Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, December 31, 2016 to New Year's Day, Sunday, January 1, 2017:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, January 1, 2017, 10am – 11am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Bring in the New Year with Birds
Join the Prospect Park Alliance on New Year's Day to explore the Park’s nature trails and discover the beautiful plumage and fascinating behavior of the Park’s wintering ducks. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
New Year’s Day, January 1, 2017
A walk along the western Brooklyn Coast
Leader: Peter Dorosh (347) 622-3559
Focus: First birds of the new year during an estimated 3 mile walk
Meet: 9 am at the R train 45th St stop, west corner
Note: Locations include Bush Terminal Pier Park; Pier 4 at 58th St; Owls Head Park; Greenwood Cemetery (optional)

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Sunday, January 1, 2017, 11am – 2pm
New Year's Day Beach Walk, Fort Tilden
Guide: Don Riepe, Mickey Cohen
With American Litoral Society and Gateway NRA
Meet at Fort Tilden in Breezy Point for a brisk hike along the beach, dunes, and woods to welcome in the New Year. Look for saw-whet and snowy owls. Enjoy champagne, coffee, and cookies afterward at the Rockaway Artists Alliance. For more information, contact Don Riepe at 718-474-0896 or donriepe@gmail.com. No reservations necessary. No limit. Free

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Sunday, January 1, 2017 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
27th Annual New Year’s Day Walk to Crooke’s Point @ Great Kills Park
Join NRPA and PPOW for a healthy start to a fantastic New Year. Gather in the parking lot at Hylan Blvd. and Buffalo Street and carpool to the last lot before Crooke’s Point. The group will observe wintering birds and dormant grasses while discussing ideas and concerns for the year ahead. After a half mile walk to the point, we will share treats and tales in celebration of the New Year. We continue to the harbor before returning to the cars. Contact Jim Scarcella at (718) 873-4291 or Cliff Hagen at (718) 313-8591.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Ranger's Choice: Birding Van Tour - Owls at Pelham Bay Park, Bronx
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Winter is the best time of year to spot owls as the leaves are gone, making it harder for them to hide. The days are also shorter, which is perfect for our nocturnal residents
Free!

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Wild Bird Fund
Sunday, January 1, 2017 @ 9:00AM - 11:00AM
WBF’s New Years Day Bird Walk!
Celebrate the New Year with Alan Messer and WBF! Please join WBF member and artist/naturalist Alan Messer for a bird walk on Sunday January 1st (rain date: Sunday Jan. 2). We will walk into Central Park and scan the reservoir for waterfowl and gulls, and check out the Pinetum for kinglets and raptors. We’ll then navigate the Ramble for sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, nuthatches, and other over-wintering species, who have much to teach us about resiliency and persistence in the face…
$10 - $15 ...Read more

Friday's Foto

Treehugger Tuesday

The UK will outlaw plastic microbeads in the coming year. From businessGreen:

Government Plans to Ban Microbeads by October 2017
Michael Holder
20 December 2016

Defra plans to change legislation by October 2017 to end UK sale of toiletry products containing tiny pieces of plastic harmful to marine life

By the end of October 2017 the government aims to have banned the sale of cosmetics and personal care products containing micro beads, according to new plans published today.

The two-month consultation sets out the government's strategy to fulfill its promise earlier this year to ban microbeads, tiny particles of plastic which are harmful to marine life. The document also looks at what more can be done in the future to prevent other sources of plastic from entering the marine environment.

Ahead of any legislative change, however, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is urging Christmas shoppers to avoid products containing microbeads in favour of those which use natural alternatives.

Microbeads - tiny pieces of plastic often added as exfoliators to toiletry products such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels - can get into waterways and oceans, potentially causing serious harm to marine life, while there are also concerns surrounding the potential impact on human health.

A single shower can send up to 100,000 beads down the drain, according to the government, which first revealed its intention to ban microbeads back in September.

Many companies have already taken steps to voluntarily phase out microbeads from the products they manufacture or sell, but MPs on Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee earlier this year called for an industry-wide ban, claiming the voluntary approach would not be effective enough.

Announcing the two-month consultation today, Defra Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the proposals showed the UK takes its responsibility to marine life around the world very seriously.

"It's encouraging many retailers and manufacturers are already taking action to phase out microbeads, but today we are making sure that in future they will have no place in personal care products, like shower gels and face scrubs, that end up going down the drain," she said in a statement.

Defra added that products containing no microbeads but with the same exfoliating properties were already "readily available" on the market, with many manufacturers using natural alternatives such as nut shells, salt and sugar instead of plastic.

Commenting on the proposed ban, Dominic Winter, sustainability manager at retailer Neal's Yard Remedies, said the firm had never used microplastics in any of its products. "There are a range of highly effective natural, sustainable options when purchasing personal care products, with ingredients that have a hugely reduced impact on the environment," he said.

Dr Laura Foster, head of pollution at the Marine Conservation Society, also voiced her support for banning microbeads. "This consultation gives an opportunity to show the UK can be a world leader in improving the health of our oceans and reducing microplastic pollution," she said.

The consultation closes on February 28 2017. ...Read more

Friday's Foto

The Common Redpoll is one of our "winter finches" that is normally found in the subarctic forests and tundra across northern Canada and much of Alaska. Circumpolar, they also range across the northern reaches of Europe and Russia.

A bit larger than our American Goldfinch males are heavily streaked and have a small, red crown and rosy breast. Females are duller, lack the rosy breast, but do have a red crown. Usually traveling in large, energetic flocks they feed primarily on seeds from birches, alders, willows, pines, elms, basswood and larch. Like chickadees, they are quite acrobatic and often hang upside down as they feed. They will go to feeders in the winter and can be very tame. Common Redpolls can survive temperatures of -65° F. Some individuals tunnel into the snow to stay warm during the night.

Common Redpolls are abundant, so much so that the IUCN Red List lists their conservation status as “Least Concern”. In addition, they rate a 7 out of 20 on the 2016 State of North America's Birds Species Assessment Summary and Watch List.

The Common Redpoll’s genus was recently changed from carduelis to acanthis. According to Wikipedia, “Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the Arctic and common redpolls formed a distinct lineage, so the two species were grouped together in the resurrected genus Acanthis”. Its scientific name, Acanthis flammea, means “type of finch” (from Greek mythology Acanthis, daughter of Autonous, who was metamorphosed into a type of finch) and flame-coloured.

