PPUABA Outings

PPUABA organizes several outings each year to provide opportunities for neighbors to interact socially. This page will highlight recent PPUABA outings.

Birding watching walk - Apr 27, 2024

Neighborhood Spring Field Trip: Birding With Ethan, by Patti Veconi
A more perfect morning could not have been hoped for. A smattering of neighbors gathered at 8:00am on April 27 with resident birder, Ethan Mulligan, for our second annual bird-watching walk.

We checked our binoculars, assigned a note-taker (myself) and reviewed Ethan’s intended route for us. To set expectations for the morning, we agreed our list wouldn’t really begin until after dispensing with the anticipated sightings of robins, sparrows, starlings and rock doves (pigeons) – but then again, had we actually seen any of those yet? Regardless, we were off. Too much chatting may have precluded what would have been our true first sightings, but officially, we kicked off with a pair of mourning doves on Plaza Street. By the time we had reached the entrance to Prospect Park, we had added those robins, (adult males) sparrows (white-throated) and pigeons, and we were hearing still more than we could see. The first thrill (yes, thrill) came from a downy woodpecker who was setting up house in a dead tree. I was slow to spot the action, but another neighbor said, “Look for the flying dust.” Sure enough, poof! This industrious carpenter was literally pushing sawdust out of their freshly milled new home, popping its head in and out and making marked progress in the short time we watched.

Ethan caught a cormorant flying over us, and we noted there might be two lists, one for the birds we all saw, and another including what only Ethan’s skilled eyes caught. We were just turning into the rose garden and finishing up a review of the changes in robin markings from early juvenile to adulthood when another (much larger) group of birders rounded the corner. We froze, the Sharks vs Jets tension was palpable. (Pretty sure someone started snapping their fingers.) Moving first, we claimed our space and it was a good one. We were quickly rewarded with bluejays, cardinals, gray catbirds and a mourning dove that posed on a rock long enough for a short conversation about it’s blush breast. Ethan demonstrated a “pishing” technique for drawing birds out. (I later did a Google search and learned it is meant to mimic a bird’s scolding call.) It was just after this lesson that my own personal highlight of the outing occurred when a black and white warbler spent enough time traversing the trunk of a maple for me to really get a great look at both its physical features and behavior. Unfortunately for me, the time I spent with that warbler prevented me from the show two eastern towhees were giving the rest of the group. A flicker and another cormorant were both spotted in flight and even a gull sp. high above us.

We had made a turn on our path heading back in the direction of Grand Army Plaza when the drama of the morning occurred. Two blue jays aggressively chased (some might say attacked) a squirrel down a dead tree in defense of their nest, which was snugly perched in the crease of two branches about 12 feet from the ground.

Wrapping up, we thanked Ethan for the outing and some of our group headed into the green market with only a dangling pair of binoculars to suggest they had been up to anything besides shopping that morning. Heading home, I looked over my notes to make sure I hadn’t counted anything twice when Albert pointed to a starling on the corner of Plaza Street and Vanderbilt. It was our last sighting and the only bird from the assumed starter list that we hadn’t actually seen yet. All in all, we counted 14 bird species, including several happy couples where both male and female could be discerned. Join us next time to see, hear and learn more about our avian neighbors yourself.

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Holiday Caroling - Dec 20, 2023

PPUABA holiday carolers bring joy!
Several days before Christmas, PPUABA members and neighbors gathered for an evening of holiday caroling on our PPUABA blocks. The event started with fortification (and loosening of inhibitions) in the form of warm mulled wine, provided by Park Place neighbors Christiana Dittmann and Bruce McInnes, and continued as PPUABA President Patti Veconi led the carolers strolling, singing, and bringing delight to the carolers and listeners alike.

Den Gordon, who had just been discharged from the hospital following heart surgery, wrote about the caroling:
Joy to our blocks!

This time of year is both festive and emotional for me. It was wonderful to participate (to the best of my ability) in the caroling tradition that has happened the last few years!

Thank you to Patti and the group of singers who came and cheered me on. The gluhwein probably helped in the warm up!

And Sofia Alayon wrote:
I want to thank the Carolers for dropping by, and I also want to apologize for not being able to join in, or offer a hot chocolate to the carolers.

Please let them know that they made my evening. I’ve been home recuperating from shingles and their singing lifted my spirits.

Thank you to Patti for organizing and leading the carolers; to Christiana and Bruce for hosting the warm-up gathering and providing the mulled wine and cider, and to all the carolers who participated in this fun tradition!

Below, two photos of the carolers: