Ecology, Botany and Ornithology for Fun and Educational Field Trips
If this page should be out of date, check the heads-up messages at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/potomacaudubon/Field Trips for 2009
Sunday, August 9 - A Hike in the Cranesville Swamp Preserve The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is sponsoring a hike into the Cranesville Swamp Preserve in Preston County WV on Sunday, August 9.The hike will begin at 1:00 p.m. and last two to three hours. It will be led by naturalist Kevin Dodge, who directs the Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology Program at Garrett College in McHenry, MD.
Anyone with an interest is welcome to participate, and there will be no fee. But space will be limited and preregistration is required. To preregister and get directions, or to get further information, contact Peter Smith at 304-876-1139 or pvsmith@frontiernet.net.
The Preserve is an exceptionally large (1,600-acre), high-altitude wetland owned by The Nature Conservancy.
Surrounded by 2,800-foot mountains, it constitutes a natural "frost pocket" that evokes an Ice Age landscape; the mountains trap moisture and cold air that foster a habitat normally found much further north in Canada.
A significant number of rare and endangered animal and plant species can be found there. Rare mammals include the Northern water shrew. Breeding birds include the golden-crowned kinglet, alder flycatcher, Nashville warbler, and saw-whet owl. Other bird species include wood ducks, Ruffed Grouse, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, and Northern Waterthrush.
Much of the wet bog plant community is co-dominated by Sphagnum moss, Speckled Alder, Roughish Arrowwood, Glade St. John's-wort, various sedges, and grasses.
Many interesting bog species such as round-leaved sundew and narrowleaf gentian can be observed from a quarter-mile boardwalk over the swamp.
The Preserve also includes an exceptional acidic conifer swamp forest with tall Eastern Hemlock and Red Spruce, and local patches of dense Great Laurel and mossy ground cover.
Tuesday, August 11 - Meteor-Watching Party The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor its third annual meteor-watching party in Berkeley County West Virginia the night of Tuesday, August 11.
The event is timed to catch the peak of the 2009 Perseid meteor shower, which is expected to be at its height that night.
Anyone with an interest is welcome to participate, and there will be no fee. Participants will gather at 10:00 p.m. at the Trinity United Methodist Church's Orchard House at Trinity Center, which is located at 4599 Shepherdstown Road (Route 45) about half way between Martinsburg and Shepherdstown.
The center is surrounded by farm fields so it offers excellent views of the night sky.
Viewing of this year's Perseid shower will be complicated by a nearly full moon that will rise just after midnight. But some meteors should be visible before that time and there are indications that this year's shower will be strong enough that there will be bright meteors visible even after the moon rises.
Participants should bring their own lawn chairs or loungers, blankets, and insect repellent, and snacks if they wish. Meteors are best observed with the naked eye, so binoculars and telescopes are not recommended. Bathrooms will be available at the
For obvious reasons, the event is contingent on the weather. It will not be held if the sky is fully obscured by cloud cover.
For more information contact Ellen Murphy at 304-676-8739 or pvasprograms@comcast.net
PVAS SPONSORING MORGAN COUNTY "INSECT WALKS" August 21 and 22 The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor two evening "insect walks" in Morgan County on Friday August 21 and Saturday, August 22.
The walks will be led by local insect expert Wil Hershberger, who is coauthor of "The Songs of Insects," a book and audio CD published by Houghton-Mifflin Company.
Both walks will assemble at 8:00 p.m. at Cacapon State Park.
From there, Hershberger will lead explorations of nearby fields and roadsides. Insects likely to be encountered include tree crickets, several species of meadow katydids, perhaps one or two species of round-winged katydids, northern true katydids, oblong-wing katydids, and perhaps some bush katydids.
These are family-oriented events that are especially popular with young children. But anyone with an interest is welcome to participate. Space will be limited, so those who would like to participate should make a reservation as soon as soon as possible by contacting Peter Smith at pvsmith@frontiernet.net or 304-876-1139.
Those who wish to participate should bring a flashlight and be prepared to walk through high grass and weeds. Tucking pants legs into socks and spraying them with a DEET-based insect repellent is recommended.
Hershberger, who lives in Hedgesville, has been a naturalist all his life.
He has been photographing and recording the natural world for more than a decade and his work has been published in magazines, calendars, and books.
His recordings of birds, frogs and insects are archived at the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
His website can be found at http://www.natureimagesandsounds.com.