[cayugabirds-l] monoculars

[Deb Grantham]

Hello,

Anyone have thoughts about a monocular that could be attached to a phone for 
photos? Gift for a birding sister.

Deb



Deborah G. Grantham
Director, Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center
Cornell Institute for Resource Information Sciences
Faculty Fellow, Cornell Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future Cornell 
University

The Northeastern IPM Center is based at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Cornell University sits on the traditional homelands of the Cayuga 
Nation.

100B Rice Hall, 340 Tower Road
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-8879
www.northeastipm.org | Facebook | Twitter


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[cayugabirds-l] It's back! Spring Ornithology with Steve Kress, 2022!

[Sandy Podulka]

Spring Ornithology with Steve Kress 2022!

If you're looking for a holiday gift for your favorite birder (or 
yourself), this might be it!  This Spring, the  Cayuga Bird Club will 
once again host our popular 8-week course, Spring Ornithology with 
Steve Kress, online via Zoom.

Classes will be held on Thursday evenings, March 31 to May 19, 2022, 
from 7 to 9 pm. Lectures also will be recorded for later viewing, so 
you can watch or review them at your convenience.

Please share this announcement with friends or relatives anywhere who 
might be interested.

Dr. Stephen Kress's dynamic presentations, with stunning photos and 
audio recordings, will focus each week on a group of migratory birds 
that are at the peak of spring migration, with discussions about bird 
song, migration, courtship, family life, conservation, attracting 
birds, and creating a bird-friendly habitat.

Dr. Kress is the founder of Audubon's Project Puffin and served for 
many years as Director of the Audubon Seabird Restoration Program and 
Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine. He is the author of more than ten 
books about birding, gardening for birds, and seabirds. His lectures 
about birds have been enjoyed by many people in the Ithaca area and beyond.

The course fee is $125. For more information, registration, and gift 
certificates, see: 
www.cayugabirdclub.org/spring-ornithology
 


Questions?   email: 
cbc.ornithol...@gmail.com  
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[cayugabirds-l] Carbon offsets

[Jody Enck]

Hi all,
Just in case anyone is wondering, part of the cost of our trip to Colombia
is to pay for carbon offsets. It's built-in to the trip because we
recognize that traveling to go birding and to meet with conservationists
and to see  the outcomes of their efforts has  environmental consequences.

We contributed substantially to the local residents and overall economy on
our trip, which provides tangible reason for local residents to maintain or
improve habitat in the cloud forests of the Andes.  Many of the local
guides who work for protected areas (some private, some municipal, some
state/federal) earn about $18-20 per day.  Our group tipped each of these
local guides, often providing them with more than they make in a couple
days.  We supported local lodges, restaurants and even dairy farms which
not protect montane forest that is critical to some birds teetering on the
edge of extinction.  Yes, we used some fossil fuel in our ground
transportation (all flights were filled with people visiting families and
would have gone whether we birders were on the flights or not).  But, the
economic impact of our visit was hugely positive, especially after almost
two years of no ecotourism activity.

We certainly enjoy the birds we encounter on these trips, but the
connections we make with the people and the natural world in these
locations both deepens our understanding of the situation and our
connection to the natural world, and it stimulates us to take additional
conservation actions.

Just thought folks would want to hear about all that.

Happy birding.


Jody W. Enck, PhD
Conservation Social Scientist, and
Founder of the Sister Bird Club Network
607-379-5940

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[cayugabirds-l] cranes and eagles, oh my

[Johnson, Alyssa]

This line from a famous movie came to mind this morning as I watched the 300+ 
Sandhill Cranes attempt to land in the field on the corner of Olmstead and 
Armitage Roads:

"It really was no miracle what happened was just this: The wind began to 
switch, the house to pitch, and suddenly the hinges started to unhitch, just 
then the Witch! To satisfy an itch, went flying on her broomstick thumbing for 
a hitch!"

