Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, May 13, 2017 to Sunday, May 14, 2017:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, May 13, 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
Saturday, May 13, 2017
World Migratory Bird Day

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Saturday May 13, 2017
“The Birdathon”, International Migratory Bird Day
A global event celebrating the beauty of birds and habitats; this event encourages fundraising for conservation causes. For this year, the Brooklyn Bird Club’s Birdathon fundraising will support NYC’s Wild Bird Fund https://www.wildbirdfund.org/. For more information about the Birdathon and the history behind it, go to http://www.birdday.org/
If you are interested in forming a team with club members or friends, or if you need more information, please contact the BBC Birdathon teams’ coordinator Bobbi Manian at roberta.manian@gmail.com.

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Eastern Long Island Audubon Society
Saturday, May 13, 2017, 9:00am
William Floyd Estate
Leader: MaryLaura Lamont (Estate phone 631-399-2030)
MaryLaura will be leading this walk in celebration of INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY. The Estate has a variety of habitats: woods, fields, creeks and marshes that offer a host of choices for the birds. They tend to settle in for a day or two to rest and feed on their migration north. We hope to catch a glimpse of various migrating birds – and maybe a few surprises Cleared pathways are the majority of walking areas for us, but ticks may be anywhere on Long Island – and this is no exception!
The Main Entrance Gate is at 245 Park Drive, in Mastic Beach proceed to the parking area.

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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

Saturday, May 13, 2017 9:00am to 4:00pm
International Migratory Bird Day
Come celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with us here at the Refuge. This year's theme is Stopover Sites: Helping Birds Along the Way. See live birds from Volunteers for Wildlife, go on a Warbler Walk, and learn about ways you can help migratory birds.
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fee Information: Free

Sunday, May 14, 2017, 10:00am to 1:00pm
Jamaica Bay Bird Walk
Meet for a slide program and hike around the refuge to look for many species of migratory birds. Leader: Don Riepe. For reservations call (718) 474-0896; e-mail: don@littoralsociety.org
Location: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Fee Information: Free

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Great South Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, May 13, 2017 - 7:00am
Alley Pond Park
Leader(s): Mike Cooper (516-523-2369) Steve D’Amato (631-264-8413)
Northern State Pkwy to Exit 23, which reads: Cross Island Parkway, Union Turnpike and Alley Pond Park. Go to Union Turnpike (NOT Alley Pond Park). At the signal light, turn right onto Union Turnpike. Proceed to the next signal light which is Springfield Blvd and turn right. Go about 4 blocks to 76th Ave. Turn right onto 76th Ave. and proceed to Alley Pond Parking lot on your left.

Sunday, May 14, 2017 - 8:00am
Birding and Breakfast, Connetquot River SPP
Leader(s): Bob and Edith Wilson, Ken Thompson Helga Merryman
Continental breakfast hosted by Friends of Connetquot. Reservations required - call Connetquot River State Park Preserve at 581-1072 to register. Registration fee $4. plus $8 parking fee per car - unless you have yearly Empire pass.

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, May 14, 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
Sunday, May 14, 2017, 8:00am
Mother’s Day Warbler Walk, Lenoir Nature Preserve
19 Dudley St. Yonkers
Meet us for our 25th year of this Audubon tradition. Spring migrants will be searched for; followed by refreshments at the nature center.
http://www.hras.org/wtobird/lenoir.html

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, May 13, 2017 - 7:30am
Muttontown Preserve-International Migratory Bird Day Celebration Walk
Help us celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with a morning at Muttontown Preserve. The Preserve includes miles of marked nature trails with local wildflowers, trees, birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Today we will be looking for migrants, as well as breeders that have flown north to nest in our area.
Registration: 516-695-0763 or hobaudubon@gmail.com.
After the walk, we’ll head over the Wild Birds Unlimited in Syosset for snacks and coffee, which will be followed by a children’s craft program at noon.
Directions: Meet in the parking lot off of Muttontown Lane, which is on the south side of Route 25A, just west of Route 106 in East Norwich. Follow Muttontown Lane to the end.

Sunday, May 14, 2017 - 7:30am
West Hills Warbler Watch
Picturesque, well-groomed nature trails, including the historic Walt Whitman Trail to Jayne's Hill (Long Island's highest peak), wind through this mixed-deciduous forested park. We will investigate this lovely preserve for migrating warblers, as well as other birds.
Registration: 585-880-0915
Directions: Take Sweet Hollow Road and turn right into north entrance. Meet at the upper parking area by the Jayne's Hill Picnic Area.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Bashakill Marsh and Environs
Leader: John Haas
Registrar: Dale Dancis — ddancis@gmail.com or 212-724-3269
Registration opens: Monday, May 1
Ride: $45

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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

