Putnam Highlands Audubon Society
Fall 2022 Newsletter
Local Birding News, Sightings and Coming Events
American Kestrel by Anthony Macchiarola
Putnam Highlands Audubon Society President’s Letter
Greetings PHAS Members and Friends!
When I first attended my first PHAS annual dinner as a guest in 2019 (thanks Ryan Bass!), I would never have thought I’d be writing to you as the new chapter president. It seems like just in the short time that I’ve been involved with PHAS that the threats surrounding birds, wildlife, plants, and our landscape are becoming more numerous by the day. It used to be that climate change used to be the main driver for these declines in birds and wildlife but in a fast-changing world and our lust for the outdoors through social media and other avenues, only amplified by the pandemic has posed a more near-term threat to the things we love and enjoy. As president, I want to be the voice for the birds and wildlife who don’t get a say in how we should co-exist.
Growing up in Beekman NY I always had a passion for the outdoors, whether it was fishing or any kind of wildlife viewing. I didn’t catch the birding bug until my senior year in high school when I had to remember common and scientific names of your common feeder birds. I went on to study Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of Rhode Island and graduated in 2010. During that time, I traveled to Costa Rica to study mammal diversity on coffee plantations, was a teaching assistant for a wildlife class, and conducted radio telemetry on American Woodcock. Maybe most importantly, I really fell off the birding deep end and when I moved home, that was all she wrote, I was hooked.
After college I worked for an engineering company that was tasked with preserving the quality of New York City’s water at Kensico Reservoir through means of non-lethal harassment towards geese and gulls. I then briefly worked in Alaska conducting fish surveys on the Susitna River for a proposed hydroelectric dam project and when I came back, I applied for a Wildlife Biologist position with NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and I have been there for almost 9 years. I oversee the project I used to work on at Kensico but also monitor the watershed’s Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon populations, project reviews, breeding bird surveys, and any other wildlife related issue that never seem to be in short supply.
I currently live in the town of Kent and bird Putnam and the surrounding counties frequently. Since Putnam is wedged between the birding powerhouses of Dutchess and Westchester Counties I refer to it as a drive-through county which is very unfortunate because given our topography we have some breeding species that no longer exist south of us. Species such as Black-throated Green and Blue Warbler, Blackburnian, and Eastern Whip-Poor-Will to name a few. However, since linking up with Charlie Roberto and Kyle Bardwell, it became clear that there could be more surprises that have yet to be found in this county. There is a small, devoted birding community in Putnam but with more eyes comes more information gathered and all of this can be stored in the program called eBird (more on this as you scroll through this newsletter).
I look forward to working with the PHAS board, our members, parks, and our local conservation community on preserving the unique landscapes Putnam County has to offer and hoping we can balance the human need to be outside with the needs of the birds and other wildlife we share this space with. I’d like to also thank former President Connie Mayer-Bakall for your guidance and the trust that I will continue with the work you have done for 13 years as chapter president.
For the birds! -Sean Camillieri President
Bird Seed Sale
Thank you to the 30 people who purchased 175 bags of bird seed from us this fall! Our next seed sale will be online this month with a pickup date of January 14th at Hubbard Lodge.
Winter Bird Seed Sale is On
Click Here to Place Your Order
Save The Date! Our Annual Dinner is Happening!
We are happy to announce that our annual dinner will be held at Taconic Outdoor Education Center on 3/18/23 with a snow date of 3/19/23. Our speaker will be author Kathryn Schneider who will speaking about birding in the Hudson Valley. A more formal announcement will be made after the holidays.
In Memory of Ralph W. Odell Jr.
A great friend and supporter of Putnam Highlands Audubon Society with a lifelong devotion to environmental conservation and preservation of natural open spaces passed peacefully this October.
He will be deeply missed and always remembered.
Mr. Odell had a lifelong interest in the study of birds. In his more formative years, as a high school student he assisted in forming a Junior Audubon Club. He went on to serve as a field trip leader, board member, and President of the Bedford Audubon Society in Westchester County, he was a founder of Putnam Highlands Audubon Society, based in Cold Spring, New York, and eventually served on the National Audubon Society’s board of directors. He also served as Co-Chair of the Arthur W. butler Sanctuary in Bedford, Westchester County, New York. Obituary
Here are fond remembrances written by friends Read On
See an odd bird or need help with an ID?
Have an old bird list collecting dust?
PHAS has the solution!