The wind has been very strong all day, and they eventually were able to land, 
but I came upon them as they were still in the sky. I'm not sure how long they 
had been jockeying for position, but I watched them for at least 5 minutes 
attempting to land. They were facing into the wind and trying to gently touch 
down, but the wind was tossing them around. The last several mornings they have 
been in this same spot, between 8:30 and 9:30 am. I took a few pictures and 
will try to get a count on them, but I'm not convinced all of them were there. 
Scragglers kept showing up so, there were likely more already landed or still 
coming. The high count that I know of, is 354, and they were counted last 
Saturday at Knox Marsellus! I would love to beat that number, if anyone gets a 
good count let me know.

Also, Bald Eagles. Since it got cold this week, and the marshes started to 
freeze (thawed now!), the eagles seem to be gathering at the Clyde River/Canal 
location where 89 goes over. Please do not stop on the bridge to watch them, 
very dangerous. I believe you could get good looks if you park near Lock 25 and 
walk under the 89 overpass, or just look along the canal in the trees around 
the lock area. Also the May's Point fishing access site would be a good place 
to park. Lastly, at the south end of the 89 bridge, where it connects back with 
the ground, on the west side, you can pull off and get on the other side of the 
guard rail. Tschache pool will like also have good eagle viewing as well. As I 
drove north on 89 this morning, I saw 2 adults sitting together on a muskrat 
lodge. The eagles in the trees around the water were a variety of ages, 
probably a dozen or so.

Enjoy and be safe!


--
Alyssa Johnson
Environmental Educator
315.365.3588

Montezuma Audubon Center
PO Box 187
2295 State Route 89
Savannah, NY 13146
Montezuma.audubon.org
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers


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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Heat Pumps// A great read for birders to consider

[tess]

Hi Reggie,

This isn't a hot water system heat pump, but we are very happy with the 
performance of the heat pump we tied into our forced air ventilation 
this summer.  It now is our heating source on days when it is above 25 
or 30 degrees outside, and has the additional benefit that it can be 
used to cool the house several degrees on the hottest summer days at 
relatively low financial and environmental cost. Heat pumps are less 
efficient at cold temperatures, and this one has to work harder when the 
temperature drops below freezing, but so far we haven't had to switch to 
our propane furnace although we will when it gets very cold.  Brian did 
a lot of research before selecting one and the one he chose seems to be 
well-made - it runs quietly and effectively.  (Note this is /not/ a 
'split' system, this is a whole-house system.)

There probably are better and worse choices of make and model for all 
heat pumps, and there also are shortages right now because people have 
been doing pandemic renovations at the same time that there are supply 
chain problems, so the best ones may be backordered.  But if you read up 
on the options & if necessary are willing to wait for the right one to 
come into stock, there are good heat pumps available, although they may 
cost more initially. Probably the same is true for hot water heat pumps.

Another thought: tankless 'on demand' hot water systems save energy 
because they don't maintain a tank of water at temperature and also they 
don't waste energy heating long pipes that would otherwise lead from a 
tank to the place the water is needed.  They aren't heat pumps but you 
can get an electric one, and that might be a different way to more 
efficiently meet your hot water needs if you are worried about the 
viability of a heat pump.  In our house, the layout happens to allow for 
a single unit to be installed within less than 10' of all our hot water 
demand points, so we're going to try that. So far as I know, only the 
$300 STAR credit is available for these units, though.

Good luck!

Alicia

P.S. Easily our most energy efficient change was the electric car Brian 
pushed for us to get three years ago.  While electricity is only 
relatively carbon free right now, and the grid is going to have to get 
significantly more robust as more people use electricity for their cars 
and heating sources, I still feel a lot less guilt when we go anywhere.  
In addition to being much cheaper to 'fuel' it has the additional 
benefit of requiring far less maintenance.  Tax rebates put the price 
roughly in the ballpark of our non-electric car choices.  I am super 
happy we got it - anyone who will be buying a car soon might want to 
check out electric cars, especially since several models with 150+ mile 
battery life already are on the market and 250+ miles are due next 
year.  (I'm not including Teslas, Jaguars & Mercedes - we're not in the 
that financial bracket!)




