Upcoming Trips

Below are the birding/nature trips from Saturday, July 6 - Sunday, July 7, 2024:

Brooklyn Bird Club

Butterflies and Dragons in Staten Island
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Leader: Seth Wollney
Description: A multi-stop tour in one of the best and highly productive boroughs for butterflies and dragonflies led by acclaimed naturalist Seth Wollney.
Registration: Peter Dorosh, email Prosbird@gmail.com or Prosbird@aol.com.
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Gateway National Parks

Birding for Beginners at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Sunday, July 7, 2024, 10:00am — 11:00am
Leader: Park Rangers
Description: Interested in birds, but feel intimidated about getting into birding? No problem, this is birding for beginners! Together we will take a nature walk, talk about what makes Jamaica Bay such a great place for birds, and give you the tools to learn the basics of bird identification and appreciation. Bug spray and sunscreen are recommended, binoculars available.
Registration: Not required.
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Green-Wood Cemetery

Birding in Peace
Sunday, June 30, 2024, 6:00am - 7:30am
Description: Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful early morning walking tours to discover the many birds that make Green-Wood their home—at least temporarily. In July we should see the offspring of our resident red-tailed hawk bravely preparing to leave the nest. Warbler songs will be replaced by chirring cicadas and the tweets of fledgling birds. Butterflies and dragonflies are abundant. By late-July, expect the arrival of the first southbound migrants.
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Linnaean Society of New York

Staten Island, Purple Martins Plus
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Leader: Howard Fischer
Description: On this summer trip to Staten Island, we will visit several areas with nesting birds, including Bank Swallows at Great Kills Park, Purple Martins at Lemon Creek, and Boat-tailed Grackles, possible Clapper Rails, Little Blue Herons, and other marsh birds at Oakwood Beach Tidal Marsh. We will also visit There will also be opportunities to observe a variety of butterflies and odonates. We will also go to Mount Loretto Unique Area for nesting Bald Eagles, plus Willow Flycatchers, Orchard Orioles and Indigo Buntings.
Registration: Lisa Kroop — lisakroop2@gmail.com
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NYC Bird Alliance

Accessible Birding in Fort Tryon Park
Saturday, July 6, 2024, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Leader: Alex Wang
Description: Beautiful Fort Tryon Park commands sweeping views of the Palisades and the Hudson River from soaring cliffs of bedrock in northern Manhattan. Past encounters include a variety of birds such as Bald Eagles and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
Registration: Registration page
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Governors Island Bird Tour
Saturday, July 6, 2024, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Leader: _____
Description: Nearly 240 bird species have been spotted on Governors Island, which provides excellent habitat all year round. Whether you’re an expert birder or a beginner, these tours will help you discover all of the birdlife the island has to offer. Binoculars are available to borrow.
Registration: No registration required. Free.
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Urban Park Rangers

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Birding By Canoe Excursion (Intermediate) at Canoe and Kayak Launch (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
11:00am – 12:30pm
Explore the Orchard Beach Lagoon by canoe as we look for birds that live in this estuarine habitat of the Long Island Sound. Lottery registration opens Wednesday June 26.
Free

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Accessible Birding Hike at Rose Avenue and Bowne Street (in Kissena Park), Queens
10:00am – 11:30am
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a relaxing stroll along an accessible trail and discover some of the amazing songbirds and waterfowl that call this park home.
Free

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Week 26 - Green-Wood Cemetery

We are now at the halfway mark through 2024. Over the past week we saw most of the cemetery's breeding bird's offspring finally fledge. There are, however, still a few species with either chicks on the nest or still incubating eggs. Some trees have begun to fruit and wildflowers are proliferating with a simultaneous increase in pollinating insects.

I finally got a peek at two nestling Red-bellied Woodpeckers. They are developed enough that I expect them to be leaving their nest very shortly. The Eastern Kingbirds are now feeding hatchlings, but the Cedar Waxwings and American Goldfinches appear to still be incubating eggs. Fledgling Barn Swallows are diving and swooping around Sylvan Water and the Hill of Graves with their parents. I still haven't found their nests, but am certain they are either within the cemetery or close by, just outside the fences.

Nestling Red-bellied Woodpeckers

Eastern Kingbird chicks

Cedar Waxwing on nest

Juvenile Barn Swallows

The wild garlic is ripe for the picking but most of the wildflowers are in their prime pollen producing stage.

Wild Garlic

Woodland Pinkroot

Astilbe

Milkweed and Bumblebees

Narrowleaf Mountain Mint is attracting a diversity of pollinating species. I haven't seen many skippers or other butterflies yet, but lots of bumblebees, honey bees, droneflies, wasps, etc.

Narrowleaf Mountain Mint

Great Golden Digger Wasp

Margined Soldier Beetle

Boxelder bug

Here are a few more recent blooms that I've been keeping an eye on:

Butterfly Weed and Sweat Bee

St. John's Wort and Bumblebee

Yucca

Globe Thistle

The invasive vine Meadow Bindweed is, unfortunately suddenly spreading quickly within the long grass of the Hill of Graves. I'm sure it exists in other locations, but seems to be pretty ferocious in this one spot right now.

Meadow Bindweed

Dragonflies are now inhabiting nearly every corner of the cemetery. While the ponds and lake seem to have the greatest abundance, some species are patrolling the grassy habitats of Green-Wood. Some have already laid eggs and I observed one Common Green Darner nymph already emerging from the Crescent Water. An incredible swift, effective hunter they are a challenging prey for swallows, swifts, flycatchers and herons.

Blue Dasher

Great Blue Skimmer

Eastern Amberwing

Common Green Darner nymph

Some of the trees are slowly beginning to fruit. The most noticeable are the linden trees. The roads and pathways are now littered with millions of dried yellow flowers.

Little-leaf Linden

Black Tupelo

Kentucky Coffee tree

Finally, Common Snapping Turtles are approaching egg laying season. If you see one of these huge reptiles out of the water, I recommend giving them some space and definitely do not attempt to return them to the water!

Common Snapping Turtle