CWAS Newsletter March

	Central Westchester Audubon Society
	*Elmsford, Greenburgh, Harrison, Purchase, Rye, Rye Brook, Port Chester and White Plains*
	P.O. Box 359, White Plains, NY 10602 email: cwas@centralwestchesteraudubon.org

CWAS Home Page		Highlights from the January - February, 2004 Newsletter Native Plants Symposium Life Lists Eagles Birdathon 2004 Walks and Talks
About CWAS
The CWAS Board
Join CWAS
Email Notices
Walks and Talks
Newsletter
Bird Seed Sale
Birdathon
Scholarships
Conservation
Volunteer
Audubon Adventures
Birding Hotlines
Birding Links

Programs

Secrets of Winter Rest
Thursday, March 18, 2004
7:00 PM in the Cafeteria
Church Street School
295 Church St., White Plains

Speaker: Ted Gilman

As we look out at a cold, snowy, winter day, it can be amazing to think of all of the living things which are surviving through the challenging winter weather. While bears and groundhogs get most of the publicity, there are many other living things which have special ways of surviving long winter nights and the entire winter season.

Join Audubon naturalist Ted Gilman as we look into the lives of bears, groundhogs, bats, birds, insects, and more to find out how they cope with winter.

Ted Gilman has served as an educator at the Audubon Center in Greenwich since 1977 and has taught at the Audubon Camp in Maine and in overseas Audubon programs. A graduate of Earlham College, Ted also did graduate work in Science and Environmental Education at Cornell University.

Insects Alive!
Thursday, April 22, 2004
7:00 PM in the Cafeteria
Church St. School
295 Church St., White Plains

Speaker: Joel Rodriguez

Most people see an insect and immediately squash it. But ever wonder why they are there? What goes on when you sleep? Why are insects so important? Who loves bugs? Find out why people are afraid of these leggy wonders, and it's not just because they're icky. These questions and more will be answered at Insects Alive! Children and families will have the opportunity to touch real insects, see demonstrations, and learn more about our six legged friends. Special guest appearances by our eight legged friends, spiders.

Joel Rodriguez is a naturalist with the Greenburgh Nature Center.

Schedule of Field Trips

Following is a listing of upcoming field trips. Unless otherwise indicated, all trips will start at Education House, 5 Homeside Lane in White Plains. Car pooling will be available. If you have questions call Jeanne Alpert at 914-946-1780 or Victor Ramos at 235-3088. Although appreciation of nature transcends all languages, if requested, our trip leader, Victor, can provide Spanish translations. We strongly encourage beginning birders to take advantage of our field trips which are free and open to all. A few loaner binoculars will be available.

In general, for all of our trips you should dress in layers and bring water.

Directions to Education House. Homeside Lane is located off North St. in White Plains. Going south on Mamaroneck Avenue from downtown White Plains, make a left turn on Ridgeway. Go down Ridgeway to the traffic light (firehouse on the left) and turn right on to North Street. Homeside Lane is the third right and Education House is the first building on the left. Parking is available in the circular driveway..

Saturday, April 17, 7:15AM, Rockefeller State Park. Meet at Education House to carpool to the site. Richard Nelson, for many years the park Naturalist, will lead us on a walk to discover migrating song birds and other signs of spring. Because CWAS will be having a private tour of the park, there will be a charge of $5.00 per adult, $4.00 for seniors and $3.00 for children to 12 years. The usual parking fee will be not be charged.

Also Noted: The Sheldrake Environmental Center in Larchmont has programs on Sundays in March from 1:30 to 3pm for families with young children. These programs, which are held rain or shine, are led by a naturalist and usually include a nature walk and an inside craft activity. For more information, call the Center at 834-1443.

Native Plants Are for the Birds
2004 Wildflower Symposium
Westchester Community College
Saturday, March 20, 2004: 8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.*
Co-sponsored by Westchester Audubon Societies

Just in time for planning your Spring gardens, this symposium will concentrate on practical information that we all can use. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Tess Present, Senior Scientist for Ecology and Conservation Science for the National Audubon Society. Dr. Present will discuss basic landscaping and land care practices that can improve the habitat quality and environmental health of private properties and community green spaces. Learn what National Audubon is doing to promote personal conservation action through the Audubon At Home program. Following Dr. Present, Ted Gilman, Environmental Education Specialist and Naturalist at the Audubon Center in Greenwich, will present a slide lecture on how to attract wildlife to your home year round. He will help you to assess what you already have in your home habitat and how to provide a variety of additional wildlife foods and shelter year round with native trees, shrubs, vines and wildflowers, along with feeders, water supplies and nest boxes. Finally, a panel of Audubon members will discuss the pleasures and pitfalls of providing hummingbird, bluebird and butterfly habitats.
_________________________________________

Registration for the 2004 Wildflower Symposium
Please reserve __________Seat(s) for me
@$40 (Audubon or NPC Member) or $45 (Non-Member)__________.

