Bedford Audubon Society

BAS Birdathon: “D great way to get out and see birds while generating contributions for Bedford Audubon.” This year we were pleased to have five groups participating during the Birdathon period of May 9-10.

Scott Lenhart was able to take three North Salem High School students out on Friday afternoon. Despite the steady cold rain, they were able to count 19 species on school property in 1 hour. This was their first-ever “bird team.” Scott reports, “The kids and I had fun and they asked when we could do this again. My principal was very supportive of this activity.” Scott Lenhart's team sightings are marked "a" in the chart below.

BAS scholarship winner Scott Wieman was d team of one. With his parents switching off driving, Scott covered around 400 miles over the course of the contest, walking at Rye Marshlands, Edith G. Read Sanctuary, Ward Pound Ridge, Jamaica Bay, Jones Beach, Point Lookout, and the New York Botanical Garden. Scott recorded 100 species of birds and said, “…the best/rarest of which were Red-necked Phalarope at Jamaica Bay, Harlequin Duck at Point Lookout, American Golden-Plover at Jones Beach, Bobolink at Jamaica Bay, Blue-winged Warbler and American Woodcock at Ward Pound Ridge, and Yellow-breasted Chat at Jamaica Bay. Scott Wieman's sightings are marked "b" in the chart.

Jack Kozuchowski birded in Westchester County on Saturday at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and at BAS’s Bylane Farm. Peter Becker joined Jack for part of the day. Jack totaled 52 species. Among Jack’s highlights were being able to “immediately key the song of d Rose-breasted Grosbeak and then being treated to d view of the grosbeak singing from the top of d tree” and “an imperial view of d male Common Yellowthroat at the Michigan Road Pond in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.” Jack's sightings are marked "c" on the chart.

Tait Johansson participated in New Jersey Audubon’s World Series of Birding and supported the BAS Birdathon at the same time. Birding only on the Cape Island (Cape May south of the Intracoastal Waterway), Tait’s team tallied 145 species and won the Cape Island Cup for the most species found on the Cape Island. We congratulate Tait for his outstanding showing. His sightings are shown as "d" on the chart.

Joan B. and Richard Becker’s plans for birding on Friday evening were cancelled because of the heavy rain. Despite this, they tallied 100 species on Saturday at Alley Pond Park and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York. Joan’s best bird was d Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow at Bench 7 at Jamaica Bay; Richard’s was the Red-necked Phalarope at the same spot. D pair of Bobolinks made three unusual sightings at the same location. Joan and Richard's sighting are marked "e" on the chart.

Bedford Audubon would like to thank all who took part in the Birdathon and all those who sponsored the participants.

Birds Seen on the 2008 BAS Birdathon

a=Scott Lenhart b=Scott Wieman =Jack Kozuchowski d=Tait Johansson e=Joan B. and Richard Becker

