On Saturday, May 12, 2012, the Brookside Butterfly Garden Club began planting annuals in the garden for the 2012 season. Plants added to the garden to attract birds, butterflies and humming birds included black and blue salvia, marigolds, petunias, nasturtium, snapdragon, lantana, verbena, parsley, sweet William , lavender, sage and others. The garden soil was cultivated and all plantings were thoroughly watered at days end. Enthusiastic garden club members moved forward on a small native plant garden behind the shed and busily placed sedum and black-eyed Susans in the ground. With motivation abounding, the club members tirelessly removed weeds and grasses from the native plant garden on the north side of the GSBAS headquarters. With such gorgeous weather, sunny skies and comfortable temperatures, and folks who enjoy creating a beautiful place for all to share, an easy match was made for a very productive day!

On Friday, April 30, 2012 the Brookside Butterfly Garden Club had their first meeting of the season. With such pleasant weather for a Spring evening, we were able to spend most of our time in the garden. The grounds were raked, early weeds were pulled, and larger bushes were trimmed. The soil was tilled and lime was cultivated into the soil. Our efforts proved timely, as the first true rain shower for the area arrived on Sunday! It was a welcome sight to see the emergence of perennials such as primrose, columbine and violets that were planted last year.

Our next meeting will include choosing new plantings for this years’ garden. Please check your calendars and join us in our efforts. We will be meeting again on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 6:00 P.M. , with a rain date of Saturday, May 12, 2012, at 9:00 A.M. All are welcome to come and share ideas, gardening stories, and contribute to the beautification of Brookside, located at 59 Brook Street, Sayville. We are directly across from the Sayville High School. Call 631-563-7716 with any questions and to let us know you are coming.

On May 3rd, 700 Northern Bobwhite Quail chicks arrived marking the beginning of this year’s quail restoration project.  Click here to see photos.

Want to help in the fight with Emerald Ash Borer? We're looking for First Detectors who want to:

• Become a local expert who can answer EAB biology and management questions.
• Aid in the community preparedness planning process.
• Engage others as volunteers to monitor for EAB, conduct street tree inventories, collect ash seed and educate about the issues surrounding Emerald Ash Borer

These training sessions will go over in-depth details on EAB biology, signs and symptoms, hosts, control and management, reporting, and resources through presentations and hands-on field activities at near-by EAB infested locations. Materials have been created by Cornell University and the Northeast Plant Diagnostic Network. These workshops are supported by the Northeastern IPM Center- IPM Partnership Grant.

Who should take this training?

Anyone that is concerned about EAB. But especially if you are a:

• Cornell Cooperative Extension employee
• Cornell Cooperative Extension volunteer (Master Gardener, Master Forest Owner, Master Naturalist, 4-H Leader)
• PRISM partner (Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management)
• SWCD or NRCS employee
• Arborist
• Forester
• Landscaper
• Planner
• Environmental Educator
• Municipal Employee
• Community Volunteer

First Detectors can give back.

There is huge public demand for answers on what to do about EAB. As a trained EAB First Detector, you’ll have those answers. We hope that you will be able to help the greater community by sharing your EAB knowledge, participating in community preparedness activities, or monitoring for EAB.

• May 14, 2012. 1-5 pm at the Agroforestry Resource Center, 6055 Route 23, Acra
• May 18, 2012. 1-5 pm at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve and Environmental Education Center (Erie County), 93 Honorine Dr. Depew, NY 14043.
• May 29, 2012. 1-5 pm at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620.

All sessions are free, but registration is required. Please register at EAB First Detector Training http://tinyurl.com/7b9l3ep.

This program qualifies for 2.5 ISA CEUs. NYS DEC Pesticide, CNLP, SAF CF (and hopefully others) credits have been applied for. Please stay tuned to the Events section of http://nyis.info/eab for updates.

The 2012 Bluebird/Tree Swallow Nest Box season is well under way.  Three boxes are occupied by Bluebirds, who have been busy laying their eggs.  Several other boxes have completed Tree Swallow nests.  We have installed our Birdcam at one of the Bluebird nests boxes. We'll have to play with the camera's position to try to get better lighting but the preliminary photos aren’t too bad.  See the Blue Bird Nest Program page for photos.

The Great South Bay Audubon Society had a booth at the Heckscher State Park Spring Festival on Saturday, April 28, 2012.  The nippy weather did not deter visitors from enjoying the many displays at the festival.  The GSBAS debuted its newly updated display board and had fun making pine cone bird feeders with the children and adults!  See photos on the nature walk report page.

A recap of the April 24th GSBAS nature walk at Gardiner Park, written by Ken Thompson, has been posted to the the Nature Walks Report page.

Join Bobby & Cathy Horvath and learn what it takes to be a wildlife rehabilitator. Animals they rescued but were deemed unreleasable due to their injuries are now WINORR educational ambassadors. Meet some of these creatures, such as Augie the Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Gryphon the American Kestrel, and hear their amazing stories!  See the program page for details.

A recap of the April 21st GSBAS nature walk at Connetquot SPP, written by Ken Thompson, has been posted to the the Nature Walks Report page.

Taken from the April 2012 New York State Conservationist

She cringed. She didn't even have to look down to know that her foot had just grazed the top of another dead bird. It was seven o'clock in the morning and she had stepped outside to get the newspaper, but instead was greeted by another "present" from her cat Trixie.

While not every cat owner has stepped on a wild animal first thing in the morning, most outdoor cat owners are familiar with the "gifts" (both live and dead) brought to them by their cats. What many people don't realize, however, is that these gifts are representative of the harm their cats can cause by going outdoors.  Read the complete story.

On Sunday, April 1, 2012, the Young Naturalists Club enjoyed an early spring day at Brookside. The club participants were introduced to over a dozen bird nests from the GSBAS collection. Children were able to familiarize first-hand the engineering accomplishments of our avian friends. Using the books provided by the GSBAS library, a pictorial display was available to correlate those nests whose inhabitants were known. The children were then asked to identify the materials that were used in constructing the nests. See More on the Young Naturalists Club Page

Join us at our end of the Tuesday Nature Walk season luncheon at the Irish Coffee Pub, East Islip on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. The cost is $29 per person and you’ll get an appetizer, salad, entrée, dessert, and coffee. A cash bar will be available. Please RSVP by mid-May to Ann Thompson at talka54@gmail.com or call 631-563-7716 and leave a message for Ann.