The newsletter of City Audubon Fall 2014 / Volume XXXV No. 3

THE URBAN AUDUBON

TheThe GreeningGreening ofof SewageSewage OverflowsOverflows AreAre BatsBats ConveningConvening atat thethe JavitsJavits Center?Center?

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 1 8/13/14 12:30 PM NYC AUDUBON MISSION & VISION Mission: NYC Audubon is a grassroots President’s Perch Harrison Maas community that works for the protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. s this issue of The Urban Audubon goes to press, is full of fledgling Vision: NYC Audubon envisions a birds begging to be fed, leading us to reflect on the birds that nest in our area. day when birds and people in the AThe variety is astounding. Every borough has its fair share of breeders, including five boroughs enjoy a healthy, livable , its parks filled with nesting Baltimore orioles, warbling vireos, and eastern habitat. kingbirds. In a historical first, a female ruby-throated hummingbird was found this spring THE URBAN AUDUBON sitting on a nest in ’s Ramble—while a common tern colony continues to Editors Lauren Klingsberg & grow on . and are home to countless breeders as well: Marcia T. Fowle Spotted sandpipers breed in Queens’ , green herons in Brooklyn’s Prospect Managing Editor Tod Winston Newsletter Committee Lucienne Park, and oystercatchers and egrets thrive in . has its own bird-rich Bloch, Ned Boyajian, Suzanne Charlé, green spaces, such as and New York Botanical Garden, both home to Ellen Gerber, Catherine Heller, Lynne nesting great horned owls, and of course , its forests ringing with the Hertzog, Mary Jane Kaplan, Abby McBride, Sarah McGullam, Don Riepe, song of wood thrushes. The leader in terms of diversity and numbers, however, may be Carol Peace Robins , home to a spectacular range of wild habitats: The Greenbelt’s diverse spaces include , featuring nesting great blue herons, while North Mount Loretto Printing & Mailing Kase Printing, Inc. Design Whitehouse & Company Woods has hosted both whip-poor-wills and black-and-white warblers in recent years. Art Director Christina Rubin A surprising number of birds breed in New York City and stay here through the Publisher NYC Audubon dog days of summer. And of course vast numbers migrate through the City in spring and fall, stopping in our parks to feed and rest. Considerable numbers also use New York THE URBAN AUDUBON is published four times per year (spring, summer, City as their winter home. Birds and the City are a 365-day-a-year, 24/7 combination, fall, and winter) by New York City and as birders and conservationists, we monitor their fluctuating numbers with concern. Audubon Society, Inc. Many of us in the birding world were heartened this past spring by what seemed to be BOARD OF directors the best migration in years. In an age where birds of many species are declining, some President Harrison D. Maas precipitously, this spring’s migration, with its abundance of birds, was encouraging. But it Executive Vice President David Speiser also reminded us of the immense and difficult task before us, in protecting birds and their Vice President Richard T. Andrias Treasurer John Shemilt habitat and doing everything possible to stabilize, if not increase, bird populations across Secretary Marsilia A. Boyle the country, and indeed across the world. Immediate Past President Oakes Ames And this, of course, is NYC Audubon’s mission. We strive to protect our beaches, Directors Robert Bate, Clifford Case, our woodlands, and our open spaces in order to provide habitat in all seasons and protect Judy Craig, Alexander Ewing, Andrew Farnsworth, Marcia T. Fowle, Catherine our birdlife at all times, through such programs as Project Safe Flight, Lights Out New Heller, Lynne Hertzog, Sarah Jeffords, York, Harbor Herons, park restoration (such as McGolrick Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn), Jeffrey Kimball, Lauren Klingsberg, breeding bird surveys, and, of course, via our advocacy on behalf of birds and their habitat, Lawrence Levine, Eugene Nardelli, Fredric Spar, Tom Stephenson plus many other initiatives described in these pages or on our website (www.nycaudubon. org). With your help and support, NYC Audubon continues to make this city a better ADVISORY COUNCIL place to live, for both birds and people. Sarah Grimké Aucoin, Drianne Benner, Dr. Claude Bloch, Albert K. Butzel, Rebekah Creshkoff, Andrew Darrell, Joseph H. Ellis, Mary Jane Kaplan, Robert J. Kimtis, Kimberly Kriger, Janice Laneve, Pamela Manice, Mary Tyler NYC Audubon Welcomes New Executive Director Kathryn Heintz Moore, Peter Rhoades Mott, Dorothy We are happy to announce that Kathryn Heintz will commence work as NYC M. Peteet, Don Riepe, Lewis Rosenberg, James R. Sheffield, AlisonS trong Audubon’s new executive director on September 2. Kathryn served as director, principal gifts and annual fund, for the Wildlife Conservation Society for the past two years, where she was instrumental in building and implementing a campaign for elephant conservation and in developing new approaches for funding of global initiatives. From 2001 to 2012 she was director of development at in the Bronx. She brings a wealth of experience that will be invaluable to the organization. Kathryn, welcome to the NYC Audubon family. RECYCLED Supporting responsible use of forest resources

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 2 8/13/14 12:30 PM In This Issue Fall 2014 © R obert B rauman 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: Osprey ©Lloyd Spitalnik Small Banner Photographs: Susan Elbin, Steve Nanz, and Don Riepe *This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

© 6 L aura M eyers Features 6 The Greening of Sewage Overflows by Suzanne Charlé and Mary Jane Kaplan 14 The Observation Platform: Fall Birding at Its Best! by Lynne Hertzog

15 Adopts Long-Awaited Gateway 10 General Management Plan

© by Larry Levine D avid S peiser 16 NYC Audubon Welcomes New Board Members by Cathy Heller

17 Are Bats Convening at the Javits Center? by Ned Boyajian

15 18 Thank You to Summer Staff and Interns

©

M 20 The Fall Roost 2014 ichael D urham

* Departments

4 Conservation Notes 14 Book Review

5 Volunteer! 18 News & Notes 17 10 Events and Adventures 19 Acknowledgments 12 National/International Trips

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 3 8/13/14 12:30 PM Conservation Notes Susan Elbin

he primary goal of NYC Audubon’s tion, Toyota TogetherGreen, and the Neo- JAMAICA BAY conservation program is to focus ef- tropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, • Protect Sites Critical to Marsh-Nesting Tforts on activities that have the most NYC Audubon partnered with the Bryant Shorebirds significant impacts on priority bird species Park Corporation (BPC) to pilot a project Darren Klein was also instrumental in and their habitats. This past spring and sum- that asked the 31-member BPC mainte- helping summarize comments on the mer, our staff, research assistants, summer in- nance staff not only to remove dead birds, Gateway National Recreation Area (National terns, and citizen scientists have been hard at but also to report them using a new innova- Park Service) General Management Plan, work to achieve this goal. The principal activi- tive text-in system. As evidenced by data including comments on the final draft. ties are summarized below: from our regular monitoring efforts, Bryant Klein has been sending elected officials Park continued to be a collision hotspot; our comments, either by mail or in person. IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS AND birds found there included common yel- We were able to help formalize increased PROJECT SAFE FLIGHT lowthroats, ovenbirds, and thrush species. protection for bird species of conservation • Improve Stopover Habitat Quality: The maintenance staff reported several birds need. (See article on page 15.) A new project funded by the Greenpoint this spring, including a hermit thrush, an We continue our work with Shiloh Community Environmental Fund is our ovenbird, and an indigo bunting. This fall Schulte of the Manomet Center for first major effort to improve stopover we will work with BPC to expand this pro- Conservation Sciences (Manomet, MA) habitat for migratory songbirds and pol- gram to other areas of the City. to monitor and protect American linators. Working with the New York City oystercatchers on Breezy Point, islands Parks & Recreation staff at McGolrick • Seek Solutions to Issues Facing in Jamaica Bay, and on Arverne Beaches Park, Brooklyn, and NYC Parks & Recre- Migrating Birds by Monitoring Col- in the Rockaways. In early May, NYC ation Field Ecologist Alexander Summers lisions with Buildings and Glass and Audubon Research Associate Emilio Tobon as native plant consultant, NYC Audubon Increasing Scientific Understanding perfected his use of the “whoosh net.” We Research Assistant Kaitlyn Parkins and of Migration were able to catch, tag, and release 16 adult Intern Melanie del Rosario planned and NYC Audubon’s team of citizen science oystercatchers with this low-risk lure and planted a native plant garden that is not volunteers once again patrolled the streets trap system. Adult birds tagged in 2013 only good for birds and insects but is also of Manhattan for birds killed by collisions returned to nest in 2014. Productivity a beautiful neighborhood amenity. Volun- with glass. In addition to , the data are being analyzed for a multiyear teers from the area did the planting and final weeks of May proved deadly at the comparison. summertime maintenance of the garden. Metropolitan Museum of Art for a number NYC Audubon Intern Alison Kocek, Local school children, part of Audubon of Canada warblers, common yellowthroats, PhD student at SUNY Syracuse, continues to New York’s For the Birds program, ad- black-and-white warblers, hermit thrushes, conduct research on Staten Island, studying opted a section of the garden. ovenbirds, and even an orchard oriole. Once the ecology of one of NYC Audubon’s focal The 6.75-acre green roof atop the Jacob a highly problematic site, the Jacob K. Ja- species: saltmarsh sparrows. The continued K. Javits Convention Center might seem an vits Convention Center has experienced breeding of this species on Staten Island is unlikely avian stopover and nesting site, but reduced collisions since façade changes in- an indicator of habitat resilience in the face Fordham University PhD candidate Dustin cluded the replacement of highly reflective of sea level rise. Partridge, who led a biodiversity green roof glass with bird-friendly glass and stainless monitoring team, found herring gulls in steel panels. • Expand Opportunities for Citizen residence, with five pairs building nests. NYC Audubon Intern Darren Klein Science in Jamaica Bay Also, eastern red and silver-haired bats were created “D-Bird,” a web-based research In its sixth year, our migratory bird and recorded foraging over the roof (see article tool designed to collect crowd-sourced horseshoe crab program continues to be a on page 17) and a variety of arthropods (in- bird mortality data in the City. This new success. During the spring 2014 season cluding pollinators) were collected in traps. Project Safe Flight component allows the more than 60 citizen scientists joined us to Bird calls were also recorded and are in the public to record information on dead and monitor horseshoe crab spawning activity process of being analyzed. injured birds, as a complement to the pro- at Big Egg Marsh, East and West Plumb gram’s more scientifically rigorous research Beach, and . • Reduce Threats to Birds from Buildings, protocols. D-Bird may be accessed via our NYC Audubon Site Coordinators Light, and Glass homepage or directly at http://nycaudubon. Ann Seligman and Phil Cusimano led the With funding from the Leon Levy Founda- neocities.org/D-Bird.htm survey effort on Plumb Beach. In previous

