The Rivertown Naturalist - Hudson River Audubon Society
Transcription
The Rivertown Naturalist - Hudson River Audubon Society
The Rivertown Naturalist of the January/February 2010, vol. 37, no.4 Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester, Inc. is a non-profit chapter of the National Audubon Society serving the communities of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington and Yonkers. Our mission is to foster protection and appreciation of birds, other wildlife and habitats, and to be an advocate for a cleaner, healthier environment. www.hras.org DIRECTIONS TO LENOIR PRESERVE Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester, Inc. holds its meetings at Lenoir, a Westchester County Nature Preserve, on Dudley Street in Yonkers, New York (914) 968-5851. By car: Take Saw Mill River Parkway to Exit 9, Executive Blvd. Take Executive Blvd. to its end at North Broadway and turn right. Go ¼ mile on North Broadway and turn left onto Dudley Street. Parking lot is on the left. Hudson River Audubon Societ y of Westchester What We Don’t See: A Look at the Hidden Biodiversity in a Hudson River Tidal Marsh january 27 ~ 7:00 pm ~ lenoir nature center Join HRAS and Eric Lind for a program focusing on the wildlife and recent activities at Constitution Marsh. Eric Lind is the Director of the Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary, a 270-acre tidal marsh located in Putnam County, New York on the east shore of the Hudson River, just south of the village of Cold Spring. This program will take place Wednesday, January 27 at 7:30 pm (refreshments served at 7:00 pm) at the Lenoir Preserve Nature Center. Program is free and open to the public. The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies Weather permitting, on Wednesday, February 24, 7:00 pm at the Lenoir Preserve Nature Center, there will be a special showing of a spectacular DVD, entitled The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies. This NOVA production stars hundreds of thousands of butterflies. Once a year, a veritable flood of monarch butterflies take to the skies of North America, heading from birthplaces in Canada and the U.S. for two months to a final destination 2,000 miles away in the mountains of Central Mexico. How do they do it — and how even dedicated scientists can’t trick them into going elsewhere — remains a mystery. Also mark your calendars & watch for details in future newsletters about programs for Spring 2010: March 24: Antarctica. A Trip to One of the Most Beautiful, Remote, and Interesting Places on Earth April 28: The Birds of Central Park May 26: Costa Rican Ecology, Our Coffee and Our Cars. A Naturalist’s Travel and Musings in Central America June 23: Members’ Night drawing by kirsten munson Newsletter 2 The Rivertown Naturalist 9 th Annual “Seasons at Project FeederWatch at Lenoir Lenoir” Art & Photography Exhibit We began our Project FeederWatch Once again, it’s time to decide on works you wish to submit for our annual exhibit. As always, artwork season at the Lenoir Nature Center in any media and photography are welcome. The only in November with very few birds, due to the warm criteria is that works must be inspired by the weather. The birds were still able to find food on their Lenoir Nature Preserve. own. However, there are now plenty of birds at our feeders, and we invite you to come see them and help There are so many possible subjects — Lenoir’s us count. abundant wildlife, gardens, trees, structures, volunteers, staff and visitors engaged in activities Below is our schedule for the rest of the season. at Lenoir or just enjoying the serenity — to name a Note that there are still 2 vacancies if you’d like to be few. There will be a “Kids Corner” for the creations of the “leader” on either of those days. To volunteer children involved in our education programs. to be the leader of the day, or to find out information about the times of each watch, please call or email If you wish to have your works included or have Carol Lange (CarolLange @ aol.com; 914-668-5101). questions, please call Lynn Shaw at 718-549-2380 or email her at Lynnbshaw @ msn.com before Saturday, January 16 — Kelli and Michael February 20 (please write “Seasons at Lenoir” in the Sunday, January 17 — Jackie Bruskin subject area). Also include titles of works, media, Saturday, January 30 — Pamela Sullivan