1. pets
2. birds

March/April 2015
FOUR HARBORS AUDUBON SOCIETY
Serving Stony Brook, Setauket, Port Jefferson, Mount Sinai, Smithtown and the surrounding areas
THE FOUR HARBORS
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HERON
A Message from the President 2
First Hint of Early Spring Migration 3
Don’t Let Go—Balloon Release, Part 1 5
Natives—Are they Really Necessary 7
Interview with a Young Birder 10
Birds of the Month 13
Trivia 15-16
Rare Bird Reports 17
Upcoming Events
3/14/15: Avalon Gardens Bird Walk, 9 a.m.
4/11/15: Avalon Gardens Bird Walk, 8 a.m.
3/14/15: Frank Melville Memorial Park/Mill
Pond Bird Walk, 11 a.m.
4/11/15: Frank Melville Memorial Park/Mill
Pond Bird Walk, 11 a.m.
3/20/15-3/22/15: LI Natural History Conference,
Brookhaven National Lab
4/25/15: Lily Pond Park & Preserve Bird Walk.
8 a.m.
3/22/14: FHAS Meeting and Presentation of film, 5/9/15: International Migratory Bird Day
The Condor’s Shadow. 2 p.m.,
5/16/15: Birds and Migration Around the Frank
Port Jefferson Library
Melville Pond, 11:30 a.m., register Emma Clark
3/24/15—Woodcock walk, Avalon Preserve,
Library
just before dusk, meet at the Barn
1
March/April 2015
A Message from the President
As I write this, it is below zero with the wind chill. Tried to do some bird watching today but my
fingers were too cold to focus my binoculars! Please continue to keep those feeders stocked and
water available for our avian friends. If you see an animal in distress please bring it to Sweetbriar
Nature Center (call first 631-979-6344).
You may be aware that Congress will soon be attempting to pass legislation that will be
detrimental to wildlife and their habitats. It is imperative that you make your opinions known to
your legislators! Letters really do make a difference, and it is easy to do in our computer age. If you
would like to get involved, and are not already receiving information about environmental issues,
please go to Advocacy & Action. If you have older children/grandchildren, get them involved as
well! We all have a voice and need to speak up for the land and creatures that have none.
Please join us at our next meeting at Port Jefferson Library on March 22 at 2 p.m.: an amazing
documentary, The Shadow of the Condor, will be the highlight, as we learn how these unique
raptors were saved from extinction. Hope to see you all there - the same week as the ospreys return
from South America !
Advocacy & Action
View on www.audubon.org
Susan Krause
Four Harbors Audubon Society
Board
Susan Krause, President
Luci Betti-Nash, Vice President
Sue Beck, Field Trip Director
Joyann Cirigliano
Atlantic Flyway Projects Coordinator
Patrice Domeischel
Communications/Newsletter
Joe Kelly, Photographer
Jim LaRosa, Webmaster
Elaine Maas, Education Coordinator
Diane Spitz, Treasurer/Conservation Chair
2
March/April 2015
The First Hint of Early Spring Migration
Luci Betti-Nash
It seems like the winter will never end, but this
morning (February 12) I had a very slight hint that
Spring might actually happen! After strapping my
‘SnowTrex’ onto my boots, to keep from slipping
on the ice, and bundling up (to feel like I did when I
was about 6 years old with the old head to toe
snowsuits that prevented us from having normal
limb movements), I went out to fill my feeders.
After I got back inside, I looked out of the window,
and saw an unfamiliar shape in the branches of the
Black Walnut tree. Ah, that Juvenile Red-tailed
Hawk was back again! I don’t think he has his
hunting technique perfected just yet. He always
seems to go away empty “taloned.” I find it amusing that the birds, though initially frightened away
when he flies in, come back fairly quickly even as
he sits just a short distance from where they feed,
but the squirrels know to stay out of sight. Soon he
leaves, and the squirrels come back, and all
seems wintery and well.
Photo by Joe Kelly
The usual suspects were there waiting for me; two
Chickadees, a Titmouse - maybe two, lots of Cardinals and White-throated Sparrows, a few Mourning
Doves, a Downy Woodpecker, the one little Swamp
Sparrow that has been hanging around for several
Photo by Joe Kelly
It’s time for me to go to work, so out the front door
I go (where I cannot see the feeders) and, as I try
not to slip on my ice-covered driveway, I am hearing something that is so calming, and warming, and
yet, it takes me several minutes to process that I am
hearing Grackles… is it Grackles?, or… yes, and
Red-winged Blackbirds! Lots of them! They are
right on time! My ears are telling me that it is a
chilly early Spring day, and even though it is only
mid-February, I feel much warmer now knowing
that soon, probably when you are reading this, it
will be March, and we will be hearing not only
Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, but it will be
Photo by Joe Kelly
time to go listening and looking for the Woodcock
displaying in Avalon. There will be more birds
weeks, and my 3 Rusty Blackbirds who have been singing, and by mid-March we should start seeing
faithfully showing up for the past 3 winters around Black-crowned Night Herons, Belted Kingfishers,
this time. I said hello to all of them, filled the feed- and maybe an Eastern Phoebe. Next, the Cormoers, cleared the ice off of a spot in my little pond so rants will be back adding to their nests over the
Stony Brook Mill Pond, Osprey will start showing
they would have some water too, and went back
up, and maybe a Yellowlegs. It means that the
into the house.
Swallows, Chimney Swifts, and Herons, will not be
far behind.
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March/April 2015
The First Hint of Early Spring Migration (cont.)
As May approaches we’ll hear more familiar
songs like the Eastern Towhee, Great-crested
Flycatcher, Northern Oriole, Wood Thrush, ..... oh
the Wood Thrush song! Won’t that be heaven to
hear?
But for now, we must get through the rest of
winter; a bit more snow today, a possible blizzard
this weekend, more snow next week, and temperatures around 0º F with wind chills well below 0º.
Yes, it’s still very much winter in February, but
the thought of hearing those early spring sounds
And then come the Warblers! Some will be the
warms me. I will keep those songs of the early
familiar songs that we will hear all summer like
Spring Grackle and Red-winged Blackbird in my
the Yellow, Blue-winged, and Yellowthroat
minds ear, while I continue to feed my winter
Warblers, and the American Redstart, and some
birds so that they can be fit enough to migrate
will be those beauties that are just passing
through, teasing us with a glimpse of their brilliant back to their breeding grounds. And as I watch the
colors and a confusion of buzzy songs; the Black- snow fall, I can be warmed in the knowledge that
Spring is really not that far away. The birds hint at
throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Chestnutthat now and then.
sided, Blackburnian and Canada Warblers, to
name only a few! Oh I feel warmer already.
Some of the birds that should be returning to your backyard in March and April are:
Eastern Phoebe
Brown Thrasher
Blue-headed Vireo
