Upcoming Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, July 11, 2015 to Sunday, July 12, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, July 11, 2015, 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

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 10 am – 11 am
Family Bird Watching
Looking for a fun way to spend time with your family outdoors? Join the Prospect Park Alliance for its monthly family bird watching tours. After learning how to use binoculars, join our naturalists to identify some of the 250 species of birds that call Prospect Park home. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Cupsogue Beach County Park, central Long Island
Leaders: Bobbi Manian, Dennis Hrehowsik
Focus: Shorebirds and Terns. Herons, egrets, water birds
Car fee: $30.00
Registrar: Mike Yuan email mjyuan@gmail.com
Registration Period: June 30th -July 9th
Note: Visit timed to maximum low tide. There is a parking entrance fee. This trip requires walking/wading across a channel at low tide. Water may be waist deep or lower depending on tide. Wear old sneakers or water shoes that won't suction off. Also wear a sun hat, suntan lotion, and bring plenty of water in this shadeless beach marsh locale. You may want to bring a campstool. A stationary observation most of the time, scope required. The birding area is a large mudflat or sandbar on falling low tide that will attract a variety of birds. For more information or questions, email either the registrar or Dennis deepseagangster@gmail.com

Site profile: http://tinyurl.com/CUPbirds

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, July 11, 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
Trips return on September 5, 2015

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, July 11, 2015, 8:00am – 10:30am
Prospect Park Bird Walk
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet under the arch in Grand Army Plaza. Join Gabriel Willow for a leisurely walk to get to know the summer bird residents of 'Brooklyn's Back Yard', beautiful Prospect Park. Although birding in the summertime in NYC can be a bit slow, Prospect Park has a wide variety of habitats that attracts a number of breeding bird species. We will explore the park's meadows, forests, and waterways in search of nesting waterfowl, green herons, barn swallows, yellow warblers, Baltimore orioles, and some of the other species that call the park home. Limited to 15. $33 (23)
Click here to register

Saturday, July 11, 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, July 11, 2015, 10am – 5pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Freshkills Park
Guide: Cliff Hagen
Meet at the Manhattan terminal of the S.I. Ferry. This is a special opportunity to see Freshkills Park in transition from what was once the world’s largest landfill into an expansive park. Currently closed to the general public, the Park is home to rolling grasslands, tidal marshes, successional woodlands and a freshwater pond system, which host an array of breeding birds, butterflies, mammals, frogs, and turtles. Sparrows, osprey, yellow warblers, and blue grosbeaks nest alongside wrens, blackbirds, orioles and shorebirds. Wading birds feed on the mudflats at low tide while hawks and vultures soar above. On calm, sunny days, one can expect to find nearly two dozens species of butterflies as they nectar among the grasses and woodlands. Transport by passenger van on S.I. included. Limited to 12. $57 (40)
Click here to register

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 9:30am – 11:30am
Summer Birding at Wave Hill, the Bronx
Guide: Gabriel Willow With Wave Hill
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of diverse bird species and their behavior on these captivating walks through the gardens and woodlands. Observe the plants, insects and habitats at Wave Hill that make it an appealing destination for such a wide variety of birds. Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult. Birders of all levels welcome! Severe weather cancels. Registration recommended, online at www.wavehill.org or at the Perkins Visitor Center. (NYC Audubon Members enjoy two-for-one admission)
MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 9:30AM

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 7pm – 9pm
Sunset EcoCruise to the Harbor Heron Islands: Brother 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.

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, July 11, 2015, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Lizard Hunt / Kingfisher Pond
Italian wall Lizards released a decade or so ago have adapted well to living in the area between Richmond Town and Great Kills. Before winding our way around and through Kingfisher Park, we will look for these swift little reptiles and observe their behavior as they coexist with people by taking advantage of the environment we have created for them. Following the lizard hunt, we will explore the wetlands in Kingfisher Pond with the hopes of seeing turtles sunning on logs in the pond as well as herons and other birds carrying on their lives. Meet at the corner of Greaves Avenue and Fairfield Street behind PS 37.
For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 10 a.m. to 12 Noon
St. Francis Woodlands (1975-2015)
During the early 1990s, Protectors of Pine Oak Woods played a pivotal role in preserving the Saint Francis Woodlands. In 1993, Protectors brought together the Conventual Franciscan Friars and our State representatives to begin discussions which led to the preservation of 24 acres of woodlands atop Todt Hill for $10 million in 1995. Join Charles Perry and celebrate 40 years of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods during a walk through those woodlands and discover why Protectors worked so hard to have them preserved. Participants will meet at the intersection of Todt Hill Road and Merrick Avenue.
For more information call Charles Perry at 347-254-3911.

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Mount Loretto Unique Area
With its bluffs nestled 85 feet above sea level, Mount Loretto is home to beautiful vistas from the shore facing Prince’s Bay. The shoreline is home to some of Staten Island’s most unique natural artwork. Nestled in the meadow’s hills are a variety of plants and wildlife. Mount Loretto is a habitat for harbor seals, monarch butterflies, wild rabbits, muskrats, ospreys, and on occasion, bald eagles. Meet at the parking lot at Sharrott’s Avenue and Hylan Boulevard (http://goo.gl/maps/bIW8l).
For more information please call John Paul Learn at 718-619-5051 or e-mail him at john.paul.learn@gmail.com

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, July 11, 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.
Participants will look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics.
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!