Treehugger Tuesday

From the website Earther:

Most King Penguins Could Vanish By the End of the Century
Jake Buehler
24 minutes ago


King penguins on Possession Island, Crozet Archipelago. Photo: Céline Le Bohec, CNRS/IPEV/CSM

As global temperatures rise, the lives of countless plants and animals are changing in response. That includes king penguins, which a new study predicts will see profound, climate-driven changes in their numbers and the location of their breeding grounds over the next century.

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) live and breed on a collection of small, rocky islands that ring Antarctica, in a swath of frigid maritime territory known as the “subantarctic.” The birds feast on small fish and squid in nearby waters, which exist in rich quantities because of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF), a convergence of warmer water from the subantarctic meeting the colder waters surrounding Antarctica. This zone experiences nutrient-heavy upwelling, supporting great swarms of plankton and krill, which drive the subantarctic food web.

As the world gets warmer, the APF is expected to drift further and further south. But king penguins can’t just gradually follow the poleward migration of their hunting grounds, because their breeding grounds are static, on ice-free parts of islands. They have to use other islands as stepping stones. Research published today in the journal Nature Climate Change makes predictions about how this challenge will unfold over the 21st century, suggesting that most of the species will be stuck between a rock island and a hard place: either they abruptly move to other islands, or die out.

The researchers used information about king penguin ecology and historical population trends, as well as climatic forecasts, to model where king penguins could be expected to persist by the year 2100. Then, they used DNA to reconstruct the prehistorical population trends of the species. When they compared the thousands of years of population shrinkage, rebounding, and migration with their model, the researchers determined that king penguins suffered extreme consequences from past climate change acting on the extent of sea ice, and the location of the APF.

Their predictions are startling. Under warming produced by “business-as-usual” greenhouse gas emission levels, many northern islands may be totally abandoned due to the waning foraging grounds. Since king penguins take a long time to reproduce, and their current genetic diversity is very low, they aren’t expected to adapt fast enough to deal with the shifting food source. This means that about 70 percent of the species’ 1.6 million breeding pairs would be threatened with survival by 2100.

Forty nine percent of all penguins would outright lose their habitats. Another 21 percent, mostly breeding on islands off of the tip of South America, would experience dramatic alterations in their habitat quality as foraging grounds become nearly too far away to access.

While this is a grim vision of the future, it’s not known how much of this loss could be recouped by penguin resettlement and population regrowth. Today, Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic is too ice-bound to support a king penguin colony, but with elevated temperatures, it could become ripe for colonization. Other places like South Georgia could see swelling populations as foraging conditions improve there.

It’s also possible that the model is too conservative, because it can’t take into account every potential repercussion of climate change. For example, ocean acidification, or changes in global ocean circulation processes, could mess with plankton numbers, throwing feeding grounds into chaos. Also, even if the penguins successfully colonize other islands, we don’t know how new competition with other native penguins would influence the long-term survival of those birds.

Either way, this approach to understanding how cold-adapted species in fragmented habitats cope with climate change may be useful for predicting responses in other species with disjointed distributions. It certainly reminds us that the impacts of climate change will ripple far beyond humans.

Jake Buehler is a Seattle area science writer with an adoration for the Tree of Life’s weird, wild, and unsung—follow him on Twitter or at his blog. ...Read more

Upcoming Birding & Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, March 3, 2018 to Sunday, March 4, 2018:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, March 3, 12pm – 1pm
Introduction to Birdwatching
Join Prospect Park Alliance for a birdwatching walk and learn about Prospect magnificent array of birds and how to identify them!

Sunday, March 4, 2018, 8am – 9am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Gulls Galore
Think all gulls are the same? Join Prospect Park Alliance and take another look by exploring the Park’s nature trails and discover all the different species of gulls in the Park. This tour is led by the Brooklyn Bird Club and leaves promptly at 8am.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Gravesend Bay gulls and other birds
Leader: Dan Frazer
Focus: Gulls, ducks, coastal passerines
Car Fee: $10.00
Registrar: Kathy Toomey email kathleentoomey@gmail.com
Registration Period: Feb 24th – March 1st
Please review our general trip information and guidelines on this page.

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Elizabeth Morton NWR
Leader: Byron Young
Meet at 8am
This is always a special walk. Just at the edge of winter, you will be greeted by lots of hungry birds, that eat right out of your hand. Frequently there are pockets of over-wintering birds. Great photo ops as you are close to the birds. Meet at the Refuge parking lot at 8 am. It is roughly a 2 mile walk to the beach and around the refuge. Dress warmly and appropriately. Bring binoculars! Bird seed will be provided.

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, March 3, 2018 - 8:30am
Bob Laskowski Memorial Duck Walk
Leader(s): Bob Grover (516-318-8536)
Meet at Brookwood Hall, Islip Town Park in East Islip on Irish Lane between Montauk Hwy and Union Blvd.
(Nature walks will be cancelled if it is raining or snowing.)

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, March 4, 2018 - 9:00am
Massapequa Preserve and South Shore Ponds Bird and Waterfowl Walk
Located in the heart of Massapequa, the preserve is one of the most beautiful parks in the area. We may see an assortment of song birds, waterfowl, and raptors.
Registration: 585-880-0915
Directions: Follow Sunrise Highway to the Massapequa LIRR station, then follow the north side of the station to the parking lot across from the police station and park in the far eastern end.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Central Park Winter Bird Walk 2
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Registrar: Kathleen Mathews — redkatamat@gmail.com or (650)-823-1239
Registration opens: Monday, February 19
Public transportation

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 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
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, March 3, 2018, 9am – 5pm
Winter Birds of the Barrier Islands, LI
Guide: Tod Winston
Several bird species that nest in the far north spend the winter at Jones Beach, in a habitat similar to their summer homes. We’ll visit Point Lookout and Jones Beach in search of harlequin ducks, common eider, scoters, horned larks, and snow buntings. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $93 ($65)
Click here to register

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 10am – 12pm
Winter Walk at Inwood Hill Park
Guide: Nadir Souirgi
Inwood Hill Park, simply put, is a jewel. Nestled between the Hudson River, Dyckman Street, and Seaman Avenue, this last tract of largely undeveloped oak and tulip forest transports you to another world and another time. Glacial "pot holes," towering trees, and stunning river views create an unrivaled birding backdrop. Search for wintering species, including ducks in the tidal marsh. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Sunday, March 4, 2018, 8:00am – 10:30am
Intro to Birding: Bird Walk in Central Park
Guide: Tod Winston
Are you curious about "birding" but don’t have much (or any) experience? Come on a relaxed walk to some of Central Park’s hotspots to go over birding basics and see sparrows, finches, warblers, ducks, and more. Binoculars available. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
March 4, 2018, 11:00am – 3:00pm
Greenbelt Loop and Lunch
Cost: Free
Contact: Hillel Lofaso 718-477-0545
We’ll walk 4.3 moderate miles starting and ending at the Greenbelt Nature Center, with lunch at High Rock. This walk includes a gradual climb up Moses’ Mountain. Bring ample water and lunch. Wear warm clothes and sturdy shoes. To register for the walk please e-mail Hillel Lofaso at hillel5757@gmail.com or call 718-477-0545.

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Hempstead Lake State Park
From the Southern State Parkway, take Exit 18 (Eagle Avenue) south to Field 3 (use second park entrance and make an immediate left turn.)
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.
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. ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From Popular Science:

We suck at recycling straws—so maybe we should ban them
Reduce, reuse.
By Amal Ahmed February 8, 2018

Walk into any casual restaurant and before you’ve finished looking at the menu, your waiter will probably give you a glass of cold water. There might be a lemon in it. There might be ice. There’s probably a plastic straw sticking out of the cup. Perhaps this morning you slurped up your daily dose of caffeine through an iconic green straw, and then tossed it into a trash can along with your plastic coffee cup without a second thought. The point is, Americans use a lot of straws, and we rarely stop to think about the environmental impact of the hollow, single-use tubes that we discard daily.

A state representative in California is hoping to change that. Assemblyman Ian Calderon introduced a bill in January that would ban single-use plastic straws in sit-down restaurants. (The bill’s first draft didn’t apply to most take-out or fast-food establishments.) The bill stirred up a lot of controversy around the harsh fines and possible jail time it proposed for violators, but Calderon’s office has since offered amendments that wouldn’t actually make criminals out of waiters who give customers straws.

