EASTERN LONG ISLAND AUDUBON SOCIETY – From the Barrens to the Bays Formerly Moriches Bay Audubon, established 1967 November/December 2008 —Vol. XXXVIII No. 6 NATURE PROGRAMS J a Monday, November 3rd m e s NY'S SECOND BREEDING BIRD ATLAS G a l l BY KIMBERLEY CORWIN e t t o NewYork’s second Breeding Bird Atlas is imminent. The book documents changes in our bird distributions over the past 20 years. Some species have increased greatly while others have declined alarmingly. A few species are new breeders in the state while at least one has all but disappeared. Kimberley Corwin, who coordinated the Atlas project and co-edited the Atlas pub - lication, will show distribution maps and share some of the stories with us. Get a sneak peak into the book that NewYork's birders have been waiting years to see! The first feeding from A RedTale Kim is the Co-Editor of the Breeding Bird Atlas publication. She served as the Monday, December 1st James Galletto has been photographing Project Coordinator of the project from JAMES GALLETTO - A RED TALE nature for ten years and is known world its start in 1999. Kim holds a Master's de - wide for his action and behavior photog - James Galletto will give a program called gree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology raphy. His images have graced the cover of A RedTale an intimate view inside the from the University at Albany. In her spare Natures Best Magazine and have hung on life of a Red-tail Hawk Family. We will fol - time, Kim enjoys hiking and birding. She is the walls of Smithsonian National Museum low their lives from egg to fledging to an avid road cyclist and mountain biker. of Natural History. hunting on their own. Nature programs and membership meetings are held the FIELD TRIPS first Monday of every month at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. Saturday, November 1, 2008 Ocean Parkway east to Robert Moses These free programs JONES BEACH STATE PARK AND State Park. If time permits we walk on the are open to all. POINT LOOKOUT boardwalk to Fire Island Lighthouse. Con - (Directions are on our website.) tact your trip leader John McNeil at 7:15 pm – Nature Chat Leader: John McNeil 631.281.2623 at home or on the day of 7:30 pm – Chapter News the field trip, by cell 631.219.8947. This area is a catch basin for all types of 8:00 pm – Speaker birds, and holds many surprises. We will December 2008 try to catch the end of the fall migration December presents a special opportunity Saturday, November 22 & as well as the arrival of our winter visitors from the north. Do not forget to bring a for you to join one of the Christmas Bird Sunday. November 23 lunch. Counts (CBCs) and/or the Waterfowl Census. The leaders and territories are SEED SALE Meet at the West End #2 parking lot at listed on page 2. Please pick one and par - See Insert for 9 am. We will drive to Point Lookout, ticipate in this nationwide effort that has check the jetties, and come back to JFK been going on for over 100 years. There Order Form Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary. Then check are a few related stories inside. THE OSPREY - November/December 2008 2 Christmas Bird Counts & Winter Waterfowl Censuses John McNeil s the holiday season approaches, it can participate. All help is welcome. ever, to hunt for owls, some observers Ais once again time to think about Experienced birders are needed for each start a few hours before daylight and con - the winter bird counts. Each year, of the counts, but beginners are most wel - tinue for a while after dark. At least eight ELIAS members participate in a series of come. If you are not an experienced hours of field observation during daylight ten counts — five Christmas Bird Counts birder, field parties who are familiar with hours in a CBC circle is required for ac - (CBC) sponsored by the National the territory will help you learn your way ceptance of a CBC report. Audubon Society and five winter water - around. We hope that new observers will Field coverage is primarily done by some fowl censuses sponsored by the NY Or - find the counts to be as exciting as experi - combination of walking and driving, but bi - nithological Association. Dates and enced birders find them to be, and that cycles, boats, motorcycles, and other compilers for the counts are listed below. they will continue to participate in the fu - modes of transportation are also used. If you would like to participate as either a ture. This is the way we can we develop an The Winter Waterfowl Censuses have field observer or a feeder watcher in any adequate pool of skilled, committed ob - been compiled throughout the state of of the listed CBC’s, or as a participant