On 12/11/2021 11:27 AM, Regi Teasley wrote:
> Dave,
>    Judy and I are about to install one of the very items: a hot water 
> heat pump.  We’re hoping it’s going to work but appreciate your 
> warning.  I would encourage you to share your experience with Heat 
> Smart Tompkins so they are aware of this.  They are doing all they can 
> to make this transition work.
>    **I want to second your point about reducing personal energy use. 
>  Since we are having trouble getting the government to respond 
> effectively, it’s one thing we can do right now to make a difference. 
>  Besides, I can still hear my mother saying, as she turned off the 
> lights in an empty room, “Do you think we work for Idaho Power?”  Our 
> parents know a thing or two about conserving energy.
>
> Regi
>
> 
> /“If we surrendered to the earth’s intelligence, we could rise up 
> rooted, like trees.” Rainer Maria Rilke/
>
>
>> On Dec 11, 2021, at 11:02 AM, jasaul...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>> *From:* bounce-126142461-89496...@list.cornell.edu 
>>  *On Behalf Of *Dave Nutter
>> *Sent:* Saturday, December 11, 2021 10:15 AM
>> *To:* Hurf Sheldon 
>> *Cc:* CAYUGABIRDS-L 
>> *Subject:* Re: [cayugabirds-l] A great read for birders to consider 
>> by Bryan Pfeiffer
>>
>> My wife and I want to minimize both our energy use and our fossil 
>> fuel use. Because of our modest income, we qualified for a subsidy 
>> through this exact fund to get a hybrid electric water heater last 
>> year. It uses an air source heat pump, which chills the basement, as 
>> well as the standard much-less-energy-efficient electric resistance 
>> heating as a backup. After we got this water heater, a representative 
>> of Halco, who bought out the smaller local company which installed 
>> the water heater, told us that all appliances these days are not 
>> built to last, and urged us to buy a maintenance package with a 
>> yearly fee which would have eaten up our monetary savings on 
>> energy. This morning we are having Halco come look at the water 
>> heate

[cayugabirds-l] Cayuga Bird Club - December meeting 12/13/21 7:30 pm

[Colleen Richards]

Monday, December 13,  meeting of the Cayuga Bird Club at 7:30 pm.
 Remember to register in advance for the Zoom meeting here: 
https://tinyurl.com/cbc202112.

Speaker:  Jay Falk, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Biology, 
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington Title: Females that look like 
males: Unraveling a hummingbird mystery  
 
 Cayuga Bird Club meetings start at 7:30pm on the second Monday of each month, 
September through June, and are open to the public. Each virtual meeting will 
begin with the speaker's presentation, followed by club business and a social 
time.


Choose to be safer online.
Opt-in to Cyber Safety with NortonLifeLock.
Get Norton 360 with LifeLock starting at $9.95/month.*
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Please submit your observations to eBird:
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Re: [cayugabirds-l] Heat Pump// A great read for birders to consider

[Regi Teasley]

Dave,
   Judy and I are about to install one of the very items: a hot water heat 
pump.  We’re hoping it’s going to work but appreciate your warning.  I would 
encourage you to share your experience with Heat Smart Tompkins so they are 
aware of this.  They are doing all they can to make this transition work.
   **I want to second your point about reducing personal energy use.  Since we 
are having trouble getting the government to respond effectively, it’s one 
thing we can do right now to make a difference.  Besides, I can still hear my 
mother saying, as she turned off the lights in an empty room, “Do you think we 
work for Idaho Power?”  Our parents know a thing or two about conserving energy.

Regi


“If we surrendered to the earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like 
trees.” Rainer Maria Rilke


