Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, June 6, 2015 to Sunday, June 7, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, June 7, 2015, 8 am – 9 am
Early Morning Birdwalk: Local Nesters
Discover hidden nests! Glimpse the lives of busy bird parents and their hungry nestlings. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club. This tour leaves promptly at 8 am.

**********

Brooklyn Bird Club
June 5th - June 7th, 2015
Spring Weekend: Mianus River Gorge, Fahnestock, Schwanagunk: a journey to the lower Hudson River Valley
NOTE: Limit 12 participants
Leaders: Ryan Bass, Peter Dorosh
Focus: breeding birds and late migrants.
Note: Excellent breeding bird locations: Mianus River Gorge Preserve, Clarence Fahnestock State Park (led by Ryan), and Schwanagunk Grasslands. Additional locales might include Ward Pond Ridge Park, Constitution Marsh (some rugged low hiking) and Iona Marsh. Fahnestock will be long periods of walking on trails that may be slightly rugged and at times sloping. Wear comfortable light hikers. Any questions, email the registrar. Members wanting to do Saturday-Sunday 2 day trip can alert the registrar.
Car fee: $100.00
Registrar: Peter Dorosh Prosbird@aol.com (preferred) or 347-622-3559 text only
Registration Period: April 1st - May 30th

**********

Littoral Society
Friday, June 5 - Sunday, June 7, 2015
Montauk Spring Weekend
Trip leaders: Mike Bottini, Mickey Maxwell Cohen and Don Riepe of the American Littoral Society.
With our friends at NYC Audubon, join us for a great natural history weekend at the luxurious Montauk Manor House. Visit the “Walking Dunes” (cranberry and orchid bogs), Lighthouse Beach (tidal pools), Camp Hero Bluffs, Point O’Woods Walk and Big Reed Pond. See nesting pine and prairie warblers, bank swallows, screech owls, Baltimore orioles and enjoy the beautiful beaches.
Trip Cost: $395.00 per person, double occupancy. $120 extra for single occupancy (total $515.00). If you would like us to match you with another same sex attendee for the double occupancy room rate, please contact us.
Price includes 2 nights at the stately Montauk Manor House (with heated pool and jacuzzi), 5 meals, 5 guided hikes and 2 evening programs. Plus free pickup at the LIRR station in Montauk and optional paddleboarding/kayak trip.

For information or to make a reservation call our Northeast Chapter Office at (718) 474-0896; email donriepe@gmail.com; or visit https://spring-montaukweekend.eventbrite.com.

**********

New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, June 6, 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

**********

New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, June 6, 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, June 6, 2015, 9am – 3pm
Biking and Birding: Jamaica Bay
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet at Grand Army Plaza. Bike your way through Brooklyn neighborhoods and along scenic greenways to Jamaica Bay, to look for migrant shorebirds as well as breeding egrets, oystercatchers, and more. This is a 16-mile trip; return by subway from Broad Channel. Bring binoculars, water, lunch, and your bicycle. Limited to 15. $40 (28)
Click here to register

Sunday, June 7, 2015, 9:30am – 3:00pm
Spring Hike in the Greenbelt, Staten Island, with Gabriel Willow
Guide: Gabriel Willow
With NYC Parks and the Greenbelt Conservancy
Meet at the Manhattan terminal of the S.I. Ferry and begin your tour on water. Explore trails within the 3,000-acre Staten Island Greenbelt and visit High Rock Park, Walker Pond, and the Pouch Camp property: 143 acres of unspoiled woods and wetlands. Look for spring migrants and learn about the Greenbelt’s ecology. Includes refreshments at the Greenbelt Nature Center and transportation on Staten Island. Limited to 20. $43 (30)
Click here to register

Sunday, June 7, 2015, 7pm – 9pm
Sunset EcoCruise to the Harbor Heron Islands: Hoffman and Swinburne 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.

**********

Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Ward Pound Ridge
Meet: 7:30am at museum parking lot
We explore this excellent area and top the day off with a club sponsored BBQ.

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.

**********

Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, June 6, 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!

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, June 7, 2015
Early Morning Birdwalk: Local Nesters at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Discover hidden nests! Get a glimpse of the lives of busy bird parents and their hungry nestlings.
Free!

Bird Watching at the Ridgewood Reservoir at Ridgewood Reservoir, Queens
8:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Start your day with an early morning bird watching walk led by Steve and Heidi Nanz of the Brooklyn Bird Club.
Free!