Bedford Audubon Society

BAS Seeks Executive Director and Property Manager

Bedford Audubon is a growing organization and is seeking applicants to fill two new positions that will help us realize our potential. Please feel free to apply or to pass this information on to someone you think would be a good candidate.

Executive Director
As the first executive director of Bedford Audubon, the successful applicant will have the opportunity to make a substantial difference to our organization and to the community. We do not expect the executive director to do it all, but the successful applicant will be able to organize, enlist, and prioritize our activities. The executive director will be the public face of BAS and must be able to represent BAS appropriately at meetings, governmental hearings, and similar events. Click to download a pdf of the Executive Director job description.

Property Manager
The Property Manager will be responsible for the hands-on management of Bylane Farm, the historic home of Bedford Audubon, the surrounding grounds and gardens, and our three preserves encompassing approximately 558 acres. The farm includes a circa 1725 farmhouse serving as our headquarters, a cottage, several outbuildings; and grounds consisting of a garden, meadows, and two ponds. Click to download a pdf of the Property Manager job description.

Chestnut Ridge Hawk Watch:
Early October Update
By Cameron Rutt

With the first few days of October under our belt, Chestnut Ridge Hawk Watch has now climbed to just over 11,700 birds for the fall (as of October 4). Broad-winged Hawks, at over ¾ of that total figure, primarily poured through on the afternoon of September 18, when more than 5000 Broad-wings marched across the sky in a mere 3.5 hours. However, now that the Broad-winged Hawks are all but south of here, the focus of the hawk watch has turned to accipiters, the other buteos (Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks), and falcons.

This last week has brought over 100 Ospreys, two 100+ days of Sharp-shinned Hawks, as well as approximately 60 falcons, including 8 Merlins and a half dozen Peregrine Falcons. Additionally, Bald Eagles have been seen more often than not in the past couple of weeks with the previous peak season count being surpassed this year (51 in 1996; currently 60 in 2008).

The migration window for some of this site's more unusual raptors (Northern Goshawk, Rough-legged Hawk, and Golden Eagle) is still upcoming so keen eyes will be needed to punctuate the day's tally with one of these beautiful raptors. The next couple of weeks will continue to bring optimal days for a visit to the hawk watch. If the raptors don't provide enough of a draw, come enjoy the fall foliage or some of the other avian migrants (just over 1000 Canada Geese in the last week) from our nice vantage point. Hope to see you out at the watch!

Cameron Rutt is the official hawk counter at the Chestnut Ridge Hawk Watch at the Butler Sanctuary. Click to read more about Cameron and the Hawk Watch and get current totals.

Upcoming Events
The Late Fall and Winter Schedule Is Now on the Web

Tuesday, December 9—Field Trip: Edith Read Sanctuary (Playland) and Marshlands Conservancy, Rye, NY

Myxomycetes! The Enigma of Slime Molds—A Window to the Imagination With David Rose, Past President of the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA) Wednesday, December 10, 7:30 p.m. Please note meeting place! Katonah Memorial House, 71 Bedford Road, Katonah Please do not block Fire Department access in the driveway - park alongside the meeting house side of the driveway Wheelchair accessible In this illustrated talk, David Rose will explore the natural history of myxomycetes, commonly known as “slime molds.” Slime molds are colorful, harmless organisms that inhabit damp woodland environments. So perplexing to science that they have been classified variously as animals, plants, and fungi (they are actually protists), these organisms are remarkable for their delicate beauty and their surprising transformation from an animal-like to a plantlike stage. Though they are not mushrooms, slime molds reproduce by spores and have traditionally been studied by mycologists for their resemblance to the fungi. David W. Rose is an archivist, writer, and past president of the Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA). As archivist, he has organized the records of many prominent mycologists and botanists at The New York Botanical Slime mold (Hemitrichia_serpula) Garden, and as consulting archivist he has processed the Charles Horton Peck Papers of the New York State Museum and the records of the North American Mycological Association (NAMA). Since 1998 his column, “Notes from Underground,” appeared in the COMA newsletter, Spores Illustrated, and now appears in FUNGI, a journal of amateur and professional mycology. “Notes from Underground” is a periodic essay using literary models and historical perspectives to explore the backwaters of mycology: the poetics of fungi and the individuals who have studied their marvels, all to illustrate that “mushrooms are a window to the imagination.” David is presently Archivist of the March of Dimes Foundation and author of the first photographic history of the foundation in the Arcadia Images of America series. The program is free and open to the public.

Friday, December 12—Field Trip: “A Bronx Extravaganza!” The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show, Visit to the Arthur Avenue Market, and Lunch at Pasquale’s Rigoletto
Sunday, December 14—Christmas Bird Count: Greenwich Stamford Count
Saturday, December 20—Christmas Bird Count: Peekskill Count
Saturday, January 3—Christmas Bird Count: Putnam County Count
Click to see the complete schedule of BAS events

Download Sean Prockter's Sparrow Identification Key

	Carol Gracie's Scenes of the Season: Autumn
	Bittersweet by Carol Gracie

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