Sept./Oct. 2011 - Eastern Long Island Audubon Society › SeptOct2011Osprey.pdf · National Audubon...

EASTERN LONG ISLAND AUDUBON SOCIETY – From the Barrens to the BaysFormerly Moriches Bay Audubon, established 1967

Sept./Oct. 2011 — Vol. XXXVI No. 5

Eastern Long Island Audubon Society

Invites you to attend the Forty-fourth Anniversary

Dinner�Celebration

John Confer, through his work withmembers of the California Condor Release Project in Northern Arizona, will present his program on the largestNorth American bird species — the California Condor.

John will relay the story of this magnifi-cent bird, and will share with us what’scurrently being done to monitor the captive birds’ breeding-and-release suc-cesses. His focus will be on the slow butsteady recovery and reintroduction to thewild of a nearly extinct bird species, as well as the man-made obstacles and challenges ahead.

We will also see some of the outstand-ingly beautiful habitat of northern Ari-zona where the California Condor canbe found today, illustrated through theart of Karen Confer.

UWatch for your invitation, if you do notreceive it by mid-September or have anyquestions call Sally at 631-281-6008 orEvelyn at 727-0417.

Featuring John Confer’s presentation on the

California Condor

Wednesday, October 19, 2011Cocktail hour begins at 6:00 pm

at The Vineyards in Aquebogue

Message to

National

Audubon Society

(NAS) Members

When you joined The NationalAudubon Society, they assigned youto a local Audubon chapter. Your

local chapter is Eastern Long IslandAudubon Society. Once a year you will receive this newsletter from your localchapter. I would also like to extend an invitation to you to become a local chap-ter member. Many NAS members havechosen to do so in order to keep up withlocal birding activities and environmentalissues facing our area. Being a local chap-ter member, you will receive six issues ofour newsletter, The Osprey. The cost isonly $15 per year which helps to coverprinting and mailing. Please consider join-ing and becoming a local chapter member.The membership form is on page 11 ofthe newsletter.

Our meetings and field trips are alwaysopen to everyone at no cost.You cancheck our website for meetings/lectures atQuogue Wildlife Refuge each month. Bird-ing walks and other activities are alsolisted there.

Local and NAS members will all be receiving an invitation to the annual dinner.Hope you will come.

John McNeil Membership Chair


PS. We urge you to send your email to [email protected] for program notifications,updates, and if necessary, weather relatedcancellations.

THE OSPREY September/October 2011 2

Nature ProgramsNature Programs are held at Quogue Wildlife Refuge. All programs are freeand the public is welcome.

Monday, September 12 beginning at 7:15 pm

Visiting Jamaica with Eric Salzman

The island of Jamaica, the third largest of the Caribbean islands,is not much bigger than Long Island. It has (by some counts)the highest number of endemics in the West Indies. In a visit

of less than a week, we only saw 82 species but one third ofthem were species that can only be found on this one island andanother third were forms – species or subspecies – unique tothe West Indies. There are not many places where you can see somany endemics in so small a space. There is good birding in manyparts of Jamaica but our visit last April was focused on the fa-mous John Crow and Blue Mountains with its mix of coffee plan-tations, small villages, resorts, villas, rain forest and indigenousbirds. The avifauna is a mixture of neotropical and temperateNorth America types including many wintering birds and mi-grants familiar from back home. But when was the last time yousaw a Rasta Bird, Mountain Witch, Doctorbird, Hopping Dick orOld Man Bird?

Monday, October 3 beginning at 7:15 pm

Ghost BirdExcerpted from a review on Amazon

This movie is for everyone who hasbeen watching developments in thesaga of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker

since claims that it had been rediscovered.Filmmaker Scott Crocker offers "GhostBird", an antidote to the enthusiasmstirred up Dr. John Fitzpatrick and TimGallagher of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who claim to haveevidence of the bird’s survival. In fact, the film presents the con-troversy over the bird as emblematic of hope and folly.

The movie presents the evidence of the Ivory-billed Wood-pecker’s survival in the Big Woods of Arkansas. It takes us to asmall, dwindling town called Brinkley that hopes to benefit eco-nomically from the birders who come in search of the bird. Ittakes us to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard,where ornithologists show us their collections of dead Ivory-bills.Bird guide author David Sibley, and ornithologist Jerome Jacksonrelate yet another facet of the story.

An Most Unusual Trip for ELIAS Board Sally Newbert

On Friday August 19th the ELIAS board and some friends visited Plum Island. The trip was part of an effort on the partof Homeland Security to dispel some of the myths that

surround Plum Island. The group was primarily interested in thebirds that make Plum Island their home. Since human activity isconfined to a small portion we were all wondering if the birdsand other animals have taken over the rest of the island. Perhapssome interesting birds have been breeding there? That doesseem to be in case for a few species. Common Eiders wereswimming among the rocks near the shore, Grey Seals are, wewere told, regulars at one of the rocky beaches. These 2 species,the Grey Seals and Common Eiders are usually well north of us.

