celebrating birding on long island

EASTERN LONG ISLAND AUDUBON SOCIETY – From the Barrens to the BaysFormerly Moriches Bay Audubon, established 1967

September/October 2012— Vol. XXXVII No. 5

Eastern Long Island Audubon Society

Invites you to attend the forty-fifth anniversary dinner

Celebrating

Birding on Long IslandStalking the Meat-Eater Bird: A Birder Tells All

Pam Salaway, author and storyteller, will speak to the joys and wonders, and often comical dimensions, of birding

Wednesday, October 17, 2012Cocktail hour begins at 6:00 pm

CASA BASSO59 Montauk Highway, Westhampton, NY

Cocktail Hour with cash bar, followed by a sit-down dinner

$45.00 per person in advance or $50 at the door

Don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets for some fun &

entertaining prizes. You do not need to be there in order to win.

If you have questions please call Evelyn at 631-727-0417 or Sally at 631-281-6008.

Nature Walks/Field TripsJohn McNeilWith the cool weather right around thecorner, the fall migration will follow. Iknow you hate to think that the Fall iscoming, but we are planning to meetour early “snow birds” (and not thetrailer driving kind) as they migratesouth. On Sunday, September 16th. CarlStarace & Sally Swain will guide you intothe North Fork Preserve for a walkalong Long Island’s pristine property forsome excellent birding. You never knowwhat you might find. On Saturday Sep-tember 22nd, I will guide you into SmithPoint County Park to catch the air cur-rents to observe raptors along ourshoreline from the ranger station view-ing platform and wilderness areas. InOctober, I have planned a Dune Roadtrip from Shinnecock east to catchsome late migrants as they flutter alongour coast. This is only the start of ourfall and winter birding trips, please joinour leaders as they guide you into thefall migration.

Saturday, Sept. 15th, @ 8:30 am

Smith Point County ParkTrip Leader: John McNeil

Meet at the far western end of theWorlds Largest Parking Lot at Smith PointPark. Please watch the weather andwear appropriate outerwear. Sometimesthis has been the first cold walk of theseason. Don’t forget to bring yourbinoculars and scopes. We will start atthe upper deck of the Ranger Stationand then hike out into the WildernessArea. We will be watching for migratingsongbirds, waterbirds and birds of prey.

continued - see page 2

Seed Sale is set for Saturday, November 10th from 9am to 3pm

at Quogue Wildlife Refuge. Order forms are on the web site:

easternlongislandaudubon.org

Please place your seed orders by Oct. 24,

gift items, bird feeders and other items will be available at the sale.

THE OSPREY September/October 2012 2

Get InvolvedWould you like to submit an article or a photo?

We would like to hear from you. Contact:[email protected].

Nature Programs/MeetingsNature Programs are held at Quogue Wildlife Refuge. All programs are free and thepublic is welcome.Bob Adamo, Interim Program Chair

Monday, September 10 beginning at 7:15 pm

What the FraCK?Roxanne Zimmer

New York is on the frontline of the controversy surrounding shale gas. Energyfrom this source is a double edged sword. Although a lucrative alternative to coaland other fossil fuels, accessing shale gas via hydraulic fracturing or fracking posesconsiderable environmental hazards. How has the gas industry been so successfulin covering up these hazards including toxic waste disposal? What is the Long Is-land connection in this upstate debate?

Monday, October 1 beginning at 7:15 am

Birding the ManuEric Salzman

The Manu Biosphere Reserve is a national park that runs from high in the Andesnear Cuzco down past the junction of the Manu and Madre de Dios Rivers in theAmazonian lowlands of southeastern Peru. The reserve and park plus the sur-rounding areas constitute the largest protected area in the country and one ofthe major protected areas in South America, covering a huge variety of habitatswith a cross-section of flora and fauna that includes more than 1000 species ofbirds. There are only a very limited number of ways to access this area. The ManuRoad from Cuzco is a one-lane dirt road that travels from puna and paramo at12,500 feet down through successive levels of cloud forest, ending in rain forest atthe Madre de Dios River, a major tributary of the Amazon; from this point on it isnecessary to travel by boat. Accessible from road and river are a small number oflodges on the edge of the reserve. Eric and Lorna Salzman spent three weeks atthe Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, the Hacienda Amazonia and the Manu Wildlife Cen-ter and saw over 525 species of birds including some of the most exotic andsought-after South American species.

This is an exciting time of year to be outon the barrier beach so come on out! Formore details, contact John at home631.281.2623 or on the day of trip by cellat 631.219.8047or by e-mail:[email protected].