Palm Warbler
House Wren
Pine Warbler
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Black and White Warbler
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Yellow Warbler
Eastern Bluebird
Prairie Warbler
American Robin
Eastern Towhee
Yellow Warbler, Photo by Joe Kelly
4
Don't Let Go : Balloon Release, Part I
March/April 2015
Elaine Maas
It was a warm day in early August of last year. We
had spent most of the afternoon at Smith Point
County Park. Around 5pm, we collected our
belongings, stuffed the towels into our bags, and
repacked empty food containers in our cooler. With
one last look at the ocean crashing behind us, we
turned and made our way slowly through the sand
towards the parking lot. We were just past the
concession stand when I saw a group of 25, maybe
30 people, off to the side, holding hands in a circle.
One woman stood apart from the group, reading to
the others from a small notebook. I stopped for a
moment, not wanting to intrude on this intimate
ceremony. Instead, I waited. Obviously a memorial
to someone dear to them all, I said to myself, as they
respectively and intermittently made comments aloud
within the circle. A voice behind me pardoned
herself, "...excuse me, thank you, let me through,
thanks ...excuse me." The young woman walked past
us, and towards the group carrying a fistful of
ribbons, all of which were attached to 2 dozen or
more inflated red balloons. The balloons fought each
other in the breeze, as the girl handed them out one
by one to each person in the circle. No!, I
thought. Oh, no! Please don't do this - PLEASE
don't release them!!!
string or ribbon will come back down to the
earth. Some of it will wash ashore. Some will
remain out in the oceans, contributing to the growing
swirl of trash in our seas. Balloons, even the
so-called 'biodegradable' ones, last from months to
years in the environment.
What are the consequences of these balloons remaining in our oceans? Whole balloons and their pieces
are ingested by a wide variety of marine animals
including seabirds, shorebirds, fish, sea turtles,
manatees, and whales. Ingested balloons cause
starvation in several ways. For one, they can obstruct
the digestive tract, preventing real nutritional food
from passing through, causing painful blockage, and
eventual starvation. In other instances, balloons will
partially fill the stomach area, but not pass through,
giving the animal a false sense of fullness. This is
known as dietary dilution, and can lead to starvation
from a lack of proper food intake. Ribbons, like other
filamentous marine debris such as fishing line and
nets, entangle beaks, legs, flippers, and fins, oftentimes with fatal consequences. Plastic inserts, sometimes used to help inflate the balloons, get swallowed
by animals, causing blockage or starvation. Colorful
mylar balloons slowly fade into translucent sacks in
But of course, they did. They let go.
the sea, appearing ever so much like edible jellyfish
Each balloon gently drifted up into the sky towards
to marine life, such as leatherback sea turtles whose
the east. As the balloons made their way over the
primary food of choice happens to be translucent
ocean and faded from sight, this group of twenty-five jellyfish.
people waved. And then, they gathered up their
belongings, and walked towards to parking lot, and
From the years 2001 - 2006, the US Environmental
presumably went back to their lives.
Protection Agency funded a comprehensive study to
I had to wonder.
itemize pieces of debris found along the coastlines in
Why do some people think that, for one moment of
the U.S. This study was the first scientific analysis of
time, for any reason at all, it's okay to release litter
marine debris in our coastal states, and was followed
by additional analysis by the EPA in 2010. The study
into the air?
delineates the amounts and types of marine debris in
each of the coastal states. Certain facts stand out: (1)
Let's be clear.
approximately 50% of all coastline debris washing up
on shore is definitively land-based, that is, it originalBalloon releasing is littering. Moreover, it is the
type of littering that has disastrous consequences on ly came from a source on land; (2) there are 5 main
types of land-based debris: plastic straws, plastic botthe wildlife in our environment. Every piece of the
tles, plastic bags, metal beverage cans, and balloons.
released balloon - the latex or mylar, as well as the
5
Don’t Let Go…(cont.)
Marine debris contaminates every ocean on earth,
floating from north pole to south pole, and
through the seas at the equator. It is found on the
ocean floor as well, and only some of it washes up
on shore. Efforts here in the United States by the
EPA in just one year alone, 2008, removed almost
4 million pounds of debris from our coast line,
and nearby underwater sites.
Given these facts, I ask again: why is it okay to
litter into the air?
Earlier during the same week that I had viewed
the memorial service, I had walked the shoreline
of Smith Point, west of the concession stand,
where the County Park becomes the Fire Island
National Seashore. As I randomly looked for
shells, I noticed a purple ribbon first and, on a
hunch, tugged at it, pulling a faded silver mylar
balloon out of the sand. I spotted an orange ribbon next, another mylar. Then a few pieces of
latex balloons, with ribbons entangled, attached to
seaweed, driftwood, and plastic debris. I stopped
looking for shells, and started looking for ribbons. In all I found 27 balloons that morning, in
the course of two hours, about the same number as
those released by the group later that same week,
in the course of two minutes.
March/April 2015
too. Let's start this by calling "balloon releasing"
what it is: LITTERING.
Simply put: if you are thinking about it:
DON"T. If someone you know is thinking about
it, educate them.
Do you want to launch a special
event? Memorialize a loved one ? Celebrate one
of life's milestones? Do find another way. Help
others find a different way too. Sometimes,
people just don't know.
And by the time they inflate the balloons and
bring them to the beach or the park, it will probably be too late to convince them otherwise.
Here are some environmentally-friendly alternatives to releasing balloons that may be used for
festive occasions or to memorialize a friend or
family member:
Environmentally-Friendly Alternatives
The fact is, every time I go to one of our ocean
|Balloons Blow… Don't Let Them Go!
beaches, I bring a few plastic bags to cart trash
back. And every time, I find balloons, sometimes
a dozen, sometimes more, depending on the
amount of time I've spent, and/or how many I can
carry back. Most of the time, the balloons strings
are entangled around seaweed, but every once in a
while, they've been wrapped around the remains
of an animal. Twice in my experience I have
(photo courtesy of Marine Conservation Society)
found them entangled around the body of a gull.
We can do our share to prevent this.
Let's start off 2015 with a personal goal not to release balloons into the environment. And let's
