Don Reimer, Owls
Buckets on the table are for the District Wheelchair project.
Kristen Lindquist introduced Don Reimer, a life-long birder from Warren. He leads field trips for birding and coordinates the Christmas bird counts in the area. He writes a regular column in the Free Press on birding. He considers himself world famous between Damariscotta and Belfast, Maine. Don Reimer talked about owls, including Snowy Owls which were prolific a few winter's ago. He shared slides with Snowy Owl images from the area. They favor areas with barrens, where they can hunt. Owls gravitate towards airports and they are relocated to safer areas. Great Grey Owls don't nest in Maine, but do come to Maine. Adults are almost 3 feet tall, but scrawnier than their Snowy cousins. There are only 4 species of owl that nest here, the Great Horned, Barred Owl, Long Ear and Sawed Owl. You know Rotarians have strong stomachs! Despite being a breakfast meeting, we were treated to many pictures of owl pellets, which are the regurgitated, undigested animals eaten by owls. And owls hit by cars, lying dead in the road still clutching their prey. The Maine Owl Survey program took place from about 2002 for ten years, and participants tried to find places with varied habitat at least a mile apart. He did an area between Somerville and Palermo. They would survey the weather, vehicle traffic and other environmental conditions of the places where they would listen for owl calls and record that information and the calls at each place, playing a tape of owls calling, too, to prompt the owls to answer.
Susan Dorr shared slides from her recent trip to Mexico and 5 water fountains that Rotary has provided to communities in the Yucatan near Valladolid. 4 of them were provided through District grants.
Deb Hitchings spoke about the 3 African students in Lesotho, including Nsebo, whom the club has sponsored for many years.
Tom Albertson reminded us that Ewaste is Saturday, 9a - 2p at the old RES site on West Street in Rockport. Volunteers are meeting Friday afternoon at 3:30 for setting up cones and planning.
Peter Berke has Duck Derby volunteer sign up sheets, and said there were 7 prizes and 8 sponsors for the race on May 26.
Mary Sargent will preside at next week's meeting in Mik's absence.
Gary and Roberta Walker are going to fund two Paul Harris Fellow's to be given to non-Rotarians selected by the Community Service Committee starting in the next Rotary year.
Next week's speaker: Paul Sampson will be speaking about small woodlots.
6p Thursday May 24 is the dinner to support the Wheelchair Project at the Penobscot School. See Joan Lemole for tickets