But why go through the lengthy process of banning straws in the first place, instead of encouraging recycling?

It turns out that in the United States, we don’t actually have systems in place to effectively recycle most straws. They quite literally fall through the cracks.

“You can have straws made out of polypropylene, which is entirely recyclable,” says Kartik Chandran, a professor at Columbia University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering. “But the machines we have aren’t really capable of capturing something in the size range of straws.”

That’s how they end up in the ocean, and most viscerally, lodged into the noses of sea turtles.

While of course animals deserve not to be impaled by our plastic debris, resource specialist Darby Hoover at the Natural Resources Defense Council points out that plastics are made from fossil fuels to begin with—which threatens the planet, sea turtles included. “This is part of a bigger issue,” says Hoover. “There are all kinds of plastic products we use everyday made from fossil fuel derived materials, and we should be prioritizing [using] stuff that’s designed not to be used once and thrown away.”

So why don’t we just make our recycling machines better at grabbing straws? Americans have a pretty dismal track record for recycling in the first place, and most of the plastic recycling that’s collected is shipped overseas to be sorted and manufactured into other products, so there’s little incentive to do the dirty work at home. But even with better sorting techniques or higher recycling rates, Hoover says that most recycled plastics end up in products like lumber that we don’t use every day. “That means you have to keep going back and getting more virgin fossil fuel material for new cups, new straws, and new bottles,” she explains. Reducing and reusing, it turns out, are actually the most important of the three R’s you learned in elementary school.

That’s why, in theory, the plastic straw ban could be effective. It could reduce the overall plastic straw waste produced in California. The ban also reminds customers that they have a choice in consuming things so mundane we don’t even think about them. And it puts pressure on manufacturers to design more environmentally-friendly options.

The straw ban is more than just a theoretical proposal. California banned single-use plastic grocery bags in 2016, and Ocean Conservancy estimates that bags now make up around three percent of the trash in California’s beaches, down from 7.4 percent in 2010.

While the image of littered beaches and injured animals can spur action on environmental problems, there’s another huge problem that we can’t see as clearly: microplastics. These sesame-seed sized particles shed from all the myriad plastic products we use every day, from our clothes to our cosmetics and, yes, our straws. “They’re everywhere—not just in the water, not just in the soil, but in the gas phase as well, in the air,” Chandran says. And not much is known about the potential health and environmental impacts of miniscule plastic debris floating around everywhere.

In terms of reducing plastic waste, Chandran says it’s pretty clear that reducing use is a more effective solution than recycling. “There’s no reason for us to be adding plastics products into the environment, from a very black and white perspective,” he says.

So if you have to use a straw and you want to reduce your environmental impact, consider carrying a reusable, stainless steel one next time you pack a lunch or eat out. It works just as well as a the plastic version, and you’ll know for certain that no sea turtles are getting stabbed in the face because of your soda. ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, February 24, 2018 to Sunday, February 25, 2018:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, February 24 , 12pm – 1pm
Introduction to Birdwatching
Join Prospect Park Alliance for a birdwatching walk and learn about Prospect magnificent array of birds and how to identify them!

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Western trails of Rockaway, Queens
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: Raptors, winter seabirds, open dune and brush species, ducks, gulls
Car fee: $12.00
Registrar: Peter Dorosh Prosbird@aol.com or text only cell 347-622-3559
Registration Period: Feb 17th – Feb 22nd
Note: some extensive walking required
Please review our general trip information and guidelines on this page.

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Saturday, February 24, 2018, 10:00am to 1:00pm
Bird Walk Late Winter Thaw
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge for a slide program and hike around the reserve with naturalist Don Riepe.
View Details

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Birding in Peace
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting birds to discover in Green-Wood. For some bird species that migrate south after the breeding season, Brooklyn is their Miami during the cold months. Spend the early morning exploring the cemetery, looking for overwintering waterfowl, nuthatches, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches and any half-hardy birds that decided to stick around. By February we’ll see some of the early north-bound birds beginning to trickle back into the area.

