Treasurer's Report – Steve White
The club will end the 2007-2008 fiscal year with approximately $8294 in the checking account and $11,211 in the savings account for a total of $19,505 in funds. As directed by vote of the Executive Board on May 14th, I will soon be making donations of $300 each to the eight conservation charities as outlined in the "Goldfinch Gazette's" April issue 2008 as well as one additional donation in that amount to the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica, as proposed by Fred Scott and approved by the Board at its May 14th meeting.
The club's bookkeeping records have been reviewed and approved by RBC patron member and United Bank officer Mr. Gerald Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins kindly agreed to take time from his banking duties and review the treasurer's records, which he declared to be in good shape, and he will be writing a letter with a few recommendations that may be of benefit to the club in handling our finances in the future. I will submit a copy of his letter to the Executive Board upon receipt.
On another topic, the designer of the club's Website, Audrey Albright (my daughter), says that the site's photo album can carry as many photos as those of our club's membership with photographic talent care to submit. Orv Lehman and Greg Moyers have been active in submitting their photos in the past, but any of you who have shots you feel are of interest, whether from the standpoint of artistic merit or from the unusual nature of a rare-bird sighting are encouraged to send your work to Audrey's e-mail address: calicoann22@yahoo.com; with mention that
you are a club member and are submitting it for posting on the RBC Website.
Bird Club Book Club - Maureen Gallagher-McLeod
The BCBC has plans to meet monthly during the summer months. Anyone who is interested in a particular book selected by the club is welcome to participate in that month's meeting. We will gather at 6:00 PM for appetizers, a little backyard birding, and dinner followed by the book discussion. Each participant brings a portion of the meal.
The Thursday, June 12, BCBC gathering will be at the home of Joanne Grayson who lives in a “birdy” place in the Singer's Glen area. We will discuss City Birding: True Tales of Birds and Birdwatching in Unexpected Places edited by Mark Allison. On Thursday, July 17 we will meet at the home of Elizabeth Ihle, who also lives in another “birdy” place in Rockingham County. We will discuss the book Season at the Point by Jack Connor. On Thursday, August 21, we will meet at the home of Elizabeth Ihle to discuss the book Naturalist, Edward O. Wilson.
If you are interested in attending a BCBC meeting, contact Maureen at 896-9541 or famcleod@earthlink.net.
Trip Reports
VSO Meeting - Rosemarie Palmer
Maureen Gallagher-McLeod, Anne Nielsen, and Rosemarie Palmer attended the Joint VSO Annual Meeting and 4th Annual Migratory Bird Festival at Mountain Lake Hotel, Pembroke, VA on May 16-18. Clair Mellinger and his wife Mamie were also there from our Rockingham Bird Club. Capetown resident, Ian Sinclair, birding expert and author of field guides on South African birds, spoke at the VSO Banquet on Friday night. South Carolinian Bill Hilton, Jr. was the Saturday speaker on his hummingbird-banding project in Costa Rica. We were among 175 registered attendees for the weekend. It was a fruitful and fabulous weekend with morning and afternoon field trips with transportation provided to nearby habitats, such as the Cascades, Pandapas Pond, Clover Hollow, UVA Biological Station, Blueberry Hill, Poverty Hollow, Bald Knob, Doe Run, Glen Alton, and around the lake. Besides birding, other walks focused on wildflowers, butterflies/dragonflies, photography, moths, and geology. Rafting trips on the New River were also available for an additional cost. For more information, see www.mountainlakebirding.com. For accommodations and amenities at Mountain Lake Hotel, see www.mountainlakehotel.com.
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