commit ourselves to educating others about this
See our next newsletter for Don't Let GO: Part
II : we'll discuss more about balloon release:
history, legislation, and moving forward.
6
Natives: Are They Really Necessary?
March/April 2015
Joyann Cirigliano
I’m not
a native plant snob. Far from it. I have this
really gorgeous Japanese Fiber Banana growing in
my backyard. It shoots up 16 to 20 feet every season, then dies back to the ground in winter, and
pops up again the following spring. It’s an awesome specimen plant and anyone who sees it usually exclaims, “What IS it?”, “I didn’t know you
could grow bananas around here!”, “Holy Cow,
those leaves are HUGE!” or some other gratifying
comment. I really love that plant.
Sadly, I’m the only one in my local ecosystem who
does. None of the critters who call my yard home
show any interest in it at all. There are no holes in
the leaves from insects eating it, no holes in the dirt
from small mammals nibbling on the roots and the
birds rarely even land on it because there are no
built-in perches. Don’t get me wrong. My banana
has been used for food. Sort of. I have a few Hispanic friends who occasionally ask if I could bring
them a leaf or two, to make tamales. Another friend
has expressed an interest in feeding some of it to the
tropical South American caterpillars he sporadically
raises... yes, I have some odd friends... but the point
is, the plant is from Japan and nothing around here
eats it. And that’s a problem.
At this point you may be thinking, “Wait, what?
Why is this a problem? I’d give my left arm for a
plant that the insects don’t bother!” And that’s
where you’d be wrong.
We need those insects. They are relied upon as food
for insect-eating mammals and birds. If you don’t
have plants that the insects can eat, there won’t be
enough insects to feed everyone else. In addition,
my banana doesn’t make edible fruit. And even if it
did, none of the wildlife up here in NY would know
what to do with it....unless someone’s parrot got
loose. Plus if it actually made edible fall fruit, like
the invasive Japanese Porcelain berry I keep trying
to eradicate from my front yard, that fruit would
probably be out-of synch with the type of berry that
migrating birds need in fall...high protein, low sugar. Come to think of it, none of the insects eat the
Porcelain berry’s leaves, either. And that IS a problem, because the birds DO eat Porcelain berries and
then poop the seeds all over hither and yon, where
they sprout to plague other peoples’ landscapes and
Parklands and waste fields... and the terror spreads,
like ‘The Blob!’ Plus the birds may be eating sugary berries, when they should be eating berries high
in protein and fat, to give them enough energy to
migrate. If you don’t think that’s a problem, try eating a giant bowl of ice cream, some cotton candy,
and a dozen chocolate bars and see if YOU feel like
running a Marathon...
So, here’s this 20 foot tall, 8 foot wide plant taking
up space in my yard, sucking up the sunshine, selfishly making food for only itself and giving nothing
back. Basically, it’s an environmental version of a
black hole, light and energy go in but nothing
comes back out. If every plant in my yard was like
that and all my neighbors had the same thing going
on in their yards, the entire local ecosystem would
come crashing down. The sun’s energy would
come to screeching, grinding halt. Everything
would starve. Environmental mayhem would ensue... It would be anarchy!
Porcelain Berry Vine
7
Natives... (cont.)
Okay, perhaps not anarchy. But holes would begin
to form in the local food web. It’s sort of like the
nails that hold your home together. You can lose a
few without too much of a problem. Lose a couple,
no one notices. Lose a decent amount and things
start to sag, fall or break off. Lose too many and
Ka-Blam! No more house. Not good.
It works the same way with ecosystems. No matter
what we think, we need plants and animals for the
environmental services they provide, like making
good soil, cleaning our water, and feeding the rest
of the food chain. Especially insects, since it takes
so many of them to feed everyone else. You see,
they’re the bottom of the food chain, after plants. It
takes tons of them to keep the food chain balanced
without having other animal numbers drop. And
our local insects need native plants. Native insects
co-evolved with native plants. That’s just a fancy
way of saying that ten thousand, or a hundred thousand, or a million years ago, insects started to eat
plants. Of course, the plants didn’t like that and
tried to kill the insects by poisoning them. Unbeknownst to most people, plants are exceptional
chemists.. So, it was basically prehistoric chemical
warfare. A certain type of plant developed a certain
chemical toxin and killed off a whole heap of insects, except for certain insects which developed a
tolerance to the toxin and kept munching. It took
eons to develop this and it’s still going on to this
day.
Many plants have specialized toxins. Many insect
species have developed tolerance to at least one
toxin and exploit just that specific plant, which basically means that specific species can no longer eat
other plants. Uh-oh. Can you see the ending to this
particular train of thought? That’s why monarch
caterpillars can eat milkweed and most other insects can’t. It’s also why monarch caterpillars taste
disgusting to most birds...except for the birds and
other animals that developed a tolerance for monarch caterpillars... and butterflies. Which is how
the whole thing stays in balance. If we yank out all
the milkweed to have nice grassy lawns, then we
lose every single monarch butterfly, unless they can
find some somewhere else. This is becoming
March/April 2015
harder and harder to do as we build more homes
and have less open space. Once the milkweed numbers dwindle too low to support the butterflies, no
more monarchs. And there it is. Extinction. Or at
least extirpation, which means extinction for a local
population.
Milkweed & Monarch Caterpillar
Photo Joe Kelly
Now picture this on a minuscule level. Even our
soil has complex relationships. Microbes, bacteria,
and fungi can go extinct when they no longer have
the relationship they need with the plants they coevolved with. You’re probably thinking, “Big deal,
so they go extinct. They cause all sorts of problems!” The scary thing is, even though some of
them are harmful, there are many more that are
good, and some of those are part of what keeps our
soil healthy. It’s happening in our yards and farmlands. It’s also what’s happening now in many of
the tropical rainforests, which is where a lot of our
summer birds spend the winter. The trees are removed or burned and the microbes/fungi/bacteria
that help make soil are depleted. The forest birds
have little food. Grass is planted for cattle to graze,
but the land wasn’t meant for grass, it was meant
for many, many, many different species of plants,
and the soil is actually made in the canopy, not on
the ground.
8
March/April 2015
Natives…(cont.)
When the trees are removed, so is the good soil, and