$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members

Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, February 24, to Sunday, February 25
Montauk Weekend
Leader: Joe DiCostanzo Registrar: Dale Dancis — ddancis@gmail.com or 212-724-3269
Registration opens: Monday, January 29
Ride: $80 – lodging not included

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 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
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Barnegat
Leader: Ian Resnick
Where: Barnegat Light, NJ (map)
Description: Harlequins!
more details»

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Mill Pond Park
Use street parking on the westbound side of Merrick Road. The park is four blocks west of the Wantagh State Parkway.
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.
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.

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Urban Park Rangers
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Natural Areas Conservancy Walk and Talk at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Tour leader and ecologist Helen Forgione will show you how to identify trees in winter and interpret signs of wildlife, with a special eye toward owls and tracks.
Free! ...Read more

Friday's Foto

In 2010 this tiny North American wren was split taxonomically between the eastern and western species. Previously known entirely as the Winter Wren, its western cousin is now called the Pacific Wren. David Sibley has a nice comparison of the differences here. It is also closely related to the Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes).

Despite its common name one is more likely to encounter this species around Brooklyn and NYC during the spring and fall migration and not during the winter. The Winter Wren breeds in coniferous forests from British Columbia east to Newfoundland, and south to New England and the Great Lakes region. They overwinter across the eastern half of the United States, south to the Gulf Coast.

This diminutive, chocolate-brown bird with its stubby, cocked tail can be found hopping along fallen trees and roots in dense tangles foraging for food. It can sometimes even be mistaken for a mouse. Their diet is predominantly insects eating ants, beetles, caterpillars, flies, millipedes, mites and spiders. During the fall and winter they also eat berries. Weighing, one average, only 9 grams is one of North America’s smallest birds. Nevertheless, their song is surprisingly explosive. According to Birdwatcher’s Digest “On a per-pound basis, the winter wren generates more song for its weight than any other North American songbird.”

The Winter Wren's conservation status according to the IUCN Red List is Least Concern.

It’s scientific name, Troglodytes hiemalis, means cave dweller, of winter.

Treehugger Tuesday

From Treehugger.com:

Dunkin’ Donuts to have all paper coffee cups by 2020
Melissa Breyer
February 7, 2018

Eliminating polystyrene foam cups starting this year, the company will eventually be saving 1 billion plastic coffee cups from the waste stream annually.

In a perfect world, we would all have reusable coffee cups that we carried around with us wherever we went. But until that ginormous sea change happens, the next best thing would be to see major coffee chains using sustainable materials in their single-use coffee cups. Starbucks has taken a lot of heat, so to speak, for adding 4 billion non-recyclable cups annually to the landfill – which may stand out even more now that Dunkin’ Donuts has announced a transition away from polystyrene foam cups.

From a press release for the new cups, the chain says:

As part of its commitment to serve both people and the planet responsibly, Dunkin’ Donuts, a leading retailer of hot, brewed coffee, today announced plans to eliminate all polystyrene foam cups in its global supply chain beginning in spring 2018, with a targeted completion date of 2020. In U.S. restaurants, Dunkin’ Donuts will replace the foam cup with a new, double-walled paper cup. The majority of Dunkin’ Donuts’ international markets are currently using paper cups, and the brand will work with its franchisees to eliminate foam cups from the remaining international markets by the 2020 goal.

It has been a long time coming, and goes to show that big changes can’t just happen over night – in fact, it took seven years in this case. In 2011, the chain announced that its number one sustainability goal was to find an environmentally friendly coffee cup. Since then they have been working on creating a replacement that “met criteria for performance, environmental impact and cost.”

Dunkin’ Donuts’ transition to paper cups will remove nearly 1 billion foam cups from the waste stream annually, notes the release.

The new cup is made with paperboard certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard. It is a positive development and aligns with the company’s other commitments, like eliminating artificial dyes from items on the menu, building more energy-efficient restaurants, and partnering with the Rainforest Alliance to source certified coffee. In 2014, they announced their commitment to source 100 percent responsible, deforestation-free palm oil.

