It is estimated that over 1 billion birds die as a result of window collisions each year in North America with 99% of these occurring at residential and low-rise buildings.  It is considered to be the third highest cause of bird mortality, following habitat loss and predation by domestic cats.

•  Up to 50% of bird-window collisions leave no evidence at all. 
• Many of the birds that fly away are likely to die later of their injuries. 
• Birds most often suffer concussions and internal injuries which can take days to kill them. 
• If a collision kills a parent bird, the young will most likely also die. 
• This is all preventable if people take action at their own homes.

Learn more about this issue at our April 18 Program, 7:30pm on Zoom – Register Here

Delaware Otsego Audubon Society is providing FREE workshops this Spring for homeowners in our communities to make and take home window treatments for up to three windows at their homes to help prevent collisions. Our workshop schedule is below. Pre-registration is required so that we can have ample materials available.

We have limited funds available for free window treatments, so please register early and consider a donation for providing additional materials for this program.

May 3, Delhi, NY – Register Here

10am – 12pm at SUNY Delhi
Assisted by SUNY Delhi Sustainability Club

Contact Susan O’Handley at s.ohandley@doas.us or by phone at 607-397-3815 (leave a message) for more information or if you have any questions.

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The mission of Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society is to protect our natural environment and connect people with nature  to benefit birds and other wildlife through conservation, education, research and advocacy. We envision a healthy world where people and wildlife thrive and natural resources are protected.

Other Area Workshops

March 22 in Sidney, NY – Register Here

11am-1pm at Sidney Memorial Public Library
Assisted by Binghamton University Audubon Society Campus Chapter

March 29 Oneonta, NY – Register Here

11am – 1pm at Southside Mall, Oneonta, NY
Assisted by SUNY Oneonta Environmental Science Club

April 12 Cobleskill, NY – Register Here

10am-12pm at SUNY Cobleskill Center for Agricultural and Natural Resources
Assisted by SUNY Cobleskill Wildlife Society

April 26 at Earth Festival, Milford, NY – Register Here

10am-3pm at Milford Central School
Assisted by Hartwick College FORCES (Environmental Sustainability Club)

Join the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society (DOAS) for a bird walk at Bramley Mountain in Glen Burnie (near Delhi) on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. This hike will be lead by longtime birders and former DOAS board members Pam Peters and Eileen Kline. You must email Pam at ovenb1rdp@gmail.com to register.  Limited to 10 participants.

The trailhead/parking is on Glen Burnie Road east of the village of Delhi. From State Route 28, turn onto Glen Burnie and drive 3.3 miles, parking is on the right. From State Route 10, get onto CR 18, turn onto Glen Burnie Rd and parking area is .7 miles on the left.

This is a four mile loop in mixed deciduous woods. Hopefully the leaves will not be out yet, so we should see and hear some early returning birds (winter wren, blue-headed vireo, hermit thrush) and possibly some spring warblers.

The first mile is a relatively flat, but uneven rocky woods trail. A steep mile ascent follows to the summit and the newly constructed Bramley Mountain firetower. A two-mile descent along a wide woods logging road brings us back to the parking area. There are no resting benches or facilities. We might be able to climb the tower and access the cab at the top if a steward is available.

Trails are likely to be wet and muddy, so wear appropriate shoes. Bring water, snacks, bug spray and hiking sticks if needed. There is usually cell service at the top of the mountain. This is a dog-free trip. All levels of experience are welcomed.

Contact (607) 397-3815 or info@doas.us with any questions.

Maps and description of Bramley Mountain Trail and Firetower: 
https://bramleymountainfiretower.org/bramley-mountain-trail/
https://www.catskillmountainclub.org/bramley-mountain-trail

Above image, left: sapsucker, photo credit: Pam Peters

Right image: Bramley Mountain, photo credit: https://www.catskillmountainclub.org/bramley-mountain-trail

Join DOAS on Saturday, May 10 at 8:00am for a walk to view returning migrant birds on the Susquehanna Greenway Trail. Charlie Scheim and Sandy Bright will lead the walk. This is an easy hike on unpaved but level ground which may be slightly muddy. No restrooms are available. There are a few benches along the way.

Participants will meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot by the fields near the school district bus garage, just past the transfer station for a two-hour walk to view returning migrant birds on the Greenway trail, located on Silas Lane, off Rte. 205 in Oneonta.

Contact Charlie Scheim at 607-434-4880 or scheimc@hartwick.edu for more information.

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The 2025 Jean Miller Memorial Wildflower Walk at Gilbert Lake State Park, in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Central Region, will take place this year on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Participants will meet at the beach area at 10am.

Accessibility: One mile walk on unpaved, mostly flat trail around the lake. Restrooms and seating located by the parking lot.

Meet at the beach area at 10 a.m. Participants will look for spring ephemerals and learn about some of the natural history and adaptations of these beautiful flowers. Walk is approximately a mile around the lake on easy to medium terrain and takes about two hours. Led by Chris DeCesare, former environmental educator and DOAS board member. Bring water, insect repellent, and your curiosity! For more information, contact Chris DeCesare at 607-244-5496 or chris.decesare444@gmail.com

This is a free program. Pre-registration is required using the form below. Registering for the program helps us contact participants in case there is an issue with the weather. Contact info@doas.us for additional information.