There were also 2 young Turkey Vultures on one of the desertedbuildings. Were they fledged here? It certainly looked that way.But the answer will have to wait. TV’s were found breeding atCamp Hero in one of the deserted bunkers a few years ago, andthere are several similar locations on Plum Island.

Two blogs, one by Eric Salzman and another by Annette Oliveiragive many more details and photos. You will find Eric’s Blog TheView from Weesuck Creek at http://ericsalzman.blogspot.com, go to the archives for Aug. 19 and 21. Annette’s Blog is http://longis-landbirds.blogspot.com/2011/08/visit-to-plum-island-by-eastern-long.html.


continued next page

As autumn approaches, the leaves beginto turn, a nip is in the air, our birdfeeders are cleaned and hung, waiting

for our feathered friends to appear onceagain. This is the beginning of the Fall andWinter birding season, my favorite time ofyear when birding is almost as exciting asthe Spring migration. You never knowwhat might turn up at your door as somewrong-way-Corrigan might alight at yourbackyard for refueling.

As you read on, you will notice that somefield trips are repeated. The reason whythis is, birds migrate at different times dur-ing the fall, so to catch different waves ofdifferent species we schedule the samearea in different months. So.....with this inmind, I have outlined a field trip programto take advantage of some of the best hotspots during the coming months. Please

come and join our field trip leaders asthey help you explore these exciting wonders of the Fall migration.

Sat., September 10th @ 8:00 am

Terrell River County ParkTrip Leader: Carl Starace

Join Carl in search fall migrants in the var-ied habitats of Terrell River County Park.Meet at 8:00 am at the trail head in Cen-ter Moriches on the south side of Mon-tauk Highway, across from Kaler’s PondAudubon Center and the Flight 800 Me-morial Park. This bird walk is sponsoredby Cornell and Suffolk County Parks. Youcan contact Carl at his e-mail address: [email protected] for additional de-tails.


Fire Island Hawk Watch and theEast End of Robert MosesTrip Leader: John McNeil

Around this time of year, Ospreys,Cooper’s Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and American Kestrel arejust some of the raptors that can pass theFire Island Hawk Watch station at the EastEnd of Robert Moses near the Fire IslandLighthouse. Come Join your trip leader toobserve these and many other speciesthat pass this great observation stationduring the morning hours. Meet in theeast end of the parking lot at near theRaymore & Flannigan, along the SunriseHighway at Route 112 in Patchogue. Wewill leave the parking lot at 8:00 am. Bringsome snacks and thermos full of your fa-

Fall Field Trips — John McNeil

Qty Description Price Total

25 lb Black Oil Sunflower $24.00

50 lb Black Oil Sunflower $42.00

20 lb Fancy Flight Premium Wild Bird Mix $18.00

40 lb Fancy Flight Premium Wild Bird Mix $30.00

10 lb Niger Seed $22.00

11.75 oz Suet Cake $2.00

Orders need to be picked up on Saturday, November 12between 9:00 am – 3:00 pm SUBTOTAL

DONATION

Please make checks payable to: Quogue Wildlife Refuge TOTAL ________

Annual Bird Seed Sale Order FormANNUAL BIRD SEED SALE

to benefit Quogue WildlifeRefuge & Eastern Long IslandAudubon Society made possibleby the generous assistance of Eastport Feeds.

*Orders must be received by October 24, 2011

*Pre-payment is necessary.

Please charge my card � o AMEX � o VISA �o MasterCard �o Discover

Card # _______________________________________________Exp. Date ___________

Signature __________________________________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address _____________________________________________________________

City _________________State _____ Zip __________Telephone ___________________

Please return this order form to Quogue Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 492, Quogue, NY, 11959 by October 24.

Pick up your order from Quogue Wildlife Refuge at 3 Old Country Road in Quogue on November 12..

Thank

You!

!


vorite hot beverage because it can bechilly. For additional details, I can be con-tacted at: [email protected] or on mycell phone on that day at: 219.8947 or athome before the trip at 631.281.2623


Smith Point County ParkTrip Leader: Carl Starace

Participants will meet at the far westernend of the “Worlds Largest Parking Lot.”

