Joe Corcoran
Aug 13, 2026
President's Corner
President’s Corner
Recent Club Highlights
Mostly composed of Marcia Watson’s submission to the recent MOS Yellowthroat newsletter Chapter Chatter section
As a lifelong opportunist as far as getting work done, I’m taking this opportunity to use most of Marcia Watson’s recent excellent Maryland Yellowthroat Chapter Chatter submission, as our President’s Corner article this fall. I did contribute a little bit more. Thanks Marcia!
Thanks to Kris McDaniel and Alyssia Church (who did a great job keeping Rikki and Pikachu out of Kris’ hair as he worked) we have introduced the rebuild of the Baltimore Bird Club website, bringing a fresh new look and simpler navigation. The web address remains the same at https://www.baltimorebirdclub.org. We’re getting the final bugs out now, so let us know of any issues. Take a look!
BBC Officers and Directors for the upcoming membership year will be: President – Joe Corcoran; Vice President – Libby Errickson; Treasurer – Ed Hirsch; Recording Secretary – Jen Cookus; Membership Secretary – Terry Ross; Chapter Directors – Kojo Baidoo, AB Brackett, Neville Fernandes, Nico Sarbanes, and Mirat Shah; Representatives to the MOS Directors – Collin Bates, Charisma Burrows, Rozanne Solomon, Daisy Sudano, and Marcia Watson. Welcome to the team Ed, Kojo, Collin and AB!
BBC member Linda Corcoran is featured in a pair of short videos produced by the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership (MBCP). The videos are part of MBCP’s “Garden Stories” series of shorts that focus on gardening for birds and other wildlife. Linda’s two videos can be viewed on the MBCP YouTube channel; Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here. Take a look to get some ideas you can implement in your own yard. First Lady? Linda is married to BBC President Joe Corcoran and you might spot Joe in a split-second cameo (in actuality a video bombing) in Part 1. Thanks to Alex Pellegrini for connecting Linda with MBCP!
The BBC and MOS participated in a Community Environmental Fair sponsored by the Friends of Patuxent Research Refuge on July 25. Information tables and displays for both organizations were staffed by Kathy Lambrow Kahler (BBC), Marcia Watson (BBC); Mary Lou Clark (Howard County Bird Club), and Steve Sheffield (MOS President). The event provided opportunities for networking, outreach, and membership recruitment. The photo at left shows Steve talking to attendees in the packed venue (photo by Kathy Lambrow Kahler).
On Sunday May 3, Baltimore Bird Club members assisted in leading bird walks for the 2nd annual Blind Birdathon at the Maryland School for the Blind in the City of Baltimore. The event was part of a national movement spearheaded by the Birdability organization. The event, with an emphasis on birding by ear, was designed for blind and low vision birders and anyone who wanted to learn about adaptive birding technology. Participants explored accessible birding tools, including the Merlin app and additional hearing-assistance technology, and joined in bird counts during a Little Sit and guided listening tours. Birders of all levels, including no experience at all, were welcomed. More than 100 participants attended hands-on activities in the Assistive Technology Aviary, and guided bird walks throughout the day attracted up to 40 people for each walk. Jen Cookus, one of the BBC co-leaders, reported a very positive experience at the event, and BBC will be discussing future collaboration opportunities.
Coincidentally, Joe Corcoran helped lead a beginner’s birding walk for adults with low vision organized by Maryland Master Naturalist Donna Neuworth and held at Marshy Point Nature Center on July 11th. The walk was also in conjunction with Baltimore County Recreation and Parks and the next one will be on Sunday August 23rd 10am -12 noon at Lake Roland Park.
For over two years now, BBC has partnered with Enoch Pratt Library in the City of Baltimore to hold community bird walks at parks and in neighborhoods near the library locations. There are 28 locations throughout the city and we are working to have walks at every one. The walks have been popular, attracting people who might not ordinarily come out for BBC events. Many are in underserved neighborhoods and many of the participants are beginners who are amazed at the quantity of bird life around them. Now, BBC is expanding the program into Baltimore County Public Libraries. Some of the walks may incorporate historical interpretation. The club is purchasing additional loaner binoculars to support the growing program. Charisma Burrows and Nico Sarbanes manage the library programs for us. Great work Charisma and Nico!
Baltimore Bird Club has joined a new coalition of environmental groups led by the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy. The new Gunpowder Watershed Partners includes local organizations, government agencies, and community groups who will work together to protect and restore the 480-square-mile Gunpowder Watershed. The coalition’s goals include collaboration through shared knowledge and aligned regional actions; restoring and regenerating local ecosystems and habitats; promoting responsible land use and community stewardship and ensuring safe, enjoyable water resources for the region. BBC Conservation Chair Kathy Lambrow Kahler will be the liaison to the partnership.
BBC and other environmental groups in Baltimore County are celebrating a recent win: an agreement to close the Days Cove Rubble Landfill by the end of 2029, as detailed in a Bay Journal article. Even better, the landfill has agreed to immediately cease discharge of polluted leachate. The landfill sits at the mouth of the Gunpowder River, partly in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, on land that was acquired by the State of Maryland to be part of Gunpowder Falls State Park, and, ironically, is adjacent to the state-designated Days Cove Irreplaceable Natural Area. The landfill has operated under a lease from the state, and with a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment that allowed discharge of leachate from the landfill into the Gunpowder. Environmental groups have long been concerned about pollution of the water and wetlands in the area. In 2025, with the lease coming up for renewal, groups and individuals began advocating for the closure of the landfill; more than 800 public comments were submitted, including from the BBC as a whole and from many individual BBC members. The wish came true at the May 20, 2026 meeting of the Maryland Board of Public Works, with the approval of a revised lease that stipulates closure of the landfill by the end of 2029. During the intervening period, the landfill will gradually wind down operations, and the new lease includes further protective provisions requested by environmental groups. Read more on the websites of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy and the Gunpowder Riverkeeper. Days Cove Natural Area is often a field trip destination for Baltimore Bird Club, including kayaking trips, and we are looking forward to enjoying better water quality in the future.