Upcoming Trips

Below is a list of upcoming, local trips for the weekend of May 22nd - 23rd, 2010:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Introduction to Birdwatching
Every Saturday, 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Explore the Park's natural areas and learn how to look for amazing birds.

Discover Tours
Every Saturday and Sunday, 3 p.m.
Discover the Prospect Park you never knew! Meet birds and other wildlife on this walk, guided by a naturalist.

Sunday, May 23, 2010
Discover Tours
Every Saturday and Sunday, 3 p.m.
Discover the Prospect Park you never knew! Meet birds and other wildlife on this walk, guided by a naturalist.

Morning Bird Walk: Marvelous Migrants
Sunday, May 23, 8 a.m.
Meet the amazing birds who use the Park as a migratory layover on this expert-guided walk. Start your Sunday morning surrounded by nature!


New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center.


Linnaean Society of New York
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Inwood Hill Park
Leader: Joe DiCostanzo
Registrar: Lenore Swenson
Registration opens Monday 5/10. Public transportation


Littoral Society
May 23, 2010
Glory at the Beach Plum Blossoms at Plum Beach
The shifting dunes, classic saltmarsh and extensive mudflats at Plum Beach are dynamic, ever-changing maritime habitats for myriad seashore species. During May, hundreds of native beach plums are in full blossom and put forth a spectacular display of pink and white. Explore this fascinating area with naturalist Mickey Maxwell Cohen.
Binoculars, insect protection and a magnifying glass will be helpful.
Meet at 9 AM at the Plum Beach Round House.
Reservations required: call Gateway NRA at (718) 338-3799


New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, May 22, 10am – 1pm
Birds & Plants: New York Botanical garden in Springtime
Guide: Gabriel Willow, NYBG Docent With New York Botanic Garden
Enter in the Moshula gate and meet at the Reflecting Pool near the Visitor Center.
The NY Botanical Garden was founded in 1891 and now a National Historic Landmark; it is distinguished by the beauty of its diverse landscape and extensive collections and gardens. It is also home to the largest remaining tract of East Coast old-growth forest in NYC. The beautiful gardens and their great diversity of ecosystems attract many species of birds. We will visit during the peak of Spring migration season, when the forests and gardens come alive with songbirds returning from their wintering grounds. Additionally, a NYBG docent will give the group an exclusive tour of the impressive forest. Limited to 15.
Cost: $20


Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Saturday May 22, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Conference House Park and Beach
Past and present blend in the Conference House park where history stretches back thousands of years with the seasonal occupation of the Lenape and hundreds of years with the habitation of the Dutch and English. In addition to the local history we’ll observe the geology of the area and look for what the debris at the high tide line has to reveal. As the tide goes out we'll move into the intertidal zone to find out what sorts of living things survive in this challenging environment. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Hylan Blvd. on the left.
For more information phone Clay Wollney at (718)869-6327.

Saturday, May 22, 9:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Spring Ten Mile Walk of the Greenbelt to Save Pouch Camp!
This is our annual spring Greenbelt walk, but with an emphasis on our efforts to secure preservation for Pouch Camp. Join us for a rally at the kickoff at 10 a.m. Those not joining the walk may choose to meet up with us at noon for lunch at Berlin Lodge overlooking beautiful Orbach Lake in Pouch Camp. We ask that you bring your own lunch and beverage. Speakers will be on-hand to talk about how vital it is to preserve all of Pouch Camp. The Protectors walk then continues at 1 p.m. Our walk covers ten miles at a comfortable pace. See wonderful vistas, beautiful woodlands and the blooming of the Pinxter Azalea, Highbush Blueberry and Canada Mayflower throughout our Greenbelt. Meet at our new meeting place where the parking is easier: the beginning of the Blue Line Trail, at the end of Staten Island Blvd. (at the end of the road right above Petrides School which intersects Ocean Terrace). Bring lunch, beverage and sturdy walking shoes as well as camera, binoculars and field guides. We go in all weather but walk is shortened if high pollution levels occur.
For more information call Dominick Durso at (718) 967-0379 or Chuck Perry at (718) 667-1393.

Saturday, May 22, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Clay Pit Ponds State Park/Preserve: Trees and Wildlife in a mini Pine Barren
Find out why Protectors urged the preservation of this parkland and how we got our name in 1975. It has two rare pine species, two rare southern oak species, fence swift lizards, and a few rather unusual wildflowers, nothing like our Greenbelt forest. It’s one of the few parks on S.I. that has American chestnut trees, one unhealthy, tall and 8-10 inches in diameter and just recently found, and a second, though younger large tree. The third is a spindly, sick, multi-trunk diseased tree with the chestnut blight but which always seems to flower and set fruit. This is the only park known to have many deer with footprints galore and nibbled native wildflowers and shrubs. Wear waterproof footwear. We have a permit to enter the restricted natural area with Clay Pit Pond on the other side of Clay Pit Road. Meet at the park office at the end of Carlin Avenue, off Sharrott’s Road in Rossville.
Registration is required. Contact Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.


Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, May 22, 2010

Early Morning Birding
8:00 a.m.
A weekly Ranger-led birding walk of the Salt Marsh Nature Trail.
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Van Cortlandt Bird Club: Waterfowl
9:00 a.m.
Duckweed eats and webbed feet aren't the only tell tale signs of water-loving birds. ...
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Wild for Wildflowers
11:00 a.m.
Explore each blossom along the trail at the Salt Marsh Nature Center.
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Ethno Botany and Edible Plants
12:00 p.m.
The forest of Inwood Hill Park provided the Lenape tribe with the many natural resources...
Location: Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Spring Bird Migration
1:00 p.m.
Explore Rattlesnake Creek and the surrounding hardwood forest and wetlands to look for...
Location: East 233 Street and Baychester Avenue (in Seton Falls Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Riverside Redtail Reunion
11:00 a.m.
Reconnect with the adored pair of red-tailed hawks that continue to raise their young in...
Location: River Run Playground (in Riverside Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Insect Insanity
11:00 a.m.
You supply the curiosity and we'll supply the nets!
Location: Picnic House (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Hawk Watch
11:00 a.m.
Team up with the Rangers and NYC Audubon to observe the red-tailed hawks that have been...
Location: Parking Lot on Hoyt Avenue and 19 Street (in Astoria Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Biodiversity Hike
12:00 p.m.
Explore the diverse ecology, habitats, plants and animals of Inwood Hill Park's Salt Marsh,...
Location: Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Seashore Safari
2:00 p.m.
Crabs, seaweed, and seastars are among the treasures you will find as you explore the...
Location: Orchard Beach Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Animal Tracks
2:00 p.m.
Animals leave all types of signs that they've been around. Use your investigating...
Location: Comfort Station (in Bloomingdale Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free