the rivertown naturalist - hras.org · penguins are the most unlikely-looking birds. even their...
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The Rivertown Naturalist
March 2018 Vol. 47, No. 4
Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester,
Inc. is a non-profit chapter of the National Audubon
Society serving the communities of Ardsley, Dobbs
Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington and Yonkers.
Our mission is to foster protection and appreciation
of birds, other wildlife and habitats, and to be an
advocate for a cleaner, healthier environment.
www.hras.org
DIRECTIONS TO LENOIR PRESERVE
Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester, Inc.
holds its meetings at Lenoir, a Westchester County
Nature Preserve 19 Dudley Street in Yonkers, New
York (914) 968-5851.
By car: Take Saw Mill River Parkway to
Exit 9, Executive Blvd. Take Executive Blvd. to its
end at North Broadway and turn right. Go ¼
mile on North Broadway and turn left onto Dudley
Street. Parking lot is on the left.
Program:
A Walk Through the
History of Westchester
Wednesday March 28th Refreshments 7:00pm; Program 7:30pm
Patrick Raferty, librarian of the Westchester
Historical Society, will lead us on a trip
back in time. Combining stories, folklore
and photos, he describes the twists and turns
that resulted in the Westchester County of
today. For example, he will explain how
Riverdale was once part of Westchester
County.
Don’t miss this interesting and informative
program.
Annual Spring Luncheon
Saturday, April 21st
The Riverview, 1 Warburton Ave, Hastings-on-Hudson
Noon until 4:00pm Join us for a wonderful Luncheon to
celebrate the return of spring. * Delicious
food * Amazing views * Door prizes
* Good company * Fun Games
* Great Program
Oleg Zvegdin, physics teacher at the
Horace Mann School in Riverdale, will talk about
solar eclipses including the reactions of wildlife.
The Luncheon will take place at The Riverview,
in Hastings, known for its excellent food and
spectacular views. Cost is still only $35.00 per
person. Cash bar. Guests are welcome.
Bring your friends. Reservations are
required. Complete the Reservation
Form on Page 5 today and mail with
your check by April 10th.
ScienceWatch -
Happy Feet
Were Big Feet
“It was as tall as a
medium-sized man.” G. Mayr
Penguins are the most unlikely-looking birds. Even
their underwater lifestyle is very unbirdlike. But
DNA analysis shows a close kinship to modern
pelagic birds like albatrosses and petrels
(Procellariiformes), and fossil finds give us an idea
of how penguins became the 17 species of flightless
divers they are today.
DNA mutations occur at a steady rate over time in
birds. So the genetic differences between penguins
and the Procellariiformes tell us that their common
ancestor split apart about 66 million years ago.
No one knows exactly when penguins became
flightless. But it is likely that a penguin ancestor lost
its flying ability as it became more successful at
diving deeper and deeper where it found lots of food.
The first penguin may have resembled modern auks,
which can dive more than 100 feet underwater, and
by about 65 million years ago penguins were well-
adapted divers. This was just at the end of the
Cretaceous period when a mass extinction, known as
K-T*, killed off the dinosaurs due to a combination of
volcanic activity and a huge asteroid impact.
Now a team of paleontologists headed by Gerald
Mayr, Natural History Museum Frankfort, Frankfort
Am Maine, Germany, shows in the December 12,
2017 online issue of Nature Communication that
penguins achieved enormous size very early in their
evolution. The scientists describe a 60-million-year-
old fossil found in New Zealand containing the bones
of a giant penguin they have named Kumimanu
biceae, or “mythical monster bird” in Maori.
Based on the size of the femur (thigh bone), the team
concluded that Kumimanu was 1.77m tall (5ft 7in)
and weighed 101kg (222lbs). By comparison the
largest extant penguin species, the Emperor penguin
(Aptenodytes forsteri), is only 51kg (111lbs) and
1.22m (4ft) tall.
Kumimanu was not the only large penguin.
Paleontologists have fossils of other giant penguins.
But according to Mayr, et al. Kumimanu is the
biggest and is unique: it doesn’t fit into the single
related group formed by all the other giant penguin
finds, and it is the oldest, occurring soon after the
penguin lineage evolved.
