Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, May 16, 2015 to Sunday, May 17, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, May 16, 12–1 pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The Golden Era: 50th anniversary of the Palisades Park Landmark designation
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: peak spring migration in several park sections.
Registrar: Peter Dorosh Prosbird@aol.com (preferred) or 347-622-3559 text only.
Note: This trip entails extensive walking on hiking type trails, though moderate climbing isn't likely. Some locations might be Palisades Park south and north sections, Alpine section, Tenafly Nature Center. Itinerary to be determined.
Event profile: On January 12, 1965, the Palisades was declared a National Natural and Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. For more than 50 years, the Palisades have been recognized as one of the nation's most significant historic and natural formations. Excerpt from www.palisadesparkconservancy.org

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Freshkills Park Alliance (Staten Island)
May 16, 2015, 1:00pm
Naturalist-Led Hike

Experience spring bird migration around the wetlands of Freshkills Park with ecological researcher Seth Wollney. We expect to find neotropical migrants along with nesting birds! The biodiversity of the freshwater ecosystems will also be highlighted during this special tour.

This program includes moderate to steep elevations. Water, bug spray, and comfortable shoes recommended. Space is limited, ages 10+. Free.

Meet shuttle into the park at Schmul Park (Wild Ave and Melvin Ave)

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, May 16, 2015
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, May 16, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: 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, May 17, 2015, 10am – 1pm
Nesting Peregrines and Red-Tails of the Upper West Side
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet in front of Riverside Church. Many New Yorkers are astonished to discover that their city of steel and glass is home to a large population of large birds of prey: The City boasts the world’s highest densities of the peregrine falcon, the world's fastest flyer, and a growing population of red-tailed hawks (several pairs of which have reached celebrity status). We’ll visit the nesting site of a pair of each of these fascinating species, and may glimpse parents feeding their chicks. Limited to 15. $39 (27)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 17, 2015, 10am – 11am
Birding Basics for Families
Guides: NYC Audubon
Offered by the Central Park Conservancy
Meet at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center, inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues. Experience Central Park when it becomes a precious bird habitat and migration hot spot! Join Conservancy Discovery Guides and NYC Audubon Society on this walk to learn how to spot our feathered neighbors and their foreign cousins as they make their annual trip along the Atlantic Flyway. Witness firsthand how the Conservancy's work has made the Park a sanctuary for these birds. Binoculars can be borrowed from the Visitor Center.
For weather cancellation information, call 212.772.0288 . Limited to 20. Age 5 and up. Free.

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NYC Wildflower Week
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Nature Walks, BX:
Wildflower Walk of Van Cortlandt Park

Fun for Kids, MN:
Interactive Nature Fair

Get Hands Dirty, BX:
Native Plant Share and Workshop

Get Hands Dirty, BK:
Clean and Green: Wildflower Corridor Installation, and Plant and Compost Sale

Fun for Kids, MN:
Experience Life as a Plant

Sunday, May 17, 2015
Fun for Kids, BK:
Family Flora Walk

Nature Walks, QU:
Bird and Nature Walk at QBG

Nature Walks, MN:
Spring Fungi Talk and Walk

Garden Tours, MN:
Native Woodland Garden at NYU

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, May 16, 2015, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Forest Restoration Workshop on the Blue and Red Trails
Meet in the Nature Center parking lot at Rockland Avenue and Brielle (700 Rockland Avenue, additional parking at the Recreation Center nearby). We will remove invasive shrubs and vines from the triangle between the Blue and Red Trails close to the Department of Parks restoration project at Rockland Avenue. Protectors will supply tools, gloves and refreshments. After a two-hour work session (our 225th 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, May 16, 2015, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Conference House Park
Past and present blend in the Conference House park where history stretches back thousands of years with the seasonal occupation of the Lenape and hundreds of years with the habitation of the Dutch and English. In addition to the local history, we will observe the geology of the area and look for what the debris at the high tide line has to reveal. As the tide goes out, we’ll move into the intertidal zone to find out what sorts of living things survive in this challenging environment. It’s going to be muddy so dress appropriately. Meet at the parking lot to the left at the end of Hylan Boulevard.
For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, May 17, 2015, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Crooke’s Point
Maritime sand spits such as Crooke’s Point are dynamic topographical features formed and sculpted by water and wind action. Join naturalist Paul T. Lederer in a talk and walk where the geological and human history of the site will be discussed. He will also give an update on the maritime shrub-forest restoration and the Army Corps of Engineer dredging and sand removal operations. Participants will enter the park and gather in the Great Kills Park Beach Center Parking Lot near the beginning of the dirt permit road leading out to Crooke’s Point.
For more information call Paul T. Lederer at 718-987-1576.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, May 16, 2015 to Sunday, May 17, 2015
Doodlebash!
A perennially excellent trip to two wonderful IBA's.

MINI TRIPS: Break after lunch +/-
ALL DAY TRIPS: BYO lunch, dinner out. {optl}
WEEKEND TRIPS: Two + days / Overnight

Trip Etiquette
Please register for trips

- Register. Let leaders know you're coming!
- Car pooling or skipping requires planning
- Be advised if there are last minute changes or cancellations. These cannot be communicated to unknown persons.
- Be on time! Most trips begin birding by 8am!
- Please arrive before the starting time so we do not waste precious early morning bird activity.
- Plan your travel time.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Early Morning Bird Walk at Wave Hill, Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Join naturalist Gabriel Willow on a special early morning walk to spot birds in the gardens and woodlands as well as the skies above Wave Hill. You’ll be amazed by the diversity…

Birding: Spring Migration at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free!

Pop-Up Audubon: Wonderful Warblers at Eastwood (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Through fun games, experiments and citizen science projects, learn why warblers are so wonderful.
Free!

For The Birds Festival: A Celebration of All Things Avian at Visitor Center (in Conference House Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Enjoy a day of guided bird walks, lectures, art, photography, literature, film screenings, children's activities, and more.
Free!

Introduction to Bird Watching at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Join the Prospect Park Alliance to learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Sunday, May 17, 2015
Birding Basics for Families at Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (in Central Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Experience Central Park when it becomes a precious bird habitat and migration hot spot!
Free!

Bird and Nature Walk at QBG at Queens Botanical Garden, Queens
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join us for a stroll through the Garden as we look for springtime birds, flowers, and other treats courtesy of Mother Nature!

Pop-Up Audubon: Wonderful Warblers at Eastwood (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Through fun games, experiments and citizen science projects, learn why warblers are so wonderful.
Free!