Saturday, May 17 is this year’s Big Day for DOAS. (CORRECTED DATE)

The Big Day is a group effort in which birders, working alone, in pairs, or in small groups, can maintain social distance and adopt infection-avoidance procedures while enjoying the outdoors. We will try to locate as many bird species as we can in a single fun day. Birders can spend any amount of time they choose within that 24 hours, and report on their efforts to the Big Day coordinator, Charlie Scheim.

Everyone is welcome, novice or experienced.  If you are interested and have not participated before, please contact Charlie at 607-434-4880 (voice or text) or scheimc@hartwick.edu to get information on joining in the fun.

DOAS Bird Checklist – revised 2020.

DOAS BIG DAY BIRD COUNT RULES (Modified from ABA):

A Big Day Count is a single-team effort in which the primary objectives are (1) to identify as many bird species as possible during a single calendar day and (2) to strive to have all team members identify all species recorded.

Counting

1. Count only species listed in a recognized field guide.
2. Birds must be conclusively identified by sight or sound. Use common sense: if in doubt about the bird’s identity, don’t count it.
3. An introduced species may be counted. 
4. Birds counted must be alive, wild, and unrestrained. Domestic species are not to be included. Birds attracted to tape-recorders or feeders may be counted. Injured birds may be counted if wild and unrestrained. Eggs do not count as birds.

Time – All counting must be within a single 24-hour period, on a single calendar day, determined by where the Count begins or ends.

Area– Any geographic area within the region served by DOAS may be covered. A team’s coverage area may overlap that of other teams.

Travel – Travel may be by any means, provided that all participants remain within direct voice-contact distance during all travel (except for separate motorized travel or for “timeouts” for gas, food, rest, etc.).

Participants

1. Any number of participants may constitute a team.
2. Nonparticipating companions may accompany the team and may record or may drive vehicles. 

Conduct

Each participant must:

1. remain within direct voice-contact distance of all other participants at all times, except during time-outs.
2. make every reasonable effort to identify personally and to help other team members identify every species counted by the team.
3. count only birds personally and unquestionably identified.
4. review the Big Day Count Rules before the start of the Count.

Outside Information

1. During the Count, teams must make every reasonable effort to avoid receiving bird-finding help from nonparticipants.
2. Any information received prior to the Count may be used during the Count.
3. Ethics– Each participant should strive to maintain proper birding ethics at all times.

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Join DOAS on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:00-10:00am at Hartwick College’s Pine Lake Environmental campus in Davenport Center. Suzanne Gaynor and Jane Bachman will lead the walk. We can expect warblers, ducks, other songbirds, and possible Bald Eagles who nest nearby.

Meet at 8am in the Pine Lake parking lot at 1894 Charlotte Creek Rd, Oneonta, NY.

This will be a 1 1/2-mile walk past a variety of habitats including Pine Lake, Charlotte Creek, woods, a swamp, and open field. There is one moderate climb and much of the walking is on uneven woodland trails. Sturdy footwear is recommended. A restroom is available at the start and end of the walk.

Contact Suzanne Gaynor at 607-435-2939 for more information. No pre-registration required.

Image: Yellow Warbler on native Willow Tree by Keith Williams, Flickr CC(NC2.0)

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Join DOAS for a bird walk on Sunday, May 25 at 8am at the West Branch Preserve, located in the Town of Hamden, about 10 miles southeast of Delhi. Charlie Scheim and Sandy Bright will lead the walk.

Meet at 8 AM at the preserve entrance and parking area, on NY Rt10, about 0.9 miles west of the intersection with County Route 26. The parking area is adjacent to the Watershed Agricultural Council building at 33195 NY-10. The walk will be on unpaved and at times uneven paths through the fields and forests of the Preserve and will likely last about 1.5 hours.

There will be a certain amount of moderate uphill and downhill walking. There are no restrooms at the preserve and no resting benches along the path. See website below for more information. https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/eny-west-branch-nature-preserve/?en_txn1=bl.ch_ny.eg.x.g

The walk will be on unpaved and at times uneven paths through the fields and forests of the Preserve and will likely last about 1.5 hours. There will be a certain amount of moderate uphill and downhill walking. There are no restrooms at the preserve and no resting benches along the path.

For more information, contact Charlie Scheim at 607-434-4880 or scheimc@hartwick.edu.

Image: Scarlet Tanager, Photographer Unknown.

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Join DOAS Director Charlie Scheim, Bird Sightings author Sandy Bright, and the Environmental Director of the Uplands Center Renee Hardenkamp for a morning bird walk at the Uplands Center in Walton, NY (2641 Dunk Hill Road) on Saturday, June 7 at 8:00am. Our focus will be on observing birds and their breeding behaviors., will accompany us on this walk. The Uplands Center (www.uplandscenter.org) has acres of fields and forests, great habitat for breeding birds. We will meet just outside the main lodge. The walk will begin on a mostly level grassy path through a large field where we will likely find a number of grassland species. We will then follow a path through a wooded area with some gentle uphills and downhills, seeking woodland inhabitants. There are accessible rest rooms at the walk’s beginning and end and some rest spots along the way. The walk will likely last about an hour and a half. This program is free and there is no pre-registration required. You may call Charlie Scheim at 607-434-4880 for more information or for any last minute weather concerns.

Image: Bobolink; photo by Jennifer Hyypio.

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