www.nycaudubon.org 1

Perhaps the best way to introduce the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan is with a basic question:

“What, exactly, IS the Hudson-Raritan Estuary?” For starters, an estuary is a bay fed by freshwater rivers and connected to the sea; ours is formed where rivers including the Hudson, Raritan, Hackensack, and Passaic meet the Atlantic Ocean. It helped me to look at a map (www.nynjbaykeeper.org/geography) and I learned that while the “North River” is the mighty Hudson, flowing south from the Adirondacks to dominate estuarine ecology, the East River is not a river at all, but a salty tidal strait of the Atlantic. The Kill van Kull and Arthur Kill are also tidal straits, separating Staten Island from mainland New Jersey, while the Raritan River enters Raritan Bay at the southern tip of Staten Island. In combination, all these bodies of water create one of the largest estuary ecosystems on the East Coast, including multiple habitats all under

the influence of ocean tides. Home to more than 20 million human

inhabitants, this awe-inspiring wetland ecosystem has lost the vast majority of its marshland to development, dredging, or erosion. Still functional, however, are tremendously rich habitats such as Jamaica Bay, Sandy Hook, the Hackensack Meadowlands, and numerous Harbor Heron islands, all of which can serve as anchoring points for future restoration. The NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program was founded in 1988 to answer the growing call for protection of remaining habitats as well as a feasible recovery plan for what has been lost.

Flash forward several decades, and the culmination of decades of collaborative work is the ambitious Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP), managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The CRP serves as a master plan for restoration of the

NEW YORK CITY AUDUBON NEWSLETTER

THE URBAN AUDUBON

The hudson-RaRiTan esTuaRy CompRehensive ResToRaTion plan Tod Winston NYC AUDUBON

NEWSLETTER71 West 23rd Street, Room 1523New York, NY 10010Tel: 212-691-7483Fax: 212-924-3870www.nycaudubon.org

5 GARDENING WITH NATIVE PLANTS

6-7 EVENTS AND ADVENTURES

8 BIRDATHON EVENTS

AUDUBON WATERCOLORS TOUR & RECEPTIONFRIDAY, MARCH 12, 6-8PMNEW-YORk HISTORICAL SOCIETY170 CENTRAL PARk WESTJoin NYC Audubon for a special evening of art and fellowship at the New-York Historical Society. The next big Audubon exhibit is not until 2013, but there is still plenty to see! Enjoy refreshments and a guided curatorial tour of Audubon works visible in storage at the Museum’s Luce Center.

Space is limited; RSVPs required. Please register at www.nycaudubon.org or call 212-691-7483. FREE for NYC Audubon Members at Senior/Student level and above (arrive after 6pm for free museum admission)

March-April 2010Volume XXXI, No. 2

Continued on page four

New York Harbor: The Center of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary

©Jim

Wright

2 www.nycaudubon.org

NYC AUDUBONMISSION & VISIONMission: NYC Audubon is a grass-roots community that works for the protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Vision: NYC Audubon envisions a day when birds and people in the five boroughs enjoy a healthy, livable habitat.

THE URBAN AUDUBONEditors Lauren Klingsberg & Marcia T. FowleNewsletter Committee Lucienne Bloch, Ned Boyajian, Suzanne Charlé, Peter Joost, Mary Jane Kaplan, Gloria Kuhn, Susan Ludmer-Gliebe, Abby McBride, Don Riepe, Carol Peace Robins,Tod WinstonPrinting & Mailing Marx Myles, Inc.Design Whitehouse & CompanyPublisher NYC Audubon

THE URBAN AUDUBON is pub-lished six times per year (Jan-Feb, Mar-Apr, May-Jun, Jul-Aug, Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec) by New York City Audubon Society, Inc.

BOARD OF TRUSTEESPresident Oakes AmesVice Presidents Richard T. Andrias, Pamela ManiceCorresponding Secretary Marsilia BoyleRecording Secretary Peter JoostTreasurer Diane KeatingImmediate Past President Peter Rhoades MottBoard of Directors Brenda Torres-Barreto, Marcia T. Fowle, Diana Greene, Lynne Hertzog, Noel D. Humphreys, Mary Jane Kaplan, Robert J. Kimtis, Harrison D. Maas, Steve Nanz, Jayne Nozik, Dorothy M. Peteet, Don Riepe, Dimitri Sevastopoulo, Peter Shen, David Speiser

ADVISORY COUNCILSarah Grimké Aucoin, Claude Bloch, Drianne Benner, Albert K. Butzel, Rebekah Creshkoff, Andrew Darrell, Joseph H. Ellis, Sandra Fiebelkorn, Richard Gershon, Janice Laneve, Melanie Lyons, E. J. McAdams, Mary Tyler Moore, George J. Mullen, Jr., Alexander Papachristou, Hector P. Prud’homme, Lynn Rollins, Lewis Rosenberg, James R. Sheffield

Executive Director Glenn Phillips

NYC AUDUBON71 West 23rd Street, Rm 1523New York, NY 10010Tel: 212-691-7483Fax: 212-924-3870www.nycaudubon.org

Small Photographs Susan Elbin, Steve Nanz, and Don Riepe

RECYCLED Supporting responsible use of forest resources

Birds? In New York City? Walk, look up, and listen, and in the course of a year

you may see over 300 species among 22,465 acres of birding sites and along

more than 578 miles of waterfront in the city’s five boroughs. Fifty years from

now, will your children or grandchildren see as many?

By 2005, The National Audubon Society, with the help of its chapters, had

designated over 1,600 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) throughout the nation in order

to protect at-risk species of birds and their habitats. Audubon chapters across the land

have been involved in the selection process, and are needed to help create and carry out

the conservation plans for these areas. New York State contains 136 IBAs, nine of which

lie in the five boroughs of New York City. Of these nine, five are habitats for shore

birds. Our chapter, NYC Audubon, the only one in the city, shares the responsibility

with their owners of overseeing the management of these areas and of monitoring their

populations of breeding and migrating birds. The information we obtain is needed

not only by land owners and managers but also by the public and its lawmakers. To be

effective conservationists, we need scientists, educators and advocates.

