Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, December 1, 2018 to Sunday, December 2, 2018:

Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, December 1, 2018
A Staten Island Tour
Leader: Seth Wollney
Focus: early winter species, raptors, ocean ducks, open field species
Car fee: $22.00
Registrar: Donna Evans devansny@earthlink.net
Registration Period: Nov 24th – Nov 29th
Please review our trip guidelines here: http://brooklynbirdclub.org/information-registration

Prospect Park: Birdwatching for Beginners
Leader: Cyrus Baty
Meets at the Prospect Park Audubon Center at The Boathouse at 12 noon. Bring binoculars if you have them; otherwise, binoculars are available for loan.

Sunday, December 2, 2018, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Prospect Park First Sunday Walk
Meets at the Prospect Park Audubon Center at The Boathouse, the first Sunday of every month except July and August. Leaders are members of the Brooklyn Bird Club. Bring binoculars.

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, December 2, 2018, 7:15am - 8:45am
Birding in Peace
By September, offspring of this year's nesting birds will be on their own. Returning warblers will be in their less flamboyant fall plumage. Large numbers of blackbirds, flycatchers, sparrows, vireos, and swallows will also be passing through. By October, waterfowl are returning, and we’ll look for raptors heading south. November will bring back our overwintering feathered denizens from the north.

Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Saturday/Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. Green-Wood’s official birding checklist is available to pick up from the security guard at the main entrance on 25th Street or to print here. Comfortable footwear is recommended.

$10 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $15 for non-members

Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Rye Playland and Environs
Leader: Tom Burke
Registrar: Louise Fraza — louisefraza@yahoo.com or 212-534-6182
Registration opens: Monday, November 19
Ride: $15 or public transportation

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 11:00 a.m.
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, December 1, 2018, 9am – 4pm
The Freshwater Ponds of Long Island's South Shore
Guide: Tod Winston
Visit up to seven South Shore freshwater ponds that provide refuge to a surprising variety of wintering waterfowl—and great viewing opportunities to birders. Possible sightings include Hooded Mergansers, Green-winged Teals, Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Pintails, and Redheads. We’ll also make a short stop or two by the bay to look for loons, grebes, and sea ducks.
Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $94 (66) per trip
Click here to register

Sunday, December 2, 2018, 8am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Freshkills Park
Guide: Cliff Hagen
Come with NYC Audubon for a special opportunity to see Freshkills Park in transition from what was once the world’s largest landfill into an expansive park. Currently closed to the general public, the Park is home to rolling grasslands, tidal marshes, successional woodlands and a freshwater pond system, which host an array of breeding birds, butterflies, mammals, frogs, and turtles. Each autumn, migrant species abound as they travel along the Atlantic Flyway. Sparrows, Osprey, a collection of waterfowl, and lingering warblers seek refuge in the park. Overhead, raptors soar along the terminal moraine as they make their way south for the impending winter. Late-blooming flowers attract an assortment of butterflies and dragonflies.
Transport by passenger van from Staten Island St. George Terminal included. Limited to 12. $57 (40) per walk
Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Saturday, December 1, 2018, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Richmondtown, Old Mill Road
Enjoy a stroll along the multi-use trail overlooking Fresh Kills with Ray Matarazzo. Walk back in time as you pass the famous Hessian Spring as it crosses the path and view Fresh Kills estuary as you work your way toward the remains of Ketchum’s Mill. Along the way observe traces of the past, examine the present woodland ecosystems and search for evidence of present inhabitants especially deer and other mammals.
Meet in the parking lot at the start of Old Mill Road, alongside St. Andrew’s Church.
For more information phone Ray Matarazzo at 718-317-7666.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Montauk Point
Leader: Arie Gilbert (917) 693-7178

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Alley Pond Park
Take the Long Island Expressway west to Exit 29 (Springfield Blvd.). Turn left onto Springfield Blvd. south. Go five blocks and turn left onto 76th Ave. Quickly turn left into the 76th Ave. parking lot. We will meet at the far end of the lot. For a street map that shows the parking lot (and the entire neighborhood), go to www.nycgovparks.org/parks/alleypondpark/map (Google Maps labels it “Aarya park Parking lot"). For online directions, enter "76th Ave 11364" as the location.
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.

All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498.

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Urban Park Rangers
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Birding: Winter Waterfowl at Brookville Boulevard and Caney Road (in Brookville Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome.
Free!