upcoming events
Alewives and OtherSigns of Spring Paddle
Big Fresh Pond
Saturday May 4
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Join us on a paddle on Big Fresh Pond to look for evidence of the spring alewife run and other interesting signs of spring.
Paddlecraft are available to rent: kayaks (single = $40; tandem = $60), canoes ($60) and standup paddleboards ($50). PFDs included.
Meet at the entrance to Elliston Park. From Rte. 27 (aka CR 39) in Southampton Village, turn north (at the 7-11) onto North Sea Road. Travel 2+ miles and look for a sign for "ELLISTON PARK." Follow that sign, turning left onto Millstone Brook Road. The first left is the entrance to the park.
Otter Update
Cold Spring Harbor Library
Thursday evening, May 8, 2013 at 7 pm
A presentation on the ecology and habits of river otter, as well as an update on the Long Island river otter camera trap study and survey of Fishers Island. Sponsored by Huntington - Oyster Bay Audubon Society. FREE.
Cold Spring Harbor Library is located at 95 Harbor Road (Rte. 25A), Cold Spring Harbor.
Little Northwest Creek Paddle
Saturday May 11
10 am - noon
We will ride a big incoming tide (the morning after the new moon) up this easily overlooked tidal creek to its confluence with Rattlesnake Creek, noting the remnants of an old bridge to Sag Harbor, nesting osprey, mating horseshoe crabs and other signs of spring.
Meet at Havens Beach, Sag Harbor (off Bay Street just 0.6 mile east of Long Wharf).
Rentals available: single kayak: $40; tandem or canoe: $60; SUP: $50. Includes paddles and PFDs.
Contact Mike Bottini at mike@peconic.org or 631-267-5228 for rentals or questions.
BOATS FOR SALE
I'm scaling down the fleet and offering the following boats for sale:
KAYAK: Old Town Loon 120 (12'L; 49 lbs.). Large cockpit. Excellent condition. $350 with paddle, spray skirt, rear flotation bag, and PFD.
CANOE: This canoe has spent most of its water time on the bays and tidal creeks of eastern Long Island, and is in very good condition. Constructed of a very durable, three layer plastic and stored out of the sun.
Old Town Discovery Series 159 (15'9" long and 80 lbs.) $450 with paddles and PFDs (2).
Contact me at mike@peconic.org or 631-267-5228 if interested and to take any of these boats out for a paddle.
LONG ISLAND NATURAL HISTORY CONFERENCE
Friday, November 16, 2012: Twelve in-depth presentations by experts covered a wide variety of natural history topics specific to Long Island including otters, alewives, horseshoe crabs, diamondback terrapins, seals, Atlantic white cedars, bird migration and the possibility of a new national wildlife refuge at Plum Island. This was the first of what I hope will be an annual event.
Videos of all presentations are available at longislandnature.org
Read the Newsday article on Mike's field trip here.
Search all mike's columns
Now you can search all of Mike's columns in The Southampton Press.
Loading
|
River Otter news
A video of Mike's talk on River Otters at the first Long Island Natural History Conference in November is available at LongIslandNature.org. Click here to view it. Check out a dozen other presentations at the Conference here.
Mike's Winter 2012 Report on the Long Island River Otter Project is now available. Click here to download the pdf.
Newsday did a short interview with Mike on his River Otter study. The wire services picked it up leading to stories in the Wall Street Journal, and on CBS and NPR. The full Newsday story is here, and includes a rare otter photo and an interesting map of latrines and sightings.
Listen to Mike's Radio Broadcasts
Mike's radio broadcasts are now available online. More than two hours, 40 separate essays on everything from "Alewife" to "Woodcock." The series won First Place in the radio feature division at the Long Island Press Club Media Awards, 2007.
Here's the List. Enjoy!
Pine barrens Hikes
Here's a guide to hikes in the Pine Barrens, courtesy of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society.
 About Mike:
Mike Bottini is a veteran naturalist, outdoor educator, and environmental consultant. After completing graduate studies in wildlife ecology at the University of British Columbia, Mike worked for fourteen years at the Group for the South Fork, a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. He has taught field ecology, environmental science, and natural history courses at St. Lawrence University, Southampton College, and CUNY, has published three books, and is an award-winning columnist. Mike's wildlife research studies have included elk, spotted and tiger salamanders, spotted turtles, piping plovers, and river otters. He continues to introduce people to the outdoors through his field naturalist classes, nature walks, and paddling trips.
Mike also serves on the board of SPOKESPEOPLE of Eastern Long Island, a cycling advocacy organization working to create safer cycling conditions on the east end. For info, visit www.spokespeopleli.org He is also active in the Plum Island preservation project: see the links at left. He is a founder of the Long Island Nature Organization.
Otter Study reports:
Mike's Winter 2012 Report on the Long Island River Otter Project is now available. Click here to download the pdf.
Mike's original 2008 River Otter Study Report is also available. Click Here to download the pdf (1.5 MB).
To report an otter roadkill, please contact the NYSDEC Wildlife Office at 631-444-0310 and Mike Bottini at 631-267-5228. Include date, time, and specific location.
Please contribute to the River Otter Study by posting your sightings and comments to Mike@Peconic.org.
HOW TO REPORT OTTER SIGHTINGS
With its short legs, unusual tail, and large size (3.5 - 4 feet in length), it is difficult to confuse an otter on land with anything else. Our most common semi-aquatic mammal, the muskrat, is much smaller. But in the water, relative body size and shape can be difficult to determine. Watch carefully and note how the animal is swimming.
• Does it stop and raise its head and shoulders above the water like a periscope (otter)?
• Is there vegetation trailing from its mouth (muskrat)?
• Is it taking a direct route and staying at the surface (muskrat), or repeatedly diving (otter)?
Be sure to include the date, time, and location along with your detailed observations.
SPOTTED TURTLE RESEARCH REPORT
Mike's 2005 landmark study of spotted turtles' use of mosquito ditches helped alter marsh management practices in Suffolk County. The report is available here in pdf format.
Read about the NYS Natural Heritage Program here.
|