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 4 8/13/14 12:30 PM Conservation Notes Susan Elbin

years few horseshoe crabs were seen on the of Priority Bird Species in the Western Sound, serves as a tragic reminder of what west side of Plumb Beach, in part because Sound can happen if the islands are not protected: beach erosion left little substrate on which Colonially nesting waterbirds are excellent This once thriving colony was destroyed they could spawn. As part of an ongoing indicators of habitat health; a colony by predators (human or otherwise) in 2013 Plumb Beach renourishment and protection will abandon its site if its food supply or and showed no sign of recolonization in program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nesting sites are degraded. Detecting and 2014. On a positive note indicating our installed stone groins. NYC Audubon understanding such changes is a goal of birds’ adaptability, however, a surprising and partners at Fordham University, our annual Harbor Herons Nesting Survey. redistribution of species occurred on South Kingsborough Community College, and NYC Audubon Communications Manager Brother Island. Ten yellow-crowned night- Cornell Cooperative Extension, curious about and Survey Coordinator Tod Winston led herons were found nesting in the middle how these groins and subsequent changes to an interim survey of active nesting islands of the island’s double-crested cormorant beach structure might affect the horseshoe and found, for the most part, that all is well: colony. crabs, were all pleased to find nearly one Preliminary data indicate that total wading thousand spawning horseshoe crabs at the bird numbers are stable in the harbor. The If you would like to get involved with height of the season on West Plumb. egret colony on Jamaica Bay’s restored Elders our citizen science efforts, please contact us at Point East is doing particularly well, having [email protected]. WESTERN AND increased by almost 40% since 2013. This You can find the latest conservation /Staten Island low island colony is particularly vulnerable project updates on our blog, Syrinx, at www. • Demonstrate the Relationship between to disturbance by humans or predators, nycaudubon.org/syrinx. Habitat Quality and Population Health however. Goose Island, in Long Island

Visit Jamaica’s Luxurious Mountain Retreat: Strawberry Hill Visit the beautiful Strawberry Hill Resort and Spa in Jamaica’s Blue Volunteer! Mountains, home to 24 of Jamaica’s 26 endemic bird species, and receive a 20% discount as an NYC Audubon member. Surrounded by lush gardens and overlooking the verdant rainforest of the valley below, Strawberry Hill’s 12 lovely Georgian-style cottages Work in NYC Audubon’s friendly office beams. A training session will be include studio and one- and two-bedroom options, each featuring or in the field and make a difference held Tuesday, September 2, 6-7pm. a private veranda with magnificent views. During your stay, hike the for the City’s wildlife. If interested in mountainous acreage of the property and beyond, then relax by the any of the projects listed below, please INTERNATIONAL COASTAL infinity edge pool with views of theB lue Mountains and the coastal register by contacting us at 212-691- CLEAN-UP city of Kingston. The resort also offers a full service spa and fine 7483 or [email protected]. Saturday, September 20, dining options featuring a fresh take on Jamaican culinary classics. 10am-2pm (Raindate: Saturday, Special travel packages available. 20% discount for NYC Audubon INJURED BIRD TRANSPORTING September 27), Noon-4pm members (discount code: AUDNYC); offer good now until December With the Wild Bird Fund With American Littoral Society 15, 2014. To learn more and to redeem this offer, please contact Island We need caring volunteers to and National Park Service Outpost at 1-800-OUTPOST(688-7678) or by email to mark.collins@ transport injured birds to licensed Join us at North Channel Bridge islandoutpost.com. Learn more at www.strawberryhillhotel.com. wildlife rehabilitators in the area. A to take part in a multi-state effort © I sland training session will be held at the to improve coastline habitat. The

O Wild Bird Fund Center on Tuesday, North Channel Bridge area, used utpost September 9, 6-7pm. by species such as the American I mages/© oystercatcher, is also a stone’s TRIBUTE IN LIGHT throw away from the Harbor Heron N

ikolas MONITORING Islands, the newly restored Elders Thursday, September 11, Point Marsh, and the Jamaica Bay K oenig beginning at 8pm Wildlife Refuge. Help us clear the With the Municipal Art Society beach and raise awareness of the Each year a tireless group of volun- importance of coastal areas to bird- teers monitors the Tribute in Light life. Equipment, refreshments, and to ensure that migrating birds do transportation from Manhattan are not become entrapped in the light provided. Limited to 40.

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 5 8/13/14 12:30 PM The Greening of Sewage Overflows Suzanne Charlé and Mary Jane Kaplan

ombined sewer overflowspavement, tree pits with below-grade water bang for the buck” in terms of storm resilience, (CSOs) represent a serious, catchments, and bioswales—are newer carbon sequestration, urban heat island and with climate change, answers to the old problems, supporting the mitigation, augmented water supply, and growing problem: the U.S. environment and the economy. increased habitat for wildlife—not to mention Environmental Protection In January 2011, the DEP inaugurated additional benefits to human health and the CAgency estimates 10 trillion gallons a year its Green Infrastructure Plan, which aims to joy of seeing green spaces in what had been an of untreated stormwater runs off roofs, roads, improve water quality by integrating green asphalt jungle. The City estimates hundreds of parking lots, and other paved surfaces, often infrastructure with gray infrastructure. The millions of dollars in combined benefits. combined with household sewage, into urban goal: to retrofit at least 10 percent of the New York City’s green infrastructure rivers and waterways nationwide. In New impervious surfaces in the City’s combined programs include pilot projects, some started York City alone, about 30 billion gallons of sewer catchment areas, by 2030, to capture the as early as 2009 under PlaNYC, the City’s CSOs are discharged annually, a clear threat to first inch of runoff from every rainstorm and blueprint for sustainability and resilience. the health of humans and wildlife. store it for later use/treatment or let it filter Completed projects have incorporated native New York City, with aging “combined” back into the ground to be taken up by plants plants, mimicking natural conditions and sewer lines in which street runoff is combined or evaporated back into the atmosphere. This flowering throughout the seasons, and provided with household sewage, is trying to address Greenstreets Program converts paved, vacant benefits for pollinators, birds, and humans— CSOs through a variety of responses developed traffic islands and medians into green spaces all while capturing stormwater. Municipal in part by its Department of Environmental filled with trees, shrubs, and groundcover in capital projects are being greened and various Protection (DEP). “Gray” infrastructure— an effort to capture stormwater. incentives are being offered to encourage traditional solutions such as sewage treatment Larry Levine, a NYC Audubon board retrofits on private property. The City has made plants and storage tanks—are being updated member and senior attorney in the Natural a significant commitment to publicly fund or rebuilt. “Green” infrastructure—green Resources Defense Council’s water program, green infrastructure by more than $1 billion roofs, rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable notes that green infrastructure gives “more over a 20-year period; …continued on page 9 ©Photos 1-6 © USING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TO MANAGE STORMWATER: SOME ILLUSTRATIONS FROM N

