Conservation
Native Plants for Birds
Did you know that the berries on the native shrub Arrowwood Viburnum have a very high fat content that helps fuel birds during fall migration? In contrast, berries on the invasive Multiflora Rose appear around the same time of year as Arrowwood berries but contain hardly any fat at all. Native berries are vital to birds, especially neotropical migrants that travel thousands of miles to places like Central and South America.
Use National Audubon’s link below to find our more about Native Plants in your Area:
Several sources of native plants are shown below:
Cottage Creek Gardens, Valley Cottage
Toad Shade Wildflower Farm, Frenchtown, NJ
Making your home safe for birds
Acopian BirdSavers - Long lasting, and highly effective. Simple to make
yourself.
Feather Friendly Bird Do-it-Yourself Tape - Simple to install.
Injured or Orphaned Bird
It’s common to find young birds away from their nests in the spring and summer. But should you help them? It depends. First use the document below to find out if an injured or orphaned bird even needs help.
https://www.rocklandaudubon.org/injured-or-orphan-bird The information is Adapted from Healers of the Wild by Shannon K. Jacobs.
Valley Cottage Animal Hospital will assess, stabilize, and get the bird to the best resource for care.
Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Species
Click here to see the New York Endangered Species List. You can help conservation efforts by submitting your sightings and photos of the rare birds as described below. Submissions to eBird cannot be used by the state, which means those sightings are invisible on state maps, so please use the instructions below. Let's get these birds on the map and help protect the vital habitat that supports them!
1) Send an email to (Wildlife.R3@dec.ny.gov) with a photo and location of the observation. The staff can then verify ID and possibly set up a time for a site visit to confirm presence.
2)Submit an online Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) reporting form: Contribute Data - New York Natural Heritage Program (nynhp.org)
