Thanks to Dick Nugent for leading the New Year’s Day hike at Irwin Road, North Park.

And thanks to Kate St. John for submitting these photos.

December 15, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Don Weiss presented  ” A musical tour of North America, its Grand Views, Wildlife and Flowers.” We took an armchair tour of the sights and sounds of this beautiful land and its inhabitants set to the music of Dan Gibson’s Solitudes and John Denver. From mountain scenes to migrating birds and wonderful wildflowers, we sat back and enjoyed the wide-open spaces and the tiniest creatures that share our world. http://www.donweissphotography.com

As is our tradition, we read the “Night before Christmas”, with each member taking a stanza.

This was also our annual cookie exchange.

Monica Miller shows the reindeer favors she made, with a little  help from Don Weiss and Dianne Machesney.

We will be taking a winter break from meetings  They will resume in February.  Join us at North Park for our January 1st outing.

Keeping tradition alive, member  Dick Nugent will be  leading  a New Year’s Day hike at Irwin Road, North Park. Come ID plants in their winter forms, appreciate trees by their bark, look and listen for birds.  Nature always surprises, even in Winter.
rmnugent@live.com. If weather
conditions are uncertain, please call
Richard at 412-487-5549 the day of the
hike

December 1, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.  Bill Beatty, Owner/Director  of Wild & Natural, presented  Discovering Life Through Birds.
This program highlighted bird-related stories from his recent book,
Rainbows , Bluebirds and Buffleheads .
Bill is a Nature Photographer and Writer. To view his work, visit his photo galleries: http://www.agpix.com/ billbeatty and Nature Blog: www.wvbirder.wordpress.com

Jeffrey Hall presented “Great Texas Birding Trail: the Rio Grande Valley.
The  Lower   Rio  Grande  Valley  of  Texas  teems  with  unique  birds  like  green   jays,  chachalacas,  Altamira  orioles,  and  kiskadees.  It  is  full  of   iconic  birding  spots  like  Santa  Ana  and  Laguna  Atascosa  National   Wildlife  Refuges,  South  Padre  Island,  Bentsen-­‐Rio  Grande  State   Park…so  many,  in  fact,  that  they  have  now  been  linked  into  the   “World  Birding  Center.”  This  program  introduced  us  to  many   of  the  natural  wonders  of  a  very  special  part  of  our  country .

Allegheny County Park Ranger, Braden Meiter, talked about reasons amphibians are in decline. With a special emphasis on frogs, he explained how different our world would be without them.  Frogs are important for insect control and also as bio-indicators of problems in the environment. They are a food source for bats, snakes, and other animals, including humans.   He ended on an encouraging note, showing a short film about frogs on the verge of extinction being bred for reentry into their environment.

While Hurricane Michael threatened her house in Florida,Joan arrived in Pittsburgh to give a wonderful presentation on Chuck’s life.

An owl box will be installed on one of the trails in the Raccoon State Park Wildflower Preserve in Chuck’s honor.

Afterwards, some of the guests gathered for a picnic lunch, and then Joan led a walk on the Valley Trail.

Wissahickon Special Event
October 7, Friday, 10:00 a.m. Tribute to Chuck Tague at Raccoon Creek State Park, Wildflower Reserve Nature Center. Joan Tague will be there to present her personal memories of Chuck.
Brittanie from the Wildflower Reserve staff will unveil an owl box to be installed in Chuck’s honor. Afterwards we will caravan to a picnic area for lunch, then off to the Valley Picnic Trail for a bird walk. Bring a lunch, beverages, field guides and binoculars.

Please RSVP to mywintermoon@verizon.net

Andrew Moore  presented

Pawpaws. We joined Andrew Moore as he spoke of the

past, present, and future of this unique fruit, which

is described as a cross between a mango and a

banana. We enjoyed a presentation about

pawpaw lore and knowledge, not only from the

plant breeders and horticulturists working to bring

the fruit into the mainstream, but also regular folks

Andrew met through his travels and research. In

addition, Andrew dug a little deeper, looking into

American foodways and how economic, biologic,

and cultural forces combine, leading us to eat what

we eat, and sometimes to ignore the incredible,

delicious food growing all around us.

Since September is pawpaw season, Andrew

brought some fresh fruit for tasting!  He also had copies of his award winning book for sale.