Field Trips

January 2008 

Birding at Jones Beach, NY.

Meet Della and Alan Wells at the former Park & Ride lot on Route 303 just north of Route 59 at 5:45am See the first sunrise of 2008 and start your year list. 845-942-5751

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Carol Weiss at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-358-3659

Winter at Congers Memorial Park.

Meet Matt Beckerle at 10am at the main parking lot of Congers Memorial Park (6 Gilchrest Rd.). Check out the variety of trees and birds along the eastern edge of Congers Lake and more. The path is wheelchair accessible, flat and paved. 845-735-5411

Winter Waterfowl Count.

Meet Carol Weiss at 9am at the parking lot by the baseball field at the entrance to Piermont Pier. We will walk the pier to count the ducks and from there, drive north through the county counting all the waterfowl we can find. Stops will be made wherever there is open water, and whenever participants need to warm up. Please call Carol if you can help with this statewide count. Results are reported to the NYSDEC. We will change the date if the weather is unfavorable. 845-358-3659

Owl Prowl at Stony Point Battlefield.

Meet Della and Alan Wells at 7:30pm on the circle at the arch at end of Park Rd., off Route 9W in Stony Point.  845-942-5751

Meet Carol Weiss at 8am at the former Park & Ride on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling. Search for owls & waterfowl in this wild(er) corner of the Bronx. Dress warmly; bring snack & hot drink. Return by early afternoon. 845-358-3659

February 2008

Winter Birding in Orange County.

Meet Jim Previdi at 2pm at the former Park & Ride lot on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling.  See raptors and field birds. Northern harriers and short-eared owls are usually sighted just before sunset. Should return by 6:30 p.m.  845-942-8448

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Ruth Carlson at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-268-6703

Rockland Lake State Park.

Meet Ruth Carlson at 8am at the flagpole in the North Pool parking lot.  Looking for late wintering ducks.  Great for beginners.  Over by 11:30 am.  845-268-6703

March 2008

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Carol Weiss at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-358-3659

Woodcocks at Kakiat Park.

Meet Della and Alan Wells at 7 pm at the Kakiat parking lot on Route 202 opposite Viola Elementary School in Suffern. Bring a flashlight. 845-942-5751

April 2008

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Ruth Carlson at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-268-6703

Amphibians at Tallman Mountain State Park.

Meet Ken McNichol and Carol Weiss at 7pm at the south entrance parking lot on Route 9W (not the main entrance) to look for frogs and salamanders. Bring a flashlight and wear boots.  845-359-9255 or 845-358-3659

The Celery Farm, Allendale, NJ.

Meet Alan & Della Wells at 9am at the former Park & Ride on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling.  Great for beginners.  May be wet under foot.  Look for waterfowl and very early spring migrants.  Over by Noon. 845-942-5751

A Spring Stroll at Mt. Ivy Swamp.

Meet Veronika Krause at 10 am at Pomona Middle School parking lot on Pomona Rd.  Look for Marsh Marigolds and chipping sparrows along the railroad embankment.  Over by noon.  845-359-9294

Buttermilk Falls Park for Wildflowers and Spring Migrants.

Meet Carol Weiss at the parking lot off South Greenbush Road, West Nyack at 9am.  Some uphill walking as well as a cascading water fall.  Over by Noon. 845-358-3659

Doodletown for Early Migration.

Meet Carol Weiss at 7am at the pull-off on Route 9W just north of the Iona Island causeway, south of Bear Mountain. First warblers of spring!  Some uphill walking. Bring snack. Over by noon.  845-358-3659.

Wildflowers at Tackamack/Clausland Mountain, NY.

Meet Nancy Slowik at 2:00 pm at the Tackamack Parking lot off of Clausland Mountain Road. We will search for violets and other early blooming wildflowers.  This is a joint walk co-sponsored by the Palisades Nature Association and RAS. Parking is limited so best to carpool. Over by about 4 pm. Call Alan or Della Wells at 845-942-5751 for further information.

May 2008 

Stony Point Battlefield State Park.

Meet Della and Alan Wells at 8am at the main parking lot at the end of Battalion Rd, accessed from Park Rd. off Route 9W in Stony Point. Stroll through this historic site on the Hudson River as we search the woodlands for spring neotropical migrants. Over about 10:30am. 845-942-5751

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Carol Weiss at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-358-3659

16 MAY 2008

(Fri evening) to 17 MAY (Sat evening)

BIG BIRD DAY Fundraiser.

See RAS Observer for details.

Trees & Flowers in Monsey Glen Park.

Meet Matt Beckerle & Ruth Carlson at 10 am at the entrance parking lot on Saddle River Road off Route 59 in Monsey. Views of sandstone overhangs and stone carved steps.  Some uphill walking.  Over by Noon. 845-735-5411 or 845-268-6703.

Bashakill Wildlife Management Area.

Meet Carol Weiss at 6am at the former Park & Ride on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling. All-day trip to a diverse wetland-woodland habitat that supports an impressive variety of birds and other wildlife.  May be wet under foot.  Bring sunscreen, insect repellant, snack and drink. 845-358-3659

June 2008 

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Ruth Carlson at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-268-6703

Galeville Airport During Nesting Season.

Meet Della & Alan Wells at 7am at the former Park & Ride on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling.  This abandoned airport, now administered as the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, is a hotspot for grassland birds. 845-942-5751

Doodletown for Beginners.

Meet Della and Alan Wells at 8am at the pull-off on Route 9W just north of the Iona Island causeway, south of Bear Mountain. Practice bird ID and binocular use. Some uphill walking. 845-942-5751

Butterflies, Birds, & Dragonflies at NJ Meadowlands.

Meet John Lampkin at 9am at the former Park & Ride on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling. Look for  butterflies, breeding birds, and dragonflies. 845-354-9567

July 2008 

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Carol Weiss at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-358-3659

Dragonflies for Beginners.

Meet Della and Alan Wells at 9am at the Kakiat County Park parking lot on Route 202 opposite Viola Elementary School in Suffern.  Learn to identify common dragonflies of Rockland County.  Plan to spend about 1.5 hours at Kakiat, then drive to Sandy Brook Park where we will spend another 1.5 hours. (Summit Park Rd. at Sandy Brook Dr. in New Hempstead, next to Vacation Camp for the Blind)  Binoculars with close focus highly desirable. Bring cameras to capture these photogenic subjects.  845-942-5751

Dragonflies and Damselflies at Greenbrook Sanctuary, NJ.

Meet Alan and Della Wells at 9:30 am at the Park and Ride just south of Exit 5 on the Palisades Parkway.  It’s a short drive from there to the sanctuary which is part of the PIP.  Look for dragonflies, damselflies, and what ever else catches our interest.  Over by noon. Call Alan or Della Wells at 845-942-5751 for further information.

August 2008 

First Sunday Walk at Piermont Pier.

Meet Carol Weiss at 8am at the parking lot by the baseball field near the entrance to Piermont Pier. Over by 10am. 845-358-3659 

Birds and Cameras at Jamaica Bay.

Meet Alan and Della Wells at 7:30am at the former Park & Ride on Route 303 at Route 59 for carpooling to this birding hot spot. Alan’s group will concentrate on photographing shorebirds and Della’s group will not. Full day trip.  845-942-5751

September 2008

TBD

October 2008

TBD

November 2008

TBD

December 2008

TBD