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Great South Bay Audubon Society's General Membership Meeting Thursday, September 16, 2010
Place: Connetquot River State Park Preserve
Sunrise Highway, Oakdale, NY
631-581-1005
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Speakers: Gertrude R. Battaly and Drew Panko
Program: The Fire Island Raptor Enumerators
have been documenting the fall passage of raptors along
the barrier beach since 1983. The inferred population
trends from these counts will be presented. Emphasis
will be given to the falcons - Peregrines, Merlins, and
Kestrels - those exciting raptors that are unique along
the barrier beach. The falcon trends will be compared to
results from the R.P.I. analysis of several other
watch sites, and possible reasons for the Kestrel
decline will be considered.
About the Speakers: Drew Panko:
Coordinator of the Fire Island Raptor Enumerators since
1982.
He spent summers on Long Island - at a cottage out in
Mattituck - until he went off to college.
Coordinating the hawk watch at Fire Island brings him
back to the "Island" for many pleasant hours every year.
Drew taught Chemistry, Physics, and Ecology in Roosevelt
HS in Yonkers for 33 years, retiring in 1996. He has been tutoring and consulting in both
environmental matters and education since then.
After graduating college Drew missed the connection with
the environment that fishing with his father had
given him in his youth. So he took up hiking, which lead
to botany, which lead to photography...and that lead to
birds! Since the '70's He's been chasing birds, with
the hawks and owls as a special interest.
Along the way he's served on the board of the
Federated Conservationists of Westchester County,
chairman of town environmental commission, and field
trip chairman of his local Audubon society.
Trudy Battaly:
Coordinator, Hook Mtn Hawk Watch, for 7 years
Counter, Fire Island Raptor Enumerators (FIRE)
since 1982
Board Member, Northeast Hawk Watch (NEHW) since
1992
Adjunct Faculty, Westchester Community College,
Math
Former High School teacher, Math and Biology
Bird bander since 1980
Saw-whet researcher for 5 years (Trained by Ted
Gilman, Greenwich Audubon, and Kaye Anderson, Saw
Mill River Audubon)
Webmaster:
www.birdsongid.com,
a new web site with audio
spectrograms and video of birds created by Drew
and Trudy.
Breakfast and
Birding at Connetquot River State Park Preserve Saturday, September
18, 2010
Place: Connetquot State Park Preserve
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Bring: Bring your binoculars or you may borrow a pair at the
preserve, if necessary.
Fall is here and birds are migrating! Come to
the Main Building and enjoy being treated to a
continental breakfast by the
Friends of Connetquot while
watching a brief photographic introduction to the birds
that migrate through or nest in the preserve. Then, hit
the trails with leaders Alice Heller, Steve D'Amato &
Nicholas Laviola,
who will search out as many birds as they can find and
will try to answer any bird-related questions you may
have.
$4.00 per Adult - RSVP required - call
Alice Heller (631-827-6561)
to register.
This Ed-ventures program is a collaboration of NY
State Parks, the Friends of Connetquot and the Great
South Bay Audubon Society.
Great South Bay Audubon Society's General Membership Meeting Thursday, October 21, 2010
Place: Connetquot River State Park Preserve
Sunrise Highway, Oakdale, NY
631-581-1005
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Speakers: Captain Don Harris, MS
Program: SOS SPLASH on Site
Captain Don Harris
is the Vice President and longest active member of
Operation S.P.L.A.S.H. (Stop Polluting Littering And
Save Harbors). He has a master's degree in education
and is a licensed USCG Captain. Captain Don earns his
living on the water teaching boat handling skills,
running chartered fishing trips, as well as providing
private captain services. Passionate about the Western
bays, Captain Don delivers the message that the
waterways have more than a floating debris problem;
there are also many environmental issues that directly
impact the Long Island community. Plants, wildlife,
birds, marine animals...and people...consume seafood
from our bays, and serious health issues remain
unaddressed.
It is his pleasure to come speak with the Great South
Bay Audubon Society to discuss a variety of issues and
ways people can get involved by supporting Operation
SPLASH, whose mission is "To provide a low cost solution
to growing waterfront pollution, through public
awareness, community action, and active participation."
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all programs are held on the third Thursday of the month at 8 p.m. at the
Connetquot River State Park on Sunrise Highway in Oakdale. Park to the left of the main Park building
near the garages, not in the main parking lot. The
front circle is reserved for handicapped parking.
Call GSBAS direct at 631-563-7716 for details and
updates.
Directions to the Connetquot State Park
Preserve: Approaching from the East, the
entrance is on the north side of Sunrise Highway,
opposite the Sunrise-Montauk Highway merge.
From the west, get off Sunrise Highway at
Oakdale-Bohemia Road, cross over Sunrise Highway,
make a left at the light heading west, merge back on
to Sunrise Highway and watch for the entrance on the
right.
Meetings are held in the main Park building.
"Ask
the Pros" - A Birding Tips session is conducted before the meetings at 7:30.
Our bird experts will be on hand to field your
questions. Come early and have some coffee and
cake and find out more about our feathered
neighbors, what equipment works best and where you
can go to find that rare bird.
Guided Tours of Brookside - Given every Wednesday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. See our headquarters, walk the Nature Trail, and become acquainted with the history of the site. We are located at 59 Brook Street, Sayville, diagonally across the street from the high school.
GSBAS - P.O.
Box 267, Sayville, NY 11782 · 631-563-7716