the whole ecosystem suffers. The grass survives for
a few years but once the nutrients in the soil are depleted, the grass languishes because they don’t have
the proper soil microbes to support them. So, more
forest is cut down to feed the cows. I sometimes
wonder, ‘How much forest can you cut down before
bad things happen?” I don’t know. But we may be
around to find out.... H-m-m-m. Thoughtprovoking. Pretty harsh. I don’t really want to find
out, do you?
Now picture Long Island as it was a few hundred
years ago—Oak/Pine forest or Oak/Beech forest.
Actually American Chestnut forest, too, but don’t get
me started on what we did to that poor tree... Chestnut blight brought in on imported Chinese Chestnut
trees wiped the American Chestnuts out. So many of
our plants and animals suffer from this kind of problem - invasive microbes, plant, and animal species
that breed out of control because they’re no longer in
their own native environment and have nothing to
stop their numbers from multiplying out of control.
And our plants and animals have no way to compete
with them....but that’s an article for another time.
The irony is that we imported the Chinese Chestnuts
because they were resistant to our local insects.
Sheesh ...and there’s the first few holes in the ecosystem. No more American Chestnuts, no more insects
that specialize in eating the leaves of those chestnut
trees. The turkey and grouse population plummeted
because nuts were a substantial part of their diet.
Then we cut down most of the oaks to establish
‘Suburbia’.
nothing. Especially when sharp blades chop both
lawn and the small amount of animal species that
live in the lawn to smithereens. Now add the amount
of fertilizers and chemicals we use yearly to keep up
that lawn, because it didn’t evolve around here. Plus,
there must be no unsightly weeds to mess things up
or insects to eat the lawn. Now add to this desertlike landscape the mostly non-native plants that we
usually plant by our houses. The ones which actually are native have an over-abundance of native insects on them because there’s no other food source to
be found. Just like little oases in that grass desert.
So, we spray non-specific pesticides to control the
overabundance of insects. Which usually not only
kills the pest insect but also kills any good insect that
would eventually put the bad insect into balance with
the ecosystem...oopsie. And we lose the native pollinators, because they’re not immune to pesticides,
either. Less seeds develop because there are fewer
native pollinators. Did I mention that native pollinators prefer native flowers? Less seed and berry production means fewer seed- and berry-eating native
birds and other animals. Less insects mean less insect-eating birds and other animals. Hey, wait...it IS
anarchy!
Did I mention that 96% of our summer songbirds
feed insects to their young? No? Did I mention that
about 25% of a fox’s diet is made up of insects? No?
Did I mention that many native insects rely on native
plants for food? Or that many other insects rely on
the plant-eating insects for food? How about the little
factoid that we’ve lost about 40% of our bird population in the past 50 years? They need to eat, you
The acorn numbers were severely depleted. Now we know. We all need to eat. Next time you see one of
those commercials for starving children on TV, let it
had an easier time finding the turkey and grouse with
also be a reminder to think about your own yard and
less trees in the way... and there went the rest of the
what it’s doing to feed the locals. Then ask me if we
turkey and grouse. Another couple of holes in the
need native plants.
ecosystem. Then we started growing grass for our
lawns around our homes. And mowing it nice and
short. You might as well plant a desert, because the
plant and animal biodiversity in a lawn is next to
9
March/April 2015
An Interview with a Young Birder
Patrice Domeischel
Young birders these days are not as common as we would all like. We here at Four Harbors are very
fortunate to know a young man with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the enthusiasm endemic in
those that are true lovers of nature. It is our great pleasure to know and bird with him. May I introduce
Aidan Perkins.
Q. Aidan, let me first
ask you your age.
A. I am 12 years old
and turning 13 in
March, and I am
in 7th grade.
Q. And how long
have you been
birding?
A. I have been birding for about 2 1/2 years.
When I first started, I didn’t know how to tell a
Great Black-backed gull from a Ring-billed gull, I
thought they were both ‘sea gulls’. I started to get
more serious when I joined some local clubs like
the Young Birders Club. I realized there was a lot
to learn about birds and really started taking a serious interest and spending a lot of time looking
through bird guides, exploring the area I live in and
watching birding videos on line.
Q. What would you say was the defining moment
you caught the “birding bug?”
A. That would be a couple of years ago when I
was at Frank Melville Park, and it was loaded with
all different ducks like Hooded Mergansers, Wood
Ducks, Mallards and Northern Shovelers. I had
seen pictures and videos before, but this was when
I first realized all these great birds could be found
by just looking around where I live. After that I
wanted to go everywhere and start exploring.
There are so many new birds to see when you first
start looking seriously. It was very exciting. I
went from being interested in birds to, as my parents would say, completely obsessed.
Q. What bird, to date, has been your most exciting
discovery?
A. The Snowy Owl was my most exciting discovery so far. Last year we had a big irruption of
Snowy Owls, and I started hearing about them being spotted on the South Shore. I was determined
to try to find one. There is something about owls
that I think everyone even non-birders find really
cool. I had been reading reports and we had gone
looking a few times, and we had no luck. On the
fourth trip, my parents surprised me and pulled me
out of school a little early, and we went to Dune
Road to search. We spent about 2 hours searching
when we finally saw one perched on a telephone
pole right in front of us. We got out of the car to
look, and he flew right over our heads! It was
definitely my most exciting birding moment so far.
Snowy Owl
Q. And what was your most unusual sighting?
A. The Bohemian Waxwing I found in my back
yard in December was my most unusual sighting. I
was home sick from school and watching birds in
my backyard from the couch. I knew that something was up with a “Cedar Waxwing” as it looked
larger and slightly different than the ones we normally have. I grabbed my binoculars, bird guide
and camera and went outside to take a closer look.
I was able to get real close and got great looks. I
realized I had a Bohemian Waxwing!
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March/April 2015
Q. What made it so unusual?
A. At the time I did not realize how uncommon it
was for Bohemian Waxwings to be in this area so I
often searched the flocks of Cedar Waxwings when
