Long Island Council Meeting

The Eastern Long Island Audubon Society Hosted the LI Council Meeting at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, November 5, 2011.

Representatives from all the LI Audubon Chapters come together a few times a year to report events and issues to other LI Audubon Chapters.

Birds @ Kaler's Pond Audubon Center

There was a good number of Fall Birds at the Kaler's Pond Audubon Center's Feeding Station. Below are some of them.

White-throated Sparrow & House Sparrow (female)

House Sparrow (female)

House Sparrow (male)

Blue Jay

Blue Jay

Black-capped Chickadee

Brown-headed Cowbird (male)

Brown-headed Cowbird (male)

American Robin (winter visitor) 

American Robin (winter visitor)

House Finch (female)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (female)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (female)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (male)

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove

Group for the East End Program Schedule - September to December

Wildlife Migration Along Dune Road 

Location: Hampton Bays 

September 24, 2011   @9:30 AM - 12:00 PM 
 

Join us for a wildlife search along Dune Road west of the Shinnecock Inlet. The trip is timed to coincide with low tide, which should enhance our chances to see diverse shorebirds and wading birds. If winds are blowing from the northwest, migrating swallows, hawks, dragonflies, and butterflies will compete for our attention. Please bring binoculars. For more information contact Steve Biasetti at (631) 765-6450 ext. 205 or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org.

National Estuary Day Beach Exploration 

Location: Noyack 

September 25, 2011

@9:30 AM - 10:30 AM 

Help celebrate National Estuary Day by learning about one of our local "Estuaries of National Importance," the Peconic Estuary. Whether you are a seasoned beachcomber with a few questions, or a beach-goer who wants to learn more about the things around your towel space, this will be a fun exploration for you! This family friendly beach walk at Circle Beach in Noyack will include taking a close look at the common and hopefully not so common finds on our local bay beaches.  For more information contact Jen Skilbred at (631) 765-6450  ext. 212 or jskilbred@eastendenvironment.org.

Columbus Day Sunset Paddle 

Location: Southampton 

October 10, 2011 

@4:30 PM - 6:30 PM 

If Columbus could sail the ocean blue, we can certainly paddle North Sea Harbor in his honor! Whether you are looking for wildlife along the shores of Conscience Point National Wildlife Refuge, exploring Fish Cove, or ducking under the bridges in Davis Creek, this is a beautiful place to explore by kayak. Bring your own kayak and a picnic dinner. We will watch the almost-full moon rise as we nosh at the end of our paddle. Meet at the Southampton Town dock on Towd Point Road. For more information contact Kate Schertel at (631) 765-6450  ext. 208 or kschertel@eastendenvironment.org. 

"Just Missed the Full Moon" Paddle 

Location: Accabonac Harbor 

October 12, 2011  
@5:30 PM - 8:00 PM 

While the full moon is the night before, more than 99% of our nearest celestial neighbor will be in view to guide our exploration of Accabonac Harbor. Paddle your own boat or reserve one of ours. Spots are limited and reservations are required. Bring bug spray, something to drink and some layers. For more information contact Jeremy Samuelson at  (631) 537-1400 ext. 209 or jsamuelson@eastendenvironment.org.

Toxics in Your Backyard: What You Need to Know  

Location: Southold 

October 19, 2011 

@5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Living on Long Island and relying on a sole source aquifer for drinking water poses several challenges. Did you know that there are hundreds of registered toxic sites throughout the County? Learn the basics of how and where to look for areas impacted by toxic pollution, what you should do, and who to contact for more information to help protect your health and the natural environment. For more information contact Jenn Hartnagel at (631) 765-6450  ext. 211 or jhartnagel@eastendenvironment.org. 

Autumn Walk in the Woods 

 Location: East Hampton 

October 29, 2011 

@10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Start your day off with a walk in the woods! Join Group for the East End educator, Anita Wright, on a stroll through the Grace Estate in Northwest Woods of East Hampton… a beautiful place to see the fall foliage, especially around Scoy Pond. Families encouraged! For more information contact Anita Wright at (631) 537-1400  ext. 206 or acwright@eastendenvironment.org.