Treehugger Tuesday

From the Earth Times website:

The Endangered Tapaculo Adapts to Fragmentation of its Forest.
By Dave Armstrong


The endangered, recently-discovered and little-researched tapaculo is one of many species at risk as we lose our primary forests. This Ecuadorean Tapaculo is showing some sign of resilience however. Tapaculo image; Credit: © Claudia Hermes

Claudia Hermes with Annika Döpper, H. Martin Schaefer and Gernot Segelbacher, all of the University of Freiburg in Germany, have been studying the effects of fragmentation of South American forests, as the many different types of rainforest are more and more decimated. Nature Conservation’s paper appears this week as Effects of forest fragmentation on the morphological and genetic structure of a dispersal-limited, endangered bird species.

Forest corridors are the fashionable way to go with separate pieces of vegetation over a large area, but the cloud forests in Ecuador are unique and perhaps difficult to regenerate in ways to suit their endemic plants and animals. The use of dispersal corridors by the endangered Ecuadorian Tapaculo were identified and an interesting adaptation of the species to the degree of of cloud forest fragmentation. This would be useful to any such species if extinction were to threaten.

Genetic drift, or the appearance of less-than-useful characteristics in a restricted population, appears in small fragmented communities, so this connectivity is a lifesaver. Migration rates and gene flow seem to maintain a high level of genetic diversity.

With very little known about the many similar Tapaculo species, either genetically or ecologically. This bird has been called El Oro Tapaculo, or scientifically, Scytalopus robbinsi since it was found in 1990, Their insectivorous habits seem to require high quality habitat in the deep, dark undergrowth of mature forest. They rarely cross open glades and are almost unable to fly long distances, hopping or walking instead, among the shrubs. They are endemic to a 1100km2 range in SW Ecuador, but have been declining, possibly to as little as a few thousand individuals.

In the secondary forests of the private Buenaventura reserve and nearby, the tree areas ranged from 15 to 900 hectares. Using mist nets and decoy tape recordings, 28 males were captured and ringed within a 10-minute time limit. This hopefully ensured their rapid return and successful recovery from capture.

Testing for any past decline in population, no decline in diversity was detectable over the last 25 years, but there had been a severe population decline from a maximum of 26,000, probably around 7,000 years ago. With such a poor flier, there were changes in the wing shape as the forest size varied. This seems to be an adaptation to flying, with rounder wings found in larger forests and narrower wings found in small patches of forest. The birds in small forests could therefore fly better and had enhanced mobility. Maneuverability in the larger denser forests was helped by round wings.

Gene flow is not impeded by many barriers in this part of Ecuador, but distance is a factor. One brave individual covered the furthest distance seen in a dispersal event. He established a new territory by moving 245 m across un-forested habitat. It is feasible that gene flow will be restricted in the future, as sub-populations develop into genetically distinct groups with different morphology. The great hope is that the considerable reforestation effort being made can influence selection pressures. With more habitat availability, the sepcies will not require enhanced mobility, so reducing any divergence in wrong morphology and increasing the gene flow to normal levels.

This is real evolution in action, in this particular bird. It remains to be seen whether the natural experiment will continue to progress as expected. The trees have the answer, while their cultivation and conservation is critical to any positive outcome.


Read more at http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/endangered-tapaculo-adapts-fragmentation-forest/2988/#i0XwHFDIRVIWCZP3.99 ...Read more

117th Annual Christmas Bird Count

If you'd like to participate in a local New York Christmas Bird Count, the New York State Ornithological Association has a page here where you can find the teams in your area.

If you'd like to learn more about the Christmas Bird Count I have several postings on the blog here.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, December 17, 2016 to Sunday, December 18, 2016:

As this is the start of the annual Christmas Bird Count most of the organizations regularly listed here are participating in this important winter survey.

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, December 18, 2016, 12pm – 1pm
Christmas Bird Count
Join the Prospect Park Alliance for this fun Citizen Science project in Prospect Park, an Important Bird Area with more than 250 species of birds spotted each year. Blooming birdwatchers and naturalists of all ages can join a tradition more than 100 years in the making: a nationwide bird census that helps conservation researchers track the long-term health of bird populations. Each checklist submitted helps researchers learn more about the health of birds and how to best protect them!
Please contact Steven Wong, Alliance Supervising Educator at the Audubon Center, for more information.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, December 17, 2016
117th Kings County Christmas Bird Count

The great annual winter event that champions citizen science; it is the longest voluntary bird census on the North American continent. Started in 1909 as a protest against the “holiday side hunts” for the largest kill collection by hunters, ornithologist Frank K. Chapman organized the census with twenty-seven of his friends and volunteers to count birds that garnered much media attention; twenty-five Christmas Bird Counts were held that day, tallying 90 species. Since then the Christmas Bird Count has grown to encompasses over tens of thousands of birders of all skill levels, counting birds in all sorts of weather, for the great benefit of science.

Compiler: Rick Cech rcech@nyc.rr.com
Teams organizer: Bobbi Manian email roberta.manian@gmail.com
Dinner/Count coordinator: Heidi Nanz email heidi.steiner@verizon.net or call before 8 pm 718- 369-2116

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Sunday, December 18, 2016, 8:00am – 1:30pm
Christmas Bird Count in Central Park
8am: Meet at the South Pump Station of the Reservoir (85th Street & 5th Avenue).
12:30pm: Data tally and refreshments at the Arsenal Gallery (3rd floor of the Arsenal at 64th Street & 5th Avenue).
Dress warmly and don’t forget your binoculars!

For more information, contact NYC Audubon at 212-691-7483 ext. 414 or email us at christmasbirdcount@nycaudubon.org.
Free

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Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Queens County Christmas Bird Count
Coordinator: Corey Finger 518-445-5829
See website - http://www.qcbirdclub.org/qcbc-cbc

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here

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Staten Island Museum
Saturday, December 17, 2016, All Day
Staten Island Christmas Bird Count
Location: Staten Island, New York
Free
For experienced birders.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Birding: Waterfowl at Baisley Pond Park Parking Lot (in Baisley Pond Park), Queens
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots.
Free!

