August 2011 Volume 73 No. 4 Bi-monthly publication of the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club, Inc. A Move to a Paperless HMBC by Bernie Grossman, HMBC President ver the past few years, the their memberships, and approximately is about 10% of the present hard copy HMBC Board has struggled 80% have done so. cost. Note that the Club’s regional Owith the issue of how to The second driver to this change has birding guide will still be published in best disseminate Club information been cost. The Club has maintained a paper format. and publications. The Board’s first its dues at a level last established in The Board voted at its July, 2011, concern was to make the Club as 2005, but it has run a deficit in each meeting to proceed with this green as possible. The second goal was of the past few years. The deficit has changeover in the coming year. To the reduction of expenses. been covered by transfer from Club make it successful, we must have as At the present time, the Club reserves, but this is not a long term many email addresses from you as publishes its newsletter Feathers six solution. The Board considered raising possible. The Club does not give out times per year. Depending on the dues enough to make this up, but it members’ addresses and the database volume of submissions, an issue may would require a 33%-50% increase is secure, so I urge you all to register run to as many as twenty pages with overall. Our Treasurer, Ellen Pemrick, on the website and provide your approximately four hundred copies determined that such a raise would addresses to the database. We are also printed per run. After printing, the make HMBC the most expensive committed to maintaining the quality issue is picked up, envelope stuffed if club in New York State. Eliminating of Feathers and to maintaining timely necessary, labeled and taken to the post the significant portion of printing communications. Please feel free to office. While set up and printing is a and mailing cost in our budget would comment on this change. My email paid professional service, the rest of the delay a dues rise for some time. address and telephone number are process including editing is volunteer listed in each issue of Feathers. labor. Additional publications include As a start, a couple of options are the annual field trip list and meeting being explored. The first is to publish and dues notices. As you can see, this Feathers and field trip and program involves a lot of trees and gasoline. information exclusively on the Inside This Issue… The Board has also investigated the website. Some exceptions would be use of recycled paper, but this is not made for people without access to the cost effective. internet. Field Trip Reports ...................47 A recent volunteer effort has resulted I am also involved with the Friends Upcoming HMBC Programs ...50 Support Group for the Clifton Park- in the complete redesign of the Clubs Upcoming Audubon Programs . 51 website, HMBC.net. The website Halfmoon Library. The Friends uses now contains up-to-date information Constant Contact, an email/publishing A Rare Visitor .........................51 on Club activities like field trips and service, to publish its newsletter and to send out email reminders for programs Northern Saw-whet Owl Featured on programs, as well as password protected Revived Century Run ........52 access to a membership database. Issues and activities and dues notices. The of Feathers are also posted, but they process has found wide acceptance. Magee Marsh – Birds and Birders in the are accessible to only members for There are other commercial services Thick of Spring Migration ...58 that offer similar products. Jory the first year post-publication. Many Bridging the Reist’s Wet Spots . 60 bird clubs have now done away with Langner, a Board member, has mailing newsletters and either email investigated Constant Contact’s cost, The Pine Bush ........................61 them to members or post them on and he found that since the Club is a NYSOA County Listing Project . 61 club websites. The Club has requested non-profit, the cost would be $150- its members provide an email address $300 per year depending on the Upcoming Field Trips ..............62 when they join or when they renew services the club would require. This HMBC BOARD Officers President’s Corner President: Bernie Grossman 7 Nott Rd. Rexford, NY 12148 t’s now Silent August when the shorebirds are busy with their 399-9159 [email protected] southward migration, and most other birds are hunkered down Vice-President: Iand busy with their molt prior to their migration. HMBC has Tom Williams been busy, too, with new officers and board members working, as 153A Consaul Road Albany, NY12205 have others before, at keeping the Club’s business and activities 857-2176 going. [email protected] For example, a new, much more informative website has been in Secretary: operation for several months. I urge every member to look at it, John Hershey 15 Carriage Road and, most importantly, register to access the member-only portions. Clifton Park , NY 12065 Please update or add your current email addresses. 