birding in hopes of finding a Bohemian. It wasn’t
until after seeing this Bohemian and doing some
checking on eBird that I realized how rare this bird
was for Long Island. According to eBird, the
Bohemian Waxwings are only seen every few
years on Long Island, and when they do it is only 2
or 3 birds per year. I was very lucky to have him
come to my yard. We probably had over 50 birders
come to my house over the weekend to see him
too. It was a lot of fun.
Q. What organizations do you belong to or are
you involved with?
A. I am in the New York State Young Birders
Club, the American Birding Association, and the
National Audubon Society.
Q. Tell us your aspirations and/or career choices
for the future.
A. At this point I am really not sure what I want to
do after school, but I have a love of birds and
nature, and I hope my career will keep me involved with nature and environmental conservation.
Q. Do you have any advice to give young people
interested in the field or in birding?
A. My first suggestion would be to get a good
field guide and a decent
pair of binoculars. I also
found out quickly that there
are a lot of good, experiBohemian Waxwing
enced birders in the area
and there are many bird/
nature walks you can take.
Q. Do you keep a life list?
Going on bird walks with
good birders is a great way
A. Yes, I currently have 285 birds on my life list.
to learn how to identify difI started my life list in January 2013 and I also did
ferent species. I also think
a big year that same year. My goal is to have over
it is great to have a bird
300 birds by the end of this year. Each new season
feeder at your house. It is
I try to make a target list of birds that I can possiamazing how many birds come to your feeder, and
bly see.
you get to see them
up close.
Cassin’s Kingbird
Many thanks to the
Perkins family for
their assistance with
this interview.
11
March/April 2015
Please Join The
Four Harbors Audubon Society
At the Port Jefferson Library
Sunday, March 22, 2015, 2 p.m.
Featuring the viewing of
Dark Hollow Films documentary film
The Condor’s Shadow
The Condor’s Shadow profiles the ongoing challenge of bringing the iconic California condor
back from the brink of extinction. Focusing on the ongoing work of creating a selfsustaining population, this year-in-the-life story of endangered species recovery sheds light
on how an environmental problem becomes intertwined with peripheral political agendas
and even hunter’s rights. With vérité footage shot in the ruggedly beautiful nesting habitat of
the condor and interviews with those who have lived the story for more than thirty years,
this heart-wrenching and beautiful film will make you appreciate the passion and hard work
required to pull a species back from the brink.
Description courtesy: thecondorsshadow.com
12
March/April 2015
BIRDS OF THE MONTH
MARCH
American Woodcock
Timberdoodle, Labrador Twister, Bogsucker,
Mudsnipe, are all names for the same bird: the
American Woodcock. The woodcock is known
for its fascinating aerial breeding display
performed by the male in spring.
A voracious feeder, it is reported to stamp its feet
on the earth to stir earthworms into movement
before probing the ground with its long bill to
collect the tasty treat. Within a 24-hour period, it
will have eaten its weight or more in earthworms,
75 percent of its diet, other animal life, particularly insects, and plant material, mainly seeds.
Although the woodcock is classified as a shorebird, it is not found along the shore like others of
its kind, instead it lives in wet woods and lowlying areas.
Very rarely are we treated to the sight of a woodcock as they are nocturnal, but if you are lucky
enough to spy one, you will notice its large eyes,
set back and high on the sides of its head, giving it
nearly 360 degree vision, a protection from predators. The males are generally smaller than the
females, 6.2 ounces versus 7.6 ounces, and of
course, you will not be able to miss the very long
bill.
The nest of a woodcock is a mere hollow or
cuplike depression in the ground, lined with dead
leaves and a few twigs around the rim; it is usually within 100-150 yards of the male's occupied
"singing field". Both sexes breed during their first
spring, when 10-12 months old.
Have you ever seen a Woodcock? Why not join
Four Harbors for our March 24th Woodcock walk
at Avalon? If we are fortunate, we will witness
the fascinating aerial display of the male woodcock. Meet just before dusk at the barn.
APRIL
Piping Plover
The Piping Plover is one of the first shorebirds to
return to its Long Island
breeding grounds in
spring. By mid March,
you may see the earliest
of these small birds running along the beach and
shore searching for
Photo by Joe Kelly
marine worms, insect
larvae, and other small marine animals. Listed as an endangered species in
New York and as Threatened by the federal government, Piping Plovers have been protected since 1918
when the Endangered
Species Act went into
effect. Populations had
recovered but since the
1940s began to steadily
decline again due to habitat loss, human intrusion on breeding
grounds, predation, and de- Photo by Joe Kelly
struction of nests by high tides.
Renewed efforts to protect and monitor the plover
population have increased since 1984. Signs
informing the public of sensitive areas, fencing
erected around nesting sites, and monitoring of
breeding pairs is being conducted. An annual census is kept. The Long Island Sound Study data for
nesting pairs in New York lists 61 in the year 2000
with a high in 2008 of 94. Nesting pair numbers in
2014 were listed as 68.
longislandsoundstudy.net/indicator/piping-plovers/
For three-quarters of the year, Piping Plovers winter
along the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic
seacoast from North Carolina to Florida, with a few
along beaches on Caribbean Islands and the Yucatan
Peninsula. The plover's Atlantic breeding grounds
extend from Newfoundland to South Carolina. The
male creates a nest by scraping a shallow depression
in the sand and fills it with pebbles and seashell bits.
The mating ritual includes a "marching" behavior,
also known as the "goose-step,” performed by the
male as he approaches the female. Once the eggs
are laid, the male and female take turns incubating
for a period of 27 to 30 days. Their young, resembling cotton balls on toothpick legs, are precocial,
ready to explore almost from the moment of birth,
making them particularly vulnerable to predators.
13
March/April 2015
Registration is now open for the Long Island Natural History Conference, being held at Brookhaven National Lab on Friday and
Saturday, March 20-21, 2015
and the associated field trips on Sunday, March 22, 2015.
Registration is limited, and can be done online at www.LongIslandNature.org
Abstracts of the presentations, and bios of the speakers, can also be found on the website.
Below is the schedule of speakers / presentations and field trips.
We have put together an exciting program and we hope to see you there.
Tim Green, Melissa Parrott, John Turner, Art Kopelman, Mike Bottini, Jim Monaco
Long Island Natural History Steering Committee
