Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of July 19, 2014 to July 20, 2014:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, July 19, 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, invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park.

Sunday, July 20, 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, invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, July 19, 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, July 19, 2014, 8am – 1pm
Songbirds and Shorebirds at Alley Pond Park, Queens
Guide: Jeff Kollbrunner Look for breeding birds in the hilly woodlands and salt marshes of Queens' second largest City park - and its most ecologically diverse. We'll look for nesting birds including eastern wood-pewees, wood thrushes, red-eyed vireos, American redstarts, barn and tree swallows, spotted sandpipers, and even great horned owls! Mid-summer is also a perfect time to see shorebirds and wading birds feeding on the exposed mudflats.
Transportation by van included. Limited to 11. $75 (52)
Click here to register.

Saturday, July 19, 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.

Sunday, July 20, 2014, 7pm – 9pm
Sunset EcoCruise to the Harbor Heron Islands: Bridges and Birds
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, July 19, 2014, 8A.M. to 10 A.M.
Cemetery of the Resurrection and State Park
Join local birder, Anthony Ciancimino, for a guided tour through this overlooked birding hotspot. The DEC property adjacent to the cemetery includes many different habitats, including freshwater ponds and swamps, hardwood forest, fields, and thickets. Participants can expect to see many different kinds of breeding birds, including Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, and various types of swallows. Shorebirds may also be present along the edges of the ponds. Meet at the first entrance to the cemetery near the restrooms, closest to Hylan Boulevard.
E-mail Anthony Ciancimino at sibirdwatcher@yahoo.com for more information.

Saturday, July 19, 2014, 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Forest Restoration Workshop along the LaTourette bike path and the Blue Trail
Meet at the bike path entrance on the Old Mill Road next to the old St. Andrews Church. We will walk along path toward its T-junction where we will cut invasive vines that strangle saplings along the trail (our 215th monthly workshop). If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners and refreshments. After the work session 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, July 19, 2014, 1 P.M. to 3 P.M.
Acme Pond
Acme Pond is a diverse ecosystem, located on the northwest side of Hylan Boulevard across from Wolfe’s Pond Park. This walk will take us through hiking trails in some of the most idyllic woodlands in all of New York City, leading to a view of a large freshwater pond and its inhabitants. We will meet at the corner of Seguine Avenue and Herbert Street. Parking is available on Herbert Street. (http://goo.gl/maps/59dvC).
Please call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information.

Sunday, July 20, 2014, 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M.
Best of the Blue Trail to the Cropsey Overlook and St. Francis Woodlands
Join Hillel on a walk to the Cropsey Overlook through the woods of the central Greenbelt. Pass ponds and kettle holes and marvel at how ice formed this landscape ages ago. Meet at the High Rock Park parking lot at the top of Nevada Avenue. If it’s raining at the time of the walk, the event is postponed to Sunday, July 27.
E-mail Hillel Lofaso at hillel5757@gmail.com or call 718-477-0545 for more information.

Sunday, July 20, 2014, 1 P.M. to 3 P.M.
Long Pond Park
We’ll explore Long Pond Park, keeping an eye out for the local white-tailed deer population and enjoy the abundance of summer species. Long Pond Park hosts an uncommon mixture of woodland and wetland, providing a peaceful home to a diverse range of wildlife. Its beauty is easily appreciated and is one of the most pristine natural areas in all of New York City, covering over 100 acres. Meet at the corner of Eugene Street and Adelphi Avenue, right by the intersection of Page Avenue and Amboy Road (http://goo.gl/maps/UCsFg). Parking is available on Eugene Street.
Call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information.

Sunday, July 20, 2014, 2 P.M. to 4 PM
Acme Pond and the North Forest
The woodlands and ponds of this little known area will be explored during an approximately two mile hike. Once heavily farmed, the Acme Pond area has developed into a nicely wooded forest over the past 150 years with sweetgum, white oaks and hickories as the dominant trees. The pond is reputed to be the home of large bass and provides a secluded location for many birds as well as frogs and turtles. Meet at the corner of Hylan Boulevard, and Holten Avenue.
Call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327 for more information.

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Staten Island Museum
Saturday, July 19, 2014, 8:30pm - 10:30pm
National Moth Night: Into the Woods!
Location: Greenbelt Nature Center, 700 Rockland Avenue
$10 per adult/Children under 12 free

Stay up late and celebrate National Moth Week! This year the Staten Island Museum is collaborating with NYC Parks and Deep Tanks Butoh. Featured activities include: Museum moth specimens, microscopes, cool-pops, a night hike, contemporary dancers, and the dark beauty of the Greenbelt. All ages and interests are welcome to bring flashlights, cameras, a container & a science note book. To learn more about National Moth Week visit nationalmothweek.org.

The Greenbelt Nature Center is located at 700 Rockland Avenue and is easily accessible by bus via the S61/S91. Exit the bus at the Rockland Avenue/Forest Hill Road stop, walk south along Forest Hill Road and make a left onto Rockland Avenue, continue to the Nature Center.

There is also a parking lot available for guests arriving by car.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, July 19, 2014
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!

Fort Tryon Nature and Birding Walk at Broadway and Bennett Avenue (in Fort Tryon Park), Manhattan
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Learn about the birds and the environment along Fort Tryon Park's Broadway expanse with author Leslie Day.
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, July 20, 2014
Birding at Ridgewood Reservoir at Ridgewood Reservoir, Queens
10:00 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome. The Rangers will guide…
Free!