Please watch the weather and wear ap-propriate outerwear and don’t forget tobring your binoculars and scopes. We willproceed to the Ranger Station for viewingfrom the upper deck and then hike outinto the Wilderness Area watching for mi-grating songbirds, waterbirds and birds ofprey. This is an exciting time of year to beout on the barrier beach so come on out!For more details, contact Carl at631.281.8074 or e-mail him at: [email protected]

Saturday, October 1st @ 8:00 am

Quogue Wildlife RefugeTrip Leader: Gigi Spates

As the retired refuge manager, Gigi is wellversed in the habits of this wonderfulacreage and has a vast knowledge of thebirds, fauna, and wildlife. Come join Gigiand enjoy this exciting adventure that shewill lead you on. Please do not forget tobring your binoculars and especially yourcamera so that you can take pictures ofthe changing colors of the surroundingtrees around the lake. You can contactGigi at her e-mail address for additionaldetails. [email protected]

Saturday, October 22nd at 8:00 AM

Dune Road — Shinnecock to Moriches InletTrip Leader: TBA

This will be an excellent time to birdalong the barrier beach as the migrationpasses through our area. We looking forshorebirds, hawks and other land birds.Come join our group leader as you areguided along this route for a half or full

day’s outing. We will meet on the westside of Shinnecock Inlet at 8:00 am in theparking area.

Saturday, November 5th, @ 8:30 AM

Smith Point County ParkTrip Leader: Carl Starace

Participants will meet at the far westernend of the “Worlds Largest Parking Lot.”Please watch the weather and wear ap-propriate outerwear and don’t forget tobring your binoculars and scopes. We willproceed to the Ranger Station for viewingfrom the upper deck and then hike outinto the Wilderness Area watching for mi-grating songbirds, waterbirds and birds ofprey. This is an exciting time of year to beout on the barrier beach so come on out!This bird walk is sponsored by Cornelland Suffolk County Parks . For more de-tails, contact Carl at 631.281.8074 or e-mail him at: [email protected]

Sat., November 12th @ 9:00 AM

Jones Beach State Park andPoint LookoutTrip Leader: John McNeil

This area is a catch basin for all types ofbirds and can produce many surprises. We will try to catch the tail end of the fallmigration the arrival of our winter visitorsfrom the north. Please, do not forget tobring water and snacks.

First we will meet at the West End #2parking lot at 9 am, and bird this areas.Then will drive over to Point Lookout toscope out the jetties and exposed sand-bars. After birding these area we will drivealong Ocean Parkway east to RobertMoses State Park, where we will park seewhat’s happening at the hawk watchingplatform. If time permits, we will walk outon the boardwalk to Fire Island LightHouse.

Sat., November 19th @ 9:00 am

Jamesport State Park and Hallockville Farm FieldsTrip Leader: MaryLaura Lamont

The varied habitats of the farm fields,woods, ponds, and dunes on Long IslandSound provide a diversity of migrants and

wintering bird residents. Bring binocularsfor this 2 hour walk of spectacular viewsand good birding. For additional detailscall Hallockville at 631-298-5292. There isa $5 charge for this walk benefiting theHallockville Museum Farm.

Sun., November 20th @ 9:00 am

Old Mastic Autumn Bird WalkWilliam Floyd EstateTrip Leader: MaryLaura Lamont

The William Floyd Estate in Mastic is 613acres of mowed fields, woods, creeks andsalt marshes. Round trip walk of 3 mileswill turn up wintering hawks, ducks, spar-rows, and perhaps Bluebirds. Bring binoc-ulars. Main entrance is 245 Park Drive,Mastic. Call the trip leader MaryLaura La-mont at the Estate at 631.399.2030 fordetails.

Sat., November 26th @ 9:00 am

Theodore Roosevelt CountyPark Bird WalkTrip Leader: Carl Starace

This large park is a historic landmark. Ithosts a variety of ecosystems importantto Long Island, including fresh and saltwa-ter ponds and wetlands. You can also find adiverse group of birds, mammals, fish, rep-tiles, and amphibians that live amongstthese ecosystems. There are trails for ex-ercise or a nature hike. This bird walk issponsored by Cornell and Suffolk CountyParks. For more details, contact Carl at631.281.8074 or e-mail him at: [email protected]

Directions: Follow Montauk HighwayEast through Montauk Village. Continue onMontauk Highway past East Lake Drive.Park sign and entrance is on north side ofMontauk Highway.


By Mary E. Dempsey

Photograph by Mary E. Dempsey

GREAT GULL ISLAND is a seven-teen (17) acre tern refuge located inthe eastern end of Long Island Sound

between Plum Island and Fishers Island. Ithas been owned by the American Museumof Natural History since 1948. The GreatGull Island research station was estab-lished by the Museum in 1966 and is runby Helen Hays, an ornithologist. And itwas because of Helen Hays that I wasthere as a volunteer this past June. Shewas featured in my alumnae magazine asthe “Protector of the Flocks”, one of fourannual alumnae achievement winners. Igot the chance to volunteer when Helentook me up on my offer even though I hadlittle birding experience. Since my job in-cludes spending a lot of time in the Suffolkcounty marshes, I figured I would be agood candidate to chip in. My daily workday turned out to be a lot different thanroughing it on Great Gull Island sansplumbing and hot water and focusing juston terns.

