Montauk Long Island

Birding Getaway

January 29-31 2016

Small Groups!

Great Leaders!

Interesting People! ecotravel.ctaudubon.org

2016

EcoTravel

Overnight Natural History Tours and Day Trips

Long Island Birding Getaway

Gulls, Winter Ducks, and Alcids

January 2016

The town of Montauk, on the far eastern tip of Long Island,

is known to many as a busy summer resort, luring people

with its open Atlantic beaches and extensive state park land.

Montauk is also the homeport for a substantial fishing fleet,

but our main interest is that it is one of the best winter bird-

ing spots. The open ocean and the harbor provide opportuni-

ties to see many winter waterfowl not so commonly seen in

Connecticut. Eiders, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, grebes,

loons, and other winter specialties, are among the many

birds one can expect. Plan to enjoy the quiet of an off-season

resort town, a variety of birds, and the fresh air of winter

beaches.

The Itinerary Day One Meet at the New London to Orient Point Ferry and start your is-

land hopping on the north fork of Long Island (other pickup spots

are available – please call). When crossing the sound, birds can be

spectacular and often include Northern Gannet, Razorbill and

winter gulls. The next two ferries hop us across Shelter Island

where we will spend some time exploring some of the Nature Con-

servancy’s woodland holdings and then onto the south fork where

we travel out to Montauk. Poke into the hidden coves and back

waters in search of winter waterfowl and gulls. There are a num-

ber of sanctuaries that may turn up the rare and unusual. Our

accommodations will be at one of Montauk’s comfortable hotels, on

or near the water.

Day Two and Three Here, on the easternmost tip of Long Island, is a picturesque re-

treat at land's end, with gentle rolling hills and steep sand bluffs at

the point where the Sound meets the Sea, where fishing fleets,

yachts and sailboats ride the tides to the Atlantic Ocean and Block

Island Sound. Montauk is surrounded by water on three sides and

is close to the Gulf Stream which has a great and favorable influ-

ence on the local climate. Generally, the temperature is 10 degrees

warmer in the winter than the mainland area, which has the ef-

fect of extending the warm seasons for all who live in and visit this

land's end community. There are two large ocean side State Parks:

Hither Hills and Montauk Point State Park for hiking and watch-

ing the many and varied bird species that migrate along the Atlan-

tic flyway. Along with all the numerous outdoor activities a visitor

can partake in, there are many historical sights to dive into and

explore. The Montauk Lighthouse, the most distinctive and best

known structures on Long Island, is just one of them. The Mon-

tauk Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Wash-

Leader: Andrew Griswold is the Director of EcoTravel for Connecticut

Audubon Society and graduated as an honor student in biology

from Hartwick College where he worked at their biological re-

search station in the Caribbean studying avian ecology. Andy is the

original concept creator and scientific consultant for a cable televi-

sion series on bird watching called All Bird TV that aired on Dis-

covery’s Animal Planet. He is the original concept creator of the

award winning Connecticut River Eagle Festival (at the time the

largest birding festival in the Americas). He leads trips for Con-

necticut Audubon to Canada, Texas, South Florida, Nova Scotia,

Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, and many other unique destinations.

Andy is a licensed USCG 100-Ton Master boat captain and lives in

Essex, Connecticut with his wife and their young son. He is known

for his attentiveness to travelers’ needs, fine birding skills, and in-

fectious sense of humor.

ington in the 1790's, the first lighthouse in New York State and the

fourth oldest lighthouse in the United States that is still active.

There are 137 steps to the top where the 390,000 candlepower bea-

con rotates every five seconds and can be seen for 19 nautical miles.

The lighthouse was leased by the Montauk Historical Society in

1987 and is now open to the public for tours. Travelers can expect to

spend much of their time outside exploring the wilds of the eastern

end of Long Island, but will have the opportunity to explore the town

as well. Birds we hope to see include Black-legged Kittiwake, Com-

mon Eider, King Eider, Surf, White-winged, and Black Scoter, Bo-

naparte’s Gull, Northern Gannet, and Rough-legged Hawk.

On our last day, lunch will be on the way towards the ferries, where

travelers will stop in the scenic town of East Hampton. Time will be

allowed to explore the historic buildings and colorful shops. With a

hop across Shelter Island, the group will bird along the waterways

with a final stop in Greenport with the chance, if time allows, to ex-

plore this delightful town as well. The ferry departs from Orient

Point at 5PM and returns to Connecticut at 6:15PM.

The eastern end of Long Island has been given by Nature a marvel-

ous combination of beautiful ocean and bay vistas. Enjoy the wilds of

a land surrounded by water in a season when you can feel as though

the whole place is yours.

