Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of September 20, 2014 to September 21, 2014:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, September 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.

Sunday, September 21, 2014, 8 a.m.
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
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Staten Island Greenbelt Mt. Moses
Leader: Mike Shanley and Isaac Grant
Focus: Hawk watching. Passerines in flight and woodlands
Registrar: Mike Shanley, email falecore@yahoo.com
Registration period: Sept 9th- Sept 18th
Leaders note: Join Mike Shanley and Isaac Grant as we make our way to the top of Moses Mountain and scan the skies in search of raptors and other migrating birds. We will also target Neotropical migrants as we make our way through the woodlands that lead to the top of the mountain. Site profile: "In the early 1960s Robert Moses, the notorious New York City planner and Parks Commissioner attempted to construct the Richmond Parkway over Todt Hill cutting through what is today's Greenbelt. Earth and rock blasted away for the highway was hauled to a remote area eventually forming a 260-foot-high mound ironically nicknamed "Moses Mountain." The name stuck but the Parkway did not. Intrepid citizen-activists vigorously protested the highway and won their battle. Today, a steep hike up a much greener Moses' Mountain rewards visitors with a panoramic view of the Greenbelt and New Jersey's Atlantic Highlands, 15-miles in the distance."

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Hook Mountain Hawk Watch
Leader: Rob Jett
Registrar: Sherry Felix – info@linnaeannewyork.org or 212-255-0138
Registration opens: Monday, September 8
Ride: $25

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, September 20, 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, September 20, 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, September 21, 2014, 9am – 4pm
Hook Mt. Hawk Watch
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC Part of the Palisades Interstate Park system, Hook Mountain has commanding views of all the mountains ridges in the area and fantastic views of the Hudson River. From this inland hawk watch spot we expect to see many species of migrating raptors, including possible broad-winged and red-shouldered hawks, bald eagles, accipiters, and falcons. Note: this trip requires a 35-minute walk up and down the mountainside. Bring binoculars, lunch, and water.
Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $95 (66) Click here to register!

Sunday, September 21, 2014, 10am – 11am
Birding for Families in Central Park
Guide: NYC Audubon Offered by the Central Park Conservancy
Meet at the Dana Discovery Center (inside the park at 110th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues).
Bring the kids and visit one of New York City’s richest bird habitats. As a family, learn how to spot and identify our feathered neighbors in their natural surroundings. Binoculars can be borrowed from the Dana Center.
For weather cancellation information, call 212-860-1370.
Limited to 20. Age 5 and up.
Free

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, September 20, 2014, 8 A.M. to 10 A.M.
Cemetery of the Resurrection on Sharrott Avenue
Join birder, Anthony Ciancimino, for a birding experience at the Cemetery of the Resurrection and adjacent DEC properties. This location is a fantastic spot for birding on Staten Island, especially in the fall. Many different types of warblers, vireos, and sparrows can be seen.
Meet at the first entrance beside the cemetery’s restrooms closest to Hylan Boulevard.

Saturday, September 20, 2014, 9 A.M. to Noon
Staten Island Beach Cleanup at Sharrott and Mt. Loretto Beaches
Meet in the NYC fishing pier parking lot opposite the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Sharrott Avenue to take part in the International Coastal Cleanup. We will collect, separate, and record trash from the beach (and enjoy the view on the Raritan Bay!). Data from this clean-up will be used to monitor the cleanliness of the beaches and the health of our shoreline waters. Protectors will provide gloves, bags and refreshments. This will be the 217th Restoration and the 10th consecutive year that we have participated in removing hundreds of pounds of trash from our beach!
For more information call Don Recklies at 718-768-9036 or Chuck Perry at 718-667-1393.

Saturday, September 20, 2014, 1 P.M. to 3 P.M.
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve is where Protectors of Pine Oak Woods was formed nearly 40 years ago. Come stroll the trails and enjoy a combination of ecosystems, such as sand barrens, wetlands, and ponds, and a beautiful park to explore in any season. Meet at the Clay pit Ponds Park Preserve parking lot at 83 Nielsen Avenue. (http://goo.gl/maps/N5bcq).
Please call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information.

Sunday, September 21, 2014, 11 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Willowbrook Park Field Study
This Protectors walk provides an opportunity to study nature closely in the field. Our route takes the small loop of the white trail from the Carousel to the Archery Range and then to the Chimney Ruin. One goal of the walk is to count how many Tulip Trees you can spot. Bring flower and tree guides, loops or magnifying lenses, and lots and lots of questions. Share your knowledge of plant, fern and tree species with us. Meet at the Carousel; enter at Eton Place off Richmond Avenue. If it’s raining at the time of the walk, the event is postponed to Sunday, September 28.
For more information, e-mail Hillel Lofaso at hillel5757@gmail.com or call 718-477-0545.

Sunday, September 21, 2014, 2 P.M. to 4 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 Ave, located by the intersection of Rockland Ave and Meisner Avenue. (http://goo.gl/maps/YP1HI).
Call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail at john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information.

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Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Prospect Park
Leader: Arie Gilbert 917-693-7178.
Meeting 7:30am near Prospect Park Zoo on Flatbush Avenue

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, September 20, 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!

Natural Areas Open House at Randalls Island Natural Areas (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join us for our free Natural Areas Open House event, which will include a guided nature exploration, exciting exhibits detailing the in-depth human and natural history of Randall’s Island.
Free!

Sunday, September 21, 2014
Birding for Families at Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Experience the coming of Fall in Central Park when it becomes a precious bird habitat and migration hot spot!
Free!