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

Saturday, May 13, 2017, 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Afternoon Spring Walk at Inwood Hill Park
Guide: Nadir Souirgi
Meet at Muscota Marsh, just inside the Park entrance at Indian Road and 218th Street. Inwood Hill Park, simply put, is a jewel. Nestled between The Hudson River, Dyckman Street and Seaman Avenue, this last tract of largely undeveloped oak and tulip forest transports you to another world and another time. Glacial "pot holes", towering trees, and stunning river views create an unrivaled backdrop by which to observe the many migratory and breeding avian species that are drawn to this hotspot. Rose-breasted grosbeak, wood thrush, and yellow warbler breed here, and the Park includes one of only two of Manhattan's last remaining tidal salt marsh! Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 14, 2017, 8:00am – 11:00am
Spring Warblers
Class: Friday, May 12, 6:30-8:30pm
Trip: Sunday, May 14, 8-11am
Instructor: Joe Giunta, Happy Warblers LLC
First learn to identify the 30-plus species of warblers that migrate through our area each spring, using field marks and other techniques. Then go out in the field and reinforce what you’ve learned. Field trip to Central Park. Limited to 15. $72 (50)
Click here to register

Sunday, May 14, 2017, 9:30am – 11:30am
Spring Birding at Wave Hill, The Bronx
Monthly on the second Sunday, until Jun 11, 2017
Guide: Gabriel Willow with Wave Hill
Meet at the Perkins Visitor Center. Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of bird species and their behaviors on these captivating walks. Wave Hill’s garden setting overlooking the Hudson River flyway provides the perfect habitat for resident and migrating birds. Ages 10 and up welcome with an adult. NYC Audubon members enjoy two-for-one admission (see www.wavehill.org for more information)

Sunday, May 14, 2017, 10:00am – 1:00pm
Jamaica Bay Migration Bird Walk
Guide: Don Riepe with American Littoral Society and Gateway NRA
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge during peak spring migration for a slide program and hike around the reserve to look for many species of migratory birds. For reservations, call Don Riepe at (718) 474-0896 or e-mail donriepe@gmail.com. Free

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North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, May 13, 2017, 6:30am – 5:00pm
"Big DAY" - start early at Alley Pond Park
Leader: Ian Resnick 917-626-9562
See "Walk locations" for directions. Parking lot 76th Ave east of Springfield Blvd.
Wear water-resistant footwear, bring binoculars and drinking water.
You do not need to stay the whole day. After lunch, the day continues for those who choose. Please call Ian to let him know if you are coming.

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NYC H2O
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Plumb Beach Cleanup
Bus transportation will be provided from Union Square leaving at 9:00am.

We will have an optional ecology lesson with marine biologist Helen Cheng after the cleanup. We will use a seinning net to catch critters that live in Jamaica Bay and put them in jars with water to study them before returning them to the water.
Lunch, gloves, garbage bags and pickers will be provided.

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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods
Saturday, May 13, 2017, 9:15am – 3:15pm
The Richard Buegler 10-Mile Greenbelt Walk
Following in the steps of founder an friend, Richard Buegler, participants will enjoy a pleasant walk through the woods of the Greenbelt, a woodland which defines the life’s work of Richard Buegler.

Beginning at Staten Island Boulevard, behind Petrides High School, we plan to walk the trails in search of pinkster azaleas, trout lilies and a colorful collection of migrating spring birds and emerging butterflies.

Meet behind the Michael Petrides School Complex on Staten Island Boulevard.
For additional information, contact: Dominick Durso at 917-478-7607, Don Recklies at 718-768-9036, Chuck Perry at 718-667-1393

Saturday, May 13, 2017, 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Richmond Town, Old Mill Road
Enjoy a walk back through Staten Island’s past as participants visit the ruins of three, pre-Revolutionary War mills, Bedell’s, Ketchum’s and Crocheron’s mills. Explore the watercourses which fed each mill. Discover the wildlife, the rich diversity of spaces which now call the mill creeks home.

Participants will meet in the parking lot on Old Mill Road beside St. Andrew’s Church.
For more information contact Ray Matarazzo at 718-317-7666

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, May 13, 2017
BIG DAY
Leader: Corey Finger - (518) 445-5829

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, May 13, 2017
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!

Birding: Spring Migration at Van Cortlandt Nature Center (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
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.

Birding: Ridgewood Reservoir at Vermont Place Parking Lot (in Highland Park), Queens
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free!

Central Park Conservancy Family Discovery Day at East Pinetum (in Central Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Join us for a day of discovery and learn first-hand about the people, plants, and wildlife that make Central Park thrive!
Free!

Meet Birds of Prey at Beach 87th Street (in Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk), 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 hunters on the planet.
Free!

Sunday, May 14, 2017
Spring Birding at Wave Hill, Bronx
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Explore the gardens and woodlands with naturalist Gabriel Willow on a quest to spot some of our favorite feathered friends as they return to the Hudson Highlands.

