Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, January 16, 2016 to Sunday, January 17, 2016:

Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Prospect Park Winter Walk
Leader: Ed Crowne
Focus: winter songbird species, ducks, raptors
No registration necessary. Meet at 8:30 am at park entrance Bartel Pritchard Square http://binged.it/1Uif5vl. Nearest train is "F" line to Prospect Park stop

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Gateway National Parks
Sunday, January 17, 2016
How Birds Survive Winter
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge | Map
Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Fee Information: Free
Contact Phone Number: 718-987-6790
Cold weather got you down? Imagine you are a bird overwintering outdoors in Jamaica Bay! Food is scarce, the winds are harsh and there is definitely no hot cocoa to warm you up. Come to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge for a presentation and a brief walk as we explore winter survival in the animal kingdom!

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday January 16, 2016, 8:00am
Connetquot River SPP, Birding and Breakfast
Leaders: Bob and Edith Wilson, Ken Thompson Helga Merryman
Continental breakfast hosted by Friends of Connetquot.
Reservations required - call Connetquot River State Park Preserve at 581-1072 to register.
Registration fee $4. plus $8 parking fee per car - unless you have yearly Empire pass.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Croton Point Park
Leader: Paul Keim
Registrar: Anne Lazarus — amlazarus47@gmail.com or 212-673-9059
Registration opens: Monday January 4
Public transportation

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, January 16, 2016
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, January 16, 2016, 10:30am – 4:00pm
Snow Birds of Floyd Bennett Field and Fort Tilden, Queens
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Winter brings many rare birds to NYC that can’t be found here at any other time! Perhaps most exciting are the “snow birds”, such as snow buntings and snowy owls, of the Arctic tundra that can occasionally be found in tundra-like habitats further south, . We will travel to the abandoned runways of Floyd Bennett Field (America's first municipal airport) in search of these and other winter visitors (such as horned lark, American tree sparrow, and rough-legged hawk). We will then head to Fort Tilden and Breezy Point to look for wintering ducks, grebes, loons, and other seabirds along the beaches. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $86 (60)
Click here to register

Sunday, January 17, 2016, 12pm – 2pm
Winter Seals and Waterbirds of NY Harbor
Guide: NYC Audubon guide
Meet at South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 and come aboard NY Water Taxi’s eco-friendly vessel for a winter adventure in New York Harbor! Look for harbor seals on the rocky shores of Governor’s Island and the more remote Hoffman and Swinburne Islands. Learn about the surprisingly diverse winter birds of New York City, including ducks, geese, loons, and sandpipers, many of which migrate south from the Arctic. See the Statue of Liberty and pass under the Verrazano Bridge. Dress warmly! Limited to 90. To register, contact New York Water Taxi at 212-742-1969 or www.nywatertaxi.com. $35 for adults; $25 for children under 12; $105 for family pack for 2 adults and 2 children

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
January 16, 2016, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Forest Restoration Workshop in the Egbertville Ravine
Cost: Free
Contact: Don Recklies 718-768-9036 / Chuck Perry 718-667-1393

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Queens County Bird Club
Sunday, January 17, 2016, 7:30am – 6:00pm
Montauk Point
Leader: Ian Resnick 917-626-9562
CONTACT LEADER to confirm meeting time/location

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Young Birders Club
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Annual Kickoff Meeting - Alley Pond Environmental Center
Sponsored by Queens County Bird Club
~ OPEN TO NYSYBC MEMBERS ONLY ~

This is our annual club kickoff mini-conference. We will start the day with a bird walk. After that, we'll head inside and warm up with hot drinks and snacks. Thus fortified, we will begin our annual kickoff meeting!

As the club continues to grow, these meetings are a great way for us all to connect and plan our activities for the upcoming year. The kickoff meeting will be run by club President Joe Hernandez. Your ideas will be heard and really do matter. Think about what you would like to do and see this year. We can't promise that we can do them all, but many of our past trips have been based on club member ideas.

The meeting will feature group discussions as well as presentations. We'll have some fun with a "Books and Stuff" swap along with a bird ID photo quiz. We'll also talk about the highlights of 2015, some general birding topics, 2016 field trip schedule, NYSYBC Big Day and World Series of Birding, NYSYBC scholarship program, NYSOA annual meeting, and election of officers as well as volunteer leadership positions.

Youth Members are encouraged to attend. It's YOUR club, and this is your chance to have a say in how it is run and what activities it will offer.
A morning snack and beverages will be provided, along with lunch (or bring your own food if you prefer).

The meeting is open to 2016 NYSYBC Youth Members in good standing, their parents, and other specifically invited adults only.

Permission form due by 1/8/16