Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, March 5, 2016 to Sunday, March 6, 2016:

Audubon Nature Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, March 6, 2016, 8am – 9am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Gulls Galore
Think all gulls are the same? Join the Prospect Park Alliance and take another look by exploring the Park’s nature trails and discover all the different species of gulls in the Park. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 8 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Croton Point Park, Croton on Harmon, Upstate NY
Leader: Paul Keim
Focus: Sparrows, raptors, likely eagles, waterfowl/ducks, returning winter species
Registrar: Paul Keim (718) 875-1151
Registration Period: February 27th – March 3rd
Note: This is a NY Metro North train trip leaving from Grand Central Station. Leader/Registrar will provide meeting and trip details during the registration period.

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8:30am
Morton National Wildlife Refuge
(meet in the Parking Lot of the Refuge, off Rte 38/Noyack Road) North Sea
Trip Leader: Eileen Schwinn
Whose heart doesn’t melt when a tiny little bird lands on your fingertips to grab a bit of bird seed?? Even the most hard-core birder will smile—and maybe even giggle! Join us at a true national treasure, for a re-run of last year’s trip to Morton NWR. Generations of birds have become tame enough to eat out of your hand along the mile to mile-and-a-half hike, where we will see over-wintering birds, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, and perhaps Pine Siskins. Dress warmly and appropriately for snow-covered trails. Contact Eileen Schwinn at beachmed@optonline.net for any questions, or call the day of the trip, 516-662-7751. Birdseed will be provided!

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday March 5, 2016, 8:30am
Bob Laskowski Memorial Duck Walk
Leaders: Bob Grover (516-318-8536)
Meet at Brookwood Hall, Islip Town Park in East Islip on Irish Lane between Montauk Hwy and Union Blvd.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, March 5, 2016 - 9:00am
Montauk and the South Fork
All day trip.
Late wintering waterfowl should be viewed including scoters, eiders, loons, gannets, and numerous pond ducks.
Registration: 516-433-5590.
Directions: LIE to exit 70, Manorville. Go south on Route 111 to Route 27. Take Route 27 east all the way to Montauk Point Lighthouse. There may be a parking fee. Meet by the restaurant opposite the parking lot.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Brooklyn Coastal Birding
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Registrar: Ellen Hoffman — ellenh33@icloud.com or 917-903-3486
Registration opens: Monday February 22
Ride: $15

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Littoral Society
Saturday, March 05, 2016, 11:00am - 01:00pm
Winter Seal and Waterfowl Walk
Bring your binoculars and join us on a trek throughout Sandy Hook to observe the seals and waterfowl that overwinter in New Jersey.
We will be car caravanning to multiple locations on Sandy Hook. Afterwards, warm up at Littoral Society Headquarters with snacks and toasty beverages. Meet at building 18, 11:00 am. 1 mile walk.
Cost: $5 per person
Contact: 732-291-0055 for more information and to reserve

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, March 5, 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, March 5, 2016, 8:30-10:30am
Eagle Watch and Bird Walk at Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan
Guide: Annie Barry
Meet at the western end of Dyckman Street in front of La Marina restaurant and join Annie Barry for a winter hike through the various landscapes and habitats of Inwood Hill Park. Located at the northern tip of Manhattan where the Harlem River meets the Hudson, Inwood Hill Park offers shoreline vistas, a relict forest and the last natural saltmarsh in Manhattan. We will begin with an eagle watch on the Hudson shore, then move into the forest to search for wintering and year-round birds, and finally to the saltmarsh to look for wintering ducks. Some hilly walking required. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Saturday, March 5, 2016, 9am-4pm
Winter Birds of Barnegat, NJ
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
Explore Barnegat Inlet’s expansive beach to view the winter birds that gather where land, bay, and sea meet. Search for harlequin ducks, horned larks, Lapland longspurs, snow buntings, and snowy and short-eared owls. Bring lunch, water, and binoculars. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $115 (80)
Click here to register

Saturday, March 5, 2016, 10am-1pm
Central Park Winter Walk
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Meet at the entrance to Central Park at Central Park West and 72nd Street. Some of the best sightings await hardy nature-lovers willing to venture out in winter! Several species of owls can be seen in Central Park for example, but generally only in the colder months. "Winter finches" such as Pine Siskins, Redpolls, and Crossbills have also been found at the feeders or in conifers in the park. Observing the adaptations for cold-weather survival among Blue Jays, Titmice, and other resident species is fascinating as well. Warm up after the walk with a hot chocolate by the fireplace at the Loeb Boathouse. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Sunday, March 6, 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)
Sunday, March 6, 2016 @ 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Crooke’s Point
Cost: Free
Contact: Paul Lederer 718-987-1576
Maritime spits such as Crooke’s Point are dynamic typographical features which are formed and sculpted by water and wind action. Join naturalist Paul T. Lederer in a talk and walk where he will discuss the geology and human history of the site as well as the plants and animals that call this place home. Participants will meet at the Beach Center Parking Lot in Great Kills Park near the dirt road leading out to Crooke’s Point. To get to the Beach Center Parking Lot, follow Buffalo Street to just before it turns into the dirt permit road.
For more information or directions contact Paul Lederer at (718) 987-1576

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

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, March 5, 2016
Birding: Winter Birds at Park Drive and Clove Road (in Clove Lakes Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. This program will focus on the different species of birds which have overwintered in NYC Parks.
Free!

Sunday, March 6, 2016
Early Morning Bird Walk: Gulls Galore at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Think all gulls are the same? Join the Prospect Park Alliance and take another look by exploring the Park’s nature trails and discover all the different species of gulls in the park.
Free!