Handlan (Charleston) Chapter
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The Handlan Chapter is Charleston's oldest and only organized group dedicated to the study and enjoyment of wild birds.
In 1944 members of the Brooks Bird Club from the Charleston WV area formed the BBC Handlan Chapter.
In 1944 members of the Brooks Bird Club from the Charleston WV area formed the BBC Handlan Chapter.
Next Club Meeting/EventDecember 11, 2023:
Christmas Dinner on-your-own at Shoney's on Kanawha Blvd, time 6 PM. Additional meetings/events are posted at the bottom of this page. Anyone interested in birds is welcome to our events.
Friends of the Mary Ingles Trail:
The Pianfetti Foundation has given the Mary Ingles Trail Blazers Chapter (MITB) of the WVSTA a grant to construct 50-feet long puncheon walkway through a wetland at the Winfield Trailhead of the AEP segment of the MI Trail. The puncheon walkway allows for water passage under the puncheons and requires no digging, thus protecting the rare Teays Blue Mudbug that resides there. If the purchased materials all come in by the end of this week 10/20/23, I will need assistance next week moving them to the construction site next week. The move will first require loading part or all of the materials at the Teays Home Depot This effort will likely begin in the morning of a decent weather day next week. Later days of construction will likely go into the evening hours. We will need some battery-powered or gas-powered tools to saw and drill on-site. I have one drill, but no saw, except a chainsaw, but we should use a battery-powered circular saw to get finer cuts, especially for the decking. If you want to help with this project, please let me know by e-mail or phone (no texting please) and I will notify you of workdays and times. Also let me know if you have any of the power tools mentioned and a pickup truck for the first day’s material move. And please provide me your phone number if you respond by e-mail, so I can call about changes in the schedule at the last minute if I cannot get online. Thanks in advance, Doug Wood, 304-550-1006 (no texting please). Birders Wanted!Want to join the BBC Handlan Chapter?
Here's a PDF membership form! Check out our new trifold brochure. 
RHWO 4/1/23 in Charleston. Photo Christy Carr
Past Special Events
Louis Watts captured this photo of a Bald Eagle sitting on a nest in Putnam County
Charleston Christmas Bird CountThe Charleston (WVCH) Christmas Bird Count (CBC) started back in 1912! That was back on the 13th National Audubon Society's count.
The Charleston count continues as one of the longest running Christmas Bird Counts in the state! Lets go Birding!To find a pre-scheduled Handlan Chapter or other BBC nature related outing, check out our Calendar of Events page. You can link our calendar to your computer, tablet or phone.
Barred Owl hanging out at Little Creek Park. Photo Laura Boggess
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Handlan Notes:You can look for additional Handlan Chapter bird outings/events on the WV Mountain State Birders Facebook page.
FYI ... The back, right-hand corner of the Walmart parking lot in Hurricane is an unusual birding spot. There's a very small wetland area and a scrubby hillside where I recently found an Orchard Oriole, Willow Flycatcher, several Red-wing Blackbirds, N. Flicker and probably a Common Yellowthroat. December 19th, 2023, ~ Tuesday
Charleston (WVCH) Christmas Bird Count! Contact Doren Burrell dorenb@gmail.com 2023 Upcoming Walks
October/November Bird Walks with Laura!
Join me for a couple hours looking for late summer migrants, early winter migrants, and hardy residents. As always, dress for the weather and be prepared to walk 1.5 to 3 miles on pavement, gravel and trails. Bring binoculars. Laura For complete details and directions to all events go to our Calendar of Events page! November in Blackwater Falls State Park 9:00 a.m., Saturday, November 4th. November in Blackwater Falls State Park Meet at the Sled Run Parking area. 9:00 a.m. Black Friday, November 24th. Meet in the lobby at Blackwater Falls Lodge. November in Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge 8:00 a.m., Saturday, November 25th. Meet in the Beall parking area, which is up Beall Lane (also called Coffman's Lane) from Cortland Drive, between Davis and the CVNWR office in Canaan Valley.