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Wild Bird Fund
Saturday, May 13, 2017, 9:00am - 11:00am
A Walk On The Wild Side: Mid Spring Migration
Spring Migration is in full swing! Time to get outside and see who’s around!
Please join WBF member and artist/naturalist Alan Messer for a Mid Spring Migration bird walk on May 13 (Rain Date, May 14).
In Central Park, this time is the peak season for many warbler, vireo, and thrush species. We will also see our resident birds in nesting behavior and migrant sparrows and finches. Enjoy our birds and blooms of spring.
We’ll be meeting at the Wild Bird Fund (565 Columbus Ave, New York, NY) at 9:00am SHARP.
The walk is $15; for members of WBF, it is $10.
(Interested in becoming a member? It’s only $10 a month! Click here for more info!) RSVP required: events@wildbirdfund.org ...Read more

Friday's Foto

The Yellow-breasted Chat is an atypical member of the wood-warbler family. While it shares many characteristics of other warblers, such as, a diet that consists primarily of insects, there has been suspicion among taxonomists that it may belong in another grouping; It is much larger that any of the other warblers. It doesn't tend to flock like the other warblers. It also produces an extremely varied range of squeaks, whistles, clucks and cackles, sounding more like a mockingbird. Despite a recent reworking of the wood-warblers taxonomy, this colorful bird remains a warbler for the foreseeable future.

Breeding in very dense scrub, consider yourself lucky if you find one of these secretive birds as they spend most of their time in stream thickets, briars and brushy tangles. Their nesting range includes British Columbia, Ontario, Massachusetts, south to California, the Gulf Coast, and Florida. They overwinter in the tropics, including coastal regions of southern Mexico.

Having an extremely large range and stable population, the IUCN Redlist lists their conservation status as "Least Concern".

The Yellow-breasted Chat's scientific name, Icteria virens, means jaundice-yellow or yellow bird and green, for its olive-green upper side.

Treehugger Tuesday

From the website Mother Nature Network:

15 astounding facts about trees
As National Arbor Day draws attention to trees, here's a closer look at how weird and wonderful these pillars of our communities can be.
Russell McLendon
April 28, 2017, 7 a.m.

It's hard to overstate the importance of trees. Their debut more than 300 million years ago was a turning point for Earth, helping transform its surface into a bustling utopia for land animals. Trees have fed, housed and otherwise nurtured countless creatures over time — including our own arboreal ancestors.

Modern humans rarely live in trees, but that doesn't mean we can live without them. About 3 trillion trees currently exist, enriching habitats from old-growth forests to city streets. Yet despite our deep-rooted reliance on trees, we tend to take them for granted. People clear millions of forested acres every year, often for short-term rewards despite long-term risks like desertification, wildlife declines and climate change. Science is helping us learn to use trees' resources more sustainably, and to protect vulnerable forests more effectively, but we still have a long way to go.

Earth now has 46 percent fewer trees than it did 12,000 years ago, when agriculture was in its infancy. Yet despite all the deforestation since then, humans still can't shake an instinctive fondness for trees. Their mere presence has been shown to make us calmer, happier and more creative, and often boosts our appraisal of property value. Trees hold deep symbolism in many religions, and cultures around the planet have long appreciated what a walk in the woods can do.

Click here to read the entire article. ...Read more

The Birds Came Storming In

I had made plans to meet a few of my birding friends very early Saturday morning in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The wind forecasts seemed promising for more incoming migrants, plus I wanted to see what was around to help me get an idea of what to expect for my Sunday "Birding in Peace" tour at Green-Wood Cemetery. Unfortunately, when eating breakfast at 5am on Saturday morning all I could think about was the booming cracks of thunder, blinding lightning flashes and deluges of rain outside my apartment. Then I imagined flocks of tiny birds flying through that hell and dropping into NYC parks in search for some temporary refuge. It actually turned out to be a great weekend for both the birds and birders.

The storms cleared out by about 6am and I wandered up to Prospect Park, where I ended up spending a marathon 10 hours collecting new spring bird sightings nearly everywhere I looked. By the time I left for home I had 80 species of birds under my belt. I hoped that cooler temperatures and north winds overnight meant that most of the birds would be sticking around for my Green-Wood Cemetery tour.

It was apparent as we were walking into the cemetery at 6:30am that there were lots of new birds around. I saw small groups of tiny warblers swirling overhead and heard a lot of muted chips from the tops of the mature oaks just inside the main gate. Most of the maple trees had already flowered and dropped their dried, deep-green petals. The oaks, however, are now festooned with mustard-yellow catkins which are luring in swarms of minute insects. Those insects, in turn, are a magnet for thousands of hungry warblers. A short distance up from the start of Central Ridge, a large oak shading the Tiffany family plot seemed electrified with bird life. As expected, the majority of the songbirds were Yellow-rumped Warblers, but as soon as we stopped to scan the activity a brilliant American Redstart dropped down and perched atop a headstone, drawing "oos" and "aahs" from the group. Several Northern Parulas blared their buzzy trill from somewhere within the oak. Black-and-white Warblers crept along the trunk and small horizontal branches. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet sang from a nearby Flowering Dogwood. A Chipping Sparrow could be heard trilling from a large pine tree to our left, where we had seen a Yellow-throated Warbler on a previous tour. Later in the morning we would also locate our first Prairie Warbler of the season, as well as, several Common Yellowthroats...or as my wife likes to call them, the "Bandit Warbler", for the black mask that the males sport.

