According to a recent survey by US Fish and Wildlife, over 45 million Americans regularly watch birds. Thanks to its natural self-distancing and ability to be done alone, bird watching has soared in popularity during the pandemic. Birding can be great for our health, both physical and mental. A “growing body of scientific evidence indicating that contact with nature can ease anxiety and provide an all-around mood boost,” shares Aubodon.org. While bird watching may be new to some, it has a strong presence and history in Greene County.
In 2007, a group of dedicated birders organized the Ralph K. Bell Bird Club in Greene County. Ralph K. Bell’s name is synonymous with birds. In 1958, he founded the Allegheny Front Migration Observatory (AFMO). The AFMO is the oldest uninterrupted bird banding station in North America. In 1966, Bell established a specific route 25 miles in length with 50 stops where bird watchers spend three minutes counting all the birds they can hear and see. In 2002, the West Virginia Public Broadcasting System filmed a documentary about his founding of the AFMO. In 2006, he was awarded the Pennsylvania Game Commission Certificate of Appreciation for over 50 years of service. As of May 2013, Bell had banded 142,255 birds.
With such a dedicated and beloved bird expert, it is no wonder that the bird club was named in his honor. The idea of the bird club came to Marjorie Howard in 2006. She was soon able to find many other bird enthusiasts interested in joining the club. The original mission of the Ralph K. Bell Bird Club was to encourage a better understanding of avian life and the environment. The mission has been amended to include one of Bell’s favorite sayings, “One of the main reasons for living is to learn.”
After Bell’s passing in 2014, his property at Bell Farms still felt like home to the bird club. The Bell family generously continues to allow the bird club to hold meetings at the farm, where many people first learned to love birds from their mentor.
The meetings’ locations vary but the meetings are regularly held on the third Monday of even months. Some meetings are public outings for the group. These outings sometimes involve looking for a particular species, like when the bird club goes to Pymatuming Reservoir to watch for shorebirds and water fowl.
The bird club participates in many bird counts throughout the year. Birders can even participate in a bird count right from their own home. After all, the very best place to begin bird watching in Greene County might be your own yard.
Each February, the Great Backyard Bird Count is held and takes place over four days. Anyone interested is encouraged to join. The GBBC was started by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society in 1998. FMI, visit www.birdcount.org.
For the beginning bird watcher, phone apps are available to help with bird identification. The Merlin Bird ID app allows the user to take a photograph of a bird they have spotted in order to identify the bird. Another option for identifying a bird online is to use a search engine to input a description of the bird. If you use a reading app like Kindle, e-book versions of popular field guides are available at the touch of a finger.
Ralph K. Bell Bird Club members Lucille DeFrank, Marjorie Howard and Kathy Kern shared advice for those new to bird watching. They recommend getting a pair of binoculars, a bird field guide, a bird feeder, and bird food. While different types of food appeals to different types of birds, a black oil sunflower seed and cracked corn mixture appeals to several different species. If you really want to get up close and personal, try a bird feeder that attaches to a window. You can watch the birds directly from your house and eventually recognize their facial patterns, bird songs and habits.
Each member has birds that love to see or hope to see in the wild. For Marjorie, the bird she’d most like to see is a Painted Bunting.
Lucille recommends that if you are interested in seeing more species beyond your own backyard to take a trip to a nearby body of water. There are “an amazing number of species of ducks on our river. Ducks are very colorful and make great photographs.” She also mentions the several breeding pairs of eagles in Greene County, but warns about venturing too close to the nests. The US Game Commission recommends not getting any closer than 600 feet. If an eagle feels safe in their nest, they will return to it year after year.
The bird club supports local events related to wildlife issues such as the Wildflower Walk at the State Game lands in Enlow Fork, usually held the last Sunday in April. The club also supports the bird banding station of the AFMO each August at Dolly Sods, in Grant County, West Virginia. Over 200,000 individual birds of 125 species have been banded at this location over the years.
The Ralph K. Bell Bird Club offers a scholarship award each year to a local high school senior or college freshman. Participants write a 500-word essay on Winter Birds of Greene County. In memory of Mr. Bell, the Greene County Conservation District and the bird club both donate towards the scholarships.
For anyone interested in joining the Ralph K. Bell Bird Club, contact rkbbirdclub@yahoo.com and request an application. Membership is $15 a year for individuals or $25 for families. A portion of the annual dues goes towards the scholarship fund.
Wouldn’t Ralph be thrilled with the return of the bald eagles to Greene County? Our waters & other habitat are finally cleaned up enough to support them.