tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12118605514164863532024-02-21T10:08:05.630-05:00It's Not Your Mother's Audubon...Working to protect wildlife and preserve habitat. Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-49550441240155651152016-01-05T11:25:00.000-05:002016-01-05T11:44:15.831-05:00Why We Love and Protect Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While HOBAS strives to protect and bring about awareness of all animal groups it is never far from our minds that birds are the heart and soul of our existence. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why are birds so important to us? To start, they are indicator species, meaning they are an essential and critical component of a healthy, diverse natural community. In laymen’s terms, they let us know that things are all right in our ecosystems. In addition, birds are also keystone species. Lose a keystone species, and the ecosystem it once existed in would be dramatically different, or could even possibly cease to exist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They also provide us with free ecological services by consuming weed plants, rodent pests and insects. Birds pollinate and disseminate seeds and some act as nature’s sanitation workers by scavenging carrion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Birds are also economic goldmines. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 70 million birdwatchers spend over $25 billion per year feeding, watching and traveling to enjoy birds in the US. That is a huge contribution to our economy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are all some pretty good reasons why birds are considered important to humans. But there are more profound reasons why birds matter to us and it has nothing to do with their “dollar” value. Simply put, it’s how they make us feel. Their remarkable songs put the greatest composers to shame and cause our hearts to sing right along with their glorious melodies. Their beauty ranges from the understated plumage of shorebirds, wrens and gadwalls to the astonishing colors of painted buntings, Blackburnian warblers, wood ducks and scarlet tanagers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are impressed and humbled by their athleticism and awe-inspiring feats. Migrating birds travel staggering distances annually and navigate the same course, year after year, using tools such as landmarks, the sun, stars and the earth’s magnetic field. Many are long-distance athletes, traveling up to tens of thousands of miles during these annual journeys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Birds are talented architects and entertaining performers during breeding season. Some can survive in the harshest climates and in the most barren of habitats. Some spend their lives in flight, only coming to land when it is time to produce young. Some kill with deadly precision while other can fly underwater. Birds are tough, they are fascinating and they endlessly amaze us with their survival skills and athletic abilities.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To me, the most important role birds play is how they can connect us, no matter where we are, to the natural world in the blink of an eye. We can be standing at the kitchen counter, a store front on a busy street, the top floor of a high rise building, or even in an idling car at a stoplight, and the appearance of a bird reminds us immediately that there is another, more beautiful place beyond the day we are experiencing. Birds bring nature to us, no matter where we are, no matter how harried or hurried our day. This is a gift to our souls, and a priceless one at that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is why birds matter and why we should be doing all we can to protect them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon is proud to announce that on <b style="text-align: justify;">March 8, 2016</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> we will be partnering with the </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Cinema Arts Centre</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> in Huntington to host a very special Long Island
screening of </span><b style="text-align: justify;">The Messenger</b><span style="text-align: justify;">, a
documentary about the importance of birds and the threats they face. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
are thrilled to be able to bring the message about the importance of birds, and
what it would mean to lose them, to a broader audience at the Centre. While the details have not been ironed out
yet, we hope to have a Q&A panel discussion after the film to discuss what
you, the audience member, can do to help birds by your own actions. This short segment will be immediately
followed by a reception in the Sky Room.
Please keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for more details, as
well as ticket prices, as we get closer to the date. Sign up for our email updates also. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please
join us tonight for this very special evening.
I hope to see you there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Film
Reviews: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The Messenger
is a visually thrilling ode to the beauty and importance of the imperiled
songbird, and what it means to all of us on both a global and human level if we
lose them. Humans once believed that birds could carry messages, their presence
was meaningful. They have helped predict the change of seasons, the coming of
storms and the rise of toxins in the food chain. Once again they have something
to tell us, and the message is not a comfortable one…The film ultimately is
about what the birds have to tell us about the state of our planet and our
shared future.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“The Messenger is riveting, emotionally
engaging, and visually extravagant from the first frame to the last.
Up-to-the-minute facts on how birds communicate about environmental change are
interwoven with gripping stories about the perils faced every year by these
amazing world travelers. This is a must-see movie for anybody who values the
natural world or wonders about its relationship to humans.”<br />
</i>John
Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Cornell Lab of Ornithology<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“<i>Without
a doubt, The Messenger is the most outstanding film I’ve seen on birds. The
fact that it is so strongly science-based, so emotive in its pitch, so
beautiful in its design it captivates me and everyone who has had a chance to
see it.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steven Price<br />
President, Bird Studies Canada</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thank you to Lloyd Spitalnik, Sam Janazzo and the author for photos</span></i><br />
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Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-79378319399579564612014-09-01T15:33:00.000-04:002014-09-01T15:37:50.863-04:00Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society's Habitat Heroes Rock!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have been super
busy at Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon this spring and summer with an assortment
of events and activities, thanks to our fantastic volunteers, the Habitat Heroes:</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
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</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGwGYabKsLJkCAnFfcAtjLeUo9muTyg94fIOlMhb38ng8PTLLsfh8dhJKM-ylaqcj4wRhctGAIdGz6jvo1qen4PgaBoj_uDFEIGc4lP8aDGUAORjCbkDgqhY_kAVOfVSn4vD3NHT1JFuh/s1600/P1030182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGwGYabKsLJkCAnFfcAtjLeUo9muTyg94fIOlMhb38ng8PTLLsfh8dhJKM-ylaqcj4wRhctGAIdGz6jvo1qen4PgaBoj_uDFEIGc4lP8aDGUAORjCbkDgqhY_kAVOfVSn4vD3NHT1JFuh/s1600/P1030182.JPG" height="360" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Earth Day beach cleanup in April
hosted our largest group ever- 93 volunteers!
A good time was had by all and we were blessed with gorgeous
weather. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NU1_82li0uYpmkhJV2jeOKEmC2pk0uPhcF8AtdLCA3D5sIEd3P-59GneF7lstBSFg0aio_RDf7jrEXRGCXCST4OtddszSNunzB9EiKr-52ref-ialB9I77ulxe8teHuVZkFSauOaXurH/s1600/P1030532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NU1_82li0uYpmkhJV2jeOKEmC2pk0uPhcF8AtdLCA3D5sIEd3P-59GneF7lstBSFg0aio_RDf7jrEXRGCXCST4OtddszSNunzB9EiKr-52ref-ialB9I77ulxe8teHuVZkFSauOaXurH/s1600/P1030532.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On May 31<sup>st</sup> we hosted our
annual garlic mustard pull at Shu Swamp in Mill Neck with 27 volunteers
participating - the largest Shu Crew yet!
We are seeing nice progress in the English ivy area, with
jack-in-the-pulpit, red trillium and trout lily repopulating the areas that
have been pulled. In addition, after four years of yearly garlic mustard pulls,
we have seen a measurable decrease in the amount of mustard in Shu. Garlic mustard takes a few years to fully
eradicate and each year we are seeing less of it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQij8Qa7kvJWE6w3MNgMZQJ2qZp7mZbYWXexhfWKsgyM5SAeBYY36uPTWeueXnA4pXFBPihKttZ5USun0UgYcf4fztOLCY2YmOlBYrsbYb3mnpQiIvSCHdRI8X6TzvJeVNuf8xa9R-cjs/s1600/DSC04480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQij8Qa7kvJWE6w3MNgMZQJ2qZp7mZbYWXexhfWKsgyM5SAeBYY36uPTWeueXnA4pXFBPihKttZ5USun0UgYcf4fztOLCY2YmOlBYrsbYb3mnpQiIvSCHdRI8X6TzvJeVNuf8xa9R-cjs/s1600/DSC04480.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On June 22nd and July 5<sup>th</sup>
we hosted Beach Nesting Awareness Days with Audubon NY at Hobart Beach in
Northport. The wonderful signs created
by kids were on display on the fencing around the nesting areas. Next year we hope to triple the amount of
signs posted so be sure to keep an eye out for our workshop, which will be held
in late February or early March!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPi9iQFjMY3dri8YLt1GE1cgI5r62Rul_BaOED2hnu4gpWnhUS0eySWZptndC5Y25bOFhL4vUxiM8pgoABkZpnvi9dR894izXeoVdoj91Za7BL5wOcLjArZobLrqCVbh-GxZwceECMHa3/s1600/P1040056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPi9iQFjMY3dri8YLt1GE1cgI5r62Rul_BaOED2hnu4gpWnhUS0eySWZptndC5Y25bOFhL4vUxiM8pgoABkZpnvi9dR894izXeoVdoj91Za7BL5wOcLjArZobLrqCVbh-GxZwceECMHa3/s1600/P1040056.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On July 12<sup>th</sup> we
recognized NYS Invasive Species Awareness Week by pulling oriental bittersweet
at Stillwell Woods Preserve in Syosset. Our 23 volunteers braved the heat and filled
over 20 contractor sized bags!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVc3QHQKyXCcJ3CYRcxtQsPeRxEKAM4rfQ26vKyDVsSSTKu2sqNmXVxdacljtMIaEeKYuho7JzkBUUUlc6m0RS0ThyZ_eZG_ikuGR3mtBe0wRLpyL2LLSDw9KHkMTCGanBtshuq-MYZXM/s1600/P1040227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVc3QHQKyXCcJ3CYRcxtQsPeRxEKAM4rfQ26vKyDVsSSTKu2sqNmXVxdacljtMIaEeKYuho7JzkBUUUlc6m0RS0ThyZ_eZG_ikuGR3mtBe0wRLpyL2LLSDw9KHkMTCGanBtshuq-MYZXM/s1600/P1040227.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On August 9<sup>th</sup> 30
volunteers participated in a service day at Stillwell - pulling, whacking, digging
and cutting nonnative plant species. 25 bags were hauled out. Our neighbors in the field, the Long Island
Silent Flyers, invited us over to join in their annual picnic. The volunteers mingled, munched and some of
the kids learned how to fly the model planes.
Thank you Flyers!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1S473YjdqnpI8CK42JmH_hd7eaxIPq4KzE-h52o7aDOxTqPR6lXal8As_xow2Fv7_hsWE7zAiaFpHuMJ4AXUxY5L0KiM_0S6yb0K78HfYom2jPvtb62A9TdP2WFABick935Vg9bth1dd2/s1600/P1040106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1S473YjdqnpI8CK42JmH_hd7eaxIPq4KzE-h52o7aDOxTqPR6lXal8As_xow2Fv7_hsWE7zAiaFpHuMJ4AXUxY5L0KiM_0S6yb0K78HfYom2jPvtb62A9TdP2WFABick935Vg9bth1dd2/s1600/P1040106.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmPoXLCbqNw2pMP6o2HRnff6wWYLA5k2fAJmAOEuJXY6bCaCDCB4PLiq4UOFn9OCOdy4apYzG_9Vk6RzvI3gMf-dTUGn7kEQv2VpGSLthwf3__hm4QGsBDhXvTVwOZcRYvH7V9jXYHzfu/s1600/P1040116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmPoXLCbqNw2pMP6o2HRnff6wWYLA5k2fAJmAOEuJXY6bCaCDCB4PLiq4UOFn9OCOdy4apYzG_9Vk6RzvI3gMf-dTUGn7kEQv2VpGSLthwf3__hm4QGsBDhXvTVwOZcRYvH7V9jXYHzfu/s1600/P1040116.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a>In addition to these “official”
pulls, we have been heading into Stillwell Woods on a weekly basis with our
volunteer corps, the Habitat Heroes (aka The Invasive Slayers) since May. Being unemployed for the second time in four
years, while stressful, has allowed me to dedicate a tremendous amount of time
to the work we are doing in the preserve.
In May and June we pulled English ivy and garlic mustard. Once it was past mustard pulling time, we
focused our efforts on the field. In
addition to weekly bittersweet pulls we have created two pilot restoration
areas. These two 20’x10’ areas of
mugwort have been pulled and covered with black plastic which will remain for 6
weeks. One area will be seeded with
milkweed in the spring, while the other area, which is in between two stands of
milkweed, will be left alone. Our hope
is that the milkweed will recolonize this site on its own. In addition, we hope to work with a
consultant to create recommendations for the field…with possible ideas
including continued hand pulling, renting goats, a continual mowing for a few
years and full out restoration. We hope
to raise some serious funding for this in 2015! Nassau County has been tremendously supportive
of our efforts in the preserve, notably Frank Camerlengo, Deputy Commissioner
of Parks and Tom Shatel of the Parks Department. By the way, we haven’t forgotten about
Underhill Preserve. The consultant we
hired to map invasives and make recommendations continues his efforts. This work is taking much longer than we anticipated,
but once done, the NYSDEC will begin restoration efforts with the grant funding
we obtained last year. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I would like to take the time out to
give a shout out to all of our volunteers. A huge thank you to the volunteers that have
shown up for our highway clean ups and restoration days this past year. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In addition to the individual volunteers, two
groups deserve special thanks. Members
of the Lighthouse Community Church have participated in several of our events. The
wonderful members of this church support several nonprofits and we are so proud
that we are one of their chosen organizations. In addition, another group has been working
with me on a weekly basis since May – the fantastic young people who are
serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
(“LDS”). These young men and women (ages
18 to 26) are volunteer representatives of the LDS Church and engage in church
service, humanitarian aid and community service. The members of the group I have been working with
hail from various places such as Utah, Oregon, Virginia and even Haiti and are
serving in New York for a two year period. I have been incredibly lucky to work very
closely with them for the last few months.
These young people are not only hard-working and dedicated to our
restoration efforts; they are an absolute joy to be around and have truly made
this summer one I will never forget. As volunteer coordinator I have the task of
overseeing and participating in all of our restoration efforts. Meeting and getting to know so many of these
volunteers has been a true privilege.
Our volunteers rock!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Come out and join us. We work hard, but we have a great time (and
the snacks are darn good too!). To see photos from all of these events, please
check out our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hobaudubon" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page!</span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR02lWM7_j1BfiYy0KOhCTitjzI6BOCRRaS3G5U1eIL5P95s-jhpCcnYJXQ_Rl2YYyqGJAfrxjGdzaFbG3eFl4TmCBTsGJqyggM3Va0XTEMJq47kwEjuspTpRPfYb3AoIYC9p9gypKRhS2/s1600/P1030341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR02lWM7_j1BfiYy0KOhCTitjzI6BOCRRaS3G5U1eIL5P95s-jhpCcnYJXQ_Rl2YYyqGJAfrxjGdzaFbG3eFl4TmCBTsGJqyggM3Va0XTEMJq47kwEjuspTpRPfYb3AoIYC9p9gypKRhS2/s1600/P1030341.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We even rescued an injured baby woodchuck!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeHzyRSlcd3vRvSlqjN9thcWGyI5h3UdGf74jUyKmStLJ1cCtXsFvybnsC0ewWLa2Web65QP4-6nI_vnCZ_J6kYMw9m2NXsYqWVVVCqIVYdZI-HkfSfMYBx26rBCbLx5e9i78BHxAmSo9/s1600/red-winged_blackbird_0150983w2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeHzyRSlcd3vRvSlqjN9thcWGyI5h3UdGf74jUyKmStLJ1cCtXsFvybnsC0ewWLa2Web65QP4-6nI_vnCZ_J6kYMw9m2NXsYqWVVVCqIVYdZI-HkfSfMYBx26rBCbLx5e9i78BHxAmSo9/s1600/red-winged_blackbird_0150983w2.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwilaRy9sq58Ys7TjsXByagmMad66SVlOKEu_zghPjNiDWW8syrt7rFEBb1UE_GRc-vNuqHvLDb9b46WgBuKITiV0pU_4lj1mEFj0AJCP93hfSrHQIYSD0857fK3tZb3uqZYeOg1WdJmtj/s1600/osprey+landing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwilaRy9sq58Ys7TjsXByagmMad66SVlOKEu_zghPjNiDWW8syrt7rFEBb1UE_GRc-vNuqHvLDb9b46WgBuKITiV0pU_4lj1mEFj0AJCP93hfSrHQIYSD0857fK3tZb3uqZYeOg1WdJmtj/s1600/osprey+landing.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>It's happening... the familiar calls of the red wing blackbird, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">konkereee</i>”, have just begun to fill the air! This means spring is just around the corner and we can now begin to eagerly anticipate the
arrival of St. Patrick’s Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No silly, not
for the green beer (not that there is anything wrong with that!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the return of Long Island’s iconic bird,
the osprey, who seem to consistently return around this holiday year after
year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been a cold and bitter
winter, one we have not seen the likes of in many years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But once the osprey returns, we will know that
spring is within sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Just like that, as all seasons pass, so shall
winter, morphing into the bright colors and warmer days of spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Birds will wing their way back to our area, geared
up for nesting season. Mammals will emerge from hibernation, hungry and ready
to start families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will come out of
our own hibernation as this winter becomes nothing but a memory in our
minds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spring will be especially welcome
this year! </div>
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It has been
awhile since the last update on Plum Island. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you might know, HOBAS was a founding member of
the Preserve Plum Island Coalition and continues to be active in the
efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Below is a brief summary of some
of what has occurred since our last update: </div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>In the event of a sale of the island, zoning has been adopted
the Town of Southold which will designate over 80% of the Island as a
“Conservation District”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will
exclude residential or commercial development, except as a limited accessory
use to support the primary conservation use.</li>
<li>A bill, "Save, Don't Sell Plum Island", was introduced by Congressman Tim Bishop in the House of Representatives, along with companion legislation which was introduced in the Senate by Senator Richard Blumenthal. These bipartisan bills are aimed at protecting the Island's tremendous biodiversity and ecological value. Future development of Plum Island would be prevented by the elimination of the current requirement to sell the Island at public auction. </li>
<li>Commissioned by The Nature Conservancy, an appraisal report of the Island is expected to be complete sometime in March. </li>
<li>Better conservation stewardship of the Island is being proposed. These measures would be in place whether or not the Island is sold or not and they include additional biological inventories conducted by the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) and management and possible reintroduction of certain plants and animals.</li>
<li>Completion of an inventory, remediation and disclosure of all hazardous waste sites on the Island as called for by Governor Cuomo.</li>
<li>The Plum Island Coalition intends to participate in the Coastal Zone management Compliance Review by NYS.</li>
<li>The Coalition is considering legal challenges to the completeness and findings of the FEIS submitted by the GSA for the sale of the Island. </li>
</ol>
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And remember...once the temperatures rise and the big thaw begins, be sure to get outside, rid yourself of that winter pallor and enjoy some warm and sunny days as you embrace the arrival of spring!</div>
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Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-45525877102142160552013-12-08T18:13:00.000-05:002013-12-09T23:00:44.863-05:00Bird Feeding 101-Updated<!--[if !mso]>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5vUBLSYE6L2y0h7HaU6enB1DKVHPGMnNSfYJjuh86bRhRurVDrlU-X6DAaUw_NbeeSzIarp3qDOyxazgzM65LOgYkkqkXrLpiGYn6dYbVrlLi-BxtvbmSwFUOgwkX-dm8t8U1pp2ThwZ/s1600/chickadee4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5vUBLSYE6L2y0h7HaU6enB1DKVHPGMnNSfYJjuh86bRhRurVDrlU-X6DAaUw_NbeeSzIarp3qDOyxazgzM65LOgYkkqkXrLpiGYn6dYbVrlLi-BxtvbmSwFUOgwkX-dm8t8U1pp2ThwZ/s320/chickadee4.jpg" width="231" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Feeding birds in winter, while not
necessary for survival (birds are equipped to survive winter weather without
human assistance), can provide them with an edge during severe weather. Furthermore, observing the antics of our
feathered friends at feeders can provide hours of delight! Let’s face it, feeding the birds in our yard
is more for us than it is for them. And
in this case, as opposed to so many other instances of human “interference”
when it comes to wildlife, if done properly, there is nothing wrong with providing
them with that extra boost! </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">When feeding wild birds, make sure
you feed high quality seed for maximum nutrition and energy. To attract the
most species, black oil sunflower seed is best.
