The Putnam Highland Audubon Society is running their 22nd annual Fall Bird Seed Sale and Program, Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Taconic Outdoor Education Center in Fahnestock State Park (off of Route 301, Cold Spring).
Seeds should be pre-ordered though some seeds will be available for sale on the day of the event. Look for the order form in this paper. Orders can be picked up between 2 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Join us at 3 p.m. for a program, “Golden-winged Warblers and the restoration of their wetland habitat in the Hudson Valley,” presented by Max Garfinkle, former Constitution Marsh and PHAS intern, now a field biologist with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The program will be followed by the annual Fall Chili Party.
Garfinkle, Ed McGowan, Matt Shook and John Confer have been following up on Confer’s long-term research in Sterling Forest State Park indicating that swamp forest habitats in the Hudson Highlands may serve as important nesting refugia for GWWA. Accordingly, the group surveyed a set of 37 randomly selected swamp forest habitats embedded within the 65,000 acre forested landscape of Harriman and Sterling Forest State Parks using call-playback recordings over multiple visits between May 15 and June 15 to survey both warblers and their hybrids. They also characterized the habitat and mapped the extent of Phragmitis australis, an invasive plant known to degrade the sedge-dominated nesting habitat of GWWA.
Following their investigations and results, Eric Lind, Center Director of Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary, will be sharing a fascinating update on the phragmite remediation program at the Constitution Marsh’s bird habitat.
Families are welcome. To cover costs including Chef Mike’s famous vegetarian chili, suggested donation is $15. All proceeds support PHAS programs. Visit putnamhighlandsaudubon.org. To RSVP, contact Paul Kuznia, Taconic Outdoor Education Center, 265-3773 or [email protected].