Sunday, December 18, 2016
Christmas Bird Count: Central Park at Central Park, Manhattan
8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join NYC Audubon, Urban Park Rangers, and the Central Park Conservancy as we count birds in every section of the park.
Free!

Birding: Waterfowl at Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots.
Free! ...Read more

Short Note

Apologizes for the lack of postings lately, I've been a little distracted with work, the holidays and other issues. I hope to get back to more interesting writings very soon.

Treehugger Tuesday

From The Guardian:

Obama Administration Rushes to Protect Public Lands Before Trump Takes Office

Environmental groups hope Utah, Nevada and Grand Canyon will be included in rapid conservation efforts as Trump plans to expand fossil fuel extraction

Oliver Milman
@olliemilman
Thursday 24 November 2016 11.00 EST

Barack Obama’s administration is rushing through conservation safeguards for large areas of public land ahead of Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House, presenting a conundrum for the new president’s goal of opening up more places for oil and gas drilling.

On Monday, the US Department of the Interior banned gold mining on 30,000 acres of land near the northern entrance of Yellowstone national park. This follows announcements last week that barred drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska and a brokered settlement that cancelled 32,000 acres of mining leases on Montana land considered by the Blackfeet tribe as “like a church, a divine sanctuary”.

Obama’s administration has also cancelled 25 oil and gas leases in Colorado since Trump’s election win and further executive action is expected before the real estate magnate takes office in January.

Environmentalists expect some level of protection to be placed upon the Bears Ears landscape in Utah, Gold Butte in Nevada and the greater Grand Canyon area, in order to bar uranium mining in the region. A permanent ban on drilling in the Arctic is also on the wish list, but is considered less likely.

Trump has said that more public land should be opened up for fossil fuel extraction, although he has also said the government should be “great stewards” of the land. In a YouTube address outlining his first 100 days in office, Trump said he would “cancel job-killing restrictions on the production of American energy, including shale energy and clean coal, creating many millions of high-paying jobs”..

Obama has protected more land and water – more than 265m acres – via executive action than any other president. Green groups are quietly confident that they would be able to sway moderate Republicans to oppose any dismantling of the reserves Obama set up, citing strong public support for them, but Trump is expected to follow an aggressively pro-fossil fuels approach once in power.

The president-elect has promised to approve the controversial Keystone pipeline and has reportedly shortlisted former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Mary Fallin, the governor of Oklahoma who he met on Monday, as secretary of the interior. Both are strongly in favor of expanded oil and gas drilling, with Fallin recently declaring 13 October as a day of prayer for the oil industry in her state.

“I would love the current administration to go further and protect places in California, Utah, Texas and the Grand Canyon,” said Margie Alt, executive director of Environment America.

“One of the vulnerabilities of executive action is that the next executive can act. But no one can work so fast that they can reverse all the action we’ve had over the past eight years. I’m worried, yes, but the public is with us, the science is with us and we will mobilize support for this.”
...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, December 3, 2016 to Sunday, December 4, 2016:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, December 4, 2016, 8am – 9am
Early Morning Bird Walk: 12 Birds of Winter
Not everyone flies south for the winter. Join the Prospect Park Alliance and spot Prospect Park’s most common winter birds during their busiest time of day. Tour leaves promptly at 8 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Breezy Point, Rockaway Queens
Leader: Mike Yuan
Focus: Coastal waterfowl, open space birds, dune relevant species, raptors
Car fee: $12.00
Registrar: Bob Washburn nyc_bob@earthlink.net
Registration Period: Nov 26th - Dec 1st

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Hudson River Audubon Society
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Croton Point Park
Meet at 8AM in the large parking lot
We will search the meadow for American Pipit and other grassland birds such as Savannah Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlark. American Tree Sparrow should be common along the wooded edges. This will be a long walk with hills as we circle the meadow.
Directions: http://hras.org/wtobird/croton.html

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, December 4, 2016 - 9:00AM
Birding Jones Beach
Who says beach going is a summertime activity? There is no better place to be birding than the barrier beaches in late fall. We'll look for flashy ducks, rare gulls, roosting owls, surprise migrant songbirds, snow buntings, longspurs, and seals.
Registration: 516-782-0293
Directions: take the Meadowbrook south and take exit for the West End, heading west. Continue past the little tollbooth (no charge!) for a half mile and make a right toward the Coast Guard Station. Shortly make another right and park by the restrooms.
Registration is a must as group size is limited to 15.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Massapequa, Capri Pond, Coastal Areas
Leader: Gabriel Willow
Registrar: Louise Fraza — louisefraza@yahoo.com or 212-534-6182
Registration opens: Monday, November 21
Ride: $35

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, December 3, 2016, 10am – 1pm
Winter Birds at Jamaica Bay
Guide: Don Riepe with American Littoral Society and Gateway NRA
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge for a slide program and a hike around the pond and gardens to look for late migrants and winter birds arriving. Learn to identify many species and how birds and other wildlife survive winter.
For info and reservations, contact Don Riepe at (718) 474-0896, donriepe@gmail.com
Free

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, December 3, 2016 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Richmond town, Southwest Latourette Park @ Old Mill Road
Participants will walk back in time during a stroll along an old country road below the serpentine hills. We will explore Ketchum’s Mill pond, brook and wetlands with naturalist Ray Matarazzo. Analyze the impact of white-tailed deer on our local flora and search for wintering waterfowl in the Richmond Creek.
Meet in the parking lot at the start of Old Mill Road, beside St. Andrew’s church.
For more information contact Ray Matarazzo at (718) 317-7666

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Montauk Point
Leader: Rich Kelly - 516-509-1094
Where: Montauk Point Lighthouse (map)

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Alley Pond Park

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Birding: Owls at Isham Street and Seaman Avenue (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
5:00 p.m.–6:30 p.m.
Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots.
Free! ...Read more

Friday's Foto

Native to North America, the Wild Turkey is far different from the selectively bred, white bird that people are accustomed to eating on Thanksgiving. The domestic turkey is actually originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey.

