Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for the weekend of Saturday, April 2, 2016 to Sunday, April 3, 2016:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 12pm – 1pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Look! Up in the sky, it’s a bird! But what kind of bird is it? Take a tour and learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home. Led by Brooklyn Bird Club.

Sunday, April 3, 2016, 8am – 9am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Changing Seasons, Changing Birds
Join the Prospect Park Alliance to welcome the earliest migrants of the year, and also say goodbye to some of our winter residents. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 8 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Leader: Steve Nanz
Focus: Waterbirds and geese, early egrets and herons, early shorebirds and passerines
Registrar: Heidi Nanz email heidi.steiner@verizon.net or call before 8 pm 718- 369-2116
Registration Period: March 26th – March 31st

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Every Saturday Weekly from 03/19/2016 to 08/27/2016
Canarsie Walk-up and Paddle
Location: Canarsie Pier – Brooklyn
Time: 1:00PM to 3:30PM
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Name: Ryan Visitor Center Contact Phone Number: 718-338-3799
Try kayaking! Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation required.
Dress to get wet; bring sunscreen, a snack and water.

Sunday, April 3, 2016, 10am - 12:30pm
Dead Horse Bay: New York's Best-Kept Secret
Free
Hike the trails and shoreline at Dead Horse Bay with Mickey Maxwell Cohen, American Littoral Society naturalist, author of Discovering the Trails of Dead Horse Bay. Explore the nature and fascinating history of this little known area. Sturdy footwear is essential.
This is an American Littoral Society/Gateway NRA Partnership Program.
Walk is approximately 2 miles.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, April 2, 2016 - 9:00am
Jones Beach Bird Walk
Look for early migrants, including oystercatcher, heron, egrets, kinglets, warblers, and sparrows.
Registration: 516-433-5590.
Directions: Take either Meadowbrook Parkway or Wantagh Parkway to Ocean Parkway. Follow signs for the Coast Guard Station at the West End of Jones Beach. Meet at the parking lot by the restrooms.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Debbie Becker leads a free bird walk at the Garden every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm beginning at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center

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New York City Audubon Society
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 5-9:30pm
The Sky-Dance of the Woodcock II
Guide: Gabriel Willow
The American Woodcock is a remarkable bird: It is in the sandpiper family but lives in woodlands, often far from beaches. The male performs an incredible crepuscular aerial display and song early in the spring, soon after the snow melts in the northern U.S. There are a few places around New York City where they perform this display. Let’s go look for it (and bats and owls and other critters, too) at Floyd Bennett Field. Bring binoculars, comfortable shoes, a headlamp or flashlight, and a snack for a post-woodcock picnic. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $90 (63)
Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Sunday, April 3, 2016 @ 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Mount Loretto Unique Area
Cost: Free
Contact: Anthony Ciancimino
Join birder Anthony Ciancimino for a guided bird walk through the fields at Mount Loretto Unique Area. We should get a nice selection of arriving early spring migrants, look as well as waterfowl on the ponds and in the bay. This is the time of year when we could potentially get Eastern Meadowlark as well as Pine and Palm Warblers. Meet in the parking lot along Hylan Blvd directly across from the CYO Center. Contact Anthony at sibirdwatcher@yahoo.com for more information.

Sunday, April 3, 2016 @ 9:00pm – 11:00pm
Chapin Woods
Cost: Free
Contact: Mike Shanley
Join Mike Shanley as he explores Chapin Woods, sildenafil located in the Special Hillsides Preservation District of Staten Island. The Special Hillsides Preservation District guides development in the steep slope areas of Staten Island’s Serpentine Ridge, there an area of approximately 1,900 acres in the northeastern part of the borough. The purpose of the district is to reduce hillside erosion, landslides and excessive storm water runoff by preserving the area’s hilly terrain, trees and vegetation. Wear proper shoes and dress accordingly. For more information contact Mike Shanley at falecore@yahoo.com

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Alley Pond Park

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, April 2, 2016
Pop-Up Audubon: Leaf Litter Critters at Eastwood (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Using fun games and experiments, join the Prospect Park Alliance to uncover the secrets of soil creatures, fungus and decomposition. Free!

Pop-Up Audubon II: Plant Clues at Peninsula (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join Alliance educators at the Pop-Up Audubon II tent to learn what trees and plants tell us about our environment.
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? Take a tour and learn about the magnificent array of birds that call Prospect Park home.
Free!

Opening Weekend in Prospect Park at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn, Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn, The Carousel (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Join the Prospect Park Alliance to celebrate the beginning of spring at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, Lefferts Historic House and the Carousel!
Free!

Hands on History: For the Birds at King Manor Museum (in Rufus King Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Listen to bird stories, and then make your own feeder out of oranges at this King Manor Museum program.
Free!

Sunday, April 3, 2016
Early Morning Bird Walk: Changing Seasons, Changing Birds at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn 8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.
Join the Prospect Park Alliance to welcome the earliest migrants of the year, and also say goodbye to some of our winter resident.
Free!

Pop-Up Audubon: Leaf Litter Critters at Eastwood (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Using fun games and experiments, join the Prospect Park Alliance to uncover the secrets of soil creatures, fungus and decomposition.
Free!

Pop-Up Audubon II: Plant Clues at Peninsula (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Join Alliance educators at the Pop-Up Audubon II tent to learn what trees and plants tell us about our environment.
Free!

Opening Weekend in Prospect Park at Audubon Center at the Boathouse (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn, Lefferts Historic House (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn, The Carousel (in Prospect Park), Brooklyn
12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Join the Prospect Park Alliance to celebrate the beginning of spring at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, Lefferts Historic House and the Carousel!
Free!