Sunday, Sept. 16th, @ 9:00 am

North Fork PreserveTrip Leaders: Carl Starace & Sally Swain

Suffolk County recently acquired thispristine 300 acre property for parklandto be used for “passive recreation,” suchas hiking and birding. Most of our mem-bership has not had a chance to explorethis new parkland. Join Carl and Sally tocatch migrants and see what The NorthFork Preserve is about half a mile east ofPalmer Vineyard on the north side ofSound Ave in Riverhead. Parking is on thegrass on either side of the drive outsideof the gate. For addition details, contactCarl at 631.281.8074 or e-mail him [email protected]

Saturday, Oct. 20th, @ 8:00 am

Dune Road—Shinnecock toMoriches InletTrip Leader: Eileen Schwinn

This will be an excellent time to birdalong the barrier beach as the migrationpasses through our area. We will be look-ing for shorebirds, hawks and other landbirds. Meet in the parking area on thewest side of Shinnecock Inlet at 8:00 am.Contact Eileen via e-mail if you need ad-dition details: [email protected].

Saturday, Nov. 17th @ 9:00 am

Jamesport State Park andHallockville Farm FieldsTrip Leader: MaryLaura Lamont

The varied habitats of the farm fields,woods, ponds, and dunes on Long IslandSound provide a diversity of migrants andwintering birds. Bring binoculars for this2-hour walk of spectacular views andgood birding. For additional details callHallockville at 631-298-5292. There is a$5 charge for this walk benefiting theHallockville Museum Farm.

Sunday, November 18th @ 9:00 am

Old Mastic Autumn Bird WalkWilliam Floyd EstateTrip Leader: MaryLaura Lamont

The William Floyd Estate in Mastic is 613acres of mowed fields, woods, creeks andsalt marshes. Round trip walk of 3 mileswill turn up wintering hawks, ducks, spar-rows, and perhaps Bluebirds. Bring binocu-lars. Main entrance is 245 Park Drive,Mastic. Call the trip leader MaryLaura La-mont at the Estate at 631.399.2030 fordetails.

December 2012No field trips are scheduled. We hopemembers will participate in the ChirstmasBird Counts. More information will be inthe Nov/Dec Osprey with dates for theDecember counts and the WaterfowlCensus in January. .


Byron Young

While planning a trip to the coast ofMaine for September, I came across a noteon Maine Birding the Net about a bandedRed Knot affectionately called the MoonBird.

Shorebird scientist Patricia Gonzlez of Ar-gentina has been banding Red Knots formany years and the Moon Bird is one ofher favorites. The Moon Bird was origi-nally banded at age 2 in 1995 and todaybears tag number B95. This Red Knot nowat least 19 years old and has made at least38 trans-hemispheric trips from Argentinato the Canadian arctic and back a straightline distance of about 9300 miles eachway. This bird in its lifetime has flown thedistance between the earth and the moonand is now on its way back. What is inter-esting when you think about the migra-tions of the Red Knot or any bird for thatmatter is that they do not fly in a straightline so the distances that they fly is evengreater.

Red Knot B95 has been sighted only a fewtimes in its travels but each time it adds agreat deal of valuable information. It hasbeen seen a few times in Tierra del Fuegoby the research team, in Delaware Bay, andthe Mingan Archipelago in QuebecCanada. The Mingan Archipelago in on thenorth shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrenceand appears to be a stop over point forreturning Red Knots.

The latest observation of B95 was thisspring in Delaware Bay by Dr. Gonzalez.She was spotting shorebirds from thedeck of a house at Reeds Beach, N.J. whenshe spotted a Red Knot with an orangeband. The orange band indicates that thebird was banded in Argentina. When sherealized that this bird was B95 her handsbegan to shake and her heart began tobeat faster. Collecting her camera shepressed it against the spotting scope snap-ping at least 10 photos of the bird hopingthat one would catch the band number(photo above). The Moon Bird has beenspotted numerous times during its lifespan, prior to this April in Delaware Bay itwas observed in December 2011 in Ar-

gentina and prior tothat during May 2009in Delaware Bay.

If you want to readmore about thiscelebrity bird look fora book by PhillipHoose entitled Moon-bird: On the Wind withthe Great SurvivorB95” due out in July2012.

What is interesting about this bird is itsage (19 years), the distance it has mi-grated, and its ability to survive all of thepitfalls that great these migrating shore-birds. Given that most Red Knot only livefor four or five years this bird is truly re-markable. One wonders how many off-spring have been produced and whetherthey will carry the longevity gene of thisparent.

On the local front, banded Red Knotshave been observed at Pike’s Beach andCupsogue for the past several years. Mostof the birds that I am aware of have beenbanded in either Argentina or Chile withthe one exception being a bird Banded inDelaware Bay. If you spot a banded shore-

bird, especially a Red Knot, try to obtain aphotograph of the bird with its band, num-ber if possible for reporting.

It is very exciting to discover a bandedbird and to aid in the scientific investiga-tions surrounding the species. It is veryinteresting to communicate with the sci-entific team that banded the bird and tofeel their excitement and passion for theirwork.

Be on the lookout for B95 or its friends inyour travels around the flats of MorichesBay this fall, you never know what youmight find.

Oystercatcher Farm D/B/A

THE FARMERS MARKET FARM STAND

Proprietors: John and Patricia Carson76 Montauk Highway, Westhampton, NY 11978 (631.375.0612)

(just west of Buoy One Restaurant)

Featuring Blue Duck Bakery Breads & PiesAnd the finest - fresh seasonal local produce -

including our own hand-pressed lemonade, fruit jams,

raw honey, maple syrup, chowder, fruit and savory tarts.