*WATERFOWL*		*RAILS & SHOREBIRDS*		*PERCHING BIRDS*		Yellow-rumped	bde
SWAN, Mute	bde	RAIL, Clapper	d	FLYCATCHERS		Black-throated Green	bcd
GOOSE, Snow	d	PLOVER, Black-bellied	de	Eastern Wood-Pewee	d	Blackbumian	d
Brant	bde	American Golden-	b	Eastern Phoebe	bc	Pine	d
Canada	bde	Semipalmated	bde	Great Crested	cde	Prairie	cd
DUCK, Wood	bde	Piping	d	Eastern Kingbird	de	Bay-breasted	e
Gadwall	bde	Killdeer	abd	VIREO, White-eyed	de	Blackpoll	de
American Wigeon	be	OYSTERCATCHER, American	bde	Blue-headed	de	Black-and-white	bcde
American Black	bde	SANDPIPERS		Yellow-throated	e	American Redstart	de
Mallard	abcde	Greater Yellowlegs	bde	Warbling	e	Prothonotary	d
Blue-winged Teal	d	Lesser Yellowlegs	d	Red-eyed	bcde	Worm-eating	e
Green-winged Teal	d	Solitary	bde	LARK, Homed	d	Ovenbird	bcde
Greater Scaup	be	Willet	bde	SWALLOWS		Northern Waterthrush	de
Harlequin	b	Spotted	bde	Purple Martin	d	Common Yellowthroat	bcde
Surf Scoter	d	Ruddy Turnstone	d	Tree	bcde	Yellow-breasted Chat	bd
Black Scoter	d	Sanderling	bd	Northern Rough-winged	d	TANAGER, Scarlet	bcde
Hooded Merganser	d	Semipalmated	bde	Bank	d	TOWHEE, Eastern	bcde
Red-breasted Merganser	e	Least	bde	Cliff	ad	SPARROW, Chipping	bce
Ruddy	be	Dunlin	d	Barn	bde	Field	bd
*GAME BIRDS*		Short-billed Dowitcher	d	JAY, Blue	abde	Savannah	d
TURKEY, Wild	bc	SNIPE, Wilson's	d	CROW, American	abde	Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed	e
BOBWHITE, Northern	d	WOODCOCK, American	bd	Fish	bde	Song	bcde
*LOONS-HERONS*		PHALAROPE, Red-necked	be	CHICKADEE, Black-capped	abe	Lincoln's	d
LOON, Red-throated	d	*GULLS & TERNS*		Carolina	d	White-throated	bde
Common	bd	GULL, Laughing	bde	TITMOUSE, Tufted	abcde	White-crowned	b
GANNET, Northern	d	Ring-billed	bde	NUTHATCH, Red-breasted	d	CARDINAL, Northern	abcde
Double-crested	bde	Herring	bde	White-breasted	ae	GROSBEAK, Rose-breasted	cde
HERONS		Iceland	d	WREN, Carolina	bcd	Blue	d
Great Blue	de	Lesser Black-backed	d	House	bde	BUNTING, Indigo	cd
Great Egret	bde	Great Black-backed	bde	Marsh	b	BOBOLINK	bde
Snowy Egret	bde	TERN, Royal	d	GNATCATCHER, Blue-gray	bde	BLACKBIRD, Red-winged	abcde
Little Blue	bde	Common	bde	BLUEBIRD, Eastern	bc	MEADOWLARK, Eastern	d
Tricolored	de	Forster's	de	THRUSHES		GRACKLE, Boat-tailed	bd
Cattle Egret	d	Least	d	Veery	bcde	Common	abcde
Green	bd	*DOVES-WOODPECKERS*		Swainson's	be	COWBIRD, Brown-headed	abde
Black-crowned Night-	bde	DOVE, Mourning	bcde	Wood	bcde	ORIOLE, Orchard	de
Yellow-crowned Night-	e	PIGEON, Rock	bde	ROBIN, American	abcde	Baltimore	bcde
IBIS, Glossy	bde	OWL, Eastern Screech-	d	CATBIRD, Gray	abcde	FINCH, House	bcd
*VULTURES, HAWKS, EAGLES*		Great Homed	de	MOCKINGBIRD, Northern	bde	GOLDFINCH, American	abcd
VULTURE, Black	d	Barred	d	THRASHER, Brown	d	SPARROW, House	abde
Turkey	bcd	NIGHTHAWK, Common	d	STARLING, European	bcde
OSPREY	bde	SWIFT, Chimney	bd	WAXWING, Cedar	d
HARRIER, Northern	b	HUMMINGBIRD, Ruby-throated	de	WARBLER, Blue-winged	bc
HAWK, Cooper's	b	KINGFISHER, Belted	d	Nashville	bde
Broad-winged	c	WOODPECKER, Pileated	ac	Northern Parula	bde
Red-tailed	bcde	Red-bellied	bcde	Yellow	bde
FALCONS		Downy	abde	Chestnut -sided	e
American Kestrel	bd	Hairy	be	Magnolia	d
Merlin	d	Northern Flicker	be	Black-throated Blue	cde
Peregrine	b

Bedford Audubon Society

A Northern Westchester & Eastern Putnam Counties, New York Chapter of the National Audubon Society

Celebrating 95 Years of Conservation 1913-2008

2008 Bedford Audubon Birdathon By Richard L. Becker

Birds Seen on the 2008 BAS Birdathon

2008 Bedford Audubon Birdathon
By Richard L. Becker