As we continued up the ridge I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of a long-tailed bird flashing passed. The impression was that of a possible cuckoo. These birds are notorious for silently perching under the cover of dense foliage, making it extremely difficult to find them. Fortunately, this Yellow-billed Cuckoo hadn't seen the field guides and flew across the ridge in front of us where it obligingly perched a short distance down from the top of a linden tree. With a little bit of patience I was able to get everybody focused on this relative of the roadrunner.

There was such an abundance of activity along the ridge that we spent approximately 30 minutes to travel only about 100 yards. Another mature oak a short distance from the first held the first of a few Yellow Warblers that we'd see on Sunday. A single male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was eventually joined by two more males and a pair of females. I was initially drawn to the "chink" call note of this grosbeak, which sounds to my ears like a sneaker squeaking on a basketball court. I walked the group up a short, steep rise so that we could get a bit closer to the tree tops. From there we also got great looks at our first Scarlet Tanager of the day. We would see a couple more of this seemingly luminescent red bird by the morning's end.

Before leaving Central Ridge I stopped to point out an Ovenbird (there were LOTS around on Sunday) and a mixed flock of sparrows, when all the birds spooked. I began to explain that, when the birds flush like that, one should immediately stop to look around for...my words were interrupted by a immature Red-tailed Hawk that flew into a tree directly in front of us and nearly at eye level. After making sure everyone was focused on the brazen hawk, I finished my sentence..."raptors".

Flocks of Barn Swallows skimmed the air above all the lakes and ponds, but at the Sylvan Water we also spotted a pair of the less flamboyant Northern Rough-winged Swallows. At the opposite end of the size spectrum, a pair of Great Blue Herons perched on a dead snag above the cemetery's largest body of water.

Thrushes had also made a big push into the area over the weekend. The grouping of "brown" woodland thrushes have evolved their subtle palette of browns and reds to, no doubt, blend in with the leaf litter of the forest floor where they spend most of their time during the breeding season foraging for insects other invertebrates. Beginning birders may find these species a challenge to identify as they don't have the obvious field marks of other songbirds; this one has very few breast spots, another has dark breast spots, one has no eyering, another has a grey eyering while a similar one has a buffy eyering. It's actually not that difficult if one spends a bit of time studying between seasons. They may lack the ostentatious coloring of the wood-warblers, however, they more than make up for it with their vocalizations. The four forest thrushes that we observed on Sunday, Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush and Wood Thrush, all have wonderful, complex songs. Unlike most humans, who can only produce a single sound at a time, thrushes can sing two notes independent of each other. Birdnote has a really interesting podcast about it here. It would have been amazing to hear them all singing, but we only managed to hear one of the Wood Thrushes singing at the edge of Dell Water. The tours during the month of May will begin a half hour earlier, so perhaps then we'll hear the dawn incantations of some of these masters of song.

This coming weekend we should see even more birds on our dawn walks. Maybe we'll even break 20 species of warbler! If you plan on coming, be sure to sign up at the Green-Wood Cemetery events page here.

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Location: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Date: April 30, 2017, 6:30am
Species: 72

Canada Goose
Wood Duck (1.)
Mallard
Great Blue Heron (2.)
Green Heron (1.)
Red-tailed Hawk (1.)
Spotted Sandpiper (1.)
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1.)
Belted Kingfisher (1.)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel (1.)
Monk Parakeet
Eastern Phoebe (1.)
Great Crested Flycatcher (1.)
Eastern Kingbird (2.)
Blue-headed Vireo (3.)
Warbling Vireo (2.)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (2.)
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch (1.)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1.)
House Wren (4.)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Veery (5.)
Swainson’s Thrush (2.)
Hermit Thrush (4.)
Wood Thrush (7.)
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher (1.)
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird (12.)
Northern Waterthrush (2.)
Black-and-white Warbler
Nashville Warbler (1.)
Common Yellowthroat (4.)
American Redstart (2.)
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler (3.)
Blackpoll Warbler (2.)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (3.)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Prairie Warbler (2.)
Black-throated Green Warbler (2.)
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow (1.)
Eastern Towhee (3.)
Scarlet Tanager (3.)
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting (1.)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole (3.)
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow ...Read more

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. ...Read more

Friday's Foto

This close relative of the Snowy Egret, the Little Blue Heron is a medium-sized heron with a purple-blue head and neck and slate-gray body. Immatures are white and looks very much like the Snowy. Read David Sibley’s piece on distinguishing immature Little Blue Herons from Snowy Egrets here.

