Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips within NYC's five boroughs for the weekend of May 5, 2012 - May 6, 2012:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Introduction to Birdwatching
Every Saturday, 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Explore the Park's natural areas and learn how to look for amazing birds.

Saturday, May 5, 1 - 4 p.m.
International Migratory Bird Day
Free Celebrate the amazing ritual of migration and welcome dozens of amazing bird species to the Park.

Sunday, May 6, 8 a.m.
Morning Bird Walk: Marvelous Migrants
FreeMeet the amazing birds who use the Park as a migratory layover on this expert-guided walk. Start your Sunday morning surrounded by nature!

Sunday, May 6, 2012
Discover Tour
Every Sunday, 3 p.m.
Discover the Prospect Park you never knew! Meet birds and other wildlife on this walk, guided by a naturalist.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, May 5, 2012
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

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Prospect Park
Meet 7:00 am at Bartel Pritchard Square park entrance
Trip Leader: Peter Dorosh

Sunday, May 6th, 2012
Greenwood Cemetery
Meet 8 am at the main gate "castle", 25th Street and 5th Ave
Trip Leader: Janet Schumacher and friends
Focus: peaking spring migration
Note: nearest train is "R" train to 25th Street station; walk south one block to 5th Ave
Site profile: http://www.green-wood.com/

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Gowanus Dredgers
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 1pm – 5pm
Canoe on the Gowanus Canal
Bring a friend for a self-guided Canoe trip sponsored by the Gowanus Dredgers to raise awareness of Harbor Issues www.gowanuscana​l.org

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 7:30am – 10:30am
StarrTrips
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings in Central Park, Monday, April 2 – Wednesday, May 30 Join Starr Saphir for bird watching in Central Park. On Saturdays, meet at 7:30am sharp at 103rd and Central Park West (park-side). 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 5, 2012, 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 residents and 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 5, 2012, 9am – 2pm
Biking and Birding: Clove Lakes and Silver Lakes Parks
Guide: Gabriel Willow Meet at the Staten Island Ferry, Manhattan side (4 South St. and Whitehall St.), New York City. Journey to the borough of Staten Island to discover some of its best birding spots. Look for ducks and seabirds in New York Harbor on our way across and then ride to Staten Island's premier "migrant traps," Clove Lakes and Silver Lake parks. Bring binoculars, water, lunch, and your bicycle. Limited to 15. $30. Click here to register

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 8am – 3pm
Spring Hot Spots of Staten Island
Guides: Cliff Hagen, Tod Winston Come visit some of the beautiful, bird-rich spots on Staten Island--which can be hard for car-less New Yorkers to get to. We'll start looking for migrating warblers, flycatchers and more along the lovely wooded and streamside trail of Clove Lakes Park... then move on to the pristine marsh habitat of Great Kills Park, looking for shorebirds and wading birds. Depending on time, we may make a third stop at North Mount Loretto State Forest. Bring lunch, water, and binoculars. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $75. Click here to register

Sunday, May 20, 2012, 9am – 12pm
Red Knots and Horseshoe Crabs at Jamaica Bay
Guide: Don Riepe With Gateway National Recreation Area Meet at the the Jamaica Bay NWR Visitor Center to see the annual mating ritual of the prehistoric horseshoe crab, along with red knots, sanderlings, and ruddy turnstones. Hike along the beach and marshland edges to see fiddler crabs, egrets, and other wildlife. Bring lunch and binoculars. To register, contact Don Riepe at 718-318-9344 or donriepe@gmail.com. Limited to 25. Free

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 8am – 11am
Spring Warblers (Field Trip)
Class: Thursday, May 3, 6:30-8:30pm Trip: Sunday, May 6, 8-11am Instructor: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC First learn to identify the 30-plus species of warblers that migrate through our area each spring, using field marks and other techniques. Then go out in the field and reinforce what you've learned! Field trip to Central Park. Limited to 15. $50 Click here to register

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 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. $30. Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, May 5, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon
Long Pond Park
Evidence of animal life as well geologic history and human influence will be observed as we take an unhurried stroll on a one and a half mile walk through Long Pond Park. Meet at PS 6, on Page Avenue and Academy Avenue, about 3 blocks northwest of Hylan Blvd.
For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, May 5, 2012
MiniTrip Forest Park
Leader: Jean Loscalzo 917-575-6824
Meet: 7:45am, walk starts 8am
See map http://tinyurl.com/yff2lpp
Birding Site Maps page https://sites.google.com/site/qcbirdclub/birding-site-maps

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, May 5, 2012

Birding
8:00 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
Free!

Introduction to Birdwatching
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind? Take a tour and learn about the...
Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
Free!

Urban Wildlife Appreciation Day
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
Free!

Urban Wildlife Appreciation Day
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Inwood Hill Nature Center (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
Free!

Urban Wildlife Appreciation Day
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Cunningham Park Parking Lot (in Cunningham Park), Queens
Free!

Urban Wildlife Appreciation Day
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Blue Heron Nature Center (in Blue Heron Park), Staten Island
Free!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Morning Bird Walk: Marvelous Migrants
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
See some of the dazzling birds that visit the park before flying to northern breeding...
Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
Free!

Bronx Birding Van Trip/ TBA
8:00 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
Free!