Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, January 6, 2018 to Sunday, January 7, 2018:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Sunday, January 7, 2018, 10am – 11am
Early Morning Bird Walk: Bring in the New Year with Birds
Join Prospect Park Alliance to explore the Park’s nature trails and discover the beautiful plumage and fascinating behavior of the Park’s wintering ducks. Please note this tour leaves promptly at 10 am. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, January 7, 2018 (note rescheduled date)
Early Winter at Marine Park
Leader: Heydi Lopes
Focus: Waterfowl and marsh birds
Car fee: $10.00
Registrar: Dennis Hrehowsik, email deepseagangster@gmail.com
Registration Period: Dec 30th - Jan 4th
Site profile: http://www.saltmarshalliance.org/
Please review our general trip information and guidelines on this page.

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, January 6, 2018, meet at 9am
Lakes Around Patchogue
Leader: John McNeil
Meet at the parking area at the corner of Lake Drive and East Main Street in East Patchogue by the side of Swan Lake. We will check out Swan Lake and then visit several other spots for a look at the bountiful water birds that flock to LI in the winter. Hopefully a surprise or two will be waiting for us. Contact John McNeil at 631.281.2623 or mcneil.jp@gmail.com
Snow date: Saturday, January 13, 2018
For all our walks be sure to dress for the weather and bring binoculars!

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, January 6, 2018, 9:00am
Montauk Pt.
Leader(s): 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.

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Sunday, January 7, 2018, 9:00am
Sunken Meadow State Park
We will investigate the trails, ponds, and seashore to see what birds are leftover from the fall and which birds have arrived for the winter.
Registration: 585-880-0915
Directions: Take Sunken Meadow Parkway north to the end. Meet in the southwest corner of the main parking lot.

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New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Saturdays -- 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
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Included in All-Garden Pass
Get Tickets

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New York City Audubon
Saturday, January 6, 2018, 8:00am – 10:30am
Intro to Birding: Bird Walk in Central Park
Guide: Tod Winston
Are you curious about "birding" but don’t have much (or any) experience? Come on a relaxed winter walk to some of Central Park’s hotspots to go over birding basics and see sparrows, finches, ducks, and more. Binoculars available. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Saturday, January 6, 2018, 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, and purple sandpiper. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $95 (67)
Click here to register

Saturday, January 6, 2018, 9am – 11am
Randall's Island Winter Walk
Guide: Nadir Souirgi
Explore this lesser known spot in the East River, where recently restored freshwater wetlands and salt marsh provide habitat for many varieties of birds. Hunt for rarities such as common goldeneye, lesser black-backed gull, and Iceland gull. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Saturday, January 6, 2018, 9:30am – 11:00am
Jamaica Bay Winter Bird Walk
Guide: Corey Finger
Though winter may seem lifeless, there are always birds around at Jamaica Bay. A walk around the West Pond in winter should provide sightings of a variety of diving and dabbling ducks, gulls, flocks of geese, and some hardy songbirds. We'll be bundled up in layers of clothing while the birds will be getting by with just their feathers. Marvel at the wonders of winter survival on this Jamaica Bay winter walk. Limited to 15. $40 (28)
Click here to register

Sunday, January 7, 2018, 9am – 2pm
Winter Birds of DeKorte Park, NJ
Guide: Gabriel Willow
Come explore the wilds of the New Jersey Meadowlands at DeKorte Park. Here, the Hackensack River meets extensive coastal marshes, creating a rich habitat for wildlife—especially wintering waterfowl and raptors. We'll be on the lookout for large flocks of canvasback, northern pintail, bufflehead, and northern shoveler. And we'll scan the skies for hunting raptors including rough-legged and Cooper’s hawks, northern harriers, and perhaps even a snowy or short-eared owl. We can warm up at the environmental center and learn about the Meadowlands' ecology. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 12. $88 (62)
Click here to register

Sunday, January 7, 2018, 9am – 11am
Lower Manhattan Pocket Park Blitz
Guide: Jacob Drucker
Couch's kingbird, Scott's oriole, and western tanager are the crown jewels of extraordinary rarities that found refuge in lower Manhattan's pocket parks in recent winters. We will search several of these small parks for "half-hardy" songbirds and hope for something unusual, starting with Madison, Union Square, and Gramercy Parks. We will then have the option to work our way south, covering Stuyvesant, Tompkins Square, and Washington Square Parks. Rarities or not, this is a great route to pick up a few early-year birds that won't be seen until spring. Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Hempstead Lake State Park
From the Southern State Parkway, take Exit 18 (Eagle Avenue) south to Field 3 (use second park entrance and make an immediate left turn.)
Directions via Google Maps

Bird walks led by a member of SSAS are conducted nearly every Sunday morning from late August through early June. Walks are open to the public and are free of charge. We especially encourage youngsters to attend.
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.