Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

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

Freshkills Park (Staten Island)
Sunday, July 17, 2016, 9:30am
Classic Harbor Line Tour
Cruise on the vibrant waterways of the Kill Van Kull and the Arthur Kill and into the heart of Freshkills Park in Staten Island on one of Classic Harbor Line’s luxury yachts. The AIANY and Freshkills Park planners host this special Classic Harbor Line tour; the only public water tour into the Freshkills waterway.
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Sunday, July 17, 2016 10:00am
Bus Tour
Learn about the past, present and future of Freshkills Park development during a guided bus ride through the park. Stops at the top of the park’s hills offer beautiful panoramic views of Staten Island. This tour departs from the Eltingville Transit Center.
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Sunday, July 17, 2016 1:00pm
Bus Tour
Learn about the past, present and future of Freshkills Park development during a guided bus ride through the park. Stops at the top of the park’s hills offer beautiful panoramic views of Staten Island. This tour departs from the Eltingville Transit Center.
Sign Up at EventBrite

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Every Sunday Weekly and Every Saturday Weekly from 06/04/2016 to 09/03/2016 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Birding for Beginners
Join us for an introduction to this fun hobby. Learn the basics of birding. Bring binoculars and a field guide or borrow them from wildlife refuge!
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fee Information: Free

Every Sunday Weekly and Every Saturday Weekly from 05/28/2016 to 08/28/2016 9:30AM to 11:30AM
Camp Gateway Walk-up and Paddle
Try kayaking! Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservation required. Bring a snack, water and sunscreen.
Bus: Q35
Location: Floyd Bennett Field – Brooklyn, Seaplane Ramp
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Name: Ryan Visitor Center
Contact Phone Number: 718-338-3799

Every Saturday Weekly from 05/28/2016 to 08/27/2016 1:00PM to 3:30PM
Canarsie Walk-up and Paddle
Kayak tryouts for those who have never done it before. Open to the public, ages 6 and up with an adult. No reservations required.
Location: Canarsie Pier, Brooklyn
Fee Information: FREE
Contact Name: Ryan Visitor Center
Contact Phone Number: (718)338-3799

Every Sunday Weekly from 06/05/2016 to 09/04/2016 11:00AM to 12:00PM
Fort Tilden Bunkers Walking Tour
Join a Park Ranger for an exploration of Fort Tilden's gun batteries, and find out about the fort's role in the defense of New York Harbor.
1 mile.
Location: Fort Tilden-Building 1
Fee Information: Free

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturday, July 16, 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, July 16, 2016 10am – 4pm
It's Your Tern Festival
Come celebrate Governors Island’s treasures: Common terns and oysters! Common terns have recently colonized several decommissioned piers on the Governors Island waterfront; in 2013, researchers from NYC Audubon and Cornell University counted 181 nests and banded 100 chicks. The Tern Festival will be held 10am until 4pm as part of Waterfront Alliance’s City of Water Day, and will feature speakers, a bird tour of Governors Island, a botany and natural history tour of the Island, and a common tern viewing station.

Saturdays, May 7-July 30, 8-9:30am
Van Cortlandt Bird Walks, The Bronx
Guides: NYC Audubon, Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy 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, July 16, 2016, 10am – 11:30am
City of Water Day EcoCruise
Join Gabriel Willow of NYC Audubon on board the Circle Line for a special eco-cruise to view Hoffman and Swinburne Islands! Explore the natural history of the area and learn about the crucial ecology of our harbor estuary!
This is a 75-minute, one-way tour from Pier 83, Hudson River to Yankee Pier at Governors Island. Once you get back to Governors Island, be sure to stop by and visit NYC Audubon's 'It's Your Tern Festival'!
To sign up, visit http://waterfrontalliance.org/what-we-do/city-of-water-day/activities/ and scroll down to 'Boat Tours'

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NYC H2O
Sunday, July 17, 2016, 11am
Flushing Creek Bike Tour with Sergey Kadinsky, author of "Hidden Waters of NYC"
Sergey Kadinsky, author of Hidden Waters of New York City, will lead this ride. Join Sergey, NYC H2O, the S.W.I.M Coalition, Guardians of Flushing Bay and the Empire Dragon Boat Team on a bike tour along this waterway that explores Flushing Creek from its source to its mouth.

Flushing Creek is an urban waterway hidden in plain sight that runs between two highways through the heart of the largest park in Queens. The creek originates in the midst of a complex network of roads. It first expands into two lakes before being confined in an underground culvert. It then re-emerges in Willets Point from where it eventually empties into Flushing Bay. This is the stream that flowed past the Valley of Ashes in The Great Gatsby. Arguably, it is the centerpiece of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the site that hosted two World's Fairs.

Flushing Bay and Creek have the largest number of combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls in the city. Billions of gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater are discharged into these waterbodies every year. The future of Flushing Creek is the subject of controversy. Come learn about why it deserves our advocacy.

The ride is 3.5 miles long with several stops along the route.
Cost: $20
Have questions about Flushing Creek Bike Tour - July 17? Contact NYC H2O
Click here to register

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods (Staten Island)
Saturday, July 16, 2016 @ 10:00am – 2:00pm
Forest Restoration Workshop – La Tourette Bike Path
Cost: Free
Contact: Don Recklies 718-768-9036, Chuck Perry 718-667-1393
Meet in the Field of Dreams ballfield parking lot on Alaska Place off of Forest Hill Road (opposite the Costco). We will walk the path removing alien saplings and cutting invasive vines that strangle native plants along the trail. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (and refreshments). After a two-hour work session (our 238th monthly workshop), 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.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
Bird Walks focus on wildlife happenings in the park and are led by NYC Audubon experts.
Free!

Sunday, July 17, 2016
Birding: Ridgewood Reservoir at Main entrance across from the Vermont Place Parking Lot
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Explore the Ridgewood Reservoir for interesting bird species with the Urban Park Rangers.
Free!