For many years, Sullivan County Audubon has been doing a variety
of counts, contests, and projects having one central focus:
the accumulation of information about our local birds.
A major focus of SCAS since 1970 has been the publishing of
our newsletter, Warblings, containing records of
recent bird sightings of
interest. The newsletter stimulated people to write
down dates and numbers of birds seen,
and to report them to us. With the availability of
a computer, we began
to compile the information in a database. We were awarded
two small grants from the Federation of NYS Bird Clubs
(now the New York State Ornithological Association)
to allow us to hire a person to enter the data, and we
used some of our own funds to supplement that. More recently,
we have had a concentrated volunteer effort to edit
and add to the database.
Over the years the database has grown substantially. All
of the Sullivan County records from the first Atlas
are in one part; our local feeder counts are summarized
in another. The
main database includes over 31,000 records, including
all of the records reported in past issues of Warblings,
and all Sullivan County Christmas Counts plus most
of the data from our local counts such as the “Feathered
Frenzy.”
How is all of this information useful? First and foremost,
we use this information when producing the Checklist
of Birds of Sullivan County, which actually summarizes
the information in the database. Also, when we were
asked to provide information to support a nomination
of the Bashakill
to become an IBA (Important Bird Area), we summarized
the many thousands of records we have of birds there.
We have been able
to provide detailed responses to other requests for
information from various groups regarding the status
of specific birds or
birdlife of certain local areas. Two current examples
dealt with the birdlife of D & H Canal trail and with a
DEC Wildlife Unit Management plan.
So keep the bird information coming! If you see an unusual
bird or unusual numbers of birds, mail your list to
me at PO Box 30, Loch Sheldrake, NY 12779, or .
Thank you!
 Valerie
Freer
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