Who is to do the work? It is too much for the overworked park agencies, who are

totally committed but underfunded, to do alone. Here is where NYC Audubon has

a major role. We have done much significant work in our first 30 years; now we are

called upon to do even more. We have 275 volunteers but we need many more, among

them members who are amateur naturalists. And we need more helpers to maintain

the beaches and trails and

open spaces. We call this effort

the Natural Areas Initiative.

It is a grand and essential

undertaking.

We may think of the

birds we see as ours. But most

of them aren’t only ours; they

belong to all the places to

which they migrate in the

spring to breed, and those to

which they return for warmth

and food in the winter. For the

majority of species we see in

the course of a year, New York

City is a stopover habitat. We

are a critical link in the chain

of places stretching over thousands of miles upon which the birds depend for their

existence. In May, I look into the low-lying branches of a tree and see a black-throated

blue warbler, and I wonder where he will be in a couple of weeks. Thought of this way,

conservation is a global enterprise. Habitat must be conserved everywhere—in every

IBA, among them the nine in our city.

Eric W. Sanderson, in his extraordinary book, Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City, looks back 400 years to when Henry Hudson discoved this area. And

Sanderson envisions a city in 2409 that is far more habitable for birds than it is today.

Imagine green roofs, protected shorelines. With the IBAs program, the Natural Areas

Initiative, and your help, NYC Audubon is on the way to making this vision a reality.

Central Park, One of Nine Important Bird Areas in New York City

pResidenT’s CoRneR Oakes Ames

©N

YC A

udubon

www.nycaudubon.org 3

CENTRAL PARk BREEDING BIRD CENSUS

Many New Yorkers appreciate Central Park for what

it provides to the city: a green space for relaxing,

recharging, and generally escaping the hubbub that

defines this metropolis. However, those same New Yorkers may not

appreciate just how important the park is for birds, nor that this

importance is recognized by its designation as an Important Bird

Area (IBA). NYC Audubon has assessed the number of birds that

bred in Central Park three times: a partial census of the western

side of the park in 1994, and complete censuses in 1998 and 2008.

To conduct a complete census, the park is

divided into 20 blocks. Volunteers visit

each block eight times between May and

July, identifying and counting nests, as

well as individual birds they see carrying

nesting material or food for young birds.

Some interesting changes occurred in

the ten years between the two complete

censuses. Although there were changes

in the composition of species breeding in

the park from one decade to the next, the

overall number of species and pairs observed

remained quite stable. Twenty-eight native

bird species were observed breeding in Central Park in both 1998

and 2008. Six species were confirmed to be breeding in Central

Park in 1998 that were not seen in 2008: common yellowthroat,

fish crow, great flycatcher, mute swan, rough-winged swallow, and

song sparrow. However, six species that were confirmed breeders

in Central Park in 2008 were not recorded in 1998: barn swallow,

black-capped chickadee, Carolina wren, chipping sparrow, eastern

wood-pewee, and green heron. The most common breeding bird

in both years was the American robin, with 205 pairs in 1998

and 193 pairs in 2008. Common grackles were the second most

common in 1998, as were blue jays in

2008. The total confirmed number of

breeding pairs was very similar in 1998

and 2008: there were 358 pairs in 1998

and 349 pairs in 2008 (excluding robins,

the number was even closer: 153 pairs in

1998 and 156 pairs in 2008).

NYC Audubon is in the process

of re-examining the IBAs in New York

City in conjunction with Audubon New

York, and the data gathered in these

censuses will help inform that process.

ConseRvaTion noTes John Rowden

volunTeeR!

NYC Audubon has a wide range of volunteer opportunities. No experience is required (except as

noted). If you have questions or would like to volunteer, contact Erik Karff at ekarff @nycaudubon.org or 212-691-7483. All orientations are held at the NYC Audubon office unless otherwise noted.

OFFICE VOLUNTEERS

Orientation: Wednesday, March 17, 6-7pm

Make a difference for the city’s wildlife by working in our busy and friendly office. Learn how to use NYC Audubon’s resources to answer questions about wildlife, familiarize yourself with our trips and classes, and learn our registration system.

OUTREACH VOLUNTEERS

Orientation: Wednesday, March 24, 6-7pm

Volunteers attend trips, distribute information, sign up new members, and talk about our activities and initiatives. Orientation will teach you about our programs as well as best practices in outreach communication.

PROjECT SAFE FLIGHT

Orientation: Tuesday, March 9, 6-7pm or

Friday, March 19, 6-7pm

Help rescue stunned and injured birds that have collided with buildings. Orientation will demonstrate how to collect collision data to help our researchers and how to handle injured birds.

jAMAICA BAY MONITORING

Orientation: Tuesday, March 23, 6-7pm or

Wednesday March 31, 6-7pm

Survey beaches for crabs and birds and help with beach cleanup and restoration activities from April through July. Orien- tation will teach monitoring techniques and how to collect accurate data.

HARBOR HERONS

Orientation: Wednesday, April 21, 5-7:30pm

or Saturday, April 24, noon-2:30pm

We will train you in behavioral ecology field techniques to observe herons as they forage for food to feed their young. This study will start in April and continue through the summer.

©Steve N

anz

Baltimore Oriole and Nestlings

4 www.nycaudubon.org

Hudson-Raritan Estuary, providing a set of concrete restoration goals in the form of 11 Target Ecosystem Characteristics (TECs), each of which is itself broken down into a set of short- and long-term measurable objectives. TECs consist of historically abundant estuarine habitats and other conservation priorities, and include Coastal Wetlands, Oyster Reefs, Sediment Quality, and Habitat for Waterbirds. NYC Audubon has played a key role in the development of that last TEC, and its lead role in producing the Harbor Estuary Program’s Harbor Heron Conservation Plan is a crucial element for future implementation.