and prices if you wish to sell. Please make note of all Sunday, January 31 — Mary Harrington dates. There is no February newsletter, so there will be Saturday, February 13 — Paul Oehrlein no reminders. Sunday, February 14 — Kelli and Michael Dates to Remember 9:30am– 12pm Sunday, February 28 — Sandra Wright Works to Lenoir (must be ready for hanging) Saturday, March 6 11:00am– 2pm Opening Reception Saturday, April 3 10:00am– 3pm Pick up Works The gallery will be open to visitors on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Saturday, March 13 — Alan Soiefer Sunday, March 14 — Jackie Bruskin Saturday, March 27 — open Sunday, March 28 — Mary Harrington Thursday, April 8 — Yvonne Lynn Friday, April 9 — Hilary Soiefer drawings by kirsten munson Saturday, February 27 Saturday, February 27 — open Remember, we are INSIDE looking out at the birds, and we have refreshments! The Rivertown Naturalist 3 Science Watch: Homing in on How Pigeons Navigate “We have recorded for the first time the brain waves of a free navigating animal.” —A. Vyssotski saul scheinbach Since the Egyptians first took advantage of the innate homing ability of pigeons 3,000 years ago, we have been intrigued by their ability to fly hundreds of kilometers (km) and find their way back to their home roost from a place they never have seen before. The homing pigeon (Columba livia), a domesticated form of the rock pigeon, has been an important tool in human communication. The founder of Reuters News used a fleet of pigeons to deliver stock prices. Pigeons told the Romans of the conquest of Gaul. News of the battle of Waterloo was first delivered to England by pigeons. During World War I a pigeon was even given the Croix de Guerre, awarded for heroism during combat, for delivering important messages despite having been wounded. Pigeon navigation appears to rely on several signals at different times; sighting the sun, detecting the smell of the home loft and sensing the earth’s magnetic field all play a role when flying over unfamiliar countryside — see Science Watch: The Sixth Sense of Homing Pigeons (September 2007) or at www.hras.org. Visual cues such as highways and railroad tracks appear to predominate when birds fly over familiar landmarks. While scientists agree that this “map and compass” strategy allows pigeons to perform their remarkable navigational feats, it has been impossible to determine what visual cues a bird perceives during flight, and so the nature of the mental map has remained controversial. Now a study of pigeon brain waves dur ing f lig ht reveals exactly what pigeons pay attention to in order to help them navigate. Writing in the July 28, 2009 issue of Current Biology, physiologist and animal behaviorist Alexei Vyssotski and colleagues at the University of Zurich in Switzerland found that pigeons’ brains show distinctive activity as they fly over familiar sites. Such characteristic brain waves indicate that pigeons identify landmarks and therefore develop a local map during homing. The researchers used a device, the “Neurologger 2”, which consists of a GPS tracker and an electroencephalograph to track the birds’ route while also recording brain activity during flight. The team outfitted 26 birds with this instrument, which weighs just two grams (0.07oz), and let them loose over the Mediterranean Sea, 18 km (11.2 miles) from the Italian coast and 30 km (18.6 miles) from their home loft. Vyssotski et al. were able to identify a particular band of brain waves (middle frequency) that diminished as the pigeons flew over the featureless surface of the water, but showed up as the birds neared the coastline and flew over familiar landmarks. Birds flying in flocks produced fewer brain waves than single birds, indicating they paid less attention to where they were and relied more on their fellows for guidance. Birds were also released 5 km (3.1 miles) from the home loft over land, where they had to fly over two familiar landmarks (highways) to reach home. Middle frequency brain waves again peaked as the birds passed over the highways. However, the team also saw peaks in brain activity when they did not expect them. These peaks occurred at two points close to home as the birds flew over a featureless rural area. Something had caught the birds’ attention, and when the team visited the spots, they found feral pigeon colonies at both locations. Clearly the birds had more in mind than just the flight path. Bird brains, even those of pigeons, are more complicated than we may think. 