Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, May 6, 2017 to Sunday, May 7, 2017:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, May 6, 2017, 12pm – 1pm
Introduction to Bird Watching
Join Prospect Park Alliance for a birdwatching walk and learn about Prospect Park’s magnificent array of birds and how to identify them!

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Spring Migrants and Local Trees in Green-Wood Cemetery
Leaders: Molly Nash Rouzie and Matthew Wills
Focus: Tree species and the birds that use them
Meet 8:00 am inside the 25th St/5th Ave entrance by The “Castle”
Note : Nearest train R line to 25th Street

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Central Park’s Ramble
Leader: Katie Kleinpeter
Located in the heart of Central Park, The Ramble is a destination not to be missed during spring migration! Join Katie on the LIRR train leaving from Ronkonkoma train station at 5:37 a.m. or meet her in the city at West 72nd and Central Park West at 7:30 a.m. There will be opportunities for coffee, food and bathrooms at The Boathouse in the park. We can plan on taking a 12:00 or 1:00 train home, but you can leave earlier or stay longer if you wish!

Please email Katie at katiekleinpeter@gmail.com so she knows to look out for you. She will provide her phone number for the day of the field trip and other last minute details.

Parking for the train station: There is a smaller north lot and larger south lot. Automated ticket booths are located at both sides and a teller is located on the north side only. The train leaves from the north side, track A. In addition to buying a train ticket, you will need to purchase 2 rides for the MetroCard/Subway. Seniors get a discount with a Medicare card.

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Feminist Bird Club
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Green-Wood Cemetery with Rob Jett

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Gateway National Recreation Area
Every Sunday Weekly from 03/12/2017 to 05/28/2017
Birding for Beginners
Join us for an introductory nature walk where you will learn the essentials of birdwatching.
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fee Information: Free

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 7:00am
Central Park
Leader(s): John Gluth (631-827-0120), Steve D’Amato (631-264-8413), Nick Laviola (631-678-7866)
Meet at 7 a.m. on Central Park West at 77th Street (opposite the Museum of Natural History)

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Saturday, May 6, 2017
"Birding in Peace" - Peak Spring Migration Birding

Sunday, May 7, 2017
"Birding in Peace" - Peak Spring Migration Birding

From Ruby-throated Hummingbirds to over 20 species of colorful wood-warblers, our peak migration tours will feature many of the 163 bird species that have been recorded at Green-Wood during the month of May. Beginning just after sunrise, we will experience spring’s dawn chorus at the most active time of day for birds.

$10 for members of Green‑Wood and BHS/$15 for non-members.

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Hudson River Audubon Society
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Cranberry Lake
Meet 8am at the nature center.
http://hras.org/wtobird/cranberr.html

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 8:00am
Central Park: Warblers of NYC Exploration
One of the finest spots around the metropolitan area for warblers and other spring migrants as well as breeding birds. The array of birds that can be see is dazzling!
Registration: 631-885-1881 or aveblue@gmail.com

Directions: Meet at the Boathouse, easily accessed from the pedestrian entrance on Fifth Ave near 76th St. Walk downhill veering left past the Alice in Wonderland statues, by the right side of the sailboat pond toward the right, up the hill, cross the roadway and to the Boathouse.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Pine Barrens for Early Spring Butterflies and More
Leader: Rick Cech
Registrar: Sandra Maury — sandramaury39@gmail.com or 212-874-4881
Registration opens: Monday, April 10
Ride: $45

Sunday, May 7, 2017
Great Swamp NWR and Scherman-Hoffman Sanctuary
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Registrar: Barbara Saunders — bsaunders002@nyc.rr.com or 646-872-4029
Registration opens: Monday, April 24
Ride: $30