I prepared for my volunteering by readingthe books, “The View from Great Gull” byMichael Harwood published in 1976, “TheBird of Light” by John Jay published in1991 on terns in Cape Cod, and readingvarious newspaper articles. I did not knowanyone personally who had volunteeredon this island. But as the cliché goes, youhave to see it to believe it! And it’s allabout the birds! But make no mistake,you are there to work and I would notexchange my experience there for any-thing else, well almost anything else! Be-cause it is rewarding volunteering at a site

of important ongo-ing research on theendangered roseatetern & the threat-ened commontern.

On Friday June 3rd,I headed out to theOrient Point New London ferry, just mak-ing the boat. Was I trying to sabotage myefforts at something totally new and differ-ent? I would reverse this trip on SundayJune 5th, though later in the month, volun-teers stay on the island for a week. But Idigress. Now, this is a ferry ride I havetaken many times over the years but notonce, did I notice Great Gull Island or Lit-tle Gull Island, the latter with a conspicu-ous lighthouse on it. My view through thebinoculars did not begin to show whatfaced me as I could not see any birds oreven humans, for that matter. Off the ferry,it was a short jaunt to Captain JohnWadsworth’s dock in Waterford/NianticConnecticut where other volunteerswaited for the seas to calm in order forthe boat to successfully land on the GreatGull Island’s dock.

Once there you realize you are workingtogether with people of all ages and back-grounds bound by two common goals -helping out the terns and assisting HelenHays. But the terns might not quite see itthat way. Helen is overseeing the world’slargest common tern colony, with approxi-mately 9,400 breeding pairs and home tothe largest North American population ofthe federally endangered Roseate terncolony with approximately 1,375 pairs.The terns start to arrive on the island at

the end of April with the male arrivingfirst. If a pair breeds successfully, the fe-male will lay a clutch of two or three eggs,around the beginning of June. The weekbefore I arrived, some nests with eggswere already marked. But in a week manynests needed to be marked by us. Incuba-tion can take about 21 days, but no eggshatched when I was there. And you haveto be oh so careful in walking so as to notstep on any eggs. It amazed me that somenests were formed right there on cement.I even felt that I was on a Rockette’s line,moving together in step marking the nestsand having Helen direct your movement.There was, unfortunately, an unwelcomeguest on the island. A Cooper’s hawk wascreating havoc with the eggs. But a volun-teer went right to work to design a trapto capture this predator.

At the peak breeding season, which I didnot witness, is when volunteers areneeded a week at a time. This is when thechicks are banded. Because approximately85% of the nesting terns have beenbanded, wire cages with trap doors areplaced over nests to capture the un-banded adults. These captured adults arebrought into the lab for weighing, measur-ing and banding. This also allows one toconnect the banded chicks with banded

From Great Gull Island, New York

continued on next page 7


Answers to last issue’s puzzle

Bird Food

Across

3 Not migration, movement of a bird from where itwas hatched to where it will breed, for example

7 Migratory pathway

9 Some birds migrate because tropical area nesterslose more young to other hunting animals, called

12 Birds who migrate mostly in the morning

14 A particular star night migrants can use to orient themselves

15 Breaks migrants take due to bad weather

18 ––––– migrants, birds that breed high in mountains and migrate downslope in the winter

20 The ability of birds to get around, Little Eva sang about it

23 Updrafts of wind that help some species migrate

27 Part of the wing that is longer on migrants that go further

28 Night migrants

29 Abilty to find a particular place

30 A big help to migrants, and planes

Down

1 Long distance migrants have this much weight ofbody fat

2 Twice a year migration

4 Migrants that depend on thermals

5 Some birds use this even when it is below thehorizon to help orient their migration

6 The decrease in the numbers of this food item inthe winter is one reason many birds migrate

8 A species that migrates during the day because ofavailability of food at that time of day

10 ____migrants, species that have some individualswho do not migrate

11 Movement of birds between breeding and

wintering areas

12 Large bodies of land, migration between theseclassifies a bird as a long distance migrant

13 One way migration has been studied, bring a net

16 Ability to find the right direction

17 Some night migrants can be seen as they pass infront of this

19 Migrating in a flock results in this advantage

21 Not migration, unusual movements of birdscaused by low food supplies, for example, volcanicbirds?

22 Migration in the daytime

24 Birds can use this planetary phenomenon toorient themselves, a birder’s personality?

25 A good fuel for migration

26 What a soaring migrant does between thermals

Migration by Tom Moran

parents. The terns are tracked down toSouth America, where Helen has trackedsome color-banded birds from Great GullIsland and where Ricardo Esteban Bremerruns a foundation which supports workon a large concentration of common ternsthat winter there.