371-3114 [email protected] Another activity has been the recently completed bridge project in the Club’s Reist Sanctuary. Treasurer: This work which I described in a separate article was done by volunteers, and it is a visible Ellen Pemrick example of the fact that all work in the Club is done by volunteers. Consider that this includes 298 Vly Rd. Niskayuna, NY 12309 arranging for the Club’s monthly programs; the generation of an annual field trip schedule 452-4384 and their leadership; the Christmas Counts; and the creation of this very publication by its [email protected] writers, editor, and formatting. All these people as well as many others deserve our thanks. Directors The Club now has a critical need for someone to step up to take over the Social Chair Carol Blackwell 238-3086 position. Among the duties is the arranging of refreshments for the monthly programs and the [email protected] Club’s Annual Meeting. The time commitment is fairly small. Please contact me by telephone John Kent 426-7919 or email using the information given in the contact position of Feathers. [email protected] Have a great fall in the field. Jory Langner 573-7999 [email protected] – Bernie Grossman Patti Packer 399-4843 President, HMBC [email protected] Elayne Ryba 312-7384 [email protected] Committee Chairs Birdline: Phil Whitney 477-9050 [email protected] HMBC Contact Information Conservation: Patti Packer 399-4843 BIRDLINE of EASTERN NEW YORK: (518) 439-8080 [email protected] Field Trips: Don Gresens E-mail: [email protected] 370-3923 [email protected] HMBC website: http://hmbc.net Jr. Activities: Steve Mesick HMBC Board Meetings [email protected] Membership: Dan Welch HMBC Board meetings are open to all Club members. Meetings are held at Five Rivers Center or other 477-2980 [email protected] local venues at 7:00 p.m., usually on the second Monday of odd-numbered months. Programs: Scott Stoner 785-6760 Newsletter Contributions Desired [email protected] Publications: Chris Grossman • Have anything you think other birders would be interested in? 399-9159 [email protected] • Have a favorite birding spot you want to share? Publicity: Ann B’Rells 355-5615 • Are there any stories or photos that would inspire others? [email protected] Raptor Migration: Gary Goodness Share them with the HMBC membership by submitting them to the addresses below: 862-9260 [email protected] Please send all electronic submissions via e-mail to: Chris Grossman at [email protected] Records: (vacant) Send all paper submissions to: Reist Sanctuary: Michael Gann 377-2560 Chris Grossman [email protected] Social: Denise Hackert-Stoner 7 Nott Rd. 785-6760 Rexford, NY 12148 Field Trip Reports 47 Henslow’s Sparrow at Fort Drum Fort Drum Some members of the group arrived on to one of the few locations remaining May 29, 2011 Friday, or early Saturday, and conducted on the base that is home to Upland On Sunday May 29, 2011 the Hudson- their own field trip to some other local Sandpiper. Within a few minutes, an Mohawk Bird Club participated in a hotspots and IBAs, including Perch River “Uppie” was making a display flight field trip at Fort Drum, NY. Home to Wildlife Management Area, which is high overhead, and the vocalizations located just west of Fort Drum. Saturday could be clearly heard each time he the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, evening, Jeff led some of the group on went up. A tremendous bonus for all Fort Drum’s 107,000+ acres are located a short nightjar survey on the base, and present was a Clay-colored Sparrow in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. they were able to observe both Common who appeared and sang just inside the Migratory Bird Biologist Jeff Bolsinger Nighthawk and Whip-poor-will. perimeter fence for several minutes. We led ten HMBC members, and several Sunday morning was cloudy and mild, had furtive views but enough to put a other birders, on a seven-hour tour with light winds, as the group assembled “face” with the sound. through various habitats. We attempted at the Permit Office to consolidate Our next stop (and my favorite!) was at to find bird species representative of into a three - vehicle caravan. We set an oak savannah area, quite rare in New those habitats, including several species out at about 7 a.m., heading towards York State, where we hoped to locate the that are rare elsewhere in New York the sandy grasslands near Wheeler- resident Red-headed Woodpeckers.