Favoring freshwater habitats such as ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps, and lagoons, they can also be observed along marine coastlines. The Little Blue Heron can be found throughout much of the Americas, ranging from southern California and the south-eastern US south to Peru and Central Brazil. In New York City small numbers nest on Hoffman Island in Lower New York Bay and Elders Point East in Jamaica Bay.

Their conservation status via IUCN is Least Concern, although their populations has been slowly declining. In addition, it is listed on the 2016 State of North America's Birds' Watch List, which includes bird species that are most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats.

The Little Blue Heron’s scientific name, Egretta caerulea, means small egret; azure-blue.

Green-Wood Cemetery Weekend Report

We had some brief intervals of south winds on Saturday night promising a bit more northbound migrants for my Sunday dawn cemetery walk. While I wouldn't say the trees were "dripping" with birds, there was a fair increase in the species seen through the morning. In addition, I went back to the "hawkwatch hill" at the northwest corner of the cemetery with a few friends later in the day. There wasn't a huge push of raptors, but we did spot a few nice highlights to report.

The blooms on the cherry trees that ring the Valley Water have exploded. The puffy, pink blossoms have attracted lots of insects which, in turn, acted like a magnet for a proliferating population of Yellow-rumped Warblers. There were so many present that I could hear their weak warbling trills and "pip" calls as we passed the chapel, several yards from the pond.

While I was trying to get everyone on the warblers that were darting in and out of the cherry trees, I heard a familiar song and call from directly above us. The squeaky, "rusty gate" song was from a Rusty Blackbird. I explained to the group that this species of blackbird is in serious decline with nearly 85-95% of their numbers disappearing since the mid-1900’s. Click here to learn more information about this issue.

On the stretch from the Valley Water to the Sylvan Water we saw lots of Chipping Sparrow, a couple of Eastern Towhees, a Blue-headed Vireo and lots and lots of robins. I always wonder, at this time of year, how many breeding pairs of robins the cemetery could support as they seem to be just about everywhere. The grassy border at Sylvan was fairly quiet, however we did hear a Northern Waterthrush singing from somewhere near the east edge of the pond.

The first of our annual Green Herons has arrived. He appears to be staking a claim in the elm tree at the edge of Dell Water, where they successfully raised a family last year. If you hang out at this spot early in the morning you should be able to hear him making his raspy "skeow" call. Keep an eye out for nest building activity here or at the Crescent Water once the females arrive.

We had a couple of more warbler highlights on Sunday. They were technically after the tour had ended, but it was such a lovely morning that I invited anyone who wanted to stick around to join me for more birding. Around half the people opted to keep on going and, luckily, we spotted some more birds. The first was near the entrance to the "catacombs". A Northern Parula perched at the top of a cherry tree was singing a buzzy chromatic scale. It was right about that time that I received word of a Blue-winged Warbler at the Crescent Water, so we turned around and hoofed it back. Once there, it wasn't easy finding this brilliant yellow bird. Despite his near constant singing, he was mostly hidden from view by the thick cover of blooms in the pair of crabapple trees that he favored. Eventually everyone got to see him.

After a short break for lunch I joined some friends for an impromptu hawkwatch at the highest point in the cemetery, just north of the Civil War Monument. The winds hadn't really been favorable for raptors heading north, but they shifted to the south in the early afternoon. In the short time that we were scanning the horizon we tallied Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel (red-tails and kestrel were probably locals). The highlight was an adult Bald Eagle flying low over the "Hill of Graves" towards Prospect Park. I quickly tweeted out an alert and, within a couple of minutes, received a response from someone at the edge of Prospect Lake that they saw it. Two other non-raptor sightings from the hawkwatch hill were several flocks of migrating Double-crested Cormorants and my first Chimney Swift of the season.

This coming Sunday's tour is already sold out, but I recommend just getting outside and birding anywhere you can as it promises to be a good weekend for northbound birds.

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Location: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn
Date: Sunday, April 23, 2017
Species: 59 species