From the data collected and observationson the tern’s behavior over almost forty-five (45) years, much has been gleaned.They have found that terns stay togetherin pairs for at least twelve (12) years, com-mon terns can mate with roseate ternsand a male tern can mate with two (2) fe-males. The oldest common tern Helen hastracked is twenty-six years old with theoldest roseate tern a mere 25 years old.

Helen is only a click away and is alwayslooking for volunteers, even people likeme! So if you would like to experiencetrue bird camaraderie, wear straw hatssporting long plastic flowers, hear the con-stant symphony of the sounds of the terns,get up close and personal with terns asthey poop or peck you, see a lot of nestingbirds and eggs, witness spectacular vistasof the Long Island Sound, and work on aworthwhile cause, you can always get aride with me in the beginning of the sum-mer of 2012. And let’s not forget thatHelen deserves all the accolades she re-ceives, even for her Spam dishes whichare remarkably tasty!

Great Gull Island continued from page 5


Reviews by Eileen Schwinn

In honor of this event, here’s a little bitof information - and a few abbreviatedreviews of a few books about Big Years,

and birding over a year’s time in general.(It seems that the second requirement indoing a big year, it to write and get pub-lished)

A Big Year is an informal competitionamong birders to see who can see orhear the largest number of species ofbirds within a single calendar year andwithin a specific geographical area. Thefirst Big Year can be traced back to 1939,when a businessman timed all his trips andbusiness appointments to migration andendemic species. His total: 497. 1953 –Roger Tory Peterson and James Fishercrisscrossed the US in Wild America, total:572. In 1956, by following Peterson’s andFisher’s route, the bar was raised by a 25year old Englishman (oh those twitchyEnglish!) to 598. Ted Parker, was 18 in1971 when he recorded 626, and in 1973,the number was upped to 669 (with KennKaufman, Kingbird Highway, reaching 666)Six hundred ninety-nine birds were seenin 1979, in 1983 the total was 710. In1987, 721 birds were “ticked”.

1998 was a year of El Nin�o, and the yearof the unbelievable total of 745 species ofbirds recorded. This was the year uponwhich Mark Obmascik’s book, The Big Year:A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession,and the awaited movie, The Big Year, isbased. Amazing. Consider the fact thatthere are only about 675 native birds inNorth America to begin with.

Big years continue to be embarked upon -some with a little different tilt. In 2007, afamily of three took to the pavement withtheir bicycles, and totaled 548 birds, rode13,000 miles, and raised $25,000 for birdconservation efforts. In 2010 a Big Year inthe Lower 48 netted 704, and 731 by anindividual covering the whole of NorthAmerica.

Whew.

Here are a few books you might be inter-ested in – perhaps to help you plan yourown Big Year:

Extreme Birder – One Woman’s BigYear, by Lynn E. Barber Who wouldn’twant to take a year off, basically, fromevery responsibility one has, and bird yourbrains out? Well, in 2008, Lynn E. Barberdid just that. Statistically, she spent 272days “on the road”, and recorded 723birds in 25 states and three Canadianprovinces. Ten pelagic boat trips and175,000 miles.

Although she had friends accompany heron some trips, she basically traveled alone,and, reminiscent of Phoebe Snetsinger,who spent almost every non-birding mo-ment planning the next trip. The book isnot a check list of where and when, how-ever, but written as her daily journal. Wecan almost see her writing her notes on aplane ride home, or sitting in a lonelymotel room before turning in for thenight. Her own photographs and illustra-tions punctuate the book, and snippets ofher poetry are scattered about.

The Reluctant Twitcher – A QuietTruthful Account of My Big BirdingYear, by Richard Pope

Canadian point of view, and quick and fun-filled read. Mr. Pope limited his year to hishome Provence of Ontario. He was joinedon most of his quest by a few loyal friends,proving what I believe is a major compo-nent of birding - the camaraderie. Some-times one needs that extra push, either togo the extra distance or to know when tofold the tent and head on home. Photosand a quick wit are smattered about thisslim volume.

The Big Twitch, by Sean Dooley Aus-tralia’s take on the event and a real hoot!And you think travel across the U.S. wouldbe intimidating! The cast of characters andevents, great gets and so-close misses(dips, in the “proper” vocabulary), makethis book fun and informative. Half-waythrough it, I wondered if the bird names

were all made up, and Mr. Dooley was justplaying games with us who have never ex-plored Down Under!

