NORTH SHORE AUDUBON SOCIETY

SERVING THE WESTERN NORTH SHORE OF LONG ISLAND, N.Y.

Our mission is: to promote, protect and preserve the environment and the birds that inhabit it through education, advocacy and leadership.




This site maintained by Herbert Roth at Email Me


Last updated:
January 20, 2010
All Rights Reserved

  • ON THIS PAGE:

    MONTHLY PROGRAMS

    WHAT'S NEW?

    GREAT BIRDYARD BIRD COUNT

    CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

    NY AUDUBON COUNCIL REPORT

    WINTER LEADERLESS WALKS

    SPRING 2010 BIRD WALKS

    FROM THE PRESIDENT

    MONTHLY PROGRAM CALENDAR


    MONTHLY PROGRAMS

    Held at the Manhasset Library,
    30 Onderdonk Avenue, Manhasset
    (at Northern Boulevard), at 7 p.m
    .
    Open to the public and free of charge.
    Handicapped accessible

    Saturday, November 24, 2009
    Shore Birds & Waders
    By Lloyd Spitalnik

    Lloyd Spitalnik is an experienced birder and accomplished photographer whose work has appeared in such publications as Natural History, the N.Y. Times, and Audubon magazine to name a few. The next time you go to the beach or ponds you’ll be able to identify some of the birds you see. - various kinds of herons, willets, sandpipers and the like.




    Northern Nassau County
    2009 Christmas Bird Count Results

    Details


    JOIN NOW!
    Click here for membership application form

     


    Audubon Council of New York State Fall Meeting, October 31/November 1, 2009


    The Audubon Council of New York State, representing most of New York’s 27
    chapters met at the Thayer Hotel at West Point during Halloween weekend.
    On Friday evening following the council board meeting, the entire council and the constitution advisory board was treated to a lovely dinner reception at the home of Audubon New York Board Chair and National Audubon Society board member Connie Eristoff and his wife, Anne. On Saturday morning, chapter representatives chose
    among field trips to Doodletown led by Rockland Audubon Society, Croton Point Park led by Saw Mill River Audubon, or a guided tour of the West Point campus. Later on, attendees gathered for presentations and workshops by Audubon New York Staff about The Atlantic Flyway Initiative, Audubon New York’s strategic plan, and tips for fundraising.
    After dinner, the council enjoyed a presentation on the Hudson River by Francis
    Dunwell, conservationist and author of “The Hudson: America’s River”.
    Chapter representatives shared updates and ideas on their current work at the Chapter roundtable on Sunday morning. After hearing Al Caccese’s Executive Director report and an update from the council board, the meeting was adjourned with all looking forward to the Spring Assembly, to take place March 19-21, 2010 at the Gideon Putnam in Saratoga Springs,

  • SPECIAL REPORT:
    THE EARLY HISTORY OF OUR CHAPTER

    CLICK HERE


    WHAT'S NEW?


    President's Week Special Children's Programs
    at Garvies Point Museum, February 17 - 20

    For details, call 516-571-8010 or www.garviespointmuseum.com

    Congress approves Long Island Sound funding
    As the debate on the federal budget ended, Congress and the President agreed to spend $7 million for protecting and restoring Long Island Sound, more than double the funding received last year.



    THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
    February 12- 15

    Bird and nature fans are invited to join tens of thousands of everyday bird watchers for the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).

    A joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, this free event is for families, students, and people of all ages to discover the wonders of nature in backyards, schoolyards, and local parks, and at the same time, make an important contribution to conservation. Participants count birds and reported sightings online at www.birdcount.org. Families, teachers, children and all those who take part in the GBBC get a chance to improve their observations kills, enjoy nature, and have a great time counting.

    Anyone can take part, from novice to expert, by counting birds for as little as 15 minutes on one or more days of the event and reporting their sightings online at www.birdcount.org. Participants can also explore what birds others are finding in their backyards – whether in their own neighborhood or thousands of miles away. Additional resources include tips to help identify birds, a photo gallery, and special materials for educators.

    The data helps researchers understand bird population trends, information that is critical for effective conservation. This effort enables everyone to see what would otherwise be impossible: a comprehensive picture of where birds are in late winter and how the numbers and distribution compare with previous years. In 2009, participants submitted more than 93,000 checklists, observed over 111 million birds of 613 species. The GBBC has become a vital link in the arsenal of continent-wide bird monitoring projects. The GBBC has documented the fine-grained details of late winter bird distributions better than any project in history, including some truly striking changes over the past decade.