While the company has quietly been working on other initiatives as well – including an increase in the use of recycled materials in manufacturing their packaging, as well as transitioning away from non-recyclable packaging – the new cups seem worthy of a shout-out. One billion plastic cups a year is a big deal and a great place to start. It appears that the lid will not be changing; even though the cold drink lids were changed from PET to the recyclable polypropylene earlier. Thankfully, unless you're driving on a bumpy road, you can usually do without a lid anyway. (Update: We wrote to the company and asked about the lids. They replied: "The lids are made of high impact polystyrene and are not recyclable, but we are working on a recyclable #5 lid for this cup." They also told us that the new cups' recyclability will vary by city, state and municipality.)

The cups will be introduced at all Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in New York City and California in spring 2018, and will be phased in across the U.S. as supplier manufacturing capabilities ramp up. Let’s hope other coffee chains are not far behind. In the meantime, we still advocate for refillable cups; but we'll be happier to take paper over plastic in a pinch.

Update: We reached out to the company about the recyclability of the hot cups and lids. They tell us that the cup is made of paper and that "The recyclability of the paper cup will vary significantly by city, state and municipality and is based on the recycling services that are offered." ...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, February 17, 2018 to Sunday, February 18, 2018:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, February 17 , 12pm – 1pm
Introduction to Birdwatching
Join Prospect Park Alliance for a birdwatching walk and learn about Prospect magnificent array of birds and how to identify them!

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Bedford Audubon Society
Friday, February 16, 2018 - Monday, February 19, 2018
Cape Ann and Newburyport in Winter
Leader: Tait Johansson
The coast or northeast Massachusetts is the winter home to a spectacular array of seabirds. Our masterful Naturalist will guide this special trip around the region in search of such stunners as Harlequin Duck, King Eider, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Red-necked Grebe, Rough-legged Hawk, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, Purple Sandpiper, Black Guillemot, Black-legged Kittiwake, Razorbill, and Snowy Owl. It’s also possible to see Dovekie, Thick-billed Murre, and Eastern and Short-eared Owls. Add these to your year(or life) list this month!
Cost: $100/members, or $130/non-members and we’ll credit $30 to an annual membership; travel, lodging, and meals not included.
Note: The fees for this trip help support environmental education so we can continue to deliver high-quality programs for free.
Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.
See more details

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Feminist Bird Club
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Great Backyard Bird Count - Inwood Hill Park

An inclusive bird watching club dedicated to providing a safe opportunity to connect with the natural world in urban environments and having an ongoing conversation about intersectionality, activism, and the rights of all women, non-binary folks, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, February 11, 2018 rescheduled due to rain
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Birding in Peace
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting birds to discover in Green-Wood. For some bird species that migrate south after the breeding season, Brooklyn is their Miami during the cold months. Spend the early morning exploring the cemetery, looking for overwintering waterfowl, nuthatches, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches and any half-hardy birds that decided to stick around. By February we’ll see some of the early north-bound birds beginning to trickle back into the area.

$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members

Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 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
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, February 17, 2018, 9am – 6pm
Winter Birding on the South Shore of Long Island
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Winter in New York brings the excitement of possibility: Will snowy owls appear in the dunes? Will harlequin ducks move westward from Cape Cod and Montauk and appear in closer waters? Will irruptive northern finches and bohemian waxwings move south from Canada? All of these species and more are possible on Long Island in the winter, along with more expected species such as loons, grebes, scaup, eider, northern harriers, and purple sandpiper. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $95 (67)
Click here to register

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Massapequa Lake

Massapequa Lake is at the southern end of Massapequa Preserve. Use street parking on the westbound side of Merrick Road, west of Lake Shore Blvd.
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.
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.

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Urban Park Rangers
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Animal of the Month Club: Bald Eagles at Satterlee Street and Hylan Boulevard (in Conference House Park), Staten Island
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free!