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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
Saturdays April 29, May 13, and June 3, and Sundays, May 7 and May 21, 9:30-10:30am
Queens Botanical Garden Bird Walks
Guide: NYC Audubon with Queens Botanical Garden
We are happy to announce a new series of spring migration bird walks in partnership with Queens Botanical Garden. Register for one date or the whole series of five free walks (walk-ins welcome!). Explore the Garden in search of migrant songbirds and learn about the valuable resources that the Garden offers birds and other wildlife. Binoculars available. Limited to 25. Appropriate for all ages. To register, email info@queensbotanical.org or visit www.queensbotanical.org/calendar. Free with Garden admission

Saturday, May 6, 2017, 7am – 3pm
Sterling Forest Warblers, Orange County, NY
Guides: Don Riepe, Tod Winston
Explore the woodland and pond habitat of the 20,000-acre Sterling Forest preserve during peak spring migration. Look for nesting warblers (including golden-winged, cerulean, hooded, prairie, and blue-winged) as well as spring wildflowers, reptiles, and amphibians. Visit the rustic visitor center. Trip involves 4-mile hike and some rocky terrain. Bring lunch, water, and binoculars. Transport by passenger van. Limited to 12. $115 (80)
Click here to register

Saturday, May 6, 2017, 8:00am – 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

Sunday, May 7, 2017, 8am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Spring Migration at Freshkills Park
Guide: Cliff Hagen with NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Meet at the Staten Island Ferry and start your trip with a journey across the Upper Bay! From wetlands to woodlands to rich, rolling grasslands, Freshkills Park offers a diverse collection of habitats and wildlife. Each spring, the migration is magnificent at Freshkills Park. On any given day over 100 species of birds and a variety of butterflies can be enjoyed within the borders of the park. Join local naturalist Cliff Hagen and the NYC Parks Department on this special opportunity to explore the deep, secret places of the City's latest, greatest park. Transport by passenger van on S.I. included. Limited to 12. $50 (35)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 7, 2017, 8am – 12pm
Introduction to Bird song
Class: Friday, May 5, 6:30-8:30pm
Trip: Sunday, May 7, 8am-noon
Guide: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
Do you ever wonder who is singing? Learn to identify the large variety of migrant and resident birds in New York City. Joe Giunta will first introduce you to the subtleties of bird-song identification in the classroom followed by a field trip in Central Park to bird by eye and ear. Limited to 12. $72 (50)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 7, 2017, 9am – 2pm
Spring Migration on Randall's Island
Guides: Gabriel Willow, Randall’s Island Park Alliance Staff with Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Inc. Meet on the northwest corner of 102nd Street and the FDR Drive. We’ll walk across the foot bridge to Randall’s Island, an under-explored location in the East River that hosts restored freshwater wetlands and salt marsh. We’ll look for spring migrants (both waterbirds and land birds) as we explore the results of recent restoration efforts. Limited to 20. $40 (28)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 7, 2017, 9:30am – 10:30am
Queens Botanical Garden Bird Walks
Saturdays April 29, May 13, and June 3, and Sundays, May 7 and May 21, 9:30-10:30am
Guide: NYC Audubon with Queens Botanical Garden
We are happy to announce a new series of spring migration bird walks in partnership with Queens Botanical Garden. Register for one date or the whole series of five free walks (walk-ins welcome!). Explore the Garden in search of migrant songbirds and learn about the valuable resources that the Garden offers birds and other wildlife. Binoculars available. Limited to 25. Appropriate for all ages. To register, email info@queensbotanical.org or visit www.queensbotanical.org/calendar. Free with Garden admission

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North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, May 6, 2017, 8am – 12pm
Walk: EARLY - Alley Pond Park
Leader: Rich 516-509-1094
See "Walk locations" for directions.
Wear water-resistant footwear, bring binoculars and drinking water.

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NYC H2O
Saturday, May 6, 2017, 11am
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 11am
Ridgewood Reservoir Community Tours

NYC H2O is offering free tours of the Ridgewood Reservoir to community members and the public.

