Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips within NYC's five boroughs for the weekend of May 19, 2012 - May 20, 2012:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Saturday, May 19, 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.

Sunday, May 20, 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 19, 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
Sunday May 20 2012
Prospect Park "Friends Walk"
Meet 7:30 am at Grand Army Plaza park entrance (Stranahan Statue)
Note: there is no trip leader for this walk; instead, birders will gather and lead as a group.

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Gowanus Dredgers
Saturday, May 19, 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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Littoral Society
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Celebrate the Beach Plums in Bloom at Plumb Beach
10:00 a.m. -- noon. Plum Beach Round House. Enjoy the profusion of beach plum flowers while exploring the intricacies of this dynamic maritime habitat with Mickey Maxwell Cohen of the American Littoral Society

Sunday, May 20, 2012 (8:30am - 11am)
Horseshoe Crabs and Red Knots
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Refuge visitor center. Hike along shoreline to view the horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. Leaders; Mickey Cohen, Don Riepe. Free ( with NYC Audubon). Call (718) 318-9344; or e-mail: Donriepe [AT] gmail.com for reservation.

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, May 19, 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 19, 2012, 6am – 7pm
Van Cortlandt Park Birdathon?
Rain Date: Sunday, May 20 With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Meet at Van Cortlandt Park for a great day of birding and support the park at the same time, whether you’re a birding beginner or a pro! Come any time between 6am and 7pm to participate in Van Cortlandt Park’s first bird-a-thon. Count the number of bird species you spot and get your supporters to chip in for each species you find! Experts will be on hand to help with identification. For more information and to learn about pledge collection, visit www.vcpark.org or call 718-430-1890. Bring binoculars. No limit. Free

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 [AT] gmail.com. Limited to 25. Free

Sunday, May 20, 2012, 9am – 12pm
Spring Migration on Randall's Island
Guides: Gabriel Willow, Victoria Ruzicka With Randall's Island Park Alliance, Inc. Meet on the N.W. corner of 102nd Street and the FDR Drive. We'll walk across the foot bridge to Randall's Island, an under-explored location in the East River that hosts restored freshwater wetlands and salt marsh. We'll look for spring migrants (both waterbirds and land birds) as we explore the results of recent restoration efforts. Two miles of walking and some modest climbs. Limited to 20. $25 Click here to register

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New York City Wildflower Week
Saturday, May 19th and Sunday May 20th, 2012, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Native Plant Habitat At LCBH Community Garden
Location: Meet at the Bowery Gate at Bowery and Houston Street
Guide: Meet at the garden’s Bowery Gate at Bowery and Houston Street
Guide: L. Brandon Krall, Garden Steward
Register for this event
Description: The Liz Christy Bowery Houston Garden was established in 1973; making it one of the first community gardens in the country. In 1985 L. Brandon Krall initiated a native plant habitat and collection in the large shaded area beneath the landmark dawn redwood tree. May is an excellent time to visit LCBH Garden to see the early blooming wildflowers: Virginia bluebells, Dutchman's breeches, trillium, may apples, pinkster azaleas, native ferns and many other delightful specimens from the range of northeastern United States.

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 12 noon – 2 pm
Native Pollinators And Their Plants
Location: Native Plant Display Garden, East 15th Street and Union Square West, Union Square Park
Guide: Judith Van Bers, Seed collector, Greenbelt Native Plant Center, NYC
Register for this event
Description: Explore how the shapes and colors of flowering plants are related to the pollinators they attract and how maintenance of a vibrant and diverse ecosystem includes keeping ‘pests’ as well as butterflies. After all, a world without ‘pests’ would also be a world without chocolate. The walk should help participants create an insect-friendly sustainable garden. We will see native flowers and a variety of bees, butterflies, flies and beetles. In addition, there will be a small collection of insects typical of this region to look at.

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 1 – 3 pm
Native Gardens of Queens Botanical Garden
Location: Meet on the terrace of the Visitor and Administration Building, Queens Botanical Garden
Guide: Fred Gerber, Director of Education Emeritus
Register for this event Entrance to the Botanical Garden is free for this tour
Description: Visit the Garden's 39 acres to see native plants in bloom. Discover natives in the woodland, perennial gardens and the beautiful fragrance walk. See the Green Roof and the native plants around our LEED certified green building. Entrance to the garden is free for this tour (please announce that you are coming for the tour) Parking $5

Sunday, May 20, 2012, 1 – 3 pm
Mud, Marsh and Meadow
Location: Meet at the parking lot of the Toys R Us, 2875 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn.
Guide: Matthew Wills, Naturalist and Blogger
Register for this event
Description: Four Sparrow Marsh in Mill Basin, Brooklyn is one of the last remaining salt marshes on the north shore of Jamaica Bay. The marsh provides critical filtration services for the bay and is habitat for numerous nesting and migratory bird species. Consisting of mudflat, salt marsh, upland meadow, and a sprinkling of deciduous trees, the Four Sparrow landscape hosts a mixture of native and invasive plant species. Wear waterproof boots, hat, bug spray and sun-screen and be prepared to bushwack.

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, May 19, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Forest Restoration Workshop at High Rock Park
Meet in the Nevada Avenue parking lot at High Rock Park. We will join other volunteers for It’s My Parks Day removing invasive plants and maintaining the surrounding trails. After the work session (our 191st consecutive monthly workshop) we will take a short walk over nearby trails.
For more information call Don Recklies at (718) 768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718) 667-1393.

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Graniteville Quarry Park
Explore one of NYC’s newest parks with Alan Benimof, professor of geology, and discover Early Jurassic Palisades Diabase and an extraordinary xenolith of Lockatong Argillite that melted around its margins to produce a trondhjemite. Also see evidence of past glaciation while you walk the exposed rocks of the Graniteville Quarry. Meet along Forest Avenue at the intersection of Simonson Avenue.
For more information call Alan Benimoff at

Sunday, May 20, 2012, 9:45a.m. to 3:45p.m.
Annual Ten Mile Spring Walk of the Staten Island Greenbelt
Come join others who enjoy a day outdoors. It is ten moderate miles at a comfortable pace. Meet at the beginning of the Blue Line Trail at the end of Staten Island Boulevard, off Ocean Terrace by the Sunnyside campus of Petrides complex. Bring lunch and beverage and sturdy walking shoes. Dress comfortably. We go in all weather. Come see what the spring woodland has to offer; migrant birds, woodland flowers and a canopy of green.
For more information call Dominick Durso at 917-478-7607 or Don Recklies at 718-768-9036.

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Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, May 20, 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 19, 2012

Van Cortlandt Park Bird-a-Thon
6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Drop in any time this day between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to have fun birding and help out...
Location: Van Cortlandt Golf House Circle (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx

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!

Birding: Hawk Watch
11:00 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Lafayette and Metcalf Avenues (in Soundview Park), Bronx
Free!

On A Wing: Family Festival
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Marvel at live native raptors from Hawk Creek Wildlife Center, view feathers under the...
Location: Belvedere Castle (in Central Park), Manhattan
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!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Freshkills Park May Birding tour
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Join us as we search for the birds of Freshkills Park along the site's wetlands, creeks and...
Location: Eltingville Transit Center (in Freshkills Park), Staten Island
Free!

Birding
1:00 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to...
Location: Fort Greene Park Visitor Center (in Fort Greene Park), Brooklyn
Free!