Canada Goose (2.)
Wood Duck (1.)
Mallard (2.)
Double-crested Cormorant (132.)
Great Egret (2.)
Green Heron (1.)
Black Vulture (1. Seen after end of “official” tour at hawk watch hill.)
Turkey Vulture (4.)
Osprey (2. Seen after end of “official” tour at hawk watch hill.)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1. Seen after end of “official” tour at hawk watch hill.)
Bald Eagle (1. Seen after end of “official” tour at hawk watch hill.)
Red-tailed Hawk (3.)
Laughing Gull (8.)
Herring Gull (6.)
Rock Pigeon (3.)
Mourning Dove (5.)
Chimney Swift (1. Seen after end of “official” tour at hawk watch hill.)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (3.)
Downy Woodpecker (3.)
Northern Flicker (2.)
American Kestrel (1. Seen after end of “official” tour at hawk watch hill.)
Monk Parakeet (5.)
Eastern Phoebe (2.)
White-eyed Vireo (1. Heard only near Crescent Water.)
Blue-headed Vireo (3.)
Blue Jay (7.)
American Crow (3.)
Fish Crow (1.)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (2.)
Tree Swallow (1.)
Barn Swallow (5.)
Black-capped Chickadee (1.)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (4.)
White-breasted Nuthatch (1.)
House Wren (2.)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (5.)
Hermit Thrush (2.)
American Robin  24
Brown Thrasher (2. Seen after end of “official” tour at Ocean Hill.)
Northern Mockingbird (4.)
European Starling (7.)
Northern Waterthrush (1. Heard only at Sylvan Water.)
Blue-winged Warbler (1. Crescent Water.)
Northern Parula (1.)
Palm Warbler (3.)
Pine Warbler (8.)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Fairly abundant.)
Chipping Sparrow (31.)
Field Sparrow (1. Heard singing in the Flats near Vine Ave.)
White-throated Sparrow (5.)
Song Sparrow (4.)
Eastern Towhee (5.)
Northern Cardinal (8.)
Rusty Blackbird (1. Edge of Valley Water.)
Common Grackle (5.)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Common.)
House Finch (3.)
American Goldfinch (3.)
House Sparrow (8.) ...Read more

Treehugger Tuesday

From Popular Science online:

Of course, all our plastic crap ends up in the Arctic
It isn’t freaking Narnia
By Kendra Pierre-Louis April 21, 2017

The Arctic, in our popular imagination, is a frozen expanse teetering figuratively and literally on the edges of human culture. It remains primal and wild and unsullied by human contagions.

It's a nice idea, but one that doesn't match reality.

The Arctic, as a physical place, is directly connected to the same ecosystems that we humans are polluting closer to home. It’s foolish to think that harming one part of a connected ecosystem doesn’t harm the others, as a study released on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances makes clear. The study found that even in the remote Arctic we can’t escape the megatons of plastic waste humanity unleashes upon the world.

“Most of the surface ice-free waters in the Arctic Polar Circle were slightly polluted with plastic debris,” wrote the study’s authors in the paper, before going on to add, “…plastic debris was abundant and widespread in the Greenland and Barents seas.”

Plastic in the world’s oceans has been a growing concern since at least 1997 when Charles Moore stumbled across the Great Pacific Garbage patch as he crossed the Pacific after competing in the Transpacific Yacht Race. Today we know that there are at least six main garbage patches filled with plastic plaguing the seas. By some estimates as much as 300,000 tons of plastics are in the world’s oceans.

Some of the plastic that ends up there was blown off cargo ships, and others wind up in the ocean because of deliberate dumping. But most wind up there because of carelessness. Many plastic bits end up in the water because of less-than-careful handling of our garbage. Many more enter the oceans because as we deliberately designed plastic products, like microbeads, we never paused to wonder where a piece of plastic designed to be used while you shower ends up when it goes down the drain.

The researchers, a global crew hailing from 8 countries and 12 universities including the University of Cádiz in Spain, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, and Harvard University, came to this conclusion by literally dragging nets across the arctic and looking to see how much plastic they picked up. They sampled a total of 42 sites across the Greenland, Barents, Kara, Lapteve, East Siberian, Chuckchi and Beaufort seas along with the Canadian Archipelago, Baffin Bay, and the Labrador Sea.

To make sure they were capturing as much as the plastic as possible, they used a stereo microscope to aid in their search, enabling them to catch pieces of plastic as small as 330 micrometers—about four times thicker than your typical strand of human hair. They then analyzed and classified them according to shape and probably point of origin.

Plastic in the ocean isn’t just unsightly. In fact, the plastic debris that we see is less of a problem than the plastic that is too small to see easily. That’s because plastic never biodegrades. It doesn’t revert back to its molecular elements the way other materials do.

Given enough time a leaf laying on the soil floor will be eaten by bugs and microbes to become soil that once again provides the tree with nourishment. Given enough time plastic will become a smaller piece of plastic. That’s it - this stuff never goes away. Eventually, after being buffeted about by sun and salt water, it becomes small enough that sea animals confuse it with morsels of food such as seaweed, or plankton. A 2015 study found that roughly 20 percent of small fish have plastic in their bellies. Researchers have also found that some northern fulmar’s, a sea bird that hangs out mostly in the subarctic, have elevated levels of ingested plastic. Plastic it seems, is not just an occasional snack, but a steady part of their diets. Tasty.
fulmar

Not only is plastic not food, but it is associated with a cocktail of potentially harmful chemicals. Some plastics are made of chemicals which cause cancers, or that disrupt hormonal systems associated with sexual reproduction and general wellbeing. Plastic in the oceans can also act as a magnet for other chemicals – dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—which also cause cancer and interact with hormones that we also dump in the ocean. Biologists are still trying to figure out what this means in terms of the health and wellbeing of the fish, and the humans who eat these fish.

