www.hobaudubon.org 1

November – December 2012 Volume 1, No. 2

Huntington–Oyster Bay Audubon Society A chapter of the National Audubon Society

Serving Huntington and Northern Oyster Bay Townships

Book Drive: Children’s Nature

Books Wanted

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon

Society is collecting new or gently

used children’s nature books for

The Early Years Institute (EYI).

EYI is creating small libraries for

underserved children in

communities across Long Island in order to address the

growing literacy crisis. As a nature-based organization,

HOBAS is slanting our collection towards nature-based

books, but we will accept all books, as long as they are for

children. Please make sure that the books are in good

shape, no moldy or musty books can be accepted. In

addition to English, Spanish and Creole language books

are needed. For more information on EYI, visit the

website: www.eyi.org. Deadline for book donations is

November 16th

. Book drop offs will be accepted at our

November 14th

monthly program, or you can e-mail

stella.miller63@yahoo.com to arrange a separate drop off.

Thank you so much for your help!

Birdseed Sale 2012

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon will

hold its annual birdseed sale on:

Saturday, December 8 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

at Huntington High School

The deadline for orders is November 13, but we will

have a limited amount of extra seed for purchase on a first-

come, first-served basis. The prices for birdseed have

risen tremendously in the past several years due to

worldwide supply and demand issues and drought in the

Midwest. We did our best to keep our prices down and

appreciate your continued support.

Proceeds from this important fundraiser will benefit

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society’s conservation,

environmental education, and youth programs.

Thank you for your support and we wish you a safe and

comfortable winter, with many enjoyable hours of bird

watching at your feeders!

The 2012 Long Island Natural History Conference

will be held at the Brookhaven National Laboratory on

Friday, November 16, with field trips scheduled at

various locations throughout Long Island on Saturday,

November 17. The aim of the conference is to increase

communication among the community of local naturalists

and environmentalists. The two-day event will include a

number of presentations by leading naturalists on various

aspects of Long Island natural history on Friday, and a

series of field trips on Saturday.

The steering committee has put together an exciting

program for this year’s conference including recent

research and conservation issues related to river otters,

Atlantic white cedars, diamondback terrapins, horseshoe

crabs, alewives, seals, leopard frogs, trends among Long

Island’s avifauna, and the flora and fauna of Plum Island.

Peter Alden, author of the Audubon Society’s Regional

Field Guide series, will be our keynote speaker.

For more information and to register, please visit

http://longislandnature.org/conference.html. This is the

first of what is hoped will be an annual event.

Killdeer

Inside This Issue

Guatemala Scholarships ..................................... 2

From the President ........................................... 3

Green Fire and Highway Cleanups ......................... 4

A Teenager on Appledore Island, CBC, Birders’ Box ..... 5

Meetings and Events ......................................... 6

Field Trips and Activities .................................... 7

Children’s Programs .......................................... 8

Killdeer Nov – Dec 2012

2 www.hobaudubon.org

Long Island & the Cloud Forests of Guatemala

In the last issue we announced that we are partnering with

Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) by

providing educational scholarships for two young

Guatemalan women to continue their schooling beyond the

6th

grade. Young women that show leadership skills in this

scholarship program are invited into teaching roles for

CCFC’s “Kids and Birds Initiative” program, which is

funded by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the United

States Fish and Wildlife Service. These young women

teach the “Kids and Birds Initiative” curriculum to

younger students in eight remote mountain villages. The

recipients of the HOBAS scholarships are Elvira Ac Macz

and Maricela Sacrab Coy and they both teach the younger

children about birds and conservation.

Elvira Ac Macz in the classroom

Maricela Sacrab Coy teaching

The mission of the Huntington-Oyster Bay

Audubon Society is to increase community

awareness about the environment and to

encourage others to enjoy and protect birds and

other wildlife in their natural habitats.

Killdeer is the newsletter of the

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society

P.O. Box 735

Huntington, NY 11743-0735

a chapter of the National Audubon Society and is

published five times a year.