According to NYC Audubon Director of Conservation Susan Elbin, wading birds are excellent “bio-indicators” of ecosystem health, in that their measurable populations fluctuate in response to environmental changes. Their

position as top predators means both that they are highly vulnerable to pollution, as chemical contaminants become more concentrated when they move up the food chain, and that efforts to protect the herons’ habitat also protect countless smaller and less showy species.

Lisa Baron, CRP project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is primarily focused on identifying restoration opportunities and determining how they can best be carried out. According to Baron, before proceeding with Harbor Heron island restoration, we need answers to some basic questions: What factors underlie falling breeding numbers in seemingly good habitats like Shooters Island on the Kill van Kull, Prall’s Island on the Arthur Kill, or Huckleberry Island on Long Island Sound? Answers to such questions will inform restoration work with sound science, and NYC Audubon is well positioned to help provide them. The Harbor Heron Conservation

Plan is already a rich source of data on NYC’s wading birds, and future research may include baseline studies of island vegetation and soil contamination, as well as further large-scale radio-telemetry and banding studies needed to clarify the spatial relationships between heron nesting and foraging grounds. Restoration efforts will include tree planting, invasive species removal, and habitat regrading, in order to provide improved habitat for our Harbor Herons and the myriad other creatures to which they are connected in this great estuarine ecosystem.

To learn more about the Harbor Herons program or contribute to NYC Audubon’s efforts, please visit us at www.nycaudubon.org/projects/harborherons. More information about the Hudson-Raritan Estuary CRP can be found at www.nan.usace.army.mil/harbor/crp/.

THE HUDSON-RARITAN ESTUARY continued from page one

Each winter the skies and waters of Jamaica Bay and elsewhere

within the NYC harbor are filled with the sight and sound

of a small migratory goose called the brant (Branta bernicla).

Arriving in early to mid-October, these small geese have travelled

from their breeding grounds in Baffin Island and the high Arctic to

spend winter along the Atlantic coast of the U.S., with the great-

est numbers settling in New York and New Jersey. Similar in ap-

pearance to Canada geese, they can be distinguished by their much

smaller size and lack of a white cheek patch. There is also a dark form

of brant that resides on the west coast and rarely shows up in our

waters. Brant originally restricted themselves to feeding on eelgrass,

and a blight of eelgrass in the 1930s greatly depleted the east coast

population. Surviving geese altered their diet to include sea lettuce

(Ulva) and other seaweeds. In 1978, a severe winter froze most of NY

Harbor, and caused the little goose to once again change its diet to

include lawn grass found on highway verges, city parks, ball fields

and golf courses. Now many brant seem to prefer this diet and can

be seen feeding in median strips and edges along the Belt Parkway

as well as Marine Park, Riis Park, and other parks near Jamaica Bay.

Unfortunately, in places like the North Channel Bridge they are be-

coming quite tame and even eating bread and other less nutritional

foods given to them by people.

While other wintering birds such as snow geese leave our area in

early April, the brant remain until the very end of May before migrat-

ing north as they breed

in colder climes above

the Arctic circle. De-

spite the urbanization

of these NYC brant,

the sight of a flock fill-

ing the sky is a wel-

come addition to the

winter landscape.

Brant Taking Off

©D

on Riepe

Atlantic Brant Don Riepe

©D

on Riepe

www.nycaudubon.org 5

Many bad plant choices have been made in the name of wildlife. For example,

Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) was planted in Jamaica Bay in the

1960s to provide food and cover for birds. The fruits of these highly invasive

shrubs do lure birds, but lack nutrition. Native plants tend to offer birds the nutrients

they need when they need them, whether it be directly through fruits or indirectly by

attracting insects.

WHAT IS A NATIVE PLANT?

A native plant naturally occurs in a region without having been introduced from

elsewhere. New York City natives include mosses, ferns and fern allies, grasses, sedges,

rushes, forbs (wildflowers), trees, shrubs, and woody vines.

Over thousands of years, environmental conditions have modified local flora to

survive the vagaries of regional rainfall and sunlight. Native plants are essential to healthy,

functioning ecosystems. They are the building blocks of our biological diversity.

Birders are uniquely aware that New York City is surprisingly rich in natural

resources, with over 50,000 acres of open space in the five boroughs. Yet this does not

guarantee the survival of the biological diversity housed there. In fact, New York City

is thought to have lost more than 40 percent of its native flora, including beautiful

wildflowers like white milkweed and yellow ladyslipper.

WHY GO NATIVE IN THE GARDEN?

The benefits of using native flora have been enumerated many times—gardens filled

with indigenous flowers preserve our natural heritage, are easy to maintain, and ground

us in a sense of place. The most popular reason has been to lure wildlife by creating

habitat havens. Douglas Tallamy, in his book Bringing Nature Home, shows clearly that

to support local wildlife, we must provide an abundance of local wildflowers.

Despite our love affair with lilacs and peonies, we gardeners must make space for native flora such as blueberries and asters.

Conventional landscapes, designed solely for ornamental value, are barren wastelands for native insects, birds, and other animals.

In fact, many native insects are plant specialists, meaning they evolved symbiotically over many generations to feed on specific

native plant species—so they simply can’t derive any sustenance from non-native garden plants.

The ramifications are important for birds. Ninety-six percent of all North American terrestrial birds feed their nestlings

only insects. These insects come from native plants. So native plants + native bugs = native birds.

For example, Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), a commonly planted species from China, supports no insect herbivores.

In stark contrast, our native flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), is food for one hundred and seventeen species of moths and

butterflies alone. These caterpillars are critical bird food.

HOW TO GET STARTED

First, assess your space. Is it sunny or shady, wet or dry? Choose plants that will thrive in the conditions you have. To

determine whether a plant species naturally occurs in New York City, consult a good field guide, visit a nearby park nature

center or botanical garden, or query a local botanical club. When possible, the best source of garden plants is your local native

plant or wildflower society. They typically hold annual plant sales in spring and fall. These organizations may also be able to

recommend reputable, regional native plant nurseries. Look for a “nursery-propagated” label, which will distinguish plants

cultivated from seeds or cuttings by the nursery rather than collected in the wild.

