Fare Thee Well

Dear Friends,

This is my final and farewell message in the Sandpiper. I have written a lot of articles over the last 15 years and hope that I have shared information that has given you the love of nature and the natural world as I love it. A few final thoughts…

Walking your dog is wonderful experience. Actually, walking is a wonderful experience. The world envelopes you. The other morning, as my faithful pup, Ollie, and I turned the corner on our morning walk, a bird came flying passed us and smashed right into the window the car parked at the curb. He bounced off and kept going. It stunned me into recalling what I know about bird/window collisions.

Did you know that most bird/window collisions are similar to what I witnessed? We always think it is the tall glass buildings of the cities that are the major culprits, but this is not true. They carry their own demons between the reflection, night light and wind tunnels. But our own cars and house windows are the site of most collisions.

Unless a bird breaks its neck and dies instantly, leaving the evidence, most people don’t realize that the stunned bird will fly off, only to die somewhere else of brain damage.

The good news is that there are things that each of us can do to help prevent this. First – don’t buy the decals that are sold in stores to plaster over your windows and doors. Birds don’t see that way. Birds perceive spaces that they can navigate through. If you hang something in your windows that have a 2”x2” grid, a bird will perceive that there is something there that it cannot fit through. However, our own eyes will ignore the series of dots or grids. Personally, I think windows should be manufactured to contain the dots within the glass panes. Great South Bay Audubon has a comprehensive reference on bird/window strikes and our library is open Wednesdays and Sundays to members for free.

As I move to a land where nature is still fairly protected, I don’t hear the buzz of chain saws and the crashing of great tree trunks falling into huge landscaping trucks where most of the proprietors don’t have licenses and have no regard for a permit or the land clearing laws.

I seriously encourage you – implore you- to guard our resources. Long Island is the most wonderful place. I am a big advocate of knowing your legislator and your town council. Stand up. Speak up. Go to your local chamber meeting and express your concern for our environment. When enough people do, elected officials will listen. Plant trees and native bushes in your yard. Make a sanctuary and resting place for wild life. Get a bird bath. And – get out and walk. The benefits to all will be evident.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of serving you over the years.