CWAS Newsletter September

Newsletter, September - October, 2006

Programs

Audubon Sanctuaries of the Upper Hudson Valley
Thursday, October 19, 2006
7:30PM in the Cafeteria
Church St. School
295 Church St., White Plains

Speaker: Larry Federman

Join us for a slide show on the "Flora and Fauna of Three Upper Hudson Valley Estuary Audubon Sanctuaries" - photos of plants and critters taken in the course of daily activities by Assistant Warden/Educator Larry Federman. In addition to his paid duties for Audubon NY, Larry volunteers as the president of Northern Catskills Audubon. He has been involved in his local chapter for over a dozen years and in his sixth season with Audubon NY.

Please join us for our first program of the season.

Field Trips

Our field trip leader of the past several years, Victor Ramos, has relinquished his position in order to pursue a career opportunity in documentary films. We wish him much success in this new venture and thank him for his efforts to make our field trips enjoyable and accessible to all. We will miss him. Until we find a new trip leader, we will co-sponsor trips with neighboring chapters and inform you of other opportunities to get out in the field. We will continue with our annual birdathon and the Kelisky/Ferone Memorial Walk.

For the next few months the trips will be as follows:
Saturday, September 30th, Hawk Day at Lenoir Preserve: Sponsored by Hudson River Audubon Society. 8am to 11am, Hawk Watch; 11am, Butterfly Garden Tour; 1pm, Live Hawks and Owls with Jim Eyring; 3pm Monarch Butterfly Walk.

Directions to Lenoir Preserve:
From Saw Mill River Pkwy: Exit at Exit 9, Executive Blvd. Take Executive Blvd. to North Broadway and turn right. Go 1/4 mile and turn left onto Dudley Street. Lenoir's parking lot is on the left.

Sunday, October 15th, 1-4pm, Rain or Shine. Fall Festival at Sheldrake Environmental Center. Enjoy an afternoon of family fun with nature walks, birds of prey and more. The center is located at 685 Weaver St. in Larchmont. Call 914-834-1443 for directions and information.

Sunday, November 12, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Meet 8:30am at Education House for carpooling. Join us for an easy, level walk along the dikes and in the gardens of this urban oasis. Among the highlights of this trip will be snow geese, a variety of wintering ducks and perhaps some late migrants. Dress in layers and bring a lunch. Co-sponsored with Bronx River/Sound Shore Audubon and the Wild Bird Center.

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.

Church Street School Courtyard Garden
Planting Party, June 5, 2006

After many months of planning, our dream of a habitat garden in the courtyard of the school was realized on June 5th when eager students under guidance of Bruce Riggs, a consultant who has helped the students in other garden projects, planted the native shrubs and flowers. With enthusiasm and determination small groups of children participated throughout the morning by setting plants in holes, previously dug by parents, filling in with soil and spreading mulch. The students listened attentively as Bruce identified the plants and their culture requirements and instructed them in planting techniques. Noisily watching over all of this activity were some nesting black-capped chickadees who were flying back and forth from their nest box at the edge of one of the garden beds to the large Norway spruce in the center of the courtyard, protesting, no doubt, the invasion of their territory. Another nest box was inhabited by some chattering House Wrens and still another by some House Finches. All of this avian activity, which amazed many of the children, added to the festive atmosphere of the planting party. We had press coverage from News 12, The White Plains Times and National Audubon.

Our garden project could not have been successful without the help of many. We are indebted to Audubon NY for providing the grant money to get us started and the Church Street School PTA for giving us additional funding. Superintendent of schools, Tim Connors, was very supportive of our project as was Michael Lynch, Ass't Sup't for Buildings and Grounds, who dispatched his crew to till the garden beds and deliver the many bags of mulch that were needed. Principal Michael deChance, himself an enthusiastic gardener, was behind us 100%, and art teacher, Wendy Podell, and 4th grade teacher, Joan Conca, gave up many lunch hours to meet with us to assure the success of the garden. We thank all of the PTA parents who dug the planting holes-not an easy job, particularly on a very hot day.

What's next? Well, we have a few more plants to purchase, a water feature to install once electricity is brought to the courtyard, and more mulch to spread.

If there is anyone who would like to be part of a garden committee to take charge of some of the maintenance details, we would like to hear from you.

Finally, the whole purpose of the garden is to engage the students, so we will be looking at different projects that will enhance their knowledge of the importance of a native plant environment while at the same time fitting in with the curriculum demands of school programs.

We will keep you informed as both garden and students thrive.

Kelisky/Ferone Memorial Walk

The annual Kelisky-Ferone Memorial Walk was held at the Institute for Ecosystem Studies (Mary Flagler Arboretum) in Millbrook on June 10. Fifteen people, including two children and visitors from Australia, attended. Diversified ecosystems, under a cool mix of sun and clouds, made a great setting for our walk.

A wet meadow area provided habitat for chipping sparrows, yellow warbler, catbirds, blue-winged warbler (heard), goldfinch and crows. The presence of yellow hawkweed initiated a discussion about the problems of introduced species that have no natural controls to their population growth.

In a mixed hickory-oak stand, a huge, 300-year- old white oak's diameter at the base was estimated to be only about 5 to 6 feet, but the diverging branches above formed an enormous canopy over the moist woodland floor. Further along the trail, we discovered tiny galls on leaves, a result of wasp eggs being laid between the layers of the leaf. This triggers the plant to form additional tissues around the eggs, resulting in food for the emerging larvae. Shortly after seeing this, we emerged from the woods into an open area that afforded an opportunity to remind all about avoiding poison ivy and ticks.

As we passed into a cool hemlock forest that followed a swift, full Wappingers Creek, we heard a veery, as well as a pewee calling its name. A great variety of fungi were found, a result of all of the recent rain. We watched students from SUNY College of Forestry and Ecology (at Syracuse) catching aquatic organisms for study.

We paused at the edge of an upland field to remember past CWAS President and environmental activist, Nicole Kelisky, and Board Member, naturalist, and educator John Ferone. Here, we discovered a mysterious, bright magenta, crystalline-like parasite (perhaps a fungus) on leaves, and had a close look at a gypsy moth caterpillar.

On seeing a pair of cowbirds, we discussed how they parasitize nests, resulting in songbirds playing foster parents to cowbird chicks at the expense of their own babies. After a picnic lunch with a lot of dessert sharing, we explored the perennial garden. Koi carp in a lily pond were the centerpiece. A profusion of peonies colored the area in shades of pinks and reds. Purple irises and other blooming flowers pleased the eye. At the parking area, some of us spied a great blue heron in flight.

Although some people left after lunch a small group continued to the fern glen where we were rewarded with the sights and sounds of bullfrogs, green frogs, painted turtles and a red-eyed vireo. A variety of ferns grew in the most soil. A small bog in an open area yielded pitcher plants, with high-stalked maroon blooms standing sentinel over the deadly insect traps. A Cooper's hawk flew overhead.

We never had time to visit the greenhouse or the pine forest. The consensus was that the diversity of habitat, tremendous expanse of the Institute's grounds and the beauty of the place warranted a follow-up trip to the Institute for Ecosystem Studies. Perhaps we will visit earlier next spring so that we can see the lady slippers in bloom, experience the huge and varied collection of lilac trees and catch the spring migration.

Susan Fried

Audubon NY Chooses 100% Wind Power

Audubon NY, the state's largest bird conservation organization, is leaving a lighter eco-footprint by choosing to support wind power for 100% of the energy used in its NY offices. Audubon committed to the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for 50 megawatt hours (MWh) per year of regionally sourced clean, renewable wind energy through 3 Phases Energy, a national provider of renewable energy solutions.

This purchase will provide the equivalent environmental benefit of reducing carbon emissions by 91,900 pounds, 34 acres of trees storing carbon for one year, or taking 9 cars off the roads annually, all without an impact on bird mortality or displacement of birds from their habitats. We applaud Audubon NY for this effort.

Wanted: Enthusiastic Trip Leader

This job entails planning and leading several field trips during the year. A general knowledge of local species and common migrants would be helpful. A desire to share that knowledge with others is essential. You don't have to be a "world class' birder to fill this spot. Call Jeanne Alpert at 946-1780

CWAS Annual Bird Seed Sale

Deadline to submit orders: Thursday, October 19, 2006
Pickup dates: Wednesday, October 25th to Sunday, October 29, 2006
Pickup location: Wild Bird Center, 400 Central Park Ave., Scarsdale (Across from Office Depot).

Click here to view our order form.

CWAS Home Page	Newsletter, September - October, 2006 Programs Audubon Sanctuaries of the Upper Hudson Valley Thursday, October 19, 2006 7:30PM in the Cafeteria Church St. School 295 Church St., White Plains Speaker: Larry Federman Join us for a slide show on the "Flora and Fauna of Three Upper Hudson Valley Estuary Audubon Sanctuaries" - photos of plants and critters taken in the course of daily activities by Assistant Warden/Educator Larry Federman. In addition to his paid duties for Audubon NY, Larry volunteers as the president of Northern Catskills Audubon. He has been involved in his local chapter for over a dozen years and in his sixth season with Audubon NY. Please join us for our first program of the season. Field Trips Our field trip leader of the past several years, Victor Ramos, has relinquished his position in order to pursue a career opportunity in documentary films. We wish him much success in this new venture and thank him for his efforts to make our field trips enjoyable and accessible to all. We will miss him. Until we find a new trip leader, we will co-sponsor trips with neighboring chapters and inform you of other opportunities to get out in the field. We will continue with our annual birdathon and the Kelisky/Ferone Memorial Walk. For the next few months the trips will be as follows: Saturday, September 30th, Hawk Day at Lenoir Preserve: Sponsored by Hudson River Audubon Society. 8am to 11am, Hawk Watch; 11am, Butterfly Garden Tour; 1pm, Live Hawks and Owls with Jim Eyring; 3pm Monarch Butterfly Walk. Directions to Lenoir Preserve: From Saw Mill River Pkwy: Exit at Exit 9, Executive Blvd. Take Executive Blvd. to North Broadway and turn right. Go 1/4 mile and turn left onto Dudley Street. Lenoir's parking lot is on the left. Sunday, October 15th, 1-4pm, Rain or Shine. Fall Festival at Sheldrake Environmental Center. Enjoy an afternoon of family fun with nature walks, birds of prey and more. The center is located at 685 Weaver St. in Larchmont. Call 914-834-1443 for directions and information. Sunday, November 12, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Meet 8:30am at Education House for carpooling. Join us for an easy, level walk along the dikes and in the gardens of this urban oasis. Among the highlights of this trip will be snow geese, a variety of wintering ducks and perhaps some late migrants. Dress in layers and bring a lunch. Co-sponsored with Bronx River/Sound Shore Audubon and the Wild Bird Center. 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. *Church Street School Courtyard Garden* Planting Party, June 5, 2006 After many months of planning, our dream of a habitat garden in the courtyard of the school was realized on June 5th when eager students under guidance of Bruce Riggs, a consultant who has helped the students in other garden projects, planted the native shrubs and flowers. With enthusiasm and determination small groups of children participated throughout the morning by setting plants in holes, previously dug by parents, filling in with soil and spreading mulch. The students listened attentively as Bruce identified the plants and their culture requirements and instructed them in planting techniques. Noisily watching over all of this activity were some nesting black-capped chickadees who were flying back and forth from their nest box at the edge of one of the garden beds to the large Norway spruce in the center of the courtyard, protesting, no doubt, the invasion of their territory. Another nest box was inhabited by some chattering House Wrens and still another by some House Finches. All of this avian activity, which amazed many of the children, added to the festive atmosphere of the planting party. We had press coverage from News 12, The White Plains Times and National Audubon. Our garden project could not have been successful without the help of many. We are indebted to Audubon NY for providing the grant money to get us started and the Church Street School PTA for giving us additional funding. Superintendent of schools, Tim Connors, was very supportive of our project as was Michael Lynch, Ass't Sup't for Buildings and Grounds, who dispatched his crew to till the garden beds and deliver the many bags of mulch that were needed. Principal Michael deChance, himself an enthusiastic gardener, was behind us 100%, and art teacher, Wendy Podell, and 4th grade teacher, Joan Conca, gave up many lunch hours to meet with us to assure the success of the garden. We thank all of the PTA parents who dug the planting holes-not an easy job, particularly on a very hot day. What's next? Well, we have a few more plants to purchase, a water feature to install once electricity is brought to the courtyard, and more mulch to spread. If there is anyone who would like to be part of a garden committee to take charge of some of the maintenance details, we would like to hear from you. Finally, the whole purpose of the garden is to engage the students, so we will be looking at different projects that will enhance their knowledge of the importance of a native plant environment while at the same time fitting in with the curriculum demands of school programs. We will keep you informed as both garden and students thrive. Kelisky/Ferone Memorial Walk The annual Kelisky-Ferone Memorial Walk was held at the Institute for Ecosystem Studies (Mary Flagler Arboretum) in Millbrook on June 10. Fifteen people, including two children and visitors from Australia, attended. Diversified ecosystems, under a cool mix of sun and clouds, made a great setting for our walk. A wet meadow area provided habitat for chipping sparrows, yellow warbler, catbirds, blue-winged warbler (heard), goldfinch and crows. The presence of yellow hawkweed initiated a discussion about the problems of introduced species that have no natural controls to their population growth. In a mixed hickory-oak stand, a huge, 300-year- old white oak's diameter at the base was estimated to be only about 5 to 6 feet, but the diverging branches above formed an enormous canopy over the moist woodland floor. Further along the trail, we discovered tiny galls on leaves, a result of wasp eggs being laid between the layers of the leaf. This triggers the plant to form additional tissues around the eggs, resulting in food for the emerging larvae. Shortly after seeing this, we emerged from the woods into an open area that afforded an opportunity to remind all about avoiding poison ivy and ticks. As we passed into a cool hemlock forest that followed a swift, full Wappingers Creek, we heard a veery, as well as a pewee calling its name. A great variety of fungi were found, a result of all of the recent rain. We watched students from SUNY College of Forestry and Ecology (at Syracuse) catching aquatic organisms for study. We paused at the edge of an upland field to remember past CWAS President and environmental activist, Nicole Kelisky, and Board Member, naturalist, and educator John Ferone. Here, we discovered a mysterious, bright magenta, crystalline-like parasite (perhaps a fungus) on leaves, and had a close look at a gypsy moth caterpillar. On seeing a pair of cowbirds, we discussed how they parasitize nests, resulting in songbirds playing foster parents to cowbird chicks at the expense of their own babies. After a picnic lunch with a lot of dessert sharing, we explored the perennial garden. Koi carp in a lily pond were the centerpiece. A profusion of peonies colored the area in shades of pinks and reds. Purple irises and other blooming flowers pleased the eye. At the parking area, some of us spied a great blue heron in flight. Although some people left after lunch a small group continued to the fern glen where we were rewarded with the sights and sounds of bullfrogs, green frogs, painted turtles and a red-eyed vireo. A variety of ferns grew in the most soil. A small bog in an open area yielded pitcher plants, with high-stalked maroon blooms standing sentinel over the deadly insect traps. A Cooper's hawk flew overhead. We never had time to visit the greenhouse or the pine forest. The consensus was that the diversity of habitat, tremendous expanse of the Institute's grounds and the beauty of the place warranted a follow-up trip to the Institute for Ecosystem Studies. Perhaps we will visit earlier next spring so that we can see the lady slippers in bloom, experience the huge and varied collection of lilac trees and catch the spring migration. Susan Fried Audubon NY Chooses 100% Wind Power Audubon NY, the state's largest bird conservation organization, is leaving a lighter eco-footprint by choosing to support wind power for 100% of the energy used in its NY offices. Audubon committed to the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) for 50 megawatt hours (MWh) per year of regionally sourced clean, renewable wind energy through 3 Phases Energy, a national provider of renewable energy solutions. This purchase will provide the equivalent environmental benefit of reducing carbon emissions by 91,900 pounds, 34 acres of trees storing carbon for one year, or taking 9 cars off the roads annually, all without an impact on bird mortality or displacement of birds from their habitats. We applaud Audubon NY for this effort. Wanted: Enthusiastic Trip Leader This job entails planning and leading several field trips during the year. A general knowledge of local species and common migrants would be helpful. A desire to share that knowledge with others is essential. You don't have to be a "world class' birder to fill this spot. Call Jeanne Alpert at 946-1780 CWAS Annual Bird Seed Sale Deadline to submit orders: Thursday, October 19, 2006 Pickup dates: Wednesday, October 25th to Sunday, October 29, 2006 Pickup location: Wild Bird Center, 400 Central Park Ave., Scarsdale (Across from Office Depot). Click here to view our order form.
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	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