2023 Outings ~ find them in the BBCHC 2023 ArchivesBirding Kanawha CountyHave a birding or nature event in Kanawha County that you want to let others know about? Contact the BBC Handlan Chapter member Jim Triplett jtrippy@gmail.com
WV Christmas Bird CountNational Audubon Society's 124th Christmas Bird Count
December 14th and running through January 5th, Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) will be conducted throughout the Western Hemisphere. West Virginia currently conducts twenty-two counts in 24 counties. Find a WV count near you and join us this season counting all the birds we can! Learn where all of our WV counts are and who to contact, come join in the fun! BBC WV CBC Page NAS CBC is the longest running avian censes in the world! Other Items of InterestHandlan Chapter builds Chimney Swift (CHSW) towers. Learn about The BBC Chimney Swift Project!
You can look for additional Handlan Chapter bird outings/events on the WV Mountain State Birders Facebook page.
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Regular Meetings:
Handlan Chapter meetings are normally held at the South Charleston Library
The South Charleston Library is located at 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303
Doors open at 6:30pm.
Handlan Chapter meetings are normally held at the South Charleston Library
The South Charleston Library is located at 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303
Doors open at 6:30pm.
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2023 Meetings/Events: |
January 2023:
February 13th, 2023: Our program will be presented by Sheila McEntee. Nature essays written during the pandemic.
March 13, 2023: Doug Wood presents: Fitting Birds into the City of Charleston's Biodiversity Conservation Initiative.
April 10th, 2023: Dianne Anesta presents: Early naturalists & birds of Appalachia.
April 13th, 2023: Rick Gregg will lead a walk at Marmet Locks & Dam; wear boots for mud, dress for weather, bring binoculars; time 08:30 a.m. meet at the gazebos on the Belle side of the river.
April 15, 2023: 'Walk on the Wild Side’ nature walks at St. Albans City Park; 9-12; nature interpretation along the walk route; no fee, but donations are appreciated.
April 22, 2023: Osbra Eye Nature Walks, Kanawha State Forest, various nature-themed walks of varied levels of difficulty with knowledgeable leaders, 8:30-? participation fee is $7 adults and $2 for walkers ages 12 to 18; children under 12 are free.
May 8th, 2023: (5:00pm) Annual Picnic at Coonskin Park. Spring Picnic, Coonskin Park, Charleston. Bird walk 5pm, meal 6-7pm, bring a covered dish to share and your BINOCULARS. End of the year business meeting and annual picnic.
September 11th, 2023: Fall Ice Cream Social next Monday, September 11th, 6pm at shelter #2 Little Creek Park, South Charleston.
Bring your favorite ice cream topping, summer birding tales, and binos since a short bird walk will follow.
Ice cream, some toppings, water, bowls, & spoons will be provided.
October 16th, 2023: (6:30pm) Regular meeting South Charleston Library.
November 13th, 2023: (6:30pm) Regular meeting South Charleston Library. Program: Naturalist John Northheimer will explore the fascinating world of garden insects.
December 11, 2023: Christmas dinner on-your-own at Shoney's on Kanawha Blvd 6 PM
December 19th, 2023: Tuesday - Charleston (WVCH) Christmas Bird Count!
January 8th, 2024: Regular meeting - Tom Pauley presenting on herpes.
February 12th, 2024: Regular meeting - Laura Ceperley presenting on Panama Canal trip.
February 13th, 2023: Our program will be presented by Sheila McEntee. Nature essays written during the pandemic.
March 13, 2023: Doug Wood presents: Fitting Birds into the City of Charleston's Biodiversity Conservation Initiative.
April 10th, 2023: Dianne Anesta presents: Early naturalists & birds of Appalachia.
April 13th, 2023: Rick Gregg will lead a walk at Marmet Locks & Dam; wear boots for mud, dress for weather, bring binoculars; time 08:30 a.m. meet at the gazebos on the Belle side of the river.