Kumimanu was already flightless and had some
primitive traits not found in modern penguins. “Their
beak looked much more like a stork’s. Probably they
speared their prey,” said Mayr. In addition, their
wing was not as stiff as living penguins. “What
would be interesting is to find a flying ancestor of
penguins, and we hope that such a find will be made
in the foreseeable future. That would certainly be the
missing link in penguin evolution,” said Mayr.
The authors conclude that early penguins quickly
became giants and gigantism occurred more than
once. “It now appears that giant size evolved early
and multiple times in penguins,” said Mayr. “We
already knew penguins were around and flightless,
just a few million years after the [K-T] extinction.
The new fossil shows they achieved immense sizes
very rapidly, which is cool,” said Daniel T. Kspeka, a
paleontologist unconnected to the study.
Mayr, et al. contend that Kumimanu could achieve its
giant size because the K-T extinction not only killed
off the dinosaurs, but also wiped out giant aquatic
reptiles like pleisosaurs and mosasaurs. Suddenly the
oceans were open to a diving bird that could get lots
of food and become much larger because its
competitors were gone. “It’s an educated guess that
makes sense, but there’s no rock-solid evidence,”
said Mayr.
So why are there no giants today? They were
probably outcompeted by the large marine mammals
that arose around 50 million years ago. According to
Mayr, “The disappearance of giant penguins indeed
coincides with the rise of marine mammals (whales,
dolphins, porpoises and seals) but the exact causes
and mechanisms of a competitive replacement remain
poorly understood.”
Maybe that’s a good thing for penguins. After all,
who could imagine a movie like “Happy Feet”
promoting the cuteness of penguins the size of
people?
__Saul Scheinbach
*Paleontologists call this event the “K-T mass extinction”
because it occurred at the boundary between the Cretaceous
(K) and Tertiary (T) time periods.
Upcoming 2018
Field Trips Call Michael Bochnik
at 914-237-9331
for more information
Visit our web site at www.hras.org
All field trips are free and open to the
public. Bring binoculars (some are available
for loan). Bring lunch and refreshments for
all day trips. Dress appropriately for the
weather. More details about the trips can be
found on our web site.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Evening Timberdoodle Walk
6:00 PM Croton Point Park Ball Field
Look for displaying American Woodcocks
http://hras.org/wtobird/croton.html
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Jones Beach – Early
Spring Arrivals
8:00AM at the Coast Guard
Station West End II
This is a good time for a
rarity or a western stray to show up. A variety of
bird should be seen from seabirds, ducks, hawks,
shorebirds and late land migrants.
http://hras.org/wtobird/jonesbeach.html
Saturday April 28, 2018
Nature Study Woods
Meet at 8 AM at entrance along Webster Avenue at Flandreau Ave at 8:00 AM (~ 806 Webster Ave)
Friday to Sunday, May 4 – May 6, 2018
The Delmarva Peninsula
Thursday - drive to Cambridge, MD
Friday – Blackwater NWR, MD
Saturday – Chincoteague NWR, VA
Sunday – Milburn Landing SP, MD
Bombay Hook NWR, DE
We’ll visit Delmarva – DELaware, MARyland
and VirginiA to search for American Avocets,
Black-necked Stilts, Red-headed Woodpecker,
Brown-headed Nuthatch, Prothonotary and
Yellow-throated Warblers.
Call for details or see our web page with
accommodation info and directions at:
http://www.hras.org/trips/delmarva2018.html
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Birdathon Bird like crazy in Westchester County to raise
money for our chapter. Details to follow.
Sunday May 13, 2018
Mother’s Day Warbler Walk Lenoir Nature Preserve 8:00 AM
19 Dudley St. Yonkers
Meet us for our 25th year of this Audubon
tradition. Spring migrants will be searched for;
followed by refreshments at the nature center.
http://www.hras.org/wtobird/lenoir.html
Saturday June 23, 2018
Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife
Refuge
Meet at the refuge at 8:00 AM
Grasslands birds such as Bobolink, Eastern
Meadowlark, Savannah and Grasshopper
Sparrows are expected with the possibility of
rarer birds such as Henslow’s Sparrow and
Dickcissel.
Feeder Watch
Season in Full
Flight
Our Feeder Watch program is rolling again. In the first few Feeder Watches we have already seen almost two dozen species, including most of the usual suspects as well as less common winter visitors such as Flickers and Chipping Sparrows. Sitting snuggly indoors watching the birds (and the people) may not seem as exciting as tromping through fields and forest chasing birds. Yet during the recent Christmas Bird Count, while 80 of top birders scoured all of Westchester/Bronx counting birds, the only sighting of a Chipping Sparrow was outside the picture windows of the feeder watch.
Each Feeder Watch session runs for about two hours. Join us for
all or part of a session. A key element is the social aspect. We always have a nice mix of really nice people of all ages and levels of birding skills. Conversation and camaraderie abound. Some feel
the best part is the abundant refreshments – coffee, tea, juice, bagels, sweets. For those new to birds and bird feeding, it’s a wonderful way to learn and sharpen your skills in bird identification in a pleasant social setting. Join us. Everyone is welcome. Last year over 60 people participated, some joined in every count, others only once or twice. Ages varied from youngsters to seniors. Stop by one of these feeder watches. Check our website for exact times http://HRAS.org
May Program:
Birds of the Gaspé
Peninsula
Wednesday May 23rd.
Charlie Roberto, from Saw Mill River Audubon, will introduce us to Canada’s little known area -- Gaspé Peninsula, in the Provence of Quebec. located at the month of the Saint Lawrence River. Slightly larger in area than the country of Belgium but with a population of only 150,000, the peninsula is a natural wonderland. Charlie will discuss some of its over 360 species of birds as well as other natural findings including moths, mammals and flowers.
Register today for Spring Luncheon
Board Members
President Michael Bochnik [email protected] 914-237-9331
Vice President Saul Scheinbach [email protected] 914-884-4740
Treasurer Frances Greenberg [email protected]
Secretary Jackie Bruskin [email protected]
Programs Lynn Shaw [email protected] 718-549-2380
Butterfly Garden Mary Harrington [email protected]
Hospitality /Carpool Ruth DeFord Kotecha [email protected] 914-478-3695
Newsletter Hank Weber [email protected] 914-631-0706
Lenoir Liaison Melissa Sullivan [email protected] 914-968-5851
Feeder Watch Carol Lange [email protected] 914-668-5101
Circulation Bill Van Wart 914-376-2401
Publicity Jeanette Johnson [email protected]
At Large Judi Veder, Mark Testa, Jane Metzger, Cathy Mazella, Kelli Bochnik
Hudson River Audubon Spring Luncheon Saturday, April 21nd, The Riverview – Hastings Noon ’til 4:00pm
Yes, we plan to attend
Your Name(s) _________________________________________ Phone (Home/Cell) _________________________________________ E-mail Address _________________________________________ Amount Enclosed: ___x $35 /Person Total Amount: __________ Please mail this form together with your check to: Hudson River Audubon Society P.O.Box 616 Yonkers, NY 10703 Deadline to Register: April 10
BIRD-A-THON Hudson River Audubon’s BIRD-A-THON will be held Saturday, May 12th to raise money for the chapter. Join a team and help raise money by looking for birds. You can help by making your pledge today. A BIRD-A-THON is like a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon or any other "-thon" in that we ask you to pledge X amount of money per lap, mile, or in our case, per bird species seen, within a 24 hour period. The combined list for the teams should be between 100 to 150 species. Pledges can be a flat amount such as $25.00, or you can pledge per species, for example, 25 cents per bird. If we see 120 species, your pledge will come to $30.00. We will send out reminders after the event on how much you pledged. Thank you for your generous support! Remember, even if you’re not participating, please pledge to the Bird-A-Thon to make our efforts worth it and support Hudson River Audubon. HRAS BIRD-A-THON PLEDGE CARD
___ I am happy to pledge $ _________ per species in support of your Bird-A-Thon. ___ I prefer to pledge the enclosed gift of $ ________ ___ I will give you an additional $_______ If you spot more than ______ species.
Your Name :_____________________________________ Address: _______________________________________City ____________________ State ____Zip _______ Telephone: ______________________________ Send to:
Hudson River Audubon Society PO BOX 616 Yonkers, New York 10703
Make Your Donation Payable to HUDSON RIVER AUDUBON SOCIETY