Peanut chips are a nice supplement to sunflower seeds, providing a great
source of fat and energy. This mix attracts
nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees, tufted titmice and house
finches. Try not to feed the cheaper mixes, as this will attract unwanted,
non-native house sparrows and starlings.
In addition, nyjer seed in a thistle feeder will be devoured by
goldfinches. Finally, birds love suet,
which provides a concentrated source of fatty energy. Suet should always be hung so that critters
other than birds cannot get to it. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In addition to these basics, you can provide
your feathered friends with safflower seed (Cardinals enjoy it. Squirrels do not!) and mixes containing seeds
such as millet (juncos, Carolina wrens and mourning doves enjoy millet when
sprinkled on the ground). Try to avoid the cheap
mixes that contains a lot of milo, a seed commonly used as a filler. If you want to avoid a mess, do what I
do-feed the birds sunflower hearts (I make my own mix of sunflower chips and
peanut chips). Yes, the chips are more
expensive, but definitely worth it if you want to avoid shells on the ground. I have noticed that the goldfinches at my
feeders actually prefer sunflower chips to nyjer, so this is a good option all
around. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtsLfmeO2hcQ_eZriTtihYqvdPli_ALvHocunLlaGQf0rNHX9G40dXGooZCTDfecngE1nS0gnvkymp03rCENQiWrloIanHvarflOpF_fjw4PkAHXz692k8P0eXIH84FDRVnT0UKbMIVmX/s1600/goldfinches+at+feeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtsLfmeO2hcQ_eZriTtihYqvdPli_ALvHocunLlaGQf0rNHX9G40dXGooZCTDfecngE1nS0gnvkymp03rCENQiWrloIanHvarflOpF_fjw4PkAHXz692k8P0eXIH84FDRVnT0UKbMIVmX/s200/goldfinches+at+feeder.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">To attract a
variety of birds, different types of feeders should be purchased. Unless you want to be eaten out of house and
home, squirrel proof feeders are a wise investment. For a basic set up I suggest a hopper feeder,
nyjer feeder and suet cage.
Additionally, one can add a platform feeder close to the ground to
attract birds such as sparrows, doves and juncos as well as a tube feeder for
smaller birds. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">It is vital
that you provide a safe, hygienic feeding station for your avian guests. Please make sure that feeders are either at
least 30 feet away or within 3 feet of windows to avoid deadly collisions, and
make sure that there is cover nearby for the birds to retreat into. In addition, feeders need to be kept clean in
order to prevent diseases from spreading through the local population. Avian conjunctivitis is a deadly disease
which affects finches and it can easily be prevented by good hygiene. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">At least once a month, empty and clean your
feeders with a mix of water and bleach.
Please be sure to dry thoroughly before refilling.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmpJ31x61Qt3GIsoX8ergBNdNXiLwnmouIn66vOZLzPCB6CRGfhFRp3VeN4NcDrPVwSScRi49CaA1i3sUF_vnOIc4-CkN1XEO1D9o5wWqm7PN7Hja_klX2rPSumBqyAmR-QAJO-rgFwLU/s1600/flying+squirrel+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmpJ31x61Qt3GIsoX8ergBNdNXiLwnmouIn66vOZLzPCB6CRGfhFRp3VeN4NcDrPVwSScRi49CaA1i3sUF_vnOIc4-CkN1XEO1D9o5wWqm7PN7Hja_klX2rPSumBqyAmR-QAJO-rgFwLU/s320/flying+squirrel+3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">If you follow these guidelines, you
will be treated to a delightful array of bird visitors all winter long. You may
even find yourself entertaining more than just the “usuals”. Through most of last January and February a very
tame pine warbler visited my feeder each day.
I also was very lucky to discover something even more special than my
pine warbler. After hearing a fuss on my
deck one night, I discovered a southern flying squirrel having his way with the
feeders! This was a squirrel species I
was NOT going to try to deter! For about
two months, this adorable creature came in for his nightly buffet. He became so tame that I was able to stand
within a foot or so and watch in awe as he ate the pecans I put out each night
(yes, I found myself leaving extra special treats for this extra special
guest). As the weather warmed, he found
a mate and alas, they moved off. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Is there a specific time to take the
feeders down? No, not really. I generally take my feeders down once the
grackles come back, because they can empty a feeder in a day, but hang them out
again in mid to late summer to attract young of the year. This summer my feeding station was an Avian
Romper Room with baby chickadees, house finches, Carolina wrens, red bellied
woodpeckers and cardinals all vying for space at Stella’s All-You-Can-Eat—Birdy
Buffet!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">These tips
are just the basics. Feel free to
research online for more in-depth information on how to welcome birds to your
yard. Don’t stop at feeders, there is so
much more you can do to provide a bird friendly yard…but I am getting ahead of
myself. Let’s save that for another time!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Providing
extra energy and nutrition for your feathered friends is a rewarding experience
for both humans and birds alike. I wish
you a delightful holiday season and winter enjoying the delightful antics of
your feathered visitors. </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-61871532268825710472013-02-11T23:19:00.000-05:002013-02-11T23:20:43.553-05:00Underhill Preserve and the Value of a Grassland<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">“Anyone
can love a mountain, but it takes soul to love a prairie” - unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">As a
little girl I devoured the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little House
in the Prairie </i>book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and dreamed of seeing
the western prairies one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t
until 2007 that I was able to do so when I visited Prairie State Park in
Missouri with a friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend not to
use the word awesome very often because I think it is a word that is used too
frequently and lightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But believe me
when I tell you what lay before us was indeed awesome. Tall grasses and
wildflowers were gently blowing in the breeze while birdsong filled the
air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grasshopper sparrows, meadowlarks
and dickcissels sang together in a splendid chorus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bison roamed the short-grass areas, snorting
and kicking up dust in their path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had only allotted one day to visit this preserve and knew immediately that it
was just not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we stood
watching the sunset we were treated to a sight that will remain with me forever
- as the blazing red and orange sun descended into the horizon, the silhouette
of a deer appeared, surrounded by tall grass and perfectly backlit by the
flaming orb behind it. As we stood watching in awe, the deer turned and bounded
into the sunset, as if swallowed up by a giant fiery ball of fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was pure magic. Thus began my love affair
with grasslands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have since traveled
to grasslands in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Texas, each time marveling anew
at the abundance of wildlife and beauty before my eyes. </span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">Unfortunately, grasslands have been declining faster than any
other habitat in the United States, if not the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human use and sprawl development has taken
its toll on our grasslands, with only about 4% remaining. While grassland
habitats modified by humans for agriculture had replaced some areas of
grasslands to an extent, they too are now disappearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As grasslands decline, so do the wildlife
species that depend upon them. </span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Grassland
birds are among the fastest and most consistently declining birds in North
America; 48% are of conservation concern and 55% are showing significant
declines.</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Right here
on Long Island, grasslands were once a significant feature of the landscape.
Unfortunately, most have been developed into residential, industrial or
commercial real estate or converted to ball fields and other intensely used
recreational areas. For this reason it is crucial that all efforts should be
made to restore and reclaim potential habitat as grassland whenever possible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">There are
still scattered grasslands across the island, but even when protected, they
face a grave threat: non-native invasive species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One such already protected area in trouble is
Underhill Preserve in Jericho.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This 75
acre preserve, protected as open space in 2002, contains almost 35 acres of
grassland, with a mix of native and non-native grasses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">Unfortunately, much of it has now been
overrun by invasive non-native plant species.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several years ago I fell in love with this parcel and have watched with
concern as each year it has become more degraded by this invasion as well as
the encroachment of successional habit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks
to the efforts of Senator Carl Marcellino, I was able to sit down with the property’s
owners (NYSDEC, Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay) to encourage them to create
a plan to manage and restore Underhill. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During
this meeting, HOBAS was asked to take the lead on developing such a plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The DEC has already named us stewards of
their portion of the preserve and we are hopeful we can obtain the same
designation from the other entities. As you know, the funds raised at our first
Run/Walk for Conservation in the fall of 2012 are dedicated to this project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recently applied for a grant in order to develop
and implement a comprehensive restoration plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As of this writing, we have not received word yet on the grant, but our
fingers are crossed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are not
awarded this grant, we will continue to explore other funding
opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
expansion of Underhill’s grasslands and meadows would attract a greater
diversity and abundance of butterflies, birds and other wildlife, thereby
creating a wildlife haven which could potentially attract nesting grassland
birds such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eastern meadowlarks</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, shrubland birds are also on the
decline and providing healthy native edge habitat for birds such as these is
equally vital.</span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Over
100 species of birds have been documented at the preserve, including two
grassland species that are in decline: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bobolinks</i>
and the aforementioned e<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">astern</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">meadowlarks</i>. There is an abundance of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eastern</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bluebirds</i> in the meadows and the numerous kettle ponds provide
habitat to various waterfowl, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wood
ducks</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hooded mergansers</i>,
arguably our most beautiful North American ducks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue-winged
warblers</i> are most likely nesting here and during the winter months, this is
possibly the best spot around for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fox,
American tree and field sparrows</i>. In addition, Underhill could have
potential as a future introduction site for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">northern
bobwhite</i>, a bird that has seen a 65% decline over the last twenty years.
Various species of turtles such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">snapping,
painted</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eastern box (</i>a NYS
Species of Special Concern) have been documented at Underhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Grasslands
not only host birds and mammals; they support butterflies and insects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The iconic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">monarch butterfly</i> is declining due to habitat loss in the United
States as well as its wintering grounds in Mexico. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Milkweed</i> is an important host plant for Monarchs and there are
several species growing in Underhill, including the only known Long Island
colony of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whorled milkweed</i></b> as well as a colony of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">green comet milkweed</i></b>,
which is listed as NYS Rare. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Horace’s duskywing</i>,
a butterfly considered rare in Nassau County, utilizes the meadows, as does the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">red-banded hairstreak</i>, another
butterfly which was considered rare at one time but is now increasing in
numbers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">An abundance of plants play
host to numerous insects, which in turn, provide food for breeding birds. All
told, Underhill has an impressive list of natural resources. In addition to the
over 100 species of birds and almost 200 species of insects, close to 300
plants and seven species of reptiles and amphibians have been recorded since
2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, these natural
resources are in danger of being swallowed up by non-natives such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Japanese honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet,
mile-a-minute, porcelain berry, multi flora rose </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">autumn olive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>In addition,
trees are taking root in some areas of the grassland and should be removed.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>Currently
we are working on setting the wheels in motion for a management plan that will
include a restoration project and are hopeful that NYS, the Town and County
will support this endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we
will never be able to restore Underhill back to its former glory (unless
someone wants to gift us with a few hundred thousand dollars!) we do hope to
give back its dignity by allowing native vegetation to flourish once again,
thereby providing critical habitat for birds and other wildlife. Keep your eyes
peeled for future updates and your fingers crossed that our hopes will become a
reality!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Grasslands are often dismissed
as monotonous stretches of empty landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Far from monotonous and empty, tall-grass, short-grass and mixed
grasslands contain a remarkable and diverse number of species, from plants to
reptiles to birds to mammals to insects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is true that anyone can love a mountain…or a forest or a shoreline. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their beauty is in your face and splendid. It
takes soul to look beyond the obvious. A prairie must be understood to be loved,
for once you have experienced the magic and subtle grandeur that is a prairie you
will never be the same. </span></div>
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Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-54088526848325234132013-02-08T21:33:00.002-05:002013-02-08T21:34:40.157-05:00Birdfeeding Basics<h1>
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Feeding birds in winter, while not necessary for survival (birds are
equipped to survive winter weather without human assistance), can
provide them with an edge during severe weather. Furthermore, observing
the antics of our feathered friends at the feeders can provide hours of
delight!<br />
<br />
When feeding wild birds, make sure you feed high quality seed for
maximum nutrition and energy. To attract the most species, black oil
sunflower seed is the best. In addition to sunflower seeds, peanut
chips provide a great source of fat and energy. This mix attracts
nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees, tufted titmice and house
finches. Try not to feed the cheaper mixes, as this will attract
unwanted, non-native house sparrows and starlings. In addition, nyjer
seed in a thistle feeder will be devoured by goldfinches. Finally,
birds love suet, which provides a concentrated source of energy. Suet
should always be hung so that critters other than birds cannot get to
it.<br />
<br />
To attract a variety of birds, different types of feeders should be
purchased. (Note, unless you want to be eaten out of house and home,
squirrel proof feeders are a wise investment. There will be plenty of
spilled seed on the ground for them to nibble on.) For a basic set up I
suggest a hopper feeder, nyjer feeder and suet cage. Additionally, one
can add a platform feeder close to the ground to attract birds such as
sparrows, doves and juncos as well as a tube feeder for smaller birds.<br />
<br />
It is vital that you provide a safe, hygienic feeding station for
your avian guests. Please make sure that feeders are either at least 30
feet away or within 3 feet of windows so as to avoid deadly collisions,
and make sure that there is cover nearby for the birds to retreat to.
