-President Doug Rogers opened the meeting by welcoming forty members and guests in attendance, including first-time visitors and members of the Charlottesville Camera Club. Visitors included Lisa Martin, a C’ville Weekly reporter.
-JoAnn Dalley shared her recent birding trip to the Randall Research Center at Pine Island on the gulf coast of Florida. She located nearby birding hotspots through eBird and recorded sixty species.
-Maynard Davis reported serious wind damage to the Bald Eagle’s nest at Lickinghole Creek.
-Doug gave an update on the Priscilla Kingston Memorial benches at Ivy Creek Natural Area. The club has received $1,600 in donations for the project.
-Doug proposed the slate of officers for the fiscal year July 1, 2018 — June 30, 2019: Guy Babineau (president), Dan Bieker (vice-president), Maynard Davis (treasurer), Peggy Cornett (secretary), Susan Babineau (field trips), Lou Tanner (programs), Myrlene Staten (membership), Joanne Bricker (club news), Patty Kalbfleisch (hospitality), Doug Rogers (publicity), and Bernice Melvin (bird seed sale). Nominations can be accepted any time between now and the April meeting, when members will vote on the slate of officers for next year’s board.
-The second annual MBC Bird Photography contest is in the works. Information is on the website under the “Projects” tab, where you will find descriptions of the four categories of photos and two categories of photographers. Any member may enter only one photo per category and up to a total of four photos for the entire competition.
-Doug reported that details of the proposed overnight trip to Kiptopeke to stay at Chris Murray’s property are on the website. Please contact Doug by email to reserve your space.
-Susan Babineau reported on field trips in March. John Holden is leading a trip to the Outer Banks March 9-12. Jenny Gaden is leading the March 16 trip to Whitehall to see American Woodcocks. Susan passed a clipboard for more Birding Before Work leaders.
-Susan also reported on club publicity. MBC will have a table at the Ivy Creek open house in April 14.
-Dan Bieker had no further update on the community outreach project.
-Treasurer Maynard Davis reported the club’s finances are in the black. We did not have an application for the PVCC ornithology scholarship but will try again next year.
-Membership chair Myrlene Staten gave an update on the Land’s End logo project, which will enable us to order merchandize such as polo shirts and hats with the MBC logo. Stay tuned for more details. To date the club has 163 members. The photos from last year’s contest are on display at the Crozet library March 13-April 24. -Patty Kalbfleisch reported that the MBC will host coffee and pastries after the May 5 “First Saturday Bird Walk” at Ivy Creek when the Blue Ridge Young Birders Club meets.
-Doug Rogers introduced the evening’s speaker, Jim Nix, whose program was “Birding in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.”
