Join us for our monthly field trips!
All are welcome!
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ELIAS uses Constant Contact
in addition to Facebook to remind
our members and friends
about meetings and walks.
Click on the sign up form to be added to our list. Or text ELIAS to 42828 to get started.
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Meetings
take place at
The Nature Center
at Quogue Wildlife Refuge,
3 Old Country Road,
Quogue NY.
© 2025 Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Join us on the first Monday of the month for our public program!
Eastern Long Island Audubon Society is a Chapter of the National Audubon Society serving the communiites from Patchogue to Montauk along the South Shore of Long Island, including western Riverhead, Brookhaven, Southampton and East Hampton.
September Meeting
Monday Evening, Sept. 8, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Meet live birds of prey!
Come meet some of the wildlife ambassadors from the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center. Learn how EAWRC serves the community by rescuing local wildlife, learn what you can do to help and learn what you can do if you find a sick or injured wild animal. You’ll also learn the stories behind the wildlife ambassadors and get the opportunity to see live raptors up close and take photos of and/or with the ambassadors.
Red-tailed Hawk
Upcoming Fall Events
Field Trip: Tentative dates: Saturday September 13 or Sunday, September 14. Contact Eileen for confirmation.
Dorothy P. Flynn 4 H Camp, Riverhead
The oldest 4H Camp in New York State, this 140 acre children’s camp is located between Sound Ave and Long Island Sound. We will be meeting at 8:30 am at the end of the long driveway into the heart of the camp to begin exploring the open fields, and woodlands, and (hopefully) see south-bound warblers! Contact Eileen Schwinn, [email protected], to register..
Field Trip: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Watch Hill, Fire Island
Join Debbie Swamback and others as ELIAS makes a return visit via Ferry, to part of the Fire Island National Seashore. We will walk the over one mile of boardwalk through marsh, dunes and fresh-water ponds which host many migrating warblers on their way south. There is a cost for the ferry, which leaves from West Ave, Patchogue at 10:15 am, with plans to return via ferry at 4:15 pm. For those who wish to leave earlier, there is a 1:00 pm boat. Our highly successful trip this Spring offered terrific leadership, and a chance to learn about the park and the habitat that makes this so unique. Contact Eileen Schwinn, [email protected], to register.
Field Trip: Sunday, October 5, 2025
FINS & the Hawk Watch at Fire Island
Our traditional fall trip by car to Field 5, Robert Moses State Park. We will walk the 3/4 mile boardwalk to the Fire Island Lighthouse - stopping at the Hawk Watch Platform along the way to “check out the raptor action”. Past visits at this time of the year by ELIAS had Chat, Gray Kingbird, Swainson’s Thrush, and A LOT of Yellow-rumped Warblers! We will be meeting at 8:00 am at the eastern end of Parking Lot 5. Contact Eileen Schwinn, [email protected], to register.
Monday Evening Meeting, Oct. 6, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Keeping Track of Long Island’s
Newest Mammal: the Coyote
Mike Bottini, wildlife biologist, Seatuck Environmental Association
This presentation will discuss the coyote’s fascinating natural history and behavior and its huge range expansion in North America over the last century. It is now found in every state except Hawaii and every Canadian province. Coyotes first became established in northern New York in the 1920s. Long Island is one of the last large land masses in the continental U.S. to be colonized. The first breeding documented on L.I. was in Queens in 2016. There are now several breeding pairs in northern Nassau. Individual coyotes have been sighted and photographed on the north and south forks, and on Fire Island. There will be time for questions about coyotes and Mike’s other research species: the river otter.
Mike Bottini is a member of the L.I. Coyote Study Group; in addition to coyotes, his current study subjects include river otters and spotted turtles. He is also leading Seatuck’s L.I. Mammal Survey.
ELIAS Annual Dinner Wednesday Evening, October 15, 2025
ELIAS Annual Dinner
Join ELIAS at the Bellport Country Club, beginning at 6 pm. Cocktails, buffet dinner, Raffles. John Turner, naturalist & environmentalist will be our guest speaker Revealing Natural Secrets of Long Island. Reservations a must.
$70 per person. Email Eileen Schwinn at [email protected] for more information.
Field Trip: Saturday October 18, 2025, Meet at 8:30
Suffolk County Farm, Yaphank
Meeting at 8:30 am, we will walk the fields, hedgerows, and barnyard area - hopefully finding a variety of raptors, sparrows and other late migrating birds along the way. Contact Eileen Schwinn, [email protected], to register.
Monday Evening Meeting, November 3, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
Members Night
Chapter Round Table & Story Night
Everyone is invited to participate. Come and share a birding adventure, picture, poem or just something you just learned about the birds.
We will provide a little extra holiday cheer.
Field Trip: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Wintering Ducks in the
Greenport/Shelter Island area by Boat!
We leave from Greenport Harbor, with two sailings, an AM and PM, tentatively scheduled (to be finally confirmed in Sept). Rain date: November 22, 2025. Contact Eileen Schwinn, [email protected] to register. There will be a fee for trip.
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Seed Sale with Quogue Wildlife Refuge
Stock up on bird food for the winter! Watch for more information
Monday Evening Meeting, December 1, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
An Evening with Brian Heinz
Brian Heinz is a children’s book author who lives in Wading River. Since childhood Brian has been drawn to the natural world and was fascinated by every bug, spider, snake, or furry critter he could find. As a science teacher he tried to instill the same love of nature and exploration in his students
Most of his books, too numerous to mention here, are about wild animals, sometimes endangered species, and their fascinating and unique abilities to survive in harsh and unforgiving environments. They are tales of adventure and survival. His research trips have taken him north on dogsled trips in sub-zero temperatures; to alligator nests deep in the Okefenokee Swamp of southern Georgia; to the rain forests of Puerto Rico; across Canada; to the Rocky Mountains...to name a few.
He has wonderful stories to tell about some comical incidents that occurred in completing his research on his wild animal subjects
Some books will be available for purchase.
December Field Trips
We urge you to sign up with the various organizers of the Christmas Bird Counts to be part of this ongoing research. More info to come.