December Wildlife on Dune Road

Location: Hampton Bays 

December 4, 2011 

@9:00AM - 11:30AM

This morning wildlife search along Dune Road in Hampton Bays should encounter a variety of waterfowl, a handful of shorebirds, perhaps a few birds of prey, and a harbor seal or two. Please bring binoculars. For more information contact Steve Biasetti at (631) 765-6450  ext. 205 or sbiasetti@eastendenvironment.org.

New York State Ornithological Association Shorebird Workshop & Field Trip

NYSOA Shorebird Workshop and Field Trip 
September 17-18, 2011

Here’s your chance to learn one of Mother Nature’s most challenging groups of birds. The New York State Ornithological Association is offering a shorebird identification workshop and field trip on the weekend of September 17-18, 2011.  Kevin McGowan, former NYSOA president and co-editor of The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State, will conduct a shorebird identification workshop and lead a field trip to the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, one of the state’s most important inland shorebird stopover sites.  The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Montezuma Audubon Center from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, September 17th. 

The Sunday morning field trip is open to all current members of NYSOA but limited to 20 participants. Attendees must register in advance by calling Kathy Schneider at (518) 799-3457 or emailing her at fallline@berk.com.   Additional details are available on NYSOA's website, www.nybirds.org.

A Visit to Plum Island by the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society

Our Audubon group requested a visit to Plum Island to observe the wildlife and have a guided tour of the facilities. Although it was a lengthy process to gain access it was well worth it. Not many get to visit Plum Island. Since the announcement of the possible sale of Plum Island many environmental groups have stepped forward to try and preserve the Island for birds and wildlife. 

We all gathered in the early morning to take a ferry ride over to the island. We were given ID tags and papers to sign regarding the rules and regulations of the island for visitors. There is a lot of security and rightfully so. Plum Island is the home of the Animal Disease Research Center and a Level 3 Bio Lab. Visitors to Plum Island are assigned a tour guide receive a Welcome and PIADC Mission Overview by Dr. Larry Barrett, DVM.

~Eric Salzman, who is also an Audubon member, writes: 

"Plum Island is undoubtedly the most mysterious location on Long Island and, as the home of the U.S. Animal Disease Laboratory, it certainly has the scariest reputation. This piece of glacial moraine, just off the tip of Orient Point, is one of a series of islands and promontories in the region that were formerly the site of elaborate coastal fortifications and defenses meant to protect us from enemy attack by sea. Since the Animal Disease Center was established there in 1954, the island has become the subject of many controversies and conspiracy theories, mostly having to do with germ warfare. In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security, which has taken possession of the facility and the island, has instituted a program of community outreach permitting visitors to tour the facility and the island under highly controlled circumstances. The laudable aim is to defuse the atmosphere of mystery and fear surrounding this place. The tour for birders which took place this morning was part of that effort.

At 11 am, the indoor part of the tour ended with a visit to a coastal area just back of the main lab building where a rehabilitated Osprey -- a young bird that had been injured -- was being released."

Osprey being released by Hampton's Wildlife

This young osprey was found weak and undernourished near an Osprey Nest on Plum Island

The Osprey was nursed back to health by Hampton Wildlife

"First the mammal highlight. Although ordinary land mammals are not welcome on Plum Island, the island has become known as a major hauling-out place for seals. It would be no surprise to see seals here in the winter but it was a treat to see them in the summer. Several large-headed animals were seen from the shore, all them apparently Gray Seals, a creature that was, not very long ago, considered scarce even in the northern latitudes that are the center of its distribution. ~Eric Salzman

Gray Seal

Gray Seal

Gray Seal

Gray Seal

Eric Salzman &  MaryLaura Lamont

Common Tern

Common Terns, Immature Gull & Double-Crested Cormorant

Double-Crested Cormorants

Common Tern &  Immature Gulls

Common Tern &  Immature Gulls

Common Tern, Immature Gulls & Double-Crested Cormorants

Immature Gulls & Double-Crested Cormorants

Immature Gulls

"Another northerner that was seen several times around the edges of the island was Common Eider. Again this is a creature that one would expect to see in the winter but the presence of these birds here in the summer suggests that they may be breeding on the island (they have bred, if I am not mistaken, on nearby Fisher's Island). This is a remarkable exception to the rule that climate change is pushing southern birds north. This is a northerner that is expanding to the south and Plum Island may be Exhibit B." ~Eric Salzman