Living primarily in mature forests, particularly ones with nut trees such as oak, hickory, or beech, interspersed with edges and fields, they can also be found in grasslands and swamps where they feed on nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, and salamanders. Wild Turkeys were overhunted and by the early 20th century had disappeared from much of their traditional range. In the 1940s efforts were made to reintroduce them with birds being captured and relocated to areas where populations had been decimated but woodlands were recovering. It was so successful that Wild Turkeys now live in areas where they may not have occurred when Europeans first reached the Americas. Today, flocks are also found in Hawaii, Europe, and New Zealand. Around New York City small flocks can be found in Staten Island and the Bronx. For 10 years a single turkey given the name "Zelda" resided in Manhattan's Battery Park City.

The IUCN Red List lists this species conservation status as “Least Concern”.

The Wild Turkey’s scientific name, Meleagris gallopavo, means guineafowl peacock (“Gesner’s (1555) name for the Wild Turkey, because its overall appearance is that of a fowl but in its size and bright tail it resembles a peacock.”) There is speculation that the English name of the bird may have come about from early shipping routes that passed through the country of Turkey on their way to delivering the birds to European markets.

Low Carbon Birding

New York City Audubon has an excellent resource for birding around the five boroughs by public transportation. It's called "NYC Audubon Map & Guide to Birding by Subway". It is available as a download here or from below.

Treehugger Tuesday

From the website "Treehugger":

Big news: Canada to virtually phase out coal by 2030

Sami Grover
November 21, 2016
Share on Facebook

Goodness me. Climate news is a roller coaster ride these days.

Just as much of the world languishes in uncertainty over the future of a low carbon transition, the Globe and Mail reports that Canada steps up and announces an almost complete phase out of coal for electricity by 2030 at the latest. And this comes just a week after the UK confirmed its coal phase out plans, and France does too.

True, the Canadian plan doesn't actually amount to a complete phase out. Provinces still heavily reliant on coal would be allowed some flexibility if similar emissions reductions can be achieved elsewhere, or if they get serious about Carbon Capture and Storage. Still, this is not a good sign for the coal industry. And given the fact that there are already serious question marks about the viability of President Elect Trump's promises to put coal miners back to work, such an unequivocal market signal from our neighbor to the North should give coal boosters even more pause for thought.

At some point, the world moves on from outdated technologies. And when it does, those who would slow our progress are eventually forced to move on too. They just cede the leadership position to nations who better understand, or are more willing to accept, which way the world is moving. ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, November 26, 2016 to Sunday, November 27, 2016:

Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Leader: Joe DiCostanzo
Registrar: Kathleen Howley — kathleenhowley@gmail.com or 212-877-3170
Registration opens: Monday, November 7
Ride: $15 or public transportation

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturdays, September 3-November 26, 8-9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Grande Jones Beach
Leader: Ian Resnick - 917-626-9562
Where: US Coast Guard, 1 West End Boat Basin, Freeport, NY 11520, USA (map)

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Jones Beach West End #2

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
About 230 different bird species have been recorded in Van Cortlandt Park and over 60 species breed here!
Free! ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, November 19, 2016 to Sunday, November 20, 2016:

Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Jones Beach State Park, Nassau County
Leader: Steve Nanz
Focus: Coastal waterfowl, dune relevant species, raptors
Car fee: $25.00
Registrar: Heidi Steiner email heidi.steiner@verizon.net or call before 8 pm 718-369-2116
Registration Period: Nov 12th - Nov 17th

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, November 19, 2016 – Meet at 9:00am
Hallock Farm Museum Fields and Hallock State Park
Trip Leader: MaryLaura Lamont
The walk is sponsored by the Hallock Museum Farm on Sound Avenue in Riverhead and led by ELIAS board member MaryLaura Lamont. The roughly 2 mile walk goes through Museum fields and hedgerows and into the woods of the new Hallock State Park. Walking into the park we will reach dunes with spectacular views of Long Island Sound. We are hoping for a variety of migrants, and wintering birds. Bring binoculars. Dress for the weather. There is a $7 charge for this walk, $5 for members of Hallock Museum Farm. The fee benefits the Museum’s education fund. Please call the Museum for reservations, 631-298-5292.

Sunday, November 20, 2016 – Meet at 9:00am
William Floyd Estate
Trip Leader: MaryLaura Lamont
Come to Mastic for the last walk of the season at The William Floyd Estate. This 613 acre estate includes mowed fields, woods, creeks and salt marshes. With this variety of habitat we should find wintering hawks, ducks, sparrows, and perhaps bluebirds and eagles. Round trip walk is about 3 miles. Bring binoculars. The main entrance is 245 Park Drive in Mastic. Call the trip leader MaryLaura Lamont at the Estate at 631.399.2030 for details. This walk is sponsored by the National Park Service, led by ELIAS Board Member, MaryLaura Lamont. There is no charge for this walk.

All levels of naturalists — including beginners — are most welcome on Eastern Long Island Audubon field trips.
Most trips are free to attend, however, sometimes the place we are visiting has a fee.
We try to make a note of it in the notice

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Freshkills Park
Sunday, November 20, 2016, 11:00am
Nature Hike
Explore normally closed sections of Freshkills Park and learn about the history and ongoing progress of the landfill-to-park project. NYC Parks staff will guide visitors through the park and lead a discussion on the many topics surrounding Freshkills Park, including urban ecology, waste management, and park design.
The group will meet at Schmul Playground (at the corner Wild Avenue and Melvin Avenue) and shuttle into Freshkills Park from there.
Sign Up at EventBrite

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Saturday, November 19, 2016, 10:00AM to 1:00PM
Winter Waterfowl Workshop
Fee Information: FREE
Learn about the behavior, biology and where to find waterfowl in winter in NYC. Slide presentation followed by hike around East and West Ponds. Leader: Don Riepe. To reserve call 718-474-0896 or email donriepe@gmail.com. (2.5 miles) Bus Q53,Q52, A train to Broad Channel station.

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday November 19, 2016, 8:00am
Wertheim NWR
Leaders: John Gluth (631-827-0120) Vera Capogna (516-639-5430)
From the intersection of Montauk and William Floyd Highways in Shirley, proceed West on Montauk Highway 7/10 of a mile to traffic light (Smith Road) turn left, go over the railroad tracks and proceed to make a right into Wertheim Visitor Center. There are signs both on Montauk Highway and on Smith Road at the turnoff into Wertheim.

