Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, May 23, 2015 to Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, May 23, 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
Monday (Memorial Day), May 25, 2015
Plumb Beach and coastal Brooklyn
Leader: Bobbi Manian
Focus: Shorebirds and sandpipers, waterbirds,
Car fee: $10.00
Registrar: Dennis Hrehowsik, email deepseagangster@gmail.com
Registration Period: May 12th - May 21st

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, May 23, 2015 (rain date May 24)
Doodletown
Leader: Paul Keim
Registrar: Anne Lazarus – amlazarus@outlook.com or 212-673-9059
Registration opens: Monday May 11
Ride: $30

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Littoral Society
Saturday, May 23, 2015, 12:00pm - 02:00pm
Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Walk
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at noon and car pool to the American Ball Field Beach Site to view the annual mating ritual of the primordial horseshoe crab. Wear boots and bring binoculars. Kids Welcome. For information and reservations call (718) 474-0896 or e-mail donriepe@gmail.com.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, May 23, 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 23, 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.

Saturday, May 23, 11am – 2pm
Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds at Jamaica Bay
Guide: Don Riepe
With Gateway National Recreation Area Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at noon and car pool to the American Ball Field Beach Site to view annual mating ritual of the primordial horseshoe crab. Wear boots and bring binoculars. Kids Welcome. For more information and to RSVP call (718) 474-0896 or e-mail: donriepe@gmail.com.

Saturday, May 23, 2015, 2pm – 5pm
The Birds of Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan
Guide: Nadir Souirgi
Meet at the Muscota Marsh viewing area, immediately inside the park entrance at West 218 Street and Indian Road. Nestled on the northern tip of Manhattan, the largely undeveloped oak and tulip forest of Inwood Hill Park transports you to another time and place. Glacial "pot holes", towering trees, and stunning river views create an unrivaled backdrop by which to observe the many migratory and breeding birds that are drawn to this hotspot, which also features one of Manhattan's last remaining tidal salt marshes. Join us as we look for residents and migrants, as well as the rose-breasted grosbeaks, wood thrushes, and yellow warblers known to breed here. $35 (24)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 24, 2015, 9am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve
Guide: Cliff Hagen
Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve is an ecologically and historically rich 260-acre natural area near the southwest shore of Staten Island. The ponds, wetlands, and woods of this preserve attract a wide variety of migrating and breeding birds and also support populations of fence lizards, eastern box turtles, Fowler's toads, black racer snakes, and prickly pear cactus. Join Cliff Hagen of the Protectors of Pine Oak Woods as we look for spring migrants and other surprises! Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $103 (72)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 24, 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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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, May 23, 2015, 8am – 10am
Strack Pond Parks Dept mini walk
Guide: Jean Loscalzo 917-575-6824 dm5078@aol.com
Meet at the visitor center near the stone chess tables (Forest Park Drive and Woodhaven Blvd).

Sunday, May 24, 2015
Sterling Forest
Guide: Arie Gilbert 917-693-7178
Meet: 7:45am at Indian Lake
**Cancelled**

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 23, 2015
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
The history of birding and Van Cortlandt Park are inseparable. Influential birders such as Roger Tory Peterson got their starts on Van Cortlandt’s ecologically diverse grounds.
Free!

Bird Watching Around Strack Pond at Forest Park Visitor Center (in Forest Park), Queens
8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Start your day with an early morning bird watching walk led by Jean Loscalzo of the Queens County Bird Club.
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!

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!

Ranger's Choice: Hidden New York: Calvert Vaux Discovery Hike at Calvert Vaux Park, Brooklyn
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
This beautifully restored parkland holds remnants of sunken barges that have been taken over by nature and a wide variety of birds on water and land.
Free!

Sunday, May 24, 2015
Birding: Hawk Watch at High Rock Ranger Station (in High Rock Park), Staten Island
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free!

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!

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!