Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips within NYC's five boroughs for the weekend of April 23rd - 24th, 2011:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, April 23, 2011

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, April 24, 2011

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


New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, April 23, 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


Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Prospect Park
Meet: 7am at Grand Army Plaza entrance (Stranahan Statue)
Trip Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: peaking Spring passerines migration


Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Staten Island Birding Extravaganza
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Registrar: Ellen Hoffman (ehof33 [AT] gmail.com)
Registration opens Monday 4/11. Ride: $20.


Littoral Society
Saturday, April 23, 2011 (9am -2pm)
Earth Day Restoration Cleanup and Planting
Join with members of many environmental organizations and agencies including American Littoral Society, NYC Audubon, NYC Sierra Club, National Park Service, NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection at a marsh site along the shoreline of Jamaica Bay.
For information and directions call (718) 318-9344; e-mail: donriepe [AT] gmail.com


New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, April 23, 2011 7:30am – 10:30am
StarrTrips in Central Park
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings in Central Park, Saturday, April 2 – Wednesday, June 1 Join Starr Saphir for bird watching in Central Park. On Mondays and Wednesdays, meet at 7:30am sharp at 81st and Central Park West (SE corner). On Tuesdays, meet at 9am sharp at 103rd and Central Park West (parkside). On Saturdays, meet at 7:30am sharp at 103rd and Central Park West (parkside). All Starr Trips are non-smoking. No registration necessary.
For more information, call Starr at 917-306-3808. $8 ($4 for full time students)

Saturday, April 23, 2011, 8am – 12pm
Best of Birding: NYC's Top Hotspots
Guide: Gabriel Willow With Prospect Park Audubon Center The first of a series of three trips to NYC’s best birding hot spots: Central Park, Prospect Park, and Jamaica Bay NWR. These three Important Bird Areas host an abundance of songbirds, shorebirds, raptors, and waterfowl. Come see the best nature the city has to offer! Limited to 20. Prospect Park Alliance members, call NYC Audubon at 212-691-7483 to receive a member discount. $55 for series of three trips.
Click here to register.

Saturday, April 23, 2011, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks
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, April 24, 2011, 9:30am – 11:30am
The Highline: Birding Along the Hudson
Guide: Gabriel Willow With Wave Hill Meet on the Highline, at the top of the entrance stairs located on 14th Street just east of 10th Avenue (also accessible by elevator). Explore the Hudson River’s avian ecology starting at the tip of Manhattan and migrating north. Ideal for ages 10 and up. Registration recommended: online, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Severe weather cancels (For weather-related updates, call 718.549.3200 x245 by 8am the day of the walk). $10 for Wave Hill or NYC Audubon members/$18 non-members. (Members of other host organizations also enjoy member prices when walks take place at their location.)


Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, April 23, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Old Mill Road
We'll follow the multi-use trail overlooking Fresh Kills, pass the famous Hessian Spring as it crosses the path and view Fresh Kills estuary and work our way to the remains of Ketchum’s Mill. Along the way we’ll observe traces of the past, examine the present woodland ecosystems and search for evidence of present inhabitants especially deer and other mammals. We can park at the start of Old Mill Road, alongside the church.
For more information phone Clay Wollney at (718) 869-6327.


Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, April 23, 2011

Early Birding Walk at Van Cortlandt Park
8:00 a.m.
Spring is back and so are our fine-feathered friends!  Let's search for birds on a...
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Birding on the Hudson
10:00 a.m.
Look for and listen to some of the birds that make Bronx parks their home. Bring your own...
Location: West 232nd Street and Henry Hudson Service Road Southbound (in Riverdale Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Celebrate Earth Day Event
10:00 a.m.
It's time for the annual Earth Day celebration at Marine Park.  Come out for an...
Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Vigorous Hike: Get Healthy
10:00 a.m.
Let your feet do the walking while we do the talking on this fast-paced outing.
Location: Cunningham Park - Union Turnpike Parking Lot (in Cunningham Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Secrets of the Forest Floor
12:00 p.m.
Life abounds in the soil beneath our feet!  Uncover a world of mosses, ferns, fungi,...
Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Light Hike: Mushroom Hunt
2:00 p.m.
We’ll trek in search of Witches’ Butter, Scaly Tooth, Jack O’Lanterns,...
Location: Bloomingdale Park Playground (in Bloomingdale Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free

Jeepers, Creepers: Spring Peepers!
2:00 p.m.
The frogs are back in action! Learn how to safely catch, study, and release frogs and other...
Location: Wolfe's Pond Park Comfort Station (in Wolfes Pond Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Moderate Hike: Split Rock
1:00 p.m.
Hike to Split Rock while learning about the legendary Anne Hutchinson and the area’s...
Location: Split Rock Golf House (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Superlative Nature Hike
1:00 p.m.
A moderate hike to learn about Central Park's biggest, smallest, fastest, tallest, oldest,...
Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Macro Nature Photography 101
2:00 p.m.
Location: Clove Lakes Park Playground (in Clove Lakes Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free