Officers

President Stella Miller 516-682-5977 Vice President Vacant

Secretary Ginger Mahoney 516-922-4599

Treasurer Cathy Fitts 631-427-8623

Newsletter

Editor Charlotte Miska 516-922-9710

For Distressed Wildlife Call

Volunteers for Wildlife 516-674-0982

You can find us on the Web at

www.hobaudubon.orgH

e-mail us at has@huntingtonaudubon.org

MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS Cold Spring Harbor Public Library

7:00 PM Refreshments

7:30 PM Speaker

Wednesday, November 14, 2012:

A Bird’s Eye View: How Birds See the

World with Robert Fergus, Ph.D.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012:

The Great Sperm Whale: The Most

Mysterious and Magnificent Creature

on Earth with Richard Ellis

See page 6 for details.

Nov – Dec 2012 Killdeer

www.hobaudubon.org 3

From the President Stella Miller

Hello and happy autumn. HOBAS

has had a busy summer and fall

season and I wanted to fill you in on

some chapter happenings as well as

important news.

HOBAS UPDATES

Children’s Programs: Our kids

programs have been a big hit!

Butterflies, owls, creatures of the

night, and woodland rambles have been the subjects of

some of our Little Naturalist and Young Naturalist Story

Time and Craft Circles. These programs have been a great

success and in fact, we have had to turn kids away due to

space limitations. Because we believe that children of all

financial backgrounds should have the opportunity to learn

about and explore nature we will continue to offer these

programs at no charge, although parking or location fees

will apply, depending upon the venue.

Beach Cleanups at Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge: Thanks to all the volunteers who came out this

summer to help keep this refuge trash free. We had 24

volunteers in June and over 40 in September.

Ivy Pulls at Shu Swamp: We are happy to announce

that our efforts are making a difference. This spring,

native trout lily and dwarf ginseng returned to the cleared

section of our target area, followed by ferns after these

spring ephemerals had faded for the season. There is still a

huge area to be tackled and we need your help at our

monthly pulls. Great snacks are provided, including

cheese, crackers, and even pizza on occasion. Join the Shu

Crew for a fun couple of hours!

IN THE NEWS Plum Island: In mid-October the GSA held two hearings

(one in Connecticut, the other in New York) to solicit

public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) prepared to assess the environmental

impacts associated with the public disposition of the

Island. The GSA will now respond to these comments as

they continue moving forward in the review process.

In the meantime, the Preserve Plum Island Coalition wrote

a comprehensive letter to federal Senators from

Connecticut and New York and various Congressional

representatives urging their support for protecting the

Island and preventing its disposal. A copy of this letter is

available on the Coalition's website, as well as our own.

We will continue to keep you updated on our efforts to

preserve Plum Island.

Underhill Preserve: This 75-acre wildlife haven in

Jericho was set aside as open space back in 2002. Since

then, it has faded into obscurity, with no public access. A

couple years ago, I began exploring the property and was

both delighted and appalled by what I found. While the

wooded areas were carpeted in invasive non-native plant

species, the grasslands and meadows still held promise. At

the beginning of the year we began reaching out to the

Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Town

of Oyster Bay, and Nassau County regarding a

management plan for the property, including a grassland

restoration project. In April, we met with officials from all

three entities and were asked to take the lead on such a

plan. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our

control, an assessment of the property has not been made

and so we have been unable to begin restoration work.

HOBAS has been named Park Steward of the DEC’s

section of the preserve. We are still waiting for the Town

and County to prepare stewardship agreements for us with

regards to their respective sections. Unfortunately, as we

wait for the wheels to turn, the invasive problem has gotten

worse and we have our work cut out for us (and will need a

minimum of $25,000) if we want to restore the grasslands

and meadows. Once everything is firmly in place we will

have a call to arms, for both volunteers and funds.

Invasive Species: Speaking of invasive species, on July

24, 2012, Governor Cuomo signed legislation that will

protect our native habitats and waterways from the

devastating impact of non-native invasive species. The

new law provides the Department of Environmental

Conservation and the Department of Agriculture and

Markets with the authority to regulate the sale, purchase,

possession, introduction, importation, and transport of

invasive species and establishes penalties for those who

violate such regulations. As staunch believers that perhaps

the greatest threat facing our parks and preserves on LI are

non-native species, we applaud Governor Cuomo’s action!

Carpenter Farm: At the September 12, 2012 Huntington

Town Board Meeting, Councilman Cuthbertson sponsored

Resolution 2012-414 authorizing the Town purchase of the

12.5-acre site known as Carpenter Farm in Greenlawn.

This resolution passed by a 4-1 majority. Initially, the

Town of Huntington was partnering with Suffolk County

to purchase the development rights, but there were

timetable conflicts between the County and the willing

sellers of Carpenter Farm which changed the decision to

acquire this parcel as parkland without the County’s

participation. Members of HOBAS will be touring the

property to see firsthand the ecological value of the

property and offer our input. For more information, go to

http://www.huntingtonny.gov.

Thank you for your continued support. As always, we

value our members, supporters, and volunteers!

by going to www.hobaudubon.org to get the latest updates, alerts, and a color copy

of the Killdeer!

Killdeer Nov – Dec 2012

4 www.hobaudubon.org

Out on a Limb Alex McKay

I had an opportunity this summer at the Adirondack

Museum to view the film Green Fire, a documentary

celebrating the life, work, and writings of Aldo Leopold,

best known for his A Sand County Almanac. Featuring

family, scholars, and historical footage, the film traces

Leopold from boyhood to his untimely death while

fighting a brush fire. Scenes of landscapes he knew as a

young forester in Arizona and New Mexico and his shack

and it surroundings in the Wisconsin sand hills, help one to

visualize his prose while revisiting the Almanac as I did

after seeing Green Fire.

The film takes its title from an essay in the central section

of the book, Thinking Like a Mountain, in which he

describes his experience as a young man firing on a pack

of wolves from a mountain and seeing a wolf die. “We

reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire

dying in her eyes . . . I thought that because fewer wolves

meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’

paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that

neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a

view.” The experience led Leopold to appreciate the role

of predators and to become a leading Forest Service

professional and voice in wildlife ecology.

Later in the same essay, he comes to the conclusion that

“perhaps this is behind Thoreau’s dictum: In wildness is

the salvation of the world. Perhaps this is the hidden

meaning in the howl of the wolf, long known among

mountains, but seldom perceived among men.” In

rereading the Almanac I began seeing many parallels

between Leopold and Thoreau – the cabin at Walden, the

shack in the sand hills, daily rambles to witness and record

the surrounding wildlife and plants, the precisely

descriptive and occasionally playful and ironic style, the

exasperation of seeing the landscape wasted and

mistreated, and the deep and abiding care for the

preservation of land and wilderness. They wrote almost a

hundred years apart, Walden in 1854, Sand County in

1949, a year after Leopold’s death, bookends to a century

of impassioned writing about our place in nature.

Strangely, Leopold misquoted Thoreau’s “In wildness is

the preservation of the world.” Salvation is perhaps a

more messianic purpose than preservation. He was among

the founders of The Wilderness Society and an active

advocate for wilderness values. In The Upshot, the final

section of his classic, Leopold moved to the philosophical

and ethical conclusions of his life in nature and

conservation. He advocated a “land ethic,” writing that

“the land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the

community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or

collectively, the land.” Our relation to the land is moral

and ethical, not merely economic. Land is not simply a

commodity, “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the

integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It

is wrong when it tends otherwise.” A message as relevant

today as it was in 1949.

The almanac section of the book is less than a hundred

pages of pieces he called “shack sketches” of “what my

family sees and does” at the week-end retreat on a worn

out sand farm which they began to rebuild “with shovel

and axe.” Of the twenty-two sketches arranged seasonally

from January to December, one of my favorites is a four

paragraph ode to Draba, “the smallest flower that blows”

although “no poets sing of it.” Another is “6520,” the

story of a chickadee banded repeatedly over five years,

“the sole survivor of his generation.” I’m sure you’ll find

your own.

There is much to chew on and digest in A Sand County

Almanac as there is in Walden. I was pleased that Green

Fire led me back to Leopold and by extension parts of

Thoreau. Both reward reading and rereading if only

passages or chapters at a time.

HOBAS will be showing Green Fire at its February 13th Membership Meeting. Mark your calendars for HOBAS Goes to the Movies!

Highway Cleanups

HOBAS has been conducting

cleanups along Pulaski Road

parallel to Wicks Farm for the

past three years. Perhaps you

have noticed the blue and white

signs announcing our stewardship

of this stretch of road. Cleanups

are conducted at 7:30 AM and usually take only

about an hour and a half. Meet at the parking lot

across from Wicks Farm. The next cleanup days are:

Sunday, November 25

Sunday, December 16

If you want to be part of this fun group, contact

Simone DaRos at 516-987-7136. You can make a

difference by creating a cleaner environment while

getting a sense of community by being part of a nation-

wide program.

Nov – Dec 2012 Killdeer

www.hobaudubon.org 5

Gulls Are Fun – Adventures of a

Teenager on Appledore Island Brendan Fogarty, Youth Outreach Committee Co-chair

Gulls are fun.

Why? Because

gulls challenge the

integrity of every

peaceful beachside

picnic. Because

gulls can turn a

landfill into a bird-

identification

carnival. Because

gulls scream out

the dreamy marine

essence on their

briny breath. And

they do have briny

breath – but more

on that later. The

following is a brief

description of the work I serendipitously found on

Appledore Island.

In early June, six miles off of the Maine coast (but a

stone’s skip from the New Hampshire border), my position

as a gull intern officially began. I had been graciously

offered the position by Professor David Bonter while

studying at Cornell University. Since one of the job

requirements was to take his field ornithology class at the

Shoals Marine Lab on the island, I had already been on

Appledore for two weeks. But Dr. Bonter had left with the

rest of his students, leaving me and co-intern Shailee to

fend for ourselves out in Appledore’s gull colony.

In the mornings, we woke up early to survey about 60

Herring Gull nests, recording the contents of each nest for

a long-term study. Our untidy notebooks were brimming

with information about each individual nest, from the

distance between neighboring nests to the weight of each

chick contained within. Our laboratory space was filled

with blood samples from day-old chicks, bicycle helmets

sporting punctures from angry, dive-bombing parent gulls,

and a never-ending lineup of clothing and gear that needed

scrubbing. Between the airborne poop onslaught from the

parents and the vomited fish assault from the chicks, not a

day went by without some piece of equipment begging for

a though cleansing. And see – briny breath!

Afternoons were dedicated to individual projects. I

worked with the island’s Barn Swallows, monitoring their

breeding using a process similar to what was employed for

the gulls. I was aided by radio frequency identification

technology. I banded adult swallows and tagged them

with a tiny transponder that gave off identifying radio

signals in close proximity of certain simple antennae,

which I installed around their nests. In this way, I

recorded the activity of male versus female birds at their

nests. Despite a small study sample, I was pleased to find

one optimistic male was tending to broods at two nests!

This is an interesting, but not unprecedented behavior for

this species.

The two projects made each day on Appledore long and

exhausting, but filled with interesting observation and

experiences. I loved my time out in the Gulf of Maine and

would highly recommend a visit for anyone with an

interest in marine biology or looking to help out with any

of a variety of fascinating projects.

You Can be a Part of the CBC!

Take a break from the hectic holiday rush, have lot of fun,

and participate in the biggest citizen science project in the

world! Join us for the 113th

Annual Christmas Bird

Count (CBC) on Saturday, December 15th

. HOBAS

along with North Shore Audubon (NSAS) covers northern

Nassau County. To join the count, call Bill Reeves (631-

266-4309). If you can’t spend the whole day, come for

part of it. After a day in the field, a compilation supper

(location TBA) will be held where each group’s numbers

are recorded. Come enjoy some good food provided this

year by NSAS, the camaraderie of your fellow birders, and

hear the results of each group’s count. There are always

some interesting surprises.

Birders’ Box

September 9, Jamaica Bay. Sharon Brody led 4 participants on a lovely fall day at the National Wildlife Refuge. Besides the many species of ducks and warblers seen many waders and other birds were spotted. These included an American White Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Peregrine Falcon, Lesser Yellowlegs, Scarlet Tanager, and the bird of the day – a Sora.

September 23, Jones Beach. Blair Broughton and a group of 10 birders witnessed lots of fall migration bird activity. Despite the wind, hundreds of tree swallows were seen in large, swirling flocks. Large numbers of Black Skimmers and American Oyster Catchers were seen at the Coast Guard Station. Multiple sightings of Northern Harriers, Osprey, Kestrels, and Merlins kept everybody “raptured.” Pine Warbler, Eastern Peewee, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Northern Flickers were also seen.

September 30, Quaker Ridge Hawk Watch, Greenwich Audubon. Led by Blair Broughton a lovely fall day watching the hawk migration was enjoyed. Cooper’s Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Northern Harriers, Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, and many kettles of Broad-winged Hawks were observed. Also seen were Eastern Bluebirds, Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, and numerous Cedar Waxwings.

Species seen on 2012 HOBAS trips: 161

Killdeer Nov – Dec 2012

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MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Membership meetings and most activities of the Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society are free to members and nonmembers.

Meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at the Cold Spring Harbor Library except for the months of July and August.

Our refreshments will be set up and ready for you at 6:45 PM so that you will have ample time for socializing, meeting Board members,

and perusing the printed materials available. The program starts promptly at 7:30. For full program descriptions as well as speaker

biography, please go to www.hobaudubon.org.

Wednesday, November 14, 7:00 PM – Membership

meeting at the Cold Spring Harbor Library. A Bird’s Eye

View: How Birds See the World. Have you ever wondered

what it’s like to be a bird or how birds see the world? Rob

Fergus, Ph.D. will review the latest research on bird vision

and how birds use their senses to perceive and interact with

their world. Obtaining a real "bird's eye view" of the world

will help you better understand bird behavior and can

enhance your appreciation for their unique ways of life. Dr.

Fergus is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department

of Geography and the Environment at Rowan University,

where he teaches cultural geography and environmental

science. He also teaches urban ecology and biodiversity

courses at Rosemont College in Philadelphia, and provides

bird pest control consulting for BirdBGone, Inc.

Monday, December 3 – Deadline for the January-February

Killdeer.

Wednesday, December 12, 7:00 PM – Membership

meeting at the Cold Spring Harbor Library. The Great

Sperm Whale: The Most Mysterious and Magnificent

Creature on Earth with Richard Ellis. Although it is

probably the most familiar of all the great whales (Moby

Dick was a sperm whale), it is still one of the least-known

of all large animals. Their history is deeply entwined with

humans; the sperm whale was the primary target of the

Yankee whale fishery, providing oil to light the lamps of

19th-century America. Although they were heavily hunted

during the 18th

, 19th

, and 20th centuries, sperm whales are

now protected throughout the world, and the population is

believed to number around 300,000 down from 2 million

before whaling began. Richard Ellis is one of America's

leading marine conservationists and is the author of 18

critically acclaimed books and more than 80 magazine

articles, which have appeared in such journals as Geo,

Audubon, Natural History, Animal Kingdom, Curator,

Smithsonian, Science Digest, and National Geographic.

Wednesday, December 19, 7:15 PM – Meeting of the

Board of Directors at the Cold Spring Harbor Library.

Saturday, January 12, 2:00 PM – Motmots for Breakfast:

Birding in Costa Rica. Program at the Cold Spring Harbor

Library. If you’ve been to Costa Rica, come relive the fun.

If you haven’t, this is an opportunity to do some armchair

travelling (or folding-chair travelling), and get the

inspiration you need to start planning your own trip.

Dr. Bill Schutt, author of the critically acclaimed book Dark Banquet and an authority on vampire bats, will be our January speaker. However, due to his schedule, the January membership meeting may not occur on our usual

second Wednesday. Please see the January Killdeer for details. When available, the details will be on our website.

For $20 a year you can be a member of Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society. Your membership will help support

conservation efforts, and educational and youth programs. As a member you will receive our newsletter, an open invitation

to our monthly guest lectures, field trips, and events, along with special member’s only discounts and events.

Please fill out this form and mail with your

check payable to:

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society P.O. Box 735 Huntington, NY 11743-0735

HOBAS never sells or shares your personal information.

Name

Address

City

State Zip

e-Mail

THANK YOU!

HOBAS Membership Form

Schedule

Change?

Nov – Dec 2012 Killdeer

www.hobaudubon.org 7

FIELD TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES

Field trips are free, unless otherwise specified, and open to the public. Newcomers are welcome. Binoculars are advised. Carpooling is

possible, gas and tolls are shared. The trip leader is not responsible for arranging carpools, but will provide names of others who are

interested in carpooling. Registration is necessary. Call the trip leader by 9:00 PM Thursday for a Saturday trip and by 9:00 PM Friday for a

Sunday trip. You may participate if you didn’t register, but we will not be able to notify you of any changes or cancellations without your

phone number. Call the leader if in doubt about the weather. For the comfort and safety of all participants, there is no smoking on field trips.

Jamaica Bay Saturday, November 10, 9:00 AM. Internationally known

as a premier birding spot in the United States. Leader:

Sharon Brody. Call 516-433-5590 to register.

Directions: Belt Pkwy to Cross Bay Blvd south, exit 17S,

and head south. After crossing the bridge, look for parking

lot entrance on the right side, 1.25 miles from the bridge.

Turn right at the traffic light and meet in the parking lot.

Pelham Bay Park Sunday, November 18, 9:00 AM. A great spot to look for

owls, ducks, and permanent residents; maybe even Monk

Parakeets. Great views of Long Island Sound and a

pleasant hiking area. Leader: Blair Broughton. Call 631-

885-1881 to register.

Directions: Hutchinson River Parkway to the Pelham Bay

Park/City Island/Orchard Beach exit. Continue east farther

into the park past the traffic circle, then veering left to the

parking area on Hunters Island. Meet the group there.

Chickadee Walk for Families Saturday, December 8, 10:00 AM. Field trip for families to Elizabeth A.

Morton National Wildlife Refuge.

Morton NWR is famous for its tame

Chickadees, who are almost guaranteed

to alight upon their human visitors. Children will love this

experience and so will adults. Leaders: Stella Miller,

Kelly Simmons, and Tesi Copa. Call 516-695-0763 to

register. Registration is a must. Directions: Sunrise Hwy (27) east past Shinnecock Canal.

Look for North Sea and Noyack sign and bear left on

CR52. Stay on CR52, then turn left at light onto CR38.

After 1.4 miles on CR38, turn right onto Noyack Road.

After 5 miles, turn left into refuge. Small parking fee.

Northern Nassau Christmas Bird Count Saturday, December 15. Join Audubon members in the

oldest continuous citizen science project. Contact Bill

Reeves (631-266-4309) if you want to join this fun and

important activity. (See article on page 5.)

Montauk and the South Fork Saturday, January 5, 9:00 AM. All day trip. Winter

waterfowl abound including scoters, eiders, loons, gannets,

and numerous pond ducks. Leader: Sharon Brody. Call

516-433-5590 to register.