Sunday, November 20, 2016, 9:00am
Morton NWR
Leaders: Bob Grover (516-318-8536) Ken Thompson (631-612-8028)
Sunrise Highway east past Shinnecock Canal. Look for A North Sea Road Noyack sign and bear left on CR52. Stay on CR52 and then turn left at light onto CR38. After 1.4 miles on CR38, turn right onto Noyack Road after 5 miles turn left onto refuge.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Leader: Joe DiCostanzo
Registrar: Kathleen Howley — kathleenhowley@gmail.com or 212-877-3170
Registration opens: Monday, November 7
Ride: $15 or public transportation

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturdays, September 3-November 26, 8-9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Saturday, November 19, 2016, 9am – 3pm
Van Trip to the Winter Waterfowl Workshop at Jamaica Bay
Register for our van trip to the Winter Waterfowl Workshop (see description below) and get to Jamaica bay the easy way - by passenger van! Bring lunch and water. Limited to 12. $53 (37)
Click here to register

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North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, November 19, 2016
North Shore Duck Walk
Meet at Macy's in Manhasset
Leader: Jennifer 767-3454

Walks are for beginners and experienced birders alike. Weather permitting, walks start at 9:30 AM unless indicated.
If in doubt, please call the trip leader.
Please note: all phone numbers are area code 516 unless otherwise indicated. In most cases, the contacts are also leaders for the respective walks. We would like to encourage carpooling, where possible.
Please note there is a $10 per car fee at Sands Pt. Call leader for parking ideas.
Schedule note: *** indicates 8 am official start time
*indicates new parking location

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, November 19, 2016 @ 10:00am – 2:00pm
Forest Restoration Workshop
Cost: Free
Contact: Don Recklies 718-768-9036/ Chuck Perry 718-667-1393
Meet in the parking lot at the dead end of Staten Island Blvd. (south of Petrides School). We will ascend the trail toward the Butterworth Avenue entrance where we will uproot Japanese barberry and burning bush – and wisteria for the brave and hearty (our 242nd workshop). If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves, pruners & refreshments. After the work session we will take a short walk over nearby trails. For more information call Don Recklies at (718) 768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718) 667-1393. (Service credit is available.)

Sunday, November 20, 2016 @ 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Goodhue Woods
Cost: Free
Contact: Clay Wollney 718-869-6327
Seeking to complete the purchase of the Goodhue Woods, Protectors is working with the Children’s Aid Society to advocate for the preservation of this open space. Come explore the woodlands and fields of the Goodhue property and help save these woods. We will look for evidence of the area’s geologic history, observe its present ecosystems, and discuss its relation to adjacent areas in the same watershed. During the 1980s and 1990s, Clay Wollney worked at Goodhue as an environmental educator in the summer camp administered by the Children’s Aid Society and he is excited about revisiting his favorite natural area on the North Shore. Meet at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Prospect Avenue. For more information contact Clay Wollney at (718) 869-6327.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
About 230 different bird species have been recorded in Van Cortlandt Park and over 60 species breed here!
Free!

Birding at Bartow at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
8:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
With winter approaching, we’ll be on the lookout for woodland species, raptors, waterfowl, and a possible owl.
Free!

Ranger's Choice: Green-Wood Cemetery Bird Walk and History Tour at Green-Wood Cemetery
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Learn about the famous New Yorkers buried here as well as the diverse bird population that thrives in the rolling acres that surround the graves, tombs, and mausoleums.
Free!

Sunday, November 20, 2016
Birding: Owls at Orchard Beach Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots.
Free! ...Read more

Friday's Foto

Last weekend I joined a group of friends on a "wild goose chase" to try and track down a vagrant Pink-footed Goose on Long Island. We were successful in finding, what was for most of us, a life bird.

The Pink-footed Goose is a medium-sized goose, with a short bill that is bright pink in the middle with a black base and tip. They also sport their namesake pink feet. They nest in eastern Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard. After breeding season they all migrate across the North Atlantic wintering in Britain and northwestern Europe. Increasingly strays have been found in North America and eastern Canada. There are approximately a dozen records of this goose in New York State. Feeding primarily on grass and aquatic vegetation in summer, they often nest on cliffs close to glaciers to provide protection from predators.

IUCN Red List lists this species conservation status as “Least Concern”. The population appears to be increasing. You can see an interactive range map here.

Its scientific name, Anser brachyrhynchus, means goose with a short bill.

Treehugger Tuesday

From Mother Nature Network:

6 ways to help elephants
With the elephant poaching epidemic running rampant, experts fear the survival of the species.
Melissa Breyer
November 8, 2016, 12:22 p.m.

Most of the illegal ivory that is sold around the world comes from elephants that have been recently killed. It's not coming from old stashes of ivory, but from elephants that have been poached within the last few years, according to researchers.

Typically, authorities wouldn't know when the ivory was poached, but with new technology researchers used carbon dating to study hundreds of samples of ivory confiscated from around the world. The analysis found that most of the ivory came from elephants killed less than three years ago.

In just the past seven years, African elephant populations in savannahs have dropped 30 percent. Similarly, the number of elephants living in forests have dropped an incredible 62 percent from 2002 to 2013. These deaths, says Smithsonian, are "intimately linked with the illegal global trade in ivory."

This means that poaching may be a more widespread, uncontrolled problem than we think.

In 1989, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) passed a moratorium on the international commercial trade of African elephant ivory, except under a few rare circumstances. In the same year, the Bush administration passed the African Elephant Conservation Act (AECA), banning the importation of ivory from the African elephant. Since then, the commercial ivory market in the United States has virtually collapsed.

However, that’s not the case in Asia. As much as 70 percent of the illegal ivory currently being plundered is being routed to China. Revered for millennia as a rare, status-boosting luxury item, ivory has long been out of reach for most. But as China’s economic boom has created a vast middle class, many are now in the market, which has elevated the price of ivory to a staggering $1,000 per pound on the streets of Beijing. The tusks of a single adult elephant can be worth more than 10 times the average annual income for an African worker.

The lust for ivory and the situation in Africa have created what is likely to be the greatest percentage loss of elephants in history. Many fear that the survival of the species is at stake.

