Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, June 3, 2017 to Sunday, June 4, 2017:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, June 3, 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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Bedford Audubon Society
Sunday, June 4, 2017, 7:30am - 11:00am
Mianus River Gorge Preserve
Join Naturalist Tait Johansson and Preserve Manager Budd Veverka for an early-morning bird walk at this beautiful old-growth forest, which holds a suite of interesting breeding birds, including Acadian Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and Worm-eating Warbler.
Cost: Free
Level of difficulty: Moderate-Strenuous
Depart Bylane at 7am, or meet us just south of 5 Mianus River Road, Bedford at 7:30. Park on the east side of the road. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Fountain Ave Landfill Park Breeding Bird survey
Leader: Joshua Malbin
Focus: Counting breeding birds in a future park
Registrar: Kathy Toomey, kathleentoomey@gmail.com
Registration Period: May 27th – June 1st
Note: This trip is capped at 12 participants. Bring proper identification (i.e. driver’s license, in case it’s needed.) This is a restricted area under the jurisdiction of the NYCDEP agency. The group will be escorted; participants are required to sign liability waivers the day of the trip.

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, June 3, 2017, 8:00am
South Fork Natural History Museum
Leader: Eric Salzman, South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo), Board of Directors
Cosponsored by the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society (ELIAS) and the South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo) On this joint walk, expert birder, composer, and author Eric Salzman will explore the avian life of the meadow behind the South Fork Natural History Museum and the adjacent Greenbelt woodlands and wetlands. This walk will provide an opportunity to see and—especially—hear some of our locally breeding birds. The two-hour walk will be followed by a short introduction to the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society. Light refreshments will be served.
There is no charge for this event, but advance reservations are required. Please call SoFo at (631) 537-9735 for reservations and directions to the Museum.

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, June 4, 2017
"Birding in Peace" - Summer Birding Sundays
Before our gates open to the general public, birding expert Rob Jett leads these peaceful Sunday morning walking tours to discover the many birds that call Green-Wood home. Locally nesting birds will be incubating eggs or actively raising their first broods.
Grab a copy of our Bird Checklist before you begin. Comfortable footwear is recommended.
$10 for members of Green‑Wood and BHS/$15 for non-members.
Click Here to Sign Up
Click here for our inclement weather policy.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, June 4, 2017, 8:00am
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation
Beautiful Ward Pound Ridge Preserve is a mix of open fields, woodland and streams, making it a marvelous spot for breeding birds. Bluebirds are frequently observed and breeders include yellow billed cuckoo, belted kingfisher, 14 species of warblers, Cooper's hawks and northern goshawks. We should see plenty of these birds and possibly some late migrants while walking along the numerous hiking trails. Ward Pound Ridge is also known for its abundance of butterflies,and 83 species have been recorded there!
Registration: 631-885-1881 or aveblue@gmail.com.
Directions: Whitestone Bridge to the Hutchison River Parkway, then get on I-684 around exit 26. Exit I-684 at exit 6 onto NY-35 heading east. Entrance to park is near junction of NY-35 and 121 South, Cross River.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Eastern Long Island Spring Specialties
Leader: Eric Salzman
Registrar: Anne Lazarus — amlazarus47@gmail.com or 646-306-9731
Registration opens: Monday, May 22
Ride: $40

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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
Friday, June 2 – Sunday, June 4, 2017
Montauk Spring Weekend
Guides: Mike Bottini, Mickey Cohen, Don Riepe with American Littoral Society
Join us for our 20th year at the luxurious Montauk Manor and enjoy indoor/outdoor heated pools, jacuzzi, and spacious suites. Registration price includes five meals, five guided field trips, two evening slide programs, an evening star watch and free pickup at the LIRR station in Montauk. For information and reservations, call Don Riepe at (718) 474-0896 or e-mail donriepe@gmail.com. $395 ($140 single supplement)

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

Weekly on Saturdays, until Jul 29, 2017
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

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NYC H2O
Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 6:30pm
Horseshoe Crab Discovery Walks
Location: Plumb Beach
Click here to sign up

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Sunday, June 4, 2017, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Page Avenue Beach
Participants will begin with an investigation of thee area’s unique, local ecology before moving on to exam the flotsam and jetsam accumulated at the high tide lines. This is a sure way to discover what Nature’s debris has tell us. As the water recedes with the tide the group will move into the intertidal zone to find our what sorts of living things survive in this challenging environment. A variety of crabs, snails, clams, worms and small fish are likely to be discovered.
It’s going to be muddy so dress appropriately.
Meet at the parking to a the bottom of Page Avenue, below Hylan Boulevard.
For more information contact Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, Jun 3, 2017
Ward Pound Ridge - Annual Club BBQ
BBQ: Nancy Tognan - 917-753-3146
Trip Leader: Eric Miller
Please contact Nancy Tognan before Wednesday, June 30 so that she may purchase an appropriate amount of food. Email (preferred) nancy.tognan@gmail.com, cell 917-753-3146. Menu is hamburgers and hot dogs, will provide veggie burgers on request.
Please contact leaders before the trip to let them know you are attending

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Hempstead Lake State 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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Sullivan County Audubon Society
Saturday, June 4, 2017, 10:00am
Field Trip: Happy for Herps
Join herpetologist Bill Cutler on a search for amphibians and reptiles. Kids as well as adults love learning about them. Registration required. Call Bill at 798-8050.
This is a joint field trip with the Bashakill Area Association

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Bird-Watching at the Reservoir at Main entrance across from the Vermont Place Parking Lot
7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m.
Start your day with an early morning bird-watching walk led by the Brooklyn Bird Club
Free!

Bird Walks at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
8:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.
Head to the park to join bird walks led by experts from the NYC Audubon! Bird walks focus on wildlife happenings in the park.
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.

Sunday, June 4, 2017
Discovery Day at Freshkills Park at Freshkills Park Event Entrance, Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Discovery Day is a one-day opportunity to visit normally closed sections of Freshkills Park before they open to the public.
Free!

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Young Birders Club
Sunday, June 4, 2017 (Rain date 6/11/17)
Doodletown (Rockland County)
Sponsoring NYSYBC Partner: Edgar A. Mearns Bird Club
Trip Leader: Gerhard Patsch

Doodletown is part of the Palisades Interstate Park. It is the site of a former hamlet just south of Bear Mountain and north of Dunderberg Mountain. The site was settled by at least 1762 and, at its peak (about 1945), was home to about 300.

Today this site is a fantastic birding hotspot with a great variety of warblers (including Cerulean and Hooded). Many other species are found here as well. To get an idea of what our trip might be like, check out Josh Cantor's report about our trip there in June 2016 and Eamon Freiburger's report about our trip there in June 2013.

The beginning of the outing will involve a steep walk along an old roadway. At the top of the hill is a reservoir. Everyone should carry water and a snack if they desire. Sneakers or light boots are suggested.

Watch your Inbox for directions and details on meeting time and location.

Trip Registration Form due by 5/26/17. If you have not yet submitted a 2017 medical form (page 2 of the permission form) please submit it with your permission form.