Putnam Highlands Audubon Society

PO Box 292
Cold Spring, NY
10516-0292

The Blue-winged Warbler was incorporated in the PHAS logo because this pretty bird is common in Putnam County while being uncommon in much of its North American range.

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Please enter R25 as the Chapter code for Putnam Highlands Audubon Society.

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Frog Watch USA Update

We launched our first initiative by training several PHAS Audubon members in the Frogwatch USA citizen scientist monitoring protocols for frog calling surveys in and around the Hudson Highlands. We hope to expand that program next year by planning several training sessions for volunteers in late winter and early spring, so we get more volunteers and more frog monitoring sites. We are also looking for local student research ideas in and around the Highlands, as we hope to expand our research activities in natural areas of the Highlands.

Scott Silver

If you would like more details, please contact Scott Silver at ssilver@wcs.org (718 271 3622).

PHAS Programs

PHAS has resolved to provide a more regular schedule of programs, including bird walks, educational programs, field trips, and guest lectures. These programs are intended to appeal to a wide range of interests and ability levels.

To receive the newsletter electronically, please send your e-mail address to <newsletter@putnamhighlandsaudubon.org>; put “PHAS Newsletter” in the subject line and your name in the body of the message. We will take care of the rest. Your e-dress will be kept in the same strict confidence as your postal address. However, you also will benefit from occasional updates or reminders on PHAS programs or events of interest. Our e-contact with you should not be burdensome.

If you would prefer receiving a print copy of our newsletter, please email newsletter@putnamhighlandsaudubon.org or write to Newsletter, PHAS, PO Box 292, Cold Spring, NY 10516, to arrange for special continued postal delivery of your newsletter.

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The existing Cedar Ridge Trail (part of the NYNJ Trail Conference system) is now extended through PHAS' Watergrass Sanctuary. Come explore our beautiful Sanctuary -- the trail head is north of the Sanctuary sign on Route 9.

View Watergrass Sanctuary on a larger map

Wise Old Owls

© Dan North

It’s still dark on a January morning when a pair of great horned owls wakes me. Who-whooo, who- whooo, who-who-who-whooo. One owl seems right outside my window, the other further back in the woods. They’ve been courting since November and the female is near egg-laying time. White- splotched droppings sometimes give away owl roosts, but I’ve never looked for these owls. I’m just as happy hearing anonymous hootings and letting my imagination make the pictures. Maybe it’s the big eyes, or the judicious, sweeping gaze, or the flat, near-human face. Maybe it’s the mysterious night vision or the silent flight muted by unique down-fringed feathers. Perhaps it’s the uncanny hearing caused by asymmetrical placement of the ears that helps the owl judge where faint rustlings come from. Whatever the cause, owls fascinate humans. In “One Man’s Owl,” the naturalist Bernd Heinrich tells how he rescued a great horned owlet when its mother was shot. The little bird bonded with him and, when full grown, attacked humans it saw as rivals for his affection. When the owl raked Heinrich’s wife with its fierce talons, she warned him it was her or the bird. The owl stayed and the marriage ended. Recently, my wife and I wandered into the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon district. In the Owl Bar, a former speakeasy once frequented by the writer H.L. Mencken, three illustrated stained glass panels above the back- bar contain these verses: “A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he saw the less he spoke. The less he spoke the more he heard.” We asked the bartender if there had been a fourth panel. He said it had been planned but never constructed. But, he added, the poem ends, “Now wasn’t that a wise old bird.”

PHAS Chapter Officers:

President: (Position open)
Vice President: Connie Mayer-Bakall
Treasurer: Margaret O'Sullivan
Secretary: Karen Riner

Board of Directors

Audubon Membership:

To join the National Audubon Society and Putnam Highlands Audubon (Chapter R-25) call Audubon Customer Service at 1-800-274-4201 and get the advantaged rate of $21/yr for up to 3 years and pay by credit card! It’s important that you specify that you wish to join Chapter R-25.

To renew your membership call Audubon Customer Service at 1-800-274-4201 and renew by credit card at $21/yr for up to 3 years. The usual renewal rate is $35/yr.

Newsletter Only Option: If you prefer not to join as a member, you can still receive the Chapter’s newsletter to thank you for your fully tax-deductible contribution of $25 or more, which should be mailed to PHAS, PO Box 292, Cold Spring, NY 10516