4 The Rivertown Naturalist Upcoming Programs at Lenoir Nature Center January 9, 2010 – 10:00 am Introduction to Birds and Birding How does color help a bird? Why do birds sing? Why are birds able to fly? Learn the answers to these questions and more. We will also learn how to identify birds and where to bird in Westchester. Come and join us as we watch and identify birds as they come to the feeders at Lenoir Nature Preserve. All ages welcome. February 6, 2010 – 10:00 am Surviving the Winter How do animals survive the cold, ice and snows of winter. What strategies do they use? Why do some animals leave our area in the winter? Why don’t frogs and turtles freeze? What happens to insects in the winter? How do squirrels and deer survive? Learn the answers to these questions and more at Lenoir Nature Preserve. All ages welcome. “Eider we find it, or we don’t…” From Friday, November 27 to Monday, November 30, Michael, Kelli, Carol, Jackie, Fran, Saul and Judi and two of Judi’s friends, Lois and Alan, braved the winds and the surprisingly welcome warm days to bird the Cape Ann and Gloucester area in Massachusetts. We had ocean views from the motel and could even bird from our rooms; we had good food choices; we had parks, preserves, oceans, inlets, and roadsides from which to look for birds. And we had sunshine. There were even leftover autumn colors, berries and flowers. And we all got to see a King Eider! A rare visitor from the far north. In addition, other highlights were Common Eiders, a Snow Goose, Surf-, White- and Black scoters, and a Northern Gannet, all close up, as well as many far away birds, unidentifiable to all but Michael in his scope. Total number = 47 species. On one of the days of the trip, Michael and Kelli shared the birth of their great-niece, Laiken Jewel, with us. A new “lifer” for HRAS. Welcome! — judi veder April 3, 2010 – 10:00 am A Walk to Welcome Spring Join us as we take a walk around Lenoir Nature Preserve to see nature awakening after winter. What birds have returned from their winter homes? Which wildflowers are in bloom? Are the salamanders active? Join us as we explore the preserve in search of nature’s wonders. All ages welcome. Spotlighted Species: Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus) A small active acrobatic bird with a black cap and bib, white cheeks, buffy sides and a bold manner make this bird a favorite at winter feeders. They range across the northern United States drawing by kirsten munson and southern Canada. Its diet is seeds, insects and berries; they nest in tree cavities often enlarging small natural cavities in rotten wood. Chickadees gather in small flocks and may be joined by Nuthatches and Titmice. To survive the winter, Chickadees have dense plumage and shiver to keep warm. On a cold winter night, they drop their temperature and go into a state of controlled hypothermia. Listen for its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call. — walter chadwick The Rivertown Naturalist 5 Hudson River Audubon Field Trips New York State Waterfowl Count Eagle Fest Sunday, January 17, 2010 Saturday, February 6, 2010 meet at 7:30 am at van cortlandt park all day, croton point park Michael Bochnik will be covering the West Bronx for the New York State Ornithological Association’s (SNYSOA) NY State Waterfowl Count. Please join him as he covers Van Cortlandt Park in search of waterfowl. Meet at the southern end of the Golf Course building at 7:30 am. SNYSOA has conducted this survey annually since 1955, except for a brief hiatus in 1968–1972. Results are published in “The Kingbird”, the quarterly journal for SNYSOA. In most years, more than a quarter of a million birds are tallied. In addition to being an enjoyable outing, DEC has acknowledged this to be a useful survey for long-term monitoring of waterfowl populations wintering in New York. Other birds will be searched for including winter Rusty Blackbirds. Trip over by 10 am. The 6th Annual Eagle Fest sponsored by Teatown Reservation salutes the Bald Eagle with live birds, entertaining show and informative programs. Hudson River Audubon Society will help man an observation site, most likely at the southern end of the Croton train station. Come anytime