Friday, March 20, 2015
8:00 - 9:00
9:00 - 9:10
Registration / set up
Welcoming Remarks
9:10 - 9:50
Effects of Excessive Nitrogen Loading on L.I.’s Coastal
Ecosystems.
Dr. Chris Gobler, SUNY Stony Brook University
Saturday, March 21, 2015
8:00 - 9:00
Registration / set up
9:00 - 9:10
Welcoming Remarks
9:10 - 9:50
Fidelity.
Harbor Seals at Cupsogue Beach: Population Trends and Site
Dr. Arthur H. Kopelman, CRESLI
9:50 - 10:30 White-tailed Deer and Their Influence on Forest Vegetation.
Thomas Rawinski, U.S. Forest Service
10:30 - 10:50 BREAK: Poster Session
10:50 - 11:30 Long Island Lichens: an Exploration of a Hidden World.
Dr. James Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden
11:30 - 12:10 Networked Ecological Initiatives for Climate Change Research
and Education.
Dr. Kerissa Battle, Community Greenway Collaborative
9:50 - 10:30 Cybertracker Conservation Track and Sign Certification: Origins and Applications.
George Leoniak, Cybertracker Conservation
10:30 - 10:50 BREAK: Poster Session
10:50 - 11:30 Status of Orchids on Long Island, New York.
Dr. Eric Lamont, Long Island Botanical Society
Tom Nelson, Co-author, Orchids of New England and New
York
12:10 - 1:10
LUNCH
1:10 - 1:50
ies.
The Role of Ctenophores (Comb Jellies) in Long Island Estuar-
11:30 - 12:10 An Evaluation of Management, Urbanization and Isolation on
Grassland Biodiversity.
Polly Weigand, S.C. Soil and Water Conservation District
Dr. Marianne E. McNamara, Suffolk Community College
12:10 - 1:10
1:50 - 2:20
Novel Ecosystems: a Threat To Wildlife.
Dr. Marilyn Jordan, The Nature Conservancy
1:10 - 1:50
2:20 - 2:40
BREAK: Poster Session
2:40 - 3:20
Bald Eagles Nesting on Long Island.
Michael S. Scheibel, The Nature Conservancy
3:20 - 4:00
Area.
New York's Newest Immigrants: Coyotes in the Metropolitan
Open Discussion / closing remarks
Breeding Birds of Long Island: Past, Present & Future.
Eric Salzman, Board Member, South Fork Natural History
Society
1:50 - 2:20
Sharks and Rays of the New York Seascape.
Dr. Merry Camhi, Wildlife Conservation Society
2:20 - 2:40
BREAK: Poster Session
2:40 - 3:20
Coyotes on Long Island: a Framework for Planning Ahead.
Dr. Mark Weckel, American Museum of Natural History
3:20 - 4:00
Falcons on FIRE (Fire Island Raptor Enumerators).
Drew Panko and Trudy Battaly, Fire Island Hawk Watch
4:00 - 4:30
Open Discussion / closing remarks
Chris Nagy, Mianus River Gorge Preserve
4:00 - 4:30
LUNCH
14
March/April 2015
BIRDING TRIVIA AND INTERESTING FACTS
1. What is an Alpha Code?
2. What is the English code for the following birds?
American Robin
Blue-winged Teal
Lazuli Bunting
Black-crowned Night Heron
Northern Shoveler
3. A group of Woodcocks is called...
Answers on page 16
Feather Fest: A Celebration of International Migratory Bird Day
Saturday, May 16th from 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
Celebrate spring and Long Island’s diverse migratory bird species returning from
their winter away at Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary’s second annual Feather Fest!
Enjoy a guided birdwatching walk led by an experienced naturalist, bird-themed
crafts and games for the kids, purchase a wildlife-friendly native plant, have an
up-close encounter with one of our resident migratory avian ambassadors, and
learn how you can make your own space a bird- haven. All proceeds will benefit the
education programs and conservation projects of the Theodore Roosevelt
Sanctuary & Audubon Center.
There will be a $2 suggested donation for visitors to the event.
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Four-Harbors-Audubon-Society/152428014767332
Follow Four Harbors on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com\4harborsAudubon
You may also e-mail us at: fourharborsaudubon@gmail.com
15
March/April 2015
ANSWERS TO TRIVIA
The Alphabetic (alpha) code system was developed
by the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) for use by
birdbanders to record data and is annually revised
according to American Ornithologists Union
(AOU) taxonomy and nomenclature. It is now
widely used by amateurs and professionals alike.
Making use of the bird code is a convenient and
efficient method of making observations, a kind of
short hand for notation of species you wish to
record. It may be used during eBird submission, or
in reports of unusual or rare finds on other forums
such as the American Birding Association Rare
Bird Alert. In the field, use of the code saves time
- time better spent in observation. One less second
spent writing can mean the difference between a
more accurate observation and the “that one got
away” syndrome commonly experienced by all of
us.
What do you do with names such as, Cactus Wren,
Carolina Wren and Canyon Wren? The solution is
to take a variation of the letters, the first three
letters of the first name and one from the group
name. CACW, CARW, and CANW.
In examples such as the above, if there is still no
unique code, the first letter of the first name and
the first three of the group name are used.
Other species code conflicts exist that cannot be
resolved using the basic concepts stated here. The
solution lies in creative alternatives to letter placement resulting in unique codes. Luckily for us,
updated and comprehensive AOU lists containing
all the codes are available online for us to refer to
when the need arises.
What is the English code for the following birds?
American Robin - AMRO
Simply put, the species name is abbreviated into
four letters, if using the English name, or 6 letters,
if using the scientific name. (We will discuss the
English system here. ) Variations in the structure of
the name call for variations in code. For instance,
one-word names such as Osprey consist of the
first four letters of the name, OSPR. In a name
with two unhyphenated words such as Purple
Finch, the first two letters in each word are
combined, thus, PUFI. Hyphenated names, such as
Orange-crowned Warbler (OCWA) or Eastern
Screech-owl, (EASO,) take one letter from each of
the hyphenated words and two from the remaining
word. Three-word unhyphenated names take one
letter from the first two name parts and two letters
from the last name, such as American Tree
Sparrow (ATSP.) Four-letter words, hyphenated or
unhyphenated take one letter from each word.
Blue-winged Teal - BWTE
Lazuli Bunting – conflicts with Lark Bunting; both
would be LABU, so take 3 from first, and one from
group name, hence LAZB. Lark Bunting is LARB.
Black-crowned Night Heron – BCNH
Northern Shoveler—conflicts with Northern
Shrike. Both break down to NOSH. Using the first
alternative option makes both NORS, still a conflict, so the third option is a go...take 1 letter from
first name and three from last—NSHO for
Northern Shoveler and NSHR for Northern Shrike.
A group of Woodcocks is called a Fall.
16
March/April 2015
SUFFOLK COUNTY
RARE AND UNUSUAL BIRD REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
Some rare and unusual sightings, confirmed and unconfirmed, during the months of January and February
are listed below. For complete reports, go to: eBird.org.

