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From the Ground Up Volume 19 Issue 4 The Newsletter That Helps You Grow Winter 2014-15

Birders, Birders, Everywhere

THE FLOYD BENNETT GARDENS ASSOCIATION

Barbara Pearson

And what a bird to see! A rare Cassins kingbird

has been seen almost daily at FBGA since mid-

November. The kingbird at FBGA is far afield of its

natural range and this extended sighting of the

kingbird at FBGA is only the second time on record

that this species has been seen in New York State.

Habitat Committee Chair Frank Gentile alerted

me to the news on November 25th

after he saw the

bird, which was identified for him by birder Richard

Guthrie (whom I contacted and he generously gave

me permission to use his photo of the kingbird). Mr.

Guthrie wrote on his timesunion.com blog:

Happily, I can post some fun news about birding

in New York. A very rare bird and hard to identify

flycatcher was found in Brooklyn, New York City,

last week. Word got out late in the day, and nobody

could get over to Floyd Bennett Field before dark.

Next day, it had disappeared. Dozens of frustrated

birders searched a wide area without any sign of the

elusive wanderer.

The bird was a CASSINS KINGBIRD, a prairie

species which would normally [be] expected to be

somewhere in Mexico by this time of year.

Yesterday, the word went out the kingbird had

been found again, near where it was first seen right

there in the community gardens of Floyd Bennett

Field. A few phone calls last evening and we had a

group of four up early and headed to the south shore

of Brooklyn.

When we arrived, there were about thirty

birders already set with binoculars, spotting scopes

and some of the longest camera lenses Ive seen in a

while. Finding the bird was as easy as following the

converging vectors of eyes, lenses, and shutter clicks.

It was not more than thirty yards away from the

semi-circle of well behaved admirers.

Local birding websites and blogs (American

Birding Association, City Birder) have been

reporting consistent sightings of the kingbird since it

was first spotted. The kingbird is most often seen in

the picnic area and the Habitat. According to info

Mr. Guthrie gave on his blog, the kingbird is about

the size of a robin, has a sulfur-yellow underside, and

has distinctive white markings on its tail feathers.

On a trip to the garden in mid-December, I

talked with President Adriann Musson who saw me

looking at a group of 6 or 8 birders with tripods and

huge lenses who had gathered not far from the O&M

containers (why did I not have my camera with me

that day to get a photo of them?!). (contd on page 3)

Contents

Birders, Birders, Everywhere

Renewal Reminder

The Last of the Monarchs?

Tree-icide

Native Shrubs Wish List

Workshop Schedule

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FBGA Contacts

Adriann Musson President 917-446-3764 fbgapres@optonline.net Bob Halligan Vice President & Education

917-626-7460 fbgagardens@aol.com Judy Tropeano Treasurer

718-444-7210 jcricket16@aol.com Clara Villanueva Corresponding Secretary

718-782-5694 fbgasecretary@aol.com Lynn Halligan Recording Secretary & Special Events

mamaduke23@aol.com Sylvia Tsingis Champions of Courage Garden

718-646-5979 starcilagos@verizon.net Lynn Graham Childrens Garden

firecutskill@yahoo.com Roy Brummell Conflict Resolution

718-342-3689 roybrumm@verizon.net Carl Arendt Operations & Maintenance 917-681-3624 carloelba@optimum.net

Gail Schneider Fundraising 347-533-3787 gschneider33@hotmail.com

Tom Ingram Landscape Maintenance 917-209-6452 tomato1646@verizon.net

Karen Orlando Elections orlandoka@yahoo.com

Tom Marange Help A Gardener 718-382-4216 tom.jetty@verizon.net

Marie Artesi Landscape Design 718-256-4480

Frank Gentile Wildlife Habitat 917-701-8370 francobkln@yahoo.com

Barbara Pearson Newsletter 718-869-6774 fbgaeditor@gmail.com

Joe Nerone Pumpkin Patch 718-789-2713

Floyd Bennett Gardens Association Newsletter

Floyd Bennett Gardens Association Inc. is located in Floyd Bennett Field, a

unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.

