The Lancaster County Bird Club (LCBC) will offer two birding opportunities in October for the public free of charge. It has also planned a meeting.

The Big Sit will be on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area (MCWMA). In the case of rain, the event will be rescheduled to Sunday, Oct. 9. Bruce Carl will conduct the Big Sit up the hill overlooking the visitor center, starting before dawn and going into the evening. Members of the public may stop by at any time to assist Carl with identifying species seen and heard from his 17-foot circle or just stop by to visit.

The Big Sit is an annual, international, noncompetitive birding event hosted by Bird Watcher's Digest and founded by the New Haven (Connecticut) Bird Club. The LCBC will use this event as a fundraiser for MCWMA and LCBC's youth scholarship program. Community members may sponsor Carl by pledging an amount for each species identified or by contributing a flat amount to the event. They may also enlist other individuals to sponsor him or to donate. For more information, including directions for donating or making a pledge, contact Carl at 717-368-4824 or hrdabrd@gmail.com.

On Sunday, Oct. 16, an outing will begin at State Game Lands 220 in Reinholds at 7 a.m. Participants will search for late migrants and early winter arrivals, including warblers, white-crowned sparrows, purple finches, chipping sparrows, fox sparrows and blue-headed and Philadelphia vireos. For more details, contact Carl at the aforementioned phone number or email address. Participants should also register by contacting Carl by 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Farm and Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. The program "Black Bears in Pennsylvania" will be presented by Emily Carrollo from the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). A short business meeting will precede the program.

This meeting will not be recorded. The public is invited to attend free of charge and may call 717-856-3851 or 717-725-2717 with questions.

For more information about the LCBC, visit http://www.lancasterbirdclub.org or http://www.facebook.com/lancasterbirdclub.