On Saturday, October 8 from10a.m. to 2 p.m., the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society will host an open house at the DOAS Sanctuary and Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch in Oneonta. The event is free and open to the public.

The address of the Sanctuary is Grange Hall Spur Road, Oneonta; directions may be found at https://doas.us/conservation-and-environment/franklin-mountainsanctuary .

At 10 a.m., a Franklin Mountain hawk counter will conduct a workshop on how to identify flying hawks. At 11:30 a.m., there will be guided trailwalks around the Sanctuary (one for children, one for adults), around the Sanctuary, ending at the Hawkwatch. In the afternoon, starting at 12:30pm, we host Deborah Saltis of Falcon Heart Rescue in Herkimer, NY for a live birds of prey program.

A variety of complimentary snacks and drinks will be offered throughout the day.

Raffle items for the upcoming October 21 Charter Dinner will be on display, and raffle tickets will be available to purchase. Bird-friendly coffee will also be available for sale.

Live Raptors at 12:30 pm at Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch

Deborah Saltis is the Founder of Falcon Heart Rescue, Inc., a non-profit wildlife rescue and educational facility in Herkimer NY. She and Matt Perry are Co-founders of the Utica Peregrine Falcon Project, which is the spark that started the rehab/educator fire in her life.

Deb went from being a non-believer of falcons nesting in downtown Utica, to a wildlife rehabilitator and educator. The knowledge she has gained from 1000’s of hours observing and interacting with the falcons has made her a near expert in falcon behavior.

Soon after starting the project, it became apparent that a closer rehabber was needed to deal with injured young falcons – the nearest one was over an hour away. Many hours of training, testing, building, learning, and licensing went into what is now a facility that rehabs many birds each year and is home to 9 educational birds as well.

Even though releasing a bird back to the wild is a thrilling event, education has been the focus and the most rewarding part of her journey thus far. “Never stop learning”

We are back in person this year!

Mark Your Calendars for the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society’s Annual Charter Dinner on Friday October 21, 2022 at the Quality Inn (formerly the Holiday Inn) on State Highway 23 in Oneonta. The evening begins at 5:30 with a social hour, followed by The Hills Buffet at 6:15 (menu below), and the program at 7:30. A cash bar will be available. Masks and Covid-19 vaccinations are not required but are strongly recommended. In order to provide patrons with more space, each table will be limited to 6 seats.

Charter Dinner Raffle

As in the past, there will be door prizes and fine raffle items. Items can be viewed at the link below, and tickets for the Charter Raffle can be purchased online at https://doas.us/2022-charter-dinner-raffle. These will also be available at our Hawkwatch Open House at the DOAS Sanctuary on Franklin Mountain on October 8. Raffle winners do not need to be present at the dinner.

Keynote Speaker

Our featured speaker will be John C. Robinson who will share his expertise on “The Essentials of Birding by Ear: A Universal Method for Learning to Identify Birds Using Calls or Notes”. This will be a remote speaker, so others who would like to attend will be able to join us on Zoom starting at 7:15 for a 7:30 presentation start time. Details about the program can be found at https://doas.us/the-essentials-of-birding-by-ear/.

For those not joining us at the Quality Inn, you may register for the Zoom portion of the evening here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8aFn2gcpRHKoFiDfik8Ccg

In Person Attendance

The cost for the full evening is $35 per person (with no charge for those wishing to attend only the program portion of the event). Reservations must be made by October 13th, using the form below. (Please note $2 additional fee for online processing or you can mail payment by check.)

Our Menu for the Evening

Hors D’Oeuvres: Vegetables & Dip and Gourmet Cheese & Crackers
Mixed Green Salad with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots with choice of two dressings
Roasted Salmon and Tomato with a chive cream sauce
Garlic & Peppercorn-rubbed NY Sirloin, sliced; served with caramelized shallots in a Merlot reduction
Vegetable Lasagna (vegetarian; made without eggs)
Seasonal market vegetables
Herb-roasted Potatoes
Assorted breads & rolls
Chef ’s Dessert Table with coffee & tea

Dinner Registration

Please use the form below to register for the evening at the Quality Inn.
If you are interested in registration after the deadline (October 13), please contact Kathryn Davino at 607-397-3815. We have secured a few additional spots for late registrants.

A Universal Method for Learning to Identify Birds Using Calls or Notes

Join Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society on Friday, October 16 on Zoom (streamed LIVE from our 2022 Charter Dinner), at 7:30pm for a special presentation with award winning author and ornithologist, John C. Robinson.

Click Here to Register to Attend the Charter Dinner In Person

Click Here to Register to Attend this Presentation on Zoom

Click Here to Purchase Raffle Tickets
(Winners to be announced immediately after the program.)

Birding is fun! Plain and simple! To appreciate, understand and enjoy the bird life around them, birders must rely on the to instantly recognize their fine feathered friends. Identifying birds quickly and easily by sound is not only one of the biggest frustrations birders experience, it is also the singular focus of this  presentation by award-winning author and ornithologist John C. Robinson. This includes a set of advanced techniques that can be adapted year-after-year to fine-tune one’s ability to identify similar-sounding bird species or challenging species groups regardless of geographic location.

About the Presenter

A professional ornithologist, keynote speaker, and environmental consultant, John C. Robinson holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Iowa State University. A two-time #1 Best-Selling author, he has published six books about nature and birds, including An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee (1990), North American Bird Reference Book (2004), and Tweet, Flutter, and Squawk! (2015). He has also led professional birding and natural history tours to South Africa and numerous locations within the United States.

Since 1999, John has been an advocate for minorities in birdwatching and nature and has conducted research on how to connect our youth and young adults to nature through the magic of bird watching.

He has worked in collaboration with Toyota and the National Audubon Society; and continues to travel across the country, speaking about his landmark book, Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers.