THE NEWSLETTER OF CITY SPRING WINTER 2018 2014 / VOLUME / VOLUME XXXIX XXXV NO. NO. 1 4

THE URBAN AUDUBON

The Art of Mentorship: Nurturing a Young Birder The Audubon Urban Collaborative Network 2018: Year of the

Spring 2018 1 NYC AUDUBON MISSION & STATEMENT Mission: NYC Audubon is a grassroots community that works for the protection of PRESIDENT’S PERCH Jeffrey Kimball wild and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. s we make our way through a punishing winter, everyone is eager to welcome Vision: NYC Audubon envisions a day when the spring. For many of us nature-lovers, this season is an especially glorious birds and people in the five boroughs enjoy a healthy, livable habitat. Atime of year. The snow fades away, blossoms emerge, and, of course, migrating birds return. As the most conspicuous of wild animals, birds are often our gateway into THE URBAN AUDUBON Editors Lauren Klingsberg & Marcia T. Fowle nature. The majority of are nocturnal and secretive, while most birds are Managing Editor Andrew Maas diurnally active, and being so colorful and noisy they command our attention, inviting us Newsletter Committee Ellen Azorin; Lucienne Bloch; Ned Boyajian; to appreciate the totality of the natural world. Suzanne Charlé; Diane Darrow; In this, the Year of the Bird—so named as it marks the 100th anniversary of Meryl Greenblatt; Catherine Schragis Heller; Congress’s passing the Migratory Bird Treaty Act—it serves us to refl ect on the unique Mary Jane Kaplan; Abby McBride; Hillarie O’Toole; Don Riepe; place birds occupy in our world. As Jonathan Franzen points out in his excellent “Why Carol Peace Robins Birds Matter” cover story for the January issue of National Geographic, birds inhabit every Printing & Mailing Kase Printing, Inc. corner of the planet, more widespread than any lifeform beyond the microscopic. Yet Design Whitehouse & Company for all their remarkably diverse behavior and adaptability, they cannot master their envi- Art Director Andrew Maas Publisher NYC Audubon ronment. As Franzen puts it, they “can’t protect wetlands” or “manage a fi shery.” And, he adds “our cats and our windows and our pesticides kill billions of them every year.” BOARD OF DIRECTORS Only we can protect their habitat, eliminate lethal pesticides, and advocate for President Jeffrey Kimball Executive Vice President Robert Bate keeping cats indoors and for bird-friendly window treatments. NYC Audubon, which was Vice President Catherine Schragis Heller born from awareness and concern about our urban birds, has a vital role to play. Formed Vice President Lawrence Levine Treasurer Fredric Spar almost 40 years ago to protect the birds of our city, we have made a difference thanks to Secretary Alexander Ewing fi nancial support and volunteering efforts of fellow bird conservationists. Immediate Past President Harrison D. Maas Directors Seth Ausubel; Karen Benfield; Audubon chapters all over the country embrace the infl uence we wield in educating Drianne Benner; Christian Cooper; the public about the wonders and benefi ts of birds. In short, being a birder means caring Richard H. Fried, VMD; Sarah Jeffords; Lauren Klingsberg; Deborah Laurel; about the environment. Just going out to see birds and being seen watching birds by Jenny Maritz; Rachel Quiñones; passersby can inspire others to be aware—and perhaps be more appreciative—of the John Shemilt; David Speiser; Alan Steel; natural world that surrounds us. On any given day in spring, hundreds of people eating Tom Stephenson; Michael Tannen; Richard Veit, PhD lunch in Bryant Park share that urban space with groups of binocular-clad observers. Right in the midst of Midtown, surrounded by tall buildings and concrete, there’s ADVISORY COUNCIL: Co-Chair Marcia T. Fowle*; something wild to ooh and aah about. Somebody is noticing, and somebody is walking Co-Chair James R. Sheffield; back to an offi ce desk thinking about birds. Oakes Ames*; Richard T. Andrias; Sarah Grimké Aucoin; Claude Bloch, MD; Birding offers many ways to get involved in . Just entering your Marsilia A. Boyle; David Burg*; fi ndings into eBird contributes to the overall data set of bird distribution and numbers. Albert K. Butzel; Clifford Case; And make use of NYC Audubon’s own D-bird database, where you can enter data right Rebekah Creshkoff; Andrew Darrell; Joseph H. Ellis; Andrew Farnsworth, PhD; through your phone about a dead bird found on a sidewalk. The Christmas Bird Count, Lynne Hertzog; Mary Jane Kaplan; which began in 1900 in (and about two dozen locations throughout the Robert J. Kimtis; Kimberly Kriger; Janice Laneve; Pamela Manice; continent), has been collecting useful data for well over a century. The Great Backyard Peter Rhoades Mott*; Dorothy Peteet, PhD; Bird Count, the joint project between the Cornell Lab of and National Don Riepe; Lewis Rosenberg Audubon that is held every February throughout the country, or NYC Audubon’s Spring *Past President Shorebird Blitz in May, are opportunities for engagement in . Other NYC

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Audubon volunteer opportunities, such as horseshoe crab monitoring or surveying the Kathryn Heintz herons of New York harbor, are all ways that birders can do what they love—look at birds—while also making a contribution to bird conservation. Here’s to spring! DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE Susan Elbin, PhD

RECYCLED 2 www.nycaudubon.org Supporting responsible use of forest resources IN THIS ISSUE SPRING 2018 © Kristen Mauzy/Audubon Photography Awards

NYC AUDUBON 71 West 23rd Street Suite 1523 New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212-691-7483 Fax: 646-606-3301 www.nycaudubon.org

Cover Photograph: Great Egret in Breeding Plumage © Dan Irizarry* Small Banner Photographs: Susan Elbin, Steve Nanz, and Don Riepe *This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. 7

© Don Riepe FEATURES

6 The Art of Mentorship: Nurturing a Young Birder by Hillarie O’Toole 7 The Case for Switching to Title Case for Bird Names by Andrew Maas

7 2018: Year of the Bird 8 Restoring Jamaica Bay’s West Pond 8 9 Birding with Hearing Aids by Ned Boyajian

© Laura Meyers 9 Second Annual Horseshoe Crab Festival at Jamaica Bay 14 Kingsland Wildflowers Events 16 Study Measures Light’s Dramatic Impact on Bird Migration by Kellye Rosenheim 17 Safe Flight IPA Takes Off by Andrew Maas

18 Take a Guided Tour of the Audubon Mural Project 10 18 Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) by Carol Peace Robins 19 The Audubon Urban Collaborative Network © Mike Fernandez/Audubon by Meryl Greenblatt 21 What to Do When You Find a Young or Injured Bird 24 Spring NYC Shorebird Blitz

DEPARTMENTS 20 Book Reviews 4 Conservation Notes 21 Spring 2018 Lecture Series 5 Volunteer! 22 News & Notes 18 10 Events & Adventures 22 Support NYC Audubon’s Mission 19 Remember the Birds 23 Acknowledgments 23 Annual Report 2017 Spring 2018 3 CONSERVATION NOTES © David Speiser RAPTORS AND RODENTICIDE from the Bird-Safe Glass Foundation, Amer- This winter has seen an irruption of ican Bird Conservancy, American Institute of Snowy Owls across the . Within Architecture, Green Build, Fordham Univer- our region Snowy Owls have been seen at sity, and others will be meeting to help craft Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Liberty State specifi c language to improve the likelihood of Park, , Breezy Point Tip, the bill’s success. and Jones Beach. The infl ux of these char- ismatic raptors is a reminder of the threat GREEN HABITAT Snowy Owls and other birds of prey face in NYC Audubon is assisting with a soil our city—namely, secondary poisoning from remediation and native planting project by the rodenticide. The second-generation anticoag- Department of Environmental Protection ulant rodenticides that are so commonly used that will restore Libra Triangle Park, a small to manage rat infestations are dangerous to park (35 x 76 x 76 m) located in an urban inter- wildlife, especially birds of prey. These roden- and Rusty Blackbird in New Jersey, Eastern section on Justice Avenue in Queens. As part ticides take several days to work, during which Screech-Owl at Inwood Hill Park, and Euro- of the project, we are monitoring the inver- time the poison builds up in the rat’s body, pean Goldfi nch on Governors Island. You can tebrate and bird populations within the park making it lethargic and an easy catch for a fi nd results from all Christmas Bird Counts at before and after restoration. Pre-restoration hungry raptor. Large doses of the poison will netapp.audubon.org/cbcobservation. surveys completed in 2017 indicate that the kill the feeding raptor, but even small doses park is used by common urban-dwelling birds can have negative effects on the bird’s health. PROJECT SAFE FLIGHT such as House Sparrows and at least 16 taxa The New York State Department of Since Project Safe Flight’s inception in of invertebrates. The pre-restoration inver- Environmental Conservation’s Wildlife Health 1997, over 6,800 dead and injured birds have tebrates found included springtails, snails Unit and the Department been collected by volunteers monitoring and slugs, pavement ants, sap beetles, and of Health have been consulting with NYC building sites throughout New York City. It is wood louse. We look forward to reporting on Audubon on recommendations for improved a staggering number, and we wondered how changes in the park following the completion rodent control methods. Keep an eye out for many more collision victims might actually of this restoration. a rodenticide update about alternatives to anti- be at these sites during monitoring season, Thanks to the support of the New York coagulants and integrated pest management only to disappear—either carried away by Community Trust and Greenpoint Commu- in the summer issue of The Urban Audubon. predators or swept up by building mainte- nity Environmental Fund, our green roof nance staff—before our volunteers could fi nd work has greatly expanded over the past year. CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT them on their morning routes. To get a better We will soon be starting the fi fth consecutive Final results from the 118th Christmas idea, we conducted a study where we placed year of monitoring wildlife on the Jacob K. Bird Count are in. NYC Audubon’s count, decoy bird carcasses at select monitoring sites Javits Convention Center green roof, where the New Jersey Lower Hudson (NJLH) count before sunrise (before our volunteers walked we have already recorded 26 bird species and circle, which includes , parts of their routes). We found that only 28% of the collected over 120,000 invertebrates. We will Queens, and Hudson and Bergen counties in decoys remained at the sites long enough to also begin the second year of monitoring the New Jersey, took place on Sunday, December be found by volunteers. The remaining 72% Kingsland Wildfl owers green roof in Green- 17. Across NJLH, 130 participants put in were removed by cleaning staff or predators point, . Built in a heavily industrial more than 675 hours of counting time and before our volunteers could recover them. area with minimal green space, Kingsland found 32,273 birds of 104 species. Highlights These data will be important as we develop Wildfl owers already hosts a diversity of included Clay-colored Sparrow and Greater our estimates of bird mortality at these sites. arthropods and is visited by at least eight bird Yellowlegs in New Jersey, Killdeer in East We were pleased to learn this November species. We anticipate increased diversity as River Park, Boat-tailed Grackle and Ovenbird that New York State Assemblymember the wildlife and native plant communities on in Central Park, and Black-and-white Warbler Deborah Glick introduced a bill in support Kingsland Wildfl owers become more estab- in Inwood Hill Park. Count-week (December of bird-friendly building legislation for New lished. 14-20) birds included Dunlin, Pine Siskin, York City. NYC Audubon and colleagues The Green Roof Researchers Alliance 4 www.nycaudubon.org Kaitlyn Parkins © NYC Audubon (GRRA), a team of scientists, attorneys, and New Jersey Harbor Working Group. This educators addressing different aspects of year’s two-day meeting in December brought green roof science, is led by NYC Audubon’s together over 70 professional scientists and Green Roof Progam Manager and Ecologist managers from governmental agencies, non- Dustin . We are building a database profi ts, and academia working in the region of New York City green roofs that will cat- to conserve and protect waterbirds and their alog their locations, the types of green roofs habitats. The centerpiece of the meeting was being constructed, and projects that are being the presentation of the 2017 Harbor Herons conducted on them. The members of GRRA Survey by NYC Audubon Research Assistant are also creating a handbook of best practices Tod Winston. In addition, Field Biologist for biological monitoring, identifying existing Dustin Partridge Collecting Invertebrate Emilio Tobón presented an analysis of popu- environmental monitoring projects, building Samples Using a Bowl Trap on the Jacob lation trends spanning the 30+ years of sur- educational programming, mapping existing K. Javits Convention Center Green Roof veys, showing no signifi cant loss in number of green roofs, and analyzing the effi cacy of laboration between research institutions, the individuals even as Cattle Egrets and Black- New York City’s green roof policies. This public, and the green roof industry. crowned Night-Herons declined. spring we will hold a green roof conference Planning for the 2018 fi eld season is where local researchers will share their work HARBOR HERONS underway: Project Safe Flight, Waterbirds of and present potential improvements to policy. NYC Audubon once again convened the the NY Harbor (Harbor Herons, horseshoe We expect our fi ndings will advance the sci- 13th Annual Meeting of the Harbor Herons crabs, and shorebirds), green roofs, and advo- ence of green roofs as well as encourage col- and Waterbirds of the Greater New York/ cacy efforts.

VOLUNTEER!

ork in NYC Audubon’s All orientations are held at our for collisions. This opportunity the New York Harbor by observing Wfriendly office or in the office unless otherwise noted and requires a time commitment of herons and egrets as they forage field and make a difference for require registration in advance. about one hour one morning a in NYC waterways. An orientation New York City’s wildlife. There week from April through early will be held Tuesday, June 5, are many ways you can help. Bird Transporters: We often June. Orientations will be held 6-7pm. Unless otherwise noted, contact receive calls from individuals Monday, March 12, and Friday, [email protected] who have found injured birds March 16, 6-7pm. PLUMB BEACH CLEANUP if interested in any of the projects but cannot transport them to a Saturday, April 28, 10am-1pm listed below. For information on rehabilitation center. Our Injured Horseshoe Crab Monitoring: Each winter, debris winds up spring volunteer events such as Bird Transport volunteers step in Horseshoe crab eggs are an im- in our waters and washes on beach clean-ups and tree plant- to save the day by transporting portant food source for migratory our shores. It’s unsightly and ings, visit us at www.nycaudubon. these birds to receive the medical shorebirds. Collect data on horse- polluting, and it prevents urban org/volunteer-events. care they need. This opportunity shoe crab spawning by helping wildlife like migratory birds and is best for individuals with flexible count horseshoe crabs in Jamaica horseshoe crabs from feeding THE URBAN AUDUBON schedules. An orientation will Bay. We count on 12 nights in May and nesting on the beaches. Join the newsletter committee and be held at the Wild Bird Fund on and June, but you don't need to Come out on a spring day and get contribute your writing skills to Wednesday, March 7, 6-7pm. be able to make every count to our beaches ready for them. All four seasonal issues. Meetings are sign up. Orientations will be held equipment is supplied, as well as bi-monthly in the early evening. Project Safe Flight: Light and glass Tuesday, April 17, and Thursday, snacks and water. Transportation pose major threats to migratory April 19, 6-7pm. via bus from Manhattan is CONSERVATION PROJECTS birds as they move through New available for a limited number of Become a citizen scientist and York City. Help NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Foraging Study: volunteers. Advance registration is help conduct conservation biologists collect data on building Help NYC Audubon's science required. Learn more and register research; read below about the collisions during migration by team learn more about the long- at www.nycaudubon.org/ various ways to get involved. monitoring designated buildings legged wading birds that live in plumb-beach. Spring 2018 5 THE ART OF MENTORSHIP: NURTURING A YOUNG BIRDER

ith every spark of curiosity, © John Zucker there is possibility. But how W does curiosity grow into some- thing richer? A passion, a lifelong hobby, a career? Whether an initial interest will blos- som into something more relies heavily upon important relationships that can inspire a young person to fi nd one’s own voice and to forge one’s own path. In this two-part article, we explore mentorship from the perspectives of young birders and those who recognized their talents and helped guide them along their journey. For Part One of this article, I had the pleasure of interviewing a young birder, Ryan Zucker, and his mother, Karen Benfi eld, about the importance of early experiences and fi nding community. At the age of 14, Zucker serves as the secretary of the New York State Young Birders Club, Ryan Zucker and Karen Benfi eld Birding in Central Park and his writing was recently featured in New York Birders, a publication of the New York new experiences and friends later, birds are a the New York State Young Birders Club? State Ornithological Association. Benfi eld major aspect of my life. How has being a part of that community serves on the board of directors for NYC How did you seek opportunities to supported your learning and growth? Audubon. support and challenge Ryan’s growth? RZ: I fi rst joined the New York State Young Karen Benfi eld: The fi rst thing we did Birders Club in the spring of 2015. Through Do you recall the earliest experience that was go birding with him—to Central Park. the club, I’ve been able to go on many piqued your interest in nature? During these weekly outings and then on fantastic trips and meet dozens of people Ryan Zucker: I’ve been interested in nature his own, Ryan would meet other birders my age who share my interest. Opportunities for as long as I can remember. Although who welcomed him into their friendly and like these can form friendships that can they’re not birders, my parents certainly supportive community. These days, Ryan last for ages, and this is one of my favorite knew the names of birds beyond simply does his own research to fi nd out ways to aspects of birding. I’ve also been lucky to “chickadee” and “cardinal”—and they further his abilities. Once in a while we will meet and spend lots of time with birders pointed out and correctly identifi ed birds like take a road trip to see a special bird, like the more experienced and seasoned, and older Buffl eheads and Red-tailed Hawks on walks Ross’s Gull at Tupper Lake—an unsuccessful than I am. I owe so much of my birding skill in Central Park. Despite these experiences, chase—or the Corn Crake on to them. I also follow many birders through the spark of my birding career didn’t take —a thrill to see. On family trips, we always their blogs, including, during his global Big hold until a family vacation to Costa Rica try to fi nd a day for Ryan to bird locally. Year, Noah Strycker. (See our review of when I was seven years old. While sitting in Even on a trip to a city, we will explore the Strycker’s recently released book Birding the hummingbird garden of the Monteverde urban attractions as a family, but also split Without Borders on page 20.) Cloud Forest Lodge, I became fascinated off to give Ryan time for a day or two of with all the beautiful winged jewels visiting concentrated birding—often with a local What role do you expect your interests the hummingbird feeders in front of me, and guide. will play in your future? that’s what did it. Seven years and so many When did you fi rst become affi liated with RZ: I certainly don’t see my passion for

6 www.nycaudubon.org THE CASE FOR SWITCHING TO Hillarie O’Toole TITLE CASE FOR BIRD NAMES Andrew Maas birds and birding fading any time soon, and As you read this issue of The Urban Audubon, you will notice we are now using I defi nitely hope that my birding interests will title case (that is, capitalizing the first letter of each word) for common bird names. The argument of whether to use sentence case or title case with common names of serve as a gateway into a career in ornithology, birds is quite contentious. Just “case for bird names” and you’ll find dozens of conservation, or biology. articles and posts taking impassioned stances on the issue. We have traditionally used sentence case for common bird names, but have decided to use title case across all of What advice would you share with other our communications in print and online going forward. The decision was motivated by three factors: cohesion, consistency, and clarity. parents (or mentor fi gures) who may While sentence case for common bird names still has some support in the media indus- notice a budding interest in birding or try, most individuals and organizations we work with have adopted title case. National nature among the young people they Audubon switched to title case in 2014. Joining other organizations in embracing title know? case creates more consistency as we increasingly collaborate with others to share mes- saging. (And will hopefully create less headaches for all copy editors involved.) KB: First, get that young birder an excellent We also believe using title case will provide more clarity for our readers. Bird names guidebook to the birds in your region and typically contain descriptive adjectives. Words such as common, little, and lesser, plus perhaps a helpful bird identifi cation phone an assortment of colors (blue, black, brown, white, etc.) are regularly used in common names. This can easily lead to confusion. For example, when we write yellow warbler, app like Sibley or Tom Stephenson’s Warbler it could mean we are either referring to the Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) or Guide. I’d also recommend a good pair of simply a warbler that is the color yellow. Adopting title case for common bird names binoculars. Before he could manage adult- removes this ambiguity. sized binoculars, Ryan used a pair of Nikon We are adopting title case across all of our communications, including this news- letter, our email newsletter The eGret, our website www.nycaudubon.org, and social Travelites that were his mainstay for years. media @nycaudubon. Next, fi nd guided bird walks in your area that can help your young birder expand his or her knowledge, hone skills, and build a birding community. Your local Audubon chapter is a tremendous resource and a great place to 2018: YEAR OF THE BIRD start. As your child’s interest grows, help him or her set up and maintain a “Life List” of © Gerald LeBlanc/Audubon the birds they’ve seen. You can use prepared checklists, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird.org, a notebook, or, as we did, simply an Excel spreadsheet for listing species seen and the date and place where they were observed. This can help build your young birder’s excitement in fi nding new species—and will avoid the situation faced by birders who try to establish a list after some years of birding and have to recreate their Life List from memory. Ryan’s been tracking his sightings for seven NYC Audubon is proud to be a participating organization in making 2018 the "Year of the Bird." Bird lovers from around the world are joining forces to celebrate 100 years of years and has over 1,600 species recorded. the Migratory Bird Treaty Act—the most powerful and important bird protection law ever passed—and commit to protecting birds today and for the next hundred years. Participate Up Next: in the Year of the Bird by signing the pledge and resolving to take at least one bird-friendly action each month. Every month there will be a different theme and call to action, a simple In the summer issue, we interview record- but effective way that we can all play a part in bird conservation. setting birder and author Noah Strycker Bird of the Year organizers National Geographic Society, National Audubon, Cornell about how his mentors have helped him on Lab of Ornithology, and BirdLife International have combined their resources to create a "Year of the Bird" website and will be providing digital content to help engage the public his path towards seeing more than half of the throughout the year. Learn how you can help build a better world for birds and sign the world’s bird species. pledge to "Bird Your World" at www.birdyourworld.org.

Spring 2018 7 RESTORING JAMAICA BAY’S WEST POND Andrew Maas

n October 2012, the storm surge from © SandyResponseNPS* hurricane Sandy breached both Jamaica I Bay Wildlife Refuge’s East and West Ponds, transforming them from freshwater ponds to brackish lagoons. By May 2013, the East Pond had been repaired back to its pre- Sandy condition by the Transit Authority as part of its efforts to restore train service to the Rockaways. Plans to repair the West Pond breach (1), however, were left uncertain. And that concerned many in the birding community, 1 for the availability of both salt and fresh water © Don Riepe © Don Riepe at Jamaica Bay had been an important factor in the refuge’s extraordinary avian richness. NYC Audubon, working with other non- profi t bird conservation groups and universi- ties in New York City as part of the Birders Coalition for Gateway, pressed for West Pond’s restoration. After years of grassroots advocacy efforts, a plan was enacted by National Park Service and Gateway National Recreation Area to repair the breach of the West Pond and its 2 3 surrounding trail, with construction beginning in December 2016 (2). The breach was suc- © Don Riepe © Don Riepe cessfully fi lled in February 2017, preventing the backfl ow of salt water into the pond (3). With the breach closed, National Park Service began construction to fortify it and re-install the damaged West Pond trail (4) in spring 2017. Gravel was distributed to fi ll in the breach. Additionally, sand and rock were placed on both sides to keep the fi ll from eroding. The sandy sides were then planted with American 4 5

beachgrass. The trail offi cially re-opened (5) to © Don Riepe the public in June 2017. The planted fauna had grown to cover the area surrounding the trail by October 2017 (6). Thank you to all who gave their support to the Jamaica Bay West Pond restoration effort. Your concern about the pond helped to make sure it was returned to its freshwater state, pre- serving the wildlife found at Jamaica Bay and the habitats they use. View the restored West Pond for yourself while at the Horseshoe Crab Festival at Jamaica Bay on May 19. (See infor- 6 mation on the festival on page 9.) 8 www.nycaudubon.org BIRDING WITH HEARING AIDS Ned Boyajian

y father, lifelong birder Ned and others with high-pitched vocalizations to lower frequencies so I can hear them,” Boyajian Sr., 86, realized a few are usually the fi rst to disappear from he explains. “But what I hear often doesn’t M years ago that he was losing his the sufferer’s sonic landscape. Potentially sound like the songs I’ve learned over the ability to hear birds’ songs and calls. And that affected persons should consult with their years. So, I need to relearn many birds’ was a problem. physicians about having regular hearing tests songs.” Depending on circumstances, it’s and, if problems are detected, investigate Additionally, if hearing deteriorates not uncommon for 60 percent—maybe standard hearing aids. differently in each ear, one’s ability to higher—of bird identifi cations to be made However, most standard hearing aids determine the direction a sound is coming by ear. Many longtime birders, like Boyajian are designed to amplify only lower-frequency from can be impaired. “You may be able Sr., have found their counts, and pleasure, sounds, making them of limited use for to hear an oriole, but not tell where it is,” reduced by their loss of hearing. birding by ear. Several digital hearing aids, Boyajian Sr. says. Hearing loss has many causes. One typically used in conjunction with a standard Nevertheless, Boyajian Sr. is pleased common cause is “age-related” hearing hearing aid, are available to help wearers overall with his renewed ability to bird loss, presbycusis. This condition typically hear bird calls. Two such products are The by ear. “I’m able to detect many birds sets in around age 50, but can start sooner. SongFinder or Walker’s Digital Game Ear. that would be too far away for me to hear It progresses with age and is irreversible. Boyajian Sr. uses The SongFinder and without the aids,” he says. “And it’s nice to It affects a third of all people by age 65, reports good results. However, he notes hear Golden-crowned Kinglets and Cedar half by age 75. The effects often are most several considerations to keep in mind. “The Waxwings again, even if their songs sound a acute at high frequencies. Warblers, kinglets, device detects vocalizations and shifts them bit different from the ones I once learned.”

SECOND ANNUAL HORSESHOE CRAB FESTIVAL AT JAMAICA BAY

With American Littoral Society and © Camilla Cerea/Audubon Gateway National Recreation Area Saturday, May 19, 10am-2pm

oin us for a day of celebrating the annual arrival of horseshoe Jcrabs to our local shores. During the full and new moons of May and June, these prehistoric animals, which date back approximately 400 million years, come ashore to mate. The females lay billions of eggs at the high tide line each season. At the same time, thousands of migrating shorebirds arrive in the northeast bays to feed on the eggs, regaining the body weight they lost during their long journey north. At the festival you’ll see and hold live horseshoe crabs and learn about their important ecological and medicinal values. For more information on the festival, contact American Participant Holding Horseshoe Crab at 2016 Horseshoe Littoral Society at 718-474-0896 or email Don Riepe at donriepe@ Crab Festival at Jamaica Bay gmail.com. The program is free, but suggested donations of $20 Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. for adults and $10 for children to NYC Audubon are suggested to To inquire about van transportation from Manhattan, call offset festival costs. NYC Audubon at 212-691-7483 x304.

Spring 2018 9 EVENTS AND ADVENTURES

EARLY SPRING BIRD WALK AT NYC Audubon Events • • JAMAICA BAY • FEATHERS: FASHION AND Partnership Events • Saturday, March 24, 10am-1pm THE FIGHT FOR WILDLIFE Overnight Trips Guide: Don Riepe Exhibit at the New-York With American Littoral Society, Historical Society • WINTER BIRDS OF Gateway National Recreation Area On View April 6-July 15 BARNEGAT, NJ Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife This ground-breaking exhibition Sunday, March 11, 9am-4pm Refuge for a slide program and commemorates the centennial of Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy walk to look for Eastern Phoebes, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of Warblers LLC American Oystercatchers, Osprey, 1918. It explores the history of the Explore Barnegat Inlet’s expansive and other early migrants. For more seminal law and the circumstances beach to view the winter birds that information and reservations, that inspired early environmental books, ephemera, photographs, gather where land, bay, and sea contact Don Riepe at 718-474-0896 activists—many of them women and original watercolor models meet. Search for Harlequin Ducks, or [email protected]. No limit. and New Yorkers—to champion for by Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs, Free the protection of endangered birds. . For more and Snow Buntings, as well as Snowy Discover evocative , information, visit www.nyhistory. and Short-eared Owls. Transport by • WINTER BIRDS OF SANDY period clothing and accessories, org/exhibitions. passenger van included. Limited to HOOK, NJ 12. $115 (80) Saturday, March 24, 10am-5pm • BIRDING BY EAR IN • SPRING MIGRATION IN PELHAM Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy CENTRAL PARK BAY PARK, THE BRONX • SPRING BIRDING AT WAVE Warblers LLC Mondays, April 9-May 7, 7-9:30am Saturday, April 7, 9am-4pm HILL, THE BRONX Sandy Hook, a spectacular barrier Guide: Tod Winston Guide: Gabriel Willow Sundays, March 11, April 8, May 13, island at the northernmost point of Join Tod Winston for a five-week Explore the lovely coves and rocky and June 10, 9:30-11:30am the New Jersey coast, hosts a variety exploration of all the chips, tweets, outcroppings of the City’s largest Guide: Gabriel Willow of species including Arctic-bound trills, and warbles we hear as we park, , seeking out With Wave Hill migrants and harbor seals that lie wander Central Park's best migrant migrating songbirds, late wintering Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center. on the beach to warm up in the sun. spots. Though we certainly won't birds, ducks, and a breeding pair Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes Other possible sightings include pass up any non-singing birds, this of Great Horned Owls. The rich his extensive knowledge of bird Common Loons, Snow Buntings, series is intended specifically for and diverse habitat makes this park species and their behaviors on these and Horned Larks. Transport by those who'd like to identify birds an urban gem and a great home captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden passenger van included. Limited to by sound alone. We'll discuss the for wildlife. Past rarities include a setting overlooking the 12. $103 (72) meanings of different songs and Northern Goshawk and a Purple flyway provides the perfect habitat for calls as we get to know them. All Sandpiper. Bring lunch and water. resident and migrating birds. Ages 10 • THE SKY-DANCE OF THE experience levels welcome. Limited to Transport by passenger van included. and up welcome with an adult. NYC WOODCOCK, 12. $127 (89) Limited to 12. $90 (63) Audubon members enjoy two-for-one FLOYD BENNETT, QUEENS admission (see www.wavehill.org for Saturdays, March 24 and 31, • BEGINNING BIRDING • NATURE SKETCHING FOR more information) 5-9:30pm Classes: Wednesdays, April 4, 11, and BETTER BIRDING Guide: Gabriel Willow 18, 6:30-8:30pm Monday, April 16 (class); Wednesday, • AUDUBON'S BIRDS OF The American Woodcock is Trips: Saturday, April 14, 8am-2:30pm April 18, and Friday, April 20 (trips), AMERICA GALLERY a remarkable bird. It is in the (Jamaica Bay) and Saturday, April 21, 5:30-7pm New-York Historical Society sandpiper family but lives in 8-10:30am (Central Park) Instructor: Nadir Souirgi Experience John James Audubon's woodlands, often far from beaches. Instructor: Tod Winston Learn to use the art of nature spectacular watercolor models The male performs a crepuscular Learn the keys to identifying the sketching to improve your birding for the 435 plates of The Birds of aerial display and song early in the spectacular variety of birds that skills with bird guide and art instructor America and their corresponding spring, soon after the snow melts migrate through New York City every Nadir Souirgi. In this workshop hand-colored plates. The newly in the northern U.S. We’ll look spring. Even if you've never picked you’ll explore the world of birds opened gallery features a different for it (and bats, owls, and other up a pair of binoculars, you’ll soon in a whole new way, focusing on bird and related works by Audubon critters) at . be identifying warblers, thrushes, making drawings and taking notes that rotate every month: Bring a headlamp or flashlight and a waterbirds, and more—both by sight on structure, proportion, patterning, March: snack. Transport by passenger van and by ear. Three fun and educational and color. Nadir will share the joy April: included. Limited to 12. $92 (64) in-class sessions and field trips to and satisfaction that comes when May: Common Grackle per trip both Central Park and Jamaica Bay accurate bird drawing leads to For more information, visit www. (transport to Jamaica Bay included). seeing birds accurately as well. One nyhistory.org/exhibitions. Limited to 12. $179 (125) class session and two field sessions allow for intensive work, with 10 www.nycaudubon.org personalized attention from the • EXPLORE, LEARN, AND Central Park, in fact. We will explore Winston and Joseph McManus will instructor. Intended for those with PROTECT: JUNIOR RANGER DAY the Park's meadows, forests, and look for spring migrants and year- intermediate drawing experience. AT JAMAICA BAY waterways in search of waterfowl, round residents on the expansive Limited to 10. $92 (64) Guide: National Park Ranger warblers, tanagers, and more. grounds, while Woodlawn Cemetery Saturday, April 21, 10am-2pm Limited to 15. $36 (25) per walk Director of Historical Services Susan • EVENING SPRING MIGRATION With American Littoral Society and Olsen will share fascinating stories WALKS IN CENTRAL PARK Gateway National Recreation Area • BIRDS AND PLANTS: NEW about the cemetery’s history and the Mondays, April 16-May 21, Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN IN interesting mixture of individuals 5:30-7pm Refuge to celebrate New York SPRING, THE BRONX interred there. Limited to 15. $35 (24) Tuesdays, April 17-May 22, City’s national park. Join Gateway Sundays, April 22 and June 17, 5:30-7pm National Recreation Area staff in 10am-1pm • BIRDING TOURS OF BRYANT Wednesdays, April 18-May 23, special activities to help children Guide: Gabriel Willow PARK, MANHATTAN 5:30-7pm and families connect with parks and The New York Botanical Garden is Mondays, April 23-June 4, 8-9am Guide: Gabriel Willow engage in exploring, learning, and home to a large tract of East Coast Thursdays, April 26-June 7, 5-6pm Witness the spectacle of spring practicing stewardship. For more old-growth forest. During the peak Guide: Gabriel Willow migration on this six-week series information and reservations, call of spring migration, the beautiful With Bryant Park Corporation of walks as songbirds follow the 718-318-4340. No limit. Free gardens come alive with migrating Meet at the Birding Tour sign at Atlantic Flyway northwards. Look songbirds. Limited to 15. Entrance the 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue for orioles, tanagers, warblers, • BIRD WALKS fee to NYBG not included. $39 (27) entrance to the Park. Discover the vireos, and other migrants in the Sunday, April 22 and Saturday, May per walk surprising variety of birds that stop wilds of Central Park, and learn 12, 8-11am in Bryant Park during migration. No about the finer points of their Guide: Heather Wolf • THE BIRDS OF WOODLAWN registration necessary. No limit. Free identification and ecology. Limited Join Heather Wolf for a leisurely walk CEMETERY, THE BRONX to 15. $145 (102) per series. to see spring migrants and breeding Sunday, April 22, 8-10:30am bird residents of “Brooklyn's Guides: Tod Winston, Joseph Backyard.” Beautiful Prospect Park’s McManus, Susan Olsen wide variety of habitats attract a large With the Woodlawn Conservancy number of migrants and breeding Join us for a morning bird walk and bird species—significantly more than tour of this beautiful cemetery: Tod . . . CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

NYC AUDUBON MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS Join us for a free NYC Audubon member event this spring. Please note: Member events are free for Contributing NYC Audubon members at the Student/ Senior level and up. Except for the KIDS walk, all member walks are limited to 20 people. As these events are popular and fill quickly, please limit your registration to one free member event per month. Contact Kellye Rosenheim at [email protected] or call 212-691-7483 x306 to register.

SONGS OF CENTRAL PARK birding under the guidance of expert Audubon. Meet at Central Park CENTRAL PARK’S Wednesday, April 25, 7:30-9:30am Annie Barry. West and 72nd Street. NORTH WOODS Meet at Central Park West and Tuesday, May 8, 7:30-9:30am 72nd Street to seek out early SPRING WALK IN THE KIDS SPRING MIGRATION KIDS Join Director of Development spring migrants with Tom CENTRAL PARK RAMBLE MEMBER WALK IN CENTRAL PARK Kellye Rosenheim at Central Park Stephenson, author of The Tuesday, May 1, 7:30-9:30am Sunday, April 29, 3-4:30pm West and 100th Street to see what Warbler Guide and creator of the Meet at Central Park West and Meet at 72nd Street and Central the North Woods has to offer at BirdGenie smartphone app. 72nd Street. Explore the Ramble Park West and explore the park’s the peak of migration. with NYC Audubon Immediate best birding hotspots with Nancy EXPLORING GOVERNORS Past President Harry Maas and Ward, Kellye Rosenheim, and SPRING MIGRATION IN ISLAND marvel at spring migration. Jeff Ward. Walk is only for pre- ASTORIA PARK, QUEENS Friday, April 27, and registered KIDS Members 8-12 Sunday, May 13, 9-10:30am Monday, May 7, 8:30-10:30am SPRING MIGRATION WITH years old. All KIDS Members Meet NYC Audubon Board Take a look around one of the final JEFF KIMBALL must be accompanied by a parent Member Kellie Quiñones at the frontiers in New York City birding. Thursday, May 3, 7:30-9:30am or guardian. Please let us know entrance to Astoria Park at 19th Meet at the Governors Island Ferry Enjoy a spring walk through if you need a pair of binoculars. Street and Hoyt Avenue North (Battery Maritime Terminal near the Ramble with Jeff Kimball, To register, parents should email for a Mother’s Day walk seeking the Staten Island Ferry) for a short filmmaker of Birders: The Central [email protected]. out migrating birds (and possibly ride to the island and a morning of Park Effect and president of NYC resident monk parakeets).

Spring 2018 11 EVENTS AND ADVENTURES (CONTINUED)

BIRDING TOURS OF THE

• © David Speiser NORTH WOODS, CENTRAL PARK Mondays, April 23-May 21, OVERNIGHT TRIPS Wednesdays, April 25-May 23, and Fridays, April 27-May 25, • CAPE MAY SPRING • PUFFINS, WARBLERS, 5:30pm-7pm MIGRATION WEEKEND, NJ AND LOBSTER BOATS: THE Guide: Nadir Souirgi Saturday, April 28, 9am-Sunday, ENCHANTING COAST OF MAINE Meet at the 103rd Street and April 29, 7pm Saturday, May 26-Saturday, June 2 Central Park West entrance to Guide: Gabriel Willow Guide: Gabriel Willow the park. Discover birding in the Welcome the spring in lovely Explore Maine's “Country of the more serene northern part of Cape May, NJ, the East’s capital Pointed Firs”: land of lighthouses, Central Park during the height of of birding. On good spring quaint villages, and lobster songbird migration. No registration migration days, the area’s forests pounds—all nestled in a setting of necessary. No limit. Free and marshes are swarming with primeval pine forests, bogs, and warblers in breeding plumage. bucolic islands. Home to some • BIRD WALKS AT THE BATTERY, We’ll visit Cape May Point, Higbee of the East’s last true wilderness, SOUTHERN TIP OF MANHATTAN Beach, Cape May Meadows, Maine hosts populations of puffin, Atlantic Puffi n Tuesdays, April 24, May 1, 8, and more in search of returning bear, moose, shorebirds, and and 15, 8-9am songbirds, shorebirds, wading dozens of warbler species. Our • BASHAKILL, SHAWANGUNK Guide: Gabriel Willow birds, and terns—as well as exploration begins with three days NWR, AND DOODLETOWN, NY With The Battery Conservancy lingering winter visitors such as on the mainline coast, visiting the Saturday, June 9, 8am-Sunday, Meet at the Netherlands Memorial sea ducks and gannets. Transport saltmarshes and beaches to the June 10, 6pm Flagpole located at the entrance by passenger van included. south before heading to the beautiful Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy to Battery Park on the corner of Limited to 10. $340 ($50 single fishing village of Camden. From Warblers LLC Broadway, Battery Place, and State supplement) there we will explore nearby hills, Look for breeding Eastern Street. Join Gabriel Willow and The meadows, and marshes in search Meadowlarks, American Bitterns, Battery Conservancy to explore the • ASSATEAGUE/ of elusive rails, Upland Sandpiper, Cerulean Warblers, and more at diversity of migrating birds that find CHINCOTEAGUE WEEKEND and Nelson’s and Vesper Sparrow. these three great birding areas. An food and habitat in The Battery. Thursday, May 10-Sunday, May 13 The next four days we’ll stay at the overnight stay will facilitate being in RSVP preferred; visit tbcevents. Guide: Don Riepe Monhegan House Inn on enchanting the right spot at the right time. Bring eventbrite.com for more info. No With American Littoral Society Monhegan Island, where seeing over lunch for the first day, binoculars, limit. Free A great natural-history weekend on 30 warbler species in one day is not and a spotting scope (if you have the coast. See wild ponies, uncommon. Last but not least, we’ll one). Transport by passenger van • MORNING SPRING nesting Osprey and Bald Eagles, travel to a puffin nesting colony. included. Limited to 10. $325 ($75 MIGRATION WALKS IN dolphins, sika deer, migrating $1,950 ($595 single supplement) single supplement) CENTRAL PARK warblers, shorebirds, raptors, and Wednesdays, April 25-May 23, waders. Includes three nights' • MONTAUK SPRING WEEKEND • BASHAKILL, NEVERSINK, AND 7:30-10:30am lodging at Refuge Inn, breakfasts, Friday, June 1-Sunday, June 3 STERLING FOREST, NY Thursdays, April 26-May 24, a boat tour of marshes, a safari Guides: Mike Bottini, Mickey Cohen, Saturday, June 16, 8am-Sunday, 7:30-10:30am bus tour of backwater dunes, Don Riepe June 17, 6pm Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy guided hikes along beaches, With American Littoral Society Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC woods, and marshes, plus two Join us at the luxurious Montauk Warblers LLC This five-week series of walks will evening programs. For info and Manor and enjoy indoor/outdoor Look for breeding American Bitterns, observe the waves of birds passing reservations, contact Don Riepe heated pools, Jacuzzi, and spacious Cerulean, Hooded, and Golden- through Central Park during spring at 718-474-0896 or donriepe@ suites. Registration price includes winged Warblers, and more at migration. Limited to 15. $143 (100) gmail.com. $395 ($150 single five meals, five guided field trips, these three great birding areas. An per series supplement, approximately $95 for two evening slide programs, an overnight stay will facilitate being in van transport) evening star watch and free pickup the right spot at the right time. Bring • SPRING MIGRATION at the LIRR station in Montauk. lunch for the first day, binoculars, MORNING WALKS IN For information and reservations, and a spotting scope (if you have CENTRAL PARK contact Don Riepe at 718-474-0896 one). Transport by passenger van Fridays, April 27, May 4, 11, or [email protected]. $395 ($140 included. Limited to 10. $325 ($75 and 18, 8-10am single supplement) single supplement) Guide: Gabriel Willow Join Gabriel Willow for a spring morning walk in Central Park to 12 www.nycaudubon.org welcome the arrival of warblers, are inseparable. • WOODCOCK MOON PROWL • BIRD WALK IN THE NORTH vireos, tanagers, cuckoos, and other Influential birders such as Roger Tory AT JAMAICA BAY WOODS OF CENTRAL PARK species stopping off in the Park Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank Sunday, April 29, 7-10:30pm Saturday, May 5, 7-11am for a rest and a snack on their way got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s Guide: National Park Ranger Guide: Tod Winston north. We will explore the Ramble ecologically diverse grounds. With American Littoral Society, Explore the peaceful North Woods and surrounding areas, as well as These walks celebrate the tradition Gateway National Recreation Area and Loch at the height of spring stop for a rest and enjoy a snack set by these great ornithologists. Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife songbird migration. We'll look (and ourselves at the Boathouse. Limited Participants will look for various Refuge. Join a park ranger to listen listen) for warblers, vireos, tanagers, to 15. $36 (25) per walk species of residents and migrants and look for the aerial courtship grosbeaks, and more. Limited to 15. and discuss a wide range of avian displays of the American Woodcock $36 (25) • SPRING MIGRATION AT topics. For more information, under the full moon. The sky dance JAMAICA BAY call 212-691-7483. No registration of this cryptic bird is one of spring's • STERLING FOREST WARBLERS, Saturday, April 28, 10am-1pm necessary. No limit. Free marvels. For more information and ORANGE COUNTY, NY Guide: Don Riepe reservations, call 718-318-4340. To Sunday, May 6, 7am-3pm With American Littoral Society, • AFTERNOON SPRING inquire about van transportation Guides: Don Riepe, Tod Winston Gateway National Recreation Area WALK AT INWOOD HILL PARK, from Manhattan, call NYC Audubon Explore the woodland and pond Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife MANHATTAN at 212-691-7483 x304. No limit. Free habitat of the 20,000-acre Sterling Refuge during peak spring Saturdays, April 28 and May 5, 2-5pm Forest preserve during peak spring migration for a slide program and Guide: Nadir Souirgi • BIRDS, TECHNOLOGY, migration. Look for nesting warblers, hike around the reserve to look for Inwood Hill Park is a jewel. Nestled AND CITIZEN SCIENCE: eBIRD as well as spring wildflowers, reptiles, many species of migratory birds. For between the Hudson River, Dyckman WORKSHOP and amphibians. Trip involves four- reservations, contact Don Riepe at Street, and Seaman Avenue, this last Thursday, May 3, 7-8:30pm mile hike and some rocky terrain. 718-474-0896 or donriepe@gmail. tract of largely undeveloped oak and Instructor: Gabriel Willow Bring lunch and water. Transport by com. No limit. Free tulip forest transports you to another Birders increasingly use passenger van included. Limited to world and another time. Glacial "pot technological tools to locate birds, 12. $115 (80) • QUEENS BOTANICAL GARDEN holes," towering trees, and stunning share their sightings, and keep BIRD WALKS river views create an unrivaled track of their observations. The • SPRING MIGRATION ON Saturdays, April 28, May 19, and backdrop for observing the many most widely used of these tools RANDALL’S ISLAND June 9, and Sundays, May 6 and 27, migratory and breeding avian species is eBird, a website and app that Sunday, May 6, 9am-2pm 9:30-10:30am that are drawn to this hotspot. Rose- allows users to upload and track Guides: Gabriel Willow, Randall’s Guide: NYC Audubon breasted Grosbeak, Wood Thrush, their sightings and see what other Island Park Alliance Staff With Queens Botanical Garden and Yellow Warbler breed here, and users have found. It’s also a citizen- With Randall’s Island Park Explore Queens Botanical Garden the Park includes Manhattan's last science tool that pools all the Alliance in search of migrant songbirds and remaining tidal saltmarsh. Limited to data, allowing scientists to study We’ll walk across the footbridge to learn about the valuable resources 15. $36 (25) per walk trends in bird population trends, Randall’s Island, an under-explored the Garden offers birds and other migration timing, and more. Learn location in the East River that hosts wildlife. Binoculars available. • BIRDING GEMS OF STATEN how to use eBird and other modern restored freshwater wetlands and Register for one date or the whole ISLAND: SPRING HIKE technological tools such as field saltmarsh. We’ll look for spring series of five walks (walk-ins IN THE GREENBELT guide apps and automated bird ID migrants (both water birds and land welcome). To register, email info@ Sunday, April 29, 9:30am-3pm apps. Limited to 12. $33 (23) birds) as we explore the results of queensbotanical.org or visit www. Guide: Cliff Hagen recent restoration efforts. Limited to queensbotanical.org/calendar. Each With NYC Parks and the • INTRODUCTION TO 20. $40 (28) walk limited to 25. Free with Garden Greenbelt Conservancy BIRD SONG admission Explore trails in the 3,000-acre Staten Class: Friday, May 4, 6:30-8:30pm • BIRDING GEMS OF STATEN Island Greenbelt with Cliff Hagen Trip: Sunday, May 6, 8am-noon ISLAND: SPRING MIGRATION AT • VAN CORTLANDT BIRD WALKS, and visit High Rock Park, Walker Instructor: Joe Giunta, Happy FRESHKILLS PARK THE BRONX Pond, and the Pouch Camp property: Warblers LLC Sundays, May 6 and 20, 8am-3pm Saturdays, April 28-July 21, 143 acres of unspoiled woods and Do you ever wonder who is singing? Guide: Cliff Hagen 9-10:30am wetlands. Look for spring migrants Learn to identify the large variety With NYC Department of Parks & Guide: NYC Audubon and learn about the Greenbelt’s of migrant and resident birds in Recreation With the Van Cortlandt Park ecology. Trip involves approximately New York City. Joe Giunta will first From wetlands to woodlands to rich, Conservancy three and half miles of hiking. Van introduce you to the subtleties rolling grasslands, Freshkills Park Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature transportation from the Staten of bird-song identification in the offers a diverse collection of habitats Center. The history of birding and Island St. George Terminal included. classroom, followed by a field trip in and wildlife. On a spring day, over Limited to 19. $43 (30) Central Park to bird by eye and ear. Limited to 12. $72 (50) . . . CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 Spring 2018 13 EVENTS AND ADVENTURES (CONTINUED)

100 species of birds and a variety • PEAK MIGRATION DAY AT ALLEY kettle ponds to search for warblers • NESTING PEREGRINES AND RED- of butterflies can be seen here. Join POND PARK AND JAMAICA BAY and vireos, then hike the trails TAILS OF THE UPPER WEST SIDE, local naturalist Cliff Hagen and Tuesday, May 15, 8am-4pm of Jamaica Bay to see migrant MANHATTAN NYC Parks Department staff on Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy shorebirds, waterfowl, and more. Saturday, May 19, 1-4pm this special opportunity to explore Warblers LLC Bring lunch and water. Transport by Guide: Gabriel Willow the deep, secret places of the City's Join Joe Giunta for this tour of the passenger van included. Limited to Many New Yorkers are astonished to latest, greatest park. Transport by crown jewels of Queens: Alley Pond 12. $115 (80) discover that their city of steel and passenger van from the Staten Park and Jamaica Bay. First visit glass is home to a diverse population Island St. George Terminal included. Alley Pond’s wooded grounds and of large birds of prey: the City boasts Limited to 12. $50 (35)

• SPRING WARBLERS Class: Friday, May 11, 6:30-8:30pm Trip: Sunday, May 13, 8-11am KINGSLAND WILDFLOWERS EVENTS Instructor: Joe Giunta, Happy

Warblers LLC © NYC Audubon First learn to identify the 30-plus BIRDING BY THE BRIDGE: IN species of warblers that migrate SEARCH OF EVERY BIRD ON THE through our area each spring using BROOKLYN WATERFRONT field marks and other techniques. Presentation by Heather Wolf Then reinforce what you’ve learned Thursday, April 19, 6-8pm on a field trip in Central Park. When avid birder Heather Wolf Limited to 15. $72 (50) moved from tropical to an apartment near Brooklyn Bridge • SPRING MIGRANTS Park, she wondered how many AT INWOOD HILL PARK, species she might see there, MANHATTAN and soon came to a surprising Kingsland Wildfl owers in Full Bloom, June 21, 2017 Saturday, May 12, 9-11:30am realization: not only is the park Guide: Annie Barry filled with an astonishing variety of EARTH DAY BIOREMEDIATION we open Kingsland Wildflowers to Join Annie Barry for a hike through a birds, but the challenges that come LECTURE AND WORKSHOP the general public. Free mature forest in search of kinglets, with urban birding make them even With Newtown Creek Alliance warblers, flycatchers, sparrows, and more fun—and rewarding—to Sunday, April 22, 12-4pm KINGSLAND WILDFLOWERS other migrants and residents. We’ll find. Join us as Brooklyn birder and Join Newtown Creek Alliance for SENSORIUM then head to the shores of recently author Heather Wolf shares tips for an afternoon of hands-on learning Saturday, June 2, Time TBA restored Muscota Marsh, the last birding in Brooklyn and talks about about the basics of healthy soils, Brooklyn-based artists Cara natural saltmarsh in Manhattan, to her book Birding at the Bridge: common contaminants, and Marie Piazza of Calyx Apothecary, search for herons and ducks. Some In Search of Every Bird on the ways to use natural methods in fashion designer Merica Lee, hilly walking required. Limited to 15. Brooklyn Waterfront. improving ecological function and and Marie Lockhart of Lockhart $36 (25) better protecting human health. An Embroidery team up to present FIELD DAY FRIDAYS introductory lecture will be followed you with a day of sensorial delights • RANDALL'S ISLAND With Newtown Creek Alliance by soil testing, seed-bomb making, to celebrate and support Kingsland BIRDING BONANZA Fridays, March 16, April 20, May and outdoor planting at a street in Wildflowers. Join us for a holistic Saturday, May 12, 10am-1pm 18, June 15, July 20, and Greenpoint. Learn more and register day that will stimulate your senses Guide: NYC Audubon August 17, 4-7pm at newtowncreekalliance.org. Free while playing with crafts and With Randall's Island Park Alliance Tour the roof and dig in the dirt supporting ecology, community, Meet at Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh, at these hands-on volunteer OPEN HOUSE SATURDAYS and preservation. For more south of Icahn Stadium. Randall's days maintaining the garden Saturdays, May 19, June 16, July 21, information, email njackson@ Island is home to over 180 species with Newtown Creek Alliance. and August 18, 12-3pm nycaudubon.org. of birds. Enjoy a day of free, family- Learn more and register at www. Tour the native plant garden and visit friendly bird watching! Learn about newtowncreekalliance.org. Free our community engagement space as the amazing adaptations of birds as they thrive in the Island's restored All events take place at Kingsland Wildlflowers, located at 520 Kingsland Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. More events will habitats. No Limit. Free be posted throughout the spring on www.kingslandwildflowers.com. Funding provided by the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation through the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund.

14 www.nycaudubon.org the world’s highest densities of observe these species and many • EXPLORE THE huge flocks of brilliant green Monk the —the world’s more on their breeding grounds. MEADOWLANDS BY PONTOON Parakeets that nest there. Native fastest flyer—and a growing Bring lunch. Transport by passenger BOAT, SECAUCUS, NJ to South America, these charming population of Red-tailed Hawks van included. Limited to 12. $93 (65) Saturday, June 9, 7:30am-12:30pm immigrants flourish even in our harsh (several pairs of which have reached Guide: Tod Winston, NJ winters. Limited to 15. $46 (32) celebrity status). We’ll visit the • FRESHKILLS DISCOVERY DAY, Meadowlands Docent nesting site of a pair of each of STATEN ISLAND With NJ Meadowlands Commission EARLY MEMBER REGISTRATION these fascinating species, and Sunday, June 3, 11am-4pm Explore the Meadowlands on FOR UPCOMING EVENTS may glimpse parents feeding their Guide: NYC Audubon a relaxing pontoon boat ride in Summer to early fall events will chicks. Limited to 15. $36 (25) With NYC Department of search of egrets, night-herons, and be posted at www.nycaudubon. Parks & Recreation kingfishers—along with nesting org and available for registration • JAMAICA BAY SUNSET CRUISE At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park Osprey, Peregrine Falcons, and for contributing NYC Audubon Sunday, May 27, 5-8pm is almost three times the size of Marsh Wrens. We'll travel along members starting on Monday, Guide: Don Riepe Central Park and the largest park the Hackensack River to both May 7, at 9am. (Registration will With American Littoral Society and to be developed in New York City man-made and restored wetland open to all on Monday, May 21.) Gateway National Recreation Area in over 100 years. It also has a sites and learn about the area's Meet at pier 4 in Sheepshead Bay significant history as the site of environmental history. Bring to board the “Golden Sunshine.” the former Fresh Kills Landfill. The lunch. Transport by passenger van TO REGISTER FOR ALL NYC Learn about the Bay and its history, landfill has been covered with layers included. Limited to 11. $108 (75) AUDUBON EVENTS and for more management, and ecology. See of soil and infrastructure, and the information, visit www.nycaudubon. egrets, herons, ibis, terns, gulls, site has become a place for wildlife, • BREEDING BIRDS OF THE org or call Danielle Sherman at falcons, and shorebirds. Includes recreation, science, education, HUDSON HIGHLANDS, NY 212-691-7483 x304 unless otherwise wine and cheese, fruit, drinks, and art. Trails and paths normally Saturday, June 23, 8am-5pm specified. and snacks. For information and off-limits to the public will be open Guide: Gabriel Willow reservations, contact Don Riepe at on this day and offer views of the Join Gabriel Willow on a day-long IMPORTANT INFORMATION 718-474-0896 or donriepe@gmail. Park’s hills, creeks, and wildlife. trip to some of the most exciting • Contributing Members (Student/ com. Limited to 140. $55 Activities include guided bird and beautiful birding locations in Senior level and up) receive a walks, hiking, running, bike-riding, the Hudson Valley: Doodletown 30% discount on most local • THE BREEDING BIRDS kayaking, free shuttle buses into the Road, Constitution Marsh, and trips and classes (on discounted OF DOODLETOWN ROAD, Park and to the top of a hill offering Indian Brook Farm. We'll look events, the discounted price ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY panoramic views of New York, and for uncommon breeding warbler appears in parentheses after Friday, June 1, 8am-4pm educational tours and displays. Visit specialties at Doodletown, such as the nonmember price). See Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy www.freshkillspark.org for more Cerulean, Hooded, Blue-winged, membership form on page 22. Warblers LLC information. No limit. Free Golden-winged, and Worm-eating • Classes meet at 71 West 23rd A great variety of warblers and other Warblers. We will then head to Street, Suite 1523. songbirds, including species at • BIRDING GEMS OF STATEN the Constitution Marsh Audubon • For paid trips requiring advance risk, breed at Doodletown Road in ISLAND: CLOVE LAKES PARK Sanctuary, home to breeding registration, the meeting location . Hooded, Saturday, June 9, 8am-12pm Wood Ducks, Bald Eagles, Least will disclosed in your trip Cerulean, and Golden-winged Guide: Gabriel Willow Bitterns, Marsh Wrens, and more. registration confirmation email. Warblers may be seen, as well as Journey to the "forgotten borough" After a picnic lunch, we will drive • For all coach and van trips, the Indigo Buntings, Wild Turkeys, to discover some of the beautiful to Indian Brook Farm in search meeting location is in front of 71 and much more. Bring lunch and forests and incredible birding spots of breeding Field and Savannah West 23rd Street in Manhattan water. Transport by passenger van of Clove Lakes Park. Look for ducks Sparrows, Bobolinks, and Indigo unless otherwise specified. included. Limited to 12. $122 (85) and seabirds in New York Harbor on Buntings. Transport by passenger • We depart promptly at the stated our way across on the ferry and then van included. Limited to 12. $129 start time. • BREEDING BIRDS OF catch a bus to the Park. Warblers, (90) per trip • For all overnight trips, JAMAICA BAY tanagers, and other migratory membership in NYC Audubon at Saturday, June 2, 7am-1pm songbirds can be seen here, as well • THE PARAKEETS OF GREEN- the Student/ Senior level and up Guide: Tod Winston as nesting Eastern Screech-Owls WOOD CEMETERY, BROOKLYN is required. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is home and Great Blue Herons. We'll even Sunday, June 24, 10am-1pm to nesting Cedar Waxwings, Brown see one of the largest, oldest trees Guide: Gabriel Willow Thrashers, White-eyed Vireos, in New York City. Limited to 15. Bus With Green-Wood Cemetery Tree Swallows, Yellow Warblers, fare ($2.75 each way; please bring Explore Green-Wood Cemetery, American Redstarts, Osprey, Willet, your MetroCard or exact change) rich in both history and wildlife, and seven species of wading birds. not included in registration price. in search of spring migrants and We'll walk the refuge trails and $43 (30) its unique avian residents: the Spring 2018 15 STUDY MEASURES LIGHT’S DRAMATIC IMPACT ON BIRD MIGRATION Kellye Rosenheim

YC Audubon’s own Dr. Susan © Sean Sime counted the number of birds that become Elbin, director of conservation trapped in the beams. When the number rises Nand science, has co-authored an to more than 1,000 birds, Dr. Elbin asks the important paper about the impact of light producers to turn the lights out and allow the on nocturnally migrating birds for the peer- birds to re-orient themselves in the darkness reviewed journal Proceedings of the National and continue on their way. In each instance, Academy of Sciences. Other co-authors were the birds are able to recover and move on, Dr. Andrew Farnsworth, Cornell Lab of proving that the lights (two beams each with Ornithology researcher and NYC Audubon 44 xenon bulbs of 7,000 watts) are distract- advisory council member, and scientists from ing. For the past seven years, Dr. Elbin and , University of Oklahoma, Dr. Farnsworth have been collecting visual and Oxford University. Published in observations, radar images, and acoustic September 2017, the paper describes how the recordings. They recently synthesized the 9/11 memorial, the Tribute in Light, affects data and were able to model what the birds the fl ight patterns of nocturnally migrating were experiencing: disorientation by and at- birds from as far away as .5 kilometers and traction to the light. As stated in the paper, Volunteers Monitoring the Tribute in Light, as high as four kilometers in the air. In short, “The simulations revealed a high probability September 11, 2017 birds would change their normal fl ight path of disorientation and subsequent attraction to come closer to the strong artifi cial light early navigators, birds will use a star compass for nearby birds, and bird densities near the and become disoriented. to orient themselves in the right direction,” installation exceeded magnitudes 20 times NYC Audubon has monitored bird ac- says Dr. Elbin. “Birds also navigate using a greater than surrounding baseline densities tivity in the lights every year with the coop- geomagnetic map of the naturally occurring during each year’s observations.” eration of the Tribute’s producer, Michael forces of the earth. Artifi cial light may in- Dr. Elbin explains: “We now know that Ahern Production Services. “This is a mov- terfere with their ability to accurately receive artifi cial light at night draws migratory birds ing and powerful memorial to the people these wavelengths.” Dr. Elbin and her col- off their original fl ight trajectory—even who lost their lives on September 11, but it leagues realized that a study of the Tribute’s when the sky is clear and visibility is high—at was clear from the get-go that this was go- effects on birds could demonstrate in the great distances. We have seven years of data ing to pose a hazard to birds at the peak of clearest possible way artifi cial light’s effect to prove it. What do we do now? We advo- migration,” says Dr. Elbin. Birds use a va- on avian navigation. cate even more strongly against light pollu- riety of clues when navigating, and one of Since the Tribute’s inception in 2002, tion, starting with lights-out programs, and them is the stars of the night sky. “Like the NYC Audubon staff and volunteers have we especially do so during migration.” © Sean Sime © Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Susan Elbin (Left), Andrew Farnsworth (Right) Discussing Bird Identifi cations at the The images above were taken 20 minutes apart during the 2015 Tribute in Light and show 2017 Tribute in Light Memorial concentrations of birds on radar with light beams turned off (left) and turned on (right).

16 www.nycaudubon.org SAFE FLIGHT IPA TAKES OFF Andrew Maas

ete Lengyel, one of three brew- © Brian Casse/@idrinkgoodbeer ers who founded Kings County PBrewers Collective (KCBC) in 2016 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, was not always a birder. Growing up in , he craved the outdoors, visiting the beach and running through the canyons every chance he got. His interest in birds, however, took fl ight inside a Brooklyn apartment. As he and his friends looked for a movie one night to stream on Netfl ix, they came across the documentary Birders: The Central Park Effect by fi lmmaker and NYC Audubon Board President Jeff Kimball. The fi lm, which reveals the extraor- dinary array of wild birds in Central Park Kings County Brewers Collective’s Pete Lengyel Showing Off a Pint of Safe Flight IPA and elsewhere in the City during migration, dominated Pete’s life for the past decade, at Grand Central Station. The can, beauti- blew Pete and his friends away. “I had no now had company with this new obsession. fully designed by Pete’s girlfriend Patty Woo, idea there were all these gorgeous migratory Pete’s group, which he calls the ‘beerders,’ features facts about bird collisions with win- birds coming through the City.” Pete said. regularly bird in Prospect Park, Green-wood dows as well as a link to NYC Audubon’s “Most people don’t bother looking up, and I Cemetery, or hop in a car to travel upstate. Project Safe Flight webpage. “We wanted guess we hadn’t noticed them either.” When describing the allure of birding, Pete to reach people who aren’t necessarily bird- The very next day, Pete and his friends quotes NYC Audubon Board Member Chris watchers or interested in conservation and bought binoculars and tried them out in Cooper in the Birders documentary: “It’s the nature to at least drink a beer and realize this nearby Prospect Park. The day after, they thrill of the hunt, without the bloodshed.” is happening and there are ways to prevent took a guided walk in Central Park, where Pete was given a membership to NYC it,” Pete said. In addition to raising aware- they saw their fi rst warbler, a Black-and- Audubon as a Christmas gift later that year, ness, the beer also raised signifi cant funds. white. They were hooked. Beer, which had and soon learned of Project Safe Flight, our Through sales of the brew, KCBC donated program working to safeguard the City’s mi- $3,630 to support Project Safe Flight. They gratory birds from collisions with glass. He also generously donated the beer for the Fall FILM SCREENINGS AT KCBC was taken aback after learning that hundreds Roost and other NYC Audubon events. Thursdays, April 26 and May 10, 7pm of millions of birds die annually in the U.S KCBC and NYC Audubon celebrated Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC) from hitting windows. “It was shocking that the beer’s launch last fall with a screening of 381 Troutman Street, Brooklyn, NY there were so many birds dying for noth- The Messenger documentary about the conser- Join us during spring migration at KCBC in ing,” Pete said. He immediately reached out vation threats that imperil songbirds around Bushwick, Brooklyn to learn about the many to NYC Audubon to see how he and KCBC the world. The event proved to be a great conservation issues threatening migratory could help raise awareness and fi nd solutions way to spread awareness about birds and birds as we screen two important films: to the problem. “We don’t have any money conservation to a new audience. Because of Birders: The Central Park Effect on Thursday, yet,” Pete explained. “But we do have beer.” its success, KCBC and NYC Audubon will April 26 and Saving Jamaica Bay on Thursday, With that in mind, Pete created a spe- again be collaborating this spring to host two May 10. The screening will be followed by a cial brew in partnership with NYC Audu- more fi lm screenings where you can learn Q + A panel with filmmakers, NYC Audubon bon last fall: Safe Flight IPA. The beer was a more about birds and conservation issues ecologists, and KCBC brewer Pete Lengyel. featured draft at KCBC’s taproom in Bush- while savoring delicious brews. (See the side- Ages 21 and up. For more information, email wick, where it proved to be a hit and sold bar for more information.) And come this [email protected]. Limited to 150. out quickly. Over 4,500 pints of the beer fall, Pete will be brewing up a new batch of This event is free and open to the public. were canned and distributed to local stores Safe Flight IPA for fall migration. including Whole Foods and the Beer Table Spring 2018 17 TAKE A GUIDED TOUR OF THE AUDUBON MURAL PROJECT © Photos: Mike Fernandez/Audubon Sundays, March 18, April 15, May 20, 10am-12pm Guide: Leigh Hallingby The Audubon Mural Project is an exciting effort by National Audubon and Gitler &_____ Gallery to create murals of over 300 birds in the northern Manhattan neighborhoods of Hamilton Heights and Wash- ington Heights. As all the birds painted are threatened by climate change, the project is designed not only to help us appreciate the beau- ty of the birds, but also make us aware of the challenges they face. In addition to seeing about 30 murals, we will visit John James Audubon’s impressive gravesite in the . Binoculars will be an asset on this walk. Limited to 25. $30 (20)

Support for these tours is provided by Audubon New York through the Norman Shapiro Collaborative Grant. This award is given annually to a local New York state chapter in honor of Norman Shapiro, whose leadership for his local chapter Orange County Audubon, the Audubon New York state office, and the Audubon Council of New York personified collaboration and “One Audubon.” is honored to receive this award and make people aware of the threats from climate From top, left to right: Roseate Spoonbill by Danielle Mastrion, Red- faced Warbler by ATM, Pinyon Jay by Mary Lacy, Osprey by Soten change through the mural project.

