www.hobaudubon.org 1 March – April 2016 Volume 4, No. 4 Huntington–Oyster Bay Audubon Society A chapter of the National Audubon Society Serving Huntington and Northern Oyster Bay Townships "The Messenger" Documentary Screening at Cinema Arts Centre Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon is proud to partner with the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington for a screening of The Messenger on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:30 PM Su Rynard’s wide-ranging and contemplative documentary explores our deep-seated connection to birds and warns that the uncertain fate of songbirds might mirror our own. Moving from the northern reaches of the Boreal Forest to the base of Mount Ararat in Turkey to the urban streets of New York, The Messenger brings us face-to-face with a remarkable variety of human-made perils that have devastated thrushes, warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks, and many other airborne music-makers. These include hunting, light pollution, high-rise collisions, pipelines, pesticides, and loss of migratory habitats. On one level, The Messenger is the artful story about the mass depletion of songbirds on multiple continents, and about those who are working to turn the tide. On another level, The Messenger is an engaging, visually stunning, three-act emotional journey, one that mixes its elegiac message with hopeful notes and unique glances into the influence of songbirds on our own expressions of the soul. The film will be followed by a brief discussion on what you, the audience member, can do to help birds. A reception will follow the discussion. Please join us for this special event. WHEN: Tuesday, March 8 at 7:30 PM WHERE: Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, NY HOW MUCH: $10 CAC Members | $15 Public – Includes guest speakers and reception TICKETS: Can be purchased on the Cinema Arts Centre website (cinemaartscentre.org) or at the door. Killdeer Inside This Issue Winners ................................................. 2 From the President ................................... 3 LI Green Homes and Earth Day Activities .......... 4 Bird Friendly Communities........................... 5 Meetings and Events .................................. 6 Field Trips and Activities ............................ 7 Children’s Program ................................... 8
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www.hobaudubon.org 1
March – April 2016
Volume 4, No. 4
Huntington–Oyster Bay Audubon Society A chapter of the National Audubon Society
Serving Huntington and Northern Oyster Bay Townships
"The Messenger" Documentary Screening
at Cinema Arts Centre
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon is proud to partner with the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington for a screening of The Messenger
on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:30 PM
Su Rynard’s wide-ranging and contemplative documentary
explores our deep-seated connection to birds and warns that
the uncertain fate of songbirds might mirror our own.
Moving from the northern reaches of the Boreal Forest to
the base of Mount Ararat in Turkey to the urban streets of
New York, The Messenger brings us face-to-face with a
Audubon is committed to transforming our communities
into places where birds flourish.
Native Plants for Birds Restoring native plant habitat is vital to preserving
biodiversity. By creating native plant gardens, each patch
of habitat becomes part of a collective effort to nurture and
sustain the living landscape for birds and other animals.
Over the past century urbanization has taken intact,
ecologically productive land and fragmented and
transformed it with lawns and exotic ornamental plants. In
that time the continental United States has lost a staggering
150 million acres of habitat and farmland to urban sprawl,
and that trend is not slowing. The modern obsession with
highly manicured “perfect” lawns alone has created a
green, monoculture carpet across the country that covers
more than 40 million acres. The human-dominated
landscape no longer supports functioning ecosystems, and
the remaining isolated natural areas are not large enough to
sustain wildlife.
American Goldfinch on Cone Flowers
Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in
which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon
which life depends, including birds and people. Without
these natives and the insects that co-evolved with them,
local birds cannot survive. Unfortunately, most of the
landscaping plants available in nurseries are alien species
from other countries. These exotic plants not only sever
the food web, but many have become invasive pests,
outcompeting native species and degrading habitat in
remaining natural areas.
Landscaping choices have meaningful effects on the
populations of birds and the insects they need to survive.
Homeowners, landscapers, and local policy makers can
benefit birds and other wildlife simply by selecting native
plants when making their landscaping decisions.
Simple Steps to Create a Native Plant Garden
Like us, birds need food, water, and shelter. By choosing
locally native plants, you can transform any outdoor space
into a bird sanctuary that also saves resources such as
water and combats climate change. Use the steps below to
create and maintain a bird-friendly habitat that brings
colorful birds, sweet melodies, vibrant colors, and more of
nature's gifts close.
1. Select a site that's practical to convert into a
garden and allow room to expand. Consider:
Do you have full sun? Partial sun? Shade? Is the
soil rocky, loamy, sandy, clay, or gravel? Does is
drain well? Is your site flat or hilly? Near water?
Learn what's optimal from your local native plant
society.
2. Plant in spring or fall months and on cooler days.
Follow planting instructions carefully and get tips on
mulching around plants. Water only as needed when
young plants are adapting to their new habitat.
3. Prepare your garden well to save headaches later.
You may need to dig up lawn, remove invasive plants,
and add organic compost to the soil. An easy method
is to lay down newspaper at least six sheets deep, with
plenty of overlap; wet it down; cover it with 4 to 6
inches of mulch, and let it sit until you are ready to
plant. Use deep edging to keep out lawn grass.
4. Plan for a variety of shapes, sizes, and kinds of
plants to give vertical structure to your garden.
Cluster the same plant species together.
Design for color palettes and seasonal blooms.
Add habitat features like hollowed boulders that
catch rainwater for birds to drink and bathe in.
5. Steward your native plant garden with tender
loving care.
Pull up noxious and invasive weeds.
Enhance with brush piles that hide birds and shelter
other wildlife too.
Leave dead trees and branches.
6. Focus on plants that support high variety and
quantity of bird food.
Red tubular flowers – columbine, jewelweed, and
bee balm serve up nectar for hummingbirds.
Native sunflowers, asters, and coneflowers produce
seeds for songbirds.
Bushes with berries ripen at different times, so
include a seasonal variety to sustain birds: dogwood
and spicebush; cedar and holly trees.
Birding and Natural History
Field Trip Leaders Needed
Are you interested in sharing your knowledge of birds, nature, and birding hotspots with others? HOBAS is looking for new field trip leaders to join our team. You do not have to be an expert to lead a trip and field trips
can cover any aspect of the natural world – not just birds. Volunteer to lead a field trip by sending an email to [email protected].