The Ridgewood Reservoir in Highland Park is a 50+ acre natural oasis that straddles the border of Brooklyn and Queens. Built in 1859 to supply the once independent City of Brooklyn with high quality water, it became obsolete with the addition of new reservoirs in the Catskills in the 1950’s and was decommissioned in the 1980’s. Since then, nature took its course in a perfect case study of ecological succession. A lush and dense forest has grown in its two outside basins while a freshwater pond with waterfowl sits in the middle basin.

Join us to explore this incredible natural resource in the heart of NYC. Please make a reservation.
We will meet in the parking lot at Vermont Place.

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Sunday, May 7, 2017, 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Long Pond Park

Participants will look for evidence of animal life in the wetlands and woods of Long Pond Park. We’ll also look for signs of spring bird life, examine the geology of the area and observe evidence of past human use of the area.

Meet beside Public School 6 on Page Avenue and Academy Avenue.

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

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, May 6, 2017
Early Morning Bird Walk at Wave Hill, Bronx
8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
Join naturalist Gabriel Willow on a special early-morning walk to spot the amazing diversity of birds in the gardens and woodlands, as well as in the skies above, before the gates open.
Free!

Discovery Walks for Families: Beginning Birders at Chess and Checkers House (in Central Park), Manhattan
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Bring your family for a guided walk and discover why Central Park is a sanctuary for plants, animals, and humans alike.
Free!

Meet Birds of Prey at East 16th Road to East 18th Road on Cross Bay Boulevard (in Broad Channel Park), Queens
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
This is an exciting chance to meet live hawks, owls, and falcons. Learn about the many adaptations that make these animals some of the most skilled hunter on the planet.
Free!

Sunday, May 7, 2017
Bird-Watching at the Reservoir at Ridgewood Reservoir, Queens
7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m.
Catch the warbler wave! Welcome them back at a spring bird-watching workshop led by The Brooklyn Bird Club.
Free!

Bird Walks with New York City Audubon at Queens Botanical Garden, Queens
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Spot and identify creatures of flight and learn how Queens Botanical Garden provides important resources for birds—like water, shelter, and insects to eat.

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Wild Bird Fund
Saturday, May 6, 2017, 9:30am - 11:30am
Focus on the Birds with Charles Chessler!
WHERE: Starts at Wild Bird Fund at 565 Columbus Avenue, and then travel to Central Park
COST: $20 per person, $15 for members!
Join WBF and native New York photographer Charles Chessler for a fun couple of hours learning how best to capture the beautiful birds that visit and make Central Park their home.
At 9:30AM Charles will spend a half hour discussing some basic photographic concepts and best settings for bird photography. Then we’ll head into the park to see what we can see…and, hopefully, we’ll all go home with some exciting images.
Reservations are required: Email events@wildbirdfund.org for more information

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Young Birders Club
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Bashakill Wildlife Management Area (Sullivan County)
Sponsoring NYSYBC Partner: Sullivan County Audubon Society
Trip Leader: Lance Verderame
This outstanding birding area in southeastern Sullivan County attracts birders from all over the northeast. Most come in April and May to look for migrating birds that stop to rest and feed in the trees and shrubbery adjacent to the large wetlands, but the birding is excellent much of the year.

This BCA (Bird Conservation Area) is comprised of the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area. Habitat is primarily non-tidal emergent wetland through which the Bashakill River meanders. The wetlands are surrounded by deciduous woods and mixed woods, with some shrub lands. The area hosts a number of rare plants and animals (Spreading Globeflower, Ironcolor Shiner, Spotted Sunfish and Long-tailed Salamander). Limestone caves exist in the area as well. The area supports characteristic breeding wetland-dependent species (such as Great Blue Heron, Virginia Rail, Sora and Common Moorhen), abundant waterfowl, and several species at risk. And in May, WARBLERS!

Species at risk include: Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Least Bittern, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, and Red-shouldered Hawk. Trail Map

Trip Registration Form due by FRIDAY 4/28/17 (date corrected 4/27/17). If you have not yet submitted a 2017 medical form (page 2 of the trip registration form) please submit it with your registration form.