Red Knot B95 or The Moon Bird?

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Sally Newbert

Sometime last winter I received a post-card from Hog Island describing the sum-mer programs. A rainbow hung over theisland. I thought that is really something Iwould love to do. So I hung the post cardup above my desk. Then came the gloomydays of winter. At the January ELIAS Boardmeeting the discussion turned to theteenage campers that ELIAS sponsors.Well, someone asked, should we sendadults? How could we do that? The sub-ject of Hog Island came up. Suddenly, andso unlike me, I found myself saying, “Iwould love to go to Hog Island.” TheBoard voted to give Tom Moran and me apartial scholarship to attend a week’s pro-gram in Maine. It was just the incentive Ineeded. A little planning, a stop in Bostonon the way up and back to see my daugh-ter and family. My friend, Mary Beth Wil-son, also a birder, was delighted to find Iwas going and quickly signed up too. So offwe went.

Sunday afternoon, hungry, tired and a littlenervous, we arrived and loaded our stuff(way too much) on to the Snow Goose III,a nice study lobster boat for the ride overto the island It is a short ride, not morethan a 5 or 10 minutes.

Monday morning the light streamed intothe room and woke me up, early enoughfor the 6 am bird walk. Off we went intothe woods for a short walk with ScottWeidensaul, the camp director for theweek. We listened for the zoo,zee, zeezoo of the Black-throated Green Warbler,a regular nester on Hog Island. We walked

by a swampy area and admired the pitcherplants with their dark colored flowers.Then it was on to breakfast and coffee.

Under our window in the Port Hole, thename of our dorm, a crowd gathered al-most every morning and afternoon. A pairof Northern Paula had built a very welldisguised nest in the Old Man’s Beardlichen that hung from a pine tree. At firstyou could only see the lichen moving andwiggling. Then the crowd gasped as themother or father came and went to feedthe babies. Over just a few days the nestwent from wiggling to almost dissolving,revealing four Northern Parula chicks.Would the lichen in the pine tree that wasdisguising the nest hold? Would the babiesbe able to stay in the nest long enough?We watched and waited. Then one after-noon, the first baby fledged. Ahh, the restfollowed within a few hours. Only 10 or12 days in nest and the babies were off.Not a long time to grow up. What a thingto witness.

On our first day we took a short boatride to see the island and surroundingarea from the water. An Eagle nest withlarge chick was visible from the boat,Guillemots were a constant presense, afew Common Loons were also on thewater. The Loons were either young birds,or unsuccessful nesters, they should havebeen on inland fresh water ponds at thattime of year. We passed a favorite fishingspot for Great Blue Herons and learned abit of the history of a ship, the CoraCressly, that was disintegrating nearby.

That afternoon, the rain had taken over,

boat trips cancelled, but ignoring the rain,off we went for a walk in the woods tothe Bingham and Writer’s Cottages. ThereScott Weidensaul told us the story of thetwo cottages. It was here that AustinDickenson, Emily Dickenson’s brother, car-ried on a raging affair with Mable LoomisTodd, the island’s owner. Both were mar-ried to other people. In a twist of fate,after Austin’s death, it was in the writer’scottage that Mable Loomis Todd editedthe poems of Emily Dickenson and madethem into the versions we know today.Sorry no pictures of the cottages, it wastoo wet to take the camera. Friends ofHog Island are in the process of restoringthe cottages.

On Tuesday it was time for some mainlandbirding. Off to McCurdy Pond Road forwarblers and Great Salt Bay Farm WildlifePreserve in Damariscotta where the fieldwas filled with Bobolinks, a life bird forme. There were also beautiful Cedar Wax-wings. We spent the afternoon on theSnow Goose III going out to Eastern EggRock Island where the Puffins live. This isthe colony that Steven Kress beganrestoring in the 1970s. I have to admit thiswas the most disappointing part of camp.We did not have any close views of thePuffins. I got a few shots of flying puffins,but nothing even remotely satisfactory. Wedid not land on the island, which can be adifficult feat and is not attempted withcampers. There are interns who workwith Steve Kress who do live on the islandand are supplied by the Hog Island staff.The interns do a variety of research proj-ects with the Puffins and other nesting

Here I am with Julie Zickefoose and Mary Beth Wilson on Habor Island, one of our day trips. In the middle are the Northern Parulafledglings and a group of teens watching the nest.

The Joy of Birding at Hog Island Audubon Camp


birds on Eastern Egg Rock. CommonTerns, Roseate Terns, Arctic Terns, andLaughing Gulls all roost or nest on the is-land. From the boat we watched GreatBlue Herons flying to thier roosts and ad-mired the many seals that were hauledout on the rock islands. Razorbills,Greatand Double-crested Cormorants, andCommon Eider also call these rockshome.