In addition, feeders need to be kept clean in order to prevent diseases
from spreading through the local population. At least once a month,
empty and clean your feeders with a mix of water and bleach. Please be
sure to dry thoroughly before refilling.<br />
Finally, because hundreds of millions of birds are killed by cats
each year, I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your cat
indoors. A bird’s life is challenging enough, fraught with harsh
weather conditions and natural predators. There is no need to tip the
scales against them by allowing your cat to predate birds. For more
information on this topic see: <a href="http://www.hobaudubon.org/pdfs/CatsIndoors.pdf">http://www.hobaudubon.org/pdfs/CatsIndoors.pdf</a><br />
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Providing extra energy and nutrition for your feathered friends is a rewarding experience for both humans and birds alike! Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-82863175839679639332012-09-01T22:40:00.005-04:002014-09-02T07:24:18.445-04:00Long Island and the Cloud Forests of Guatemala…the Avian Conservation Connection<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab3NjqL8CQwVfgjAEoGx-viga35IJDSaWIbIw7oEkYQQULgWP2lurAmqckaBgKIRCUwZ43XYO1QIjkn6TFGvtMhuQ9QNguFoGgji4MRCLe2epC_wiANxfEwTXAlqrRtvWYrBOj7IB1S1-/s1600/baltimoreoriole1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab3NjqL8CQwVfgjAEoGx-viga35IJDSaWIbIw7oEkYQQULgWP2lurAmqckaBgKIRCUwZ43XYO1QIjkn6TFGvtMhuQ9QNguFoGgji4MRCLe2epC_wiANxfEwTXAlqrRtvWYrBOj7IB1S1-/s320/baltimoreoriole1.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5783405556679299634" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 238px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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HOBAS is proud to announce that we will be partnering with Community Cloud Forest Conservation (“CCFC”) by providing educational scholarships, at $150 each, for two young Guatemalan women to continue their schooling beyond the 6th grade. In order to earn these scholarships, which are privately funded, each scholarship recipient must attend agro-ecology camp, where they are taught sustainable agricultural practices, conservation of the cloud forests and family planning. Young women that show leadership skills in this scholarship program are invited into teaching roles for CCFC’s “Kids and Birds Initiative” program, which is funded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. These young women teach the “Kids and Birds Initiative” curriculum to younger students in 8 remote mountain villages. HOBAS’ scholarships would specifically support girls who are being trained as teachers.</div>
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<b> </b>Why are we sending girls to school in Guatemala? The answer is simple. By providing these scholarships we are doing our part to protect the birds that visit our backyards and natural areas in the warmer months and contributing to the conservation of the cloud forests that they call home. Did you ever stop to think about where the Baltimore oriole you are enjoying in your backyard spends most of his time? What many people don’t realize is that “our” birds of spring and summer are really just visitors, and actually live the majority of their lives in tropical countries such as Guatemala!</div>
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Guatemala is a beautiful country, and consists of forested mountains, glimmering lakes, and extensive wildlife. It is a biologically rich country with over 720 species of birds, many of which are familiar to us. There is a high diversity of ecosystems and in fact, Guatemala represents nine different biomes, or geographic areas, that occur from sea level up to more than 4,000 meters above sea level.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCagd6UhXOtiVANJzQYj4wdTA6OFe2DfcXbiA0yderOIwtx20oEUvA7_M1GpIeaZ1h2DKiPz-XLDlpPI_BLtpGDrkjGa-TMlkinO6Yjtigf6KfhoyNRVIPsroyFcTvUWZPDIG3yoV3SK5V/s1600/CALT+girls+birding+with+scope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCagd6UhXOtiVANJzQYj4wdTA6OFe2DfcXbiA0yderOIwtx20oEUvA7_M1GpIeaZ1h2DKiPz-XLDlpPI_BLtpGDrkjGa-TMlkinO6Yjtigf6KfhoyNRVIPsroyFcTvUWZPDIG3yoV3SK5V/s1600/CALT+girls+birding+with+scope.jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a>In the heart of Guatemala's central highlands are the two mountain ranges of cloud forests, the Sierra Yalijux and the Sierra Sacranix. These two mountain ranges have been designated Important Bird Areas by BirdLife International. Over thirty species of neotropical migrants that visit Long Island call the cloud forest their home in winter, including: black-billed cuckoo, yellow-billed cuckoo, olive-sided flycatcher, wood thrush, golden-winged warbler, blue winged warbler, prothonotary warbler, worm eating warbler, Lousiana waterthrush, Kentucky warbler, black throated green warbler, hooded warbler, Northern waterthrush, American redstart, chestnut sided warbler, Nashville warbler, Canada warbler, Baltimore oriole, Blackburnian warbler and Swainsons thrush. Unfortunately, bird populations are declining around the world due to a myriad of factors.</div>
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In Guatemala deforestation is the main threat to the ecosystem since the local custom is to slash and burn vegetation in the areas to be farmed. In addition, monocultures are expanding rapidly in Guatemala due to the need to produce more efficiently to be able to compete in big export markets. As we know from our invasive species problems here on Long Island, monocultures crowd out native species, threatening ecological health and diversity. In addition, communities face many other challenges, including the lack of education, illiteracy, economic and social marginalization, extreme poverty, and runaway population growth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj-3lmDBc-ANH4O_RIeVFvCxQu1s3EJVw2MatyTFOUPXYKhn7Dfq0MhXQi6Bto2NTWNJfzb2tMbrHFreKMrUWlNhB6t8VdizLKlruhxn3NjvrR4WZpaGMPmvURCQIadY0cVFgkL-iBJW6/s1600/guatemala+girls4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirj-3lmDBc-ANH4O_RIeVFvCxQu1s3EJVw2MatyTFOUPXYKhn7Dfq0MhXQi6Bto2NTWNJfzb2tMbrHFreKMrUWlNhB6t8VdizLKlruhxn3NjvrR4WZpaGMPmvURCQIadY0cVFgkL-iBJW6/s1600/guatemala+girls4.jpg" height="320" width="295" /></a>With this in mind, reaching out to the younger generation is crucial in preserving local habitats. Instilling a pride and love of the forest, as well as providing sustainable agricultural methods will help preserve the cloud forest. More than a just an average scholarship, this program allows students to learn human nutrition, soil conservation, organic fertilizer production, integrated pest management, basic garden ecology, vegetable production, propagation of traditional crops, fruit tree management, production planning as well as family planning. Students learn to produce healthy food in harmony with the environment and participate in reforestation projects. Young women receiving work study scholarships come from the villages that border the cloud forest. As they work and learn on the school's agroecology campus, they recognize and appreciate the beauty and value of the forest that surrounds them and become committed to conservation.</div>
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There are many things that can be done to alleviate poverty and protect cloud forests, but in undeveloped countries such as Guatemala, education is of paramount importance. Education changes lives and transforms communities. For most young women, school beyond the sixth grade is out of reach. Faced with limited resources, parents are more likely to send their male children to classes. Girls then feel they have no choice but to marry at a very young age and start producing children, thereby adding to the overpopulation of these areas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pzuO361NkqhBA1S431qxCKQDB4tsRj-6oOpZsghQh4_cGUMngl1M9JH96bnA6ijyQ2aLxCWFE3SnEpVr8U_YCeGgnxCP0itNdoDi4HgRJWrh2YZQ-xqZN3l0bG-BejRLeRwivz0qXPt5/s1600/Elvira+Ac+Macz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pzuO361NkqhBA1S431qxCKQDB4tsRj-6oOpZsghQh4_cGUMngl1M9JH96bnA6ijyQ2aLxCWFE3SnEpVr8U_YCeGgnxCP0itNdoDi4HgRJWrh2YZQ-xqZN3l0bG-BejRLeRwivz0qXPt5/s1600/Elvira+Ac+Macz.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>It has been proven around the world that by empowering women, you enrich and strengthen entire communities. These scholarships provide an option that these girls otherwise would not have. This benefits humans, but at the end of the day, it benefits the birds of the forests because a thriving and healthy indigenous people will protect and conserve their natural resources.</div>
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As you feed your Baltimore oriole an orange slice, or head out for warbler madness during migration, it is very easy to forget that these birds actually spend most of their time in the tropics. While it is vital that natural areas are preserved in the tropics, it is not enough to just set aside land. We must ensure that the local people who call that land their home are given knowledge and tools needed to protect the natural resources surrounding them. Habitat can be set aside, but without the cooperation of neighboring communities, these preserves will not be protected by those who are in the best position to act as stewards. Forests will still be cut down, wildlife killed for food, land degraded and its beauty ravished by non sustainable agricultural practices. Sending children to school in order to provide them with a better life and teaching them to cherish, protect and sustain their surroundings is a vital step in the process. In conservation, like links on a necklace, every component fits together.</div>
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Migrant birds travel thousands of miles to reach their breeding grounds, making stops along the way, acting as traveling ambassadors for conservation. By helping to provide youths in Guatemala with the tools needed to farm sustainably while instilling in them a sense of pride in their land, we are working to ensure that birds are protected and have a bright future. It is all connected. We are all connected. Investing in these young women in Guatemala is investing in conservation of birds. The Baltimore oriole in your yard today might winging its way back to Guatemala tomorrow. We need to protect birds, not just on a local level, but in their winter homes, stopover sites during migration, and breeding grounds. Conservation of birds is a global effort and we hope you will support us as we do our part to protect our feathered friends in every step of their journey!</div>
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unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st2\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">We all know we should be exercising.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We have all been told countless times that it is good for us to engage in a fitness routine; but perhaps the thought of running on a treadmill, like the proverbial hamster on a wheel, has all the appeal of watching paint dry. Or, maybe you feel you ARE that hamster on the wheel…morning after morning…watching the clock, waiting for your 30 minutes to finally be up so you can hop off and get on with your day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Well, allow me to inform you of how you can not only enhance your exercise regimen, but do it in a way that will stimulate your mind, strengthen your body and nourish your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is time to take working out to the great outdoors. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Let’s talk about the benefits of exercise.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You have been told it will help you burn calories and stay trim.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This is true.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am sure that we have all seen the articles, headlines and news shows.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Daily physical activity not only will help you maintain an ideal weight, it is vital to your health.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Working out will help fend off heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and slow the aging process. Weight bearing exercises, such as walking, have been proven to help prevent osteoporosis.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Studies have shown that regular exercise can help alleviate mild depression as well as antidepressants do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Exercise literally can extend and perhaps even save your life. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Hiking is an ideal exercise.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The reasons are simple. It is fun, and it works. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Based on research, a 150 pound person, walking at just 2 miles per hour, can burn 240 calories an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Add on a backpack and you are getting a terrific cardiovascular workout, while strengthening your muscles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These muscles are engaged much more than they would be while walking on a treadmill or street due to the uneven surface of trails.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Add uphill climbs into the hike and you are really working those quads, glutes and abs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hiking uphill is an incredible calorie blaster!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">In addition to the physical benefits, you can also help keep your mind sharp with the addition of an activity such as birding or identifying plants and wildflowers. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Studies have shown that engaging in intellectually stimulating activities can keep your brain functioning at a much sharper level.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Why not try to engage your brain while you are at it?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is also an added bonus: the possibility of wildlife sightings, especially if you hike near dawn or dusk, which lends an air of excitement to your walk down the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">The final benefit of hiking is the sense of peace that nature brings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Connecting with the natural world is a way to retain your sanity, a way to forget, for a few hours, about the everyday stresses of life. Standing at the summit of a mountain, the edge of a wildflower filled meadow or the shoreline of a shimmering lake can fill you with a sense of awe and accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not something you typically feel as you hop off the treadmill I bet!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">It is simple to get started.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As always, you should consult your physician before engaging in any new exercise program.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You will need to find out what equipment is needed. Proper footwear and a backpack are essential, especially on longer or more rugged trails.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Always have more water and food than you think you will need before you head out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Now, you just need to decide where to go!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">The tri-state area is filled with state parks, preserves and national wildlife refuges. Long Island abounds with nature preserves and parks. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Catskill, Adirondack and Shawangunk Mountains are all within a day’s drive of Long Island. Numerous other nature preserves and parks are scattered throughout the metro New York area.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is just a matter of doing some research.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Hiking can be as easy as a simple ramble through a small preserve near your home, or as strenuous as climbing the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. There are trails to be found for every fitness level. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">If you are apprehensive about venturing out on your own, there are plenty of ways to participate with like minded people. Hiking clubs such as the Adirondack and Appalachian Mountain Clubs offer hikes for every fitness level.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Environmental and conservation organizations, such as The National Audubon Society, Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy offer group hikes, along with birding and botany walks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Check online and see what these clubs and organizations have to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon offers a wide array of outdoor activities, ranging from bird walks to hikes to paddling trips (another fun calorie blaster).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Many of you are probably not even aware of the abundance of resources and natural areas that are within a short driving distance, perhaps even in your own neighborhood.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Hiking is truly a full body experience as well as outstanding workout.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Your fitness level, intellectual health and even your emotional health can all benefit from taking a walk in the woods. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The next time someone says to you, “Go take a hike!” take them up on it!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It just might prolong and enhance your life.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k5OmgSbfoXrS-zrpO9_CJyviiD7m1UJAHXUjuO6_bf1-rfsjh0MhaQ0ufKN8kaK67dewBN8RRgESzxBHWb5VI-WPxnUkP1eUNU9redGKhtFftruTmSB9YkyIDjltsTYpbrLcqlbofBCF/s1600/Me%252C+Crane+mountain.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k5OmgSbfoXrS-zrpO9_CJyviiD7m1UJAHXUjuO6_bf1-rfsjh0MhaQ0ufKN8kaK67dewBN8RRgESzxBHWb5VI-WPxnUkP1eUNU9redGKhtFftruTmSB9YkyIDjltsTYpbrLcqlbofBCF/s320/Me%252C+Crane+mountain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729179812609865186" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> The summit of Crane Mountain, the Adirondacks, NY<br /><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> </p>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-63846447317413780092012-04-05T00:02:00.012-04:002014-09-02T07:20:21.427-04:00Nature and Kids, or Children Belong Outdoors!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a question for our members of a certain age: do you remember your childhood? Do you remember growing up before the invention of computers, video games and cell phones? When playing outside was the norm, not the exception? When we were not paranoid about germs, getting dirty or playing by ourselves outside, worried about the creepy stranger lurking around the corner? When you used your own imagination and creativity to come up with games and activities? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt3O0bhoU0U5RbKdCCcFu1vTiKt1xSkqeuR7fQnAZhyphenhyphensi_sdw077DX5hkU6beTGLIgv3ok6Ed5qx2KclPpF_RnDzao2taUTcMmet4QSrtne3WLF-tFeFzzeTgLb40jWkt5uLRoJowm_vr/s1600/child-nature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt3O0bhoU0U5RbKdCCcFu1vTiKt1xSkqeuR7fQnAZhyphenhyphensi_sdw077DX5hkU6beTGLIgv3ok6Ed5qx2KclPpF_RnDzao2taUTcMmet4QSrtne3WLF-tFeFzzeTgLb40jWkt5uLRoJowm_vr/s1600/child-nature.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><b> </b>I do. I remember the days when I was ushered out the door first thing in the morning, only returning home in time for dinner. I also remember the joy and wonder I felt spending the day roaming the woods behind my house, splashing in the creek and yes, talking to the animals. Those woods were my playground. There were vines to swing on, a pond to explore, rocks to collect and trees to climb. I felt a connection to the world around me, as well as a sense of peace knowing that as long as the water still flowed in the creek and the birds still sang in the trees, all was right with the world. Back then, no child wanted to stay inside and in fact, being sent to your room was the ultimate punishment!</div>
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Today’s children are growing up in a completely different world than you and I did, a world filled</div>
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with mesmerizing electronic devices. Parents plop their kids in front of the television for hours on end; a convenient and cheap babysitter. Kids are fixated on video games instead of reality. They have cell phones from a young age. They carry these phones with them everywhere, yet they don’t actually talk to one another, they text. Instead of basking in the sunlight, they are indoors, endlessly staring at a computer screen. Being sent to one’s room is no longer a punishment because that’s where all the fun is.<br />
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Today’s children are so electronically connected that they have become emotionally disconnected- from one another and from nature. They don’t venture outdoors and engage their senses. They no longer use their imaginations; they no longer have to think very hard when it comes to problem solving. Why should they? There is an app for everything!</div>
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<b> </b>Because of this lack of outdoor time, children are suffering from what has become known as nature-deficit disorder, the phrase coined by Richard Louv in his groundbreaking book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”. Children today are not just missing out on the fun we had as kids, their lack of a connection to the outdoors is affecting them in ways that are far more sinister. Childhood obesity is alarmingly on the rise, doubling in the last two decades, while cases of ADHD are increasing in number and the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients has risen sharply.</div>
