Check out the May 4, 2017 newsletter for a list of upcoming outings.

Doug Oster presented Getting Started Early in the Garden. . Even though he was battling a scratchy throat, Doug gave a great presentation, using lots of examples from his own home garden.  He recommends all organic gardening, lots of mulch to keep the weeds down, using homemade compost and starting seeds early under grow lights. Peas were planted on St. Patrick’s Day and radishes last winter for microgreen addition to salads today.   Corydalis lutea is a nice early blooming perennial.   Check out his newsletter at http://everybodygardens.triblive.com/newsletters/

Mike Fialkovich presented nature in Southern California.  From 234 feet below sea level at the Salton Sea to just over 8000 ft. above sea level in the San Bernardino Mountains, the Channel Islands and deserts, Mike’s program  showed the wide variety of nature Southern California has to offer.

Burrowing Owl

The Eastern Coyote is present in all 67 counties of Pennsylvania.  WCO Thomas Kline educated us on the coyote’s traits,  habitat and some common misconceptions.

He had a video of suburban coyotes that had been radio-collared.  They were then able to follow them at night and record their behavior.  Coyotes are the number one predator of Canada geese, eating both the eggs and the young. They are opportunistic, feeding on whatever is easiest to obtain.  Road kill and small mammals make up a large part of their diet. They will also eat fruit, like fallen apples and wild grapes, when available.

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.