Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of August 17, 2013 - August 18, 2013:

Gowanus Dredgers
Saturday, August 17, 2013, 1pm – 5pm
Canoe Gowanus Canal (Pamela S)
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 Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, August 17, 2013
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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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, August 17, 2013
19th Annual Tom Davis Memorial Shorebird Walk at Jamaica Bay
Leader and Registrar: Sean Sime
Registration opens Monday 8/6.
Public transportation.

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, August 17, 2013, 8am – 9:30pm
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks
Guide: Andrew Baksh or Urban Park Rangers (first Saturday of the month) With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Meet at Van Cortlandt Nature Center, Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson and Allan D. Cruickshank learned their craft on Van Cortlandt Park's ecologically diverse grounds, and these walks celebrate the tradition set by them. Participants will look for resident and migrant species and discuss a wide range of avian topics.
For more information, please call 718-548-0912. No registration necessary. No limit. Free

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, August 17, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Red Trail adjacent to Travis Avenue
Participants will meet at the bike path entrance at the intersection of Rockland Avenue and Forest Hill Road. We will walk toward the crossing of the bike path and the Yellow Trail where we will cut and uproot invasive vines that strangle saplings. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (& refreshments). After a two hour work session (our 205th 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, August 17, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to noon
Herbs in High Summer: Conference House Park Herb Garden
Something is always flowering in the herb garden. Take some time to smell the flowers and herbs as you stroll through the park and the Colonial Herb garden with herbalist Gert Coleman. We will identify herbs, weeds, and flowers and learn their culinary, medicinal, household, and cultural uses. Meet in the parking lot at end of Hylan Boulevard.
Call 718-356-9235 or email gert.coleman@verizon.net for more details.

Saturday, August 17, 2013, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Old Mill Road
We will follow the multi-use trail overlooking the Fresh Kills, pass the famous Hessian Spring as it crosses the path and view the Fresh Kills estuary and work our way to the remains of Ketchum’s Mill. Along the way participants will observe traces of the past, examine the present woodland ecosystems and search for evidence of present inhabitants especially deer and other mammals. Parking is available at the start of Old Mill Road alongside the church.
For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday August 18, 2013, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
Join Mike Shanley and explore Clay Pit Ponds State Park. The park contains a variety of unique habitats, such as wetlands, ponds, sand barrens, spring-fed streams and woodlands. The park is also home to Eastern Box Turtle, Northern Fence Lizard and many types of birds. We will be meeting at the corner of Sharrots Road and Veterans Road West.
For more information call Mike Shanley at 917-753-7155.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
Bird Walks focus on wildlife happenings in the park and are led by NYC Audubon experts or the Urban Park Rangers.
Free!

New York City’s Threatened and Endangered Shore Birds at Beach 50th Street (in Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk), Queens
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to deer and seals, wildlife viewing opportunities exist year-round in all of our parks…
Free!

Wildlife of Central Park at Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park), Manhattan
11:00 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. From falcons and salamanders, to deer and seals, wildlife viewing opportunities exist year-round in all of our parks…
Free!