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<b> </b>In addition to these frightening statistics, there are other more positive reasons why you should encourage your child to play outdoors. For example, children who have access to the outdoors are healthier, more focused and perform better in school. According to a March 2010 survey of nearly 2,000 educators by the National Wildlife Federation, “78 percent feel students who spend regular time in unstructured outdoor play are better able to concentrate, and 75 percent feel students who spend regular time outdoors are more creative and better problem solvers. Studies confirm access to nature in an educational setting has a positive impact on student focus and learning by improving attentiveness, test scores and performance.”</div>
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<b> </b>Other studies show that children who play outside have better self-esteem, enhanced brain development, are more creative and curious, and possess a sense of connectedness to the environment, as well as well as their communities. In addition, children who are not glued to electronic devices every spare minute of the day are better communicators, more poised and can relate to others on a much more compassionate level. The bottom line is that exposure to the outdoors is vital in the development of a healthy, smart and well rounded child.</div>
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What can we do about nature-deficit disorder? Raising a child really does take a village, and as parents juggle demanding careers with the needs of their children, it is vital that we provide options that will re-connect kids to a world that frankly, is a mystery to them. We need to instill in children that same sense of wonder, freedom and appreciation for nature that we experienced as children. We need to provide them with opportunities to explore, expand and engage.</div>
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If you are a parent, there is so much you can do. Bring your child to a park or preserve. Encourage them to turn off the screen and go outdoors and play. Take your child to an outdoor activity offered by a nature center or environmental organization. Remember your days of staying outside for hours on end and how much fun it was? Why not pass that gift down to your child? For their mental, physical and emotional health…children belong outdoors.</div>
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Stella MillerStella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-38879475516604897602012-03-23T23:34:00.005-04:002012-03-23T23:44:16.555-04:00Wildlife Observation Ethics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOACTauSUyEYKcZjKQLZ4sGtHMGJUZ2rLlFVVhzugKitr-ZHqndPMkCGXkXZpl8zA7zwNdbCK3nv3sI1zO71KnrK52o8zifz1xQQnScxUDYIIGRPjXQUb1sJpA5GZkulwfGETDGuMdhyphenhyphennG/s1600/otter+camera.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvWFeF3-m38cs2VQuW_OYZL1WyKrS9YvMsUn9zE6itKXvvn0c3dkV4iNbTnc2mZ_fffIE123MGKaGmcsCqyi7O1pLZKU79EcDTKa2nenAS-zCTqz6BH9EAok2FEgpfqIz6FNoogqZowxl/s1600/snowy+owl+by+sam.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" 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</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">As so many know, venturing out into nature is good for us, physically, mentally and spiritually. As we explore the outdoors, there is always the chance that we may encounter wild animals, an exciting bonus to the day.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Observing wildlife is one of life’s richest experiences and thanks to the many television shows that are now broadcast about animals, as well as the internet, the appreciation of wildlife has never been greater.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Unfortunately, bad behavior on behalf of the observers can sometimes occur. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As you may have heard, a majestic all-white snowy owl had been seen on Long Island over the past winter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span> Unfortunately, this attention had resulted in the owl being regularly harassed by quite a number of people, so I thought it would be a good time to remind wildlife enthusiasts about proper behavior when viewing wildlife. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wild animals must be treated with respect and wildlife watchers need to behave responsibly. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is a code of ethics that we must all follow while observing wildlife, both for the well-being of wildlife and your own safety.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Peeking into the secret world of wildlife is tremendously gratifying, but the following guidelines must be adhered to:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> Avoid getting too close</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />It is natural to want to be as close as possible as you can to an animal, but this is a big no-no.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The closer one gets, the more threatened and stressed the animal will feel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Keep your distance; binoculars and/or a spotting scope will enhance your viewing experience, while allowing the animal you are observing to feel more comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A more rewarding viewing experience will occur when the animal is behaving naturally, without being disturbed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Learn to recognize signs that the animal is uncomfortable with your presence</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />Animals are unpredictable and you need to continually be aware of the animal's response to your presence because what it might tolerate one minute could change within seconds. Some general clues to watch for are: </span></p> <ul><li><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:10.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">The animal runs or flies away or toward you (such as a bluff charge).</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:10.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">The animal appears nervous and keeps looking at you with head up and ears pointing toward you. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:10.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""></span></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> The animal doesn't resume its normal activity, or "settle down". Birds may chatter angrily in your presence. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:10.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">In the case of a roosting owl, if the owl looks directly at you, it is now aware of you and could be uncomfortable. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family:Symbol;font-size:10.0pt;" ><span style="mso-list:Ignore"><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""></span></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">The animal begins to display in some manner, such as a piping plover’s “broken wing” display.</span></li></ul> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:27.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-add-space:auto; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Observe briefly</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />If you are looking at baby birds in a nest or an animal foraging for food, etc., remember that they are going about their day; and you are interrupting their normal behavior. Each time an animal is disturbed, it is put at a disadvantage because it has expended precious energy needed for survival.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In addition, your presence at a nest or den site could alert a predator to the natal zone, thereby advertising an easy meal. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Don't pursue an animal</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />Never chase an animal trying to get better glimpse or photo. Don't follow animals or behave in any way that might be seen as "harassment." In addition, please keep your dogs on a lead and never allow them to “flush” birds and other animals. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> Move quietly, slowly and in plain view</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />Loud noises, sudden movement or an unannounced approach startle animals, causing a stress response.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> Use a blind if possible</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Your car also makes a wonderful blind, but please, for safety sakes, remember to pull completely off the road.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><b>Use calls, tape recordings of calls, or other device with moderation</b><br />Overuse of such devices can interrupt breeding cycles, drive birds from their territories, or make animals "call shy" <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>so that they may not respond to the real thing. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Do not feed wildlife</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Have you ever heard the phrase, “A fed bear is a dead bear”?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sounds extreme, but in many cases, it is true.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Wildlife can quickly become habituated to humans. It does not take much more than one productive encounter with a human for a wild animal to associate us with food, thereby leading to potentially dangerous or uncomfortable human/animal conflicts. These rarely end well for the animal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In addition, feeding waterfowl bread and other non-nutritious foods is detrimental to their health and disrupts normal behavior. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">When in large groups, try to break up into smaller groups</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />Small groups of people are less disturbing, usually talk more quietly, and tend to act in a more responsible way than big groups do. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Do not disturb the habitat you are in</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;">Always stay on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You could be trampling important food sources or rare vegetation. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> </span></b><strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal;font-size:10.0pt;" >Respect the rights of your fellow viewers</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br />Other viewers have a right to see the undisturbed wildlife that you are viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Don’t flush birds or other animals, thereby perhaps ruining the chance for other observers to see it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"> In summary, as ethical wildlife watchers, we must place the needs and safety of wildlife first, protect habitats, and respect the rights of others. A rewarding wildlife watching experience is one that consists of animals behaving as naturally as possible in their own environments, not reacting to our presence. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon promotes responsible recreation and if you follow the simple guidelines provided above, your experience will be enhanced. You will know that you are behaving in a way that promotes responsible and respectful wildlife viewing!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOACTauSUyEYKcZjKQLZ4sGtHMGJUZ2rLlFVVhzugKitr-ZHqndPMkCGXkXZpl8zA7zwNdbCK3nv3sI1zO71KnrK52o8zifz1xQQnScxUDYIIGRPjXQUb1sJpA5GZkulwfGETDGuMdhyphenhyphennG/s1600/otter+camera.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOACTauSUyEYKcZjKQLZ4sGtHMGJUZ2rLlFVVhzugKitr-ZHqndPMkCGXkXZpl8zA7zwNdbCK3nv3sI1zO71KnrK52o8zifz1xQQnScxUDYIIGRPjXQUb1sJpA5GZkulwfGETDGuMdhyphenhyphennG/s320/otter+camera.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723304139667224482" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;"><br /></span></p>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-81652249986273568762011-04-04T23:44:00.006-04:002014-09-02T07:43:41.637-04:00How You Can Help Birds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1GOBchfPnGdoOWePqg3q5arVBHealZAn9usR5M-j6xnoFJuSXU8AAqAFOz0-Te8qnrVDDIzIq41F2TqlhBIjJkxK00JiEx3_TK1zZcTcrsbx9ZXoHiGZ1aGDdJh4WzklPlsYy9vVBmZK/s1600/warblercerulean.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1GOBchfPnGdoOWePqg3q5arVBHealZAn9usR5M-j6xnoFJuSXU8AAqAFOz0-Te8qnrVDDIzIq41F2TqlhBIjJkxK00JiEx3_TK1zZcTcrsbx9ZXoHiGZ1aGDdJh4WzklPlsYy9vVBmZK/s320/warblercerulean.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591943803151403890" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 213px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Spring is here at last! Like clockwork, on frosty mid-February mornings we heard the first “konkaree's!” of the red-winged blackbirds. Right on schedule, the ospreys arrived next at their platforms in March. Now the tree swallows, phoebes and other early migrants trickling in, reminding me that before we know it, migration will be in full swing, with birds arriving in droves. You don’t have to be a birder like me to appreciate the beauty of birds, or to admire their wonderful melodies. Birds are traveling ambassadors, and as they journey from their wintering grounds in the tropics to their breeding grounds (whether that is here on Long Island or points further north), we must remember that many species are now in decline. I will save those details for another article, but in the meantime, in celebration of springtime migration, I wanted to pass along some information on how we can all do our part to help birds.Here are some tips:</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><u style="font-weight: bold;">Drink shade grown coffee</u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">unlike sun grown coffee which is produced in sterile </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9OVIeOMiQy7GwR1r20bIx8x7rS5hCxmA0qmTTCkZnWzgM1cWhKBnddSedlqN498k8h1UELSIVxkpXqUyx9BKKXWbIGe1105t119JzPalbk-IDAa9SsdG8yqO5Mt59UfmoAYegTWp5C8Yw/s1600/bird-friendly-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">monoculture environments devoid of most wildlife species, shade grown coffee is grown beneath an intact tree canopy which provides habitat to hundreds of birds, mammals and other wildlife species. While you are at it, help local people out too, and try to make sure the coffee you purchase is fair trade.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXAoDF0JjgW_MGbDz0mVT9ezDRHm7xeLhvCf-D0LU1OxzTpZQ8lDB64HHsiw_RP0m1ImQ59ffQRNo-rcQmNPTADSlNvsZxaQE6Jb9YGdeq7fSV-uFfVGjCJJ5sAQMsWfaMRQGU23eafCP/s1600/duck+stamp+2012-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXAoDF0JjgW_MGbDz0mVT9ezDRHm7xeLhvCf-D0LU1OxzTpZQ8lDB64HHsiw_RP0m1ImQ59ffQRNo-rcQmNPTADSlNvsZxaQE6Jb9YGdeq7fSV-uFfVGjCJJ5sAQMsWfaMRQGU23eafCP/s1600/duck+stamp+2012-13.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Buy a duck stamp annually</u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">officially known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, the “duck stamp” is one of the most successful conservation initiatives ever conceived and the most conservation bang you can get for your buck. Ninety eight cents of every dollar generated by the sale of these stamps go directly towards the protection of habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge system. To date, over $750 million has been used to purchase or lease over 5.3 million acres of wildlife habitat. </span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">There are approximately 553 refuges in the USA as of this year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-fWQ7X2Ti_v_zfI4_vAXmXZw_ZlRJBTZaI8R9uZiuLIbejiEkL2Yp2ysR-siSbAUjk5mvsbbl8z3MUrZSIyOr51z-ZhocpQKsz7ME0YkOwMzmbIrfNluMmpEhjFq9dyCC6IKV9i_RMxi/s1600/cat-eating-bird_Gaetan-Priour,5Jun2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn-fWQ7X2Ti_v_zfI4_vAXmXZw_ZlRJBTZaI8R9uZiuLIbejiEkL2Yp2ysR-siSbAUjk5mvsbbl8z3MUrZSIyOr51z-ZhocpQKsz7ME0YkOwMzmbIrfNluMmpEhjFq9dyCC6IKV9i_RMxi/s1600/cat-eating-bird_Gaetan-Priour,5Jun2007.jpg" height="139" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Keep your cat(s) indoors</u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">the approximately 100 million feral and free-roaming cats in the country kill tens to hundreds of millions of birds and small mammals each year. While there is little you can do to prevent feral cat predation, you can play a role in reducing free-roaming cat predation -- by keeping your pet cat(s) indoors. Please.</span></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Support conservation organizations</u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">local, regional, and national conservation organizations, which play such a vital role in achieving conservation success, simply would not exist without the financial support of individuals who care about conservation. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don’t forget to join or renew your membership in Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn6gTu_GIFZm2k_cNdsQsOWhQr9vq0LIdnCI67iRToPpJISF2u33y6KvS7lIUh2wUd0SY5VGjDB9KH53hecW5a4D0IRvjWpOgmsJpeYxTqUcN2n2OAFaLy5POQFuhKgetJ9indwbkH9bJ/s1600/CBC-logo-stacked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirn6gTu_GIFZm2k_cNdsQsOWhQr9vq0LIdnCI67iRToPpJISF2u33y6KvS7lIUh2wUd0SY5VGjDB9KH53hecW5a4D0IRvjWpOgmsJpeYxTqUcN2n2OAFaLy5POQFuhKgetJ9indwbkH9bJ/s1600/CBC-logo-stacked.jpg" height="148" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conduct citizen science</span></u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">participating in the Christmas Bird Count, the Breeding Bird Census, Project Feeder Watch or one of several other data gathering programs is an important way to contribute to science. These programs have been instrumental in broadening our understanding of bird populations such as population trends and changes in distribution.</span> </div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Become involved in the political process</u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">it’s a simple but under-appreciated fact that elected officials, especially local ones, react to public opinion. If they get letters, phone calls, or comments advocating for a certain conservation action (e.g. such as preserving Plum Island!) they often will respond. If you are willing to speak out, your voice can be a powerful tool for conservation.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztDuWzoYXrinO0-Dlhox5tkQckrgcmTdeLyEh7Qt_Do0sFX5kp5QS4sX0qmEr1HJOPd0SdZBwS4MRWrRS6rLRZbSM2iAoSY0XmKFsmNPpndp8V16b8Ei4zBVYvS_c9wHY_8A-Xv7yjSOo/s1600/Pesticides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiztDuWzoYXrinO0-Dlhox5tkQckrgcmTdeLyEh7Qt_Do0sFX5kp5QS4sX0qmEr1HJOPd0SdZBwS4MRWrRS6rLRZbSM2iAoSY0XmKFsmNPpndp8V16b8Ei4zBVYvS_c9wHY_8A-Xv7yjSOo/s1600/Pesticides.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><u><span style="font-weight: bold;">Limit your use or don’t use pesticide</span><b>s</b></u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">pesticides are designed to kill things and even when used according to label can kill unintended targets. Use alternatives to pesticides and make changes to the conditions in your lawn and garden to eliminate the need for pesticides. </span></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Make other environmentally benign lifestyle changes</u> -</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">in living our lives we all have an impact on the environment upon which birds depend. There are many things you can do to reduce your environmental footprint including recycling, composting, using energy efficient light bulbs and appliances. Drive a gas efficient car, take public transportation or carpool. Buy locally grown produce and products. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJZji1Ej5J9Jxx-pGIzE_XwExGWlxNkVwW3bu0IbqFvjFiOzQgff2WmpsAI4XCn-o9k27sfQ4E-_LqJCmyBPwAjzIiPVYqNRgAKza_bnTEGy34jongrHKBWkg9qrJhIzHvnkif9fgeLx3/s1600/warblerblackburnian2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJZji1Ej5J9Jxx-pGIzE_XwExGWlxNkVwW3bu0IbqFvjFiOzQgff2WmpsAI4XCn-o9k27sfQ4E-_LqJCmyBPwAjzIiPVYqNRgAKza_bnTEGy34jongrHKBWkg9qrJhIzHvnkif9fgeLx3/s1600/warblerblackburnian2.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Buy recycled paper products</u>- <span style="font-weight: normal;">The fluffy toilet tissue purchased by most Americans, and stocked in virtually all of our supermarkets, requires pulp containing long wood fibers found only in virgin timber (from live trees). When you use premium tissue, you flush down the toilet part of a tree that may have been felled solely for that purpose. And that tree may have been harvested from Canada’s boreal forest, where 57 percent of Blackburnian warblers breed—along with a third of all North American songbirds. Remember, we may not all buy a newspaper or magazine each day. Perhaps we don’t use paper towels on a daily basis, but I would bet my last dollar that we all use toilet paper each and every day!</span></div>