Register by Phone, Fax or Mail
Name(s)___________________________________
Address:___________________________________
City______________State_________Zip_________
I wish to pay by credit card - Visa or MasterCard only
Card No._____________________Exp. Date______
Cardholder's Name as it Appears on Card______________________________________
Signature___________________________________
Make Checks Payable to: WCC Foundation.
Mail to Westchester Community College - Hartford Hall, 75 Grasslands Rd., Valhalla, NY 10595 or
Fax to: (914) 785-6143; Phone: (914) 785-7870
*Snow Date: Sunday, March 21, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Life Lists
By Benjamin Van Doren
4th Grade, Church St. School

For starters, a Life List is a list of bird species a birder has seen in his or her life. There are a few reasons a birder should keep a Life List. One reason is that you might want to compete with a friend on how many species you''ve seen. Or you just might want to see how many bird species you''ve seen. Either way a Life List is a good way to keep track of how many bird species you''ve seen.

There are different kinds of Life Lists. Some people keep track of the different bird species they''ve seen in a particular state or city. Other people keep track of the birds they''ve seen in the United States only. Or maybe just North America. Or South America. Or Australia. Or the Galapagos Islands. As you can see there are many different kinds of Life lists.

Now you''re probably thinking, "How can I start a Life List?" Well, if you have bird feeders you can start by recording the birds at your feeders. If you don''t want feeders you can go for a bird walk in your neighborhood. Or you can join your local Audubon chapter or club and go on their walks.

Here are some suggestions of where to go to start your Life List:
1. The Audubon Center in Greenwich, CT
2. The Wild Bird Center in Scarsdale, NY bird walks
3. If you want to go on a long ride, you might want to try the Audubon Center in Sharon, CT.

Some people set goals for their Life Lists. For example, some people try to see 100 bird species in a year or 10 bird species in a month. I think it is fun to set a goal for your Life List.

Having a Life List has motivated me to see more bird species because I''m constantly competing with myself to lengthen my Life List. It also makes me proud to be able to say, "I have 111 bird species on my Life List."

Overall I think you should start a Life List. It''ll make birding have a greater meaning in your life.

Trip Report - Eagles

As anyone who goes on birding field trips knows, there are no certainties, just probabilities and possibilities.We always hope, of course, that we will get lucky and Nature will favor us with her bounty. That is exactly what happened on our February 7th field trip to find wintering Bald Eagles.

On trip day, the weather was rather ambiguous but not too cold, and paths were snowy and icy underneath the puddles left by the sleet and rain of the previous day's storm. However, it was fine weather for the eagles at Croton Point Park. They were observed perched in trees, standing on the ice floes that were proceeding at a pace up the river, and (a few) flying above. Most of the eagles we saw were immatures, but there were a few adults with their unmistakable white heads and tails. All told, the group saw at least 12-15 and perhaps more, individuals.

From Croton Point Park we went a short way to the far end of the Croton railroad station where some Tundra Swans had been spotted on previous days. The Tundras were not there on Saturday, but we did observe a good assortment of ducks, among them Buffleheads, Red-breasted Mergansers, Ring-necked, and 2 striking Redheads - the Lucille Balls of duckdom Also spotted were Song and White-throated Sparrows, and a Northern Flicker.

The railroad station was the last stop for most of the group. However, three birders went on to George's Island in Montrose, another good spot to view eagles in winter. In fifteen or twenty minutes, without leaving the parking lot, they spotted 19 individuals, many of which were mature. Some were perched in trees, some on ice floes, and some flying overhead - at one point in a group of four. Witnessing a mature eagle in flight, with its gleaming white head and tail and its powerful wings spread wide is, perhaps, one of birding's most exciting field experiences. One forgets cold feet and numb fingers and just marvels at the majesty of this extraordinary bird.

While their attention was mainly focused on the eagles, the George's Island group mentioned, if somewhat anticlimactically, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, Black Ducks, Mallards and eleven Cormorants floating on an ice floe.

If you would like to experience some of the excitement of birding, why not join us on one of our field trips. No guarantees, but there's a good chance that Nature will again favor us.

---JSA.

Birdathon 2004

Sitting at my computer on a sub-zero day in January, I find it hard to conjure up the warm, balmy days of spring when the birds in their breeding plumages will be singing their mating songs, and the CWAS birding team will be tracking them down in the woods, the fields and on the water during our annual Birdathon.

Please join us on Saturday May 8th (rain date, May 15th) when our CWAS Birdathon team will start early in the morning for Forest Park, Queens and then the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to record as many species of birds as they can - last year they spotted 107 species. Birders of all levels of experience are welcome - don't be shy - this is probably the best field trip of the year. We also ask that you, as a CWAS member, support our birders by pledging either a specific dollar amount or a per-species-seen amount. If you fill out and mail the form below, you will be spared a phonecall from one of our board members asking for a pledge. In order to boost this year's proceeds, I am offering to match by 175% up to $175. the highest pledge received by May 8th. Your generosity will help a deserving student have a summer to remember, sponsor an exciting program or provide Audubon Adventures to a few more classrooms. Please make your tax-deductible pledge today. Details about time and meeting place will be in the next newsletter. Questions? Call me at 949-4429.

---Herb Ruskin