Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, February 20, 2016 to Sunday, February 21, 2016:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, February 20, 2016, 11 am – 12:30 pm
Winter Tree Identification
Urban Park Ranger hiking guides will introduce you to the hidden gems of New York City. This hike will strengthen your winter tree ID skills as you learn about different characteristics and traits to look for, in order to identify trees without their leaves.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Brooklyn's southwest coast RESCHEDULED FROM JANUARY 31
Leader: Dan Frazer cell # 347-355-1330, danielericfrazer@gmail.com (info)
Focus: Coastal species, waterbirds, sea ducks, raptors
No registration necessary. Meet: 8:30 am at TD Bank below the Bay Parkway train stop "D" line: http://www.usbanklocations.com/td-bank-bensonhurst-branch.html
Note: the primary birding locations are Caesar's Bay locale and nearby BJ's retailer coast views, Calvert Vaux/Drier Offerman park area. A bus runs towards Caesar's Bay from the train stop.

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City Island Bird Walks (Bronx)
Sunday, February 21, 2016, 8:30am
Owl Prowl
Meet at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
All Walks are Free!
Basic Information:

Our walks are free, informal, friendly and fun. The walks usually last about 4 hours, depending on many variables, which include weather, birds, and fatigue. If you want to leave early, there are no hard feelings.

Please come prepared! Bring binoculars and a field guide if you have one. I will bring a spotting scope but feel free to bring your own if you have one.

Beginners especially welcome!

No dogs!

Driving to Bartow-Pell is the easiest way to travel here. Public transportation is possible but arduous. Be sure to leave extra time on weekends.
Here’s directions by car and bus:

We will search the area for Great Horned, Long-eared, Saw-whet and Barred Owls, which are all a possibility in this location, at this time of the year. We’ll also check for waterfowl and passerines as long as we’re out. Dress for the weather, waterproof sturdy shoes are recommended.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, February 21, 2016 - 9:00am
Makamah Preserve Winter Ecology Walk
Makamah Preserve is a 160 acre park in the village of Fort Salonga. It is made up of rolling hills and valleys, with upland forest, wooded wetland, and saltmarsh habitats. In the wetland areas we may find rusty blackbirds, among other wintering songbirds, as we explore winter ecology and learn about how climate change may affect these birds.
Registration: 585-880-0915
Directions: Take Rte. 25A (Fort Salonga Rd.) east into the village of Fort Salonga and look for the sign and parking area for the park.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, February 20, 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, February 20, 2016, 10am – 1pm
Winter Waterfowl ID Workshop (trip)
Guide: Gabriel Willow
If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck... but is it a dabbling duck or a diving duck? Or could it be a grebe? This class will help you distinguish between ducks, geese, loons, grebes, and more. Learn how their shapes reflect their behavior and ecology, and how subtle differences in form and pattern will allow you to identify waterfowl with a newfound confidence. Winter is the best season for waterfowl-watching in NYC, and the class will be followed by a field trip to put our newfound skills to work. We will seek out the diverse mix of dabbling ducks, bay ducks, sea ducks, grebes, loons, and cormorants to be found in NY Harbor from Battery Park. Limited to 15. $68 (47)
Click here to register

Sunday, February 21, 2016, 12pm – 2pm
Winter Seals and Waterbirds of NY Harbor
Guide: NYC Audubon guide
Meet at South Street Seaport’s Pier 16 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/audubon-winter. $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)
Saturday, February 20, 2016 @ 10:00am – 2:00pm
Forest Restoration Workshop
Cost: Free
For our 233rd monthly restoration we will meet in the parking lot of the Greenbelt Nature Center at the junction of Rockland Avenue and Breille Avenue. We will walk the Nature Trail west from the Center and remove alien Devil’s Walkingstick from areas left of the trail. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and tools (& refreshments). After a two hour work session, we will take a short walk over nearby trails. For more information contact Don Recklies at (718) 768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718) 667-1393

Sunday, February 21, 2016 @ 8:00am – 10:00am
Great Kills Park
Cost: Free
Join birder Anthony Ciancimino for a guided bird walk at Great Kills Park. The park has a nice selection of habitats, and bird diversity should be good. We will first walk around the nature center for wintering songbirds, and possibly Ring necked Pheasant. We will then check the tidal mudflats for wintering waterfowl and shorebirds. Horned Lark and Snow Bunting should also be present in the fields by the playground. Meet in the second parking lot along Buffalo Street (the lot adjacent to the salt storing area). For more information contact Anthony Ciancimino at sibirdwatcher@yahoo.com.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, February 20, 2016, 8am – 5pm
Black Dirt Region
Leader: Arie Gilbert - 917-693-7178

Trip Etiquette
Please register for trips

1 - Register. Let leaders know you're coming!
2 - Car pooling or skipping requires planning
3 - Be advised if there are last minute changes or cancellations. These cannot be communicated to unknown persons.
4 - Be on time! Most trips begin birding by 8am!
5 - Please arrive before the starting time so we do not waste precious early morning bird activity.
6 - Plan your travel time.

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Mill Pond Park

Notes:
All walks start at 9:00 A.M.
There is no walk if it rains or snows or temperature is below 25°F.
For more information or in case of questionable weather conditions, please phone Joe at 516 467-9498
For directions to our bird-watching locations, click here.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Birding: Eagles at Payson Center (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. We offer birding programs…
Free!

Sunday, February 21, 2016
Owl Prowl at Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Join Jack Rothman of City Island Birds to search the grounds for owls and other winter species, including winter woodland birds and waterfowl.
Free!