    Make plans to join us this year as part of the longest running citizen science program in the United States. Since its beginning in 1900 with 25 areas, the count has expanded to include all 50 states, every Canadian province, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Pacific Islands.
    The data collected by observers for the past century allow researchers, conservation biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys it provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the last hundred years.






    WINTER LEADERLESS WALKS


    Walks for beginners and experienced birders alike.
    Weather permitting, walks start Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. except as noted, and end at noon.
    Contact Wendy Merbach at 516-546-6303 for further information

    11/25 Target Rock NWR
    12/2 Garvies Point Preserve
    12/9 Massapequa Preserve, South Pond
    12/16 Cow Meadow, Freeport
    12/23 Roslyn (Gerry) Park & Hempstead Harbor
    12/30 Welwyn Preserve, Glen Cove
    1/6/2010 Hempstead Lake SP
    1/13 Stehli Beach, Bayville
    1/20 Jones Beach Coast Guard Station
    1/27 Bayard Cutting Arboretum (10 a.m.)
    2/3 Belmont Lake SP
    2/10 Point Lookout
    2/17 Twin Lakes Preserve
    2/24 Jamaica Bay WR
    3/3 Planting Fields Arboretum
    3/10 St. John's Pond, Cold Spring Harbor


    SPRING 2010 BIRD WALKS

    Walks for beginners and experienced birders alike.
    Spring walks are focused on the dawn chorus of migrants and breeding birds.
    Listening will be key in learning "all about birds".
    The Cornell Lab. of Ornithology website has useful "All About Birds" bird sounds.

    Weather permitting, walks start at 9:30 a.m. except for trips marked ***, which start at 7:30 a.m.,
    and trips end at noon.
    If in doubt, please call trip leader.
    All phone numbers are area code 516 except as noted.
    Use the site finder for directions.

    Wed 3/17 Twin Lakes Preserve Ralph Matragrano 785-3375
    Sat 3/20 Stehli Beach, Bayville (west end) Mike Henahan 627-7018
    Wed 3/24 Jones Beach Coast Guard Station Wendy Murbach 546-6303
    Sat 3/27 Jamaica Bay NWR Lenore Figueroa 718-343-1391
    We 3/31 Norman J. Levy Preserve*** Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Sat 4/3 Alley Pond Park (76 Avenue) Lenore Figueroa 718-343-1391
    Wed 4/7 Shu Swamp Helen McClure 671-4758
    Sat 4/10 Muttontown Preserve Helen McClure 671-4758
    Wed 4/14 Hempstead Lake State Park***
    Parking Field 2/3
    Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Sat 4/17 Marine Nature Study Area, Oceanside Ralph Matragrano 785-3375
    Wed 4/21 Roslyn Park and
    Bar Beach Nature Trail***.
    Meet at Roslyn Park duck pond.
    Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Sat 4/24 Sands Point Preserve (see Note 1) Jennifer Wilson-Pines 767-3454
    Wed 4/28 Robert Moses State Park
    Field 5***
    Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Sat 5/1 Garvies Point Preserve Barbara Garriel 628-9022
    Wed 5/5 Forest Park*** Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Thu 5/6 Bayard Cutting Arboretum***
    10 a.m. starting time
    Don & Joyce Bryk 621-6678
    Fri 5/7 Tiffany Creek Mike Henahan 627-7018
    Sat 5/8 BIG DAY 1 -
    6:30 a.m. starting time
    Alley Pond Park, 76 Avenue
    Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Mon 5/10 Muttontown Preserve Helen McClure 671-4758
    Tue 5/11 Garvies Point Preserve Don & Joyce Bryk 621-6678
    Wed 5/12 Hoffman Center*** Barbara Garriel 628-9022
    Thu 5/13 Welwyn Preserve Helen McClure 671-4758
    Fri 5/14 Planting Fields Arboretum Mike Henahan 627-7018
    Sat 5/15 BIG DAY 2-
    6:30 a.m. starting time
    Alley Pond Park, 76 Avenue
    Mary Normandia 671-4359
    Wed 5/19 Clark Gardens, Albertson***
    10 a.m. Starting time
    Wendy Murbach 546-6303
    Sat 5/22 Jamaica Bay NWR Lenore Figueroa 718-343-1391
    Wed 5/26 Nassau County Fine Arts Museum Joan Parry 365-7191

    Note 1: Sands Point Preserve has parking fee of $5/car.
    We suggest parking at the Port Washington RR station at 9 a.m. (No sticker required on Saturdays)
    and carpool from there.