Wednesday was Guillemot AppreciationDay. It was our day to learn about thelocal residents, ok, a little corny, but fun.What was that on all the leaders feet?Everyone was given red/orange felt Guille-mot feet to wear in whatever fashion theycould imagine, on id badges, on hats, inyour hair. Why was there a piece of redlicorice on everyone plate at lunch? Thatwas to remind us that the favorite food ofthe Guillemot was red sand eels. (I neversaw one of those, I guess they are underthe water). Sara Morris, a professor fromCanisius, and her daughter and a few oth-ers dressed as Guillemots with whitepatches and black outfits. Red/orangecrocs completed the outfit.

Wednesday and Thursday morning I foundthe most pleasant way to start the day.Sara Morris, professor and bird bandergave a bird banding demonstration outsidethe dining hall. Coffee and birding in thecool morning. How nice. Mist nets wereset up to capture some birds. The onebird they caught the first morning was aSong Sparrow. Sara showed us the differ-ent size bands and discussed the process.She was able to blow on the bird’s chestto show us the brood patch, a featherlesspatch that allows the bird to keep the

eggs and young birds warm. She also heldthe bird up to each person’s ear for themto hear the heart beat. It is like a cat’spurr. As she held the bird up to peoples’ears, you could see the look of delightovertake them. Because it was a female,they let her go quickly. The task of lettingit go went to one of the teen campers,whose face lit up as she held the little birdand let her go back to her family. No birdswere caught the second morning, butwhen they did this with the Covids, aBlack-throated Blue was caught. Luckythem!

I was a member of the adult group, but atthe same time, there was a group of teens,at another program taking place at thesame time. Usually they had their own ac-tivities. We did all eat together and sharesome activities. I think these teens, nick-named, the Corvids added a little spice toour week.

Winding up the week was a trip to themainland, following a trail set up by RogerTory Peterson in a residential but bird-friendly community with a fresh waterbeaver pond. The whole group partici-pated, but split into smaller groups goingin different directions. We were rewardedwith surprisingly great views of a Bay-breasted Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Com-mon Yellowthroat and Swamp Sparrow.Osprey and Eagles were calling overhead.Butterflies included a White Admiral, andan Eastern Swallowtail. A dragon fly look-ing like an old fashioned biplane was quitea fabulous looking.

The afternoon was spent at a choice ofworkshops. I had the pleasure of going tohear Julie Zickefoose describe her life

with children, dog, garden and birds on anOhio farm. Then Sara Morris gave a work-shop on brown birds. We divided intoteams and compared field guides in print,and on electronic devices. to find the bird.Peterson’s guide won in my book. Embar-rassingly my partner inadvertently pressedthe sound button on the ipad and dis-rupted the class as the Veery called out itsname.

The camp wrapped up with a lobster feastwith cream puffins for dessert and a won-derful, amusing talk by Bill Thompson III,publisher of Bird Watcher’s Digest.

Let me backtrack a bit and mention thatthe faculty was unbelievably great. ScottWeidensaul, author of more than twodozen books headed the camp this week’sThe Joy of Birding program. His newestbook: The First Frontier: The Forgotten His-tory of Struggle, Savagery and Endurance inEarly America is coming out soon. BillThompson III and his wife, Julie Zickefoosewere also there and gave programs onbirding optics, (ok, he told me I should goto tripod hell or something to that effect).He gave a program on digiscoping that de-scribed a new device that quickly attachesan iphone to a scope to make digiscopingextremely easy and quick. (Maybe I can getmyself out of tripod hell). Julie talkedabout the birds she has helped and gar-dening with native plants. Julie, aka Zick,highlighted several nightly lectures. BothBill and Julie are authors, publishers and ina musical group called The Rain Crows.

“Would you go back?” asked Mary Bethon the way home. “In a heartbeat” I an-swered.

Dr. Sara Morris and her daughter dressed for Guillemot Appreciation Day, red/orange crocs complete the outfit. One of the honorees, a Guille-mots flies by the boat. Here I am again with Scott Weidensaul at the early morning bird banding session. The Snow Goose IIi takes the groupashore for some land birding.


Answers to last issue’s puzzleAvian Creatures by Guest Contributor, Don Spates

Across

5 Agatha ________, famous author who was abirder, she wouldn’t need Poirot to help hermake a field ID

8 Steve ______, played the corporate executivebirder in the movie The Big Year, he actually is abirder, and a wild and crazy guy!