NEW YORK CITY ew York City The green solutions to capture

excess stormwater runoff being D epartment of employed by New York City’s Department of Environmental E Protection (DEP) run the nvironmental Protection gamut from small, individual sidewalk plantings to complex, multiyear projects encompassing wide areas and using methods as complicated as wetland construction. The samples shown here illustrate the broad range of bioinfiltration projects currently in use in the City. For more information about other forms of green infrastructure, 1. such as permeable pavements and blue roofs, or to learn about 1. Right-of-Way BioswaleS like the one pictured at the corner of Dean Street and 4th Avenue in Brooklyn are the most common type of green infrastructure in the DEP’s toolkit for DEP’s Green Infrastructure stormwater management. Runoff from the street is directed into the bioswale, a planted area in Grant Program, visit www.nyc. the sidewalk, where it is absorbed by engineered soil and a subsoil layer of stones, and infiltrates gov/greeninfrastructure. into the soil below. Some of the stormwater is also taken up by the vegetation for eventual evapotranspiration (water loss due to a combination of evaporation and plant transpiration).

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 6 8/13/14 12:30 PM The Greening of Sewage Overflows Suzanne Charlé and Mary Jane Kaplan

2.

3.

2. StormWater GreenstreetS, larger versions of right-of-way 3. Rain GardenS are systems of vegetation and infiltration designed bioswales, are constructed in the street itself and represent another with an engineered soil layer that promotes infiltration of stormwater common solution to CSO problems. Altogether, more than 200 right- runoff into the underlying soil. DEP constructs rain gardens in City- of-way bioswales and stormwater greenstreets, like this one along owned areas other than public streets or sidewalks. At Morrison Avenue in the Bronx, have been created citywide. DEP has Houses, a high-density residential complex, rain gardens are one developed standardized right-of-way bioswale designs and design component of a pilot project that also includes other types of green procedures, intended to enable cost-effective implementation of right-of- infrastructure for stormwater control. way green infrastructure on a larger scale.

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 7 8/13/14 12:30 PM The Greening of Sewage Overflows (continued)

4.

4. Green RoofS like the one pictured at the consist of a vegetative layer in soil, underlain by a drainage layer. The Navy Yard project was partially funded through DEP’s Green Infrastructure Grant Program. (For another example of a green roof, see page 17.)

5. Highway Bioretention Areas such as the North and South Conduit Avenue highway median in Queens include subsurface infiltration and storage capacity designed to handle highway surface runoff that would otherwise flow directly into the CSO system. This project was part of the Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan of 2010 and it is hoped that its design can be replicated throughout the City.

5.

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 8 8/13/14 12:30 PM The Greening of Sewage Overflows (continued)

depending on the results of early efforts, the DEP may divert more funds from gray to green infrastructure to satisfy Clean Water Act requirements. “It all depends on which is most cost effective,” says Levine. Currently, NYC Audubon is involved in one of the pilot projects with New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, HDR, Inc., and SCAPE Studio. (Another green infrastructure concept designed by SCAPE was featured in a recent exhibit at MoMA.) The swale/rain garden, in a Greenstreets traffic triangle in the Gowanus watershed, should be completed sometime this fall. The current triangle will be enlarged from 4,000 to 5,500 square feet, 3,000 of which will be green. Like all new green infrastructure in the City, it is required to capture the equivalent of one inch per rainfall. 6. NYC Audubon is working with SCAPE ©

to create a habitat for birds that provides R obert for foraging and perching, including red B dogwood, serviceberry, meadowsweet, and rauman joe-pye weed. “All plants should be able to stand up to wet conditions, as well as help the area infiltrate storm runoff into the soil,” explains Lanie McKinnon, the landscape architect in charge of the project. A gravel base underneath the swale should further slow the water, until it seeps to the water table. McKinnon adds that what is learned here, in terms of habitat, plants, and water filtration, will be incorporated in designs for future sites. Lots of work still remains before the City’s overall CSO reduction efforts can be called a success. Levine notes that the City’s current plans are projected to reduce overflows by about 40 percent, to 18 billion gallons per year, which would still leave New York City with more overflows than any other city nationwide. Under New York State supervision, the DEP is continuing to study what additional 7. investments may be needed. To stay up to date on these efforts—and learn about 6. Wet MeadowS such as this pilot project at the Spring Creek MTA depot in Brooklyn support wetland plants, in this case by accepting highway runoff and maintaining a one-foot pool. A nearby opportunities to make your voice heard—you bioswale is designed to receive overflow from the wetland and slowly release it into the soil. can subscribe for email updates from the DEP at [email protected], and from the Stormwater 7. Large, Multicomponent Project. Begun in the 1970s and still a work in progress, the Staten Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) Coalition at Island Bluebelt will provide stormwater management for about a third of Staten Island’s land area www.swimmablenyc.info. when finished. The “bluebelts”—adaptations of natural drainage corridors—include a variety of wetland systems that provide diverse wildlife habitats like the one pictured, among other benefits. Fall 2014 9

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 9 8/13/14 12:30 PM Events and Adventures ©François Portmann • NYC Audubon Events • EVENING FALL MIGRATION • Partnership Events WALKS IN CENTRAL PARK Monday Series: September • FALL WARBLERS 15-October 13; 5-6:30pm Thursday, September 4, Tuesday Series: September 6:30-8:30pm (class); 16-October 14; 5-6:30pm Sunday, September 7, 8-11am (trip) Wednesday Series: September Instructor: Joe Giunta, Happy 17-October 15; 5-6:30pm Warblers LLC Guide: Gabriel Willow Identifying “confusing fall warblers” Meet at Central Park West and can be tricky, even for the experts. 72nd Street. Witness the spectacle Come study some of the most of autumn migration as songbirds puzzling species that stop through follow the Atlantic Flyway to their our area during fall migration with tropical wintering grounds. Look expert Joe Giunta, and then enjoy a for tanagers, warblers, and other second session in the “classroom” neo-tropical migrants in the wilds of Central Park. Limited to 12. $65 of Central Park. Choose from our (45) Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday Wood Ducks evening series. Limited to 15. $122 • VAN CORTLANDT BIRD (85) WALKS, THE BRONX York City’s richest bird habitats. As a egrets, belted kingfishers, common Saturdays, September 6-November family, learn how to spot and identify terns, ospreys, and even clapper 29, 8-9:30am our feathered neighbors in their rails. Transport by passenger van • MEMBERS-ONLY Guide: NYC Audubon natural surroundings. Binoculars can included. Limit to 11. $75 (52) September Member Walk in With the Van Cortlandt Park be borrowed from the Dana Center. For Central Park Conservancy weather cancellation information, call • FALL BIRDING AT WAVE HILL, Friday, September 19, 7:30-9am Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature 212-860-1370. Limited to 20. Ages 5 THE BRONX Meet at Central Park West and Center. The history of birding and and up. Free Sundays September 14, October 12, 72nd Street. Come ramble in Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. November 9, and December 14 (all the Ramble of Central Park with Influential birders such asR oger • MORNING FALL MIGRATION walks 9:30-11:30am) NYC Audubon President Harry Tory Peterson and Allan D. WALKS IN CENTRAL PARK Guide: Gabriel Willow Maas and enjoy the beginning Cruickshank got their starts on Van Wednesdays, September 10, 17, 24; With Wave Hill of fall migration. Please call Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse October 1, 8, 15; 7:30-10:30am Meet at the Perkins Visitor Angela Januzzi at 212-691-7483 grounds. These walks celebrate the Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers Center. Naturalist Gabriel x306 to register. Limited to tradition set forth by these great LLC Willow contributes his extensive 20. Free for Contributing NYC ornithologists. Participants will look Meet at Central Park West and 72nd knowledge of bird species and their Audubon members at the for various species of residents Street. Birders of all levels can enjoy behaviors on these captivating Student/Senior level and up and migrants and discuss a wide this fun and educational series of six walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting range of avian topics. For more walks, observing the diverse and ever- overlooking the information, please call 212-691- changing waves of migrants that stop flyway provides the perfect • HOOK MOUNTAIN HAWK 7483. No registration necessary. No over Central Park during fall migration. habitat for resident and migrating WATCH, ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY limit. Free Limited to 15. $140 (99) birds. Advanced registration is Sunday, September 21, 9am-4pm recommended, either online at Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers • BIRDING FOR FAMILIES IN • BIRDING GEMS OF QUEENS: www.wavehill.org, at the Perkins LLC CENTRAL PARK AND RAVINE Visitor Center, or by calling 718-549- Part of the Palisades Interstate Sundays, September 7–November NATURAL RESOURCE AREA 3200 x251. (Walks run rain or shine; Park system, Hook Mountain has 30, 10-11am Saturday, September 13, 8am-1pm in case of severe weather call the commanding views of all nearby Guides: NYC Audubon Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner number above for updates.) Ages mountain ridges and the Hudson Offered by the Central Park Udalls Cove is tucked right alongside 10 and up welcome with an adult. River. From this inland hawk watch Conservancy in Queens. This small NYC Audubon members enjoy two- spot we expect to see many species Meet at the Dana Discovery Center but precious park provides resources for-one admission of migrating raptors, including (inside the park at 110th Street for saltmarsh, freshwater wetland, broad-winged and red-shouldered between Lenox and Fifth Avenues). and forest species of birds and other hawks, bald eagles, accipiters, and Bring the kids and visit one of New animals. Look for great and snowy falcons. Note: this trip requires

