January 21st was our winter birding and breakfast at Connetquot River State Park Preserve. It was also our first snow fall of the season. Surprisingly eighteen people showed up including two kids who also brought their parents. These Birding & Breakfast programs usually draw large numbers of people; it seems the collaboration of Great South Bay Audubon Society, Friends of Connetquot, and the NY State Park’s Environmental Office is working well. Annie McIntyre from the Environmental Office presented an informative PowerPoint introduction to birding while we enjoyed the breakfast sponsored by the Friends of Connetquot and supplied by Pamela Hunter, Lauren Schnal, and Emily Efstration, all part of the Environmental Office staff. The bagels, cake and donuts with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and juice were delicious. Volunteer Christine Hartmann braved the snow as well in order to bring three Northern Bobwhite quails Cathy Wilvert has kept—from her quail reintroduction program at Connetquot Preserve—for educational purposes such as this. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to view these elusive birds up close. See the report page for pictures, a full recap and a list of species sighted on the day.

Sunday, February 5, 2012, 1:15 - 2:45 PM, at Brookside County Park:  The Young Naturalists Club will be hosting a class on American Kestrels.  Join us to learn about this beautiful raptor -- its population, habitat and behavior -- and about GSBAS' involvement in the American Kestrel Nestbox Project headed by Audubon NY.  Class to be followed by a nature walk, weather permitting.  To attend please RSVP to info@gsbas.org or to 631-581-1731.  See the Young Naturalists Club page for more.

Nine new mid-week field trips have been announced.  Details can be found on the Nature Walks page.

Join us on January 19th at 8:00 for an insightful presentation by Peter Priolo with wonderful photographs about the ornithological research experience and breeding ecology of Terns on Great Gull Island.  See the program page for more details.

Two new articles have been posted in Bob Grover's Conservation Issues.  Skeptic Confirms: The Heat Is On and Journal Faux Pas.  Visit Bob's Conservation Issues page to read the full articles.

HARTFORD, Conn.— Trinity College has started a special project to display every page of its rare edition of "Birds of America," John James Audubon's illustrated field guide on identifying and documenting birds.

The large book is in a protected display case at Trinity's Watkinson Library, where its head curator will turn one page each week for viewing until the last one is displayed.

That will take more than eight years, and the process will start again in 2020.

Please click here or the link above to read the full article.

The Captree CBC was conducted for the 50th time on December 18, 2011.  Shai Mitre has provided a thorough recount and species list.  Click here for all the details.