Now through Oct. 15, residents can cast their vote for an official Nassau County bird. Which will it be? The Tree Swallow, Osprey or the American Oystercatcher? Residents are encouraged to vote for one of the three finalists at www.nassaucountyny.gov.

According to Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs, who officially announced the contest Aug. 29 at the Garden City Bird Sanctuary, the county's website had 6,000 hits - the most ever - on the first day.

Jacobs thought it was a "feather-brained" idea but admitted she's been proven wrong. "People are really interested," she said. "And this fits right in to our environmental bond act, which will protect the environment to let these creatures survive." The Nassau County Legislature was slated to vote on that $100 million bond act Aug. 29.

New York State has the blue bird and since there are only a few counties that actually have an "official" bird, Jacobs believes Nassau deserves its own. As of press time, the Osprey was in the lead with 60+ votes, she said, followed by the Tree Swallow with 30+ votes and the American Oystercatcher, her bird of choice, lagging behind with 18+ votes.

With 438 different species of birds on Long Island, how did officials narrow it down to just three to vote on? According to Garden City Bird Sanctuary President Robert Alvey, who chose the three finalists with help from Bird Sanctuary members, "We want people to know there's more to Long Island than just pigeons and Canadian geese." The Sanctuary's board of directors nominated the Tree Swallow because it is seen across Nassau and shares habitat with the Eastern Bluebird.

The Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) actually nests at the 9-acre preserve in Garden City. Alvey thought it unusual enough to be considered. It is a medium-sized swallow with purer white underparts and a slightly forked tail. This particular bird is distinctive and elegant looking, populating much of Nassau County.

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a medium-large raptor that eats fish with a worldwide distribution. "It has a lot of attention from a lot of different groups so we thought this was another good choice," Alvey explained.

Also known as the fish hawk, sea hawk or fish eagle, the Osprey measures 20.5-23.6 inches long with a 5-5.5 foot wingspan. With white underparts and long, narrow wings with four "finger" feathers at the end of each, the fish eater is more restricted to water sites and has had a significant decline in population from DDT as well as a loss of nesting sites. Over the last decade, however, several nesting sites have been erected and its population is slowly rebounding.

The American Oystercatcher (haematopus palliates), occasionally called the American Pied Oystercatcher, is a large, conspicuous bird that was hunted to near extinction along the Atlantic coast.

Alvey's daughter, Alexis, recommended this bird. She worked for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation a few years back, performing piping clover monitoring down at Robert Moses Park. "When she saw that down there, she thought that would be a good bird because people are not going to forget that one when they see it," Alvey said.

Given total protection, it has again become popular and nests in numbers as far north as Massachusetts. This is a large, stocky shorebird (17-21 inches long), boldly patterned in blackish brown and white. The bird's bill is long and red and its legs and feet pink.

"It is my hope that by putting a spotlight on the birds of Nassau County, we can educate residents regarding the variety of species we have here in the county and also generate an interest in protecting the birds and their habitats," Jacobs said.

"These are three really great candidates," Aaron Virgin, director of the Theodore Roosevelt Bird Sanctuary & Audubon Center, said.

Visit www.nassaucountyny.gov and cast your vote for the official Nassau County bird. And for those who do not have access to a computer, mail in your completed ballot, which can be found in the Garden City Bird Sanctuary's autumn 2006 newsletter, Sump-Thing Happenings! Jacobs also plans on sending the information to every superintendent of schools in Nassau to enable students to participate in the vote as well.