Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips within NYC's five boroughs for the weekend of February 5th - 6th, 2011:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, February 5

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 Tour
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, February 6

Morning Bird Walk: Backyard Birds
Sunday, February 6, 10 a.m.
See the birds that call the Park home all winter. Start your Sunday morning surrounded by nature!


Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, February 5th , 2011
A Winter Shore walk through North Brooklyn coast
Meet 9 AM at Brooklyn Borough Hall's high stairs facing Manhattan. Use www.hopstop.com for directions.
Leading: Peter Dorosh TEXT Message 347-622-3559
Note: No registration need since public transportation is used. This walk entails at least a 3.5 mile winter walk through neighborhoods starting at newly opened Brooklyn Bridge Park (after Borough Hall), ending at Red Hook (Ikea Store) section. Walk focuses mostly on seabirds, ducks and gulls. Bad or unsafe weather cancels.


New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
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


New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, February 5, 2011, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walk
Guide: Andrew Baksh or Urban Park Rangers. With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, and Urban Park Rangers. Meet at Van Cortlandt 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.

Sunday, February 6, 2011, 10:30am-4pm
Snow Birds of Floyd Bennett Field and Fort Tilden
Meet at 71 W. 23rd St., New York, NY 10010
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Winter brings many rare birds to NYC that can’t be found here at any other time! Perhaps most exciting are the “snow birds” of the Arctic tundra that can occasionally be found in tundra-like habitats further south, such as snow buntings and snowy owls. We will travel to Floyd Bennett Field in search of these and other winter visitors (such as horned lark, tree sparrow, and rough-legged hawk). We will then head to Fort Tilden and Breezy Point to look for wintering ducks, grebes, loons, and other seabirds. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $75 Click here to register


Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Sunday, February 6, 2011, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Long Pond Park at Dark
Walk the woodlands of Long Pond Park in search of resident owls. A quiet walk is likely to lead to the discovery of Screech Owls. Though ambient light brightens the night sky, flashlights are acceptable. Meet at the corner of Amboy Rd. and Page Ave.
For more information call Cliff Hagen at (718) 313-8591.


Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, February 5, 2011

Van Cortlandt Birding Walks: Winter Waterfowl
8:00 a.m.
Who dares to paddle about in the cold, cold waters of Van Cortlandt Lake and honks when...
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Early Birding at Marine Park
8:00 a.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers for early morning birding at Marine Park.
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

They Went Thataway!
11:00 a.m.
Follow our furry friends with the help of the tracks they leave in the snow....
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Duck, Duck, Goose
11:00 a.m.
As the weather gets cold, the birding gets hot. Let’s see which birds think NYC in...
Location: Parking lot on Baisley Boulevard and 155 Street (in Baisley Pond Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Eagle Watch
8:00 a.m.
Majestic eagles soar above the tree tops and search for fish in the Hudson River. Bring...
Location: Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Animal Tracking
10:00 a.m.
Animals leave behind different signs of their whereabouts, from scat to tracks. Learn...
Location: Albert H. Mauro Playground (in Flushing Meadows Corona Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Marine Mammal Watch
11:00 a.m.
The beach may be empty of all its human swimmers, but don't forget about the seals, whales,...
Location: Coney Island Beach & Boardwalk, Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Nature Photography Series: Black and White
11:00 a.m.
Back by popular demand! The first Sunday of each month, a new photography topic will...
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Muskrats Are Not Rats!
2:00 p.m.
These furry rodents, sometimes mistaken for larger rats, may be residents in a pond near...
Location: Blue Heron Nature Center, Staten Island
Cost: Free