Not many people live in the Arctic, certainly not enough to account for the level of pollution they found. Researchers in this study were able to trace back the plastic, not surprisingly, to the North Atlantic—to the more heavily populated coasts of Northwest Europe, the United Kingdom and the east coast of the United States. Ocean currents—driven by changes in temperature and salinity—ordinarily send warmer waters up to the cold reaches of the Arctic. Now, they also pick up plastic hitchhikers along the way.

Given what we know about human activities and ocean currents, it’s not shocking that researchers found plastic in the Arctic. What is disconcerting is that after decades of research in the area people still think of the Arctic as pristine. We already know that Arctic whales have PCB’s, polar bears have long been contaminated by DDT, and even animals in the deepest parts of the oceans are being poisoned by toxic chemicals. What’s surprising is not that this is happening, but that this continues to happen and that we continue to be surprised.
...Read more

Upcoming Birding and Nature Trips

Below is a list of upcoming nature trips by local birding/conservation groups for Saturday, April 29, 2017 to Sunday, April 30, 2017:

Audubon Center in Prospect Park
Saturday, April 29, 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
Saturday, April 29, 2017, 8:00am - 12:00pm
Discover Rye Nature Center with Naturalist Tait Johansson and Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon
Join Tait and BRSS’s Doug Bloom to look for warblers and other spring migrants on this bird walk at then gem of a nature center.
Meet at Rye Nature Center.
Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy.
Please register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

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Brooklyn Bird Club
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Hempstead Lake State Park, West Hempstead, NY
Leader: Steve Nanz
Focus: Peak of spring migrants and songbirds
Registrar: Heidi Steiner email heidi.steiner@verizon.net or call before 8pm 718- 369-2116
Registration Period: April 22nd–April 27th
Site profile: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/31/details.aspx
April Bird list http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L143222?m=4&yr=all&changeDate=Set

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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
Saturday, April 29, 2017 - 8:00am
Valley Stream SP and Jones Beach West End
Leader(s): John Gluth (631-827-0120), Steve D’Amato (631-264-8413)
Southern State Parkway to exit 15S, North Corona Ave. No Corona Ave to Hendrickson Ave (.07 mi) turn right at Hendrickson Ave. Hendrickson Ave. to Fletcher Ave (.3 mi) turn right on Fletcher Ave. Fletcher Ave North to Valley Stream State Park entrance on right (.2 mi). Park at far end of lot.
(Nature walks will be cancelled if it is raining or snowing.)

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Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday, April 30, 2017
"Birding in Peace": Birds of Early-Spring Migration
Our April tours will be a feast for the ears and eyes with the trilling song of Pine Warblers and drumming pronouncements of Woodpeckers on newly blossoming trees (including magnolias, maples, quinces, and dogwoods). We’ll discover thousands of songbirds resting before their trip north as well as arriving herons and egrets at Green-Wood’s glacial ponds.

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. Copies of our new Bird Checklist will be available to all tour participants. Comfortable footwear is recommended.

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Highland Park Community Advocates
Sunday, April 30th, 2pm - 4pm
Spring “Sanctuary” Walking Tour
Shed Your Stress in Highland Park and Ridgewood Reservoir. Join us as we walk, sit, and reflect along the forest bluestone overlook, the newly-renovated and landscaped Boulder Arch Bridge and the paths of the Ridgewood Reservoir.
• Experience the beautiful Spring flowers and foliage
• View the restoration of the Boulder Bridge • Meditate in extraordinary park settings
• Relax and let go of stress...
Meet at Highland Boulevard and Bulwer Place
This Free Tour is Led by HPCA’s Founder Charles Monaco
For further information contact: imagepark@aol.com

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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society
Saturday, April 29, 2017 - 8:00am
Members Only! Shu Swamp Exploration
This trip will be led by an outstanding naturalist and while we will focus on the plant life of the preserve (spring ephemeral wildflowers should be in bloom!) we will be keeping an eye out for birds.
Registration a MUST, this trip is open to HOBAS Members Only and Group Size Limited to 15: 516-695-0763.
Directions: From Route 25A in East Norwich, take Route 106 north to Oyster Bay. Make left on to Lexington Ave then left on to West Main Street. At the Mill Pond (on the left), bear to the right as if to go to Bayville. At first traffic light (water will be on your right) make a left onto Cleft Road. Take Cleft Road to Frost Mill Road, make a left. (If you wind up on the causeway going over Beaver Dam, you have gone too far.) Shu Swamp will be on your right after you go under the train trestle. Do NOT use your GPS. You will end up in the wrong place.