Editor: Barbara Pearson

Contributors: Bob Halligan, Abe Perlstein, Barbara Pearson, Gay Snyder

Proofreader: Paul Moses

Photographs: Barbara Pearson (unless otherwise noted)

Website: fbga.net Contact Louis M.: fbgaweb@optonline.net

Contact us: FBGA News PO Box 340986 Ryder Retail Station Brooklyn, NY 11234-9993 e-mail fbgaeditor@gmail.com

Our Policy: All submissions to the newsletter may be edited for grammar, spelling and length. We reserve the right to reject entries.

Disclaimer Required by the National Parks Service

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and

should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the United States

Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute

their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Spring Meeting

Sunday March 29th at 2pm

Hudson River Yacht Club

2101 Bergen Street

Attendance Required

Renewal Reminder All completed applications must be received by

January 31, 2015. After that there is a 2-week grace

period during which late applications are accepted,

however, they will incur a $20 late fee per plot. You

also must fill out the community service form on the

other side of the application. If you have a child you

would like to register for the Childrens Garden,

complete and include that application with your

renewal.

If there is an unavoidable delay in sending in your

renewal, contact Clara (corresponding secretary) or

Bob (vice president) and let them know the situation.

Any plot for which we do not have a completed

application by February 15th

will be reassigned.

If you want your garden tilled, fill out the Tilling

Request Form; the tilling fee is $20 per plot. Tilling is

done on a first come, first served basis starting in

April depending on the weather - we cannot till if the

ground is frozen or muddy - and your garden must

first be cleared of all wood, rocks, tall weeds, etc. We

will call you before we till your plot because you will

need to unlock your plot so we can get in.

All forms are available at www.fbga.net .

mailto:fbgapres@optonline.netmailto:firecutskill@yahoo.commailto:718-342-3689%20roybrumm@verizon.netmailto:gschneider33@hotmail.commailto:orlandoka@yahoo.commailto:tom.jetty@verizon.netmailto:fbgapres@optonline.netmailto:fgbaeditor@gmail.comhttp://www.fbga.net/

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Birders, Birders, Everywhere (contd from page 1)

Adriann said to me, laughing, Weve been overrun

by birders. Beats being overrun by weeds, I said.

Some FBGA gardeners can be counted among

the birders. I found a name I recognized Phil Hore -

on one of the birding sites so I contacted him. He and

his wife Enid were chatting with Bob Halligan a few

days back when I noticed a bird flying exactly like a

flycatcher would - perching on something and then

swooping out and down and then back again (going

after the bugs in the air). So, I grabbed the glasses

and followed. It ended up in the middle of rows E

and F - perching and then flying down to the ground

and up again. Lovely to see, and very cooperative to

view. Shari Romar had only just learned of the

kingbird excitement a few days before I contacted

her. What a wonderful treat to have this great bird

visiting our garden! she said. It shows that we are

providing habitat for many species, including such

rare ones. I wish Id had luck in seeing this beauty,

but Ill just have to live vicariously!

New Years Day was a sunny, not-too-cold day

so I went to the garden to see if I could get some

photos of birders in pursuit of the kingbird. I caught

up with one woman and asked her if she was there

because she had not yet seen the kingbird. She said

she had seen it but that was 2014! I saw several

more birders who were back promptly on January 1st,

trying to get the kingbird on their 2015 lists because,

after all, who knows when it might be gone.

I was glad to know that birders were coming to

FBGA to enjoy an exciting visitor. I had no idea how

cooperative and high tech birding is (as in real-time

blog posts alerting fellow birders via smartphone to

important sightings). Like gardeners, theyre happy

to share their knowledge and love of what they do

with an interested stranger. Im pleased that our

community has something we share with theirs.

One of the many visiting birders with tripods and huge lenses seen

at FBGA since mid-November.

Photo courtesy of Richard Guthrie

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The Last of the Monarchs? Gay Snyder

When I first joined FBGA, I was amazed at the

variety and quantity of butterflies. Three years ago, a

friend visited from England; he loves butterflies. I

remember how happy he was when I took him around

our gardens. We observed at least a dozen different