Also ask about provenance—it is ideal to use regional plants originating within a 200-mile radius of your home. In the five

boroughs, I recommend Gowanus Nursery in Brooklyn for retail, or the Greenbelt Native Plant Center in Staten Island, which

collects local ecotypes and is wholesale only.

The best time to plant is when the species is dormant in late fall or right now in early spring.

Gardening for Birds with Native Plants Mariellé Anzelone

Yellow Ladyslipper

©A

bby McB

ride

6 www.nycaudubon.org

evenTs and advenTuRes

• WINTER BIRDS OF BARNEGAT, NjTuesday, March 2, 9am-3pmGuide: joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLCExplore Barnegat Inlet’s expansive beach to view the winter birds that gather where land, bay, and sea meet. Search for harlequin ducks, horned larks, Lapland longspurs, snow buntings, winter finches, snowy owls, and short-eared owls in this introduction to birds of the NJ shore. Bring lunch, water, and binoculars. Limited to 12. $75

• WINTER BIRDS OF SANDY HOOk, NjSunday, March 7, 10am-5pm Guide: joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLCTake a trip to Sandy Hook, a barrier island at the northernmost point of the New Jersey coast. This spectacular peninsula hosts a variety of species, including birds wintering from the Arctic and harbor seals that haul out on the beach to warm up in the sun. Other possible sightings include loons, rarely seen ducks, and land birds such as snow bunting and horned lark. Bring lunch, water, and binoculars. Limited to 40. $65

• AUDUBON WATERCOLORS TOUR & RECEPTIONFriday, March 12, 6-8pmNew-York Historical Society170 Central Park WestJoin NYC Audubon for a special evening of art and fellowship at the New-York Historical Society. The next big Audubon exhibit is not until 2013, but there is still plenty to see! Enjoy refreshments and a guided curatorial tour of Audubon works visible in storage at the Museum’s Luce Center.

Space is limited; RSVPs required. Please register at www.nycaudubon.org or call 212-691-

7483. FREE for NYC Audubon Members at Senior/Student level and above (arrive after 6pm for free museum admission)

• BEGINNING BIRDINGMondays, March 15 and March 22, 6:30-8:30pm (classes) and Saturdays, March 20 and March 27 (trips)Guide: Starr SaphirLearn how to view and identify the birds that migrate through New York City from Central and South America to their northern nesting grounds. Take two classes, and then two trips—one to Central Park to see vireos, warblers,tanagers, and one to Jamaica Bay to see herons, egrets, and shorebirds. Limited to 13. $85

• EARLY SPRING MIGRANTS AT jAMAICA BAYSaturday, March 27, 10am-1pmGuides: Don Riepe, Andrew BakshWith Gateway National Recreation AreaMeet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Hike around East and West Ponds and the gardens. Look for migrating song birds. Digital slide program before hike. Limited to 25. Free

• SPRING BIRDING AT THE GREENBELT, STATEN ISLANDSaturday, April 10, 9:30am-1pmGuide: Gabriel Willow

With the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and the Greenbelt ConservancyMeet at the Manhattan terminal of the SI Ferry and begin your tour on the water. Explore the SI Greenbelt, a 3,000-acre preserve and a flagship park of New York City, replete with wetlands, woodlands, meadows, old-growth forest, and 35 miles of hiking trails. Includes refreshments and transportation on Staten Island. Limited to 20. $25

• BIRDING TOURS OF BRYANT PARk, MANHATTAN Mondays, April 12-May 17, 8-9amThursdays, April 15-May 20, 5-6pmGuide: Gabriel WillowWith Bryant Park CorporationMeet at the Birding Tour sign at 42nd Street and 6th Ave entrance to the park. Discover the varieties of birds that call Bryant Park home with guided tours. No limit. Free

• NORTHERN FLORIDA WILDLIFE: MERRITT ISLAND REFUGE Saturday, April 17-Saturday, April 24Guides: Don Riepe, Carol BornemanWith American Littoral SocietyVisit Merritt Island Refuge, Viera Wetlands, and Fort De Soto Park during peak spring migration. See Florida scrub jay, swallowtail kite, whooping and sandhill cranes, caracara plus gators, and manatees. Includes airfare, double-occupancy lodging, most meals, and all transportation in Florida. For more information or to register, contact Don Riepe at 718-318-9344 or driepe@nyc.rr.com. Limited to 16. $1,795 ($300 single supplement)

• PEREGRINES OF LOWER MANHATTANSaturday, April 17, 10am-1pmGuide: Gabriel WillowMeet on the east side of City Hall Park near the Brooklyn Bridge

on-ramp. The peregrine falcon is a bird of myth and legend. This charismatic animal is the fastest flyer in the world. Incredibly, New York City now boasts the world’s highest population densities of this formerly endangered species; roughly 15 pairs nest on buildings and bridges around the city. We will learn more about this species as we visit some of their favorite haunts, and may even glimpse them on the nest. Limited to 15. $20

• CAMERA CLUB: SONGBIRD MIGRANTS AND INSECTS: PHOTOGRAPHY IN PROSPECT PARk, BROOkLYNSaturday, April 17, 10am-1pmGuide: Steve NanzMeet at Grand Army Plaza near the library. Prospect Park is one of the most important places for migratory birds in New York City. The park’s varied landscapes provide habitat for multiple species. Shoot songbirds and learn insect macrophotography using conservation-friendly field photography techniques. Digital cameras are appropriate; long and short lenses if possible. Limited to 8. $50

• APRIL MEMBER WALk: CENTRAL PARkTuesday, April 20, 8-9:30amGuide: David SpeiserMeet at the Belvedere Castle (near 79th Street). Join your fellow members in a leisurely search for early spring migrants. No limit. Free for NYC Audubon members at the Student/Senior level and up

• MORNING SPRING MIGRATION WALkS IN CENTRAL PARkWednesdays, April 21-May 12 7:30am-10amGuide: joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLCMeet at 72nd Street and Central Park West. This four-week series of walks will observe the waves of birds through Central Park during spring migration. Bring binoculars. Limited to 15. $60

