Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, January 7, 2017 to Sunday, January 8, 2017:

Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, January 7 - Sunday, January 8, 2017
A Jersey Winter Blitz-zer
Leader: Peter Dorosh
Focus: Winter species, waterfowl, raptors, ducks, winter songbird residents
Car fee :$85.00
Registrar: Peter Dorosh Prosbird@aol.com or text only cell 347-622-3559
Registration Period: Nov 15th – Dec 30th
Note: Trip begins Saturday morning; Focusing on New Jersey premier winter locations and target species

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Winter Nature Hike
Time: 10:00am to 11:30am
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Join NPS rangers to find out where animals go in the winter.

Sunday, January 8, 2017
Dead Horse Bay, New York's Best Kept Natural Secret
Time: 10:00am to 12:30pm
Location: Floyd Bennett Field- Main Entrance Ranger Station
Join American Littoral Society naturalist Mickey Maxwell Cohen to hike the trails of Dead Horse Bay.

Sunday, January 8, 2017
Winter Woodpecker Walk
Time: 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Join a ranger on a walk on the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge's trails as we seek out some beloved woodpeckers!

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, January 7, 9:00am
Montauk
Leaders: John Gluth (631-827- 0120), Ken Thompson (631-612-8028)
Meet at Lighthouse parking lot. Latecomers can still join in the vicinity of the restaurant overlook. Directions Route 27 to 27A to end.
(Nature walks will be cancelled if it is raining or snowing.)

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Linnaean Society of New York
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Jones Beach
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Registrar: Miriam Rakowski — miriamrakowski@hotmail.com or 212-749-7376
Registration opens: Monday, December 26, 2016
Ride: $25

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 9/3/2016 - 6/24/2017: 11:00 a.m.
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, January 7, 2017, 9am – 6pm
Winter Birding on the South Shore of Long Island
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Winter in New York brings the excitement of possibility: Will snowy owls appear in the dunes? Will harlequin ducks move westward from Cape Cod and Montauk, and appear in closer waters? Will irruptive northern finches and bohemian waxwings move south from Canada? All of these species and more are possible on Long Island in the winter, along with more expected species such as loons, grebes, scaup, eider, northern harriers, purple sandpiper, and more. Bundle up and brave the cold for some of the best birding our area has to offer. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $93 (65)
Click here to register

Sunday, January 8, 2017, 8am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Winter at Freshkills Park
Guides: Cliff Hagen with NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Meet at the Manhattan terminal of the Staten Island Ferry. Winter at Freshkills Park is an exciting time for birding. The grass-covered slopes offer birds plenty of seed and shelter to huddled flocks of horned larks, snow buntings, and sparrow species, as rough-legged hawks soar overhead. Down below the mounds are a crisscross of tidal creeks filled with a variety of waterfowl. Grebes, geese, and coots swim alongside over a dozen species of ducks including teal, mergansers, and pintails. Transport by passenger van on S.I. included. Limited to 12. $57 (40)
Click here to register

Sunday, January 8, 2017, 9:30am – 11:30am
Winter Birding Along the Hudson: Wave Hill
Guide: Gabriel Willow with Wave Hill
Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center. The Hudson River valley hosts an impressive diversity of bird species, even during the winter months. Come explore the beautiful gardens and woodlands of Wave Hill and observe the hardy birds that spend the winter in this urban oasis. Walks run rain or shine. Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission

Sunday, January 8, 2017, 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)
Saturday, January 7, 2017 @ 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Mt. Loretto Unique Area, Beach and Bluffs @ Mt. Loretto
Enjoy a mid-winter walk to investigate the geology beneath the historic Prince’s Bay lighthouse. Naturalist Ray Matarazzo will discuss storm erosion at the Terminal Moraine. During the walk participants may find fossils. Winter storm action and erosion occasionally reveal glacial drift fossils from the Devonian Period, fossils which are millions of year’s old. Bring a magnifier. Meet in the Hylan Boulevard parking lot across from the CYO Community Center at Kenny Road.
For more information contact Ray Matarazzo at 718 317-7666 Sunday, January 15, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

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Urban Park Rangers
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Winter Birding at Perkins Visitors Center (in Wave Hill), Bronx
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Explore Wave Hill’s tranquil gardens and woodlands with naturalist Gabriel Willow to observe birds in their winter habitats.
Free!