Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of June 21, 2014 to June 22, 2014:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, June 21, 2014, 10 a.m.
Introduction to Birdwatching
Saturdays, 12 – 1 p.m.
Free
Explore the Park's natural areas and learn how to look for amazing birds.

Pop-Up Audubon
Saturdays and Sundays, April 5 – October 19, 12 – 5 p.m. / November – December, 12 – 4 p.m.
Free
The Prospect Park Alliance presents Pop-Up Audubon, now in its second season, which invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park.

Sunday, June 22, 2014
Pop-Up Audubon
Saturdays and Sundays, April 5 – October 19, 12 – 5 p.m. / November – December, 12 – 4 p.m.
Free
The Prospect Park Alliance presents Pop-Up Audubon, now in its second season, which invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Birds and Butterflies of Sparta Mountain WMA and Canal Road
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: breeding birds and butterflies
Car fee: $25.00
Registrar: Peter Dorosh, email (preferred) prosbird@aol.com or text message to 1-347-622-3559
Registration period: June 10th - June 19th
Note: This is the first visit to Sparta Mountain WMA by the BBC; Canal Road is a renown butterfly site south of the Wawayanda Plateau

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, June 21, 2014
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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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, June 21, 2014, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walk (spring)
Guide: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy With the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy 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 212-691-7483. No registration necessary. No limit. Free.

Saturday, June 21, 2014, 10am – 1pm
The Parakeets of Green-Wood Cemetery
Guide: Gabriel Willow With Green-Wood Cemetery Meet at the cemetery entrance at 5th Ave and 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn. Green-Wood Cemetery is rich in both history and wildlife. It is also the highest point in Brooklyn, affording marvelous views. We will explore its environs in search of spring migrants and its most unique avian residents: the huge flocks of brilliant green monk parakeets that nest there. Native to South America, these charming immigrants are surprisingly hardy and flourish even in our harsh winters.
Limited to 15. $39 (27).
Click here to register.

Sunday, June 22, 2014, 12pm – 4pm
"It's Your Tern" Festival on Governors Island
Come celebrate Governors Island’s treasures: Common terns and oysters! Common terns have recently colonized several decommissioned piers on Governors Island’s waterfront; last summer we counted 181 nests and banded 100 chicks. Festival activities will include expert bird walks and talks, hands-on activities for the whole family as well as boat tours led by NYC Audubon naturalist Gabriel Willow.
Click here to learn more!

Sunday, June 22, 2014, 7pm – 9pm
Sunset EcoCruise to the Harbor Heron Islands: Brother Islands
Guide: Gabriel Willow With New York Water Taxi Meet at South Street Seaport's Pier 16. We're excited about this summer's ecocruises; we’ve expanded our explorations of the City's island rookeries to three different locations! Depending on which weekend you choose, cruises may visit the fascinating Brother Islands, the large egret and cormorant colonies on Hoffman and Swinburne Islands, or the great expanses of Jamaica Bay. Whichever your destination, you'll experience the wonders of New York's famous harbor at sunset and see some of the three thousand herons, egrets, and ibis nesting on these urban island treasures. To learn about specific cruise dates and register, visit New York Water Taxi online or by phone at 212-742-1969. Limited to 140.
Pricing varies by destination.

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, June 21, 2014, 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
Forest Restoration Workshop along the Red Trail in LaTourette
Meet at the back of the LaTourette Golf Course parking lot on Richmond Hill Road (close to the Edinboro Road entrance). We will walk the Red trail removing invasive vines that strangle or pull down shrubs and saplings (our 214thown, Protectors will supply tools, gloves and refreshments. Given that the trail loop is lengthy, we carry our loppers and pruners with us as we complete a walk over nearby trails.
For more information call Don Recklies at 718-768-9036 or Chuck Perry at 718-667-1393.

Saturday, June 21, 2014, 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
Come stroll the trails of a combination of ecosystems, such as sand barrens, wetlands, and ponds, and a beautiful park to explore in any season. Meet at the parking lot for the Park at 83 Nielsen Avenue (http://goo.gl/maps/N5bcq ).
Please call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail at john.paul.learn@gmail.com  for more information.

Sunday, June 22, 2014, 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Buck’s Hollow and Heyerdahl Hill
Located in the Greenbelt, Heyerdahl Hill is nestled in an impressive stretch of woodland, holding ruins of a stone home built in the 1800s and plants and trees rarely seen in urban woodlands. We’ll meet at the stone wall on Meisner Avenue, located by the intersection of Rockland Ave and Meisner Avenue (http://goo.gl/maps/YP1HI ).
Please call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail at john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Birds of the Highland Park Ridgewood Reservoir at Ridgewood Reservoir
8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Heidi Steiner, from the Brooklyn Bird Club, will lead this spring bird watching tour around the Ridgewood Reservoir. Binoculars recommended.
Free!

Bird Walk at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.
NYC Audubon experts lead the way as we marvel at quirky but logical bird behavior and delicate feathers in exquisite patterns. Bring binoculars if you have them and wear sturdy…
Free!

Pop-Up Audubon: Incredible Invertebrates at Entrance to the Ravine, downhill from the Picnic House (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
The Prospect Park Alliance presents Pop-Up Audubon, now in its second season, which invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park.
Free!

Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Join the Alliance to learn about the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Sunday, June 22, 2014
Pop-Up Audubon: Incredible Invertebrates at Entrance to the Ravine, downhill from the Picnic House (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
The Prospect Park Alliance presents Pop-Up Audubon, now in its second season, which invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park.
Free!