• NYC Audubon Events• Partnership Events

Saltmarsh Sparrow

©D

avid Speiser

www.nycaudubon.org 7

and other tropical migrants in the wilds of Central Park, and learn about the finer points of their identification and ecology. Bring binoculars. Limited to 15. $60

• STERLING FOREST WARBLERS, NYSunday, May 2, 9:30am-5:30pmGuides: Don Riepe, Andrew Baksh Enjoy a leisurely three-mile hike through the woods and around the lake during peak spring bird migration time. Look for rare warblers (including golden-winged, cerulean, hooded, prairie, and blue-winged) as well as spring wildflowers and salamanders. Visit the rustic visitor center overlooking the lake. Bring lunch, water, and binoculars. Limited to 40. $65

• SPRING WARBLERSThursday, May 6, 6:30-8:30pm (class); Sunday May 9, 8-11am (trip)Instructor: joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLCLearn to identify the 30-plus species of warblers that migrate through our area each spring, using field marks and other techniques. Limited to 15. $45

• CAMERA CLUB: MIGRANTS OF CENTRAL PARkSaturday, May 8, 7:30-10:30amInstructor: David SpeiserMeet at the Belvedere Castle (near 79th Street). Learn how to photograph fast-moving birds in one of the country’s migration hot spots. Exposure, composition, and camera techniques will be explored. Limited to 8. $70

• BIRDING jEWELS OF DELMARVAFriday, May 14-Sunday, May 16Guide: joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC Observe the multitude of breeding and migrating birds in the mid-Atlantic region on this weekend trip to Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Includes van transportation and double-occupancy lodging. Limited to 10. $565 ($90 single room supplement)

• RED kNOTS AND HORSESHOE CRABS AT jAMAICA BAYSaturday, May 15, 9am-1pmGuides: Don Riepe, Andrew BakshWith Gateway National Recreation AreaMeet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Hike around the West Pond and the shoreline of the bay. View shorebirds, spring migrants, and the horseshoe crab mating ritual during peak spring shorebird migration time. This will be an easy two-mile hike. To register, contact Don Riepe at 718-318-9344 or driepe@nyc.rr.com. Limited to 25. Free

• CAMERA CLUB: SALTMARSH SPARROWS, WADERS, AND MORE AT OCEANSIDE MARINE NATURE STUDY AREASaturday, May 22, 8am-noonInstructor: David SpeiserMeet in the parking lot of the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area. Focus on breeding species such saltmarsh sparrow, osprey, yellow-crowned night heron, and other waders and shorebirds. Limited to 6. $90

• ROCkY COASTS, PUFFINS, AND LOBSTER BOATS: BIRDING ON THE COAST OF MAINE Saturday, May 29-Saturday, june 5, 2010Guide: Gabriel WillowJoin Maine native Gabriel Willow in exploring the “Country of the Pointed Firs,” home to Atlantic puffins, moose, shorebirds, dozens of warblers, and other migratory songbirds. Stay in Camden and on the enchanted and remote Monhegan Island, a birder’s paradise where seeing 25-30 warbler species in a day is not uncommon. Includes double-occupancy lodging, most meals, and van transportation in Maine (airfare not included). Limited to 12. $1,500 ($350 single room supplement)

• DISTINGUISHING BIRDS BY THEIR SONG Thursday, April 22, 6:30-8:30pm (class); Sunday April 25, 8am-noon (trip)Instructor: joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLCDo you ever wonder who is singing? Learn to identify the large variety of migrant and resident birds in New York City. Limited to 15. $45

• BEST OF BIRDING: NYC’S TOP HOTSPOTSThursday, April 22, 8-9:30am, 72nd

Street and Central Park WestSaturday, April 24, 8am-noon,

jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor CenterThursday, April 29, 8-9:30am, 103rd

Street and Central Park West Saturday, May 1, 8am-noon, Prospect Park Audubon

Center With Prospect Park Audubon Center

Guide: Gabriel WillowWelcome spring migration with this series of trips to NYC’s best birding hot spots: Central Park, Prospect Park, and Jamaica Bay NWR. All are recognized by National Audubon as Important Bird Areas (or IBAs), and all are beautiful, accessible by public transportation, and full of birds. The varied habitats of these destinations will provide opportunities to see a great variety of songbirds, shorebirds, raptors, and waterfowl. Come see the best nature the city has to offer! Limited to 20. $75

• EVENING SPRING MIGRATION WALkS IN CENTRAL PARkTuesdays, April 27-May 18, 5:30pm-7pmGuide: Gabriel Willow Meet at 72nd Street and Central Park West. Witness the spectacle of spring migration as songbirds follow the Atlantic flyway to their northern nesting grounds. Look for orioles, tanagers, warblers, vireos

Atlantic Puffin

©Steve N

anz

Marbled Salamander

• TO REGISTER FOR ALL NYC AUDUBON EVENTS and for more information, visit www.nycaudubon.org or call 212-691-7483 unless otherwise specified.

IMPORTANT information for all local trips and classes:• Classes meet at 71 West 23rd

St. room 1523. • Members at the Student/

Senior level and up receive a 10% discount on most local trips and classes. See membership form on page 11.

• For all bus and van trips, the meeting location is in front of 71 West 23rd St. in Manhattan unless otherwise specified.

• We depart promptly at the stated start time.

IMPORTANT information for all national/international trips:• Membership in NYC Audubon

at the Student/Senior level and up is required. See membership form on page 11.