9 ________ Flyway, a migratory path we live near

10 Shedding old feathers

11 Scottish immigrant who was favored overAudubon by the Philadelphia Academy of Science

13 In the Northern Hemisphere, the southernmovement of birds, should be well under way

16 Supercilium to a bird

18 American ________ , small hunter at EPCAL

19 Peter____, founder of the World Series of bird-ing and director of the Cape May Bird Observa-tory

21 Ken________low budget Big Year competitor

22 George Grinnell’s middle name!

24 His field guide, released in 2000, was the fastestselling field guide to date

25 Pennsylvania author of Living on the Wind and Ofa Feather

26 ____ Mountain, a good place to watch the hawkmigration, just past the Tappen Zee Bridge

Down

1 Roger Tory________ created the modern fieldguide

2 Naturalist William “Billy” took a five year walk inthe southeast starting in 1773 discovering manynew species

3 Common birding accessory

4 Internal ________ , theorized mechanism thathelps birds migrate

6 Three types of these sea ducks should be arrivingfor the winter

7 Founder of first Audubon Society

9 Alaskan island known for Asian rarities, essentialfor a big year

11 Early painter of American birds, grandfather offirst child born in America, Elizabeth Dare

12 State park location parking lot number 5, a goodplace to watch the hawk migration on Long Island

13 James _____Vardaman’s appropriate middlename as the first big budget Big Year birder

14 American Golden ______, can be seen on thesod farms about now

15 A downward shaped bill, like on a whimbrel

17 Most common bird of prey migrant seen onLong Island (2010 Fire Island Hawk Watch data)

19 Chemical that threatened many species includingthe Osprey

20 Sent to the United States to avoid being draftedinto Napoleon’s army, failed businessman turnedornithologist

23 ____ Mountain, preserved by Rosalie Edge tostop birds of prey from being hunted there

Famous Birders by Tom Moran

Stop in for all your seasonal needs.

Trees & Shrubs

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Carl Starace

The Latin word, Limosa mean “muddy”

for the habitat Godwits use. The Latin

word, Fedoa, is a term whose meaning

has been lost in time. “Marbled” comes

from the mottled coloration to its upper-

sides. It has a long, well-proportioned

body, legs and bill. with a slim neck and

earthy colors. The Marbled Godwit is a

great looking shorebird. It is, along with

the American Oystercatcher, and the

Long-billed Curlew (a bird that once used

our shorelines in migration) the largest of

the North American shorebirds.

Description: The Marbled Godwit is

large, 18" in length with a 30” wingspan,

weighing in at 13 ounces. This Godwit is

larger than our Eastern Willet and some-

what larger than the Western Willet. It is

close in size to the Whimbrel, a curlew.

The Marbled’s head is small, neck long,

body full, with a very long mostly pink bill

that is slightly upturned. It is quite a plain

looking bird. In all plumages there is little

contrast in color between its upper and

lower parts. Its appearance is buffy brown.

Breeding adults are finely speckled cinna-

mon/black on their upperparts. Their un-

derparts are lightly barred. Non-breeding

birds have no barring.In flight the tail and

underwings show a salmon color.

Behavior: Marbleds will feed in flocks

across tidal mudflats. They will take sev-

eral steps than probe. They mostly stand

with the bill pointing downwards, unlike

either the Willet or Whimbrel. They like

feeding in water, sometimes up to their

bellies, even swimming at times. Roosting

takes place on higher ground with other

large waders, even gulls. In flight its long

legs trail behind the tail. The Godwit

moves speedily with shallow wingbeats.

When flying in flocks they will form a V.

Food: Godwits seek out mollusks, crus-

taceans and worms, all of which they will

work with skill up their long bill. When on

the prairie grasslands they will feast on

grasshoppers and other kinds of insects.

They will also eat tubers and various seeds

from the edges of ponds and estuaries.

Vocalization: The call most often given as

it flies is a nasal “rech”, or “kerwek”. Also a

long, loud,“reh karehah, karehah, karehah,

heh heh, heh.”

Distribution: Marbleds breed on the

prairie grasses of Canada’s provinces and

in Central Montana, most of North

Dakota, northern and central South

Dakota, northern Minnesota, and the lower

Alaskan Peninsula. Wintering birds are

found along California’s coast, the Salton

Sea, and down into Central America.

Furthur east they run from Florida’s west

coast along the Gulf to the Yucatan. A few

birds inhabit the winter shores of the mid-

Atlantic down to south Florida.

Where to find locally: My first was seen

on the mussel beds just west of Ponqugue

Bridge in May. They can usually be found

most readily from mid-August on into

early autumn at both Pikes Beach and Cup-

sogue County Park, the mudflats in West-

hampton Dunes.

Good September Birding. Carl

Marbled Godwit Limosa Fedoa

From our outgoing

President

Eileen Schwinn

Eileen Schwinn

A couple of years ago, I became inter-ested in birds. Mildly interested – a pur-pose and reason to go on long walks, withmy friend, in my neighborhood. I enrolledin a beginning birding class through anadult education program, and attended acouple of meetings of the local bird-watcher’s club. The next thing I knew, Iwas approached to take a more active position in the club, maybe become an officer. The current president was movingto Florida, and, with an option to pass if itwasn’t a good fit, I was asked to take theleadership role. Fast forward seven years.

Over the years, I’ve come to love thebirds, to love the places birds hang out,and more importantly, to love the peoplewho hang out with the birds. From eachand every person connected with ELIAS,I’ve learned things that will stay with meforever. This group of people has becomesome of my dearest friends, and they willremain so in the years ahead. And it’sfrom these friends, I’ve learned it’s OK tomove on and let someone else have thechair I’ve sat in over the past seven years.

