Montauk Long Island Birding Getaway January 29-31 2016 Small Groups! Great Leaders! Interesting People! ecotravel.ctaudubon.org 2016 EcoTravel Overnight Natural History Tours and Day Trips
Montauk Long Island
Birding Getaway
January 29-31 2016
Small Groups!
Great Leaders!
Interesting People! ecotravel.ctaudubon.org
2016
EcoTravel
Overnight Natural History Tours and Day Trips
Long Island Birding Getaway
Gulls, Winter Ducks, and Alcids
January 2016
The town of Montauk, on the far eastern tip of Long Island,
is known to many as a busy summer resort, luring people
with its open Atlantic beaches and extensive state park land.
Montauk is also the homeport for a substantial fishing fleet,
but our main interest is that it is one of the best winter bird-
ing spots. The open ocean and the harbor provide opportuni-
ties to see many winter waterfowl not so commonly seen in
Connecticut. Eiders, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, grebes,
loons, and other winter specialties, are among the many
birds one can expect. Plan to enjoy the quiet of an off-season
resort town, a variety of birds, and the fresh air of winter
beaches.
The Itinerary Day One Meet at the New London to Orient Point Ferry and start your is-
land hopping on the north fork of Long Island (other pickup spots
are available – please call). When crossing the sound, birds can be
spectacular and often include Northern Gannet, Razorbill and
winter gulls. The next two ferries hop us across Shelter Island
where we will spend some time exploring some of the Nature Con-
servancy’s woodland holdings and then onto the south fork where
we travel out to Montauk. Poke into the hidden coves and back
waters in search of winter waterfowl and gulls. There are a num-
ber of sanctuaries that may turn up the rare and unusual. Our
accommodations will be at one of Montauk’s comfortable hotels, on
or near the water.
Day Two and Three Here, on the easternmost tip of Long Island, is a picturesque re-
treat at land's end, with gentle rolling hills and steep sand bluffs at
the point where the Sound meets the Sea, where fishing fleets,
yachts and sailboats ride the tides to the Atlantic Ocean and Block
Island Sound. Montauk is surrounded by water on three sides and
is close to the Gulf Stream which has a great and favorable influ-
ence on the local climate. Generally, the temperature is 10 degrees
warmer in the winter than the mainland area, which has the ef-
fect of extending the warm seasons for all who live in and visit this
land's end community. There are two large ocean side State Parks:
Hither Hills and Montauk Point State Park for hiking and watch-
ing the many and varied bird species that migrate along the Atlan-
tic flyway. Along with all the numerous outdoor activities a visitor
can partake in, there are many historical sights to dive into and
explore. The Montauk Lighthouse, the most distinctive and best
known structures on Long Island, is just one of them. The Mon-
tauk Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Wash-
Leader: Andrew Griswold is the Director of EcoTravel for Connecticut
Audubon Society and graduated as an honor student in biology
from Hartwick College where he worked at their biological re-
search station in the Caribbean studying avian ecology. Andy is the
original concept creator and scientific consultant for a cable televi-
sion series on bird watching called All Bird TV that aired on Dis-
covery’s Animal Planet. He is the original concept creator of the
award winning Connecticut River Eagle Festival (at the time the
largest birding festival in the Americas). He leads trips for Con-
necticut Audubon to Canada, Texas, South Florida, Nova Scotia,
Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, and many other unique destinations.
Andy is a licensed USCG 100-Ton Master boat captain and lives in
Essex, Connecticut with his wife and their young son. He is known
for his attentiveness to travelers’ needs, fine birding skills, and in-
fectious sense of humor.
ington in the 1790's, the first lighthouse in New York State and the
fourth oldest lighthouse in the United States that is still active.
There are 137 steps to the top where the 390,000 candlepower bea-
con rotates every five seconds and can be seen for 19 nautical miles.
The lighthouse was leased by the Montauk Historical Society in
1987 and is now open to the public for tours. Travelers can expect to
spend much of their time outside exploring the wilds of the eastern
end of Long Island, but will have the opportunity to explore the town
as well. Birds we hope to see include Black-legged Kittiwake, Com-
mon Eider, King Eider, Surf, White-winged, and Black Scoter, Bo-
naparte’s Gull, Northern Gannet, and Rough-legged Hawk.
On our last day, lunch will be on the way towards the ferries, where
travelers will stop in the scenic town of East Hampton. Time will be
allowed to explore the historic buildings and colorful shops. With a
hop across Shelter Island, the group will bird along the waterways
with a final stop in Greenport with the chance, if time allows, to ex-
plore this delightful town as well. The ferry departs from Orient
Point at 5PM and returns to Connecticut at 6:15PM.
The eastern end of Long Island has been given by Nature a marvel-
ous combination of beautiful ocean and bay vistas. Enjoy the wilds of
a land surrounded by water in a season when you can feel as though
the whole place is yours.
