Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of August 9, 2014 to August 10, 2014:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Family Bird Watching Tour
Saturday, June 14 and July 12, August 9, 10 a.m.
Free Geared towards families with children ages 8 and older, the Prospect Park Alliance will help young naturalists learn how to observe and identify some of the 200 species of birds that pass through Prospect Park or make it their home.

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, August 10, 2014
Morning Bird Walk: Early Migrants
Free Meet the amazing birds of Prospect Park on this expert-guided walk. Start your Sunday morning surrounded by nature!

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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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens
Leader: Mike Yuan
Focus: waterbirds, shorebirds, early passerines
Car fee: $10.00
Registrar: Dennis Hrehowsik, email deepseagangster@gmail.com
Registration period: July 29th - August 7th

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, August 9, 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, August 9, 2014, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walk
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, August 10, 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, August 9, 2014, 8 A.M. to 10 A.M.
Wolfes Pond Park
Join birder, Anthony Ciancimino, to search for migrating shorebirds foraging in the shallows of Wolfe’s Pond at low-tide. Shorebirds are long-distance migrants that leave for their wintering grounds fairly early in the fall season. Wolfe’s Pond Park is a great spot for these birds. The park hosts many sandbars, rocky shorelines, and mudflats, ideal for a variety of species. Shorebirds that could be seen include Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied Plover, Sanderling, and Semipalmated Plover, to name a few. Meet at the end of Holten Avenue, near the intersection of Purdy Place. Participants will then walk the short trail to the beach and get a nice view of the pond.
E-mail Anthony Ciancimino at sibirdwatcher@yahoo.com for more information.

Saturday, August 9, 2014, 10 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Forest Restoration Workshop on the Rockland Avenue edge
Meet in the Nevada Avenue parking lot at High Rock (Note that this is the 2nd Saturday of the Month, not our usual 3rd Saturday meeting). . We will walk the former Yellow Trail spur to Rockland Avenue where we will continue the work we began in March removing invasive vines from shrubs and saplings close to the road. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (and refreshments). After a two hour work session (our 216th 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 9, 2014, 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Page Avenue Beach at low tide
We’ll begin with a look at the local geology then move to examining the flotsam and jetsam accumulated at the high tide lines to see what nature’s debris has to tell us. As the water recedes with the tide we’ll move into the intertidal zone to find out what sorts of living things survive in this challenging environment. A variety of crabs, snails, clams, worms and small fish are likely to be discovered. It’s going to be muddy so dress appropriately. Meet at the parking lot at the bottom of Page Avenue below Hylan Boulevard.
For more information phone Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, August 10, 2014, 1 P.M. to 3 P.M.
Crooke’s Point, Great Kills Park
Join Paul Lederer for a Talk and Walk to Crooke’s Point. The natural history as well as updates on the Crooke’s Point restoration project will be highlighted. Participants will meet at the Beach Center parking lot at the beginning of the unpaved permit road leading to Crooke’s Point.
For more information call Paul Lederer at 718-987-1576.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, August 9, 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!

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, August 10, 2014
Summer Birding at Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of diverse bird species and their behavior on these captivating walks through the gardens and woodlands.
Free!

Bike and Hike the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge at 105th Street Stop on the L Train, Brooklyn
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Ride with the NYC DOT to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge! At the Refuge, the American Littoral Society will provide a -FREE- guided tour, lasting about an hour.
Free!