Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, October 20, 2018 to Sunday, October 21, 2018:

Bedford Audubon
August 25, 2018 through November 27, 2018, 9am to 4pm
Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch
Arthur Butler Sanctuary, Chestnut Ridge Rd., Bedford Corners, NY
The fall Hawkwatch starts Saturday, August 25! Join us at the Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch at the Arthur Butler Sanctuary on Chestnut Ridge Road in Bedford Corners every day from 9 am to 5 pm, weather permitting, to experience the miracle of raptor migration. Our data is combined with other Hawkwatch sites to create population and migration analyses that help us better protect raptors and their habitats.
See more details

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Floyd Bennett Field
Leader: Rob Jett
Focus: Sparrows, Pipits, raptors, open field species, early waterfowl
Car fee: $10.00
Registrar: Peter Dorosh Prosbird@aol.com or text only cell 347-622-3559
Registration Period: Oct 13th – Oct 18th
Please review our trip guidelines here: http://brooklynbirdclub.org/information-registration

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Prospect Park: Birdwatching for Beginners
Leader: Cyrus Baty Birdwatching for Beginners meets at the Prospect Park Audubon Center at The Boathouse at 12 noon. Bring binoculars if you have them; otherwise, binoculars are available for loan.

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City Island Bird Walks
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8:30am
Bird Walk for Fall Migrants
Meet at the Orchard Beach Parking Lot, near the entrance booths

Basic Information:
Our walks are free, informal, friendly and fun. The walks usually last about 3-4 hours, depending on many variables, which include weather, birds, and fatigue. If you want to leave early, there are no hard feelings.

Please come prepared! Bring binoculars and a field guide if you have one. I will bring a spotting scope but feel free to bring your own if you have one. Beginners especially welcome!

Sorry, no dogs!
Please email me if you need directions!
Finally a string of northwest winds has brought in some birds. Let’s check out the edges near the waterline, and possibly Hunter Island, if there’s time. We’ll meet near the entrance booths in the parking lot.

If it’s pouring rain, we will not walk. However, if the weather is a bit damp, gray or drizzly, we will go. If you’re not sure, check the webpage. I will post a cancellation notice by 7:00 AM on that day or before.

If you have any questions, email me, jack@cityislandbirds.com.

Please be aware that there is public transportation, but I cannot pick up anyone at the station. If you want to come by subway, email me, and I will give you directions

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Gateway National Parks
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8:30am to 10:00am
Bird Hike Series
Location: Great Kills Park Ranger Station
Learn about local and migrant birds at various stops from the saltmarsh to Crooke’s Point, wear appropriate footwear.
View Details

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 10:00am to 11:30am
Tracks and Trails: Animal Signs Walk
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fees: Free
Even if we might not see them, animals are all around us. Become an "animal detective" by learning about and discovering clues that animals leave behind.
View Details

Sunday, October 21, 2018, 10:00am to 3:00pm
Jamaica Bay Raptorama!
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fees: Free
Celebrate fascinating birds of prey!
View Details

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, October 14, 2018, 10:00am - 12:00pm (class)
Sunday, October 21, 2018, 10:00am - 12:00pm (walk)
Me and My Sparrows
It’s a little known fact that the common house sparrow was introduced to North America right here at Green-Wood. In 1854, about 100 were brought from England and released in the Cemetery (as well as along the Narrows) as natural predators of the inchworms that were destroying trees throughout the city. Today there are approximately seventy-four million sparrows in the United States, and even veteran birders say they are among the most difficult to distinguish. Are you ready to take the sparrow challenge? From the American Tree Sparrow to the White-crowned Sparrow, this course will focus on the seventeen regularly-occurring New World sparrow species around the Big Apple, breaking down the basics of size, shape, and behavior.

Once ticket secures a spot for both sessions, on October 14th and October 21st, from 10 AM to 12 PM. Comfortable footwear is recommended, as we will be exploring Green-Wood for part of the class.

$25 for members of Green-Wood and BHS / $30 for non-members

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Great South Bay Audubon
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8:30am
Caumsett SP
Leader(s): John Gluth (631-827-0120) Ken Thompson (631-612-8028)
Northern State to exit 42N (Route 35). 35 to 25A. 25A west to West Neck Road (right turn). West Neck/Lloyd Harbor Rd. into Lloyd Neck. Entrance to park on left. Meet in Parking lot.
(Nature walks will be cancelled if it is raining or snowing.)