Byron Young has graciously agreed to bePresident of Eastern Long Island AudubonSociety, a role he not only had a valuablebackground in, but a wonderful enthusi-asm for! Retired from the DEC, Byron hasa keen awareness of so much that will bea real asset to our club. And, he is a gen-uinely nice guy!

It was a good fit then, and it’s gonna be agood fit now for Byron!!

Enjoy, Stay Well, and Good Birding!

July 14 — Dune RoadSally Newbert

There is usually some interesting birdingalong Dune Road. Eileen Schwinn, theleader, met the group at Shinnecock

Inlet. We quickly went on to Road I whichoverlooked a tidal pond just loaded withso many Great and Snowy Egrets it washard to keep count,they were evenroosting inbushes furtheraway. As wewatched the egrets,who came peeking out of the marshes, buta Clapper Rail. Oh my, what a good find soearly in the day. We proceeded on to thePonquogue Bridge and the bay side ofTiana Beach and enjoyed the Willets, Os-prey, and friends. Our final stop was alongTriton Lane where we spotted our secondClapper Rail of the day. Then, walking tothe ocean side we were able to see thenesting Least Tern colony. The sand col-ored babies were hard to pick out withtheir fluffy feathers almost matching thesand. The best way to find them was towatch for the parents who flew in fairlyconstantly to feed a small fish to the littlechicks. Keeping our distance, Eileen putthe chicks in the scope which elicited

much oohing and aahing, making the day amemorable one.

A reporter and photographer from theNY Post joined this walk. They were work-ing on a story about day trips from Man-hattan.

August 4 — SOFOEric Salzman‘

The South Fork Natural History Society(SOFO) and Eastern Long IslandAudubon Society (ELIAS) held an his-

toric joint walk at the SOFO Museum andI had the privilege of leading the walkaround Vineyard Field — the large recov-ering pasture or meadow in back of themuseum on the Bridgehampton/Sag Har-bor Turnpike. It was very well attendedwith perhaps two dozen participants.Among them were Eileen Schwinn, presi-dent of ELIAS, Dai Dayton, president ofthe Friends of the LI Greenbelt (whichmanages the field), Frank Quevedo, direc-tor of SOFO, and my daughter Eva Salz-man, a poet who often writes aboutnatural history on Eastern LI.

This area specializes in birds that like tolive at the edge or ecotone betweenwoodlands and open meadows. The opti-mum time for a visit is probably early tomid-spring when migrants are passing

through and the local birds are all singing.By early August, many birds have shutdown for the season.

There was one major exception and it isone of our most sought-after birds andstill a fairly uncommon species aroundhere: the Indigo Bunting. Some buntingsare inconspicuous sparrowy birds butthat’s not the Indigo Bunting. The male ofthe species is a spectacular blue of a deepindigo color that, in the right light, canseem to shimmer (ironically, the female isone of the plainest of birds and the maleslose their spectacular plumage in migra-tion and winter). Since the males onlyhold this plumage in breeding season andsince the Vineyard Field was full of singingbirds — more Indigo Buntings than I haveever seen in a single place — it wouldseem to be the case that Indigo Buntingbreeding season in Bridgehampton is notyet over!

Did we see any female Indigo Buntings?Any youngsters? Nests? Of course not.But it was a remarkable show of male In-digo Buntingness: perhaps a dozen ormore displaying and singing both in thetrees around the edges and on the top ofsmall bushes in the meadow. Sometimesthere were chases that looked like territo-rial disputes. How territorial is the Indigo


Adventures in the field

At Tiana Beach (left) and in the field at SoFo watching the Indigo Buntings.

First stop along Dune Road included a spec-tacular number of Great and Snowy Egrets. AClapper Rail made a brief appearance at twostops.

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Bunting? It’s a good question worthy offurther investigation. In any case, thesinging males were always perched high orin the open, anxious to broadcast theirvocal and visual assets to the world. Idon’t know of another place on Long Is-land where it is possible to see these birdsso easily and dramatically. The whole fieldwas like an exploded lek — a field of dis-play for male birds.

There were other birds of course. GreenHeron and Purple Martin flying overhead,Eastern Kingbird in the meadow, BarnSwallows around the buildings (with activenests and second broods under the eaves),Carolina Wrens singing away here andthere, House Wren, Common Yel-lowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Chipping Spar-row, Baltimore Oriole, lots of Catbirds,Mockingbirds, Cardinals. Among the area’sspecialties that were missed: Orchard Ori-ole, Blue-winged Warbler, Red-wingedBlackbird (huh?), Tree Swallow, and East-ern Bluebird, all of which were here ear-lier in the season. Next time!

P.S.: Summer is an optimum time for but-terflies and dragonflies in a meadow likethis one with several wet spots. Amongthe dragonflies I could identify HalloweenPennant, Banded Pennant and a whitetail(Common Whitetail according to FrankQuevedo). A great place to study the in-sects of summer.

If you would like to receive Eric‘sBlog, send your email to: [email protected]. The Blog is also avail-able on LIBirding.com.

