“The Bedford Audubon Society and the Henry Morgenthau Preserve Committee are pleased to announce that on February 11, 2009, the 36-acre Henry Morgenthau Preserve became part of the Bedford Audubon Society. Located on Route 172 in Pound Ridge, New York, the Henry Morgenthau Preserve is set along the shores of the picturesque Blue Heron Lake.”

You can read more about the society’s acquisition after the break. Below is a map giving the general location of the new preserve.

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In the Baltimore Sun, they’re called striped bass. In The Washington Post, they’re rockfish. Either way, nine people in Virginia and Maryland were charged recently after an illegal commercial fishing probe involving striped bass, a.k.a rockfish. From the Sun’s story last month about the four-year undercover investigation:

“These were fish pirates,” said a high-ranking Virginia official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the case. “This was racketeering. Computers and records were seized. You’re going to see some places go out of business.”

The watermen and fish dealers have been charged under the Lacey Act, which prohibits the illegal taking of wildlife in one state for the purpose of selling it in another. Violations of the act carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, plus potential forfeiture of the boats and vehicles used.

The fish were taken from the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. If you think there’s no money in fish, think again. From the Post:

A ring that trafficked in illegally caught rockfish from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River handled 600,000 pounds of the fish over four years, with a retail value between $3 million and $7 million, a federal law enforcement official said yesterday.

In New York, striped bass can be caught commercially off Long Island’s south shore and in the Sound, but not the Hudson River. In Massachusetts, they’re thinking of limiting striper fishing to recreational-only.

(Photo by TJN photographer Mark Vergari.)

New York has the largest population of peregrine falcons in the East and the birds of prey are doing fine, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The state DEC today released its 2008 state peregrine falcon report, which can be found here.

“The report reveals that it was an extremely significant year for New York State’s efforts to restore our peregrine falcon population,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. “These record breaking numbers are a true testament to the ongoing management work of the DEC endangered species program, with an overall goal to restore native animal life within the state for the use, benefit, and enjoyment of current and future generations.”

Last year, 60 pairs of falcons bred and hatched 130 young. Like for other birds of prey, DDT played havoc with the falcons’ reproduction. The pesticide caused eggshell thinning and the falcons had disappeared as nesting birds from the East by the early 1960s.

Peregrine falcons nest mainly on cliffs, bridges, and buildings, and raise one to five young. They feed almost entirely on birds, and are known for their dramatic dives on prey, attaining speeds of over 200 miles per hour.

The 2004 photo from the AP shows a female peregrine on a ledge of the Mid Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie.

A flock of about 20 robins flapped past my office window the other day, visiting some evergreen bushes in front of the paper’s Mount Kisco office and hunting for, I’m assuming, some berries still hanging there. The birds all don’t head south for the winter, as this story from New Hampshire points out.

When a good supply of wild fruit and berries is available the American Robin can take good care of itself during the dead of winter. Robins also enjoy raisins and apples when available in feeding areas.

The well known ornithologist, Edward Howe Forbush, in his Volume III, “Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England States,” wrote: “In some years when persistent berries are abundant in the north hundreds of Robins pass the winter in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as they did in the winter of 1924 -25, but this is unusual. Most of our Robins, however, go south in the winter and probably all those that winter in New England are hardy birds that nest in Ungava, Labrador, and other northern regions and even some of these perish of privation and cold in severe New England winters.”

In fact, some 38,000 American robins were spotted in New York during the 2007-08 Christmas Bird Count, according to the latest available data.

The American black duck, the spruce grouse and the red-breasted merganser are just some of the dozens of birds who have shifted their ranges northward because of climate change, according to the Audubon Society.

“The report says Audubon scientists analyzed 40 years of bird count data “and their findings provide new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems.”“

More than half of 305 bird species across North America are spending their winters farther north than they did 40 years ago, according to the report.

Barred owls (see photo by TJN photographer Ricky Flores) were among those on the move. From Science News:

“Those shifts dovetail with warming trends in winter temperatures recorded by state during that time, says Audubon scientist Greg Butcher, coauthor of the report. Overall the wintering grounds of the birds have shifted an average of 56 kilometers (35 miles) north in cold months during the past four decades.”

An aerial survey of the lower Hudson River last month found 43 bald eagles on the river, between Albany and Croton, said said Peter Nye, head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s endangered species unit

Should you have a desire for all things bald eagle, don’t forget TODAY’S Hudson River EagleFest. It starts at 9 a.m., so get moving.

For more about bald eagles on the Hudson, go here.

The red-tailed hawk found injured in Somers on Wednesday had “a huge gash on his chest,” said Donna Jaeger, Somers Animal Hospital administrator.

The hawk was taken there after it was found on the side of Route 35 Wednesday morning, most likely after being struck by a car. Jaeger said hospital staff put the bird in a quiet and warm place to rest for a while and then tackled the gash. She said a veterinarian spent about 90 minutes cleaning and flushing the wound before reattaching the muscle and skin.

“He’s got a lot of hurdles to go through,” said Jaeger, who said the bird was in stable condition. “If he recovers from this, he will be releasable.

Jaeger also cautioned against scooping up injured wildlife because it could be dangerous for both the animal and the rescuer.

“The most important thing the public should know before they capture wildlife is to call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator,” she said.

A list can be found here.

My colleague, TJN photographer Joe Larese, happened by the injured bird, hence the photo.

The red-tailed hawk found injured on Route 35 in Somers yesterday was recovering today at the Somers Animal Hospital, where it was doing nicely, a staff member said.

In case you missed it, my colleague Joe Larese made several photos of the bird being rescued yesterday morning by Cecilia Soprano of Yorktown. Cecilia managed to get a pillow case on the bird. Joe said the rescue took about a minute. At first, he said, the hawk tried to avoid Cecilia. But once she got the pillow case on him, there was no struggle, Joe said.

If you’re thinking of going ice fishing on either the East Branch Reservoir or the Bog Brook Reservoir in Southeast, don’t says the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. The ice may be too weak to support anglers.

“DEP is lowering the elevations of Bog Brook and East Branch Reservoirs due to reconstruction of the connection tunnel gatehouse between them. The Bureau of Water Supply is concerned that the ice is not safe for ice fishing due to the falling elevation of the reservoirs and signs have been posted indicating such,” DEP spokesman Michael Saucier said.

Hence, the red-and-white signs proclaiming “No public access.” Elevation is a reference to the rise and fall of a reservoir’s water level. My colleague, TJN photographer Frank Becerra, noticed this sign on the East Branch and wondered what it was all about.

More on ice fishing.

Just read.