American Bittern: Dune Road, various Jan 3-Feb 8; Hampton Bays, Jan 2; Shinnecock Co. Park West, Jan 21;



Baltimore Oriole; Jamesport, Jan 28; Suffolk, Feb 13

Barnacle Goose: St. Charles Cemetery, Jan 5; Belmont SP,
Jan 6-18; Colonial Springs Golf Course, Jan 6-15;

Barrow’s Goldeneye: Breakwater Beach, Jan 21; Duck
Pond, Jan 21; Lake Montauk, Jan 21-22, 25; Bailie Beach, Jan
23;

Black-headed Gull: Setauket Harbor, Jan 1-3;

Black Vulture: Patchogue, Feb 14

Bohemian Waxwing: Chandler Estate, Jan 8-11; Route 6,
Feb 13
Glaucous Gull: Shinnecock Inlet, various Jan 2- 20;
Captree SP, Jan. 15; Cedar Beach, Feb. 16
Greater White-fronted Goose: Riverhead Sod Farms, various Jan 1-Feb 16; Hook Pond, Jan 2, 21, 25, 29; Northville
Turnpike, Jan 3; 1552 Cross River, Jan 2; East Hampton, Jan 4;
St. Charles Cemetery, Jan 5; Belmont SP, Jan 6-18, Feb 4;
Maratooka, Jan 11;

Green-winged Teal (Eurasian): Centerport Pond, Jan 5-19;

Little Gull, Montauk Pt., Jan 25, Feb 8;

