GSBAS Tuesday Nature Walk May 21, 2018

Today or walk was at the Marine Nature Study Center in Oceanside. We had another good turnout for our walk. The weather was cooperative in that we had no rain, and temps were mild.

We were greeted by a Green heron and multiple Egrets. We had both Great and Snowy Egrets along our walk.

One of the Great Egrets is the official greeter at the site. It is used to the staff doing demonstrations for school students and he gets the leftover seafood from the seine nets.

We then went to Jones Beach West End for a few minutes to finish the morning. We had good looks at Brown Thrasher s. We then walked to the beach side pavilion and saw Least Terns in their breeding colony.

GSBAS Nature Walk Tuesday May 15, 2018

A foggy misty morning turned into a clear day with bright sunshine to finish our walk at Hempstead State Park. A dozen folks participated and were not disappointed.

We had over thirty species of birds for the morning, including twelve warblers. We had great looks at Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue and Blackpoll warblers on our  walk A Yellow-billed Cuckoo popped up on the return trail heading bac to the parking lot..

A really nice surprise were a pair of Wood Ducks on the pond as we were finishing our walk. One of them posed in a tree for us to enjoy the finale for the morning

Breakfast and Birding May 13, 2018

The weather wasn't the best but still forty five people showed up to participate in the spring Breakfast and Birding at Connetquot State Park Preserve. The event is a collaboration between NYS parks and Great South Bay Audubon Society. Continental breakfast was served and Pam Hunter from NYS Parks gave an introductory bird lecture, focusing on identifying birds by sound.

We then split into two groups and went into the woods to do some birdwatching. We saw thirty five species of birds on our walks, despite the overcast conditions with poor lighting. Some highlights were, Eastern Bluebird, Great-crested Flycatcher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Osprey, and  Snowy Egret. Every one really enjoyed seeing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird on nest.

This is a very successful and well attended program, look for our next scheduled Breakfast and birding September 15, 2018 and make sure to register.

GSBAS Tuesday nature Walk 05/01/2018

Finally the weather has seemed to realize it is spring. We had a sunny, mild, and clear day for our Tuesday Nature walk. Today it was at Massapequa Preserve. The leaves on the trees are not fully out yet which made for easier viewing.

We had 33 species of birds, with five warblers and multiples of some of them. We did see four Black and White Warblers and four Yellow Warblers and Two Northern Parula. We did not see the Warbling Vireo which I usually expect here. There were three Forsters Terns circling the pond and a first of the year Catbird and Red-eyed Vireo.

All in all a nice day with some nice birds in a nice place.

                                                            Black and White Warbler

GSBAS Tuesday Walk 04/24/2018

Oh what a beautiful morning, it could make a great song title. It was just spectacular this morning on our walk at Norman Levy park in Merrick. Bette Davis said it, "What a dump". The park is a recovered landfill. Nicely laid out for a great walk with different habitats as you walk around the trails.

We were greeted by the resident Monk Parakeets as we gathered at the beginning of the trail.

We walked to the top and back down seeing 25 species of birds despite the trees not having leafed out yet. At the end of the walk we spotted a Little Blue heron to finish the day.

GSBAS Nature Walk April 21, 2018

We had our annual April walk at Connetquott State Park Preserve Saturday April 21. The weather was delightful. A warming feel to the air and bright sunshine and a crowd of 24 people made for a great walk.

We headed to the Mill hoping to see the resident Bald Eagle and were not disappointed. He dida flyover right on cue. We had a good raptor morning, we also saw a Cooper's Hawk, a Red-tailed Hawk, and a number of Ospreys flying around. We had two early warblers, Pine warbler and Palm warbler. After explaining to the group about our Bluebird trail we spotted a pair of Eastern Bluebirds approaching box 14 seeming to prepare to nest. We wound up with 39 species for the morning. One of the best April Trips I can remember

April 17, 2018 GSBAS Nature Walk

Wow, another less than stellar day for one of our spring walks. It will get better. The temps were in the forties with a brisk bone chilling wind. Eleven hardy souls ventured forth to see what we could see.

Apparently the birds also felt the impact of the weather and decided to sleep in. We did persist though and managed to squeak out some nice birds for the morning.Some highlights were Great Egrets and  Ospreys flying overhead. There were Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds galore. A few Cardinals and both American and Fish crow were around.

On the way back to the parking lot a Snowy Egret Joined us on the pathway