The Falconer of Central Park, by Don-ald Knowler Central Park in 1982 was notalways the safest of places. The author, aBritish journalist sees his first bird of ’82 –an American Kestrel – and is mugged androbbed, moments later. The park haschanged over the past nearly 30 years, butthe birds have remained the same. And thepleasure of encountering each and everyone of the 131 species, is shared. I won’tever walk past the statue of The Falconerwhen in the Park again, without thinkingof this diary.

Out of the Woods – a Bird Watcher’sYear, by Ora E. Anderson Publishedposthumously, Mr. Anderson’s “year” isreminiscent of Dennis Puleston’s “A Na-ture Journal”. A gentle read on the ebbsand flows as seen through the eyes of anOhio observer. It’s the journey throughthe seasons, and a “celebration of growingold.”

Did any of these authors win anything?No – they all received the satisfaction ofaccomplishing a truly fantastic goal. Wemay all dream of doing a big year – maybeif it’s only in our own back yard!

Now, about the movie premier: Let’s all show up . Wear your club hat, your zip-off, quick-dry trousers, yourtan/green/beige/any-thing-but-white shirt,your multi-pocketed vest, your sensiblewalking shoes, and your binoculars. Leavethe scopes at home. I think the audiencewill know who we are without them!

To find out which of our local theaterswill be showing the film and when we aregoing to go—you will have to check theweb page, facebook, or join our email list.To join the list, send an email to [email protected]. If you need a new hat,shirt etc. go to Marlo Graphics, 391 River-leigh Ave # B in Riverhead, they have thelogo and can put it on a whatever youwould like.

Save The Date HHH October 14, 2011HHH World Premier of “The Big Year” HHH

FINALLY!! A movie about US!! Birdwatchers and our Sweet Obsession


The Ruby-throatedHummingbird Archilochus Colubris

Carl Starace

Hummingbirds are unique to theAmericas. The Ruby-throated isthe only species that breeds in the

eastern United States. Arch, a prefix tothe Latin name is from the classicalGreek, meaning,“chief”, lochos, literallymeans,“body of people”…but in thisreference means, “first among thebirds.” The word Colubris literallymeans,“serpent”. It is thought that Carolus Linneus, the person whonamed this species must have erred inhis spelling and actually meant to writethe word Colibre, a French word mean-ing hummingbird. Carolus Linnaeus, theSwedish botanist, was the first moderntaxonomist. The first Ruby-throatedHummingbird examined and named byhim was from a specimen collectedfrom South Carolina in 1758.

There are eighteen species of hum-mingbird in North America. When JohnJames Audubon was painting the birdsfor his monumental work, Birds of Amer-ica, he was only aware of four, one ofwhich was the Ruby-throated. TheRuby-throated breeds in North Amer-ica from central Florida into and acrossthe Canadian provinces, and west tothe eastern edge of British Columbia. Itcan be found breeding as far west asthe eastern parts of Kansas, Oklahoma,Nebraska, the Dakotas and Texas, rightdown to the Mexican border.

Description: The Ruby-throated is asmall, 3” to 31/2”, stocky bird with adark, straight, medium sized bill. Adultmales have a long, deeply forked tail.Females and immatures have a shortishtail that is just slightly longer than theirfolded wings. This birds wings are nar-row and look something like a saber.Adult males are green above withwhite on their chests, with grey-greenflanks and belly. The black Gorget,(belly), shows Ruby Red in the sunlight.The plumage of the adult females andimmatures is a bronzy green above and

white below. The females show white intheir tails. Ruby-throated’s and Black-chinned Hummingbirds that breed fur-ther west are almost identical butRuby-throateds average shorter billsand longer tails and females arebrighter colored. These two species are best separated by the shape oftheir wingtips.

Behavior: This species loves the nec-tar from orange and red tubular flow-ers but will also feed on flying insectsand snatch spiders from their webs.The Ruby-throated come easily to arti-ficial feeders. It likes a high perch onexposed branches but may also perchlower down when the weather turnswet. Ruby-throateds are aggressive, likemost other hummers, and will defend anectar source.When hovering thesebirds sometimes flutter their tails.

Vocalizations Its call is a terse,butsoft, “spit”. When chasing another thecall is a rapid stuttering,“zzzzzzzzchikaachikaaachikaaa.”

Attracting Hummingbirds to yourresidence: A number of my friendsand customers have purchased artificialfeeders and hung them around theirhouses. They are readily available at petand feed stores as well as on the web.Some folks had luck the very firstspring they put them up, with others ittook more than a season. One thingyou must do is fill them frequently butalso try to keep them clean. A finalnote: I searched the web for the totalnumber of this species and found thatdifferent web sites had quite differentnumbers. From a low of 325 to a highof 356 species of hummingbirds extantin the Americas. Whatever the truenumber may be is not relevant to most.Being in the presence of just one indi-vidual of this extraordinary bird familyis for many of us an experience to betreasured.