> On Dec 11, 2021, at 11:02 AM, jasaul...@gmail.com wrote:
> 
> 
>  
>  
> From: bounce-126142461-89496...@list.cornell.edu 
>  On Behalf Of Dave Nutter
> Sent: Saturday, December 11, 2021 10:15 AM
> To: Hurf Sheldon 
> Cc: CAYUGABIRDS-L 
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] A great read for birders to consider by Bryan 
> Pfeiffer
>  
> My wife and I want to minimize both our energy use and our fossil fuel use. 
> Because of our modest income, we qualified for a subsidy through this exact 
> fund to get a hybrid electric water heater last year. It uses an air source 
> heat pump, which chills the basement, as well as the standard 
> much-less-energy-efficient electric resistance heating as a backup. After we 
> got this water heater, a representative of Halco, who bought out the smaller 
> local company which installed the water heater, told us that all appliances 
> these days are not built to last, and urged us to buy a maintenance package 
> with a yearly fee which would have eaten up our monetary savings on energy. 
> This morning we are having Halco come look at the water heater, because the 
> air source heat pump part, which was surprisingly noisy, has quit working. A 
> previous electric water heater, which came with the old house we bought, had 
> worked for an additional 20 years before it had any problems. 
>  
> We thought we were doing something good for the environment, and maybe we 
> were, but some wealthier people who burn a lot of fossil fuel for a more 
> extravagant lifestyle and realize their impact but want to clear their 
> conscience, those folks are also taking the credit. 
>  
> Carbon offsets are neither simple nor clear in the way they work, if they 
> work at all. IMO, there’s no substitute for actually reducing personal energy 
> use in general and fossil fuel use in particular. 
>  
> - - Dave Nutter
> 
> On Dec 9, 2021, at 10:34 PM, Hurf Sheldon  wrote:
> 
> This is a very good option for carbon offsetting:
> https://www.fingerlakesclimatefund.org/
> cheers,
> hurf
>  
> On Thu, Dec 9, 2021 at 11:24 AM Regi Teasley  wrote:
> Totally agree.  I have always thought that birders are a “sleeping giant” 
> that can make a big difference.
> Regi
> 
> 
> “If we surrendered to the earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like 
> trees.” Rainer Maria Rilke
>  
> 
> 
> On Dec 9, 2021, at 8:50 AM, Donna Lee Scott  wrote:
> 
>  I like this idea, Bob. 
>  
> Re SPCA, they do more than any other group to neuter/spay feral cats, & also 
> cats of low-income people, with their free feral program & their low-cost 
> program for pets of those with limited means. I sometimes trap ferals here & 
> take them to SPCA. 
> All animals adopted from SPCA go home neutered. 
>  
> And to repeat what I have recently posted at various online places: 
> The Finger Lakes Land Trust really needs donations NOW for the purchase of 
> the Bell Station land from NYSEG. 
> for more info see www.fllt.org/savebellstation
> This explains the way this deal works.
>  
>  NYS didn’t buy BS from NYSEG; nys just convinced NYSEG & Public Service 
> Commission to let FLLT buy Bell Station for later transfer to NYS DEC as a 
> Wildlife Mgt. Area, ensuring public access to this wonderful lakeshore-woods. 
> 
> Non-profit FLLT does a masterful job at saving land from development in 
> various ways & they always emphasize that what they do creates, improves & 
> saves habitat for birds & wildlife!
>  
> Donna Scott
> Lansing
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> 
> On Dec 9, 2021, at 8:31 AM, Stephanie P. Herrick  wrote:
> 
> 
> I like this idea Bob,  for two reasons:
>  
> 1. It benefits two worthy and appropriate local groups
> 2. The very act of making a mindful contribution encourages us to reflect on 
> why we are doing it
>  
> Thanks for suggesting!   Looking forward to others thoughts!   
>  
> - S
> From: bounce-126137445-82496...@list.cornell.edu 
>  on behalf of bob mcguire 
> 
> Sent: Thursday, December 9, 2021 8:20:11 AM
> To: Dave Nutter 
> Cc: linda orkin ; John Gregoire 
> ; CAYUGABIRDS-L 
> Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] A great read for birders to consider by Bryan 
> Pfeiffer
>  
> Me t

Re: [cayugabirds-l] A great read for birders to consider by Bryan Pfeiffer

[Dave Nutter]

My wife and I want to minimize both our energy use and our fossil fuel use. 
Because of our modest income, we qualified for a subsidy through this exact 
fund to get a hybrid electric water heater last year. It uses an air source 
heat pump, which chills the basement, as well as the standard 
much-less-energy-efficient electric resistance heating as a backup. After we 
got this water heater, a representative of Halco, who bought out the smaller 
local company which installed the water heater, told us that all appliances 
these days are not built to last, and urged us to buy a maintenance package 
with a yearly fee which would have eaten up our monetary savings on energy. 
This morning we are having Halco come look at the water heater, because the air 
source heat pump part, which was surprisingly noisy, has quit working. A 
previous electric water heater, which came with the old house we bought, had 
worked for an additional 20 years before it had any problems. 