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<u style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Wear your binoculars proudly</u><span style="font-family: arial;"> - </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">when birding in popular birding spots, while stopping to get a bite to eat or pump gas keep your binoculars visible around neck so that business patrons know why you’re there. Your binoculars serve as a trigger to them to care about bird conservation in their local community since what they are benefiting economically from the presence of birds. Just put the bins down before you start to eat, crumbs in the eyepieces are very annoying!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xf2_Ace3QPnKHgx5vzLKu9gMoVPo9zKVvXyS0KS8_E_sEB_lA999aZG-VbT93ZTeHhWtSLq7x4Cj_CpXkNAN_outaFq1sE2zeG4A5mPaSWeiFwkJ9_5COGAU50d1zSLjZkZ3FNbG2xkv/s1600/Child+with+binoculars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Xf2_Ace3QPnKHgx5vzLKu9gMoVPo9zKVvXyS0KS8_E_sEB_lA999aZG-VbT93ZTeHhWtSLq7x4Cj_CpXkNAN_outaFq1sE2zeG4A5mPaSWeiFwkJ9_5COGAU50d1zSLjZkZ3FNbG2xkv/s1600/Child+with+binoculars.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a><u style="font-weight: bold;">Take a child on a hike or birding</u><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>- <span style="font-weight: normal;">we underestimate our ability to influence others, and fail to realize how impressionable children can be. Get kids excited about birds, talk about how cool they are - their fascinating migratory feats, complex songs and calls, and well developed senses and coordination - and watch how your behavior piques an interest. Remember, today’s children will grow up to be tomorrow’s conservationists! You don’t have to focus just on kids, talk up birds and nature to anyone you meet. Let them feel your enthusiasm!</span></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Protect birds from window collisions</u> - <span style="font-weight: normal;">More birds are killed each year from striking windows than from any other direct cause of death, and the problem is growing as window sizes increase and houses get larger. Use window decals / stickers or cover your windows with blinds, awnings or shutters to minimize the reflection of the sky. </span>One company that manufactures window stickers that have proven effective at reducing collisions is WindowAlert, available on the web at www.windowalert.com</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><u>Create a bird friendly yard</u> </span>- Whether you have a tiny backyard or a big one, you can landscape for wildlife. Plant native bushes, trees and other plants that provide food, protection from predators and resting spots during migration, provide nesting spots in cavities and dense shrubbery, leave leaf litter and brushy corners where birds can feed and hide.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In the meantime, while you are mulling over the steps you can take to protect the birds we so admire, get outside and revel in the warmer weather. Come on one of our field trips or venture out on your own. The lovely days of spring and summer are so fleeting, which is why no matter how busy you are, you need to take the time to step outdoors and enjoy nature, even if it is just your backyard. Happy spring!</span></div>
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Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-71126602417624526522011-04-01T00:31:00.010-04:002011-04-01T00:51:36.265-04:00Bird’s Eye (Re)View: John Turner’s “Exploring The Other Island: A Seasonal Guide to Nature on Long Island” by Stella Miller<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsXwKvuz2Cep7iK6ohsI1GjAdSmCKY-ZZWA6_1np-EYZCY9HzxaD9gRr8ppCgK82pQHVK047MGBIZ0Gk50mYonpLDUS5OJjUjhyphenhyphenrtS02Z2i1nA3CpFA2Co49NXKWcvk3R8kWDxWFJofHj/s1600/Other+Island+front.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsXwKvuz2Cep7iK6ohsI1GjAdSmCKY-ZZWA6_1np-EYZCY9HzxaD9gRr8ppCgK82pQHVK047MGBIZ0Gk50mYonpLDUS5OJjUjhyphenhyphenrtS02Z2i1nA3CpFA2Co49NXKWcvk3R8kWDxWFJofHj/s320/Other+Island+front.jpg" 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The birds carry with them the desolation of the tundra.”<br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size:11pt;"><br /></span></i><span style="font-size:11pt;"><span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">With those words, John Turner perfectly expresses what I have always felt while listening to the plaintive cries of shorebirds, but was unable to articulate.<span style=""> </span>This book is filled with lyrical prose such as this while being chock full of facts about the natural wonders of Long Island.<span style=""> </span>From fish to birds to land animals to plants, Turner tells us what to look for and where to find it.<span style=""> </span>But he directs us responsibly.<span style=""> </span>Locations of sensitive species are not given, and I was impressed, although not surprised, to see his code of ethics on display.<span style=""> </span>We are also encouraged to be responsible stewards of these precious creatures and habitats.<span style=""> </span>One of HOBAS’ tag lines is “responsible recreation” and that theme is evident throughout this book.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">The book is divided by seasons and then broken down by species.<span style=""> </span>For example, included in the section for springtime is a chapter on songbird migration, as well as spring ephemerals (for those of you who do not know what a “spring ephemeral is, I am certainly not going to tell you.<span style=""> </span>Read the book to find out!), salamanders and frogs.<span style=""> </span>Summer brings us the horseshoe crab, but the chapter is not just a dry recounting of the natural history of this ancient animal.<span style=""> </span>Turner discusses the crab’s place in the web of life, how man’s actions are impacting not just the crabs, but in a snowball effect, the shorebirds that depend upon the crabs for their survival.<span style=""> </span>There is a domino effect to everything we do, as starkly illustrated here. <span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">Did you know that there are habitats that depend on fire in order to proliferate?<span style=""> </span>Or that skunks are carving out a living on Long Island?<span style=""> </span>I bet you didn’t know that cranberries were a booming business right here on the Island.<span style=""> </span>Read the book and you will discover not only these tidbits, but others as well!<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">Most folks are not aware of the various species of orchids and parasitic plants that flourish here.<span style=""> </span>They do not realize that in the fall, one can see hundreds of hawks in one afternoon, while visiting the Fire Island Hawk Watch, or catch waves upon waves of shorebirds at our barrier beaches.<span style=""> </span>A good number of Long Islanders most likely believe that Long Island is devoid of wildlife during the cold and windy days of winter.<span style=""> </span>As one of the premier wintering spots for waterfowl, the island comes alive with vast gatherings of these birds.<span style=""> </span>Furthermore, when we think migration in winter, we assume that the general travel direction points south.<span style=""> </span>This is true but, in a reverse pattern, Long Island is the winter spot for many of our far northern species. Snowy, saw whet and long eared owls, redpolls and crossbills are just a few of these hardy visitors, and the barrier beaches are terrific spots to spy them as they roost and forage.<span style=""> </span>Other wonderful winter species are the seals.<span style=""> </span>Plum Island is one of the most significant winter seal haul out sites in southern New England.<span style=""> </span>Oh, did I just get a shameless plug in for preserving Plum Island?<span style=""> </span>You bet I did! </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">This book is an informative and lively guide to all things natural on Long Island.<span style=""> </span>Long Island is not just shopping malls, highways and developments.<span style=""> </span>One does not have to look very far to find the magic of nature.<span style=""> </span>Open up this book and let John Turner take you on a seasonal tour of natural Long Island.<span style=""> </span>It will whet your appetite to explore the “Other Island” for real!<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">While you can purchase copies of this book on Amazon.com, HOBAS has signed copies available and all proceeds will go directly to us!</span></p>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-67272432601778016432011-02-05T23:32:00.005-05:002011-02-06T00:15:51.364-05:00Window Bird Collisions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="BodyA" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">It’s probably happened to you. You’re enjoying the view of watching birds at your backyard bird feeding station when suddenly they spook due to a Cooper’s hawk. They burst, scattering in all directions and one bird, let’s say a white-throated sparrow, sees a small opening of sky and bushes and heads for it in order to escape. It’s a fatal mistake. Although the sparrow avoided the clutches of the hawk, the small natural opening that it thought meant freedom turned out to be the reflections of a window. The sparrow hits it with full force, partially breaking its bill and hemorrhaging its brain. You’ve heard the thud and run outside to check on it and find it dead beneath the window. <span style=""> </span>But make no mistake, even if the bird has flown away, chances are it will perish from its injuries.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>This sparrow can now be added to an annual tally of birds that have died from colliding into windows and buildings which conservationists estimate ranges between 100 million and 1 billion birds a year; this cause of mortality ranks among the top three causes for bird decline among North American birds and may be the number one quantifiable cause.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="BodyA" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> A variation of this experience happens with larger commercial buildings. With both the use of glass in general, and the use of reflective glass as the main type, growing in popularity, many glass-facaded commercial buildings have become significant sources of bird mortality.<span style=""> </span>This problem is magnified when trees are planted near the building. Migrating birds see the reflection as reality, and seeking the sky or tree the reflection presents, unwittingly fly into the glass with lethal force. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for dozens of birds to perish at problematic buildings as they navigate on migration through urban centers like New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco. Long Island buildings pose a problem too. Fifty two golden-crowned kinglets, several warbler species and yellow-bellied sapsuckers died in one day flying into an all-glass building situated in Great Neck as they migrated south this past October.<span style=""> </span>All-glass buildings at the Jericho and Huntington Quadrangles are also known to kill birds.<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="BodyA" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> Fortunately, there is a technological answer to the problem. Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light. Window and window film manufacturers are taking advantage of this ability by making windows and easily applied window films that reflect UV light.<span style=""> </span>Windows so equipped, instead of deceiving birds, inform them that the windows are solid objects that should be avoided.<span style=""> </span>And since we cannot see UV light these solutions pose no aesthetic concern. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p class="BodyA" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society is working with New York State<span style=""> </span>Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) to introduce legislation in the 2010 NY State Legislative session to begin to address this issue.<span style=""> </span>While all the elements of the draft legislation have not been finalized, it is expected to require new public and private construction to use bird friendly window designs, and to establish a 15-member Bird Friendly Building Council charged with researching various issues relating to the problem and developing proposed solutions, including a program to retrofit existing “problematic” buildings. We’ll keep you informed as this important legislation takes shape over the next couple of months and works its way through the state legislative process.<span style=""><br /></span></span></p><p class="BodyA" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>And what to do to prevent that white-throated sparrow from becoming a victim at your home?<span style=""> </span>Here are several things you can do to deal with window collisions:</span></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:pixelsperinch>72</o:PixelsPerInch> <o:targetscreensize>544x376</o:TargetScreenSize> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:donotshowmarkup/> <w:donotshowcomments/> <w:donotshowinsertionsanddeletions/> <w:donotshowpropertychanges/> 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<w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--> <ul style="font-family:times new roman;"><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Because collisions are caused by birds attempting to fly through glass, or because they see the reflections of the sky and trees and are unable to recognize the glass as a solid object, be sure to break up or eliminate thei</span><span style="font-size:130%;">r view by placing decals on your windows,</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> ideally<span style=""> </span>one-quarter-inch wide, white, vertical stripes spaced four inches apart, or one-eighth-inch, black, horizontal stripes spaced one inch apart.<br /></span></li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">If you feed birds in your yard, move the feeders and bird baths to within three feet of your window.<span style=""> </span>The birds cannot gain enough momentum at this close range and you greatly decrease the chance that they will get hurt. <span style=""> </span>If this is not possible, move them at least thirty feet.<span style=""> </span><br /></span></li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Move inside plants away from windows so that birds do not mistake them for outdoor habitat.<br /></span></li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">Consider using screens, bars or film on your window to eliminate reflections.<span style=""> </span>If you can, purchase bird safe glass to have installed.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If you are landscaping your yard, try to place trees and shrubs away from your windows in order to prevent reflections in the glass that look like a continuation of your yard.</span></span></li></ul>For more information on how to make your home bird friendly, please see: <a href="http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1184">http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1184</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/ww.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/collisions/pdf/collisions_flyer.pdf">ww.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/collisions/pdf/collisions_flyer.pdf</a><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0in;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></p> <p class="BodyA" style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">John Turner/Stella Miller<br /></span></p> <p class="BodyA" style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></p> <p class="BodyA" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="BodyA" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="BodyA" style="text-align: justify;"> </p> <p class="BodyB"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;color:#000000;" > </span></p>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-50370345509979464672011-01-26T20:54:00.005-05:002011-01-30T19:59:51.217-05:00Why Cats Belong Indoors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><b style="">Why Cats Belong Indoors</b></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">It’s 10am.<span style=""> </span>Do you know where Fluffy is?<span style=""><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><span style=""> </span>If you are like many people, and allow your cat to roam outdoors, there is a distinct possibility that at this moment, Fluffy is stalking an unaware bird, ready to pounce with deadly accuracy.<span style=""> </span>“But wait, Fluffy is well fed”, you say.<span style=""> </span>That doesn’t matter.<span style=""> </span>Cats do not always hunt because they are hungry.<span style=""> </span>They hunt because of an innate instinct for hunting.<span style=""> </span>They hunt because it is, dare I say it, fun.<span style=""> </span>“Well, Fluffy wears a bell and that will serve as a warning”, you say.<span style=""> </span>No again. A bell is useless.<span style=""> </span>Wildlife does not recognize the sound of a bell as a danger signal and even if they did, most cats learn to stalk and seize their prey silently, despite the presence of a bell on their collar.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><b style="">Cats as our companions</b></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">Cats are companion animals, just as dogs are.<span style=""> </span>They were domesticated thousands of years ago in Egypt and were brought to the United States a couple of hundred years ago.<span style=""> </span>Cats evolved from wild species but are now considered their own separate species, Felis catus.<span style=""> </span>Although they retain many of their wild characteristics such as appearance and the urge to hunt, they are now as domesticated as dogs are.<span style=""> </span>Would you allow your dog to roam freely in the neighborhood?</p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><b style="">Cats impact on birds and other wildlife</b>:</p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">You have no doubt read about the decline of our native birds.<span style=""> </span>Many bird populations are in a serious and steep decline due to three major causes: habitat destruction, window bird collisions (a topic we discussed in the last issue of Killdeer) and cat predation. When you add up these losses, the math is chilling.<span style=""> </span>Hundreds of millions of birds are killed by cats each year, and between 100 million and a billion die from window collisions.<span style=""> </span>Factor in habitat loss and you are now looking at an unsustainable loss of these species.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">Cats also kill prey animals such as mice, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals, competing with native species such as hawks, owls, foxes and other larger wild predators that depend on these animals for their survival. Statistics show that the combined numbers of birds and small mammals killed each year by cats is close to one billion.<span style=""> </span>Allowing a well fed house cat to compete for wild food sources places native predators at a disadvantage. Bottom line, cats are an invasive and alien species and do not belong in our ecosystem.</p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><b style="">The Dangers Cats Themselves Face</b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">You may be wondering if it is cruel to deprive your cat of an outdoor life.<span style=""> </span>Absolutely not.<span style=""> </span><b>Cats that are allowed outside are more likely to lead shorter lives</b>. <span style=""> </span>Exposure to transmittable and deadly diseases (such as rabies, feline leukemia, distemper and FIV), the constant threat of being hit by a car, as well as being attacked by a dog or a larger predator such as a fox are very real and likely possibilities.<span style=""> </span>In addition, there have been many publicized cases of cats found stabbed, burned and shot by humans.<span style=""> </span>Letting your cat outside can also be a risk for you: cats can contract diseases such as rabies and toxoplasmosis, both of which can be transmitted to humans.<span style=""> </span>Furthermore, an outdoor cat may carry parasites, such as ticks, fleas and worms into the home.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>Why expose your cat and yourself to these risks?<span style=""> </span>Keep Fluffy inside and allow her to live a spoiled, pampered life!<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;"><b style="">What HOBAS is Doing to Help</b></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">Thanks to an Audubon collaborative grant, Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon is spearheading a Cats Belong Indoors educational campaign to spread awareness about this issue. HOBAS is coordinating a council of other like minded organizations, including the American Bird Conservancy, in order to bring this message to the public.<span style=""> </span>We plan to distribute brochures to veterinarians, cat rescue groups, shelters and pet stores to help spread the message that allowing your cat outside is deadly to birds, other wildlife and to be frank, your cat.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">When you really think about it, the greatest gift you can give your cat is to allow it to live a pampered, spoiled life inside your home.<span style=""> </span>For more information on how to keep your kitty a happy indoor kitty, please visit the following website: <a href="http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/outin.pdf">http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/outin.pdf</a>.<span style=""> </span>Keep an eye out for a Cats Belong Indoors section on our website in the future.<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">One final note:<span style=""> </span>if you are no longer able to care for your cat for any reason, we ask that you not release it outdoors, thinking it will fend for itself, or that someone will find it and take care of it. <span style=""> </span>Chances are your cat will end up dead.<span style=""> </span>Please take your unwanted cat to a local shelter or rescue organization.<span style=""> </span>Think of your cat’s quality of life as well as the lives of our native species.<span style=""> </span>Birds and other wildlife are already struggling to survive in a world filled with human caused obstacles.<span style=""> </span>As caretakers of our natural world, why make it more difficult for them by allowing your cat to roam outside?<span style=""> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; font-family: arial;">For the health and happiness of your cat, for the benefit of wild animals, and for your peace of mind, please, keep your cat indoors.</p> <br />Stella Miller<br /></div>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-28947129574583780742010-11-14T19:29:00.004-05:002010-11-15T17:57:54.372-05:00East End Birding-11/14/10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuWOl5n_molU69baRz9fAkXhQEXnL0bLxn4MSsyjTVz_FAcD0upZa-wnYZGhL1wWFrfhoS2NGbQXFR3DC8QuuInV7s8HDtzGBFrZ9sLQ5Dev0DPnEAtUb2chAraWBvblMtmeYRUvvEX4S/s1600/DSC_0153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuWOl5n_molU69baRz9fAkXhQEXnL0bLxn4MSsyjTVz_FAcD0upZa-wnYZGhL1wWFrfhoS2NGbQXFR3DC8QuuInV7s8HDtzGBFrZ9sLQ5Dev0DPnEAtUb2chAraWBvblMtmeYRUvvEX4S/s320/DSC_0153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scoping Mecox Bay</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Today Seth, Stella Miller, and I (Brent Bomkamp) headed out east to try to pick up some early waterfowl, and although numbers were low overall we were not disappointed.