Long-billed Dowitcher: William Floyd Estate, Jan 25

Long-eared Owl: Cedar Beach, Feb 1

Monk Parakeet: Coolidge Ave., Jan 30

Cackling Goose: Riverhead Farm Fields/Sod Farms, various  Nashville Warbler: Wading River, Feb 14
Jan 1-Feb 17; Hook Pond, Jan 2; Belmont SP, various Jan 6  Northern Goshawk, Napeague, Jan 25.; Cedar Beach, Feb.
Feb 4; Van Bourgondien CP, Jan 13; Sound Ave., Jan 18; W.
22
Sayville Gold Course, Jan 17; St. Charles Cemetery, Jan 20;
Fuchs Pond, Jan 22; Merritts Pond, Jan 25
 Orange-crowned Warbler, Old Ponquogue Bridge, Jan 11;
 Common Murre, Pelagic, Jan 11
 Pink-footed Goose: Riverhead Sod Farms, Various Jan 1 Common Raven, Three Village Greenway, Jan 21; SC Farm Feb 22; Reeves & Roanoke area, Riverhead, Jan 11; K-Mart
Woods, Jan. 15;
and Education Center, Jan 23; Patchogue, Jan 31; Exit 67-LIE,
Feb. 5; Chandler, Feb 8; Lowell Eastview, Feb 15; Babylon,
 Purple Finch: Sunken Meadow SP, Jan 1 ; Inlet Pond CP,
Feb 11; Jamaica Ave., Feb 22; NYIT, Feb. 19;
Jan 3; Jamaica Ave, Suffolk, Jan 11; Uplands Farm Preserve,
 Common Redpoll, Avalon Gardens, Jan 2; Dune Rd., vari- Jan 15; Sag Harbor, Jan 18; Camp Hero, Jan 18; Wertheim, Feb.
21
ous Jan 18-25; Lake Montauk Inlet, Jan 18, 21; Robert Moses
SP, Jan 17, 23; Montauk Fort Pond, Jan 19; Nepeague SP, Jan
 Red-shouldered Hawk: Haskells Bait & Tackle, Jan 8; Gar19; Shinnecock CP West, Jan 19, 21; Orient SP, Feb 1; Cedar
diner CP, Jan 16; Montauk Fort Pond, Jan 19; Shelter Island,
Beach, Feb 7; Smith Point CP, Feb 1; Jamesport, Feb 2; LeeFeb 8; Orowoc Creek, Feb 13;
ward Ct, Feb 6; Route 2, Feb 6

Common Raven: Setauket Harbor, Jan 1; Riverhead Sod
Farms, Jan 2; Cedar Beach, Jan 3; Hampton Bays, Jan 14;
Brookhaven National Lab., Jan. 14; Meadow Croft Estate, Jan
16-17; Sunken Meadow, Jan 17

Ross’s Goose: Southaven CP, Jan 10; Riverhead Sod
Farms, Jan 10;

Rusty Blackbird: Fuchs Pond, Jan 15, 28, 30; Riverhead
Sod Farms, Jan 23

Dovekie: Shinnecock Inlet, Jan 3; Pelagic, Jan 11;


Eastern Meadowlark, Riverhead Sod Farms, Feb 16

Eastern Phoebe: Sages Blvd., Jan 3; Arshamomaque Preserve, Jan 3; Meadow Croft Estate, Jan 3-5, 19; Robert Moses
SP, Jan 4; Islip Terrace, Jan 17; Centerport Pond, Jan 19

Tundra Swan: Hook Pond, Jan 1-4, 18, 21-23, 25;

Yellow-breasted Chat: Cedar Beach Marina, Jan 1


Short-eared Owl: EPCAL, Jan 1-29;
Thick-billed Murre, Lake Montauk Inlet, Jan 20-23; Camp
Hero, Feb 6-7; off Tiana Beach, Feb 8;
Eurasian Wigeon: Heron Park/Mill Pond, Jan 3; W. Sayville
Golf Course, Jan 2-23; Mill Pond Centerport, Jan 4-19; St.

John’s Pond, Jan 4, 7; Patchogue Lake, Jan 5; Deep Hole, Jan

17, Feb 8;Connetquot SP, Jan 24; Route 13, Feb 13
Yellow-headed Blackbird: Sound Ave, Northville, Jan 1
Vesper Sparrow, SC Farm & Education Center, Jan 14-16
17
Sweetbriar Nature Center
Birdseed Order Form
March/April 2015
Order your birdseed to help the birds through the winter
Product
Cost / Bag
Scarlett Basic, 20 lbs
$16.00
Scarlett Classic, 20 lbs
$20.00
Scarlett Ultimate, 20 lbs
$26.00
Scarlett Patio / Deck, 20lbs
$45.00
Scarlett Outdoor Finch Blend, 20 lbs
$36.00
Scarlett Cardinal Blend, 20 lbs
$29.00
Scarlett Woodpecker Complete, 20 lbs
$40.00
Scarlett Fruit and Berry Mix, 20 lbs
$40.00
Black Oil Sunflower, 25 lbs
$26.00
Black Oil Sunflower, 40 lbs
$38.00
Black Stripe Sunflower, 25 lbs
$37.00
Black Stripe Sunflower, 40 lbs
$56.00
White Millet, 25 lbs
$28.00
Safflower, 25 lbs
$35.00
Sunflower Chips, 25 lbs
$59.00
#2 Sunflower Chips, 25 lbs
$34.00
Cracked Corn (Medium), 25 lbs
$15.00
Thistle (Niger), 25 lbs
$43.00
Peanut #2 Split, 25 lbs
$46.00
Peanuts in Shell Fancy, 25 lbs
$63.00
Natural Beef Suet, one case (12)
$56.00
High Energy Suet Cake, one case (12)
$23.00
Suet Cake, peanut butter, one case (12)
$32.00
Total
Total Due
Order by April 10, 2015 - Pick Up April 19, 11 - 2
Fill out and mail with check or credit card info to: Sweetbriar Nature Center, 62 Eckernkamp Dr., Smithtown, NY 11787
YOU CAN ALSO PAY WITH PAY PAL WHICH IS ON OUR WEBSITE
Name_______________________________________________________________Phone____________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________
City___________________________State____________Zip__________________E-Mail address_________________________
Credit Card Info:___Visa___Master Card___
Card Number_________________________Exp.Date_______Security#____
There will be a 3% processing & handling fee for all credit card sales
18