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 10 8/13/14 12:30 PM a 35-minute hike up and down • BIRDING GEMS OF QUEENS: sanctuary's trails and enjoy a picnic • BIRDING GEMS OF QUEENS: the mountainside. Bring lunch. 'S lunch while learning more about “THE WATERHOLE” OF FOREST Transport by passenger van Saturday, September 27, 8:30-11am the marsh's ecology. Bring lunch. PARK included. Limited to 12. $95 (66) Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner Transport by passenger van included. Saturday, October 4, 8:30-11am Meet at the corner of Woodhaven Limited to 12. $143 (100) Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner • BIRDING TOURS OF BRYANT Boulevard and Forest Park Drive. Meet at the corner of Park Lane PARK, MANHATTAN Visit "Strack Pond"—a natural kettle • CAMERA CLUB South and Metropolitan Avenue. Visit Thursdays, September 25-October pond where herons and a variety of Wednesdays, October 1, "the waterhole"—a veritable migrant 23, 8-9am songbirds may be seen including December 3; 6:30-8:30pm magnet that is known for rarities, and Guide: Gabriel Willow thrushes, warblers, and a variety Instructors: David Speiser, Lloyd where dark-eyed juncos, red-breasted With Bryant Park Corporation of sparrows. Also look for birds of Spitalnik nuthatches, pine siskins, and a Meet at the Birding Tour sign at prey like great horned owls, eastern Meet at the National Audubon variety of thrushes and warblers the 42nd Street and 6th Avenue screech-owls, and red-tailed hawks. office, 225 VarickS t., for the first may be seen. Also look for birds of entrance to the park. Discover Limited to 15. $50 (35) meeting of our 2014-15 season. prey like great horned owls, eastern the surprising variety of birds Whether you’re a beginner or a screech-owls, and red-tailed hawks. that stop in Bryant Park during • JAMAICA BAY SUNSET CRUISE more advanced photographer, our Limited to 15. $50 (35) migration. No registration Saturday, September 27, 3-6pm Camera Club is the place to discuss necessary. No limit. Free Guides: Don Riepe, Mickey Cohen diverse photography-related topics, • FALL MIGRANTS OF WOOD-

© With American Littoral Society hone your skills, and learn about LAWN CEMETERY, THE BRONX M ichaela Meet at Pier 2 in Sheepshead the great photography opportunities Sunday, October 5, 8-10am available in the New York City S Bay, Brooklyn. Enjoy a three-hour Guides: Tod Winston, Joseph agatova narrated cruise aboard the 100-foot area. Professional bird and nature McManus

* catamaran “Golden Sunshine.” photographers David Speiser and With Woodlawn Conservancy Visit backwater marshes near JFK Lloyd Spitalnik will share their Meet at the Jerome Avenue entrance Airport and learn about the 13,000- expertise and help you improve of Woodlawn Cemetery. Join us for acre Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. your work. Registration required. a morning bird walk and tour of See nesting peregrine falcons, No limit. Bimonthly meetings; $10 beautiful Woodlawn Cemetery: Tod ospreys, egrets, shorebirds, and per meeting. For more information Winston and Joseph McManus will waterfowl. Includes wine and other and to learn about additional look for fall migrants and year-round refreshments. To register, contact photography workshops and residents on the expansive, wooded Don Riepe at 718-474-0896 or classes, visit www.nycaudubon.org/ cemetery grounds, while a Woodlawn [email protected]. Limited to photography-club Conservancy docent shares 140. $55 fascinating stories about Woodlawn’s history and the interesting mixture • BIRDING BY CANOE IN • MEMBERS-ONLY of individuals interred there. Bring Cedar Waxwing CONSTITUTION MARSH, October Member Walk in water. Limited to 15. $35 (24) PUTNAM COUNTY, NY • FALL FOLIAGE BIRD WALK IN Sunday, September 28, 9am-5pm Friday, October 3, 7:30-9am • HAWK WATCH AT FORT TILDEN, Guides: Gabriel Willow, Constitution Meet at the entrance to Prospect QUEENS Thursday, September 25, 8:30- Marsh Naturalist Park across from Grand Army Sunday, October 5, 10am-1pm 10am With Constitution Marsh Audubon Plaza, and join NYC Audubon Guide: Don Riepe Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner Center and Sanctuary Board Member and The Warbler With American Littoral Society With Queens Botanical Garden Join Gabriel Willow and a Guide author Tom Stephenson Meet at 10am at Bldg. 1 in Fort Tilden Meet at 43-50 Main Street Constitution Marsh naturalist for a fall migration walk in for a hike to the hawk watch platform (between Dahlia and Elder to explore Constitution Marsh Prospect Park. Please call Angela to view falcons, hawks, ospreys and Avenues). Enjoy the beauty of Audubon Sanctuary—a spectacular Januzzi at 212-691-7483 x306 other migrating raptors. We'll also turning leaves and returning 271-acre tidal marsh just outside to register. Limited to 20. Free hike along the beach and dunes to feathered friends amidst the of Cold Spring, NY. Observe marsh for Contributing NYC Audubon look for songbirds and shorebirds. carefully cultivated autumnal birds up close as you canoe through members at the Student/Senior For more information, contact Don exhibits of the Garden. Admission this pristine freshwater habitat— level and up Riepe at 718-474-0896 or donriepe@ to the Queens Botanical Garden is possible sightings include Virginia gmail.com. No limit. Free included. Limited to 15. $39 (27) rails, spotted sandpipers, and bald …continued on page 12 eagles. Then look for warblers and other fall migrants on the

Fall 2014 11

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 11 8/13/14 12:30 PM Events and Adventures (continued)