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We started the day at Hook Pond where things appeared to be relatively quiet. A few Hooded Mergansers, Gadwall, Black Ducks were on the pond, along with an American Coot, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a Belted Kingfisher. Some flocks of Canada Geese were moving overhead and I managed to pick out a <strong>Greater White-fronted Goose </strong>from one of the groups as it flew to the east. A few minutes later I spotted yet another GWFG heading in the same direction. We guessed the groups were on their way to one of the large fields along Further Lane, and we caught up with them there.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioReGMQBX6gD_Mp-LncdWWSF7zLxK2O8CejBY7lc2bnFULuOCQMaCF9FM2S-5noq5Et4FNAR9xbWP0WTHeY_Czw3ts_jCbw3N32sViwsw1u-7iDAEH-s3IgGsQjR6QdBVZxKfJPVUuC_UY/s1600/GWFGII.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioReGMQBX6gD_Mp-LncdWWSF7zLxK2O8CejBY7lc2bnFULuOCQMaCF9FM2S-5noq5Et4FNAR9xbWP0WTHeY_Czw3ts_jCbw3N32sViwsw1u-7iDAEH-s3IgGsQjR6QdBVZxKfJPVUuC_UY/s320/GWFGII.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Greater White-fronted Goose-11/14/10</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Seth soon picked out three more, bringing the grand total to <strong>5.</strong> This is not unprecedented, as a similar sized group was discovered last year at the same locale, when small flocks were also seen at Belmont Lake State Park and St. John's Pond in Cold Spring Harbor. As we watched the geese a small group of <strong>American Pipits </strong>flew over the field towards the northeast.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The next stop on our trip was Sagaponack. Unfortunately the pond did not provide much in the way of birds, but there was a significant movement along the ocean. Large numbers of dark scoters were travelling in both directions, with small numbers of White-wingeds mixed in. Bonaparte's Gulls were also present in large numbers, something which we surmised due to their presence on both Hook and Sagaponack Ponds. Red-throated Loons were having a good flight, with around 75 seen.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdZS1cyL3_DgLwyyjs1C7odFfUdUdf-63U2p1gSo7tbPVBAE_PnC-lhEhe0yZYVlXKoRrzoEr3HRVH_unyu8m4qu_4nHk8Bdem7uXEn_J7PJmKflvu2qKuI07778jZPlxfimRal1cG-rv/s1600/DSC_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdZS1cyL3_DgLwyyjs1C7odFfUdUdf-63U2p1gSo7tbPVBAE_PnC-lhEhe0yZYVlXKoRrzoEr3HRVH_unyu8m4qu_4nHk8Bdem7uXEn_J7PJmKflvu2qKuI07778jZPlxfimRal1cG-rv/s320/DSC_0156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sagaponack Beach</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HNAudBMQI4s7KxkwFX0SY4qAyrub5YWTvuECcxv2C0cDAyb7T3tVJlI7KTUnqJn5z5d3iP8EvpHU-TVj4_ktZD7F0N-zLUecLeN0dwk2ZpNuereNd7lyX9H31XGRmcsmzqbFelwP1KDj/s1600/DSC_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8HNAudBMQI4s7KxkwFX0SY4qAyrub5YWTvuECcxv2C0cDAyb7T3tVJlI7KTUnqJn5z5d3iP8EvpHU-TVj4_ktZD7F0N-zLUecLeN0dwk2ZpNuereNd7lyX9H31XGRmcsmzqbFelwP1KDj/s320/DSC_0155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mecox Bay</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Mecox proved no more birdy than Sag, aside from a small group of Dunlin sitting on a small flat that had formed there. However, while surveying the ocean side of the beach, Stella deftly located a <strong>Semipalmated Plover</strong>, a somewhat surprising bird this late in the year.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHzM0k_WMxICbbZXUWRnptzEp-u02X7jO_ke2xBqEs7iJLoUsq22Ag7N-RNk-dN_x8uRKQPbrx24nt3jbzrX7IAIF2q7MwuSBlTBXVhHRahV3XEfrgWVs4Dz-nVSiOqn0pQDa-UtSShYO/s1600/SPL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHzM0k_WMxICbbZXUWRnptzEp-u02X7jO_ke2xBqEs7iJLoUsq22Ag7N-RNk-dN_x8uRKQPbrx24nt3jbzrX7IAIF2q7MwuSBlTBXVhHRahV3XEfrgWVs4Dz-nVSiOqn0pQDa-UtSShYO/s320/SPL.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Semipalmated Plover-11/14/10</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Just north of Mecox is a group of farm fields which have held many good birds in the past. In the early '90s a Northern Lapwing spent some time there, and Cattle Egrets are almost annual in the fall. Today was no exception, as at least three <strong>Cattle Egrets </strong>were loafing with the cattle at the Mecox Dairy. While viewing the egrets a pair of <strong>Horned Larks </strong>flew overhead.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjMk2um19Yu7nUiCXJieejcr-b3bZaWRDqEJmsvOIqkH3fDfNZkGNISJWewg-mL1K1pMs6xE0FFac0l53e4MjPKFOqc0BoHU__MLNxeAPGYAR40l2zXxs8xpes7feVNUDYLB_jmeN0Iy0/s1600/DSC_0166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjMk2um19Yu7nUiCXJieejcr-b3bZaWRDqEJmsvOIqkH3fDfNZkGNISJWewg-mL1K1pMs6xE0FFac0l53e4MjPKFOqc0BoHU__MLNxeAPGYAR40l2zXxs8xpes7feVNUDYLB_jmeN0Iy0/s320/DSC_0166.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mecox Dairy, Mecox, NY</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">When we arrived at Short's Pond in Scuttlehole, we were struck by the sheer numbers of geese on the pond. A GWFG was here the day before, and chances were good for an unusual goose. Also present was a small group of Pintail, some coots, a Green-winged Teal, and another Belted Kingfisher. After tedious inspection, I evetually found a cooperative <strong>Cackling Goose.</strong> It remained in the open for a while, allowing all three of us excellent views, and an opportunity to examine the nuances of this bird with the larger Canadas.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Shinnecock was cold and windy, but the birds made it worthwhile to remain outside. As at Sagaponack good numbers of seabirds were offshore, with most, save for gannets, moving eastward. Our first new birds for the day were a flock of Common Eider just inside the inlet. Seth, after careful scrutiny of the hordes of Bonaparte's Gulls going by, skillfully picked out an immature <strong>Black-legged </strong><strong>Kittiwake. </strong>Unfortunately only Stella and he were able to attain views of the bird.<strong> </strong>A small group of Boat-tailed Grackles was present by the Ponquoge Bridge.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After a delicious lunch at Orlando's in Hampton Bays, we stopped at Eastport Pond where good numbers of <em>Aythya</em> ducks were visible. It provided all three of us with looks at our FOS <strong>Canvasback</strong>, 17 in total. Also present were more of the expected waterfowl and a Belted Kingfisher. Just as we were getting off the Sunrise Highway, Seth noticed a pair of <strong>Cattle Egrets. </strong>This year certainly has been a banner year for the species, with at least 10 seen on Long Island, and even more throughout the northeast.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Our final stop was at Patchogue Lake for the previously reported <strong>Eurasian Wigeon</strong>. The striking male was quite easy to locate, but also surprising were the large numbers of American Coot, <strong>141</strong> in total.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Highlights of the Day-</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Black-legged Kittiwake</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>5 Greater White-fronted Geese</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Cackling Goose</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Eurasian Wigeon</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Semipalmated Plover</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>7 Cattle Egrets</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">American Pipit<br />
Horned Lark</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Northern Pintail</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Canvasback</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Field Sparrow</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Northern Harrier</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-65369609782043072652010-08-15T21:59:00.004-04:002010-08-15T22:14:46.379-04:00Long Island Hotspots '10<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3A-pcTUO-0A/TGie1-NUCUI/AAAAAAAABEI/8QEKQQw41cg/s1600/Copy+of+LEAST+SANDPIPER+(great+closeup!)+Jones+Beach+8.31.07.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505825194529524034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3A-pcTUO-0A/TGie1-NUCUI/AAAAAAAABEI/8QEKQQw41cg/s320/Copy+of+LEAST+SANDPIPER+(great+closeup!)+Jones+Beach+8.31.07.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><br /><div>Long before people detect the approach of Autumn in the changing colors of the forest or in the nipping northerlies, fall migration begins for birds. The first group of birds to leave their breeding grounds is the shorebirds. By August almost all the Eastern species can be seen passing through New York. Flocks of thousands of plovers and sandpipers often stop on mudflats at places such as Mecox Bay, Cupsogue County Park, Jones Beach, and Jamaica Bay. The last especially is famed for its shorebird numbers and diversity. Later in the month more species from across the country appear, including American Golden-Plover, Western, Baird’s, and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and Wilson’s Phalarope. Songbirds, despite having a more patent presence later in the fall, also begin to abandon their breeding grounds in August and wander beyond their normal habitat.<br /></div><br /><div>In September the coastal sites begin to fill with songbirds. The same warblers that passed through in spring and then often matched the hues of the newly-sprung flowers return in perplexing pastel shades that tend to again resemble the colors of the present state of the flora. The birds with Neotropical destinations, such as flycatchers, vireos, warblers and tanagers, evacuate the region first. Throughout the month they can be seen well in inland greenspaces like Prospect Park and Hempstead Lake State Park and along Long Island’s barrier beaches in parks such as Jones and Robert Moses State Park as well. By October the more local and slightly hardier migrants, like the sparrows, replace the Neotropicals in the same coastal habitats. Soon Chipping and White-throated Sparrows dominate the migrant passerine scene, but decent numbers of Clay-colored and Lark Sparrows, as well as Dickcissels, also visit these flocks annually. Something even more unusual is possible as wayward migrants from the West discover the Atlantic coastline and follow the normal commuters.<br /><br />As the sparrow numbers peak in October, so does the quantity of migrant hawks. And the quantity is impressive and easily observed at places such as the Hook Mountain and Fire Island Hawk Watches. Hook Mountain is famed for viewing the concentrated passage of thousands of Broad-winged Hawks. Meanwhile, about a third of the raptors that pass over Fire Island every year are Merlin, with strong numbers of American Kestrel, Osprey, Northern Harrier, and Accipiter hawks showing as well.<br /><br />The grand finale of Autumn is marked by the movement of seabirds. Sea ducks, loons, grebes, gannets, shearwaters, phalaropes, jaegers, gulls, and alcids migrate often unnoticed well offshore. However Black and Surf Scoters especially hint at the unseen migration offshore as thousands pass just within sight of land. One of the best places to see this spectacle is off Montauk Point. And like a salute to the dazzlingly colorful birds of spring, the rest of the ducks return to their favorite ponds, such as St. John’s Pond, Tung Ting Pond, and Lake Massapequa, and round off the diversity of Fall migration that can be seen on Long Island.</div></div></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-56799979868830388912010-08-01T11:56:00.009-04:002010-08-03T09:47:29.257-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHZ8rDWi-SbmrLyvaWqipTzz6ar9GI2DMdPOTy-kJNRPzpy192NuzAisdtkL199_O-svE9Cw2tvmyaZ1QT4uf9tpckzQMpaCfHoNID5TDasLLOBvW4W19MWzDLErGtF9QW84HuqcUKTdP/s1600/Polar+Bear.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHZ8rDWi-SbmrLyvaWqipTzz6ar9GI2DMdPOTy-kJNRPzpy192NuzAisdtkL199_O-svE9Cw2tvmyaZ1QT4uf9tpckzQMpaCfHoNID5TDasLLOBvW4W19MWzDLErGtF9QW84HuqcUKTdP/s320/Polar+Bear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500472617087097538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A Bird’s Eye View, Book Review: On Thin Ice by Richard Ellis</span><br /><br /><br />As usual, my reading material pile is growing faster than I can keep up. Believe it or not, I now have 12 books waiting to be read, and am looking at them in dismay, thinking, “How did I ever let this pile grow to such epic proportions?” After all, I have had plenty of time on my hands! Now that it is too hot to bird or hike, I have been able to begin tackling “THE PILE”. The first book on the list was On Thin Ice by Richard Ellis. I attended a program given by Mr. Ellis at the Explorer’s Club this past winter, which was so interesting and engaging that I immediately booked him for our September program and bought his book. Although it had taken me some time to get around to reading the book it was worth the wait! Mr. Ellis is as impressive an author as he is a speaker.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">On Thin Ice by Richard Ellis</span><br /><br />Polar bears. Who doesn’t love a polar bear? Cute, fluffy and roly poly as cubs, majestic and beautiful as adults: they are the quintessential poster child for wildlife and not many are indifferent to them. When I picked up this book, I thought I knew all there was to know about ursus maritimus. After all, bears (especially brown bears) have been my favorite animal since I was 10 and I already own 30 books about these magnificent creatures. As I dug into this absorbing book, I found myself learning about the long (and for the bear, deadly) relationship between humans and polar bears. <span style="font-weight:bold;">On Thin Ice</span> offers a remarkable glimpse into the life of the polar bear, both past and present.<br /><br />Ever since man first encountered polar bears, the big white bear has received the short end of the stick. Unfairly persecuted, hunted and harassed, early explorers killed, maimed and captured bears indiscriminately. It is painful to read these accounts of the suffering mankind has inflicted on polar bears. Ellis takes these accounts and stories and weaves them into a sad but intensely interesting timeline of history. Starting in the year 1056, we journey with Ellis until present day, learning about the natural history of this great bear along the way. We also learn the detrimental impact climate change is having on polar bears and their habitat. <br /> <br />Globally, there are 19 sub populations of polar bears. Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway all are home to these ice bears. Scientists have studied them for many years and thanks especially to the easily accessible population in Churchill, Alaska there is much we know about the species.<br /><br />Polar bears are among the largest carnivores on earth, surpassed only by another bear, the Kodiak (Ursus arctos middendorffi), a subspecies of the brown bear. An adult female can reach 700 pounds, while a male can top the scales at 1500 pounds. Because they are only found in polar regions, polar bears are superbly adapted to their icy living conditions. Thick fur, covering even their feet (for traction), along with a layer of blubber (up to 40% of the animals weight can be fat) allows this predator to be the master of its domain and reign supreme at the top of the food chain. <br /><br />Because their habitat is surrounded by water, these marine bears are excellent swimmers. On land, they might look large and ungainly, but don’t let that fool you. Like all bears, polar bears are capable of running at speeds up to 35mph. Of course, in order to conserve energy and prevent overheating, the bears do not spend their time running about. When you are the biggest and baddest in the neighborhood, you can afford to relax. So they spend a lot of time sleeping. They will wait, immobile, for hours at a breathing hole, biding their time until the precise moment a hapless seal pops out to take a breath. Then, with one powerful blow of their forepaw, dinner is served. An adult polar bear is massively muscled, strong and able to haul prey over 600 pounds. One swipe of that deadly paw can easily kill a 500 pound seal. Although they will take advantage of other food sources, such as beluga whales, sea birds and their eggs, young walrus and fish, their diet consists mainly of seal. Two species to be exact: the mainstay, ringed seal and to a smaller degree, bearded seals. <br /><br />Mating takes place from March through June and the female bear then experiences what is known as delayed implantation. During this process, the fertilized ovum divides itself several times and then floats freely in the uterus until, after about six months, it reattaches itself to the uterine wall to resume development. If the bear has had a poor time of it and she has not put on enough fat reserves, the embryo will not implant. Only a pregnant female will hibernate and if the embryo is viable, the cubs will be born in their den between November and January and will stay with their mothers for a couple of years. <br /><br />Ellis discusses the various populations around the world in great detail. It is fascinating to learn about the remarkable relationship that many native peoples have with the bear and to learn how human impact, most notably climate change, is pushing the polar bear to the brink. Because they are dependent on sea ice as a hunting platform, as the polar ice melts into the sea, so does the bear’s ability to successfully hunt. Polar bears are excellent swimmers, but that is not how they stalk and capture their prey. They do it by waiting on the ice for the perfect moment to grab their food source as it surfaces to breathe. Because of ice melt, seals have been forced to move into more inaccessible areas, thereby depriving bears of their prey. In addition, as our temperature warms, there is less snow for females to dig dens. Currently, there are only about 22,000 bears left in the wild, down about 50% in just 20 years. <br /><br />After reading this book, I thought about all the "Global Warming Naysayers" out there. I thought, how can they deny this is happening? The Arctic is one of the regions that will show the results of climate change most rapidly. It is the perfect petri dish in which to demonstrate what is happening to our planet while the polar bear is an ideal specimen, illustrating with unfortunate clarity what happens to a species when the environment that it was superbly suited for undergoes a swift and severe change. No longer the dominant species in polar regions (for man has taken on that mantle and is thus destroying its habitat, livelihood and future), the polar bear now struggles to survive. <br /><br />For hundreds of years, we have harassed, killed and conquered this remarkable animal. What we are inflicting on it now, through our impact on climate, is just the final indignity. We can change this. We must change this. The polar bear is not the only animal on the edge of extinction thanks to climate change. But, he is surely one of our most well known and beloved and thus, the perfect ambassador for why we need to take action now! It is not too late, but at the rate we are going, it will not be too long before it is. This is an important as well as entertaining book and I was captivated by it. I hope you will be too.<br /><br />Stella Miller<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Note: Richard Ellis will be our guest speaker on September 8, 2010 at the Cold Spring Harbor Library, 7pm. Please check our program page on the website (www.hobaudubon.org) for details about the program and to read his biography. We hope to see you there!</span>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-25792700933486884252010-07-29T22:13:00.001-04:002010-07-29T22:15:27.183-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M9kjYnhIpZcooMvX4XLdwkMDykAGwU6SfF4IXHvuNqzL50JJMG-8VbQXirWR1IZkI4d4UtZgXPjYTvwyjl6N3TpxrG8q8pOcXUjY4YJQSRvn0_XeUt2M7Cx1aOzyOymcEp59BEiObJ1K/s1600/Yarnoldsweater.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 110px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M9kjYnhIpZcooMvX4XLdwkMDykAGwU6SfF4IXHvuNqzL50JJMG-8VbQXirWR1IZkI4d4UtZgXPjYTvwyjl6N3TpxrG8q8pOcXUjY4YJQSRvn0_XeUt2M7Cx1aOzyOymcEp59BEiObJ1K/s320/Yarnoldsweater.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499517103698990690" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AUDUBON TAPS NOTED CONSERVATION AND COMMUNICATIONS LEADER AS NEW PRESIDENT<br /><br />David Yarnold To Join Audubon September 1<br /></span><br /><br />New York, NY, July 29, 2010 - EMBARGOED UNTIL 2PM ET ---The National Audubon Society today announced that David Yarnold has been named its new President and Chief Executive Officer, giving new momentum to efforts to connect people with nature and their power to protect it. A passionate conservationist, Yarnold currently serves as Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund and President of Environmental Defense Action Fund. Prior to that, he was a Pulitzer Prize-winning editor at the San Jose Mercury News.<br /><br />"David brings proven leadership in the for-profit and non-profit sectors to Audubon at a time when efforts to protect birds, habitats and the resources that sustain us are needed more than ever;" said Holt Thrasher, Audubon's Board Chair. "His leadership ability, his passion for conservation and grassroots action, his communications skills and his organizational expertise all make him the perfect fit for the Audubon of 2010 and beyond."<br /><br />"David is a boundary-crosser, the kind of flexible thinker and values-based executive that a complex conservation and fundraising landscape demands right now," Thrasher said. "He shares Audubon's traditional passion for birds and its visionary understanding that helping people to protect them will safeguard our own future as well. I have no doubt that David will lead Audubon in expanding its reach to new audiences and elevating its conservation successes to new heights."<br /><br />Yarnold has been at EDF since April 2005, where he is responsible for all operations, from programs, to development and marketing/communications. He helped expand EDF's innovative corporate partnerships work, focused on EDF's international programs, particularly in China, and helped the organization grow from $52M to $117M in revenue. He is also President of the organization's Action Fund, its political action arm.