Lin

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From our camper at Pack ForestDEC Camp

Dear Elias,

I just wanted to thank you for suchan awesome experience at the DECPack Forest Camp. Thank you somuch for giving me a scholarship toencounter the wilderness in UpstateNew York. I had such a memorableexperience between meeting newfriends, learning conservation tips,and participating in fun activitiessuch as archery, kayaking, scavengerhunts and cooking classes. This campwas a great opportunity to learnhow to help save our environment. I hope you will be able to continueto send teens to DEC camps. It is sovital to bring these next generationsup to take care our Mother Earthand Father Sky. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

SarahEast Moriches.

Editor’s note: Each year ELIAS sendsseveral young people to DEC camps.We have done that for several yearsand have every intention of continuing.Part of the membership dues supportthis program. We are quite proud of it,and would like to encourage moreAudubon clubs to start similar pro-grams.

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From the field… black bill and golden slippersThe walk scheduled for Pikes Beach on Dune Road on July 23rd, proceeded on downthe road and went to Cupsogue. There were reports of more birds there. On the risingtide we walked over to the islands looking for shore birds. It ended up as a pretty goodday, over 24 species including several Black Terns, lots of Skimmers that allowed us toget quite close to them. And, the highlight for Byron Young who took these photos wasobserving this Snowy Egret show us how he caught fish. Flying in, it then proceeded todance on the water to attract the fish, shading the water with its wings. It was quite ashow that Byron captured. In many of the photos you can see the golden slippers that isone of the distinguishing features of the Snowy Egret.

Thanks Byron, for sharing these photos. Seeing the photos gives you a chance to reallysee the egret’s behavior.


Survey Dates: Sun., Oct. 4 to Sun., Oct. 11

Name ________________________

Address ______________________

______________________________

Town ________________________

Phone ________________________

_______Mourning Dove_______Northern Cardinal_______Blue Jay_______House Finch_______Black-capped Chickadee_______Tufted Titmouse_______Downy Woodpecker_______White-throated Sparrow_______Dark-eyed Junco_______House Sparrow_______White-breasted Nuthatch_______Song Sparrow_______Red-bellied Woodpecker_______American Crow_______European Starling_______Common Grackle_______Carolina Wren_______Northern Mockingbird_______American Goldfinch_______Red-winged Blackbird_______Hairy Woodpecker_______Common Flicker_______Rufous-sided Towhee_______American Robin_______Brown-headed Cowbird_______Sharp-shinned Hawk_______Rock Dove (pigeon)_______Gray Catbird_______Yellow-rumped Warbler_______Red-breasted Nuthatch_______Other ______________________

Survey Dates: Sun., Nov. 2 to Sun., Nov. 9Name

Address ______________________

______________________________

Town ________________________

Phone ________________________

_______Mourning Dove_______Northern Cardinal_______Blue Jay_______House Finch_______Black-capped Chickadee_______Tufted Titmouse_______Downy Woodpecker_______White-throated Sparrow_______Dark-eyed Junco_______House Sparrow_______White-breasted Nuthatch_______Song Sparrow_______Red-bellied Woodpecker_______American Crow_______European Starling_______Common Grackle_______Carolina Wren_______Northern Mockingbird_______American Goldfinch_______Red-winged Blackbird_______Hairy Woodpecker_______Common Flicker_______Rufous-sided Towhee_______American Robin_______Brown-headed Cowbird_______Sharp-shinned Hawk_______Rock Dove (pigeon)_______Gray Catbird_______Yellow-rumped Warbler_______Red-breasted Nuthatch_______Other ______________________

There are three ways to participate:

1. Mail the survey to:

Feeder Survey c/o John McNeil168 Lexington RoadShirley, NY 11967

2. Send your information via the internet

go to: easternlongislandaudubon.org

and

1) Click on: Chapter Projects2) Click on: Feeder Statistics

3) Click on: To submit via the internet and follow the prompts

3. Email the results to: [email protected]

John McNeil

The Survey will be conducted the first fullweek of the month starting on Sunday andending the following Sunday.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FEEDER SURVEY

n Define an area containing feeders thatyou can see all at once from a window.The area should be one you glance atfrequently during your daily routine.

n Don't include birds seen off premises.

n Predators perching in or swoopingthrough the count area (not just flyingover) may be counted if you feel thatthey were attracted by the birds at the feeder.

n Record the largest number of eachspecies that you see in your count areaduring the eight-day count period.

n Do not add counts from previous daystogether. Be specific with the speciesname, e.g. we can't use just the nameSparrow, Blackbird or Gull.

n At the end of the count period, recordyour final tallies and send in the formimmediately.

