Summer 2020 Newsletter
Local Birding Stories, Sightings and Tips to While Away the Hot Summer Days
Welcome Members and Friends!
During this time of social distancing the PHAS Board has continued to operate via Zoom meetings and even run a successful Birdathon with your help! With so many at home, birding has become the most popular recreation sport and sales of binoculars and bird identification books and apps have soared. Many have been introduced to bird conservation through Audubon and we welcome their support!
We will be adding links to Webinars shortly on our website so please check it out. We are also planning to restart the popular Third Saturday Bird Walks locally with smaller groups so please check the website for more information (masks and social distancing required!).
We hope all of you stay safe and continue to enjoy the summer birds in the Hudson Valley. The birds are blissfully unaware of the human crisis and continue to provide us with their colorful beauty and songs. Connie Mayer-Bakall - President
Summer Birds, Gardens and Poetry by Leslie Mott
Mary Oliver has a poem called “Why I Wake Early, that begins “Hello, sun in my face./ Hello, you who make the morning/and spread it over the fields/and into the faces of the tulips and the nodding morning glories,/and into the windows of, even, the/miserable and crotchety– . . . .”
It’s a busy time of year for birds, and we who are perhaps at home and crotchety can claim this time for watching in the early morning hours. Birds are rearing their young, and parents will be busy flying about catching insects and foraging in the grass. The fledglings will be closely following their parents , endlessly cheeping and fluttering their wings asking for food. Birds will also still be courting, claiming territory, socializing, scrapping, bathing, preening, and in general, doing their stay at home routines. Read More
Photo Credit Leslie Mott copyright 2020
2020 Putnam Highlands Birdathon Results
By Sean Camillieri
On May 9th, 2020 PHAS had their annual Birdathon. Aside from traveling around the Hudson Valley and observing as many birds as possible, it is a fund raiser for bird conservation and enables PHAS to continue to be an advocate for birds and their habitats. Read More
We would like to thank these generous donors for their support who enabled us to reach our fundraising goal of $5,000.
Photo Credit Kyle Bardwell copyright 2020
Stressed Out By The COVID-19 Pandemic? Go Birding To Enjoy Life Again
The Birds Are Not on Lockdown, and More People Are Watching Them Bird-watching has surged in popularity during the pandemic. It’s easy to start, and you can do it anywhere — even from inside, and even in urban spaces. NY Times Birding
Here’s How to (Safely) Bird-Watch During Lockdown Birding can be a lark, but don’t run a-fowl of safety guidelines Smithsonian Magazine
Birding Is the Perfect Activity While Practicing Social Distancing - This global pandemic has us all pretty freaked out. Handled responsibly, open space and wildlife observation might be just the balm you need. Audubon Magazine
Putnam Highlands Audubon Society Announces New Members of Our Board of Directors
We are very pleased to announce three new members of the PHAS Board, all local residents and passionate about conservation and birding.
Karen Ertl
Karen is a long time Conservation Chair of the Philipstown Garden Club and and is very active in the community. The following is a favorite quote of Karen's but sums up all our nominees! "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little." Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)
Deborah MacLeod
Deborah is a local business woman active in the local community and avid conservationist.
Giannina Santo
Gianina is active in Haldane PTA, many community activities and and a birder
Support Local Bird and Nature Conservation Programs
It is with a heavy heart that we write to let you know that sadly due to the current health issues and safety fears from exposure to the COVD19 virus, we have had to cancel upcoming events through August. We are hopeful to resume programs in the fall.
However, while all our programs and activities are delivered by 100% volunteers our hard costs for maintaining the three bird sanctuaries that we own do go on.
We need your support now more than ever to meet expenses for insurance, professional fees, warden fees and other on going expenses.
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.
Free, 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
Summer internships at Constitution Marsh for high school students
Annual Scholarships
Chapter newsletters
We appreciate your support.