BROWN THRASHER (TOXOSTOMA RUFUM) Carol Peace Robins © Laura Meyers t’s those deep yellow eyes that get you. and beetles. They also eat caterpillars, grass- If, that is, you manage to spot the Brown hoppers, snails, frogs, berries, seeds, and I Thrasher hiding in the dense thickets acorns—cracking open the nuts by pounding and forest edges, where it likes to forage in them with their bills. the earth. You may even see and hear one As parents, both the male and female singing at the top of a tall tree. It is a most are involved in family care, from building talented mimic, with over 1,100 songs—one a nest—usually low in a shrub or on the of the largest repertoires of any songbird in ground—to taking turns incubating the eggs North America. and feeding their young, for whom they’re Compared to two other famous mimics, fi erce guardians. Humans and dogs beware! the Gray Catbird and the Northern Mocking- Brown Thrashers are not long-distance bird, the Brown Thrasher is slightly larger: travelers. Those in the South stay put year- almost one foot long. It wears a somewhat round, while those that nest in the North fl y a severe expression due to its heavy, down- bit further south in winter. Fairly common in curved bill, and has long, thick-set legs— the Northeast, Brown Thrasher sightings in ideal for covering a lot of ground. Reddish New York City have decreased signifi cantly brown on the back from the top of its head in recent decades. You can still fi nd them to the tip of its long tail, it has dark streaks in the City during all seasons, most likely in on its whitish underparts. And oh, those parks and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. piercing yellow eyes. Last, a bit of trivia: In 1928, the school- Brown Thrashers enjoy a varied diet. children of Georgia selected the Brown In thickets and shrubbery, they fl ip away Thrasher as the state bird. It must have been dead leaves and dig in the soil for worms those yellow eyes. 18 www.nycaudubon.org BTOOKHE A RUDUBONEVIEWS U RBAN C OLLABORATIVE N MaryETWORK Jane Kaplan and Meryl Virginia Greenblatt Carter

unning an urban conserva- are integral to this effort. “Our other big an annual meeting. At the 2017 gathering, tion nonprofi t organization with issue is large populations of feral cats,” adds held in Portland, OR, the AUCN outlined a R several thousand members has its Kathryn. “Cats, along with building colli- series of goals for member chapters to make challenges. For NYC Audubon, this includes sions, are the greatest causes of bird deaths the network more effective. While tentative, ensuring a robust science program; planning in cities.” these goals include focusing on creating a walks, trips, classes and events; budgeting; Urban chapters also share program- strong peer network, sharing best practices fundraising; serving and retaining a staff, matic goals like expanding educational and knowledge, providing a collective voice a board, and members; and, of course, outreach and increasing equity, diversity, and on issues of common concern, and repre- handling day-to-day offi ce operations. inclusion across their membership rosters, senting the best interests of birds at the Having peers to turn to for guidance and boards, and audiences. Working in concert local, regional, metropolitan, and national advice is essential. In NYC Audubon’s case, with others similarly situated can really make levels. The AUCN also changed the C in the Audubon Urban Collaborative Network, a difference when you’re trying to promote AUCN from ‘Chapter’ to ‘Collaborative.’ or AUCN, is at hand. big-idea initiatives and enact change with a “AUCN provides the opportunity for The AUCN is a loose-knit commu- small staff and a frugal budget. executive directors to share ideas, leverage nity of some 20 urban Audubon chapters AUCN meetings are held monthly over knowledge, and gain professional expertise from across the country. Covering cities like the phone and once yearly in person, with on better managing chapters,” says Kathryn, Seattle, San Diego, Portland, San Francisco, chapters rotating the opportunity to host “As a peer network, it’s invaluable.”

Atlanta, and , together they boast © Nick Hardigg about 80,000 members who have urban wild bird conservation in common. Formed in 2004 by a handful of chapters as the Audubon Urban ‘Chapter’ Network, the organization focuses on shared urban issues not prominent on National Audubon’s list of priorities. “Take bird colli- sions with buildings,” says Kathryn Heintz, NYC Audubon’s executive director. “This is a major problem in cities, and is related to curtailing artifi cial light and implementing lights-out programs to help birds navigate safely through urban landscapes during Atop the Green Roof Habitat at the Oregon Health & Science University Center for Health migratory seasons.” Encouraging bird- & Healing: John Brosnan (Seattle Audubon); Nick Hardigg (Audubon Society of Portland); friendly building design, minimizing outdoor Staff Member (Oregon Health & Science University); Chris Redfern (San Diego Audubon); and interior lighting, developing green roofs, Cindy Margulis (Golden Gate Audubon); Kathryn Heintz (NYC Audubon); Jim Bonner and promoting green urban infrastructure (Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania); and Bob Sallinger (Audubon Society of Portland)

REMEMBER THE BIRDS

ake sure that New York City remains a haven for the birds and wildlife you love. A bequest is a generous and straightforward way to safeguard birds and their habitat in New York City’s fi ve boroughs. It can be expressed as, “I bequeath [a sum of Mmoney or a percentage of my estate] to New York City Audubon Society, Inc., a not-for-profi t organization with offi ces at 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1523, New York, NY 10010.” To learn more, contact Director of Development Kellye Rosenheim at [email protected] or 646-502-9611.

Spring 2018 19 BOOK REVIEWS Mary Jane Kaplan and Virginia Carter

f the somewhat grandiose title of Noah local guide he lined up to meet him at airports BIRDING WITHOUT BORDERS: AN Strycker’s book Birding Without Borders and provide a vehicle (and often a place to OBSESSION, A QUEST, AND THE Ileaves you unimpressed, take a look at the sleep) proved reliable and superbly informed BIGGEST YEAR IN THE WORLD inside cover. It shows a map of the author’s about where to fi nd the birds. Buoyed by new By Noah Strycker travels during 2015, when he set out to beat technologies and the expansion of worldwide the previous record of 4,341 species for a birding travel by Westerners, experts have Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, worldwide “Big Year.” Another indication of evolved almost everywhere. 2017 Mr. Strycker’s mind-blowing feat is the list at For readers already aware of the daunting the back of the 6,042 species he saw during challenges to nature found around the globe, his Big Year: it fi lls 50 double-columned pages. it may be a relief that Mr. Strycker doesn’t In the text itself, his entries are mostly give a lot of space to that subject. The trip, he limited to a quick rundown of the species writes, was not “meant to be a commentary on seen in a particularly birdy area, but a few worldwide habitat destruction and conserva- special and/or rare birds get full descriptions. tion, though I witnessed plenty of both. It was, The most striking may be that of the fabled pure and simple, a celebration of birds, in all Harpy Eagle, which the author fi nally saw after their fascinating detail.” spending an entire morning under its nest in Records are made to be beaten, of course. central Brazil. The length of that wait inspires a Already in March of his Big Year, he learned portrayal of birding that is sometimes painfully of a Dutch birder, Arjan Dwarshuis, who was accurate: “A game of patience punctuated by planning his own quest. (Dwarshuis indeed sharp moments of excitement.” topped Strycker’s record the following year, Despite fi ve months of careful planning, identifying 6,833 species). Strycker handles the the author encountered formidable problems competition with aplomb, noting that as DNA along the way: visa mix-ups, plane cancellations, testing expands the number of taxonomical vehicle breakdowns, dirty clothes, sleepless- splits, the record will become even easier to ness. One element of his planning, however, surpass. —MJK worked out almost fl awlessly: nearly every

THE NATURE FIX: WHY NATURE s a devout nature lover, avid birder, evolution and an antidote to today’s sensory and admitted Luddite, I opened The overload from technology. MAKES US HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, Nature Fix by Florence Williams with Balancing Williams’s highly scientifi c AND MORE CREATIVE A some trepidation. Hers is a complex world of research is her bright and approachable writing By Florence Williams synapses, neurochemistry, brain fl ow, olfactory style. She is a deft storyteller and includes W. W. Norton & Company, triggers, and the many technologies examining many quirky accounts of her fi eld experiences 2017 “our brains on nature.” She uses modern and compatriots. Hilarious photos and incisive scientifi c methods to explore our well-being quotes begin every chapter. and our co-evolutionary roots in nature, as Could modern technology really help us well as provide the chemical facts underlying explain something as seemingly mystical as the “feelings” we experience when in nature. one’s attachment to the natural world? Though She quotes (among others) E.O. Wilson, “In skeptical initially, I fi nished the book a believer. short, the brain evolved in a bio-centric world” Williams makes a good case that without a to underscore how much our potential and sense of connection to the natural world we brain capacity are deeply rooted in the “fi x” are compromising the fullest potential of our we get from nature. brain for deep thought, and that on the most Williams tells the story as a kind of quest, fundamental level we are wired into water, soil, seeking an East/West cultural approach to plants, and animals. Scientifi c measurements understand how experiences in nature— verify what we already know to be true: being including the need to protect, preserve, and in nature makes you feel more alive. —VC cultivate time in nature—are necessary to our 20 www.nycaudubon.org WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FIND A YOUNG OR INJURED BIRD

rom time to time, you may come © Barbara Krizman/Audubon Photography Awards wings, bleeding, wings drooping unevenly, across a young or injured bird that weak or shivering), it needs to be taken to Fneeds assistance. It is important to a wildlife rehabilitator. You can fi nd a list follow proper steps to make sure you are of rehabilitators in New York City at www. helping these birds and not further harming nycaudubon.org/animal-hospitals-and- them. rehabilitation. If you are unable to take the If you fi nd a bird, fi rst determine its bird to a rehabilitator yourself, call NYC age. If the bird is not fully feathered, it is Audubon at 212-691-7483 to see if someone a nestling and needs to be returned to its from our network of volunteers can pick up nest. Contrary to popular belief, birds do the bird and transport it. (See Volunteer! on not have a well-developed sense of smell, page 5 for information on how to become a and therefore the parents won’t know if the volunteer bird transporter.) baby has been touched by humans and will If a bird has hit a window and is still Fledglings, like these Tree Swallows pictured not abandon it. If the nest is intact, put the alive, it may just be stunned and need a above, feature fuzzy, short down feathers on baby back in and watch from a distance to little time to regain its senses, after which the body and short tails and wings. see if the parents are visiting the nest. If you it may be able to fl y away. If there are cats cannot fi nd or reach the nest, you can put the young bird, its parents are far better at or other predators nearby, place the bird in the nestling in a box that has holes poked feeding it and teaching it survival skills than an enclosed bag or box and keep it in a safe, in the bottom for drainage and suspend the any human, and taking in a young bird of a quiet, dark place. In a few hours, or once box near where the nest is located. native species is illegal. you hear the bird begin to fl utter around, If the young bird is fully feathered, has An adult bird on the ground unable open the bag or box and place it on the a short tail and wings, and is able to hop or to fl y is probably injured. Slowly approach ground to give the bird a chance to fl y out. take short fl ights, it is a fl edgling and can the bird, and if it doesn’t fl y away when If the bird doesn’t fl y away on its own, it most likely be left alone. Young birds often you’re within 10 feet or so, you can assume needs to be taken to a wildlife rehabilitator. leave the nest with weak fl ight muscles and something’s wrong. Approach the bird from Just as important as saving the bird, you can are fed outside the nest for a few days by behind and scoop it up fi rmly. Carefully put also make a valuable contribution to our their parents. If the bird is in immediate it in a box with a lid or a towel over the top Project Safe Flight research and contribute danger (for example, it is on a sidewalk or (or better) in an unwaxed paper bag clipped to our understanding of bird collisions in road), move the bird off to a safer spot shut. Handle the bird as little as possible and New York City by logging the injured bird like the top of a bush or shrub nearby. do not force feed it or give it water. Birds on D-Bird, our crowd-sourced bird collision Do not return the bird to the nest; it has go into shock very easily when injured, and data collection tool, on your smartphone or outgrown its former home and will quickly often die from the shock. If the bird shows computer at www.d-bird.org. hop back out. Despite your urge to take in visible signs of injury (unable to fl utter

SPRING 2018 LECTURE SERIES All lectures are free and open to the public. This series has been made possible by the support of Claude and Lucienne Bloch.

BIRDING ANTARCTICA CONSERVATION PROGRAM UPDATE AND ANNUAL MEETING By Tom Stephenson By Susan Elbin, PhD, and Conservation Staff Thursday, March 15, 7pm Thursday, June 14, 6pm Reidy Hall at the Unitarian Church of All Souls The Arsenal, Central Park, Fifth Avenue at 64th Street, Third-Floor Gallery Lexington Avenue between 79th and 80th streets in Manhattan NYC Audubon conducts scientific monitoring in all five boroughs to Among the most exciting and exotic of all birding locales, Antarctica also understand how birds are using our urban environment and how this offers some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences. Join environment affects them, via Project Safe Flight, our Jamaica Bay pro- NYC Audubon Board Member Tom Stephenson to learn about travel- gram, and our Harbor Herons project. Join us as Dr. Susan Elbin and ing to the world’s southernmost continent and see stunning photos of our conservation team provide updates on what this research has taught penguins, albatross, skuas, giant icebergs, and much more. Tom is the us in the past year. Our board election and annual meeting will precede author of The Warbler Guide, inventor of the Bird Genie app, noted lec- the lecture. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. turer, and birdwalk leader for the Brooklyn Bird Club and NYC Audubon.