in servers to continue the tradition. NewYork since 1955. These too are done any of the waterfowl censuses, please con - Feeder watchers who live within the count in assigned territories, but only birds such tact the compiler for the count(s). A fee circle are needed to provide additional as ducks, geese, swans, cormorants, grebes, will be collected from all observers over coverage by recording the number of indi - and coots are counted. These censuses are 18, to defray the cost of compiling the viduals and the variety of species that ap - usually done in mid-January by the same data and publishing for the CBC results. pear at the feeder during the count day. CBC compilers. If you would like to partic - There is no fee to participate in the Wa - ipate please contact a compiler. terfowl Censuses. Usually the compilers For the most part, counting begins as soon are very flexible and participants can bird as it is light enough to see (around 6:30 to Below are the people to contact to join with the group until they need to go. 7:00 am) and continues until it is too dark the CBC and the Waterfowl Census. So…please do not hesitate to ask if you to see anymore (around 5:00 pm). How - Count Date Compiler Contact Information Quogue to Water Mill CBC Sunday, Dec. 14th Steve Biasetti Hm 874-4684 Wk 765-6450 x205 [email protected] [email protected] Montauk CBC Saturday, Dec. 20th Hugh McGuinness 907-1709 [email protected] Sagaponack CBC Sunday, Dec. 21st Hugh McGuinness 907-1709 [email protected] Central Suffolk CBC Saturday, Dec. 27th Eileen Schwinn 516-662-7751 [email protected] Orient CBC Saturday, Jan 3rd, 2009 MaryLaura Lamont 722-5542 [email protected] Smith Point to Shinnecock Inlet Census Saturday, Jan. 17th Jay Kuhlman 878-4461 [email protected] Yaphank to Peconic Bay Census Midweek of Jan. 17th John McNeil 281-2623 [email protected] Montauk Point to Amagansett Census Saturday, Jan. 17th Hugh McGuinness 907-1709 [email protected] Reeves Bay to Noyack Bay Midweek of Jan. 17th John McNeil 281-2623 [email protected] Fresh Pond to Sag Harbor Midweek of Jan. 17th John McNeil 281-2623 [email protected] THE OSPREY - November/December 2008 3 WHY THE COUNT IS IMPORTANT Other Walks of Interest Saturday, November 1 rom December 14, 2008 through their numbers. Instead of firing a shotgun, MaryLaura Lamont, ELIAS Board Mem - FJanuary 5, 2009, tens of thousands of now we have an annual snapshot. Decades ber and NPS naturalist, will lead a walk volunteers throughout the Americas of data have added up to results envied by on November 1. Meet at 9 am at the will take part in an adventure that has be - other scientists who don’t enjoy such a eastern section of Robert Moses park - come a family tradition among genera - fleet of volunteer help, or creatures as ing Field 5. The walk will go to the Fire tions. Grandmothers and students, soccer easily seen and counted as birds. Island Lighthouse . moms and scientists, armed with binocu - “Counting is the first step in learning how Saturday, November 22 lars, bird guides and checklists will head environmental threats are affecting our Join MaryLaura Lamont, at Hal lockville out on an annual mission – often before birds," said LeBaron. The proverbial "ca - Museum , Sound Ave, Northville. There dawn. For over one hundred years, the de - naries in the coal mine," birds provide an will be a $5.00 fee charged to help Hal - sire to both make a difference and to ex - early warning indicator of the health of lockville educational school programs. perience the beauty of nature has driven the world we all share. dedicated people to leave the comfort of a Meet at 9 am. warm house in the middle of winter. “Last year these birds sent us a clear mes - Sunday, November 23 sage that their fate is determined by These Citizen Scientists are taking action human activity more than anything else,” MaryLaura will lead one more walk to for conservation. By participating in said Audubon President John Flicker when the William Floyd Estate . Enter by Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, they announcing WatchList 2007. The using the Service Entrance gate, at 20 Wash - help scientists understand how birds are CBC and other data sources, WatchList ington Ave. in Mastic. Contact Mary - faring amid unprecedented environmental identified 178 species in the continental Laura at work (631) 399-2030 for challenges. The data they collect informs U.S. and 39 in Hawaii that are imperiled. details and info. Meet at 9 am the world about the State of Birds, and The report was based on the latest avail - provides the information we need to able research, including the Christmas Bird shape their future and ours.