Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, October 10, 2015 to Monday, October 12, 2015:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, October 10, 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

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Prospect Park
Leader: Dennis Hrehowsik
Meet at Ocean/Parkside Avenues “The Pergola” at 7:15 a.m.

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 8:00am (rescheduled from Oct. 3rd)
Robert Moses/Fire Island Hawk Watch and Surrounding Area
Trip Leader: Eileen Schwinn

​Meet at the eastern parking lot (Lot 5), of Robert Moses State Park, within sight of the Fire Island Lighthouse. We will walk to the observation platform and hopefully see various species of hawks and raptors as they follow the winds along the coastline. Other migrating passerines can be found along the barrier beach and we will make other parking lot stops within the State Park to look for a few more goodies! Please contact Eileen Schwinn at beachmed@optonline.net if you are interested in carpooling to the location. There is a $10 charge per car at the Park, good at all the parking lots. Empire Pass is also honored.

​Meet at the eastern parking lot (Lot 5), of Robert Moses State Park, within sight of the Fire Island Lighthouse. We will walk to the observation platform and hopefully see various species of hawks and raptors as they follow the winds along the coastline. Other migrating passerines can be found along the barrier beach and we will make other parking lot stops within the State Park to look for a few more goodies!

Please contact Eileen Schwinn at beachmed@optonline.net if you are interested in carpooling to the location. There is a $10 charge per car at the Park, good at all the parking lots. Empire Pass is also honored.

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Fall Migration Hawk Watch
Location: Fort Tilden, Queens - Building 1 Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Fee Information: FREE Contact Name: Don Riepe Contact Email: donriepe@gmail.com Contact Phone Number: (718) 474-0896

Meet 10 a.m. at Bldg. 1 in Fort Tilden, Queens for a hike along the beach and dunes and visit to the hawk watch platform during peak migration time. Call (718) 474-0896; e-mail: donriepe@gmail.com Bus Q22, Q35.

Sunday, October 11, 2015
Mighty Monarchs
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Time: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Name: Sandy Hook Visitor Center Contact Phone Number: 732-872-5970

Children and their families are invited to join a Park Ranger at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to learn about the mighty Monarch! This interactive program will teach kids about the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly as well as the story of their incredible migration. We will begin with a brief discussion and follow with a "Make your own butterfly" craft. Weather permitting, we will wrap up with a short walk outside.

Sunday, October 11, 2015
Herbert Johnson Lecture Series
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Fee Information: Free

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has a long and fascinating history in the Jamaica Bay watershed. From Breezy Point to Little Egg Island, their mission has slowly evolved to comprise both coastal storm risk reduction as well as environmental restoration. This talk will review this fascinating history, as well as highlighting some of the projects and patents the USACE has designed and implemented over the years.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, October 11, 2015 - 9:00 AM
Robert Moses State Park Hawk Watch
The best place to see migrating raptors on Long Island. Great viewing platform, with some of the birds flying by at eye level, always has expert hawk watchers to answer any questions you may have. Exploring the surrounding areas should turn up other migrants as well as possible rarities.
Directions: Proceed south on Robert Moses Parkway, over the bridge to Robert Moses State Park. From the water tower circle (check for peregrine falcon), proceed east to parking lot #5. We will meet in the NE corner of the parking lot.
Registration: 631-885-1881

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Linnaean Society of New York
Sunday, October 11, 2015
3rd Annual Starr Saphir Memorial Fall Migration Walk
Leader: Lenore Swenson — lenoreswenson@gmail.com or 212-533-9567
No registration: Public transportation
Meet at Central Park West and 103rd Street at 7:30 am

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, October 10, 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, October 10, 2015, 8:00am – 9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon 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 10, 2015, 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. $65 (45)
Click here to register

Saturday, October 10, 2015, 10am – 1pm
Hawk Watch at Fort Tilden
Guide: Don Riepe with American Littoral Society
Meet at 10am at Bldg. 1 in Fort Tilden for a hike to the hawk watch platform to view falcons, hawks, ospreys and other migrating raptors. We'll also hike along the beach and dunes to look for song and shorebirds. For more information, contact Don Riepe at 718-474-0896 or donriepe@gmail.com. No limit. Free

Sunday, October 11, 2015, 9:30am – 11:30am
Fall Birding at Wave Hill, the Bronx
Guide: Gabriel Willow with Wave Hill
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. Advanced registration is recommended, either online at www.wavehill.org, at the Perkins Visitor Center, or by calling 718-549-3200 x251. (Walks run rain or shine; in case of severe weather call the number above for updates.) Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission (see www.wavehill.org for more information). Meet at Perkins Visitor Center at 9:30am

Sunday, October 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. Each autumn, migrant species abound as they travel along the North Atlantic Flyway. Sparrows, osprey, a collection of waterfowl, and lingering warblers seek refuge in the park. Overhead, raptors soar along the terminal moraine as they make their way south for the impending winter. Late-blooming flowers attract an assortment of butterflies and dragonflies as they, too, fly south for the winter. Transport by passenger van on S.I. included. Limited to 12. $57 (40)
Click here to register

Sunday, October 11, 2015, 10am – 11am
Birding Basics For Families, Central Park
Guides: NYC Audubon, Conservancy Discovery Guides
Offered by The Central Park Conservancy
Meet at the Dana Discovery Center (inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues). Experience Central Park’s precious bird habitat and migration hot spot with Conservancy Discovery Guides and NYC Audubon. Witness firsthand how the Conservancy’s work has made the Park a sanctuary for birds. Binoculars can be borrowed from the Visitor Center. Limited to 20. Age 5 and up. Free, pre-registration recommended. For weather cancellation updates and pre-registration information, call 212-772-0288.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, October 10, 2015
"Big Sit" at Ft. Tilden
Leader: Corey Finger (518-445-5829)
Description: Lock yourself into a 17' circle with Corey Finger, have a seat, and count the birds that go by while helping QCBC raise funds at the same time!

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, October 10, 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!

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.
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, October 11, 2015
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.

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 as a precious bird habitat and migration hot spot! Bring your family on a guided walk led by Central Park Conservancy staff and the NYC Audubon Society.
Free!

Monday, October 12, 2015
Falconry Presentation: Skyhunters in Flight at Wave Hill, Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Watch hawks, falcons, and owls sharpen their hunting skills during an exciting outdoor flight demonstration.