Spring 2018 21 SUPPORT NYC AUDUBON’S MISSION NEWS & NOTES

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO PROTECT NEW YORK CITY’S WILD BIRDS LOOK FOR AND REPORT SIGNS OF INVASIVE EMERALD n addition to becoming a member or GIVE A MATCHING GIFT ASH BORER making a one-time donation, there Supporters can double or triple the value of The emerald ash borer, a voracious Iare several ways to play a larger role donations through their employers’ matching beetle that kills North American in supporting NYC Audubon’s mission to gift programs. Contact your company’s ash trees, was discovered this fall in protect wild birds and their habitat in the fi ve personnel offi ce to learn how. Be sure to Prospect Park. Infected trees that boroughs of New York City: specify New York City Audubon as the succumbed to this infestation have designee. been removed from the park, but your GIVE MONTHLY help is needed in preventing the bug’s Provide ongoing monthly support to ensure LEAVE A LEGACY further spread to New York City’s our birds are protected throughout the year. When you designate New York City Audubon more than 51,000 ash trees. One sign You can make a huge difference for as little as a benefi ciary in your will, IRA, life insurance of infection is profuse woodpecker as $5 per month. See the membership form policy, or investment/bank account, your gift activity on an ash tree. Woodpeckers below or donate online at www.nycaudubon. will support the conservation of the birds feed aggressively on the borers’ larvae org/donate. you love for many years to come. Visit www. that tunnel beneath the bark. Learn nycaudubon.org/leave-a-legacy, or contact more about this issue and report BECOME A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN us to learn more. For more information on a suspected infestations (taking pictures KESTREL CIRCLE bequest, see the REMEMBER THE BIRDS box on if possible) by completing the form Soar above the rest by making a donation page 19. at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7253. of $2,500 or more. American Kestrel Circle html. You can also call New York Patrons enjoy special access and exclusive To learn more about any of the above, contact State Department of Environmental tours. See the membership form below or Director of Development Kellye Rosenheim Conservation’s Forest Health donate online at www.nycaudubon.org/ at [email protected] or 646-502- Information line at 866-640-0652 or donate. Contact us to learn more. 9611. Save paper, time, and money by making email fi [email protected]. your contribution online 24/7 at www. nycaudubon.org/support-us. STAFF NEWS Many thanks to Erin Geddes for her MAKE A DIFFERENCE Contributing members are essential to our conservation and outreach work. contributions to NYC Audubon as our As a member of NYC Audubon, you will receive The Urban Audubon newsletter and The eGret email development associate. We wish her newsletter; enjoy discounts on field trips and classes; and make a difference in helping to protect the the best in her new role as executive City’s wildlife and natural areas. assistant at the National Museum [ ] I would like become a member by making a recurring donation in the amount of $______of Mathematics (MoMath). We are each month. I would like to become a member by making a one-time donation: pleased to welcome Leo Wexler-Mann [ ] American Kestrel Circle $2,500 [ ] Conservationist $250 [ ] Supporter $100 to fi ll our development associate role. [ ] Family $75 [ ] Dual $50 [ ] Friend $25 [ ] Student/Senior(65+)$15 Born and raised in St. Paul, , [ ] Dual Senior (65+) $30 [ ] New [ ] Renewal Leo is a New York City-based pianist, [ ] Additionally, I would like to make a donation to NYC Audubon in the amount of $ ______. composer, and podcaster. Since [ ] I’m already a member but would like to make a gift in the amount of $ ______. graduating from Juilliard in 2015, Leo has worked as a collaborative pianist, Name: ______an archive assistant for the New York Philharmonic, and a Address: ______music teacher. Leo spent much of his childhood in Minnesota, Phone: H: ______C: ______Email: ______learning species’ calls and behavior. It’s a love that has stayed with him to this [ ] Enclosed is my check payable to NYC Audubon [ ] Charge my credit card: [ ] VISA [ ] MC [ ] AMEX [ ] DSC day; Hermit Thrushes pop up regularly in his music. He looks forward to CARD #: ______Exp. Date: ______Security Code: _____ Mail this form with your payment to: meeting NYC Audubon members out NYC Audubon • 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1523 • New York, NY 10010 in the park and at lectures and other outreach events. Membership in NYC Audubon does not include National Audubon membership or Audubon Magazine. Donations to NYC Audubon are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. NYC Audubon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

22 www.nycaudubon.org ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

NYC Audubon’s conservation work and public programs are made possible by philanthropic contributions from members, friends, corporations, foundations, and government agencies. We are grateful to all those who have sustained our work this past season, including the 1,087 members and donors whose individual gifts in amounts up to $2,499 collectively provided $130,454 in support of our mission from June 1 to December 31, 2017.

AMERICAN KESTREL Elizabeth Weinshel National Fish and Wildlife Whitney Donhauser Alan Steel CIRCLE Sam Wertheimer & Pamela Foundation Eagle Optics Stew Leonard’s Tylee Abbott Rosenthal National Park Service Eagle Street Rooftop Farm Tom Stephenson Gina Argento Elizabeth Woods & Charles The Nature Conservancy El Buho Mezcal Paul Sweet Tony Argento Denholm New York Community Trust Susan Elbin Karen Walsh Gabrielle & Louis Bacon John Anthony Wright New York State Department Victor Emanuel Nadine Westcott Rob Bate & Tracy Meade of Environmental EmmaPyleArt Laura Whitman & Thomas Karen Benfield & John CORPORATIONS, Conservation Alexander Ewing & Wynn Danziger Zucker FOUNDATIONS, AND Patagonia Senning Wildtones.com Claude & Lucienne Bloch GOVERNMENT AGENCIES Robert and Joyce Menschel Fishs Eddy MaryJane Boland Achelis Foundation Family Foundation Four & Twenty Blackbirds Society Ronald Bourque Amazon Smile Foundation Romemu Fuzzymug Gabriel Willow Marsilia A. Boyle Atlas Obscura U.S. Fish and Wildlife Joe Giunta Tod Winston Virginia Carter Bank of America Service Hatchetmade Wolf Conservation Center Sarah DeBlois & Arthur Sills Bay and Paul Foundation Company Kathryn Heintz Zeiss Althea Duersten Broadway Stages Foundation Cathy & Lloyd Heller Zen Threads Helena Durst William C. Bullitt Weinshel Goldfarb Irving Farm Coffee Roasters Alexander Ewing & Wynn Foundation Foundation Jacob K. Javits Convention TRIBUTE GIFT Senning Central Park Conservancy William C. Bullitt Center Sondra Brooks Marcia & Bruce Fowle The Chervenak-Nunnalle Foundation Deborah Jones Joyce Cleary Philip Fried & Bruce Foundation The Williams Companies Kategolding.ca Stephen Cleary Patterson Con Edison The Wood Thrush KeiandMolly Sandy Ewing Ronnie & Richard Grosbard The Dobson Foundation Foundation Scott Keller Marcia T. Fowle Nancy Hager The Durst Organization Jeff Kimball Herbert Garcia Ellen & Scott Hand The Eppley Foundation for IN-KIND DONATIONS Kings County Brewers Olivia Halpern Kathryn & Vincent G. Heintz Research Bloomberg LP Collective Pam Hogan Cathy & Lloyd Heller Federal Express Aida Alvarez Deborah Laurel Jeff Kimball David & Laurie Hodgson First Cornerstone AnnasDrawingRoom Librarian Artist Jean Pettibone Sarah Jeffords Foundation Art Goodies Wendy Ludwig Wynn Senning Tatiana Kaletsch FXCollaborative Babylonstoren Vineyard M & J Trimming Jeffrey Kimball & Pamela Greenpoint Community Banquet Atelier & Workshop Harry Maas MEMORIAL GIFTS Hogan Environmental Fund LTD MasterVoices John Alsano Lauren & Ethan Klingsberg Hudson River Foundation Karen Benfield & John Materials for the Arts Jean Bourque Jade Lau Investors Bank Foundation Zucker Rita McMahon John Endres Deborah Laurel Jacob K. Javits Convention Nora Benoliel Nicole Mollo Eva Kinne-Saffran Pete Lengyel Center Berkshire Mountain Museum of Modern Art Daniela Francisco Adrienne & Thomas Lynch Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Distillers Nike, Inc. Edith Rankin Gold Clay Maitland Conservancy Birdland North Circle Studio Jason Hittman Jennifer & Philip Maritz Kekst Birds & Beans Coffee OhLittleRabbit Rudy Hopkins Edith McBean Kimball Foundation Marsilia A. Boyle Garret Oliver Anne Ruane Andre Meade Kings County Brewers Peter Brant Patagonia James Stevenson Joyce Menschel Collective Bridgetfarmerprintmaker Production Glue Mary & Malcolm Morris Leaves of Grass Fund Broadway Stages Don Riepe BEQUESTS Lew & Sheila Rosenberg Leon Levy Foundation Brooklyn Brewery Rockjumper Estate of Helen Ann Mattin John & Heather Shemilt Lily Auchincloss Foundation Christine Burgin & William Roland Foods Estate of Ellen Wendy Weiss Fredric & Winnie Spar Manomet Center for Wegman Jeff & Kellye Rosenheim Alan Steel Conservation Sciences Canopy Camp Buddy Ryan Antonia Stolper & Bob The Marta Heflin ColorJoy3 Will Schragis Fertik Foundation Chris Cooper Second Stage Virginia Stowe Moore Charitable CrankosaurusPRESS John Shemilt Mike & Mary Tannen Foundation Crystal Cruises SKT Ceramics Stephen Varone National Audubon Society John Derian Nadir Souirgi

ANNUAL REPORT 2017 AVAILABLE ONLINE ON MARCH 30 With the support of our donors, partners, and volunteers, NYC Audubon continued growing and expanding its wide variety of conservation and outreach programs in 2017. See highlights of the past year’s initiatives and learn how NYC Audubon is making the City a healthier and more livable habitat for birds and people by viewing our Annual Report 2017, available on our website March 30 at www.nycaudubon.org/annual-report. To request a print copy, contact the office at 212-691-7483 or email [email protected].

Spring 2018 23 New York City Audubon NON-PROFIT 71 West 23rd Street ORGANIZATION Suite 1523 U.S. POSTAGE PAID New York, NY 10010 Permit No. 02743 New York, NY

DATED MATERIAL: Spring 2018 Newsletter

SPRING NYC SHOREBIRD BLITZ — SUNDAY, MAY 20 © Debra Kriensky ontribute to NYC Audubon’s conservation efforts by Chelping us take a one-day snapshot of spring shorebird activity throughout New York City. Scheduled for May 20, the NYC Shorebird Blitz is a citizen science initiative that aims to fi nd the total number of shorebirds using our City during a 24-hour period, helping us answer important conservation ques-

Lesser Yellowlegs and Stilt Sandpiper at Jamaica Bay

tions such as how many shorebirds are coming through our area during peak spring migration, how they are distributed throughout the City, what they are doing while here, and what disturbances they face. At last September’s NYC Fall Shorebird Blitz, 17 volun- teers counted over 6,000 shorebirds in one day throughout all fi ve boroughs. Whether you have been shorebirding for years or are a beginner, there are plenty of areas that need to be covered, so mark your calendars and start practicing your shorebird identifi cation. For more information or to get involved, email [email protected]. At last year’s Spring NYC Shorebird Blitz on May 21, 2017, volunteers monitored 29 different sites for shorebirds.

24 www.nycaudubon.org