Common Eider

 "Two young Turkey Vultures, perched on the roof of one of the abandoned buildings of the old Fort Tyler, also suggest that these birds may have birthed on the island. The first documented breeding on Long Island was in an abandoned fortification in Camp Hero in Montauk in a very similar kind of habitat." ~Eric Salzman

Young Turkey Vultures

  "Perhaps the most spectacular avian sights on the island were the agglomerations of terns and swallows. Terns were everywhere -- fishing in the straits on the side of the island, perched on the adjacent jetties and rocks with myriad young birds calling to be fed by their parents. Most of these birds were Common Terns -- numbering in the thousands -- but there were a few Roseates, Forster's and Black Terns mixed in. I'm not sure if any of these terns actually bred on Plum Island but it should be pointed out that Great Gull Island, the next island over and also a former military establishment, is home to one of the largest tern colonies in the world (dominated by Common Terns but also including considerable numbers of the much rarer Roseate Terns). " ~Eric Salzman

Common Terns & Double Crested Cormorants

Common Terns & Double Crested Cormorants

Common Terns

"The island was also playing host to thousands of Tree Swallows as well as smaller number of Barn Swallows, moving through in their annual migration. The swarms of Tree Swallows, each flock containing hundreds of birds, filled the air over the natural island greenery, presumably hunting insects, and occasionally landing to perch side-by-side on long stretches of wire. The migration of the Tree Swallows is one of Long Island's great bird spectacles and the Plum Island gatherings precede their continuing flight though coastal Long Island. " ~Eric Salzman

Tree Swallows & small number of Barn Swallows

Tree Swallows & small number of Barn Swallows

Tree Swallows & small number of Barn Swallows

Tree Swallows & small number of Barn Swallows

"There were small numbers of shore birds seen (including a possible Hudsonian Godwit in flight -- seen by me but no one else) and a Belted Kingfisher. In the raptor department, there was a Red-tailed Hawk, a Northern Harrier and of course, many Osprey. A gray-backed accipiter was briefly seen by two or three people in the group who ID'd it as a possible Goshawk (although all male accipiters are gray-backed). A fair number of familiar passerines were seen in both the densely vegetated and more open areas including Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird and an American Redstart. " ~Eric Salzman

Plum Island Shore

Mary Laura Lamont, Gigi Spates & Tom Moran

Plum Island Shore

Plum Island Lighthouse

Plum Island Lighthouse stands on three-acres at the west end of Plum Island, which were purchased from Richard Jerome for $90 in 1826, and marks the east side of Plum Gut, a mile-wide entrance to Long Island Sound with extremely strong tidal currents. ~ Lighthouse Friends

“This lighthouse was built in 1869,” Wiggin said. “The first lighthouse was built in 1826.” He said the lighthouses were manned from 1826 until the second structure was abandoned in 1978. He pointed out that the lighthouse used to be 300 feet from Plum Gut but erosion has cut that to 50 feet. ~Lighthouse Depot

Plum Island Lighthouse

Out buildings on the right of Lighthouse

Sally Newbert & Mary Laura Lamont

Eileen Schwin, President of Eastern Long Island Audubon Society

"Since it has been announced that the Animal Disease Laboratory will move to Manhattan, Kansas, it looks like Plum Island may soon be on the block. Environmentalists and others would like to see it preserved from development. Along with Great Gull Island (currently owned by the American Museum of Natural History) and Gardiners Island (if it ever comes on the market), Plum Island could serve as the nucleus of a superb East End Islands National Park. "~Eric Salzman

Group Photo

 1st Row: ? Wilson, Evelyn Voulgarelis, Gigi Spates, Eileen Schwinn, ? Salzman, Mary Laura Lamont, Annette DeGiovine Oliveira, Sally Newbert

2nd Row: Dan Wilson, Eric Lamont, Eric Salzman, Tom Moran, Chris Schmitt

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You can visit Eric Salzman's blog at  http://ericsalzman.blogspot.com/

Photos by Sally Newbert

Photos & editing by Annette DeGiovine Oliveira