• SPARROW ID WORKSHOP for fall migrants, reptiles, and • BIRDING GEMS OF QUEENS: journey to Moses Mountain, which Thursday, October 9, 6:30-8pm amphibians. Bring lunch. Transport ALLEY POND PARK provides a panoramic view of Staten (class); by passenger van included. Limited Sunday, October 19, 8am-1pm Island and points beyond. We'll Saturday, October 11, 9am-12pm to 11. $107.50 (75) Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner look for migrating hawks, warblers, (trip) Look for birds in the hilly woodlands and other songbirds—with crimson Instructor: Gabriel Willow • NYC AUDUBON DAY AT HAWK and salt marshes of Queens' second sumac and other autumn foliage as Sparrows are one of the most MOUNTAIN, PA largest City park—and its most a backdrop. Bring lunch and water. challenging groups of birds to Saturday, October 18, 8am-8pm ecologically diverse. We'll look for Transportation on Staten Island identify, yet beautiful and fascinating Guides: Hawk Mountain Raptor belted kingfishers, fox sparrows, provided. Limited to 18. $40 (28) once they can be distinguished. Learn Educator, Gabriel Willow thrushes, American redstarts, to identify those LBJs (little brown Mid-October is the perfect time to horned grebes, bufflehead, red- • BEGINNING BIRDING jobs) by studying behavior, field visit Hawk Mountain, one of the breasted mergansers, northern Thursdays, October 23, October marks, and songs. Sparrow species premier hawk-watching spots in the harriers, or even great horned 30, and November 6, 6:30-8:30pm seen in prior years include field, East. Gabriel Willow and a Hawk owls—as well as shorebirds and (classes); swamp, savannah, white-crowned, Mountain guide will introduce us wading birds feeding on the exposed and Saturdays, November 1 and 8 and Lincoln's. Limited to 12. $58 to the variety of raptors that may mudflats. Transport by passenger (trips) (40.50) be seen, including golden eagles, van included. Limited to 11. $75 (52) Instructor: Tod Winston buteos, and falcons. The path to the Learn the keys to identifying the • RAPTOR TRUST AND GREAT hawk watch site is a 3/4-mile hike • HIKE TO THE GREENBELT'S spectacular variety of birds that SWAMP, NJ through mountainous woodland. MOSES MOUNTAIN, STATEN migrate southwards through New Saturday, October 11, 9:30am-6pm Bring lunch. Group program, trail ISLAND York City every fall. Even if you've Guides: Don Riepe, Tod Winston admission, and transportation by Sunday, October 19, 9:15am-4pm never picked up a pair of binoculars, Visit the Raptor Trust rehabilitation coach or van included. Participants Guide: Gabriel Willow you’ll soon be identifying warblers, center and see owls and hawks up may also arrange their own With NYC Parks and the Greenbelt thrushes, waterbirds, and more— close. Then hike the Great Swamp transportation. Transportation Conservancy both by sight and by ear. Three fun National Wildlife Refuge to look option limited to 30. $122 (85) Meet at the Manhattan terminal and educational in-class sessions of the S.I. Ferry and join us as we

National/International Trips © D

ASSATEAGUE/CHINCOTEAGUE CAPE MAY MIGRATION CAPE MAY MIGRATION avid

WEEKEND WITH GABRIEL S WEEKEND WEEKEND WITH Joe peiser Thursday, September 18, 9am- Giunta WILLOW Sunday, September 21, 6pm Saturday, September 27, 9am- Saturday, October 4, 9am- Guide: Don Riepe Sunday, September 28, 7pm Sunday, October 5, 7pm With American Littoral Society Guide: Joe Giunta Guide: Gabriel Willow A great wildlife weekend along the Cape May, New Jersey, is one of Cape May, New Jersey, is the Virginia Coast. See wild ponies, the best birding venues in the East’s capital of birding, and is sika deer, bald eagles, and many , especially during fall particularly bird-rich in the fall. other species of wildlife. Includes migration. Visit the Cape May hawk On good fall migration days, the three nights at the Refuge Inn, watch on two days, once late in the area’s forests and marshes are a bus tour of backwater flats, day and then early to get a good swarming with warblers, vireos, plus an “all-you-can-eat” seafood variety of hawks. Also visit birding thrushes, and other songbirds, buffet. Transportation included. hotspots such as Higbee Beach, and of course the hawk watch To register, contact Don Riepe at Cape May Point, Jake’s Landing, is legendary as well. We’ll visit 718-474-0896 or donriepe@gmail. Cape May Meadows, and Nummy Cape May Point, Higbee Beach, com. Limited to 30. $495 ($180 Island. Transport by passenger van Cape May Meadows, and more single supplement) included. Limited to 10. $325 ($50 in search of songbirds, raptors, Blue-Winged Warbler single supplement) wading birds, ducks, and terns. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 10. $325 ($50 single supplement)

12 www.nycaudubon.org

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 12 8/13/14 12:30 PM ©Cyndy Yates even see the immature bald eagle • CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, known to haunt nearby meadow lake ALL BOROUGHS

* soaring overhead! limited to 15. $43 save the date for the Christmas (30) bird Count! see dates below; more information will be included in the • CAMERA CLUB winter Urban Audubon. Wednesday, December 3, Manhattan, Queens: 6:30-8:30pm Sunday, December 14 Please see october 1 listing. Brooklyn, Staten Island: Saturday, December 20 • WINTER WATERFOWL The Bronx: WORKSHOP AT JAMAICA BAY Sunday, December 28 Saturday, December 6, 10am-1pm With Gateway National Recreation Area Guides: Don Riepe, Tod Winston • TO REGISTER FOR ALL NYC meet at the Jamaica bay wildlife AUDUBON EVENTS and for Hawk Mountain refuge Visitor Center for a slide more information, visit www. id program and walk to look for and two fi eld trips to Central Park and patches of dry and wet oak nycaudubon.org or call Darren wintering waterfowl. learn about and Jamaica bay (transport to savanna are not just unique within Klein at 212-691-7483 x304 unless their behavior and biology and how to Jamaica bay included). limited to the City, but also on this continent! otherwise specifi ed. identify them in the fi eld. To register, 12. $160 (112.50) bring lunch and water. Transport by contact don riepe at 718-474-0896 passenger van included. limited to IMPORTANT INFORMATION or [email protected]. limited to • FALL MIGRATION ON 12. $90 (63) • Classes meet at 71 West 23rd 25. Free RANDALL'S ISLAND Street, Suite 1523. • Contributing Members Sunday, October 26, 9am-1pm • SNOW GEESE AND TUNDRA VAN TRIP TO THE WINTER (Student/Senior level and up) Guides: Gabriel Willow, Christopher SWANS OF BRIGANTINE, NJ • WATERFOWL WORKSHOP AT receive a 30% discount on Girgenti of Randall's Island Sunday, November 9, 9:30am-7pm JAMAICA BAY most local trips and classes With Randall's Island Park Alliance, Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers Saturday, December 6, 9am-3pm (on discounted events, the Inc. LLC register for our van trip to the winter discounted price appears meet on the n.w. corner of 102nd brigantine, part of the national waterfowl workshop and get to in parentheses after the street and Fdr drive. we'll walk wildlife refuge system, is one of Jamaica bay the easy way. Transport nonmember price). See across the foot bridge to randall's the east Coast's premier sites for by passenger van. bring lunch and membership form on page 19. island, an under-explored location waterbirds, offering a diversity water. limited to 12. $28.50 (20) • For all coach and van trips, the in the that hosts restored of species and panoramic views. meeting location is in front of freshwater wetlands and salt bring lunch and water. Transport by 71 West 23rd Street in marsh. we'll look for fall migrants passenger van included. limited to MEMBERS-ONLY Manhattan unless otherwise as we explore the results of recent 12. $109 (76.50) • December Member Walk in specifi ed. restoration efforts. Two miles of Central Park • We depart promptly at the walking and some modest climbs. BIRDING GEMS OF QUEENS: • Wednesday, December 10, 7:30- stated start time. limited to 20. $35 (24) FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA 9am • For all overnight trips, member- PARK'S WILLOW LAKE meet at Central Park west and ship in NYC Audubon at the DUCKS, RAPTORS, AND MORE Sunday, November 16, 8:30-10am • 72nd street for a members-only Student/Senior level and up is AT PELHAM BAY PARK, THE Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner walk. Come brave the chilly required. See membership form BRONx meet at Park drive east and 73rd weather and spot some of Central on page 19. Sunday, November 2, 9am-3pm Terrace. explore one of the City's Park's best wintering birds with Guide: Gabriel Willow last freshwater wetlands. observe nYC Audubon Communications Come explore the lovely coves and the great avian diversity of this park manager Tod winston. Please rocky outcroppings of Pelham bay from strategic points along willow call Angela Januzzi at 212-691- Park, looking for wintering ducks, lake Trail, including looks from a 7483 x306 to register. limited migrating raptors, and more. wildlife blind at the 47-acre willow to 20. Free for Contributing Pelham bay Park's combination of lake. in addition to songbirds, nYC Audubon members at the open water, salt marsh, rocky shore, swallows, and swifts, observe student/senior level and up both young and old growth forest, great blue herons, black-crowned rare coastal tall grass meadows, night-herons, and ospreys. we may

Fall 2014 13

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 13 8/13/14 12:30 PM Book Review Carol Peace Robins