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8 www.nycaudubon.org

OVERNIGHT HUDSON VALLEY BIRDATHON Friday, May 7-Saturday, May 8Guide: Gabriel WillowMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Join us on a special overnight Birdathon to Doodletown road and other Important Bird Areas in the lower Hudson Valley. Depart the city after work and arrive in time for an evening owl expedition. Spend Saturday searching for warblers and other songbirds, along with interesting waterfowl and raptors, including bald eagle. Expect to see between 80-100 species. Includes

accommodations and van trans-portation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $1,000

BEGINNING BIRDATHON IN CENTRAL PARkSaturday, May 8, 8:30-10:30amGuide: Oakes AmesMeet at the Central Park Boat-house. Can’t tell a pigeon from a peregrine? No problem! This two-hour walk is geared toward beginners. Expect to see 25-30 species. Limited to 20. Requested Pledge $25

FULL-DAY BIRDATHON IN MANHATTAN: BATTERY TO INWOOD PARkSaturday, May 8, 8am-5pmGuide: Harry MaasMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. There is more to Manhattan birding than Central Park! Explore the many pockets of excellent bird-ing this densely-populated island has to offer. Expect to see 80-100 species. Includes van transpor-tation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $500

BEGINNING BIRDATHON IN PROSPECT PARkSunday, May 9, 8:30-10:30amGuide: Steve NanzMeet at the Prospect Park Audu-bon Center. Come get a taste of what Brooklyn birding has to offer in this two-hour walk geared toward beginners. Expect to see 25-30 species. Limited to 20. Requested Pledge $25

HALF-DAY BIRDATHON IN jAMAICA BAYSunday, May 9, 8am-1pmGuides: Don Riepe, Andrew BakshMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Join us on a spring expedition to one of the best birding sites in the city! We will see shorebirds, waders, waterfowl and dozens of migrato-ry songbirds. Expect to see 50-80 species. Includes van transporta-tion to Jamaica Bay. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $250

HALF-DAY BIRDATHON IN VAN CORTLANDT PARkSaturday, May 15, 8am-1pmGuide: Chris LyonMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. One of the best places to see birds in the Bronx, Van Cortlandt Park is home to over 30 nesting species. It’s also a great spot to observe migratory songbirds. Expect to see 50-80 species. Includes van transportation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $250

THIS MAY, jOIN A SPECIAL BIRDATHON TRIP! FULL-DAY BIRDATHON IN STATEN ISLANDSaturday, May 15, 7am-4pmGuides: Gabriel Willow, Wayne MonesMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Come discover New York’s “forgotten borough” as we spend a full day exploring the many parks and recreation areas along the Staten Island Greenbelt, which offer some of the best birding in the city. Expect to see 80-100 species. Includes van transportation. Lim-ited to 8. Requested Pledge $500

FULL-DAY BIRDATHON IN jAMAICA BAYSunday, May 16, 8am-5pmGuides: Don Riepe, Andrew BakshMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Are you a fan of Jamaica Bay who wants to explore the surrounding environs? Join the Birdathon as we visit the refuge, Breezy Point, and other sites around the bay. Expect to see 80-100 species. Includes van transportation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $500

HALF-DAY BIRDATHON IN QUEENSSaturday, May 22, 8am-1pmGuide: TBAMeet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Our Birdathon group will start the morning at Ridgewood Reservoir before moving on to Forest Park and, if time permits, Alley Pond Park. Expect to see 50-80 species. Includes van transportation. Lim-ited to 8. Requested Pledge $250

BEGINNING BIRDATHON IN jAMAICA BAYSunday, May 23, 9-11amGuides: Don Riepe, Andrew BakshMeet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Come meet the shorebirds of Jamaica Bay during this two-hour walk, geared toward beginners. Expect to see 25-30 species. Limited to 20. Requested Pledge $25

evenTs and advenTuRes: BiRdaThon!

Birdathon 2009

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udubon

The Birdathon is a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring migration and to get friends and family involved in one of America’s fastest-growing pastimes: bird watching! It is also a fundraising drive, and an important source of support for NYC Audubon’s conservation, research, and education programs. Now more than ever, we need your help—and what better way to raise money than by getting out there and enjoying your favorite activity?

That’s why this May, NYC Audubon is offering a series of special Birdathon trips. Instead of paying a set trip fee, participants are asked to gather pledges from friends and family to sponsor their day of birding. Your sponsors can make a flat donation or pledge an amount per spe-cies seen. It’s easier than you might think to meet your goal!• $25 Beginning Birdathon = 1 friend pledging $1 per species seen, or 4 friends pledging $0.25 per species seen• $250 Half-day Birdathon = 5 friends pledging $1 per species seen, or

10 friends pledging $0.50 per species seen• $500 Full-day Birdathon = 5 friends pledging $1 per species seen, or 10 friends pledging $0.50 per species seen• $1,000 Overnight Birdathon=10 friends pledging $1 per species seen

To find out more, get tips on gathering pledges, or to register for a trip, please visit www.nycaudubon.org/Birdathon or contact Melissa Husby at mhusby@nycaudubon.org or 212-691-7483.

www.nycaudubon.org 9

VAN CORTLANDT PARk, BRONx, SATURDAY, APRIL 10

CLOVE LAkES PARk, STATEN ISLAND, SATURDAY, MAY 22

NYC Audubon is holding a series of volunteer events this year throughout the city that are supported by TogetherGreen, an alliance between Audubon

and Toyota.We will be planting trees and shrubs in the forest

understory. Volunteers will be provided with lunch, work gear, and a special token of our appreciation! Please wear clothing and shoes appropriate for working outdoors. For more information or to sign up, please contact Leslie Chase at lchase@nycaudubon.org or 212-691-7483.

TogeThergreen VolunTeer Days

Lost Birds of Mannahatta Peter Joost

Of the many observations marking the

celebration of Henry Hudson’s voy-

age up the river that bears his name,

one of the most memorable was the exhibition

hosted by The Museum of the City of New

York. It was based on Eric Sanderson’s Manna-hatta, a masterly study of the natural history of

Manhattan in 1609. My imagination couldn’t

help but be fired by the enlarged digital rec-

reations, showing how the island might have

appeared on a September day in 1609, a glo-

rious mix of woodlands, ponds, bogs, streams,

grasslands, and salt-and freshwater marshes. It

was a birder’s invitation to dream…

Let’s take a whirlwind tour—alas, noting

just the birds we’d most like to see, the ones

we’re not able to anymore—starting as passen-

gers on Hudson’s ship. Perhaps far offshore, we

might encounter a great auk, largest of the al-

cid family, birds that resemble the penguins of

the southern hemisphere except that they can fly. The auk went extinct

in 1844, the first animal in the New World known to have died at the

hand of man, heavily exploited for its meat, feathers, and oil. Great auks

reportedly nested as far south as Maine and presumably, like other alcids,

could have been offshore in autumn.

Sailing into the outer harbor, we’ll look for a Labrador duck, another

species extinct today, the last of which appears to have been shot off Long

Island in 1875. The habits of this strikingly handsome bird are virtually

unknown, as is the reason for its disappearance. It was sometimes called

the shoal duck, so perhaps it might be on a bar as we enter.

On the fringes of the shore we should also keep an eye out for the

Eskimo curlew. This shorebird migrated through the interior of the

country in fall, heading deep into South America. After the demise of

the passenger pigeon as a commercial species, market gunners turned

their attention to shorebirds. The curlew, also called the doughbird, was

considered particularly tasty and had the affecting but unfortunate habit

of returning to check on its fallen comrades. The last confirmed sighting

of this once prolific species was in the 1970s.

Ashore, we might be witness to a flight of passenger pigeons,

perhaps the most abundant birds on earth, ever. Alexander Wilson,

contemporary of John James Audubon, describes a flight which he es-

timated at over two billion birds, as well as a roost that measured three

miles wide and forty miles long. For Native Americans and for the

colonists the great numbers of pigeons were a mixed blessing, creating

a source of food but also a significant nuisance duting their short visits.

By the beginning of the 20th century the population had crashed; the

last documented bird died in a Chicago zoo in 1914.

Finally, before our return to the present,

we’ll visit one of the grassy areas of the island,

such as may have existed around what is now

Harlem. Here we might see the eastern race

of the greater prairie chicken, the heath hen.

These were once abundant, so common around

Boston, for instance, that servants had written

into their contracts limitations on the number

of times they had to eat them. The heath hen

went extinct early in New York, but lingered

on elsewhere, with the final group dying out in

Massachusetts in the 1930s.

Manhattan today (especially Central

Park) is still a wonderful place to see birds. In

1609, a birdwatcher would have a quite dif-

ferent experience, seeing migrants, of course

(albeit in exhilaratingly vast numbers), but

many more local birds, and a different assem-

blage, ones that would have taken advantage

of Manhattan’s diverse, relatively undisturbed

topography. (This means, for instance, that you might see a Henslow’s

sparrow—today a real rarity in these parts—which has an association

with beaver habitat.)

Indeed, visiting 1609 Mannahatta, in Sanderson’s book and in the

exhibit, at such a portentous instant provides a (distinctly rueful) feast

for the imagination.

Passenger Pigeon by John James Audubon

10 www.nycaudubon.org

Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins has created a perfect poetry anthology for birders. First, he has collaborated

with one of the most beloved living bird illustrators, David Allen Sibley; and second, he has arrayed the poems in a way that any birder could understand—taxonomic order like a field guide.

The book works as a field guide, too. I highly recommend putting it in your satchel with your binoculars the next time you go to Central Park. At the feeders, I started observing a chickadee and then reading Emerson go on about this “tufted entomologist!” while rhyming “slaughter” and “water” (probably for the first—and last—time). Using the anthology this way, however, one finds one of the limitations of the book—there are not that many different species of birds included. There are eight owl poems, but it seems no poet has found inspiration in the jerky limp of a brown creeper as it circles up a trunk in the Ramble!

Because of the index, the anthology also allows the reader to track down a favorite bird and test whether the poet’s words measure up to their subject. Robert Cording’s “Peregrine Falcon, New York City” tells the story of an adman who caught sight of a peregrine from his office window. For a moment

The thin edge of the falcon’s wings Had opened the slightest fissure in him

but the moment passes and he returns to his ad, “the falcon’s power/Surely a fit emblem for something.” The poem with its mixture of epiphany and cynicism succeeds as consummate bird—and New York—poem. (Full disclosure: Robert Cording was my teacher at Holy Cross, the same college Billy Collins attended.) The Cording poem faces a Sibley illustration of a peregrine, enhancing the overall visual experience of the poem.

It is easy to quibble with an anthology. As a poet, I was troubled by how it neglected the experimental tradition in American poetry. Jack Collom, a contemporary poet who may be up there with the English Romantic poet John Clare as one of the best bird poets ever, is missing from Bright Wings. As a human, I was very troubled by the fact that the poets in the anthology have about the same demographics as the Audubon movement, i.e., very, very Caucasian.

But there is much to enjoy in this book, and if you are a birder who loves poetry then you can’t go wrong. EJM

See page 12 for details on a talk by Collins and Sibley on March 10.

Book Reviews E.J. McAdams and Peter Joost

Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems about Birds

Edited by Billy CollinsPaintings by David Allen Sibley

Columbia University Press

Life List:A Woman’s Quest for the World’s

Most Amazing BirdsBy Olivia Gentile

Bloomsbury, 345 pages

Most birders who have been around for a while are familiar with at least some details of

the compelling story of Phoebe Snetsinger, a housewife who was the first person to see 8,000 (out of a possible 10,000 or so) spe-cies of birds. She was impelled to begin on her quest at age 49 when told that she had melanoma, and perhaps a year to live. After a reprieve of some eighteen years, after many adventures—some beyond hair-raising—Snetsinger died in a car accident during her third visit to Mada-gascar, in 1999.

Olivia Gentile fills in many gaps in her account of this remarkable woman’s life. Snetsinger, we learn, might stand as a kind of feminist emblem of her time, the 1960s: a bright, talented woman who married early, had children in quick suc-cession, and felt trapped in suburban life. In 1965 as a neophyte birdwatcher she en-countered a blackburnian warbler. It was a turning point. As she later wrote, she felt “a blinding white light,” and began birding in earnest. But it was not until 1981, when she received her terrible diag-nosis, that she set out on an increasingly intense and obsessive quest, with no idea

continued on page eleven

www.nycaudubon.org 11

Memorial & Tribute Gifts

New York City Audubon would like to recognize the following individuals for gifts made from June through December 2009.

