Club Historical Photos
The Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club was formed September 9, 1958, as the Dutchess County Bird Club. It was started by Ralph Waterman as an outgrowth of his bird identification classes. From the beginning, the club focused on field trips and keeping records of sightings. Regular meetings and a newsletter soon followed.The club conducts a variety of special projects from an annual May Census and Christmas Bird Count, maintaining a Bluebird Trail, and many educational activities throughout the county.
The photo gallery below shows some of these activities and the people involved. NOTE: to temporarily close the caption, click on the X in the caption box; to bring it back, click anywhere on the photo.
Photos provided with captions by Stan DeOrsey, September 2016
Ralph T. Waterman (1901-1958) behind his Poughkeepsie home.
Newly elected club officers, taken Nov. 5, 1959 following the
first Annual Dinner meeting held at Talbot’s Inn, Pleasant
Valley. The same officers were elected at the first meeting, Sept.
9, 1958. Left to right: Raymond J. Connelly, President; Otis T.
Waterman, Vice President; Mrs. Webster (Janet) Jones,
Recording Secretary; Mrs. Robert (Jean) Beck, Corresponding
Secretary; Bradford Whiting, Treasurer; and Dr. Ralph S.
Palmer, N.Y. State Zoologist and former Vassar College
professor, the after dinner speaker.
An early photo, Nov. 8, 1960, of a club field trip to Swamp River
and Swift Pond, Amenia taken at the Wassaic State School,
which overlooked Swift Pond. The highlight was seeing five
hawks, including a Rough-legged Hawk. Left to right: Mary Key,
John Matson, Eleanor Pink, Brad Whiting, and Florence
Germond. Photo by George Decker.
One of the first club projects, raising a Purple Martin house at
Thompson Pond, Feb. 5, 1961. Front to back: John Mattson who
built the house, Brad Whiting, possibly Eleanor Pink, Otis
Waterman, Florence Germond who organized the project, and
maybe John Klink. Photo by Roz Davis. The house was large,
five feet square, with 16 compartments. It also graced the early masthead of Wings over Dutchess.
On March 28, 1962, Roger Tory Peterson gave an Audubon Screen Tour presentation on “Wild Europe” at the Arlington High School cafeteria. Photo by Otis Waterman. The 1970-71 Audubon Screen Tour schedule was the penultimate season, having started in 1960. The admission tickets were attached to this season ticket stub.
Tamarack Swamp walk, April 21, 1965. Left to right: George
Decker, Don Borquist, Czecher Terhune, Ruth Dow, Jane
Thompson, Harold McLaughlin, and Helen Manson. Photo by
Roz Davis.
Club display at the first Sportsmen’s Show, held March 4-5,
1966 at the Arlington High School. The club regularly had a
booth at the annual show, displaying skins Ralph Waterman
obtained when closing the Vassar Brothers’ Institute Museum.
A field trip to Tamarack Swamp for Otis Waterman’s Bird
Identification Class, April 1975. Left to right: Florence Germond
(co-leader), Stan & Joan DeOrsey, Susan Gyscek, Bertha
Vanderburgh, Dorothy Wohlbach, Bill Consiglio, and Stefley
VanVlack. Photo by Otis Waterman.
Florence Germond began the Dutchess County Bluebird Trail in 1962 with 22 nest boxes.
Wappinger Recreation Area walk, Aug. 17, 1988. Left to right:
Mary Key, Dot Wohlbach, Jim Key, Millie Sturcken, Peggy
Fasciani, Art Schneier, Mary Yegella, Helen Manson, Stephanie Schmidt, Marion Van Wagner, and Bea Balyer.
Snowy Owl - Dutchess Plaza, March 25, 1997. Photo by Peter Relson.
Wednesday walk popularity has increased as at Tymor Forest,
April 14, 2004,. Left to right, front: Allan Michelin, Beth Prenot,
Millie Sturcken, Barbara Michelin, Barbara Butler, Michele
Tarsa, John Balint, Ken Krauer; second row: Peggy Rudis, Terry
Palumbo, Carol Fredericks, Jane Geisler, Sue Infante, Kelly Liao,
Tully McElrath, Doug Bean; third row: Ken Fredericks, John Ike, Chet Vincent, Joe Woleader. Photo by Betty Albrecht.