April 15, 2023: 'Walk on the Wild Side’ nature walks at St. Albans City Park; 9-12; nature interpretation along the walk route; no fee, but donations are appreciated.
April 22, 2023: Osbra Eye Nature Walks, Kanawha State Forest, various nature-themed walks of varied levels of difficulty with knowledgeable leaders, 8:30-? participation fee is $7 adults and $2 for walkers ages 12 to 18; children under 12 are free.
May 8th, 2023: (5:00pm) Annual Picnic at Coonskin Park. Spring Picnic, Coonskin Park, Charleston. Bird walk 5pm, meal 6-7pm, bring a covered dish to share and your BINOCULARS. End of the year business meeting and annual picnic.
September 11th, 2023: Fall Ice Cream Social next Monday, September 11th, 6pm at shelter #2 Little Creek Park, South Charleston.
Bring your favorite ice cream topping, summer birding tales, and binos since a short bird walk will follow.
Ice cream, some toppings, water, bowls, & spoons will be provided.
October 16th, 2023: (6:30pm) Regular meeting South Charleston Library.
November 13th, 2023: (6:30pm) Regular meeting South Charleston Library. Program: Naturalist John Northheimer will explore the fascinating world of garden insects.
December 11, 2023: Christmas dinner on-your-own at Shoney's on Kanawha Blvd 6 PM
December 19th, 2023: Tuesday - Charleston (WVCH) Christmas Bird Count!
January 8th, 2024: Regular meeting - Tom Pauley presenting on herpes.
February 12th, 2024: Regular meeting - Laura Ceperley presenting on Panama Canal trip.
All BBC events with location maps can also be found on our Calendar of Events page!
History of the BBC Handlan Chapter
Handlan Chapter was established on February 29, 1944 and named in honor of its president John W. Handlan. Handlan had been one of the founders of Brooks Bird Club in Wheeling, WV, and wrote a nature column for the Charleston Gazette, "Signs Along the Trail". The new chapter held a Christmas count in 1944 and a spring migration count in 1947. Much research was conducted in the forties on the elusive Swainson's Warbler, with nests and populations finally documented in several Charleston local stream hollow locations. In 1952 club members started traveling to Monroe County each fall to count migrating raptors on the peaks of Peter's Mountain. In the sixties Handlan Chapter had a clubroom at Sunrise Museum and also hosted showings of the Audubon Wildlife Films. The 60's and 70's also found us helping with birds at nearby Coonskin Park, Kanawha State Forest, and at a South Charleston Purple Martin roost. We were feeding and banding birds and conducting nest counts. We published "Birds of the Kanawha Valley" in 1976. We helped with the statewide census for the "Atlas" project in 1984-89, leading to the publication of "The West Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas". In 1994 we changed meeting sites to First Presbyterian Church and three years later we published a new edition of "Birds of the Kanawha Valley". Most recently we published the "Swainson's Warbler" journal and partnered with Spring Hill Cemetery for bird walks and a bird checklist.
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Wings over the Mountains ~ By former Handlan Chapter member J. Lawrence Smith With his stories about nature and state history spanning more than 40 years, J. Lawrence Smith was Wonderful West Virginia’s most enduring writer. Whether he told of the magnificence of an ancient spruce forest, the heyday of bateaus on the New River, or the poignant loss of the Bewick’s wren, John engaged readers with his wealth of knowledge and his lyrical prose. His deep love of nature, especially birds, continues to inspire us, as it shines through the pages of this volume. You can order your copy here on the BBC website! Wings over the Mountains |
Current Handlan Officers (2023 ~ 2024)
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2018 BBC Handlan Chapter
Contact information:
Chuck Wirts
chuckwirts@gmail.com
Want to join the BBC Handlan Chapter?
Here's a PDF membership form!
Chuck Wirts
chuckwirts@gmail.com
Want to join the BBC Handlan Chapter?
Here's a PDF membership form!