August 25 — CupsogueEric Salzman‘

Cupsogue by the Moriches Inlet is acounty park at the west end of DuneRoad made up of dunes, marshes, mud

& sand flats, islands, ocean and bay. It isone of the finest spots on the East End forshorebirds and waterbirds. There are basi-cally two ways to get to the best birdingspots. One goes directly from the parkinglot through the salt marsh (a muddy trek).The other, adopted for this walk, is tohead a short distance west on the sandroad at the far end of the parking lot andthen follow a trail down the dunes to thebay edge. When you reach the bay (actu-ally the shore of an inlet between the saltmarshes and a couple of large spoil is-lands), you work your way east, wadingacross a small stream or two and then thechannel itself to reach the flats surround-ing the island where many of the birdshang out. This is best accomplished at lowtide and the tide was indeed low at about9:30 on the 25th.

Probably the #1 sighting (or perhaps the#1, 2 & 3 sightings) were of Whimbrels:two flying over the parking lot at our 7:30am arrival, a single bird in the water nearthe marshes and another single bird, thisone calling and flying low directly over-head as we made our way back along theshore. Another excellent sighting was aprobable Long-billed Dowitcher – a large,fairly bright and well-marked singletonwith a very long bill.

Also seen: a small flock of about a dozenRed Knots, small numbers of Black Skim-mers and Royal Terns, two Black Ternsover the marsh in front of the island, num-bers of Common Terns and good views ofa Clapper Rail taking a bath in a pool atthe edge of the marsh along with threeimmature Yellow-crowned Night Heronscatching crabs and several Saltmarsh Spar-rows hopping and darting about.

The variety of shore birds included RedKnots, Oystercatchers, a few Willets (in-cluding at least one Western Willet), Semi-palmated, Piping and Black-bellied Plovers,Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers,Ruddy Turnstones, at least one Short-billed Dowitcher, Sanderlings, Greater andLesser Yellowlegs (with the latter seem-ingly outnumbering the former!).

There were several Osprey including oneactive nest and all four common gullspecies were present (Great Black-backed,Herring, Laughing and Ring-billed). An oddobservation was that of a Ring-bill flyingbackwards (!) across the surface of thewater apparently tracking bait fish. It’ssometimes said that hummingbirds are theonly birds that can fly backward but thisgull apparently failed to get that informa-tion.

There were many Snowy Egrets includingone doing a veritable solo dance in thewater, an activity more commonly associ-ated with Reddish Egrets. What exactly isthe bird doing? Presumably stirring up baitfish in some fashion.

Taken from Eric Salzaman’s Blog.


On the flats at Cupsoque

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John McNeil

The Survey will be conducted the first fullweek of the month starting on Sundayand ending the following Sunday. This sur-vey takes place from October to June.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FEEDER SURVEY

n Define an area containing feeders thatyou can see all at once from a window.The area should be one you glance atfrequently during your daily routine.

n Don’t include birds seen off premises.

n Predators perching in or swoopingthrough the count area (not just flyingover) may be counted if you feel thatthey were attracted by the birds at the feeder.

n Record the largest number of eachspecies that you see in your count areaduring the eight-day count period.

n Do not add counts from previous daystogether. Be specific with the speciesname, e.g. we can’t use just the nameSparrow, Blackbird or Gull.

n At the end of the count period, recordyour final tallies and send in the formimmediately.

Personal observations and comments arewelcome as are suggestions to improvethe surveys and reports.

Survey Dates:

Sun., Oct. 7 to Sun., Oct. 14

Name ________________________

Address ______________________

______________________________

Town ________________________

Phone ________________________

_______Mourning Dove

_______Northern Cardinal

_______Blue Jay

_______House Finch

_______Black-capped Chickadee

_______Tufted Titmouse

_______Downy Woodpecker

_______White-throated Sparrow

_______Dark-eyed Junco

_______House Sparrow

_______White-breasted Nuthatch

_______Song Sparrow

_______Red-bellied Woodpecker

_______American Crow

_______European Starling

_______Common Grackle

_______Carolina Wren

_______Northern Mockingbird

_______American Goldfinch

_______Red-winged Blackbird

_______Hairy Woodpecker

_______Common Flicker

_______Rufous-sided Towhee

_______American Robin

_______Brown-headed Cowbird

_______Sharp-shinned Hawk

_______Rock Dove (pigeon)

_______Gray Catbird

_______Yellow-rumped Warbler

_______Red-breasted Nuthatch

_______Other ______________________

Feeder Survey begins in OctoberOpen Mouths just beyond the windowBetty Wybenga

Several yards and a window pane separateour kitchen table from the sights andsounds of an ongoing spectacular springand summer show. Bird feeders, twobaths, a dead birch tree, high and lowshrubs and a pine tree provide the settingfor the nurseries and feeding center formany of the birds listed in our monthlyreports.

