AMANDA OLSEN

from Syosset–Jericho Tribune 7/05/23 edition is published weekly by Anton Media Group

by antonmedia2023

Syosset High School Conducts 65th Annual Commencement

aolsen@antonmediagroup.com

The beginning of the month saw both the conjunction of Venus and Mars and the first supermoon

Look Up

for the year. This means that the moon is near its closest approach to the earth and may look brighter and slightly larger than usual. The second supermoon of the year will take place August 1.

July 29, 30 - Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower.

The Delta Aquarids can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at peak. It is the product of debris left behind by the Marsden and Kracht comets. The shower runs annually from July 12 to August 23. It peaks this year on the night of July 29 into the morning of July 30. The nearly full moon will block most of the fainter meteors but with patience, you may still be able to catch a few of the brighter ones. The best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will appear to originate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

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Looking At Shorebirds And Terns

Long Island, with its miles of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean front, Long Island Sound and numerous bays, is a great place to observe and practice identifying shorebirds and terns. I often do shorebird surveys at Jones Beach West End 2, and the adjacent Coast Guard station has a sand spit that is excellent at low and middle tide. The best time to go is not during the weekend when crowds scare away the birds. If you go on the weekend, go early. Sunrise is before 6AM. Shorebird surveys stop from June 15 until July 15 so as not to bother breeding birds. If you buy a NY State Empire Pass each year you avoid the entry fee of $10.

At the sand spit and West End 2 you are likely to see a wide variety of shore birds and terns. Right now the breeding birds are around such as piping plover, oystercatchers, common, least and Forster’s terns, killdeer, black skimmers and Eastern willet. By the beginning of August migrating birds start appearing such as sanderlings, dunlin, semi-palmated and least sandpipers, black-bellied and semi-palmated plovers, ruddy turnstones and greater and lesser yellow legs, short-billed dowitcher and whiterumped sandpiper. Other less frequent terns are royal and Caspian. Purple sandpipers show up in December through sometimes April on the rocky point where Jones Beach inlet and West End 2 beach meet. Fairly rare shorebirds or terns show up and that causes a great stir when reported by someone in the birding community.

Nickerson Beach, which is owned by Nassau County, is one of the best places anywhere to see many different shorebirds and terns. If you go before 9 am you can enter free and that is the best time anyway to see the birds. You can see immature shorebirds and terns easily there. Very close on Long Beach, as well, is Lido Beach Passive Nature Area, which is an excellent saltwater marsh on the bay side. Another South Shore great spot is Oceanside Marine Nature Center. Merrick Road has ponds to explore as well.

On the Nassau County North Shore there are a few beaches from which the public can access Long Island Sound. The Sands Point Preserve beach gives you access to Prospect Point, which is about a half mile walk north where the Sound and Hempstead Harbor meet. There you will see piping plover, oyster catchers, and least terns. You have to go at low tide to get access walking along the beach. There is also a salt marsh where you can see great and snowy egrets and great blue and black-crowned night herons.

At the Sands Point Preserve pond a resident green heron stalks prey and solitary and spotted sandpipers make an appearance usually during Spring or Fall migration. Look carefully along the pond borders to see the green heron with its bright orange legs.

I also recommend Leeds Pond Preserve in Plandome Manor, St. John’s pond in Cold Spring Harbor, Caumsett State Park in Lloyd Harbor, Stehli Beach and Marsh in Bayville, Welwyn Preserve and Garvies Point Museum

All About Birds

and Preserve in Glen Cove and Udal’s Cove in Great Neck. In nearby Queens, Jamaica Bay East Pond is fantastic starting the middle of August and has a birding festival with experts to help you identify birds.

To identify birds you can use Ebird, an app you can download free or you can buy an app such as Sibley V2. I find that taking a photo of a mystery bird and emailing it to a good birder is one of the best ways to identify shorebirds, which can be very challenging especially starting in August when their breeding plumage becomes drab. Going on bird walks with experts who lead walks for the Audubon Societies and Queens County bird club is immeasurably helpful. Check their walk schedules on their websites. For comment or questions contact me at nsaudubonsociety@gmail.com.

Peter

Frampton

To Play The Paramount

Iconic guitarist reflects on decades of musical brilliance

Our 425 seat Jeanne Rimsky Theater hosts incredible live music and art from around the world all year long. Our lineup includes rock, folk, jazz, world music and more! Learn about our next few shows below:

Anders Osborne Duo 9/3/23

Osborne’s poetic songcraft & inventive musicality underpin a three-decade catalog celebrated by fans & critics alike.

Martin Sexton 9/23/23

Martin Sexton returns with what Rolling Stone calls his “soul-marinated voice,” acoustic guitar, & heartfelt songs.

Brett Dennen: Fool in Paradise Acoustic Tour 9/7/23 A soulful storyteller and vibrant folk-pop virtuoso who has been captivating audiences for nearly two decades.

Pinky Patel: New Crown, Who Dhis 9/29/23