Personal observations and comments arewelcome as are suggestions to improvethe surveys and reports.

Feeder Survey


Chapter Renewal & Membership

For $15 a year, you will receive 6 copies of

this newsletter. You will be supporting our

local education and conservation activities.

(Members of National Audubon who are

not chapter members receive one copy of

this newsletter per year.)

This is a

m Renewal m New Membership

Name____________________________

Address __________________________

________________________________

City/State ________________________

Zip ______________________________

Email __________________________

Please be sure to include your email. You

will receive an email confirmation, a pdf

of the first newsletter and occasional

important updates and program updates.

Although we try not to cancel or change

event dates and times, it does happen.

This list is not shared.

Make check payable to:


and mail to:

ELIAS Membership, PO Box 206,

East Quogue, NY 11942-0206

If you are a member and not on our email list

please email

[email protected]

to be added. You will receive reminders of programs, and

program changes, or cancellations. This is only an ELIAS list.

Published by: Eastern Long Island Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 206East Quogue, NY 11942-0206

Address Service Requested

non Profit org

u.S. PoStage

P a i d

PERMIT NO. 3CENTER

MORICHES, NY

EASTERN LONG ISLAND AUDUBON SOCIETYFrom the Barrens to the Bays

Serving Eastern Brookhaven, Western Riverhead & The Hamptonswww.easternlongislandaudubonsociety.org

ELIAS Officers & DirectorsPresident: Eileen Schwinn 631-728-8342

Past President: Alfred Scherzer 631-728-2898

Vice President: open

Recording Secretary: Chris Schmitt 631-727-2860

Corresponding Secretary: Gigi Spates 631-765-1436

Treasurer: Tom Moran 631-849-4434

Board of Directors:

Bob Adamo 631-369-1958

Ridgie Barnett 631-288-3628

MaryLaura Lamont

Catherine McCluskey 631-399-4782

Matthew McCluskey, Jr. 631-399-4782

Sally Newbert 631-281-6008

Evelyn Voulgarelis 631-727-0417

Dan Wilson

Byron Young 631-821-9623

Committees/ProjectsMembership, Mailing, Field Trips & Feeder Stats: John McNeil 631-281-2623

Program Chair and Nature Chat Open

Liaison - Kaler's Pond Audubon Center: Alfred Scherzer 631-728-2898

Hospitality: Ridgie Barnett 631-288-3628

Conservation & Bluebird Restoration:Gigi Spates 631-765-1436

Education: Evelyn Voulgarelis 631-727-0417

Webmaster: Annette Oliveira 631-833-4451

Newsletter Editor & Publicity: Sally Newbert 631-281-6008

[email protected]

Mark Your Calendars

Sat., Sept. 10 Field Trip: Terrell River County Park Carl Starace, leader, see page 3

Mon., Sept 12 Nature ProgramVisiting Jamaica with Eric Salzman, see page 2

Sat, Sept 17 Field TripFire Island Hawk Watch & the East End of Robert MosesJohn McNeil, leader, see page 3

Sat, Sept 24 Field Trip: Smith Point County Park, Carl Starace, leader, see page 4

Sat, Oct. 1 Field Trip: Quogue Wildlife Refuge, Gigi Spates, leader, see page 4

Mon., Oct. 3 Nature Program: Ghost Bird see page 2

Wed., Oct. 19 Dinner Celebration beginning at 6 pm at The Vineyardsin Aquebogue, see page 1

Sat, Oct. 22 Field Trip: Dune Road, Shinnecock to Moriches Inlet

Sat, Nov. 5 Field Trip: Smith Point County Park, Carl Starace, leader

Sat., Nov. 12th Field Trip: Jones Beach & Point Lookout, John McNeil, leader

More Nov. field trips are listed on page 4

If there are any changes in programming, it will be announced on the website and on Facebook. If you are on our email list you will receive an email reminders

and any last minute program changes.Join ELIAS on Facebook, click on like.

Please check the date on your label.If your membership is about to expire pleaseuse the membership/renewal form on page 11 to keep your membership current.

This issue is also sent to National AudubonSociety members to let you know aboutyour local club. We hope you enjoy the issue and consider attending walks, lecturesand the annual dinner.

Sept./Oct. 2011 - Eastern Long Island Audubon Society › SeptOct2011Osprey.pdf · National Audubon...

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Transcript of Sept./Oct. 2011 - Eastern Long Island Audubon Society › SeptOct2011Osprey.pdf · National Audubon...