<br /><br />"Audubon's mission has never been more relevant. From the grassroots to state houses to national and regional policy, its wingspan is unparalleled," Yarnold said. "I'm excited by the opportunity to work with a nationwide network of Audubon Chapters and Audubon Centers that combine local concern, knowledge and action to equal conservation that makes a difference on a grand scale. It will be an honor to lead an organization whose name has meant 'trust' and 'conservation achievement' for more than a hundred years."<br /><br />Yarnold's San Jose Mercury News was consistently ranked as one of America's 10 Best Newspapers. His paper was called, "America's Boldest Newspaper" by a panel of international judges. During his time in San Jose, the Mercury News was widely recognized for its commitment to diversity and for its in-depth coverage of technology. He was also one of three Pulitzer Prize finalists for editorial writing in 2005.<br /><br />"For me, going to Audubon is like going home. Community-based education and action that breeds broader changes has always been engaging and rewarding for me and those are the things Audubon does best," Yarnold said.<br /><br />He will assume the Presidency of Audubon on Sept 1.Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-74174375201911284552010-07-07T13:47:00.017-04:002010-07-07T15:19:10.182-04:00Exploring the Jungle of Panama- Part 3<img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491240437651595890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdmXLM8bCmxBQj_tKSEuDQx3mg4fbFnjAUIoRLEAF_RxKCLK11hJFldYwhhtS5k7I9me5WKe5up3dKUWGztIZKGC1Q3S-ukjhJDEouQAMbWIAwVJEm3g7eHKVPIUcKR0cmfIhtjjiyrc/s320/Slaty-tailed+Trogon.jpg" /> Every day spent in Panama was filled with tremendous fun and adventure as well as A LOT of sweat, as anyone who has birded or visited the tropics can tell you. Generally when birding, it is best to venture out in the early, EARLY morning, remain indoors or near a pool for the afternoon hours which are often scorching, and then depart for some late-evening hikes in search of animals. When available, night tours are usually productive and worthwhile since a large portion of wildlife is active at night which inlcude many spectacular things such as owls, an array of insects, caimans, kinkajous, oppossums, nightjars, felids, and in Panama, night monkeys! When I disembarked on one of the night tours that the hotel offered, I didn't know exactly what to expect. Although there were no sightings of jaguars or night monkeys, we did get exceptional views of Common Pauraques(a species of nightjar), Oppossums, Spectacled Caimans, nine-foot American Crocodiles, fist-sized Tarantulas, Bats, and Capybara, the largest rodents in the world reaching a size of four feet.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMbe6sqzeZkUwvBBkhYaK8mysvsIACM_KynGz4M5VRkUKd_O-0f4KAvdI5Z-0SpFQEwnMgKeorb-_eBNKqb7jSOJA1tjt0pR9Z5Nf5f06XvXc1ZeZBz7Ipkyqcp6c4xGDxgZCIjdHYao/s1600/Common+Paraque.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491240784346255570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMbe6sqzeZkUwvBBkhYaK8mysvsIACM_KynGz4M5VRkUKd_O-0f4KAvdI5Z-0SpFQEwnMgKeorb-_eBNKqb7jSOJA1tjt0pR9Z5Nf5f06XvXc1ZeZBz7Ipkyqcp6c4xGDxgZCIjdHYao/s200/Common+Paraque.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlXYVu03wqhD033wx1v-1DRFwmcNMHrZxe3UqmAnWvEhU5F1Zkjd7cbHWpwu5E8oZLqGLDx_IftKD3upK8mneBLiGQVd6DVaJ7kKCluKLECe7hQrsJF1ICBdgwzJvI3HtH9VrS-6UQng/s1600/Green+Shrike-Vireo.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491240790866494706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFlXYVu03wqhD033wx1v-1DRFwmcNMHrZxe3UqmAnWvEhU5F1Zkjd7cbHWpwu5E8oZLqGLDx_IftKD3upK8mneBLiGQVd6DVaJ7kKCluKLECe7hQrsJF1ICBdgwzJvI3HtH9VrS-6UQng/s200/Green+Shrike-Vireo.jpg" /></a><br />We engaged in other activities as well. It was nice meeting a couple from the states, Jim and Arlene, and a man that tagged along with them named Larry. Of course when I met them, the only english-speaking birders around, I wanted to share my experiences with them. And as I did, they exchanged some of their wonderful sightings. Turns out, they were staying during the same time frame as my dad and I. Since we all bonded and liked each other, we decided it was only natural to go birding together. And birding we did. We traversed the rainforest, grasslands, and marshes sprinkled on the grounds of Gamboa. We picked up some fascinating creatures. Everywhere we turned there were animals, each one different in their own way. With my young, keen eyes and intuitive knowledge of tropical fauna and their awesome sense of humor and stamina, we ticked off 165 species of birds in a 8 day window. Now that number can be viewed in two different ways: high and low. Low in comparison to dogged birders traveling across the isthmus of Panama in hopes of ticking off as many species as possible from the high-altitude cloud forests to the humid rainforests of the lowlands and everything in between; and high in comparison to people who just manage to escape to a paradise like Panama and passively watch the birds. I could be placed in the middle. Although checking off the variety of birds was great, I did not just cross it off my list and move on, but rather studied their intriguing behavior and admired their mesmerizing plumages.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha46FnBi968IjbfM41oPevGDVOVj-Km1LI-3MT1ucaHdzcBJ9CuwHyCyHcdmKPqLbx9PUMEWHbCPfmJIk-l9bzpCeSiZ82JIDsphImQddsaCamCmf1Vs8feExCrKJy1qTIYEpx9bv01XI/s1600/Three-toed+Sloth.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491241770248141186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha46FnBi968IjbfM41oPevGDVOVj-Km1LI-3MT1ucaHdzcBJ9CuwHyCyHcdmKPqLbx9PUMEWHbCPfmJIk-l9bzpCeSiZ82JIDsphImQddsaCamCmf1Vs8feExCrKJy1qTIYEpx9bv01XI/s200/Three-toed+Sloth.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmi4up_Pw4UxdQaUbLw9c2J4ZKXU0sEFxhQy4ZAFDdl1yxQs6fZudBHrTINyVgdOtcxq7EGODSe2WGTYSElogOBO15PMRtOOdeA7cLC9kRSoweB-fZHnmY0sV9dQPuoQOVhfoAyw7NFs/s1600/Central+American+Wiptail.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491241780732563506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmi4up_Pw4UxdQaUbLw9c2J4ZKXU0sEFxhQy4ZAFDdl1yxQs6fZudBHrTINyVgdOtcxq7EGODSe2WGTYSElogOBO15PMRtOOdeA7cLC9kRSoweB-fZHnmY0sV9dQPuoQOVhfoAyw7NFs/s200/Central+American+Wiptail.jpg" /></a><br />From every aspect you could possibly look, Panama is astounding. Anyone visiting this amazing country would leave happy because they can participate in practically every single hobby enjoyed by Homo sapiens. The multitude of tourists in the country can include but is no way limited to rugged hikers, mountain climbers, surfers, sport fishermen, birders, herpers, scenic-enthusiasts, ecotourists, researchers, and night-lifers. People like you can enjoy the myriad activities offered in Panama like the ones listed above by consulting your local travel agent. I was lucky enough to experience this dream-of-a-country for eight days. Now it's your time to get out and inquire more about Panama. Maybe in the near-future you can, too, enjoy the luxury of this stupendous country!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5Vi5KmSfEu_Rtoj3Z78VDfsnIxcFrHz1JBTbJ8HJL7QLazBLeU19ae1nwsEdmvtk7EFXVMrGA4bW5WQ3wiiLSmhpNpBght16t9a-HYxmlCj5fD93Aw-HbAxSDk38vSpwwwiw2iQiBEc/s1600/WJ+%26+Limpkin.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491240797502813042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih5Vi5KmSfEu_Rtoj3Z78VDfsnIxcFrHz1JBTbJ8HJL7QLazBLeU19ae1nwsEdmvtk7EFXVMrGA4bW5WQ3wiiLSmhpNpBght16t9a-HYxmlCj5fD93Aw-HbAxSDk38vSpwwwiw2iQiBEc/s200/WJ+%26+Limpkin.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLDuX8-Im15IYus2W0UnZ53AGVdJmykpH276GO63y_u2uwS3bAfQE1NUXS07zfJzEuKwoI3wPyY6Qmt8Z_EaHDmtufiC0yUcXzT3bUbEWBtDmOh5xpv2Mwq34VLWwYnP3b6HGoEKg4rY/s1600/Mantled+Howler+Monkeys+2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491241759066650994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLDuX8-Im15IYus2W0UnZ53AGVdJmykpH276GO63y_u2uwS3bAfQE1NUXS07zfJzEuKwoI3wPyY6Qmt8Z_EaHDmtufiC0yUcXzT3bUbEWBtDmOh5xpv2Mwq34VLWwYnP3b6HGoEKg4rY/s200/Mantled+Howler+Monkeys+2.jpg" /></a><br />If you haven't already, read Parts 1 and 2 of my Exploration of Panama.<br />Also, feel free to have a look at the entire album of my Panama Pics by clicking the link below.<br /><div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/VinnyPelle/PanamaPics#">http://picasaweb.google.com/VinnyPelle/PanamaPics#</a> </div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5me1ZFZEYDXkeKbx6AhYqFsbDc4PPT6vqhBhmNl73QNtGcK00iemUbFOXHLujEE2vyWCZOM2hpJWEZlTv4XkXC3eyjmfFReBwbqWa4JYNjdYlAteeBWhGntphqQsqedIxsoyLzHyifU/s1600/Social+Flycatcher.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491241765018670898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5me1ZFZEYDXkeKbx6AhYqFsbDc4PPT6vqhBhmNl73QNtGcK00iemUbFOXHLujEE2vyWCZOM2hpJWEZlTv4XkXC3eyjmfFReBwbqWa4JYNjdYlAteeBWhGntphqQsqedIxsoyLzHyifU/s200/Social+Flycatcher.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBNg7TQeHhRtOw4T16N6x0RO7ksX8gnx66rwBcLW8enJ2zevrFQlNQoassM0C3_WGUjBdwo6mefMlHGF1KvoexY7SLoF8C6JCkoQxIlV2G_DFL_azMV-RbO77fQRKfI7-vXiPzLjWK84/s1600/Variable+Seedeater+2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491240801893758482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBNg7TQeHhRtOw4T16N6x0RO7ksX8gnx66rwBcLW8enJ2zevrFQlNQoassM0C3_WGUjBdwo6mefMlHGF1KvoexY7SLoF8C6JCkoQxIlV2G_DFL_azMV-RbO77fQRKfI7-vXiPzLjWK84/s200/Variable+Seedeater+2.jpg" /></a></div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-14677559563787813822010-06-20T17:52:00.001-04:002010-06-20T17:55:08.625-04:00Invasive Species Pull<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkwrNP3S6p72HyAGgjk-gKoS_BpGWINNJiGYjhB_zBrobbI_2Lt0D-oThcTaYEjTN83h-OXzx2nLree02NleFE_53yOtldF79N86x-dWxna-43SZ1GfqexKn84Rn72OJ6pxCmBJ4NXMeV/s1600/garlic_mustard_flowerhead_small.ashx.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkwrNP3S6p72HyAGgjk-gKoS_BpGWINNJiGYjhB_zBrobbI_2Lt0D-oThcTaYEjTN83h-OXzx2nLree02NleFE_53yOtldF79N86x-dWxna-43SZ1GfqexKn84Rn72OJ6pxCmBJ4NXMeV/s320/garlic_mustard_flowerhead_small.ashx.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484977629547818434" /></a><br />Wherever you live within the territory of the Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society invasive species are present -- be it the stands of Japanese barberry scattered throughout West Hills County Park, the Asian shore crabs found during a stroll along Long Island Sound, the abundant thickets of autumn olive at Stillwell Woods, or the smothering tangle of porcelainberry vines choking native plants at Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge.<br /><br />Definitionally, invasive species are species that are not native to the natural communities (forests, fields, wetlands, shorelines, etc.) they have colonized and are having significant adverse ecological effects on these communities by outcompeting the native species found within them. Invasives have several advantages over native species that allow them to outcompete the natives: 1) they typically reproduce prolifically by setting seeds early and producing lots of them; 2) they prosper in a wide set of environmental conditions; 3) some produce poisons (allelopathy) that kill other plants; 4) they can modify the environment in ways that encourages further invasives; and 5) they lack the normal suite of predators, parasites, and pathogens that can keep them in check since they didn’t evolve within these communities. Most of the focus on invasive species has been on invasive plants.<br /><br />One place where HOBAS has been working to control invasive species is at Shu Swamp in Mill Neck. This 65-acre preserve, owned and managed by the North Shore Sanctuaries (NSS), Inc. is well known, among other things, for its spring ephemeral wildflowers. These are species such as yellow trout lily, dwarf ginseng, red trillium, carolina spring beauty and others that bloom in early spring before the leaf-out of trees (taking advantage of unfettered sunlight) and then die back so by mid-summer they are no longer in evidence, hence their name. At Shu Swamp these species are threatened by garlic mustard and english ivy, two species that will likely reduce if not eliminate the spring ephemerals if left unchecked due to their rampant growth.<br /><br />Out of concern for these beautiful native wildflowers HOBAS, on May 1st, joined with North Shore Sanctuaries and the North Shore Land Alliance for a “garlic mustard pull”. Volunteers walked around on the main trails of the preserve and pulled up all the garlic mustard they could find; much of the garlic mustard was growing amidst, or in close proximity to, the spring ephemerals. The May 1st date was picked on purpose as the plants are large enough to be easily pulled yet before the plants have had a chance to set and disperse seeds. We put the pulled plants into black plastic bags to ensure they would die; the bags were taken by NSS staff to dispose of. As for the english ivy, we cut down a number of vines that were growing up into the taller trees near the stream, threatening to choke them out.<br /><br />HOBAS will continue to sponsor invasive species control projects, both at Shu Swamp and other parks and preserves, so stay alert for announcements of such activities in future newsletters, on the website and Facebook page if you would like to help in the effort. <br /><br />John Turner<br /><br />note: On June 19th, HOBAS also participated in a water chestnut pull at Mill Pond in Oyster Bay. This was a fun day, sponsored by the USFWS and Friends of the Bay!Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-83683554728979509492010-06-13T13:47:00.016-04:002010-06-13T15:20:16.887-04:00Exploring the Jungle of Panama- Part 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo3V9zaANX_ACL0VXtTjgcMk2aFXbrbay-7nGl44jbZsS7V02nC06nvsR1Dz8dr5ddISjOy1QoJiDboMUZXZfxDsR-Ih_iNJPXM-ps1uOMaZ9ci69m8rQ47SCV1pdTq1FX19mtT9nsUg/s1600/Geoffroy's+Tamarin+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482338293975835858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfo3V9zaANX_ACL0VXtTjgcMk2aFXbrbay-7nGl44jbZsS7V02nC06nvsR1Dz8dr5ddISjOy1QoJiDboMUZXZfxDsR-Ih_iNJPXM-ps1uOMaZ9ci69m8rQ47SCV1pdTq1FX19mtT9nsUg/s320/Geoffroy's+Tamarin+2.jpg" /></a>There were just so many things I did during my expedition to Panama. As you probably know, the birding was phenomenal! Panama has more bird species than any other country in Central America, even though it is merely the size of South Carolina. Currently, there are 972 species of birds recorded in Panama, that's about 100 more species than Costa Rica. Nevertheless, the best sighting of the trip was not of the famed avifauna, but rather a small mammal that packs charisma and charm. It also happens to be one of my all-time favorite animals: the Rufous-naped Tamarin. The number one "must see" of the trip, for me at least, was the Rufous-naped Tamarin, <em>Saguinus geoffroyi</em>. A tamarin is a type of monkey, more specifically, a callitrichid. Tamarins are widespread within the neotropics, but are centrally located in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest with small populations of Lion, Rufous-naped, and Cotton-topped Tamarins in Southeast Brazil, Eastern Panama, and Northern Columbia, respectively. I was lucky to see six adults roaming through the subcanopy in Metropolitan National Park. If that wasn't enough, two young were gripped onto the back of dad, holding on for dear life as father leaped from branch to branch. And yes, I did say father. Believe it or not, the males are the ones with the burden to bear of raising young in the tamarin family system. Females only do the nursing. That is one feature different from their close cousins of the family Cebidae and also unique among mammals altogether. Another interesting aspect of a tamarin's social group is the cooperative breeding system. The fraternal twins from previous litters help out mom and dad with the new young.<br /><br />I spent a good hour watching this particular family of tamarins foraging in the understory and lower canopy within Metropolitan National Park. Metropolitan National Park is situated on the outskirts of Panama City, which reminded me of the chaotic island of Manhatten. That's one reason why I thought it would be best to travel there during the weekend as opposed to during the week when the city would be hustling and bustling with commuters. The majority of the park is comprised of tropical semideciduous forest, the only city in Latin America which has this type of ecosystem. With over 500 acres to explore, I came across many species of birds such as Double-toothed and Swallow-tailed Kites, Blue-crowned Motmot, Lineated and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers, Tropical Kingbirds(by far the most common flycatcher in the country), Black-chested Jay, Clay-colored Robin, and Rosy Thrush-Tanager.<br /><br /><br />After searching for birds and tamarins at M.N.P., we headed over to the island of Flamingo in the Pacific. We stopped at a few sites that seemed packed with birds. I must say, I have never seen so many Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans in my entire life. There had to be over a thousand of these birds. I never thought a Frigatebird would turn out to be, dare I say it, a junk bird! Besides the copious Pelicans and Frigatebirds, many other birds were present on the ocean and along the mangroves including Neotropical Cormorants, Royal and Sandwich Terns, Laughing and Franklin's Gulls, Great and Cattle Egrets, Green Herons, White Ibis, Semipalmated Plovers, and Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers. It was a bit weird to see some species that would be found in the Northeast at the time, but I had the same situation occur when I was in Costa Rica, seeing Chestnut-sided warblers, American Redstarts, Baltimore Orioles, and Great-crested flycatchers, among others, in the towering buttressed trees in a misty tropical setting. After lunch, we proceeded back to Gamboa where I relaxed a bit and rejuvenated for the night safari that I would be attending in just a few hours.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ybRJ0NpZHKiM0kEDWCRxY-QkawnW25iV3F0UVNfdyAQXBhrzCm1Y8JTUmPAEscLH_QEJboyxXUwl7ESnciBEkAL5q8Xo1rDfdHqenHYIULqdnOl7D9C6a6vhbEuqX-T4BdqdDMv15XU/s1600/Brown+Pelicans.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482337455190191906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ybRJ0NpZHKiM0kEDWCRxY-QkawnW25iV3F0UVNfdyAQXBhrzCm1Y8JTUmPAEscLH_QEJboyxXUwl7ESnciBEkAL5q8Xo1rDfdHqenHYIULqdnOl7D9C6a6vhbEuqX-T4BdqdDMv15XU/s320/Brown+Pelicans.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q-w4p66A9W9hMtU4rC9qb0P-Rwo0b0R0Ob7oNHGLUhnnOob0viI_B8sHZ6H9Fq3DGkyV1OiO4pu9FnPH-Y7RVu9BMWy9j3JRcWyz_AuPavmhvdIqN0IHGw2kR2W2RbwxBI9gSiYOIp8/s1600/Magnificent+Frigatebird.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482337465550124338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q-w4p66A9W9hMtU4rC9qb0P-Rwo0b0R0Ob7oNHGLUhnnOob0viI_B8sHZ6H9Fq3DGkyV1OiO4pu9FnPH-Y7RVu9BMWy9j3JRcWyz_AuPavmhvdIqN0IHGw2kR2W2RbwxBI9gSiYOIp8/s320/Magnificent+Frigatebird.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Read Part 3 for more of my adventure in Panama!<br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqh6k1b-lQNenSG3zgbrhO8lGJvf9_1c0LoeAx7dsQfKlCLwTVtL8EDKQQ_n6nmNOq9V_KZmrpyKN_nDTHrOmuAQdsVfiaJITfD3NpwwOV1lpRl6eQOBETMzKMq5hf84goTWSlnqYBDY/s1600/Geoffroy's+Tamarin+2.jpg"></a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-11840258586311972922010-06-05T15:01:00.010-04:002010-06-05T16:13:23.287-04:00Exploring the Jungle of Panama- Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ujmYaGDaYQVeerO-Ny2eY4wcVvFWy8w2tebNKGt5emwBG22474j2hObPWD8xywVD1dNQwRy62nET42lsEA5lhDF-M8abDE-Pl45EHdL1R8cm5X_YNiSqZKUTP48BUduaz_1hDJ3r1Ys/s1600/White-throated+Capuchin.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479379508887056578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ujmYaGDaYQVeerO-Ny2eY4wcVvFWy8w2tebNKGt5emwBG22474j2hObPWD8xywVD1dNQwRy62nET42lsEA5lhDF-M8abDE-Pl45EHdL1R8cm5X_YNiSqZKUTP48BUduaz_1hDJ3r1Ys/s200/White-throated+Capuchin.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I just got back from an astounding vacation in the tropics. How did I end up there? Well, it all started a few months ago when my parents gave me the opportunity to choose a present for graduation. Now, as a young birder and avid naturalist whose dream is to become a biologist traveling across the globe, I chose the perfect gift for myself: Exploring Panama. You see, my favorite place on planet Earth is the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. Since I was a little boy, I always dreamed about hiking through vast tracts of pristine jungle in search of monkeys, sloths, and gaudy birds. A couple years back, my dream came true. I was given a chance to go to Costa Rica. Now I had the opportunity to do whatever I wished. Instead of having a gigantic graduation party which would bring relatives from across the United States, I chose the option of revisiting the tropics.<br /><br />At the beginning of this year, my dad and I planned, along with our travel agent, the journey that would take place in just a few months. I did my seemingly endless research and booked everything in my own head and simply passed all of my ideas and agendas off to my agent. Time flew. I began to get excited after the cue of realization came: AP Exams. Managing to get through them was not easy, but I did it. Before I knew it, my dad and I were off to Panama in a four and a half hour flight. The trip lasted eight days. Each day was filled with jam-packed fun and adventure. We left on May 22nd and came home the 29th.<br /><br />Our first day in Panama: We arrived at Panama City International Airport in the early morning since we flew throughout the night. Jerry, a local guide specialized in history, picked us up and we headed over to our hotel, the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Although a five-star hotel, GRR is situated on the outer periphery of Soberania National Park, a 48,287 acre park comprised of old-growth and second-growth rainforest teeming with wildlife. We checked in and headed off to our private villa away from the main resort. Our villa was off the beaten path, a feature my dad did not like but one that I loved. Birds, mammals, butterflies, and herps abounded just outside our window. From the overview, we could see the action of the Panama Canal, into the thick canopy of the rainforest, and the small lawns bordering the resort. I didn't let go of my binnoculars once during the trip. We went to many amazing places and met some dynamite people. Read Part 2 for the widlife sightings and more of my amazing trek in the Jungle of Panama.