What can we do?

If you’re a mercenary, you can strap on your Rambo gear and go to Africa to fight warlords and poachers. If you’re in China and purchase ivory objects, you can decide to stop. But what about the rest of us? None of us can single-handedly stop the ivory trade, but we are not helpless — as much as it may feel like it. Here are six actions we can take to support these grand creatures.

1. Obviously, don’t buy ivory

Or sell it, or wear it. New ivory is strictly banned, but antique ivory can be legally available for purchase. (The regulations are complicated; this is a good overview.) Ivory has traditionally been used for jewelry, billiard balls, pool cues, dominos, fans, piano keys and carved trinkets. Shunning antique ivory is a clear message to dealers that the material is not welcomed, and it's an easy way to show your solidarity with the elephants.

2. Buy elephant-friendly coffee and wood

Coffee and timber crops are often grown in plantations that destroy elephant habitats. Make sure to buy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber and certified fair trade coffee.

3. Support conservation efforts

If only we could all be Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey, and move to the jungle or plains and thoroughly dedicate our lives to wildlife. Alas, for most of us that’s the stuff of daydreams. In the meantime, we can support the organizations that are actively committed to elephant preservation. There are many, but here are a few:

International Elephant Foundation
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
African Wildlife Foundation
Amboseli Elephant Research Project

4. Be aware of the plight of captive elephants

Historically, zoos and circuses have offered elephants a life of, basically, indentured servitude. Fortunately, the zoo industry is starting to wake up and is beginning to develop more elephant-friendly environments, yet they have a long way to go. Circuses, even further. Make a difference by boycotting circuses that use animals, and by boycotting zoos that offer insufficient space to allow elephants to live in social groups, and where the management style doesn’t allow them to be in control of their own lives. See ElephantVoices for more information.

5. Adopt an elephant

Who wouldn’t want to take home a cute elephant, protect it from the bad guys, and raise it as their own? OK, so that’s not quite realistic, but there are any number of organizations that offer elephant adoptions so that you get cute pictures of “your” elephant, and they get currency to fund their elephant conservation efforts. World Wildlife Foundation, World Animal Foundation, Born Free and Defenders of Wildlife all have adoption programs and are good places to start looking for that special pachyderm.

6. Get involved with Roots and Shoots

Founded in 1991 by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, Roots and Shoots is a youth program created to incite positive change. There are hundreds of thousands of kids in more than 120 countries in the Roots & Shoots network, all working to create a better world. It’s a great way to get youth involved in conservation and pursue careers to help elephants and other wildlife. ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, November 12, 2016 to Sunday, November 13, 2016:

Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Salt Marsh Trail at Marine Park
Leader: Dan Frazer
Focus: Marsh birds, ducks, late sparrows, raptors
Registrar: Kathy Toomey, email kathleentoomey@gmail.com
Registration Period: Nov 5th - Nov 10th
Site profile: http://www.saltmarshalliance.org/

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Sunday, November 13, 2016, 2:00PM to 3:30PM
Beachcombing Wrack Line Journal Hike
Fee Information: Free
Join a NPS ranger to investigate the wrack line, the line of debris left on the beach by high tide. During this exploration we will tally and illustrate findings, in an effort to understand species and populations that live near our shore. Dress appropriate and bring water and a snack. Wear appropriate footwear. You may get your feet wet hiking close to the shore.
Location: Great Kills Park Beach Center Lot G

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturdays, September 3-November 26, 8-9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Classes: Thursdays, October 20, October 27, and November 3, 6:30-8:30pm
Trips: Saturdays, October 29, 8-11am, and November 12, 9am-3pm
Beginning Birding
Instructor: Tod Winston
Learn the keys to identifying the spectacular variety of birds that migrate southwards through New York City every fall. Even if you've never picked up a pair of binoculars, you’ll soon be identifying warblers, thrushes, waterbirds, and more—both by sight and by ear. Two fun and educational in-class sessions and field trips to Central Park and Jamaica bay (transport to Jamaica bay included). Limited to 12. $179 (125)
Click here to register

Sunday, November 13, 2016, 9:30am – 11:30am
Fall Birding at Wave Hill, The Bronx
Guide: Gabriel Willow with Wave Hill
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting overlooking the Hudson River flyway provides the perfect habitat for resident and migrating birds. Advanced registration is recommended, either online at www.wavehill.org, at the Perkins Visitor Center, or by calling 718-549-3200 x251. (Walks run rain or shine; in case of severe weather call the number above for updates.) Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission (see www.wavehill.org for more information). Limited to 20. Meet at Perkins Visitor Center at 9:30am

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North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Nassau Fine Arts Museum
Leader: Peggy - 883-2130

Walks are for beginners and experienced birders alike. Weather permitting, walks start at 9:30 AM unless indicated.
If in doubt, please call the trip leader.
Please note: all phone numbers are area code 516 unless otherwise indicated. In most cases, the contacts are also leaders for the respective walks. We would like to encourage carpooling, where possible.
Please note there is a $10 per car fee at Sands Pt. Call leader for parking ideas.
Schedule note: *** indicates 8 am official start time
*indicates new parking location

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, November 12, 2016 @ 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Goodhue Woods
Cost: Free
Contact: Clay Wollney 718-869-6327
Seeking to complete the purchase of the Goodhue Woods, Protectors is working with the Children’s Aid Society to advocate for the preservation of this open space. Come explore the woodlands and fields of the Goodhue property and help save these woods. We will look for evidence of the area’s geologic history, observe its present ecosystems, and discuss its relation to adjacent areas in the same watershed. During the 1980s and 1990s, Clay Wollney worked at Goodhue as an environmental educator in the summer camp administered by the Children’s Aid Society and he is excited about revisiting his favorite natural area on the North Shore. Meet at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Prospect Avenue. For more information contact Clay Wollney at (718) 869-6327.

Sunday, November 13, 2016 @ 10:00am – 12:00pm
Deere Park
Cost: Free
Contact: Michael Shanley 917-753-7155
Tucked away below the northern slope of Todt Hill one of Staten Island’s finer woodlands awaits your visit. Deere Park is a healthy woodland of oaks and maples, some sweetgum and tulips. The park offers easy access, clear trails and a unique view north of Staten Island. Join with Michael Shanley as he explores this secluded expanse of greenspace. Search out migrant birds and dragonflies as you enjoy the natural colors of autumn. We will meet at the end of Staten Island Boulevard. For more information contact Michael Shanley at (917) 753-7155.