The Sixth Extinction: It will be us, in case you’re wondering. its dependent wildlife in the last 30 years. An Unnatural History Past mass extinctions may have been From the once immensely diverse Amazon caused by catastrophic events like an rain forest she describes how remaining small By Elizabeth Kolbert asteroid collision, but the next will be islands of forest, surrounded by deforested Henry Holt & Co., 2014 caused by man, writes acclaimed New Yorker areas, have lost great numbers and species environmental writer Elizabeth Kolbert in of birds and other creatures. As for invasive The Sixth Extinction. She provides facts, not species, like the white-nose syndrome fungus theories, through example after example of that’s killing bats, we transported these how humans are damming up, chopping destructive organisms from one ecosystem to down, polluting, and otherwise transforming another—intentionally or not. our planet as no other species ever has. She Humans may work slower than begins with evolutionary history and man’s asteroids, but Kolbert warns that already role in the disappearance of the mastodon. “one third of all reef-building corals, a third She recounts the killing of the last two of all freshwater mollusks, a third of sharks great auks. And she explains our part in the and rays, a quarter of all mammals, a fifth of imminent demise of the Sumatran rhino and all reptiles, and a sixth of all birds are headed the Panamanian golden frog. toward oblivion.” But it’s her reporting from the places we’ve harmed most that really hits home. In the Great Barrier Reef she points to the acidification of the ocean by carbon dioxide that has killed 50 percent of the coral and

The Fort Tilden Observation Platform: Fall Birding at Its Best! Lynne Hertzog

ne hundred feet above sea level, sitting on top of an old Donald Davis has been counting raptors for Gateway for the past 10 military building, is one of the best fall birding spots in New autumns. His data show the most frequent raptor migrants to be OYork City—a simple wooden observation platform. From American kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks, and ospreys. mid-September through November, on a day with prevailing northwest But getting to the platform is tricky: There are NO signs posted winds (it’s very important to get the right winds), you can see flock leading you to it. To get there, follow the main entrance road of Fort after flock of blackbirds, robins, waxwings, finches, pipits, bluebirds, Tilden (Heinzelman Road) until you reach a T intersection. Turn right. swallows, accipiters, and falcons on their way south—passerines more so Follow this road 0.02 miles to the big “Do Not Enter” sign. Park in the early morning and raptors in the late morning or early afternoon. there, by the ball field (parking is allowed anywhere after September With a 360-degree view, on a good day, it’s a migration spectacle like 15). Walk past the Do Not Enter sign (which only applies to cars) and no other in our area. continue straight for 0.03 miles (going past the red painted swing gate) The birding is great because Fort Tilden, situated on the Rockaway to the graffiti-covered “Battery Harris East” building. Platform steps Peninsula in Queens, lies directly on the coastal portion of the Atlantic are on the east side of . The platform is also graffiti-covered, Flyway—a migration route for 500-plus bird species and millions of unfortunately, but don’t let that deter you from enjoyment of the avian individual birds. Fort Tilden, part of Gateway National Recreation wonder of migration on a northwest wind-filled autumn day! Area, sits between to the east and Breezy Point to the See page 11 to learn about our October 5 visit to the Fort Tilden west. The viewing platform was constructed in 1995, 400 feet from Hawk Watch. To see more photos, go to www.nycaudubon.org/hawk- the ocean on the highest point of the peninsula; its location saved it watch-at-fort-tilden. from damage by Hurricane Sandy. It is from Fort Tilden that volunteer

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 14 8/13/14 12:30 PM National Park Service Adopts Long-Awaited Gateway General Management Plan Larry Levine © D

on collected to track disturbance to threatened R iepe and endangered species and, potentially, adjust conservation measures. NYC Audubon would like to thank all those that have supported us in our efforts to improve the General Management Plan, including the offices of Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, and Congressman Joseph Crowley. We will continue to work to ensure NPS protects Gateway’s unique and precious habitat. You can join us in our efforts by contacting NPS Planner Helen Mahan at [email protected]. The Park Service’s “Record of Decision” summarizing the plan, as well as the full plan and environmental impact statement, can be found under the “Document List” on the left- hand side of this page: www.parkplanning.nps. Great Egret Chicks on Jamaica Bay’s Restored Elders Point East Island gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=16091. n mid-June, the National Park these islands, which provide important bird More details on NYC Audubon’s comments Service (NPS) formally adopted a habitat, as “sensitive resource subzones,” on the draft plan, and how NPS responded in new General Management Plan for effectively barring all camping and visitation. the final plan, can be found on our website at: Gateway National Recreation Area, The final plan also rezoned many other critical www.nycaudubon.org/gateway-gmp. the first update in 35 years. habitat areas to afford greater protection than IThe final plan is based on a vision originally proposed, including the Jamaica Bay emember that emphasizes recreation as the primary Wildlife Refuge, Breezy Point Tip, Bergen R objective, above the protection of natural Beach, , , resources, even though NPS identified an and Plumb Beach, where NPS has cancelled NYC Audubon alternative approach with greater resource a major recreation program in order to ew York City is forever protection as the “environmentally preferable prioritize the protection of shorebirds and changing, and with time alternative.” horseshoe crabs. Nthe need to protect our Through last fall and winter, NYC Yet many challenges remain. For urban wildlife and habitat becomes Audubon developed recommendations for example, despite the plan’s expectation that more and more critical. A bequest is strengthening NPS’ original proposal and annual visitation will increase by between a generous and straightforward way worked to build political and public support 450,000 to 900,000 visitors, NPS did not to safeguard birds and their habitat for them. The final version of the General commit to staffing the Jamaica Bay unit with in the City’s five boroughs. It can Management Plan has been revised to commissioned rangers trained in resource be expressed “I bequeath [a sum of include some of the changes NYC Audubon protection. money or a percentage of my estate] advocated. It is clear, however, that much The final plan states that site-specific to New York City Audubon Society, work is still needed to ensure that sensitive environmental review will still be needed Inc. a not-for-profit organization with habitat areas are protected and restored, even for projects that expand camping and offices at 71 West 23rd Street, Suite as NPS seeks to increase visitation and the transportation infrastructure; that additional 1523, New York, NY 10010, for its range of activities offered to visitors. protections for certain areas remain under general purposes.” To learn more, In response to our comments, NPS consideration, such as a 300-foot buffer please give Development Manager decided against lifting restrictions on access around and saltmarsh islands Angela Januzzi a call at 212-691- to the islands of the Jamaica Bay and Staten in Jamaica Bay to protect nesting wading birds 7483 x306. Island units. The final plan designated all of from boat visitors; and that more data will be

Fall 2014 15

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 15 8/13/14 12:30 PM NYC Audubon Welcomes New Board Members Cathy Heller

YC Audubon is happy to welcome three new “protects not only birds but all other species, including people, that members to our board of directors. They hail depend on the remarkable ecosystems found in the City.” from diverse backgrounds and bring knowledge Having grown up on a cattle farm in an agricultural community of the arts and law as well as passion for in Dutchess County, New York, Sandy knows the importance of ears as conservation and birds. well as eyes in birding. He respects the skill of more prolific birders, N such as fellow board member Jeff Kimball, who introduced him to Robert Bate NYC Audubon. Rob Bate has spent most of his working life as a carpenter and Sandy is married to Wynn Senning and they have two teenage contractor. He has also pursued a career as an abstract artist, using sons. Wynn is an interactive media producer and is on the board of traditional paint media, oil and acrylic, with a focus on color study. But Pentacle, an organization that aids performing artists in fulfilling he recognizes that he has always had a love for the natural world, and their vision. They work mainly with dance companies, a venue that is spent summers on the Pennsylvania farm where his mother grew up. familiar to Sandy. Before the cattle farm, his father was general manager She had an interest in birds and regularly identified what came to the of the Joffrey Ballet, and later he was chancellor of the North Carolina feeder, though the family story was that her uncle was the expert birder. School of the Arts. And Sandy’s grandmother was Lucia Chase, a dancer Rob still remembers the thrilling sight of a rose-breasted grosbeak that and a founder of American Ballet Theater. he spotted while his mother was gardening. A birding turning point came in autumn 2007, when a long Judge Eugene Nardelli stretch of indoor work in Rob’s art studio left him yearning for fresh air. A Good Neighbor Award that Eugene Nardelli received in 1945 at age He signed up for Joe Giunta’s NYC Audubon Fall Migration Walks 11 was the start of a career in public service. Even at that young age, in Central Park. The spectacle of so many birds and the challenge of he possessed a voice for conciliation in response to unrest in his East identifying them inspired him, and he’s been at it ever since. He is Harlem neighborhood. now president of the Brooklyn Bird Club and leads walks and trips of Eugene was born in Italy and moved to New York City as a his own. youngster. His father ran a produce store, and Eugene often delivered There have been other benefits of birding for Rob. In spring 2008 the fruits and vegetables. At the time, homing and racing pigeons he visited Jamaica Bay in the late afternoon to check out the birds there. were raised on roofs and fire escapes, and he helped clean, feed, water, While enjoying a sandwich in the parking lot, a Mercedes drove up and exercise the birds as well as maintain their screened box homes. and a cat was shooed out the door. Knowing the harm that feral cats For fun there were pigeon races, often called “poor man’s horse races.” can do to birds, particularly shorebirds, he decided to capture the cat. He remembers that a young hawk was raised along with the pigeons, A woman joined him in the chase and they managed to capture the cat. though it did not attack. He and Tracy married the following year, and they still have the cat, an After attending Fordham for college and law school, the future indoor pet named Jamaica Bay. Judge Nardelli did a stint in private practice. He later served as legal counsel to the New York City Housing Bureau and became active in Alexander Ewing local Democratic politics. Sandy Ewing describes himself as an enthusiastic but not necessarily Judge Nardelli was elected as a judge of the Civil Court of New expert birder. But he does have expertise that will prove invaluable to York City in 1975 and justice of the Supreme Court of New York NYC Audubon. County in 1986. In 1993, Governor Mario Cuomo designated him as After college and law school at Yale, Sandy clerked for a Federal associate justice of the Appellate Division, from which he retired in District judge and then joined Debevoise & Plimpton as a litigation 2010. associate. After eight years, he was ready to pursue his real goal of In addition to his Good Neighbor Award, Judge Nardelli is working for the public interest as an environmental lawyer. From 1995 proud of being appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as a trustee of to 2000, he was a staff attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy the IOLA Fund, and of being a member of both the New York State Center in Chicago. He led campaigns to make interstate highways more Continuing Legal Education Board and the Attorney Disciplinary environmentally responsible, helped pass laws to reduce incinerator Committee’s Policy Committee. pollution, and promoted clean energy. Several years ago, Judge Nardelli was invited by board member Sandy moved to New York in 2000, where he has an independent Richard Andrias to the NYC Audubon ecocruise in . law practice focusing on environmental and zoning laws. He has a The sight of snowy egrets and double-crested cormorants was inspiring, keen understanding of NYC Audubon’s work. In his words, our work and an interest in birds and conservation was rekindled.