Sunday, April 30, 2017 - 9:00am
Green-Wood Cemetery Ramble
Beautiful scenery, famous monuments, and some of the best bird watching in the city. The must-see birds are the Monk Parakeets.
Registration: 631-885-1881 or aveblue@gmail.com
Directions: LIE westbound to 48th St exit to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway south to the Hamilton Avenue exit. Continue on Hamilton Avenue until it becomes Third Ave. Continue on about 8 blocks to 25th St. Turn left at 25th St. and go two blocks. Cemetery entrance is straight ahead at Fifth Ave and 25th St.

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Linnaean Society of New York
Sunday, April 30, 2017
New Jersey Hotspots
Leader: Robert Machover
Registrar: Anne Lazarus — amlazarus47@gmail.com or 212-673-9059
Registration opens: Monday, April 17
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
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, April 29, 2017, 2pm – 5pm
Afternoon Spring Walk at Inwood Hill Park
Guide: Nadir Souirgi
Meet at Muscota Marsh, just inside the Park entrance at Indian Road and 218th Street. Inwood Hill Park, simply put, is a jewel. Nestled between The Hudson River, Dyckman Street and Seaman Avenue, this last tract of largely undeveloped oak and tulip forest transports you to another world and another time. Glacial "pot holes", towering trees, and stunning river views create an unrivaled backdrop by which to observe the many migratory and breeding avian species that are drawn to this hotspot. Rose-breasted grosbeak, wood thrush, and yellow warbler breed here, and the Park includes one of only two of Manhattan's last remaining tidal salt marsh! Limited to 15. $36 (25)
Click here to register

Saturday, April 29, 2017, 3:00pm – 4:30pm
KIDS Member Walk in Central Park
JOIN US FOR A KIDS MEMBER WALK IN CENTRAL PARK
Guides: Kellye Rosenheim and Nancy Ward
Meet at Central Park West and 72nd Street and explore Central Park’s best birding hotspots with Nancy Ward and Kellye Rosenheim. Walk is only for pre-registered KIDS Members ages 8-12 years old. All KIDS Members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Please let us know if you need a pair of binoculars. To register, parents should email KIDS@nycaudubon.org.

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North Shore Audubon Society
Saturday, April 29, 2017, 9:30am – 12:00pm
Walk: Muttontown Preserve
Leader: Rich 516-509-1094
See "Walk locations" for directions. 34 Muttontown Lane, East Norwich, NY 11732
Wear water-resistant footwear, bring binoculars and drinking water.

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Queens County Bird Club
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Cape May
Leader: Arie Gilbert (917) 693-7178
Please contact leaders at least 2 days before trip to let them know you are attending

Sunday, April 30, 2017
Forest Park
Leader: Jean Loscalzo (917) 575-6824
**7:30am Start**
Where: Park Lane South and Mayfair Rd., Queens, NY 11418

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South Shore Audubon Society
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Jones Beach West End #2

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, April 29, 2017, 8:00am
Birding for Beginners with naturalist Scott Graber
Experience the variety of bird life that inhabits the Bashakill. Binoculars are required and wear sturdy walking shoes. We’ll meet at the Haven Road DEC parking lot near Rt. 209.
Call Scott to register and/or for additional information at 914-799-1313. This is a field trip of the Bashakill Area Association.

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Urban Park Rangers
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Bird-Watching Walk at Forest Park Visitor Center (in Forest Park), Queens
8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Start your day with an early morning bird watching walk led by Jean Loscalzo of the Queens County Bird Club. Binoculars recommended.
Free!

Fort Tryon Kids Workshop: Birds of Cabrini Woods at Cabrini Woods (in Fort Tryon Park), Manhattan
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
We will enjoy a unique tree canopy-level view of the woods and learn fun facts about migrating birds through art, acting, and other hands-on activities.
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.
Free!

Sunday, April 30, 2017
Birds of High Rock Park at Parking Area (in High Rock Park), Staten Island
9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Join Seth Wollney for a walk around High Rock Park in search of spring migrants including warblers, thrushes, vireos, and more!
Free!

Birding: Ospreys at Fort Totten Front Gate (in Fort Totten Park), Queens
10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle.
Free!

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Wild Bird Fund
Saturday, April 29, 2017, 9:00am - 11:00am
A Walk On The Wild Side – April Edition
Spring is here – time to get outside and see who’s around!
Join Alan Messer for a spring migration bird walk in Central Park on this weekend of the Peoples Climate March. Alan will answer you questions regarding climate change, the impact on our local wildlife, and the city. Alan will offer reports from here and around the country, and we will consider our role in addressing this global issue.

We’ll be meeting at the Wild Bird Fund (565 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10024) at 9:00am SHARP on April 29th (Rain Date is April 30th).
The walk is $15; for members of WBF, it is $10.
(Interested in becoming a member? It’s only $10 a month! Click here for more info!)
RSVP required: events@wildbirdfund.org ...Read more