Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of October 11, 2014 to October 12, 2014:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Family Bird Watching Tour
Saturday, September 13, October 11 and November 8, 10-11 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, October 12, 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.

**********

Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Marine Park's "Brooklyn" Sparrows
Meet: Grand Army Plaza #2/3 train stop at 7:00AM
Leader: Dennis Hrehowsik, email deepseagangster@gmail.com

**********

Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, October 11, 2014
New Jersey Hotspots
Leader: Robert Machover
Registrar: Ellen Hoffman – ellenh33@icloud.com or 917-903-3486
Registration opens: Monday, September 29
Ride: $40

Sunday, October 12, 2014
2nd Annual Starr Saphir Memorial Fall Migration Walk
Leader: Lenore Swenson – information only lenoreswenson@gmail.com or 212-533-9567
No registration: Public transportation
Meet at Central Park West and 103rd Street at 7:30 am

**********

New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, October 11, 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

**********

New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, October 11, 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.

Saturday, October 11, 2014, 9am – 12pm
Sparrow ID Workshop (trip)
Instructor: Gabriel Willow Sparrows are one of the most challenging groups of birds to identify, yet beautiful and fascinating once they can be distinguished. Learn to identify those LBJs (little brown jobs) by studying behavior, field marks, and songs. Sparrow species seen in prior years include field, swamp, savannah, white-crowned, and Lincoln's.
Limited to 12. $58 (40.50)
Click here to register

Saturday, October 11, 2014, 9:30am – 6:00pm
Raptor Trust and Great Swamp, NJ
Guides: Don Riepe, Tod Winston Enjoy a private tour of the Raptor Trust rehabilitation center and see many owls and hawks up close. Afterwards, we’ll hike the boardwalk trails of the beautiful Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge to look for raptors, waterfowl, reptiles, and amphibians. Bring lunch. Transport by passenger van included.
Limited to 11. $107.50 (75)
Click here to register

Sunday, October 12, 2014, 9:30am – 11:30am
Fall Birding at Wave Hill, The Bronx
Guide: Gabriel Willow With Wave Hill Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center. Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting overlooking the Hudson River flyway provides the perfect habitat for resident and migrating birds.
Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. Reservations recommended, online at www.wavehill.org, by calling 718-549-3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center. Severe weather cancels; for updates call 718-549-3200 x245 by 8am the day of the walk. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission

Sunday, October 12, 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

**********

Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, October 11, 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, take in the fall foliage, and keep our eyes looking for migrating bird species. Long Pond is 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 for the walk 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.
Please call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail at john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information.

Sunday, October, 12, 2014, 8 A.M. to 10 A.M.
Hawk Watch at the Cemetery of the Resurrection on Sharrott Avenue
Join birder, Anthony Ciancimino, for a hawk watch at the Cemetery of the Resurrection. After we check the three ponds in the cemetery for any waterfowl that has arrived, participants will enjoy a stationary hawk watch from the overlook. The overlook is a large mound that provides a nice, clear look of surrounding areas. Bald Eagles, Osprey, Black and Turkey Vultures, and Cooper’s, Sharp-shinned, and Red tailed Hawks are all likely to be seen.
Meet at the first entrance to the cemetery beside the restrooms, closest to Hylan Boulevard.

Sunday, October 12, 2014, 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Acme Pond
Acme Pond is a diverse ecosystem, located northwest 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. Street parking is available on Herbert Street. (http://goo.gl/maps/59dvC).
Call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail at john.paul.learn@gmail.com for more information.

**********

Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Jones Beach
Leader: Joel Greenberg Outing Nancy Tognan 917 753 3146

Sunday, October 12, 2014
Ft. Tilden BIG SIT
Leader: Corey Finger 518-445-5829
Description: BIG SIT at Ft. Tilden Hawkwatch platform (Corey will be at the Ft. Tilden platform before dawn (7:00 AM). If you do not know the way, meet Lisa near the community garden at 7:30 AM and she will lead you to the platform or call her to lead/direct you to the platform at a later time.)

**********

Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, October 11, 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!

Sunday, October 12, 2014
Fall 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. Wave Hill’s…
Free!

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!

Birding: Raptor Migration at Parking Area (in High Rock Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in New York City. Birding programs are appropriate…
Free!