To Reserve Your Spot:
$200 deposit required to hold reservation. Balance is due
60 days before the depar ture date. Refunds are granted
60 days or more pr ior to depar ture, minus $100. After
that date, Connecticut Audubon, no refund will be grant-
ed. Single travelers are encouraged to sign up early to give
them the best chance at being matched. If matching them is
not possible, the single supplement will apply. Connecticut
Audubon reserves the right, if registration is insufficient, to
cancel any trip or to offer the trip with a small group supple-
ment. If you would like cancellation or any other type of
travel insurance, give us a call at 800-996-8747 and we can
put you in touch with those providers.
Fee: $855. With Member Discount: $655. Single supplement
$145. Includes: transportation from Connecticut and in New
York, ferry fees, hotel for two nights, Welcome Dinner, two
breakfasts, and guides. Not included: meals not specified, al-
coholic beverages, admissions, gratuities, phone calls, and
other personal items.
Send to and Payable to:
Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel
PO Box 903
Essex, CT 06426
860-767-0660
800-996-8747
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.ecotravel.ctaudubon.org
History of Montauk We know through carbon dating of ar tifacts that
Indians have lived on Long Island for over 4,000
years. There is very little written history on the Indians
who lived in Montauk, however, we do know they
were a peaceful tribe who existed for the most part on
farming and the abundant game that still exists, thanks
to our virgin parklands. They hunted, fished and
farmed the land, keeping cattle and sheep...their only
trouble came from raids from the Rhode Island Narra-
gansetts.
The first white settler to set foot on Montauk was the
Dutch explorer Adrian Block who sailed east on Long
Island Sound, rounded Orient Point and hit Montauk.
The first white man to settle in the area was Lord Gar-
diner, who moved across the Sound from Saybrook,
Connecticut to take possession of his land granted by
the king. It is the only land grant left in this country
and has remained in the Gardiner family since 1639.
Lord Gardiner became friends with the Montauk Indi-
ans and, on a number of occasions, was a great help to
the first known chief, Wyandanch. Two other Indians
made a name for themselves, Stephen Pharoah, known
as Stephen Talkhouse, who thought nothing of walk-
ing to Brooklyn and back. He is buried in the Indian
Cemetery on East Lake Drive in his Civil War uni-
form. The other Indian was a Mohegan, Samson Oc-
com, from Connecticut who came to the Montauketts
to preach and write hymns, some of which are still
sung today. He went to England to raise funds, and
after four hundred lectures, raised 12,000 English
pounds with which Dartmouth College was founded in
1769.
Old Montauk Highway was laid out in the 1700's by
Hampton ranchers involved in grazing horses, sheep
and cattle on the Montauk Peninsula. In the 1790's
President George Washington signed an order to have
the lighthouse erected in order to keep out poachers,
posing as fisherman, who might try to intrude on the
land where these animals were being grazed. The tow-
er was built in 1795 out of red sandstone and stands
some 100 feet high. The lantern is 160 feet above sea
level and the lens flashes every two minutes and is vis-
ible for 25 miles. Originally, the lighthouse stood 297
feet from the shore. By 1938 the land had eroded to
within 140 feet of the structure. Now the lighthouse
stands quite close to the edge. When President Wash-
ington ordered the construction of the Montauk Light-
house he predicted it would stand for two hundred
years.
Montauk has the distinction of being the home of the
first cattle ranch in the United States. With the herding
of cattle here, housing had to be built.. .in the 1740's,
First House was built near Hither Hills Park, then Sec-
ond House at its present site and, finally, Third House.
First House burned down in 1917, Second House is
now a museum (it was later added on to) and Third
House is the headquarters for the County Park. Teddy
Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" stayed at Third
House when they returned from the Spanish American
War. Some twenty five thousand of his troops, victims
of yellow fever. recuperated here in Montauk.
The proprietors of Third House, Arthur Benson fol-
lowed by Austin Corbin, and finally Carl Fisher, were
the major buyers of Montauk land. Arthur Benson
bought all of Montauk for $151,000 in 1879, the Stan-
ford White houses, built in 1882, are his contribution,
as well as beach land on Old Montauk Highway. In
1895 Austin Corbin brought the railroad from Sag
Harbor to Montauk and talked of making Montauk the
Port of Entry from overseas. Shortly thereafter, Carl
Fisher, the developer of Miami Beach, the Indianapo-
lis Speedway, the first major highway across the coun-
try and the Dixie Highway, had a dream to make Mon-
tauk the Miami Beach of the North. He laid out the
town, built the golf course, the polo field, the Manor,
the tall office building in town, indoor tennis courts
and the theater. With his arrival, the Surf Club and the
Yacht Club, as well as the gambling casino on Star
Island came into being. He also opened the jetty into
Lake Montauk, making the lake our saltwater harbor.
Carl's dream collapsed with the Stock Market crash in
1929, but not before he had accomplished a great
many of his visions.