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Young Birders Club
Sunday February 18, 2018
Montauk / Eastern Long Island (Suffolk County)
Sponsoring NYSYBC Partner: Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Trip Leader: Bob Adamo
Our good friend Bob Adamo will be leading this field trip on Presidents' Day weekend.
Montauk Point and nearby areas are famous for fantastic winter birding. Target birds include loons, grebes, scoters, Northern Gannet, Harlequin Duck, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Razorbill, and more!
Watch your email Inbox and check back here for details coming soon!
Trip Registration Form due by 2/10/17 ...Read more

Urban Marine Mammals

For various reasons, not the least of which is cleaner coastal waters in the Big Apple, marine mammals are being seen more regularly. As I've reported here and on my Twitter account, Harbor Seal sightings around coastal Brooklyn during the winter months is fairly common. What IS unusual is one hauling out at Brooklyn Bridge Park to take a siesta. I thought I might take a moment to remind New Yorkers how to behave around these incredible animals.

First, let's take a look at where exactly this adorable blubbo stopped to rest:

The waterways are treacherously busy along the East River, not to mention the gauntlet of ships he or she had to run in Upper and Lower New York Harbor just to get to this location. Then there are the humans he or she has to deal with at this very busy city park. Which brings me to the primary reason for writing this non-bird posting. There were several employees of the parks department who, at first, tried to scare the Harbor Seal away by yelling and waving their arms. When that didn't work they took out their cameras and walked within 5' of the seal to take some photos. They should have known better for a couple of reasons...

All marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA guides state that when observing wild dolphins, porpoises, and seals you must do it from "safe distances of at least 50 yards (150 feet) by land or sea." As more of these at risk animals come in closer contact with urban environments it is critical that we do our best not to disrupt their normal behavior. Here is a detailed page of information on the Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) from the Seal Conservation Society. If you are lucky enough to see a Harbor Seal or any marine mammals around New York City, the best way to observe them is through binoculars. If you decide to try and get close remember they are wild animals and you could also get slapped with a very substantial fine.

Friday's Foto

One of my favorite waterfowl, the Redhead is a medium-sized diving duck with a vibrant red-copper colored head and bright blue bill with a black tip. Similar to the Canvasback, they are smaller with a rounder head, smaller bill and a grayer back.

Feeding mainly on aquatic plants, their diet also includes mollusks, aquatic insects, and small fish.

Female Redheads are “brood parasites” and will lay their eggs in other species' nests. They use the nest of at least 10 species of waterfowl including American Wigeon, Canvasback, Gadwall, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler and Ruddy Duck. There are also records of them laying their eggs in the nests of American Bittern and Northern Harrier!

Redheads breed in the northern prairies of the United States and Canada from Alaska south to Colorado and the intermountain marshes of the west and southwest. They overwinter across the southern United States from California to Florida and south into Mexico. Eastern populations will winter in South Carolina, although they are declining in the east. Estimates speculate that 80% of North America’s redhead population overwinter in the Laguna Madre lagoon of Texas and Mexico.

This species conservation status according to the IUCN Red List is “Least Concern”, due to their extremely large range and increasing population trends.

The etymology of it’s scientific name, Aythya americana, is Gr. aithuia unidentified seabird mentioned by Aristotle, Hesychius, and other authors, and America.

Treehugger Tuesday

From Arstechnica:

Tesla and South Australia at it again, this time building a virtual power plant
Thousands of panels across South Australia will work together
Megan Geuss - 2/5/2018, 6:40 PM

Just a few months after Tesla completed the world's biggest lithium-ion battery installation outside of the Hornsdale wind farm in South Australia, the Australian state and the electric vehicle-slash-energy company look like they're ready to partner again.

This time, South Australia wants to build a 250MW virtual power plant. The plant will consist of thousands of solar panels and batteries running software that decides when the batteries charge and discharge to maximize efficiency and value to the grid.

The build out will start with 1,100 public housing properties. Residents sign up if they're interested in the program, and a Tesla contractor comes out to the home and tries to outfit a solar and battery storage solution to the house in question.

Read the entire article here.

