Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming, local trips for the weekend of September 25th - 26th, 2010:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, September 25, 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.

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.


New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Every Saturday at 11 a.m. throughout most of the year, a few dozen people gather at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center with binoculars and high hopes. They’ve come to go on a walk in search of the birds that live at the Botanical Garden either year-round or temporarily during migration periods. The tour leader, Debbie Becker, who this season marks her 25th year conducting bird walks at the Garden, knows all the nooks and crannies, and all the favorite spots of many of the 200-plus species that have been recorded in the Garden over the years. In other words, if someone wants to see a particular bird—say, the resident great horned owls or the aberrant white-winged crossbills—Debbie can deliver. Read more.


Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Queens birding tour
Trip Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: continuing passerine migration, sparrows
Car Fee: $15.00
Registrar: Peter Dorosh, Email Prosbird [AT] aol.com or TEXT Message 347-622-3559
Registration period: Sept 14th - Sept 23rd


Littoral Society
September 25, 2010 4:00PM - 7:00PM
Jamaica Bay Sunset Cruise
Join us a for a 3-hour narrated cruise along the backwater marshes of Jamaica Bay aboard the 2-deck boat the Golden Sunshine out of Pier 2, Sheepshead Bay.
Cost: $45 includes guides, wine & cheese, fruit, drink, snacks.
Leaders: Mickey Cohen, Don Riepe.
To reserve send check to American Littoral Society, 28 West 9th Road, Broad Channel, NY 11693.
For more information, call (718) 318-9344. E-mail: driepe [AT] nyc.rr.com.


New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, September 25, 8am – 9am
Van Cortlandt Park
Guide: Andrew Baksh or Urban Park Rangers, with the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Urban Park Rangers Meet at Van Cortland Nature Center.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds. These walks celebrate the tradition set forth by these great ornithologists. Participants will look for various species of migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, please call 718-548-0912. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.

Wave Hill Raptor Day
Sunday, September 26, 9:30am – 4:00pm
Wave Hill, Bronx, NY
Wave Hill and NYC Audubon take flight as we celebrate birds of prey! This day-long event features live raptor shows, bird walks, fascinating talks, discovery tables, birding equipment demonstrations and more! Overlooking the Hudson River, Wave Hill is the perfect place to spot hawks, eagles, kites, ospreys, and falcons. A perfect way to spend a family day. Click here for more information


Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, September 25, 9 a.m. to 12 noon
Staten Island Beach Cleanup at Sharrott & Mt. Loretto Beaches
Meet in the NYC fishing pier parking lot opposite the intersection of Hylan Blvd. and Sharrott Avenue to take part in the International Coastal Cleanup. We will collect, separate, and record trash from the beach (and enjoy the view on the Raritan Bay!). Data from this clean-up will be used to monitor the cleanliness of the beaches and the health of our shoreline waters. Gloves and collection materials will be provided by the American Littoral Society with funding by the New York Environmental Fund, and Protectors will bring refreshments. This will be the sixth consecutive year that we have participated in removing hundreds of pounds of trash from our beach!
For more information contact Dominick Durso at (718) 967-0379 or Chuck Perry at (718) 667-1393.

Saturday, September 25, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Conference House Beach: Life in the Intertidal Zone
Past and present blend in the Conference House Park where history stretches back thousands of years with seasonal occupation of the Lenape and hundreds of years with the inhabitation 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 sort of living things survive in this challenging environment. It’s going to be muddy so dress appropriately.
Meet at the parking lot at the end of Hylan Blvd. on the left.
For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, September 26, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monarch Butterfly Walk, Great Kills
Join on our annual 6 mile walk to Crooke’s Point and count monarch butterflies feeding on the seaside goldenrod and asters. It is near this date in 1971, that Arthur Shapiro counted tens of thousands of Monarchs and other butterflies at this very beach. Bring lunch and beverage for the day and feel free to come and go as you please. We will lunch sitting along the sandy beach looking out on Great Kills Harbor, Sandy Hook and NY Lower Bay.
Meet at the main entrance at Buffalo Street and Hylan Blvd.
For more information call Cliff Hagen at 718-313-8591.


Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Mission of the Monarch
10:00 a.m.
As summer turns to fall, the monarch butterfly embarks on an incredible journey south to Mexico.
Location: Albert H. Mauro Playground (in Flushing Meadows Corona Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Birding Along the Hudson
11:00 a.m.
Riverdale Park had the perfect blend of waterfront greenery, which is appealing to a...
Location: W 232nd Street and Henry Hudson Service Road Southbound (in Riverdale Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Nuts about Squirrels
11:00 a.m.
Do squirrels find all of the nuts they bury? How do they climb down trees headfirst? Learn...
Location: Blue Heron Nature Center, Staten Island
Cost: Free

Freshkills Tours
1:00 p.m.
Come witness the dramatic transformation, as well as the turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks,...
Location: Freshkills Park/William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge (in Fresh Kills Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Fall Migration
10:00 a.m.
Keep an eye out for the birds that fly south every autumn in preparation for the upcoming winter.
Location: Jamaica Avenue & Elton Street (in Highland Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Ancient Remedies
11:00 a.m.
Learn about some herbal remedies, as we walk through Pelham Bay Park  to look for...
Location: Pelham Bay Ranger Station (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Nuts About Squirrels
11:00 a.m.
Discover the fascinating world of these furry little creatures as we walk through our park.
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Mysterious Mushrooms and Treacherous Toadstools
11:00 a.m.
We’ll trek in search of Witches’ Butter, Scaly Tooth, Jack O’Lanterns,...
Location: Playground (in Bloomingdale Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free

Hawk Walk
2:00 p.m.
Autumn means the beginning of bird migration. We’ll hike to Moses Mountain in search...
Location: High Rock Ranger Station (in High Rock Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free