We thought we were doing something good for the environment, and maybe we were, 
but some wealthier people who burn a lot of fossil fuel for a more extravagant 
lifestyle and realize their impact but want to clear their conscience, those 
folks are also taking the credit. 

Carbon offsets are neither simple nor clear in the way they work, if they work 
at all. IMO, there’s no substitute for actually reducing personal energy use in 
general and fossil fuel use in particular. 

- - Dave Nutter

> On Dec 9, 2021, at 10:34 PM, Hurf Sheldon  wrote:
> 
> This is a very good option for carbon offsetting:
> https://www.fingerlakesclimatefund.org/
> cheers,
> hurf
> 
>> On Thu, Dec 9, 2021 at 11:24 AM Regi Teasley  wrote:
>> Totally agree.  I have always thought that birders are a “sleeping giant” 
>> that can make a big difference.
>> Regi
>> 
>> 
>> “If we surrendered to the earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, 
>> like trees.” Rainer Maria Rilke
>> 
>> 
>>> On Dec 9, 2021, at 8:50 AM, Donna Lee Scott  wrote:
>>> 
>>>  I like this idea, Bob. 
>>> 
>>> Re SPCA, they do more than any other group to neuter/spay feral cats, & 
>>> also cats of low-income people, with their free feral program & their 
>>> low-cost program for pets of those with limited means. I sometimes trap 
>>> ferals here & take them to SPCA. 
>>> All animals adopted from SPCA go home neutered. 
>>> 
>>> And to repeat what I have recently posted at various online places: 
>>> The Finger Lakes Land Trust really needs donations NOW for the purchase of 
>>> the Bell Station land from NYSEG. 
>>> for more info see www.fllt.org/savebellstation
>>> This explains the way this deal works.
>>> 
>>>  NYS didn’t buy BS from NYSEG; nys just convinced NYSEG & Public Service 
>>> Commission to let FLLT buy Bell Station for later transfer to NYS DEC as a 
>>> Wildlife Mgt. Area, ensuring public access to this wonderful 
>>> lakeshore-woods. 
>>> 
>>> Non-profit FLLT does a masterful job at saving land from development in 
>>> various ways & they always emphasize that what they do creates, improves & 
>>> saves habitat for birds & wildlife!
>>> 
>>> Donna Scott
>>> Lansing
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Dec 9, 2021, at 8:31 AM, Stephanie P. Herrick  wrote:
 
 
 I like this idea Bob,  for two reasons:
 
 1. It benefits two worthy and appropriate local groups
 2. The very act of making a mindful contribution encourages us to reflect 
 on why we are doing it
 
 Thanks for suggesting!   Looking forward to others thoughts!   
 
 - S
 From: bounce-126137445-82496...@list.cornell.edu 
  on behalf of bob mcguire 
 
 Sent: Thursday, December 9, 2021 8:20:11 AM
 To: Dave Nutter 
 Cc: linda orkin ; John Gregoire 
 ; CAYUGABIRDS-L 
 
 Subject: Re: [cayugabirds-l] A great read for birders to consider by Bryan 
 Pfeiffer
  
 Me too (a movement here?).   
 
 And I have one small idea on how to deal with it. Bird clubs organize 
 field trips, and participation is free. What if each participant was 
 encouraged (not required, just encouraged) to donate - say - $10 to either 
 the Land Trust or the SPCA? The Land Trust because they are a major player 
 in habitat conservation, and the SPCA because they (and I’d have to check 
 this out) play a role in reducing the number of feral/outdoor cats. Local 
 organizations, local impact. 
 
 Could something like this fly?  
 
 Bob McGuire
 
> On Dec 8, 2021, at 4:11 PM, Dave Nutter  wrote:
> 
> Better said than I could have, though such concerns have been brewing for 
> me a long time. So, how do we deal with it? As individuals, as 
> organizations, as unorganized groups? Thoughts welcome. 
> 
> - - Dave Nutter
> 
> On Dec 8, 2021, at 11:02 AM, Linda Orkin  wrote:
> 
>> Thanks John. 
>> 
>> Yes I had also read that, with great interest. Lots to think about.