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Massapequa Preserve

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
About 230 different bird species have been recorded in Van Cortlandt Park and over 60 species breed here!
Free!

Birding at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome.
Free!

Sunday, November 13, 2016
Fall Birding at Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks.
Free!

Birding at 110th Street and Morningside Drive (in Morningside Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots.
Free! ...Read more

Friday's Foto

November around NYC is a time to look for vagrant species. One rare, but regular vagrant to the East Coast is the Ash-throated Flycatcher. This "myiarchus" flycatcher is common in the west breeding in desert scrub and riparian, oak, or coniferous woodland. Most winter on the Pacific slope from Mexico to Honduras. This fairly small flycatcher is superficially similar to the east coast's Great Crested Flycatcher, which is noticeably larger, with a darker chest, brighter yellow belly, pale brown base of lower mandible and rufous to tip of tail feathers. Their diet consists primarily of insects, including caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, true bugs, and flies, also some as large as cicadas. They will also eat fruits and berries.

The IUCN Red List lists their conservation status as "Least Concern".

They scientific name, Myiarchus cinerascens, means ashen fly ruler.

Treehugger Tuesday

From the National Audubon Society's website:

Should the Whooping Crane Shooter's Fine Have Been Higher?

The Texas man who killed two of the endangered birds will pay $25,810—one-fifth the cost of raising a single Whooping Crane to adulthood.

By Jonathan Carey
October 28, 2016

On Tuesday, a 19-year-old man received his sentence in the case of two dead Whooping Cranes, marking a victory for the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, Trey Joseph Frederick from Beaumont, Texas pled guilty to shooting and killing two of the endangered birds near the Louisiana border, a misdemeanor under the act.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn sentenced Frederick to five years probation, during which time he’s not allowed to hunt, fish, or own firearms. The judge also ordered Frederick to serve 200 hours of community service, the most in the court’s history, with either the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and pay a $25,810 fine that will be divvied up between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the International Crane Foundation (ICF).

“This ruling has set a powerful precedent for the future of Whooping Crane conservation,” ICF president Rich Beilfuss wrote in a press release. “This was not hunting. This was an act of criminal vandalism.”

With successful prosecutions under the Endangered Species Act a rarity, the sentence is being championed as a victory for conservationists. But when the staggering cost of raising Whooping Cranes in captivity is considered, it might not be quite the victory that it appears.

Whooping Cranes are expensive. The price tag to raise and release just one bird from an egg can exceed $110,000. That money pays for food, housing, caretaking staff, and breeding—and for some birds, there’s also the cost of flight school. Before young birds are released to the wild to join a migratory flock, they go to Wisconsin, where they are trained to follow ultralight aircraft to prepare for fall migration—a process that isn’t cheap. (The two cranes killed by Frederick did not attend flight school; they were part of a non-migratory flock of 46 young cranes.)

Based on the costs of raising a single Whooping Crane to adulthood, the ICF proposed a fine of $113,886 per bird to the judge, a proposal that gained the support of the U.S. Probation Office. In comparison, the judge’s fine of $12,905 per bird is paltry. “The fine that he got was significant, but of course we would have liked to see something higher,” says Lizzie Condon, ICF’s outreach specialist. In the only other Endangered Species Act case in which a Whooping Crane was shot, a South Dakota man was forced to pay $85,000 in 2013.

More than the money, Condon is concerned about losing additional whoopers to gunfire. “In the most recent decade, there has been an alarming increase in the number of Whooping Crane shootings,” she says. Between 1967 (which was the year the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act) and 1999, there were only 5 documented shooting cases, Condon says. But in the past 5 years, more than 20 birds have been shot.

To better understand why shootings are on the rise, Condon surveyed Alabama residents to gauge the level of knowledge about the endangered birds. She found that people were completely unfamiliar with the bird and its status. “People in Alabama don’t know what Whooping Cranes are because they only started encountering them in 2004,” she says. “They didn’t know what they were, and we weren’t telling them. We’re working hard to try and change that.”

The problem, Condon says, is that in the past decade efforts to save the species from extinction became the primary concern, and raising awareness and public knowledge about Whooping Cranes fell behind. She wants the Whooping Crane to be viewed with the same respect and appreciation as the Bald Eagle, a bird with which no gunowner could claim unfamiliarity. To that end, the ICF reaches out to schools and hunting groups, displays billboards featuring the birds, and have released public service announcements on the radio.

As community outreach efforts continue, Condon says the ICF's main goal is to get the shootings down to a "sustainable level." That is to say, a level that current populations can handle. Shootings account for 19 percent of known mortality in eastern migratory Whooping Crane populations, and 24 percent of mortality in Louisiana non-migratory populations. Condon hopes to reach a day where shootings only account for 5 percent of known mortality, though even that number is still too much for her. “I don’t like saying that because, for me, shooting a Whooping Crane is never going to be acceptable," she says. ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, November 5, 2016 to Sunday, November 6, 2016:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, November 6, 2016, 8am – 9am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Feathered Friends
Join the Prospect Park Alliance and observe some of the Park’s feathered friends including chickadees, early winter residents such as Northern Shovelers and species of ducks that spend the winter in the Lake. Tour leaves promptly at 8 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday November 5, 2016
An Autumn Rarity Quest
Leaders Bobbi Manian and Dennis Hrehowsik
Focus: Pursuit of good or rare birds to locations based on the week’s birding alert reports
Registrar: Dennis Hrehowsik email deepseagangster@gmail.com
Registration Period: Oct 29th - Nov 3rd

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Saturday, November 5, 2016, 8:30PM to 10:00PM
Stargazing
Fee Information: Free
Join the Staten Island Chapter of the Amateur Astronomer's Association for public stargazing at Great Kill's main parking lot, Lot A. Binoculars and telescopes are provided, you may also bring your own. Inclement weather will cancel this event.

