NFAS Updates Southold Town Board on 2022 Shorebird Monitoring

As many of our members know, North Fork Audubon Society is in contract with the Town of Southold to conduct shorebird monitoring and stewardship. Read more by visiting our Shorebird Stewardship page.

At the November 29th Town Board work session, NFEC president Peggy Lauber and board member Theresa Dilworth gave a presentation on state of shorebirds in 2022, and presented them with our annual Shorebird Monitoring Report.

The report was authored by local naturalist, Jennifer Murray, who leads the shorebird program for NFAS. The program is supported by a team of well-trained and dedicated volunteers.

Click here to watch the presentation to the Southold Town Board.

Thank you to Newsday and the Suffolk Times for their coverage of the presentation.

Please click here to read the Newsday article.

Please click here for the Suffolk Times article.

What's the news for shorebirds? Some good and some not so good. Although shorebirds are doing fairly well locally, much more needs to be done to ensure their long-term survival. Climate change, sea level rise, habitat loss, predation and human interferences all are threats to birds like Piping Plovers and Least Terns.

If you would like to volunteer to be a shorebird steward, please email info@northforkaudubon.org.

Southold Girl Scout Troop 1416 Install Bat Boxes at IPCP

With a little help from North Fork Audubon Society volunteer Scott Rosen and board member Theresa Dilworth, Southold Girl Scout Troop 1416 built five bat boxes and installed them at Inlet Pond County Park earlier this month. In addition, the Troop created an informational display which is proudly hung in the Roy Latham Nature Center.

If you're out on the trails and hike past Prentice Pond, take a quick peek behind the viewing wall to see the bat boxes anchored on the pond side of the wall.

You probably know bats use echolocation to make their way through the night, and they help keep the mosquito population down, but click here to watch a brief film the Troop recorded and you may learn more interesting bat facts (we did!).

Thank you Troop 1416!

If you're interested in erecting a bat box on your property, visit the National Wildlife Federation for instructions.

NFAS President Receives 2021 Herman Bressler Award

Congratulations to North Fork Audubon President, Peggy Lauber for receiving the prestigious 2021 Herman Bressler Award for her work in Bluebird Conservation.

Peggy was nominated for the award by retired veterinarian, NFAS member, and former North Fork resident, Dr. William Zitek. Dr. Zitek is a Bluebird steward in his own right, having been very active in the Bluebird nesting program at The Nature Conservancy's Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island.

Peggy has spearheaded the effort to build Bluebird nesting boxes, and find places to erect them them across the North Fork - on vineyards and private property. She also monitors the nesting boxes, and reports successful hatchings and fledging, and nest failures, as part of a larger project to monitor the health of the species. In addition, Peggy serves as the New York State Bluebird Society Area Coordinator for the Long Island Region, as well as serving as a director on the NYSBS Board, a position that Tom Damiani will be taking over in 2022.