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, February 10, 2018 to Sunday, February 11, 2018:

Bedford Audubon Society
Saturday, February 10, 2018 @ 9:00am - 4:00pm
Eaglefest
Join us at the New Croton Dam for a day of viewing our Nation’s symbol, the Bald Eagle. We’ll also be monitoring the local waterfowl and other birds, too! No registration necessary. Snow date Sunday, February 11.
See more details

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, February 10, 2018 @ 9:00am
A “Presidential” Prospect Park Walk: Meet New BBC President Dennis Hrehowsik
Meet 9 am at the Prospect Park Pergola entrance (Parkside and Ocean Ave.) No registration required.
Leader: Dennis Hrehowsik Note: Nearest Train is the “Q” line to local stop Parkside Ave.
Please review our general […]

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, February 10, 2018, meet at 8am
Montauk Point
Leader: Eileen Schwinn
Meet at The Point/Lighthouse parking lot (Voted Warmest Rest Rooms in Winter, Suffolk County!) Dress appropriately!! Expect the worst and hope for the BEST!!! Seabirds galore, we will visit the Point, Camp Hero, Montauk Lake, Ditch Plains, The Ranch, TR Campground and any place birds may be reported!

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Saturday, February 10, 2018, 10:00am to 11:30am
Birding by Ear I
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Join us for an introduction to the calls of backyard birds.
View Details

Sunday, February 11, 2018, 10:00am to 11:30am
Birding by Ear II
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Welcome to the second installment in our auditory birding series.
View Details

Sunday, February 11, 2018, 10:00am to 12:00pm
Experience the Winter Beach at Fort Tilden
Location: Building 1 at Fort Tilden
Explore the littoral zone at low tide and walk along the edge of the sea.
View Details

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, February 11, 2018 rescheduled due to rain
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Birding in Peace
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean that there aren’t interesting birds to discover in Green-Wood. For some bird species that migrate south after the breeding season, Brooklyn is their Miami during the cold months. Spend the early morning exploring the cemetery, looking for overwintering waterfowl, nuthatches, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches and any half-hardy birds that decided to stick around. By February we’ll see some of the early north-bound birds beginning to trickle back into the area.

$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members

Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, February 10, 2018 - 9:00am
14th Annual Eaglefest (Croton-on-Hudson)
Join us in Croton Point Park in Westchester for a celebration of Hudson River’s eagles, hosted by the Teatown Nature Preserve. You can see both wild eagles by the river and captive eagles up close! There will also be music, food, heated tents, and activities for kids. Advance tickets are $17 for adults and $10 for children; day-of tickets are slightly higher. To purchase advance tickets and for more info visit https://www.teatown.org/events/eaglefest/.
Registration: 631-885-1881

Directions: Take the Taconic State Parkway just past where it merges with the Sprain Brook, and take 9A north to its end in Crotonville. Continue north on route 9 for 0.7 miles then exit and follow signs into Croton Point Park.

Sunday, February 11, 2018 - 9:00am
Heckscher State Park
This 1600 acre park is on the Great South Bay in East Islip. The forest and wetland areas are home to a variety of winter bird species.
Registration: 585-880-0915

Directions: Take the Southern State Parkway to the end and merge onto the Heckscher State Parkway. Follow signs to field 5.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Central Park Winter Bird Walk 1
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Registrar: Nancy O’Keefe — jessbird123@gmail.com or 212-734-9225
Registration opens: Monday, January 29
Public transportation

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 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
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, February 10, 2018, 9am – 2pm
Winter Birds of DeKorte Park
Guide: Nadir Souirgi
Explore the the wilds of the New Jersey Meadowlands at DeKorte Park. We'll take trails through wetland and salt-marsh habitat to look for a rich diversity of wintering ducks and rarities such as rough-legged hawk, short-eared owl, and northern shrike. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $88 (62)
Click here to register

Saturday, February 10, 2018, 9am – 11am
Randall's Island Winter Walk
Guide: Jacob Drucker
Situated at the junction of the East River and Long Island Sound, Randall's Island is an excellent place to observe birds using these major waterways to facilitate their movements. The presence of converging currents, a salt-marsh restoration project, excellent thickets, and lots of open space makes Randall's Island a great place to go birding. Some species like horned lark, snow bunting, red-throated loon, and Bonaparte's gull are more likely to be found at Randall's than anywhere else in New York County. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Sunday, February 11, 2018, 8am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Winter at Freshkills Park
Guides: Cliff Hagen with NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Winter at Freshkills Park is an exciting time for birding. The grass-covered slopes offer birds plenty of seed and shelter to huddled flocks of horned larks, snow buntings, and sparrow species, as rough-legged hawks soar overhead. Down below the mounds are a crisscross of tidal creeks filled with a variety of waterfowl. Grebes, geese, and coots swim alongside over a dozen species of ducks including teal, mergansers, and pintails. Transport by passenger van on S.I. included. Limited to 12. $57 (40)
Click here to register