Parenting is at an optimum: constant tire-less flights from seeds and other feedertidbits to nests by either parent in theDowny and Red-bellied Woodpecker fam-ily. The reds, blues and yellows of the Car-dinals, Bluejays, and finches flash by, as wellas the persistent “more seed” chatter ofthe Chickadees and Titmouse. Openmouths demand more and more fromtheir parents on the feeder, while point-edly a Downy parent with several openmouths waiting appeared to show thesefledglings how to extend the body for-ward in order to feed from the foodblock. On several days a Brown Thrasherwas ground feeding and then in a fewquiet moments appeared with an almostchick-sized fledgling which settled in asunny spot and waited while the parentdid some low flying and creative searchingto appease the open mouth.

Our immediate outdoors are insect free(no mosquitoes) and recently while read-ing on the nearby verandah a family of fivewrens flitted by and then flew off in whatI regarded as a fitting thank you fly by!And the show goes on with more sight-ings from our feeder survey list.

BETTY WYBENGA

Father’s Day at the feeder – a male DowneyWoodpecker tries to teach his fledgling chickthe art of eating from the suet feeder.


Chapter Renewal & Membership

For $15 a year, you will receive 6 copies of

this newsletter. You will be supporting our

local education and conservation activities.

(Members of National Audubon who are

not chapter members receive one copy of

this newsletter per year.)

This is a

m Renewal m New Membership

Name____________________________

Address __________________________

________________________________

City/State ________________________

Zip ______________________________

Email __________________________

Please be sure to include your email. You

will receive an email confirmation, a pdf

of the first newsletter and occasional

important updates and program updates.

Although we try not to cancel or change

event dates and times, it does happen.

This list is not shared.

Make check payable to:

Eastern Long Island Audubon Society

and mail to:

ELIAS Membership, PO Box 206,

East Quogue, NY 11942-0206

If you are a member and not on our email listplease email

[email protected] be added.

You will receive reminders of programs, and program changes, or cancellations.

This is only an ELIAS list.

Published by: Eastern Long Island Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 206East Quogue, NY 11942-0206

Address Service Requested

EASTERN LONG ISLAND AUDUBON SOCIETYFrom the Barrens to the Bays

Serving Eastern Brookhaven, Western Riverhead & The Hamptonswww.easternlongislandaudubonsociety.org

ELIAS Officers & DirectorsPresident: Eileen Schwinn 631-728-8342

Past President: Alfred Scherzer 631-728-2898

Vice President: Byron Young 631-821-9623

Recording Secretary: Chris Schmitt 631-727-2860

Corresponding Secretary: Gigi Spates 631-765-1436

Treasurer: Tom Moran 631-849-4434

Board of Directors:

Bob Adamo 631-369-1958

Ridgie Barnett 631-288-3628

MaryLaura Lamont

Catherine McCluskey 631-399-4782

Matthew McCluskey, Jr. 631-399-4782

Sally Newbert 631-281-6008

Evelyn Voulgarelis 631-727-0417

Dan Wilson

Committees/ProjectsMembership, Mailing, Field Trips & Feeder Stats: John McNeil 631-281-2623

Program Chair and Nature Chat Open

Liaison - Kaler's Pond Audubon Center: Alfred Scherzer 631-728-2898

Hospitality: Ridgie Barnett 631-288-3628

Conservation & Bluebird Restoration:Gigi Spates 631-765-1436

Education: Evelyn Voulgarelis 631-727-0417

Webmaster: Annette Oliveira 631-833-4451

Newsletter Editor & Publicity: Sally Newbert 631-281-6008

[email protected]

Mark Your Ca lendarsMonday, Sept. 10 Nature Program (see page 2)Meet at 7:15 pm What the FraCK? Learn about the threat to NYS.

Roxanne Zimmer

Saturday, Sept. 15 Nature Walk (see page 1)Meet at 8:30 am Smith Point County Park, John McNeil, Leader

Sunday, Sept. 16 Nature Walk (see page 1)Meet at 9 am North Fork Preserve, Carl Starace & Sally Swain, Leaders

Monday, Oct. 1 Nature Program (see page 2)Meet at 7:15 pm Birding the Manu, Peru with Eric Salzman

Wed. Oct. 17 Celebrating Birding Dinner at Casa Basso (see page 1)

Saturday, Oct. 20 Nature Walk (see page 2)Meet at 7:30 am Dune Road–Shinnecok to Moriches Inlet, Eileen Schwinn, Leader

Saturday, Nov. 17 Nature Walk (see page 2)Meet at 9:00 am Jamesport State Park & Hallockville Farm Fields

MaryLaura Lamont, Leader

Sat., Nov. 10 Seed Sale at Quogue Wildlife RefugeGift items will be availabe. Please place your seed orders by Oct. 24,order forms are on the website.

Sunday, Nov. 18 Nature Walk (see page 2)Meet at 9:00 am Old Mastic Autumn Bird Walk, William Floyd Estate

MaryLaura Lamont, Leader

All programs are open to all.

Please check the date on your label.If your membership is about to expire please use the membership/renewal form on page 11 to keep your membership current.

NON PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE P A I DPermit No. 3

Center Moriches, NY 11934

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celebrating birding on long island

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