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Howard County Bird Club

A Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society
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Highlights from the First Fifty Years

Entries below are by membership year (i.e., from September 1 of one year through August 31 of the next year). Some years are not included because there were no really significant events. For more detailed information from all years, see Fifty Years of History.

1972-1973

January 1, 1972

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.

1974-1975

January 1, 1974

First May Count HCBC compiled.

1975-1976

January 1, 1975

Howard County Rare Bird Alert authorized using a telephone tree.

1977-1978

January 1, 1977

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

1978-1979

January 1, 1978

Trifold brochure created.

1979-1980

January 1, 1979

“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.

1980-1981

January 1, 1980

Columbia Waterfowl Committee merges with HCBC.

1981-1982

January 1, 1981

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

1982-1983

January 1, 1982

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

1983-1984

January 1, 1983

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

1984-1985

January 1, 1984

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

1985-1986

January 1, 1985

First annual Howard County Mid-winter Count.

1987-1988

January 1, 1987

HCBC Board of Directors adopted five-year goals.

1988-1989

January 1, 1989

Membership surpassed 300 for first time.

1990-1991

January 1, 1990

Trifold displays created.

1992-1993

January 1, 1992

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

1993-1994

January 1, 1993

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

1994-1995

January 1, 1995

First Annual Fall Count.

1995-1996

January 1, 1995

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

1996-1997

January 1, 1996

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

1997-1998

January 1, 1997

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

1998-1999

January 1, 1998

First unofficial Big Day field trip.

2000-2001

January 1, 2000

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

2001-2002

January 1, 2001

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

2003-2004

January 1, 2003

First Sparrow Big Day.

2004-2005

January 1, 2004

Final year of HCBC display at the Howard County Fair.

2005-2006

January 1, 2005

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.

2007-2008

January 1, 2007

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

2009-2010

January 1, 2009

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

2011-2012

January 1, 2011

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

2012-2013

January 1, 2012

Multi-year butterfly survey project begun.

2013-2014

January 1, 2013

First official Howard County Big Day.

2014-2015

January 1, 2014

Emy’s Meadow created.

2015-2016

January 1, 2015

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

2016-2017

January 1, 2016

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

2017-2018

January 1, 2017

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

2018-2019

January 1, 2018

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

2019-2020

January 1, 2019

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

2020-2021

January 1, 2020

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

2021-2022

January 1, 2021

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.

2022-2023

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.