To Reserve Your Spot:

$200 deposit required to hold reservation. Balance is due

60 days before the depar ture date. Refunds are granted

60 days or more pr ior to depar ture, minus $100. After

that date, Connecticut Audubon, no refund will be grant-

ed. Single travelers are encouraged to sign up early to give

them the best chance at being matched. If matching them is

not possible, the single supplement will apply. Connecticut

Audubon reserves the right, if registration is insufficient, to

cancel any trip or to offer the trip with a small group supple-

ment. If you would like cancellation or any other type of

travel insurance, give us a call at 800-996-8747 and we can

put you in touch with those providers.

Fee: $855. With Member Discount: $655. Single supplement

$145. Includes: transportation from Connecticut and in New

York, ferry fees, hotel for two nights, Welcome Dinner, two

breakfasts, and guides. Not included: meals not specified, al-

coholic beverages, admissions, gratuities, phone calls, and

other personal items.

Send to and Payable to:

Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel

PO Box 903

Essex, CT 06426

860-767-0660

800-996-8747

Email: ecotravel@ctaudubon.org

Web Site: www.ecotravel.ctaudubon.org

History of Montauk We know through carbon dating of ar tifacts that

Indians have lived on Long Island for over 4,000

years. There is very little written history on the Indians

who lived in Montauk, however, we do know they

were a peaceful tribe who existed for the most part on

farming and the abundant game that still exists, thanks

to our virgin parklands. They hunted, fished and

farmed the land, keeping cattle and sheep...their only

trouble came from raids from the Rhode Island Narra-

gansetts.

The first white settler to set foot on Montauk was the

Dutch explorer Adrian Block who sailed east on Long

Island Sound, rounded Orient Point and hit Montauk.

The first white man to settle in the area was Lord Gar-

diner, who moved across the Sound from Saybrook,

Connecticut to take possession of his land granted by

the king. It is the only land grant left in this country

and has remained in the Gardiner family since 1639.

Lord Gardiner became friends with the Montauk Indi-

ans and, on a number of occasions, was a great help to

the first known chief, Wyandanch. Two other Indians

made a name for themselves, Stephen Pharoah, known

as Stephen Talkhouse, who thought nothing of walk-

ing to Brooklyn and back. He is buried in the Indian

Cemetery on East Lake Drive in his Civil War uni-

form. The other Indian was a Mohegan, Samson Oc-

com, from Connecticut who came to the Montauketts

to preach and write hymns, some of which are still

sung today. He went to England to raise funds, and

after four hundred lectures, raised 12,000 English

pounds with which Dartmouth College was founded in

1769.

Old Montauk Highway was laid out in the 1700's by

Hampton ranchers involved in grazing horses, sheep

and cattle on the Montauk Peninsula. In the 1790's

President George Washington signed an order to have

the lighthouse erected in order to keep out poachers,

posing as fisherman, who might try to intrude on the

land where these animals were being grazed. The tow-

er was built in 1795 out of red sandstone and stands

some 100 feet high. The lantern is 160 feet above sea

level and the lens flashes every two minutes and is vis-

ible for 25 miles. Originally, the lighthouse stood 297

feet from the shore. By 1938 the land had eroded to

within 140 feet of the structure. Now the lighthouse

stands quite close to the edge. When President Wash-

ington ordered the construction of the Montauk Light-

house he predicted it would stand for two hundred

years.

Montauk has the distinction of being the home of the

first cattle ranch in the United States. With the herding

of cattle here, housing had to be built.. .in the 1740's,

First House was built near Hither Hills Park, then Sec-

ond House at its present site and, finally, Third House.

First House burned down in 1917, Second House is

now a museum (it was later added on to) and Third

House is the headquarters for the County Park. Teddy

Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" stayed at Third

House when they returned from the Spanish American

War. Some twenty five thousand of his troops, victims

of yellow fever. recuperated here in Montauk.

The proprietors of Third House, Arthur Benson fol-

lowed by Austin Corbin, and finally Carl Fisher, were

the major buyers of Montauk land. Arthur Benson

bought all of Montauk for $151,000 in 1879, the Stan-

ford White houses, built in 1882, are his contribution,

as well as beach land on Old Montauk Highway. In

1895 Austin Corbin brought the railroad from Sag

Harbor to Montauk and talked of making Montauk the

Port of Entry from overseas. Shortly thereafter, Carl

Fisher, the developer of Miami Beach, the Indianapo-

lis Speedway, the first major highway across the coun-

try and the Dixie Highway, had a dream to make Mon-

tauk the Miami Beach of the North. He laid out the

town, built the golf course, the polo field, the Manor,

the tall office building in town, indoor tennis courts

and the theater. With his arrival, the Surf Club and the

Yacht Club, as well as the gambling casino on Star

Island came into being. He also opened the jetty into

Lake Montauk, making the lake our saltwater harbor.

Carl's dream collapsed with the Stock Market crash in

1929, but not before he had accomplished a great

many of his visions.