The newsletter of New York City Audubon Win t erWin 2014-2015ter 2014 / /Volume Volume XXXV XXXV N No.o. 4 4 THE URBAN AUDUBON Audubon’sAudubon’s ClimateClimate ChangeChange ReportReport AA CallCall toto CitizenCitizen ScientistsScientists Winter 2014-2015 1 61246_NYC_Audubon_UA_Winter_Corr.indd 1 11/12/14 6:13 AM NYC AUDUBON MISSION & VISION Mission: NYC Audubon is a grassroots Bird’s-Eye View Kathryn Heintz community that works for the protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers. idway through an otherwise quiet summer, the board of directors of New York Vision: NYC Audubon envisions a City Audubon invited me to become its next executive director. I am honored. day when birds and people in the MAs this dedicated and accomplished organization embarks upon its 35th year, five boroughs enjoy a healthy, livable I am thrilled to join its wonderful staff, to meet its devoted members, and to help craft its habitat. promising future. THE URBAN AUDUBON In just a few weeks, I have seen places I thought I knew: Jamaica Bay, Orchard Beach, Editors Lauren Klingsberg & Greenpoint, the coastline in Staten Island, and even a garage roof in the Battery. But now Marcia T. Fowle that I am looking at them with a bird’s-eye view, I am filled with wonder. Dr. Susan Elbin Managing Editor Tod Winston Newsletter Committee Lucienne Bloch, took me to the Battery to keep an eye out for night-migrating birds during the annual Ned Boyajian, Suzanne Charlé, Diane Tribute in Light memorial. She offered a tour of the Jamaica Bay shoreline, pointing out Darrow, Lee Frankel, Ellen Gerber, the research projects underway. Then she showed me an amazing seven-acre sedum field Catherine Heller, Lynne Hertzog, Mary Jane Kaplan, Abby McBride, Sarah atop the Javits Center followed by an up-close examination of its new exterior fritted McGullam, Don Riepe, Carol Peace glass—Project Safe Flight in action. I have also been moved by the enthusiasm of our Robins dedicated volunteers and the passion of fellow bird-watchers enthralled by Gabriel Willow Printing & Mailing Kase Printing, Inc. as we took in the nesting herons on their private islands beyond the Verrazano Bridge on Design Whitehouse & Company a sunset cruise. Art Director Christina Rubin Looking ahead, there is much to do. It is a critically important time for wild birds Publisher NYC Audubon and their habitats. I urge you to read National Audubon’s Birds and Climate Change Report, THE URBAN AUDUBON is published which is highlighted in this issue. Also in these pages you will read about our work locally: four times per year (spring, summer, Recent achievements at the Ridgewood Reservoir on the Brooklyn-Queens border and fall, and winter) by New York City the native plant garden in McGolrick Park in Brooklyn are just two we highlight for you Audubon Society, Inc. this season. You will also find the roster of activities and trips we are offering this winter. BOARD OF directors Sign up for the 115th Christmas Bird Count in Central Park and the Great Backyard Bird President Harrison D. Maas Count. Join our corps of volunteers, whom we gratefully acknowledge on pages 18 and Executive Vice President David Speiser Vice President Richard T. Andrias 19, whose efforts make all of our work possible. Partake of birding walks, lectures, classes, Treasurer John Shemilt and adventures among friends. Your continuing participation in our programs is essential Secretary Marsilia A. Boyle to their success. Immediate Past President Oakes Ames This is the kind of personal engagement we need to protect wild birds and their habitats Directors Robert Bate, Clifford Case, Judy Craig, Alexander Ewing, Andrew in our urban environment. We need you. As the end of the calendar year approaches, we Farnsworth, Marcia T. Fowle, Catherine ask you for your renewed financial support. Please consider what NYC Audubon means Schragis Heller, Lynne Hertzog, to you and renew your support with a year-end donation in the enclosed envelope, or at Sarah Jeffords, Jeffrey Kimball, Lauren Klingsberg, Lawrence Levine, Eugene www.nycaudubon.org. I hope you will choose to give as generously as your means allow. Nardelli, Fredric Spar, Tom Stephenson Every gift of every size matters to every one of us. Your participation matters most. Thank you all for a warm welcome to NYC Audubon. It is surely a harbinger of great ADVISORY COUNCIL Sarah Grimké Aucoin, Drianne Benner, things to come! 