<br /><div><div><div><div><br /><div>Here is a small preview of what is to come:<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkneKsTOM6GQPnoQEK_OjJImz-td15ey5v3pz8XuwjehhRyyE8Hfgkk0GmAonr1CAvzh86TW7xtQ_COVpaBqYAnO7OSRpIrIMESN1B2PkjLDs4s8QLDckcKssrg4MrdNXD5Iaew21JSAk/s1600/Blue-crowned+Motmot.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479377142296227458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkneKsTOM6GQPnoQEK_OjJImz-td15ey5v3pz8XuwjehhRyyE8Hfgkk0GmAonr1CAvzh86TW7xtQ_COVpaBqYAnO7OSRpIrIMESN1B2PkjLDs4s8QLDckcKssrg4MrdNXD5Iaew21JSAk/s200/Blue-crowned+Motmot.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiK_OsJhwQnIns9WL8PUooncc7B8DJHohAB83NmFUfh0BnAPruSpsYuxzhcFg_cDn8UVmQ5cQ_x8uwHs23pItU1vIZAr7g4ILZe2Ezurj8YSJmI899IaOjcwwfpLEpKOip25CHjgl0qJY/s1600/KB+Toucan.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479377147074881218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiK_OsJhwQnIns9WL8PUooncc7B8DJHohAB83NmFUfh0BnAPruSpsYuxzhcFg_cDn8UVmQ5cQ_x8uwHs23pItU1vIZAr7g4ILZe2Ezurj8YSJmI899IaOjcwwfpLEpKOip25CHjgl0qJY/s200/KB+Toucan.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXPCFh5ZYXru4PfvKTi_MKAKsgvQ2dCQLihDPknG0M23sVwxOeNs7tS0SBHGEhPPCWgcUi8n2J6Rk6dVrU7YOn25lKge7uND0JxMQ0V6Q8czNILFn8fVWcyG6iD2oR4iCfzsY9dTltIEU/s1600/Flame-rumped+Tanager.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67fuUnhy7uFqBcX6pnePf2-90YjwXtkROPCiPIEsti7bBnhsJw6Hluqv16T7LiW7Cc0l18zpF5Kn909WGHnjKzOs84wDoj0snmP7KwlDUOQD5JlO4ZCNtihQKSwXBiHZTz576mMDpDd4/s1600/Picture+265.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479377165064972754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67fuUnhy7uFqBcX6pnePf2-90YjwXtkROPCiPIEsti7bBnhsJw6Hluqv16T7LiW7Cc0l18zpF5Kn909WGHnjKzOs84wDoj0snmP7KwlDUOQD5JlO4ZCNtihQKSwXBiHZTz576mMDpDd4/s200/Picture+265.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOOekAlx6OScItmM6fEjSwPMvATP2vrsN9ggZggI6xCTUa-ButG2lz6WmhQdLb6kyCBC2LnTy9gKHtJpFXlDCs25B0SpOlKjnjUaOIzHv17SXqw9GA-sa_85zRlXYhcd3sZsDNSYCXeI/s1600/Flame-rumped+Tanager.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479379956559478626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOOekAlx6OScItmM6fEjSwPMvATP2vrsN9ggZggI6xCTUa-ButG2lz6WmhQdLb6kyCBC2LnTy9gKHtJpFXlDCs25B0SpOlKjnjUaOIzHv17SXqw9GA-sa_85zRlXYhcd3sZsDNSYCXeI/s200/Flame-rumped+Tanager.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6nP89kiSEj6MTYW4lBOFpAB-zpXmBacY5fVhjPcytWHHAXdArUxItN4TUvqnFYgSShU7V6b8Z_fEi8v4HzdMiyzZqQLx60uVhGG26x05WEDmQjBoZSwv97d6njERyRPzZtJoJ3qOSaA/s1600/Green+Iguana.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479379966790329714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6nP89kiSEj6MTYW4lBOFpAB-zpXmBacY5fVhjPcytWHHAXdArUxItN4TUvqnFYgSShU7V6b8Z_fEi8v4HzdMiyzZqQLx60uVhGG26x05WEDmQjBoZSwv97d6njERyRPzZtJoJ3qOSaA/s200/Green+Iguana.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3D0iJXa6J9D4332Jj0aE2YH2NqPOE4gt2gDdEJGbGsHbHmIz0Ed-SkZsY33GWtwwwu3MUobM6s3cQoT-5Jj3vaLWIzdMWYPVovefZgXYVBVCDb81-dz2E12OtgRCndkk1WKzBR3pWpYk/s1600/Violaceous+Trogon+male.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479377158194262754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3D0iJXa6J9D4332Jj0aE2YH2NqPOE4gt2gDdEJGbGsHbHmIz0Ed-SkZsY33GWtwwwu3MUobM6s3cQoT-5Jj3vaLWIzdMWYPVovefZgXYVBVCDb81-dz2E12OtgRCndkk1WKzBR3pWpYk/s200/Violaceous+Trogon+male.jpg" /></a></div><div> </div><div>To see the full album of all my Panama Pics, click the link below.</div><div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/VinnyPelle/PanamaPics#">http://picasaweb.google.com/VinnyPelle/PanamaPics#</a></div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-86998293648926870972010-04-25T21:02:00.006-04:002010-04-25T21:12:52.675-04:00Environmental Advocacy 101<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim44a48krA4NwxDkyLaZvL0XTXsQtgx383tLCmLqIJ-SI876LCLGkxn-mDQ3YhYiNDd17ATYVOlMqeGV6zgdKn9jOR4Mii_cdOAZ67o-PsLpkYiDKLFDHjkeDCWh-QOGOUAENGhXsUmBWu/s1600/bobolink_0161820w2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim44a48krA4NwxDkyLaZvL0XTXsQtgx383tLCmLqIJ-SI876LCLGkxn-mDQ3YhYiNDd17ATYVOlMqeGV6zgdKn9jOR4Mii_cdOAZ67o-PsLpkYiDKLFDHjkeDCWh-QOGOUAENGhXsUmBWu/s320/bobolink_0161820w2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464247287383374674" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0ZETKWGnR4T3fTiwqstIfsJtuM1dw3K32DfxpeEqheRSrq4osHCWAdN8REbJsbvjyFvhvNce0GxGMyRv_hj-aqqVdoluCuCAglCvCFxgZ9BsW8ow36kWPPVnDD4z652HfK-RbenI368c/s1600/elephant.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0ZETKWGnR4T3fTiwqstIfsJtuM1dw3K32DfxpeEqheRSrq4osHCWAdN8REbJsbvjyFvhvNce0GxGMyRv_hj-aqqVdoluCuCAglCvCFxgZ9BsW8ow36kWPPVnDD4z652HfK-RbenI368c/s320/elephant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464246698383516322" /></a> <br /><br /><br />Okay. You have written your check, and mailed the contribution to your favorite conservation group. You smile, satisfied with yourself, knowing you have taken a step towards protecting the environment. <br /><br />But, did you know that there is so much more you can do? Yes, conservation groups desperately need your money. But don’t stop there. As important a tool as your wallet is, your voice and your physical presence are just as vital.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Offshore drilling for oil. The assault on wolves and other carnivores. Declining species of birds worldwide. Climate change. Habitat destruction.</span> More than ever the conservation movement needs you. And it has never been so easy to be an environmental activist. Every major organization has a website with a “take action” page or link. It is as simple as entering your personal information and checking the “remember me” button. Next, click on tabs and links that will automatically send your letter, fax or email to the proper government official. It literally takes under a minute to do this. You can request action alerts to be sent to your e-mail inbox, to keep you abreast of the hot issues. Reaching your representative is just a mouse click away, but in order to truly be effective, please remember to take a minute and personalize the subject heading and the first couple lines of your email This will ensure that it stands apart from the hundreds or thousands of other similar messages that legislators will get on the same subject. Online petitions are also signed in this way. Several years ago, when drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (“ANWR”) first came to the table, environmental groups gathered over a million electronic signatures. Your signature on these letters and petitions is an extremely powerful tool. If you would rather take the time to write a hand-written letter, just remember that since 9-11 the mail system in DC has changed and regular mail is neither timely nor assured to get there at all, so please either fax your letter to the appropriate office in DC or mail it to your legislator’s district office in your area. That way someone will surely get it and your voice will be heard. <br /><br />Set up an appointment to meet with your local representative in his or her home office. You will probably meet with their staff, rather than the actual representative, but your message will find its way to its destination.<br /><br />You can take part in marches and rallies. The energy at these events is almost indescribable; and the air is crackling with this energy, born from a common, united cause. Check the websites of your favorite organizations for information, including carpooling options. <br /><br />Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Politicians pay attention to what their constituents’ opinions are on important issues and this is yet another way for your voice to be heard. Join a Facebook Cause or fan page or follow an organization on Twitter. Sign on-line petitions (Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon started an on-line petition to help prevent the deaths of raptors at landfills across the country. As the number of signatures rose to almost 5,000, industry reps started contacting us, willing to address the issue!). <br /><br />In addition, you can also volunteer your time and effort. Help the organizations you belong to with local events and issues. Staff a table at festivals, hand out flyers or volunteer to mail out newsletters. Volunteer to pull out invasive species at your local preserves, monitor nest boxes or other such activities. Join in with other like minded folks and have fun while making a difference!!! Check the websites of your favorite organizations for volunteer opportunities.<br /><br />Perhaps the most important tool you possess is your ability to vote. Vote for politicians who share your ideals. The League for Conservation Voters has a wonderful website that contains the pro-environmental voting records of your representatives. This will help you with your choice of which candidate best represents your concerns. Remember to vote at a local level also, since these are the candidates who will ultimately decide the fate of the environment right on your doorstep.<br /><br />Many people do not take these extra steps. One standard reason is time constraints. With the ease of the internet, there is no excuse for that now. <br /><br />The next time you are debating whether or not to make the extra effort and write a letter, sign a petition, volunteer for a local group or attend a rally, remember that in today’s world of modern technology, it has never been easier to make your voice heard. And then, think about what Margaret Mead once said, <br /><br />“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” <br /><br /> Indeed, YOU can change the world.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuWdVFszm0Qqcdz_xVq_q68rm6tLlpEB9W5ZqdzRxcXiQgzveYwRzjoKDx6cDbnqsWUUoR5LzZkieUEdb0kOL5Jmx_7yCqNZks56aYTRqHwV7GS6LzvsrioRAOFwffx6xZcizwO-804Pw/s1600/frog1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuWdVFszm0Qqcdz_xVq_q68rm6tLlpEB9W5ZqdzRxcXiQgzveYwRzjoKDx6cDbnqsWUUoR5LzZkieUEdb0kOL5Jmx_7yCqNZks56aYTRqHwV7GS6LzvsrioRAOFwffx6xZcizwO-804Pw/s320/frog1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464247723190307986" /></a>Stella M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13684215203652502032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-82719488132061771232010-04-25T09:58:00.009-04:002010-04-25T10:31:48.600-04:00Spring Birding @ Sunken Meadow<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtfPJGXqdpb9SYs-YnT9ITgtlLf6ov_TEu9utt9HzIWtg00Mx_kqsJGqVIpWNpH7z3I_0dLm3xlZ1Wxl24due2dIGIV-y0GbiloWoYxP7cEkkuD2KqMCUohhTm5GIYvhprFEg21W5I6U/s1600/Yellow-rumped+Warbler.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464075163219640562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtfPJGXqdpb9SYs-YnT9ITgtlLf6ov_TEu9utt9HzIWtg00Mx_kqsJGqVIpWNpH7z3I_0dLm3xlZ1Wxl24due2dIGIV-y0GbiloWoYxP7cEkkuD2KqMCUohhTm5GIYvhprFEg21W5I6U/s320/Yellow-rumped+Warbler.jpg" /></a> A pleasant hike at Sunken Meadow State Park yesterday(4-24-10) from 7:45am-11:00am got me my FOS Yellow warbler and Common Yellowthroat; the former was singing at the edge of the forest and marsh along the Inner Marsh trail at the western end of the park. Calling from the phragmites in the marsh were 2 Common Yellowthroats. The only other warbler species seen included 74 Yellow-rumped warblers and 14 Palm warblers. Down at the cove near the footbridge(Field 3), 3 Northern Shovelers, 3 Green-winged Teal, and 2 Ruddy ducks were the only transient waterfowl besides the resident Gadwall, American Black ducks, and Mallards.<br /></div><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03JvVNhgr7etUSMBFNraurQkMD49KJLUns58nFTzERsMhAcWLo_xAK7PD7swdidKFUOevUT88BrT_R2Yeyk5Fk8q_ZgchHzPXJ0Rh28U7Of4EQebJxol-6ORD_kd2v5Yh41oaIXA4WvY/s1600/Brown+Thrasher.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464076536092878834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03JvVNhgr7etUSMBFNraurQkMD49KJLUns58nFTzERsMhAcWLo_xAK7PD7swdidKFUOevUT88BrT_R2Yeyk5Fk8q_ZgchHzPXJ0Rh28U7Of4EQebJxol-6ORD_kd2v5Yh41oaIXA4WvY/s200/Brown+Thrasher.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73xctsOUcKJth5Ifw4Bkol9U0v313kHxqqp94Ao0gy2oScXDsquvZydoBpszlsTcm2pxOX7yQHwc7f6b5Opef1ND0YsvjHXz2XJwtk5k3bsTbiMwlCim98sCfVAcH7Xm_WJvIDTnt8Ok/s1600/Northern+Shovler.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464076539742558898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73xctsOUcKJth5Ifw4Bkol9U0v313kHxqqp94Ao0gy2oScXDsquvZydoBpszlsTcm2pxOX7yQHwc7f6b5Opef1ND0YsvjHXz2XJwtk5k3bsTbiMwlCim98sCfVAcH7Xm_WJvIDTnt8Ok/s200/Northern+Shovler.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Hw0yOe78prqI-qNKV_4ngck9TI1EijYF4k_2rJCZ5nN_i7sGXQ7TOLdRWVs9d_To6xjmc5ddKmRt6fpEwBNX0PgO8Zw2PpFy5Yoi8Sk4lHZQAfFwFtdne7JGBrPlRhravAS2uxbzSU/s1600/Ruddy+Ducks+2.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464077862804310642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Hw0yOe78prqI-qNKV_4ngck9TI1EijYF4k_2rJCZ5nN_i7sGXQ7TOLdRWVs9d_To6xjmc5ddKmRt6fpEwBNX0PgO8Zw2PpFy5Yoi8Sk4lHZQAfFwFtdne7JGBrPlRhravAS2uxbzSU/s200/Ruddy+Ducks+2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMkJ3LBc0RQbNaph6Z5O82k0-ENzOGgVKkM33SC_Gh2lew7sK7y19TpeVRQJMdXizGwYJIDKP35ERZOuhfV4OKYPWlo96CRcge2s26a0YNRbfmvdi6S9nwkqT4orS9VccCyE95tIE24k/s1600/Savannah+Sparrow.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464077858442357698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMkJ3LBc0RQbNaph6Z5O82k0-ENzOGgVKkM33SC_Gh2lew7sK7y19TpeVRQJMdXizGwYJIDKP35ERZOuhfV4OKYPWlo96CRcge2s26a0YNRbfmvdi6S9nwkqT4orS9VccCyE95tIE24k/s200/Savannah+Sparrow.jpg" /></a></p><p align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73xctsOUcKJth5Ifw4Bkol9U0v313kHxqqp94Ao0gy2oScXDsquvZydoBpszlsTcm2pxOX7yQHwc7f6b5Opef1ND0YsvjHXz2XJwtk5k3bsTbiMwlCim98sCfVAcH7Xm_WJvIDTnt8Ok/s1600/Northern+Shovler.jpg"></a></p><p align="right"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_2Hw0yOe78prqI-qNKV_4ngck9TI1EijYF4k_2rJCZ5nN_i7sGXQ7TOLdRWVs9d_To6xjmc5ddKmRt6fpEwBNX0PgO8Zw2PpFy5Yoi8Sk4lHZQAfFwFtdne7JGBrPlRhravAS2uxbzSU/s1600/Ruddy+Ducks+2.jpg"></a></p><p align="left">A quick look on the LI Sound produced 3 Common Loons, 2 Horned Grebes, 36 Brant, and 11 Red-breasted Mergansers. The passerines observed were high in numbers but not in diversity. The majority of migrant songbirds consisted of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, Hermit thrush, and the four warbler species named above. The breeding birds are establishing territory and were quite easy to find: 6 Brown Thrashers, Eastern Towhees, and 5 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, two pairs which are most likely to nest. Foraging at the terminus of the Nissequogue River a ways East of Field 3 were 7 Great Egrets, 11 Snowy Egrets, Greater Yellowlegs, and from another observer, a Spotted sandpiper. 2 Savannah sparrows were feeding on the shoulder of the park road, only noticed after they started singing. </p><p align="left">Other fauna present: Mourning Cloak, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Muskrat, Painted turtles, and Eastern Chipmunks</p><div align="justify"><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><p align="left"></p><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left">Some pics of yesterday's outing...</p><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobnF3_0s5VeVAfAjTVeHCT0pA_zcycYFCTYzv2skbnQYnyUwn3j90fEhiicY-lZTxo4i5MxIi5U4RKmLGw8LfQ0e_oPMP8yoVEW_Z_VZalDFdSkj2MBfrfsQFEN7Ee8Mivg6wDlBUBKI/s1600/Yellow+Flowers.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464077878671357634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobnF3_0s5VeVAfAjTVeHCT0pA_zcycYFCTYzv2skbnQYnyUwn3j90fEhiicY-lZTxo4i5MxIi5U4RKmLGw8LfQ0e_oPMP8yoVEW_Z_VZalDFdSkj2MBfrfsQFEN7Ee8Mivg6wDlBUBKI/s200/Yellow+Flowers.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIAVJiccxJdd4y6uH8x4dvKhKsDi_ucJ8k5NfEF5Oca2CJBJl5y6YR-CgF3Z6Gwf7GDozCUkinKUGBwxY-zVKQ7HysXcW5oYSOBYpDJP3myRleuaN9TPFCfE6cnO9JJsh-A2osMEn1C8/s1600/Mourning+Cloak.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464077868395032130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIAVJiccxJdd4y6uH8x4dvKhKsDi_ucJ8k5NfEF5Oca2CJBJl5y6YR-CgF3Z6Gwf7GDozCUkinKUGBwxY-zVKQ7HysXcW5oYSOBYpDJP3myRleuaN9TPFCfE6cnO9JJsh-A2osMEn1C8/s200/Mourning+Cloak.jpg" /></a></p><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RL2fdhfS0pEfUVP1w6ZLNy5MWKmcLg0WCGVcAGrustidcPqjHANg8IgnLRu680u0WJk5vtft4aRtjrBs6rGKImloklHPEb78ygBxvdCxZ44gUJwSTSySURg_Qb1-AbD8Urz6fUJ3Vs4/s1600/Swamp+Sparrow.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 217px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 167px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464075188168899154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RL2fdhfS0pEfUVP1w6ZLNy5MWKmcLg0WCGVcAGrustidcPqjHANg8IgnLRu680u0WJk5vtft4aRtjrBs6rGKImloklHPEb78ygBxvdCxZ44gUJwSTSySURg_Qb1-AbD8Urz6fUJ3Vs4/s320/Swamp+Sparrow.jpg" /></a></p><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 236px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 182px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464075177458039106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s320/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg" /></a></p><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIAVJiccxJdd4y6uH8x4dvKhKsDi_ucJ8k5NfEF5Oca2CJBJl5y6YR-CgF3Z6Gwf7GDozCUkinKUGBwxY-zVKQ7HysXcW5oYSOBYpDJP3myRleuaN9TPFCfE6cnO9JJsh-A2osMEn1C8/s1600/Mourning+Cloak.jpg"></a></p><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUikWfpARZzvTHcxZTSNBY98rYqjlCxZRypl3yXFN3XIfyYCrUeKi7V1kFXVV1Mfhyphenhyphenhhe1HZke0fQxsds5Iqd1HV9II45DvCsP8s_MSVjRHS6hPQeDcK0Y9iDPmzmsdXQ-WHlcy_I1zY/s1600/Great+Horned+Owlet.jpg"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1211860551416486353.post-63521882893612668792010-04-11T21:42:00.011-04:002010-04-11T21:58:41.772-04:00Sunken Meadow SP- Spring Migrants<div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GSrhcwwVCMVcvd4bvOFy4Y5E6UXulSbMjVuvjRhMJfGV_xQ4kGbobWNsxdtcvM5vVNEA7_L_xa1xFpv056I7umzDH2H1S8e0Fw0XXlFtjfNbSUSx03afeTzytjr448se4jbSWUl4-lE/s1600/Palm+Warbler+2.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459061152659442866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GSrhcwwVCMVcvd4bvOFy4Y5E6UXulSbMjVuvjRhMJfGV_xQ4kGbobWNsxdtcvM5vVNEA7_L_xa1xFpv056I7umzDH2H1S8e0Fw0XXlFtjfNbSUSx03afeTzytjr448se4jbSWUl4-lE/s320/Palm+Warbler+2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">My early morning hike from 7:30am-10:30am today at Sunken Meadow State Park got me a few FOY birds. Highlights from this morning included 2 Northern Harrier (Gray Ghost and female) coursing over the Creek at the Western end of the park, a Wild Turkey foraging along the shoulder of the road, 12 Palm Warblers, 3 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 4 Ruby-crowned Kinglets (also singing), and Barn Swallows gliding above the marsh. Other notable sightings were a Cooper's Hawk hunting above the canopy along the Inner Marsh trail, 6 Osprey, several Wood Ducks, 1 Hermit Thrush, 4 Great Egrets, 2 Snowy Egrets, 1 Northern Shoveler, and 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets. During this past week I had an exceptional encounter with a Red Fox along the Inner Marsh trail. The complete bird list is below.<br /></span><br /></span><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459061607635171714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixTefIcQmR0JSWi-Krt9iu-DQJoierNCxaYSvdFnA4ZriU8RAtouScG2CKfpHNBjO9yliTleuxE30xjR6_iEbnrqyipznzjcafJMmNVKLnKDNRB9TidPa4mGhRnEXennRg4bpySi3vk50/s200/Wild+Turkey.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Great Blue Herons<br />Great Egret- 4 on tidal flats at Eastern end of park<br />Snowy Egret- 2 on tidal flats at Eastern end of park<br />Wood Duck-11<br />American Black Duck<br />Mallards<br />Northern Shoveler- 1 drake dabbling in Creek at Eastern end of park<br />Gadwall<br />Osprey- 6<br />Northern Harrier- 2, Gray Ghost and female<br />Cooper's Hawk<br />Red-tailed Hawk<br />Wild Turkey- 1<br />Killdeer<br />Great Horned Owl- 2<br />Belted Kingfisher<br />Tree Swallows- several dozen<br />Barn Swallows- FOY, several<br />Fish Crows<br />Golden-crowned Kinglets- 2<br />Ruby-crowned Kinglets- FOY, 4<br />Blue-gray Gnatcatcher- FOY, 3<br />Hermit Thrush- 1<br />Gray Catbird- 7<br />Palm Warbler- 12<br />Yellow-rumped Warbler- 81<br />Eastern Towhee<br />Song sparrow<br />Swamp sparrow- 6<br />White-throated sparrow<br />Red-winged Blackbird </span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Other fauna present included several Spring Azures, White-tailed Deer, Red Fox, Eastern Chipmunks, and breeding Alewives<br /></span></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKumXCHPkiFJmc8yq39FycZsinQnDwYFDKsH-oDyjqsfIQ2M-AjcZlrXzBpE-KJUuWYgyzz0MyNtlB3BPtPtrWiZiWqlMNcc2-W_RR0uFm5CW1ZpqZnhHw44OzlycEvyMUpUwTT4nfQQ/s1600/GH+Owlets.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459063333112787026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKumXCHPkiFJmc8yq39FycZsinQnDwYFDKsH-oDyjqsfIQ2M-AjcZlrXzBpE-KJUuWYgyzz0MyNtlB3BPtPtrWiZiWqlMNcc2-W_RR0uFm5CW1ZpqZnhHw44OzlycEvyMUpUwTT4nfQQ/s200/GH+Owlets.jpg" /></a><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt1dqP3amyCWMMDD7rgaeBNXjDapSk7ELXKqtnXMvqP-591uh1-3bPQwXhOUUr2hywFjmnijlCzCxkEIybJP-h3a15HIYF-_5pe0x7R1xZl3Y-1m8rfLDyps06VPQ8FG3V8zN1jAD-X0/s1600/Trout+sp.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459062485201029890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt1dqP3amyCWMMDD7rgaeBNXjDapSk7ELXKqtnXMvqP-591uh1-3bPQwXhOUUr2hywFjmnijlCzCxkEIybJP-h3a15HIYF-_5pe0x7R1xZl3Y-1m8rfLDyps06VPQ8FG3V8zN1jAD-X0/s200/Trout+sp.jpg" /></a></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxt1dqP3amyCWMMDD7rgaeBNXjDapSk7ELXKqtnXMvqP-591uh1-3bPQwXhOUUr2hywFjmnijlCzCxkEIybJP-h3a15HIYF-_5pe0x7R1xZl3Y-1m8rfLDyps06VPQ8FG3V8zN1jAD-X0/s1600/Trout+sp.jpg"></a></div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKbcdYaNyGJi4Jh6VrO4uPXGt1TRc-dOrlzbNILKP6hqZAZOd5sI_leqCqG2TRHgVjPq5GitF58sZQWwLyB5RPZWwmJn4kLBA9uRN88OmvRiqpxIdDGfKjI9d7jO4XbkMVB1FoMzGBU0/s1600/Bluffs.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459063349036149330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrKbcdYaNyGJi4Jh6VrO4uPXGt1TRc-dOrlzbNILKP6hqZAZOd5sI_leqCqG2TRHgVjPq5GitF58sZQWwLyB5RPZWwmJn4kLBA9uRN88OmvRiqpxIdDGfKjI9d7jO4XbkMVB1FoMzGBU0/s200/Bluffs.jpg" /></a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0