress.

MOU formally transferred mounted bird and nest collection to RNC.  +  Pandemic cancelled March and subsequent in-person meetings, also the annual potluck and the Beyond Birding Basics class.  +  Fiftieth Anniversary committee established.  +  Since HCBC’s founding, donations to habitat preservation and conservation causes have exceeded $100,000  +  Breeding Bird Atlas 3 (BBA3) began January 1, 2020

Waterford Flats at Sharp’s at Waterford Farm opened.  +  Official Big Day team sets county record of 129 species.

Tee-shirt design contest for Fiftieth Anniversary design.  +  Purple Martin tower and gourds erected at Mount Pleasant, Howard County Conservancy.  +  Fiftieth Anniversary celebration began on January 1, 2022.

50th Anniversary events, October 30, 2022. Field trip in a.m.  +  Displays and program , Gudelsky Environmental Education Center, Howard County Conservancy in afternoon.