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 REMEMBEr NYC AUDUBOn Moore, Peter Rhoades Mott, Dorothy ew York City is forever changing, and with time the need to protect our M. Peteet, Don Riepe, Lewis Rosenberg, James R. Sheffield urban wildlife and habitat becomes more and more critical. A bequest is Na generous and straightforward way to safeguard birds and their habitat EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR in the City’s five boroughs. It can be expressed “I bequeath [a sum of money or a Kathryn Heintz percentage of my estate] to New York City Audubon Society, Inc. a not-for-profit organization with offices at 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1523, New York, NY 10010, for its general purposes.” To learn more, please give Development Manager Angela RECYCLED Supporting responsible use of Januzzi a call at 212-691-7483 x306. forest resources 2 www.nycaudubon.org 61246_NYC_Audubon_UA_Winter_Corr.indd 2 11/12/14 6:13 AM In This Issue Winter 2014-2015 © M ichael B NYC AUDUBON aglole* 71 West 23rd Street Suite 1523 New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212-691-7483 Fax: 646-606-3301 www.nycaudubon.org Cover Photograph: Common Loons © Andrew A. Reding* Small Banner Photographs: Susan Elbin, Steve Nanz, and Don Riepe 5 *This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Features 5 Audubon’s Groundbreaking Climate Change Report: 314 Birds on the Brink © D avid by Carol Peace Robins R odgers 6 The Fall Roost 2014 Catherine Schragis Heller 9 NYC Audubon’s New Executive Director, Kathryn Heintz 12 The Birders Coalition for Gateway 6 by Rob Bate 13 A Call to Citizen Scientists © M ark by Suzanne Charlé H atchski* 14 Going Native: Restoring McGolrick Park by Ellen Gerber 14 The Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) by Don Riepe 15 Progress Is Seen on Preservation of Ridgewood Reservoir 10 by Lee Frankel © D avid 16 D-Bird: “The Crowd” Lends a Hand to Project Safe Flight S peiser by Darren Klein Departments 16 Winter/Spring 2015 Lecture Series 4 Conservation Notes 17 Book Reviews 9 Volunteer! 18 News & Notes 13 10 Events and Adventures 18 Volunteer Acknowledgments 12 National/International Trips 20 Holiday Gift Ideas Winter 2014-2015 3 61246_NYC_Audubon_UA_Winter_Corr.indd 3 11/12/14 6:13 AM Conservation Notes Debra Kriensky ost of our work this fall has fo- This fall, Project Safe Flight volunteers the spring we will replace plants that didn’t cused on providing safe passage continued to monitor several areas and survive. (See page 14 to learn more about this Mthrough New York City for mi- buildings of concern for birds injured or killed project.) gratory land birds. Our primary accomplish- by collisions with glass. Our citizen scientists Our new “D-Bird” data collection tool ments are highlighted below: patrolled the Metropolitan Museum of Art is fully up and running on our website, and On September 11, our staff including almost every day of the week, and found many people from all over the City have new executive director Kathryn Heintz, that its large glass windows continue to be reported sightings of dead and injured birds. volunteers, and board members once again problematic for migrating birds like common As we continue to receive more reports, this monitored the Tribute in Light memorial, in yellowthroats, white-throated sparrows, and tool will allow us to determine if there are partnership with the Municipal Arts Society. even ruby-throated hummingbirds. Other any buildings or areas of particular concern Migration forecasts shortly before the Tribute sites, such as Bryant Park and Washington for collisions beyond those we monitor on a indicated that a heavy migration night was Square Park, also continue to be collision regular basis. It will also help us determine likely, causing concern; but the vast majority hotspots, with victims including blackpoll which species are at highest risk for injury. of birds ended up passing over just to the warblers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and So far, we have gotten reports of a variety of west of New York City, missing the lights northern flickers. For the last few weeks of species, but a noticeable number of northern almost completely. The handful of birds fall, we also enlisted several new volunteers parulas, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and spotted flying through the light beams did at Columbia University to start monitoring red-eyed vireos. (Learn more about D-Bird not linger, and the Tribute was not dimmed buildings on campus that have had bird on page 16 of this issue.) as it has been in past years, remaining bright collisions. In addition to our work on the streets throughout the night. (A tourist helicopter We helped create stopover habitat for of New York City, our joint research (with hovered in the beams during the early hours land birds at McGolrick Park, Greenpoint, American Bird Conservancy, New Jersey of the evening... until we called the FAA.) Brooklyn. The garden is sleeping now, but in Audubon, Fordham University, Ennead ©Aniko’ Totha ©Aniko’ Architects, and the Bronx Zoo) on bird-safe glass continued this fall in the Bronx.