Many counties in the state have suffered from not having thorough archived bird records, Putnam County isn’t any different. From what some of us can see, the records are inconsistent, and mostly anecdotal. As we move into this new era where human and wildlife need to coexist, it is imperative to build and maintain a permanent robust bird database for the county that could be used for education, leisurely study, and most importantly as a reference tool we can look back to for conservation purposes. There are other mechanisms through the DEC and NY Natural Heritage Websites that do have this information available but currently there is not a more up to date avian database like eBird.
eBird is a free and easy to use website exists and would allow PHAS to have all of the chapters and the counties bird records permanently stored in a single space. eBird is a website that has been around for about a decade, and it currently is the world’s largest citizen science project! What is citizen science? Citizen science means that any person regardless of experience level can participate in the study of a particular topic. This link will bring you to Putnam County’s eBird page. You can see everything from how many individual species have been seen in the county, how many eBirders there are, how many checklists have been submitted, and the best areas to go. You can also see what birds have been seen in some of your favorite places to hike and walk. The data submitted through ebird has fueled hundreds if not thousands of avian studies and projects worldwide.
eBird offers free introductory videos on how to use the platform and I encourage everyone to take a look and give it a try. “But what if I get something wrong?” Luckily for everyone here, two board members and a former board member (myself, Kyle Bardwell, and Ryan Bass) review the records coming through the county so you won’t be interacting with a stranger!
If eBird isn’t your thing but you have lists of birds you saw on a hike one day or old records from when you were more active in the birding community, you can email these lists to PHASbirds@gmail.com and we can enter your data through our eBird account on your behalf. If you need help identifying a bird or see a rare bird and you are able to take a photo you can also email this address and one of us will try and help you with identification. We will also answer any questions regarding ebird as well.
This data may prove beneficial down the line and if we don’t have anything to go off of, then how can we fight for the birds?
Notable Bird Sightings of the Year
Rufous Hummingbird Photo By Anthony Macchiarola
PHAS Board Member and prodigious birder Anthony Macchariola has had a very fulfilling year roving Hudson Valley Counties sighting scores of fabulous bird species and noting them in eBird.
All of the notable sightings listed below were compiled using eBird.org. eBird is a fantastic website that allows to you to find birds and places to go birding (both locally and while travelling somewhere new), as well as a way to keep track of your bird lists and photos. All of the data you input into eBird contributes to science and to the conservation of birds and their habitat. We encourage everyone to join eBird (it is free, you just need to create an account) and record all of your bird sightings there. And remember, eBird is not just for notable sightings! Please visit ebird.org/about to learn more and to sign up. And visit eBird Putnam County to see Putnam County’s eBird page.
September 1, 2022 - November 30, 2022
June 1, 2022 – August 31, 2022
Proposed Projects and a New Species on the Endangered Species List!
1. As of 1/30/2023, the Northern long-eared Bat will be listed on the Federal Endangered Species List (ESL) Please refer to this link for more information. This species has an historical range in Putnam County. Due to white-nose syndrome, declining population and lack of extensive acoustic monitoring, and cave surveys their status in the county is unknown.
2. DEC is planning a very ambitious project that will impact 6,700 acres in Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester Counties. The East of Hudson Unit Management Plan will encompass topics ranging from forest and ecosystem health for plants and animals, recreation, property, and infrastructure. For more information please follow this link that will bring you to the pdf of the plan. Public comments on the proposed plan will be accepted until Dec. 22, 2022, by mail to DEC Division of Lands and Forests, 21 South Putt Corners Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561, and by email to R3.UMP@dec.ny.gov.
This fall we had three well attended bird walks with scores of birds sighted.
Read more about each walk here:
See Our Calendar for Upcoming Walks
Putnam County Christmas Bird Count 2023
The Putnam County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is looking for volunteers! What is a CBC? It’s an annual event first begun in the early 1900’s when the distinguished scientist Frank Chapman was becoming concerned about declining avian populations. He decided that counting birds every Christmas Day was a good way to gather an understanding of the status and populations of many bird species by enlisting engaged citizens in orderly, focused counts. Prior to that time and even afterwards, hunters would go out and shoot just about any feathered or furry animal as a means of taking inventory of what’s around, or as a meal. Fast forward 121 years later to the present day when 2,585 CBC’s were completed nation-wide in 2020, as birders recorded an astounding 59.2 billion birds! These counts regularly take place between December 14th to January 5th every year, and the precise timing depends upon decisions made by local Audubon chapters or bird clubs.
Putnam County’s CBC began in 1955 and was started by Jim Nolan and Ralph Odell. Normally, each count’s territory is a 15-mile-wide circle where a compiler is assigned to each territory and has volunteers who scatter throughout that circle counting every bird they see or hear. Due to the small rectangular shape of Putnam County, Jim and Ralph lobbied the Audubon CBC administrators to make an exception to this rule, and they ultimately succeeded. Now Putnam County’s “circle” is actually a square, and so is the Peekskill CBC territory as well.
This year’s count will be held on January 2nd, 2023 beginning at 12am and ending 12pm (for those intrepid birders) with a hybrid compilation via zoom and in person that evening. Please contact Charlie Roberto at chasrob26@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.
Support Local Bird and Nature Conservation Programs
Today we serve Putnam and Dutchess Counties. We maintain bird sanctuaries deRham Watergrass Sanctuary in Philipstown and Reese Sanctuary in New Hamburg. We offer monthly bird walks and educational programs in Beacon, Cold Spring, Garrison, Philipstown and other local towns.
Public programs for children & adults
Care of PHAS’s wildlife sanctuaries: , Reese, and deRham Watergrass
Support for bird conservation programs, including bird walks and public programs
Annual Scholarships
Chapter Newsletters
We appreciate your support.