Sunday, February 11, 2018, 9:30am – 11:30am
Winter Birding Along the Hudson: Wave Hill
Guide: Gabriel Willow with Wave Hill
Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center. The Hudson River valley hosts an impressive diversity of bird species, even during the winter months. Come explore the beautiful gardens and woodlands of Wave Hill and observe the hardy birds that spend the winter in this urban oasis. Walks run rain or shine. Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. See www.wavehill.org for admission rates. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Saturday, February 10, 2018 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Mt. Loretto Unique Area, Beach and Bluffs
Enjoy a mid-winter walk to investigate the geology beneath the historic Princes Bay lighthouse. Naturalist Ray Matarazzo will discuss storm erosion at the Terminal Moraine. During the walk participants may find fossils. Winter storm action and erosion occasionally reveal glacial drift fossils from the Devonian Period, fossils which are millions of years old. Bring a magnifier. Meet in the Hylan Boulevard parking lot across from the CYO Community Center at Kenny Road. For more information contact Ray Matarazzo at 718 317-7666.
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Sunday, February 11, 2018 @ 11:00am – 1:00pm
Willowbrook Park Gateway to the Greenbelt
This easy 3.5 mile loop walk takes us to a rich deep lowland woodlands and winding streams. We will focus on tree bark identification and look for overwintering plant. We will meet in the parking lot at the end of Eton Place off Richmond Avenue. To register for the walk please e-mail Hillel Lofaso at hillel5757@gmail.com or call 718-477-0545.
Read More

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Black Doit
Leader: Arie Gilbert 917-693-7178
Description: Rough-leg, Short-ear, Longspurs...

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Massapequa Preserve

From Sunrise Highway, turn north onto Broadway, Massapequa. Travel under the Long Island Rail Road overpass, then make the first right onto Veterans Boulevard (headed east). Go past the Massapequa train station and into the parking lot at the east end of the station. The preserve is directly east of the parking lot.
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.
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.

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Urban Park Rangers
Sunday, February 11, 2018
Winter Birding at Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
The Hudson River Valley hosts an impressive diversity of bird species in the winter. Observe birds in their winter habitats and explore Wave Hill with naturalist Gabriel Willow.

Birding: Winter Waterfowl at Orchard Beach Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. Appropriate for all skill levels.
Free! ...Read more

Green-Wood Cemetery Birder Forum

As Green-Wood Cemetery’s official “Birding in Peace” tour guide I’m frequently asked about conservation or habitat related projects that are in the works. Occasionally I am also grilled about some landscape related issues that may or may not be in the best interest of wildlife in the cemetery. In an attempt to answer all of your questions the cemetery has scheduled a birder forum.

On Thursday, March 1st from 6:30pm to 8:00pm Brooklyn's Historic Green-Wood Cemetery will host a “Birder Town Hall”. Director of Horticulture and biologist Joseph Charap will be the speaker. The primary purpose of the talk will be to:

1 - Express Green-Wood Cemetery’s commitment to birds and birders.
2 - Present efforts currently underway to support wildlife habitats.
3 - Listen to feedback from the birding community.

Some other topics to be covered include native plantings, installing benches at the Dell Water, lawnmowers, and helping birders understand Green-Wood’s many constituencies.

The beautification, community outreach, educational programs and preservation of the cemetery is implemented by the non-profit Green-Wood Historic Fund. It has been proposed that the 2018 Birdathon could be used to both promote the nature of the cemetery and to help raise funds for habitat restoration. Any pledged funds would go directly to the historic fund and continued efforts to support birding at Green-Wood Cemetery. If you or your organization are interested in this unique conservation fundraising effort please contact:

Harry Weil, Director of Programs
harryweil [AT] green-wood.com

If you plan on attending the “Birder Town Hall”, the meeting will be held at the Modern Chapel, just to the right after the main entrance on 25th Street. Please RSVP on the Green-Wood Cemetery website here.