Bird Life in the Piermont Marsh

The Piermont Reformed Church Hall (361 Ferdon Ave, Piermont),  the Piermont Marsh Conservancy will host a special program on Bird Life in the Piermont Marsh.  The program will be presented by Stephanie Garber, LEED AP,  an avid birder and former Board Member of the Rockland Audubon Society.  Her talk will focus on the Piermont Marsh as habitat and the marsh-dependent migrating birds who will soon grace us with their presence.

As spring approaches, birds take their cue from the gradual lengthening of days and begin to prepare for flight in their annual spring migration.  Some marsh-dependent species leave their wintering grounds from as far away as South America and head north in search of a safe breeding ground with the right climate conditions and a plentiful food supply.  Will they find what they need at the Piermont Marsh?  Other birds might use the marsh for foraging or as a stopover for resting and refueling before continuing on the arduous journey to their breeding grounds farther north.  How will they fare at the Piermont Marsh?

The Piermont Marsh has historically been a stop along the Atlantic Flyway and over the years a large number of different birds have been identified here.  But can these migrants still find suitable nesting sites when they arrive at the marsh this year?  Or in the future?  Today the habitat here has become overwhelmingly dominated by Phragmites australis, an invasive plant which has replaced the various marsh grasses that once provided nesting and foraging material for the birds.  How does the change in the marsh impact these birds?  What will happen to those species already in decline or listed as threatened or of special concern?  Will the Least Bittern, threatened in New York State, disappear as some species already have?

In this program, answers to some of these questions will be revealed in the surprising findings from the data of past breeding bird surveys in the Piermont Marsh and environs.  Join us as we explore the unique and secretive world of the various marsh-dependent birds and learn about the habitat they require for breeding and foraging. 

For more information, please call (845) 345-8349 or visit our website, www.piermontmarsh.org.