    From the President
    Peggy Maslow

    I just finished three bird identification programs for Port Washington fourth graders in December and found enthusiastic students and teachers. One slide of the program asks students to help birds survive by 1. Keeping cats indoors, 2. Keep feeders clean and stocked, 3. Reduce window kills by placing hawk silhouettes on windows, 4. Recycle, 5. Do not use poisons on your lawns, 6. Plant bird-friendly plants, 7. Support bird habitat in parks and preserves.
    NSAS also set up bird feeders so the fourth graders at one school can observe birds easily and participate in Project Feederwatch run by Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

    I want to share the inspiring story of the evolution of the Port Washington fourth grade “Port Washington as Textbook” program in which NSAS participates. It was the brainchild of one person, retired Port Washington PEP teacher Marilyn Gilbert. With Port Washington Souca fourth grade teacher Diana Conway, she developed the program using Port Washington’s history, geology, natural places and resident experts.

    The program involves two field trips and three classroom presentations. The field trips are to the Sands Point Preserve and the Guggenheim Preserve to learn about the flora and fauna, including birds, and geological forces that created a unique landscape.

     



    The presentations are on the history of the sand mining industry (gift of Port’s geological past) and its influence on Port Washington’s population, “Owl and Osprey” and “Bird Identification”. In the computer lab, students explore online the library’s database of sand mine archives (Sand and City) letters photos and interviews. Recently NSAS introduced the librarians to birding websites which they can introduce to students. Port Washington itself becomes the text book based on the science, history and language arts curriculum. It Teacher Center course in the past covered the same topics and also included Betsy Gulotta’s talking about the Hempstead Plains, a similar course was offered at Adult Education for the community at large.Gilbert had done a program on the geologic history of Kings Park when she was a PEP teacher there, and wanted to reproduce the project in Port but lacked a Geologist. “When I took a guided walk through the Roslyn Shore Road sand pits, there was my Geologist, Herb Mills, who was more than happy to participate in the project I proposed on the spot” said Gilbert. “There were lots of other naturalists on that walk, and I took all their e-mail addresses and contacted them later on. Never take a nature walk without a pad and pencil!” When Gilbert was helping the kids with their homework in the Port Washington Education Foundation homework club on Tuesdays, he became aware that the fourth grade social studies curriculum includes the geological


    history of the NYS, and the effects of the glaciers on the formation of New York’s terrain and ultimately its ecology. “I thought to myself this is illustrated not just in the textbook but in our town,” said Gilbert “That’s how Norma Ziegel (PWTeacher Center Director) came up with the title of “Our Town as Textbook” for the teacher center course. Because the teachers of many grades took the course, there have been curricular enhancements beyond fourth grade - such as the study of avian adaptation in the middle school.

    Gilbert would meet with Sousa fourth grade teacher Diana Conway at her cousin’s house, a neighbor of Gilbert’s. “In conversation with Diana, I mention that I’d love to replicate my Kings Park project, and Diana expressed interest in participating,” said Gilbert. “After I took that sands pit walk I called her, and said, “We’ve got our geologist.” Gilbert and Conway created the trips and presentations in July and August 2007. They designed the program around the curriculum, the New York State standards in Science, Social studies, and Language Arts and tailored it the specialties of the local resource people. This is the first year that NSAS is presenting the bird identification program. And NSAS members continue to lead the field trip walks along with local PWGreen members. Residents for the More Beautiful Port Washington produced grants to help pay expenses. The Port Washington School District is also an enthusiastic participants.

     



    MONTHLY PROGRAM CALENDAR

    These programs are held on Tuesdays at the the Manhasset Public Library,
    30 Onderdonk Avenue, Manhasset, unless otherwise stated.

    DATE TOPIC SPEAKER
    November 24, 2009 Lloyd Spitalnik Shorebirds and Waders
    January 26, 2010 Mary Eschwei Trip down the Amazon River and Tributaries
    March 23, 2010 Scott Whittle Birding NY State
    April 27, 2010 Steve Walter Butterflies and Moths
    May 25, 2010 Officer Election/ Speaker TBA