Sunday, November 6, 2016, 3:00PM to 4:30PM
Fall Hike and Fort Tour
Fee Information: Free
Join a NPS ranger to hike the overlook loop at Fort Wadsworth. Bring binoculars and comfortable shoes. Reservations are required, please call 718-354-4655.

Sunday, November 6, 2016, 1:30PM to 3:00PM
Owl Prowl
Fee Information: Free
Kid ages are invited to join a park ranger to earn their very own Junior Ranger badge, and to get started on the way toward earning their Junior Ranger patch! Junior Rangers will go on an owl adventure to learn about these beautiful birds and their diet by investigating owl pellets. Be prepared to take a hike along the west pond trail to search for owl habitat. Bus: Q52, Q53; A Train to Broad Channel.

Multiple Days: 11/06/2016, 10/02/2016 10:00AM to 12:00PM
Walking Tour of Fort Tilden
Fee Information: Free
Join a Park Ranger for a walking tour of historic Fort Tilden, and its role in the 20th century coastal and air defense.

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Hudson River Audubon
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Jones Beach – Late Fall Migrants
Meet at 8AM at the Coast Guard Station in West End IIThis is a good time for a rarity or a western stray to show up such as winter finches, Western Kingbird or Lapland Longspur. A variety of birds should be seen from seabirds, ducks, hawks, shorebirds and late land migrants. If time allows we will head over to Point Lookout in search of Purple Sandpipers and Harlequin Ducks. Bring lunch and expect to return midafternoon.
Directions: http://hras.org/wtobird/jonesbeach.html

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Prospect Park in November
Leader: Peter Dorosh — information only prosbird@aol.com
No registration
Public transportation: F Train to 15th Street Station, Prospect Park. Meet at the Bartel Pritchard entrance at 8am

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturdays, September 3-November 26, 8-9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center. The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

Saturday, November 5, 2016, 9am-3pm
Ducks, Raptors, and More at Pelham Bay Park, The Bronx
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Come explore the lovely coves and rocky outcroppings of Pelham Bay Park, looking for wintering ducks, migrating raptors, and more. Pelham Bay Park's combination of open water, salt marsh, rocky shore, both young and old growth forest, rare coastal tall grass meadows, and patches of dry and wet oak savanna are not just unique within the City, but also on this continent! Bring lunch and water. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $102 (71)
Click here to register

Sunday, November 6, 2016, 8-11am
Morning Fall Migration Walk in Prospect Park
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet under the arch in Grand Army Plaza. Join Gabriel Willow for a leisurely walk to get to know the fall migrants of 'Brooklyn's Backyard', beautiful Prospect Park. Prospect Park has a wide variety of habitats that attracts a number of both breeding and passage migrant bird species, with even more recorded than in Central Park. We will explore the park's meadows, forests, and waterways in search of migratory warblers, vireos, thrushes, tanagers, waterfowl, and more. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Sunday, November 6, 2016, 9:30am-7pm
Snow Geese and Tundra Swans of Brigantine, NJ
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
Brigantine, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, is one of the East Coast's premier sites for waterbirds, offering a diversity of species and panoramic views. Bring lunch and water. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $125 (87)
Click here to register

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North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Kissena Park
Leader: Rich - 509-1094

Walks are for beginners and experienced birders alike. Weather permitting, walks start at 9:30 AM unless indicated.
If in doubt, please call the trip leader.
Please note: all phone numbers are area code 516 unless otherwise indicated. In most cases, the contacts are also leaders for the respective walks. We would like to encourage carpooling, where possible.
Please note there is a $10 per car fee at Sands Pt. Call leader for parking ideas.
Schedule note: *** indicates 8 am official start time
*indicates new parking location

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, November 5, 2016 @ 9:15am – 3:15pm
10-Mile Fall Greenbelt Walk
Cost: Free
Protectors of Pine Oak Woods invites everyone to join us a Staten Island adventure. Everyone is encouraged to enjoy the crisp air and bright sun of autumn. Colors should be at peak though some contrasting green leaves remain. Wear comfortable boots and long pants. We walk ten, moderate miles in all weather. Participants will gather at the Greenbelt Nature Center and enjoy a measured hike throughout the surrounding areas of the Greenbelt. Bring lunch and adequate beverage. For more information call Dominick Durso at (917) 478-7607, or Don Recklies at (718) 768-9036.

Saturday, November 5, 2016 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
High Rock Park and Pouch Camp
Cost: Free
Join Ray Matarazzo for a fall foliage hike to Stump’s Pond. Investigate this unique corner of the Greenbelt with one of Staten Island’s finest environmental educators. The walk will focus on the identification of trees, some of the most colorful species, Hickory, Maple, Sweetgum and Tupelo. Participants will meet in the parking lot at 200 Nevada Avenue. For more information contact Ray Matarazzo at (718) 317-7666.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Kissena Park w/ SMR Aud.
Leader: Eric Miller - 917-279-7530
Meet by 7:45
**If a rarity shows up, we will chase it**

Trip Etiquette Notify the leader well in advance so they can coordinate car pooling and notify you of last minute meeting time or location changes. Be on time. We depart promptly.

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Mill Pond Park

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
About 230 different bird species have been recorded in Van Cortlandt Park and over 60 species breed here!
Free! ...Read more

Friday's Foto

If, like me, you are a fan of nature documentaries, no doubt you have seen lots of footage of Cattle Egrets following around zebras, wildebeest and other ungulates in Africa. An Old World species, this bird reveals an incredible story of how one species successfully expanded into the New World and beyond making it the greatest natural expansions of any bird species! Believed to have originated in central Africa, it began to expand its range through that continent eventually appearing in northeastern South America in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1953 it spread north with the first breeding pair established in Florida that year. By 1962 they had made their way into Canada. Cattle Egret can now be found throughout North America.

Unlike the similar looking Snowy Egret or Great Egret who feed primarily in littoral zones, the Cattle Egret forages in open country associating with large grazing mammals that flush insects as they move. In Africa they feed along with elephants, rhinos, and Cape Buffalos. In the Americas they associate with cattle and horses. Though rare around NYC, the best place to look for one around Brooklyn is Floyd Bennett Field.

The IUCN Red List lists their conservation status as “Least Concern”

Its scientific name, Bubulcus ibis, means cowherd ibis.