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00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 16 8/13/14 12:30 PM Are Bats Convening at the Javits Center? Ned Boyajian

wo recording devices on the ©FXF Jacob K. Javits Convention OWLE / E Center’s new green roof are pstein recording bats’ calls, nightly from late April to October of Tthis year. Recently, the Javits Center completed a large-scale renovation in which vast sections of its original glass walls were replaced with bird-friendly glass and metal panels in order to reduce bird strikes, in consultation with NYC Audubon (see the fall 2013 issue of The Urban Audubon on our website to learn more). Proj- ect Safe Flight data suggest that the renovation has resulted in a substantial reduction in bird deaths, and we will be honoring the Javits Cen- The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center’s 6.75-Acre Green Roof Is an ter in part for their cooperation in this project at this fall’s Fall Roost (see page 20). A less ob- Inviting Habitat for Birds, Bats, and Insects vious part of the center’s renovation, however, microphones, and sounds captured by these has identified six species: silver-haired, east- is a 6.75-acre green roof, that is, a roof covered microphones are turned into spectrograms. ern red, big brown, hoary, tri-colored—and with plantings in order to conserve energy and Because it is not possible to know how many a very few little brown bats. Even given the reduce water run-off. But green roofs also can individual bats are calling, researchers use an difficulty of picking out species, the dearth of create inviting habitat for arthropods—insects, “index of activity” to compare relative activity little brown calls may be telling. This was one arachnids, and crustaceans—which, in turn, between sites and, when possible, species. of the City’s most common bats, but the spe- may offer a smorgasbord for bats. Leading the “We can often use the frequency and shape cies suffered a dramatic decline recently due project to learn if bats are feeding at Javits is of a call to identify a bat species,” Parkins says. to white-nose syndrome. Caused by a fungus, Kaitlyn Parkins, NYC Audubon research as- “However, bats adapt their echolocation to the this disease is killing off vast numbers of cave- sistant and PhD student in conservation biol- environment in which they are foraging. So if roosting bats, like the little brown bat, across ogy at Fordham University. Her study is part two different bat species are going for the same the Eastern United States. of a broader acoustic survey of the City’s green prey item, in the same environment, their calls Data from the Javits Center microphones spaces. may be indistinguishable.” will be collected and analyzed following the To monitor bat activity over the Javits Over the three years Parkins has been study’s conclusion in October. Look for an up- Center green roof, the roof is fitted with two surveying bat calls throughout the City, she date in a future issue of The Urban Audubon.

Fall 2014 Lecture Series All lectures are free and open to the public and are held at The Arsenal, Central Park, 5th Avenue at 64th Street, 3rd Floor. This series has been made possible by the support of Claude and Lucienne Bloch.

BUILDING RESILIENCE POST-SANDY: LIVING BREAKWATERS THE SECRET WORLD OF NEW YORK CITY GREEN ROOFS By Gena Wirth By Dustin Partridge and Kaitlyn Parkins Tuesday, September 23, 6pm Tuesday, October 28, 6pm Since June 2013, SCAPE PLLC, a leading-edge landscape architecture Who would have thought that the perfect place for birds, bats, and bugs and urban design studio based in New York City, has been working with would be on the roof? And what makes a roof become good habitat? Ford- stakeholders throughout the Sandy-affected region to develop innovative ham University PhD candidates Dustin Partridge and Kaitlyn Parkins have rebuilding solutions. SCAPE landscape architect Gina Wirth will tell us been studying the diverse wildlife of these unexpected urban oases. Learn about the Living Breakwaters project, which reduces risk, creates habitat how different types of green roofs provide more or less habitat for native for finfish, shellfish, and lobsters, and connects educators to the shoreline, wildlife in the City, and find out where these hidden habitats are. inspiring a new generation of harbor stewards and a more resilient region over time.

Fall 2014 17

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 17 8/13/14 12:30 PM In Memoriam News & Notes

The NYC Audubon community was saddened this past June by the passing of Jean Bourque, wife of past NYC Audubon president Ron Bourque and longtime supporter RESTORATION OF THE WEST POND of NYC Audubon. A leading advocate for wildlife conservation in New York City, Following the adoption this past June Jean was particularly instrumental in the protection of the grasslands of Floyd Bennett of a new General Management Plan for Field and the founding of a native plant garden at Marine Park/, and Gateway National Recreation Area (see along with husband and partner in advocacy Ron was responsible for many conservation page 15), the decision-making process initiatives over the years in New York City. A person with her commitment and concerning the restoration of Jamaica unflagging willingness to go the extra mile on behalf of the City’s wildlife cannot be Bay Wildlife Refuge’s West Pond is replaced. She will be missed. moving forward. NYC Audubon provided input at a meeting with the National Park Service this past July, and will continue to advocate for a West Pond restoration plan that serves species of greatest conservation need and Thank You to Summer Staff includes freshwater habitat. Publication of restoration alternatives for the West and Interns Pond is expected this fall; please visit our website to view NYC Audubon’s restoration recommendations and learn This spring and summer, NYC Audubon’s field work was accomplished with the help of a how you can participate in the decision- talented and enthusiastic team: making process.

Kate Biller, an MS student at New York University, taught students near Jamaica Bay BOARD, ADVISORS, & STAFF about the connections between birds, beaches, and people via our Be a Good Egg curriculum NYC Audubon welcomes three new program. board members: Robert Bate, Alexander Elizabeth Craig, a doctoral candidate at Cornell University, helped with banding Ewing, and Eugene Nardelli (see article cormorants, egrets, and common terns in New York Harbor. on page 16). We also welcome Alison Phil Cusimano, Dennis Galcik, Ann Seligman, and Dottie Werkmeister worked Strong to the advisory council. as horseshoe crab site coordinators, managing our teams of volunteers in collecting crab spawning data. After seven years serving NYC Audubon Melanie del Rosario, enrolled in Fordham University’s certificate program in Conservation as executive director, Glenn Phillips Biology, worked on various projects including installing a native plant garden in McGolrick left the organization this past April. Park, Brooklyn. We thank Glenn for his service and many contributions to NYC Audubon’s Darren Klein, a recent MS graduate from the New School, assisted on various field work mission of bird conservation in New projects, including Jamaica Bay advocacy and Project Safe Flight mapping. York City, and wish him well in his future , a PhD student in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Biology and ALISON KOCEK endeavors. Management at SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, conducted saltmarsh sparrow field research on Staten Island. We are also sorry to say goodbye to Joseph O’ Sullivan managed our wading bird citizen science project in the role of Harbor Outreach and Volunteer Manager Herons Foraging Survey project coordinator. Adriana Palmer and Research Assistant Dustin Partridge, a PhD student at Fordham University, coordinated the Jacob K. Javits Kaitlyn Parkins; we thank them both Convention Center green roof biodiversity project. He also conducted arthropod surveys and for all of their good work for our helped analyze data. organization. Tara Mei Smith, a Toyota TogetherGreen fellow, was instrumental in our partnership with the American Littoral Society for marsh planting and the Sustainable Seafood Cruise. She was We are pleased that Darren Klein and also the site coordinator for horseshoe crab surveys at Dead Horse Bay. Debra Kriensky have joined us in the respective roles of program manager Emilio Tobon, a recent PhD student at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and and research assistant. experienced field technician, conducted NYC Audubon’s American oystercatcher surveys, which he has done since 2010. Terra Weiland, a recent graduate of Middlebury College, VT, led the outreach program for our Be a Good Egg campaign in Pelham Bay and the Rockaways.

