Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips within NYC's five boroughs for the weekend of May 7th - May 8th, 2011:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, May 7, 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, May 8, 2011

Morning Bird Walk: Marvelous Migrants
Sunday, May 8, 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!

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, May 7, 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, May 7, 2011
Prospect Park
Meet 7:00 am at Grand Army Plaza entrance (Stranahan Statue)
Trip Leader: Paul Sweet, American Museum of Natural History Ornithologist
Focus: peaking Spring passerines migration

Sunday, May 8, 2011
Bay Ridge's Shore Road Park to Owl's head
Meet 7:00 am on northwest corner of 95th St and 4th Avenue, outside street last stop "Bay Ridge-95 Street /4 Avenue" of the R train.
Trip Leader: Paul Keim
Focus: Migration peak Spring passerines


New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, May 7, 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, May 7, 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.

Saturday, May 7, 2011, 9am – 12pm
Spring Migration Birdwalk At Jamaica Bay
Guide: Don Riepe With Gateway National Recreation Area Meet at the the Jamaica Bay NWR Visitor Center for a hike around the gardens and ponds to look for warblers, scarlet tanagers and other spring migrants. To register, contact Don Riepe at 718-318-9344 or donriepe@gmail.com. Limit 25. Free

Saturday, May 7, 2011, 10am – 1pm
Peregrines Of Lower Manhattan
Guide: Gabriel Willow Meet just east of City Hall Park in Printing House Square. The peregrine falcon is a bird of myth and legend, the world’s fastest flyer. Incredibly, New York City now boasts the world’s highest densities of this formerly endangered species: Roughly 15 pairs nest here. We’ll visit some of the falcon’s favorite haunts, and may glimpse parents feeding their chicks. Limited to 15. $25 Click here to register.

Sunday, May 8, 2011, 8am – 11am
Spring Warblers (Class and Field Trip)
Thursday, May 5, 6:30-8:30pm (class) Sunday, May 8, 8-11am (trip) Instructor: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC Learn to identify the 30-plus species of warblers that migrate through our area each spring, using field marks and other techniques. Field trip to Central Park. Limited to 15. $45 for package of class and trip. Click here to register!

Sunday, May 8, 2011, 9:30am – 11:30am
Wave Hill: Birding Along the Hudson
Guide: Gabriel Willow With Wave Hill Explore the Hudson River’s avian ecology starting at the tip of Manhattan and migrating north. Walks are every 2nd and 4th Sunday, and alternate between Wave Hill and other Hudson River sites. Wave Hill: Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center and Explore Wave Hill's woodlands and gardens on nature discovery walks. 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.


Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, May 7, 2011, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Reeds Basket Willow
Discover this hidden natural park in Dongan Hills. We’ll visit the three bodies of water in the park and hike through the woodlands. Although none of the willows grown by the Reed family still exist, the woodlands and stream are still home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Meet at the Spring Street entrance in Dongan Hills.
For more information phone Clay Wollney at (718) 869-6327.

Saturday, May 7, 2011, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Clove Lakes Park
With the Spring migration well underway birders joining with naturalist, Howie Fischer will learn to identify a collection of wood warblers and neo-tropical migrants by sight and sound. The Clove valley, lakes and watercourse form a natural migrant trap, an ecological niche offering comfortable viewing of both tree tops and stream banks. The environmental variety lends itself to a wide variety of birds. Meet atop the Martlings Ave. bridge above the waterfall.
For more information call Howie Fischer at (718) 981-4002.


Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, May 7, 2011, 8am – 2pm
MiniTrip: Forest Park
Leader: Jean Loscalzo
From the QCBC President: The main group should meet at Park Lane South and Metropolitan Ave near the benches, and I will also check for birders near Grosvenor and Mayfair Rds. since I accidentally listed both locations as the start point.
SEE "Birding Site Maps" Page


Staten Island Museum
Sunday, May 08, 2011 (8:00 am)
Eco Walk: Mother's Day Migration
Mothers and children are invited to enjoy the beauty of the spring migration on the easy pathways of Clove Lakes Park. Meet on the Martling Ave. bridge.


Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, May 7, 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 leisurely...
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

On a Wing: Bats
7:00 p.m.
The second part of this ongoing series will delve into the world of native bats...
Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Mother's Day Wildflower Walk
10:00 a.m.
What better day is there to stop and smell the roses than Mother's Day? Although you...
Location: Alley Pond Park Adventure Center (in Alley Pond Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Flowers for Mom
11:00 a.m.
Escort you mom on a beautiful stroll through Central Park's impressive Shakespeare...
Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park), Manhattan
Cost: Free

Meet the Mothers
1:00 p.m.
Observe the methods wild animals use to care for and protect their young and find out how...
Location: Crotona Nature Center (in Crotona Park), Bronx
Cost: Free

Vigorous Hike: Waterfall Trail
1:00 p.m.
Trace the source of the Lake on the Waterfall trail. The Fallkill Falls is the...
Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
Cost: Free

Moderate Hike: Tree-mendous Trees
1:00 p.m.
Learn to identify different types of trees and discover the important role trees play in...
Location: Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park), Queens
Cost: Free

Blooming Wonders
2:00 p.m.
Learn to identify different types of flowers and discover the important role they play in...
Location: Bloomingdale Park Playground (in Bloomingdale Park), Staten Island
Cost: Free