TRIBUTE GIFTS:In Honor of Greg & Susan Elbin—Frederick C. LuceIn Honor of Joseph H. Ellis—Andrew & Kathy BerkmanIn Honor of Marcia Fowle—Chuck & Jody LaMonte, Stephen T. PearlmanIn Honor of Lynne Hertzog—Ellen Breslow-NewhouseIn Honor of Glenn Phillips—Marilyn Katz

MEMORIAL GIFTS:In Memory of Karen Imparato Cotton—Mary Kate Barnes, Dr. John Cotton, David Dominguez, Jeffrey & Joan Hofman, Norman & Irene Katz, John K. Kim, Harry & Ellen Levine, Pamela Machold, Jack & Judy Mettee, Michael & Albina Paglia, John Passalaris, Louis Russo, Sandy Sanders, Andrew J. SchechtelIn Memory of Patricia Mazza—Emily Goldstein

MEMORIAL & HONOR GIFTSMaking a gift to NYC Audubon is a kind way to honor a friend or relative while also supporting

our mission to protect wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life

for all New Yorkers. Your memorial or honor gift will be acknowledged by name (not by amount)

in The Urban Audubon and in a letter to the person or family recognized. Please fill out the form

below and send it along with your tax-deductible contribution to the address below.

Enclosed is my gift of $ _____________[ ] In memory of _______________________________________________ [ ] In honor of _________________________________________________To commemorate________________________________________________Donor Name____________________________________________ _______Address________________________________________________________ Phone___________________________Please send acknowledgment to: Name _________________________________________________________Address _______________________________________________________

Mail this form with your payment to: New York City Audubon, 71 West 23rd Street, Room 1523, New York, NY 10010

A bequest is a thoughtful and straightforward way to protect birds and bird habitat in the five boroughs. It can be expressed “I bequeath [a sum of money or a percentage of my estate] to New York City Audubon

Society, Inc. a not-for-profit organization with offices at 71 West 23rd Street – Rm 1523, New York, NY 10010 for its general purposes.” Consult your attorney and give Executive Director Glenn Phillips a call at 212-691-7483.

REMEMBER NYC AUDUBON

News & Notes“BUFFER THE BAY” SITE ACQUIREDA 1.26-acre waterfront property

along Beach Channel Drive has been

acquired by the Trust for Public Land

(TPL) and will be donated to the NYC

Department of Parks & Recreation.

The property is a portion of a site iden-

tified as a priority by TPL and NYC

Audubon in the 1992 report Buffer the Bay Revisited, and is valued for its pub-

lic access opportunities. Funding from

the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Resources

Program of the Port Authority of New

York and New Jersey helped TPL

purchase the site.

GAS DRILLING IN NYC’S WATERSHEDNYC Audubon submitted comments

on the Draft Supplemental Generic

Environmental Impact Statement

on the oil, gas, and solution mining

regulatory program. We recommended

that NYS Department of Environmen-

tal Conservation withdraw its current

plan. Not only does the current plan

fail to properly protect important wa-

ter supplies, it also threatens to frag-

ment crucial breeding habitat for birds

that migrate through New York City.

BOOk REVIEWS continued from page ten

how long she would be able to keep going. Life List chronicles Phoebe Snetsinger’s

trips, catching some of the excitement of the hunt for new and exotic species, and we watch her become ever more proficient, rivaling the expertise of well-respected guides. She gains many admirers. But we also see a dark, driven side of this very private woman. Gentile tells the story with insight and delicacy, probing issues that many birders will recognize in their own lives, and giving a rounded portrait of a remarkable woman. PJ

12 www.nycaudubon.org

New York City Audubon

71 West 23rd Street

Room 1523

New York, NY 10010

DATED MATERIAL:March-April 2010 Newsletter

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

Permit No. 02743New York, NY

BRIGHT WINGS: AN EVENING OF BIRD POETRYBy Billy Collins & David Allen SibleyWith Columbia University Press and the Poetry Society of AmericaWednesday, March 10, 6:30pmAmerican Museum of Natural History79th Street at Central Park WestJoin noted illustrator David Allen Sibley and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins for an evening of avian-themed poems from their new book, Bright Wings: An Illustrated Anthology of Poems About Birds (see review on page 10). A selection of poets published in the book will be on hand to read their work.

Tickets are available at the event, or in advance by calling 212-769-5200. $15 general admission, $13.50 for members of the Poetry Society of America, NYC Audubon, and the American Museum of Natural History.

AMERICAN kESTRELS AT HAWk MOUNTAINBy keith l. Bildstein, Ph.D Wednesday, April 14, 6pm The Arsenal, Central Park64th Street at 5th Avenue As the most common raptor in New York City (and the emblem of NYC Audubon), American kestrels are thriving in the five boroughs. But they are facing serious population threats elsewhere in the U.S. Learn about Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s efforts to protect North America’s smallest falcon in the face of recent declines. Free

SAY GOODBYE TO THE CUCkOOBy Michael McCarthyWednesday, May 12, 6pm The Arsenal, Central Park64th Street at 5th Avenue For millennia, migrant birds such as the nightingale, the turtle dove, the swallow, and the cuckoo have annually flown out of Africa to bring the spring to Europe, and in so doing, become a part of Western culture. Now many of these birds are crashing in numbers, in what threatens to be not just a wildlife tragedy, but a cultural one. Free

ANNUAL MEETING AND LECTUREIN THE PINk: FLAMINGO CONSERVATION IN THE AMERICASBy Felicity Arengo, Ph.DWednesday, june 9, 6pmThe Arsenal, Central Park64th Street at 5th Avenue

2010 leCTuRe seRies All lectures are open to the public. The series has been made possible by the support of the Corcoran Group and Dr. Claude Bloch.

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