Thelma Dalmas: Give the gift of a bird club membership

Is there someone on your list who has an interest in birds and you are still looking for the perfect gift? If so, why not consider giving that person a gift membership to an organization with a focus on this aspect of natural history. Listed below are two good options, both at the local and statewide level.

If you know someone who enjoys watching their feeder birds and would like to know more about the species that visit the yard, membership in the Lynchburg Bird Club is a good idea. The bird club meets in the evening on the second Wednesday of each month September through May at Randolph College. The meetings feature various guest speakers whose topics might range from a birding trip through South America to practical tips about attracting more butterflies to your local garden.

Members who are unable to attend the meetings will still enjoy the monthly newsletter. Articles of local interest as well as reviews of new field guides and noteworthy topics from the Internet are featured. Field trips to nearby areas are offered and this provides a great opportunity to explore some of our parks and natural areas. Each February a member of the bird club opens their home to a “bird and breakfast,” offering everyone a chance to visit and see the different kinds of feeders that attract various species.

To give a gift membership to the Lynchburg Bird Club, send the name and address of the recipient, along with a check in the amount of $10 made out to the Lynchburg Bird Club, to 853 Russell Woods Drive, Lynchburg, VA 24502.

If you know someone who enjoys travel throughout the state and would like to become more knowledgeable about birds ranging from the coast to the mountains, consider a gift membership to the Virginia Society of Ornithology. The recipient will receive quarterly issues of the statewide newsletter as well Virginia Birds, a journal of regional sightings.

Numerous field trips are scheduled by the Virginia Society of Ornithology every year. The February trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina will feature waterfowl identification. This spring the group will gather at Farmville to visit some of the more interesting birding sites in the southern Piedmont. Membership in the Virginia Society of Ornithology is open to anyone with an interest in birds. Send the name and address of the recipient, along with a check for $20 made out to the VSO, to 1230 Viewmont Drive, Evington, VA 24550.

News and Notes

Lynchburg now has its 16th record of a wintering hummingbird in this area. On Dec. 6, Bruce Peterjohn, from the Maryland Pautauxant Bird Laboratory, was in town to band a juvenile female Rufous Hummingbird. The folks who are playing host to this bird decided to take my advice and leave their feeder up through the end of the year. Just before Thanksgiving they were rewarded when the little western bird showed up in their yard.