Directions: LIE to exit 70, Manorville. Go south on

Route 111 to Route 27. Take Route 27 east all the way to

Montauk Point Lighthouse. There may be a parking fee.

Meet by the restaurant opposite the parking lot.

Invasive Pulls at Shu Swamp

Join the Shu Crew as we continue our efforts to eradicate English ivy from this beautiful preserve. The

area that we have already pulled was covered in trout lily and dwarf ginseng, two spring ephemeral

wildflowers in May. Our efforts are paying off! Snacks (cheese and crackers and cookies) will be

provided to the volunteers. Bring garden gloves if you have them; wear clothes and shoes you don’t mind

getting muddy. Call Stella Miller, 516-695-0763, to register.

Saturday, November 17 at 10:00 AM

Saturday, December 1 at 1:30 PM

Directions: From Route 25A in East Norwich, take Route 106 north to Oyster Bay. Make left on to Lexington Ave then

another left on to West Shore Road. At the Mill Pond (on the left), bear to the right as if to go to Bayville. At first traffic

light (water will be on your right) make a left onto Cleft Road. Take Cleft Road to Frost Mill Road, make a left. (If you

wind up on the causeway going over Beaver Dam, you have gone too far.) Shu Swamp will be on your right after you go

under the train trestle.

www.hobaudubon.org 8

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society P.O. Box 735 Huntington, NY 11743-0735

Printed on recycled paper.

Children’s Programs

Call 516-695-0763 to register.

Presented by Kelly Simmons, Stella Miller, and Tesi Copa.

No unregistered siblings please.

Young Naturalists Owl Discovery Program, Craft and Owl Prowl for Kids Saturday, November 17, 6:00 PM. Have you ever wondered

what an owl eats for

dinner? Do you want to

know how they find their

dinner? Why are they such

excellent hunters? Can

they really see in the dark?

Just how many owls live on and visit Long Island? Join the

Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society as we learn the

interesting behavior and life-cycle of the several species of

owl which frequent our area. After the interactive program,

we will turn crafty and create pine cone owls to take home;

then head outside to try and call in an owl while the glue

dries. Each participant will be provided with material for

their pine cone owl. Group size limited to 20. For ages 6

and up. Directions to Planting Fields: LIE to Exit 41 North or

Northern State Parkway to Exit 35 North. Go north on Rte

106 towards Oyster Bay. Turn left onto 25A Northern Blvd.

Make first right onto Mill River Road. Follow green and

white signs to the Arboretum on Planting Fields Road.

Holiday Gifts for the Birds: Story, Craft, and Ramble in the Woods Saturday, December 1, 10:30 AM.

With winter approaching, our feathered

friends are going to be seeking extra

food. Today we will learn how to assist

them. We will start by reading, First

Snow in the Woods, a story of how our

wild neighbors prepare for the changing

of the seasons; then turn crafty and use

pine cones, suet, dried fruits, and

birdseed to make bird feeders. We’ll hang them on a special

holiday tree in the library children’s garden, and then take a

winter’s ramble in the woods! For kids of all ages and is

easy enough for young children to enjoy. Note that most

birdseed is processed in plants that also process peanuts if

allergies are an issue. Group size limited to 15.

Directions to Cold Spring Harbor Library: The library is

located at 95 Harbor Road (Route 25A), next door to Cold

Spring Harbor State Park. Meet in third floor story room.

The Fantastic and Fabulous Fox Story Time, Craft, and Outdoor Ramble

Saturday, January 5, 10:30 AM. Today

we will read from the book FOX by Kate

Banks and then turn crafty, and create

paper bag fox puppets. While the glue is

drying, we will wander outside to enjoy

the crisp cold air and see what we shall

see. For ages 3 to 6 at the Cold Spring Harbor Library.

Killdeer Non-Profit

Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Huntington, NY Permit No. 546