during the day. More information on the Fest can be found at www.teatown.org/eaglefest.htm Past Kingbird Journals Now Online Owl Prowl Saturday, January 30, 2010 Pelham Bay Park offers you the best chance to see up to four or more species of owls. Great Horned Owls may be nesting and both Saw-whet and Long-eared Owls may be hiding in the pines. Barn and Barred Owls are occasionally found as well. The park holds many half-hardies in winter such as Brown Trasher, Gray Catbird and Hermit Thrush. Fox Sparrows are usually found easily in the woods. View of the Sound should yield a variety of ducks, loon and grebes. We’ll travel to the southern area of the park where the stadium lights host huge Monk Parakeet nests, and a walk to the base of the old landfill may yield a variety of sparrows in the fields and raptors patrolling the dump for a meal. We will also have a friendly cupcake bakeoff as well. Taste some of the best cupcakes around and vote for the best! (Joint trip with Huntington Audubon) drawing by kirsten munson meet at 8:00 am at pelham bay park, bronx (northeast corner, or far left as you enter the large parking lot) The Kingbird, a quarterly journal published by the New York State Ornithological Association (NYSOA), is devoted exclusively to New York State ornithology. Field reports of rarities, often with photographs, are a regular feature, along with general articles on birds and bird behavior, and good birding areas. Now 56 years of past Kingbird journals can now be viewed online at www.nybirds.org/KBsearch.htm As current editor for Region 9, I think this is an invaluable tool for anyone looking at New York State’s past avian history. For instance, in 1951 in The Kingbird, vol. 1 # 4, it was reported that 10 warblers were regular breeders in Grassy Sprain: “Yellow and Blue-winged Warblers, Redstart, Yellow-throat and Ovenbird still nest in the large parks of the Bronx. At Grassy Sprain in Westchester County, all of these species as well as the Black and White, Worm-eating, Chestnut-sided and Hooded Warblers and the Louisiana Water-thrush are regular breeders.” Now only Common Yellow-throat, Yellow, Blue-wing, and Prairie Warblers regularly breed. Or how in 1951, a pair of Canada geese with three young was a notable record. — michael bochnik 6 The Rivertown Naturalist [email protected] 914-237-9331 Vice-President Saul Scheinbach [email protected] 718-884-4740 Conservation Paul Steineck [email protected] Treasurer Paul Oehrlein [email protected] 914-693-2569 Secretary Judi Veder [email protected] 718-884-4740 Education Beverly Smith [email protected] 914-965-5553 Walter Chadwick [email protected] 914-237-5791 Publicity Jeanette Johnson [email protected] 914-965-7541 Membership Carol Lange [email protected] 914-668-5101 Programs/Season’s Lynn Shaw [email protected] 718-549-2380 Butterfly Garden Mary T. Harrington [email protected] 914-667-1494 Science Saul Scheinbach [email protected] 718-884-4740 Circulation William Van Wart 914-376-2401 Hospitality Kelli Bochnik [email protected] 914-237-9331 Educator Walter Chadwick [email protected] 914-237-5791 Feeder Watch Carol Lange [email protected] 914-668-5101 Development/Bluebird Trail Pamela Sullivan [email protected] 914-591-7399 Lenoir Liaison Danniela Ciatto [email protected] 914-968-5851 Rivertown Naturalist Editor Sandra Wright [email protected] 914-674-9147 Join The Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester! Every membership supports Audubon’s vital efforts to protect birds, other wildlife and natural habitats. Membership includes a subscription to Audubon magazine and affiliation with National Audubon. As a member, you will also receive our chapter newsletter, The Rivertown Naturalist, and an open invitation to all our guest lectures, field trips and events. SIGN ME UP AS A NEW MEMBER. ONE YEAR FOR $20. Name Address City State Zip Code Telephone CHAPTER NO C9ZR200z Send check and this application to: National Audubon Society P.O. Box 422250 Palm Coast, FL 32142-2250 Please make check payable to National Audubon Society. www.hras.org ✄ HRAS BOARD MEMBERS & VOLUNTEERS President/Field Trips Michael Bochnik HUDS ON R IV E R AUDUB ON S OC IE T Y OF W E S T C HE S T E R , INC P .O. B ox 616 Y ONK E R S , NY 10703 DA T E D MA T E R IA L P leas e E xpedite NON P R OF IT OR G . U.S . P OS T A G E P A ID W HIT E P L A INS . NY P ermit 7312