18 www.nycaudubon.org

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 18 8/13/14 12:30 PM Acknowledgments

YC Audubon’s conservation work and education programs are Roland Foods MEMORIAL GIFTS made possible by generous contributions from members, friends, S. Forest Company In memory of Gerard corporations, foundations, and agencies. We’d like to express our Sims Metal Management DeFrancesco N SUNY College of Joseph and Deborah gratitude to all those who have sustained us in our work this past season. In Environmental Science McManus particular, we’d like to thank the Leon Levy Foundation for its leadership and Forestry In memory of Manny Levine support of science and conservation. TogetherGreen: Audubon Morris and Shirley and Toyota Weinstein AMERICAN KESTREL CORPORATIONS, Manomet Center for U.S. Fish & Wildlife In memory of Mr. and Mrs. CIRCLE FOUNDATIONS, Conservation Sciences Service H.G. Moy Anonymous AND GOVERNMENT Marcia and Philip Judy Moy Claude and Lucienne Bloch AGENCIES Rothblum Foundation, TRIBUTE GIFTS In memory of Regina Patchell Ronald and Jean Bourque Audubon New York Inc. In honor of Richard T. Joseph and Deborah Clifford Case and Karen B. The Bay and Paul National Audubon Society Andrias McManus Dubno Foundations National Fish and Wildlife Cecelia Traugh and In memory of Melinda Judy Craig conEdison Foundation Andy Doan Pendleton Charles Denholm and Coydog Foundation New England Interstate In honor of Stephen Billick Richard Doll and Nancy Elizabeth Woods The Dobson Foundation Water Pollution and Bruce Yolton Heidel Joseph and Barbara Ellis The Durst Organization Control Commission John and Gaily B. Beinecke In memory of Harold Robbins Andrew Farnsworth The Eppley Foundation for New York City Craig Katz Lori and Evan Kornrich Marcia and Bruce Fowle Scientific Research Department of Parks & Eugene Lee In memory of Starr Saphir Philip Fried and Bruce Fiduciary Trust Company Recreation Peter, Ann, and Jakob Anita and Daniel Mann Patterson International New York City Economic Palches In memory of Paul Julien Sude Cathy and Lloyd Heller First Cornerstone Development In honor of Philip Fried and Dean Thompson Jeffrey Kimball Foundation Corporation Bruce Patterson In memory of the beloved Sugar Lauren and Ethan The Graduate Center at New York/ New Jersey Charles Natt and Karen Terry Shargel Klingsberg CUNY Harbor Estuary Siegel In memory of Joseph Tobin Steve Nanz and Heidi Greenpoint Community Program of the Daniel Nichols Margaret Tobin Steiner Environmental Fund Environmental Annick Rossi Fredric and Winnie Spar Jamaica Bay Institute Protection Agency In honor of Susan Malbin BEQUESTS Virginia K. Stowe Jacob K. Javits Convention New York State Hasia Diner The Estate of Mark B. Center Department of In honor of Sean McBride Leeds Lillian & Ira N. Langsan Environmental Royal Fox The Estate of Esther Morse Foundation Conservation In honor of Scott Walsh Leon Levy Foundation Patagonia Lori Moses Lily Auchincloss Port Authority of New Foundation, Inc. York and New Jersey

Join NYC Audubon [ ] Supporter $100 [ ] Family $50 [ ] New [ ] Friend $25 [ ] Student/Senior (65+) $15 [ ] Renewal Members are essential to our education and con- servation work. Help protect birds and habitats in the five boroughs by joining our flock. As a Mem- Name:______ber of NYC Audubon you will: • Receive The Urban Audubon newsletter • Enjoy discounts on field trips and classes • Make a difference in your city’s wild- Address:______life and natural areas. Mail this form with your payment to: ______NYC Audubon 71 West 23rd Street Phone:______Suite 1523 New York, NY 10010 Email:______

Membership in NYC Audubon does not include National [ ] Enclosed is my check payable to NYC Audubon Audubon membership or Audubon Magazine. Donations to NYC Audubon are tax-deductible to the extent [ ] Charge my credit card: [ ] Visa [ ] MC [ ] Amex [ ] DSC allowed by law. NYC Audubon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Card #: ______Exp. Date: ______

Fall 2014 19

00000_NYC_Audubon_Fall2014.indd 19 8/13/14 12:30 PM KASE INDICIA’S JOB #______

PRSRT STD NOTES: US POSTAGE PAID #1 HUDSON NH PERMIT No. 82

FIRST CLASS US POSTAGE PAID #2 HUDSON NH PERMIT No. 80

new York City Audubon NONPROFIT ORG. ALL NONPROFIT JOBS MUST BE REVIEWED 71 west 23rd street US POSTAGE WITH THE MAILING DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO suite 1523 PAID #3 new York, nY 10010 HUDSON NH PRINTING. CUSTOMER INFORMATION IS PERMIT No. 82 REQUIRED

DATED MATERIAL: Fall 2014 Newsletter

FIRST CLASS PRESORT US POSTAGE PAID #4 HUDSON NH PERMIT No. 80

The FAll roosT Thursday, october 16, 2014 silent Auction and reception 6pm dinner and Program 7-9pm At the Jacob k. Javits Convention Center river Pavilion honoring BOUND PRINTED • Jacob k. Javits Convention Center MATTER US POSTAGE • Convention Center development Corporation PAID • FXFowle epstein Architects #5 HUDSON NH PERMIT #82 Fall roost Artwork Courtesy of kristen bannister

oin NYC Audubon as we celebrate our tenth annual Fall to the renovation and future expansion of the existing Jacob K. Javits Roost on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan. Once complete, the JConvention Center River Pavilion. At this year’s Roost, we honor renovation will modernize the facilities and allow the Javits Center to the creative team that dramatically transformed the Center: the Jacob accommodate larger events, bringing new businesses and opportunities K. Javits Convention Center, Convention Center Development to New York City. Corporation, and FXFOWLE Epstein Architects. Once among The synergies and expertise of the FXFOWLE Epstein the deadliest buildings for birds in New York City, the Center is Architects partnership have restored the Jacob K. Javits Convention now a remarkable example of bird-friendly design integrated with Center’s technological promise, overhauled its environmental and sustainable architecture. Hazardous refl ective glass has been replaced quality-of-life impact, introduced bird-safe measures, and reconnected with new high-performance patterned glass and stainless steel panels the building to the urban fabric. FXFOWLE retained the integrity and to vastly reduce bird strikes. vision of the building’s original design while capitalizing on innovative Known as the “Marketplace for the World,” the Jacob K. Javits design opportunities to revitalize this world-class facility. Epstein Convention Center of New York, which opened in 1986, was provided convention center design expertise, project management, and originally designed by I.M. Pei & Partners. The iconic facility has specialized engineering services. since become New York City’s primary venue for large conventions and Proceeds from the Fall Roost support NYC Audubon’s work in trade shows, hosting millions of visitors a year. These large-scale events environmental education, conservation, and advocacy. The evening will generate up to $1.5 billion in annual economic activity for New York begin at 6pm with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by City and New York State, supporting as many as 14,000 jobs in and a seated dinner. Tickets start at $375. For tickets or more information, around the facility. please contact Angela Januzzi at 646-502-9611 or ajanuzzi@ The Convention Center Development Corporation is dedicated nycaudubon.org. 20 www.nycaudubon.org

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