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Hudson River Audubon
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Lenoir Nature Preserve Hawk Watch
19 Dudley St. Yonkers
Meet at 10 AM behind the Lenoir Mansion
http://www.hras.org/wtobird/lenoir.html

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Fort Tilden 2
Leader: Richard ZainEldeen
Registrar: Pearl Broder — pbroder3@nyc.rr.com or 212-924-0030
Registration opens: Monday, October 8
Ride: $15

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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 Society
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8:30am – 5:00pm
Raptor Trust and Great Swamp, NJ
Guides: Don Riepe, Tod Winston
Enjoy a private tour of the Raptor Trust rehabilitation center and see many owls and hawks up close. Afterwards, we’ll hike the boardwalk trails of the beautiful Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge to look for raptors, waterfowl, reptiles, and amphibians. Bring lunch. Transport by passenger van included. Limited to 11. $122 (86)
Click here to register

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 9:00am – 10:30am
Van Cortlandt Fall Bird Walks
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, October 20, 2018, 9:30am – 10:30am
Queens Botanical Garden Bird Walks
Saturdays September 8 and October 20, and Sundays, September 23, October 7 and 28, 9:30-10:30am
Guide: Corey Finger with Queens Botanical Garden
Explore Queens Botanical Garden in search of migrant songbirds and learn about the valuable resources that the Garden offers birds and other wildlife. Binoculars available. Register for one date or the whole series of five walks (walk-ins welcome). Email info@queensbotanical.org or visit www.queensbotanical.org/calendar to register. Each walk limited to 25. Free (with Garden admission)

Sunday, October 21, 2018, 8am – 3pm
Birding Gems of Staten Island: Freshkills Park
Sundays, October 21 and December 2, 8am-3pm
Guide: Cliff Hagen
Come with NYC Audubon for a special opportunity to see Freshkills Park in transition from what was once the world’s largest landfill into an expansive park. Currently closed to the general public, the Park is home to rolling grasslands, tidal marshes, successional woodlands and a freshwater pond system, which host an array of breeding birds, butterflies, mammals, frogs, and turtles. Each autumn, migrant species abound as they travel along the Atlantic Flyway. Sparrows, Osprey, a collection of waterfowl, and lingering warblers seek refuge in the park. Overhead, raptors soar along the terminal moraine as they make their way south for the impending winter. Late-blooming flowers attract an assortment of butterflies and dragonflies. Transport by passenger van from Staten Island St. George Terminal included. Limited to 12. $57 (40) per walk
Click here to register

Sunday, October 21, 2018, 9am – 10am
Bird Walk at the Evergreens Cemetery, Queens
Guide: Corey Finger with The Evergreens Cemetery
Meet inside the cemetery entrance at Bushwick Avenue and Conway Street. Join us for a family-friendly walk exploring the serene grounds of the cemetery as we keep an eye out for the variety of species that call The Evergreens home. Moderately strenuous with many hills and stairs. Register here. No limit. Free
Click here to register

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North Shore Audubon
Saturday, October 20, 2018, 9:30am – 12:00pm
Oceanside - Marine Nature Study Area
Leader: Ralph (516) 785-3375
Marine Nature Study Area, 500 Slice Dr, Oceanside, NY 11572, USA (map)

Please inform walk leader that you are attending.
See "Walk Locations" for directions.
Wear water-resistant footwear, bring binoculars and drinking water. Wear long pants and socks so you do not touch poison ivy.

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New York City WILD!
Sunday, October 21, 2018, 8:00am - 7:00pm
NOW GET OUT: Poughkeepsie Two Bridges Walk

For the full information about each walk click HERE

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Kissena Park
Leader: Eric Miller (917) 279-7530

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Mill Pond Park

Use street parking on the westbound side of Merrick Road. The park is four blocks west of the Wantagh State Parkway.
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.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, October 20, 2018
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 QBG provides important resources for birds like water, shelter, and insects to eat.

Fall Bird Walk for Beginners at Alley Pond Environmental Center, Queens
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Try to spot our various species of birds – both the year-round residents and the multitudes of warblers migrating through at this time.
Free!

Sunday, October 21, 2018
Birding: Raptor Migration at Gateway Drive and Erskine Street (in Spring Creek Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels and beginners are welcome. To enhance your experience we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides, or ask a Ranger to borrow a pair.
Free!