Bedford Audubon Society

A Northern Westchester & Eastern Putnam Counties, New York
Chapter of the National Audubon Society

Celebrating 97 Years of Conservation 1913-2010


Support BAS
Make a Donation
Join BAS/Give a Gift Membership
BAS Home Page
About BAS
Calendar of Events
Sign up for e-mail Notices of Events
About Birds
Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch
Birdathon
BAS Bald Eagle Survey
Bylane Native Plant Garden
Bird Friendly Vegetable Garden
Christmas Bird Counts
BAS Newsletters
Who's Who in BAS
BAS Sanctuaries
Water Monitoring
Checklists of Sanctuary Wildlife and Plants
BioBlitz 2007
Audubon At Home
Conservation
Advocacy
Pictorial Highlights
Birding 101
BAS in the News
How You Can Help BAS
Area Chapters
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Local Birding Hotlines
Links

Field Trips, Programs, and Special Events

Each trip is given one of three levels of difficulty: Easy, Moderate, or Strenuous. Please discuss your level of mobility with the registrar to ensure that the field trip is appropriate for you. Except where noted, register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Our programs take place at
   The
Katonah Memorial House
   71 Bedford Road, Katonah, NY 10536

Click for directions and a map to the Katonah Memorial House

Many of our field trips are held at BAS Headquarters at Bylane Farm.
To get to Bylane Farm, take I-684 to exit 6. Go east on Route 35 for about 0.5 miles to Route 22. Go north on Route 22 for about 0.8 miles and turn right onto Todd Road for about 0.6 miles. Look for a white mailbox on the right with the address 35 Todd Road. The offices are on the left, but park in the small parking lot on the right. The office phone number is (914) 232-1999.

Subscribe to our e–mail list for alerts on programs and field trips. Enter your e–mail address and then click on the Yahoo groups icon.


Powered by us.groups.yahoo.com

Tuesday February 9 Field Trip Field Trip to Greenwich Point Park, Old Greenwich, CT
Wednesday February 10 Program Northward Bound: A Six-Month Journey on the Appalachian Trail
From Georgia to Maine
Thursday February 25 Field Trip Edith Read Sanctuary (Playland) and Marshlands Conservancy, Rye
Saturday March 6 Field Trip Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY
Wednesday March 10 Program Bringing Nature Home With Doug Tallamy
Thursday March 18 Field Trip Visit to the Bronx Zoo

Each trip is given one of three levels of difficulty: Easy, Moderate, or Strenuous. Please discuss your level of mobility with the registrar to ensure that the field trip is appropriate for you.

The Great Hudson River Excursion With BAS’s Walter Fowler and Peter Becker
Saturday, February 6, 8:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Carpool from Bylane Farm or meet at the Croton River Landing, past the Croton train station at 9:00 a.m.
Coordinating with other local birding groups, Bedford Audubon will be a collaborator of this year’s annual EagleFest. A special field trip is planned exclusively for BAS members to several destinations along the Hudson River, where we expect to see multiple species of ducks, geese, and birds of prey including Bald Eagles. The trip will conclude at the DEP and Bedford Audubon’s tent at the Croton Dam, manned by Tait Johansson and BAS president, Tony Ianniello, who will greet visitors and answer questions. Refreshments will be served. Level of difficulty: Easy.
Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Return to Top of Schedule

Field Trip to Greenwich Point Park, Old Greenwich, CT With Tait Johansson
Tuesday, February 9, 8:45 a.m.1:00 p.m. Carpool from Bylane at 8:00 a.m. or meet at Greenwich Point at the first parking lot as you enter the park at 8:45 a.m. Expected return to Bylane 2 p.m.
We will undoubtedly see seabirds, ducks, loons, and sparrows. Red-necked Grebe and Barrow’s Goldeneye are always possibilities. Every few years Barred Owl winters over—we’re due this winter. Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet Owls, Fox Sparrows, siskins, and crossbills may be present. Monk Parakeets are regulars as well. Bring lunch and binoculars and dress warmly! Directions: http://tinyurl.com/gppark. Level of difficulty: Easy.
Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Return to Top of Schedule

Northward Bound: A Six-Month Journey on the Appalachian Trail
From Georgia to Maine With Dan Aitchison

Wednesday, February 10, 7:30 p.m.
Katonah Memorial House, 71 Bedford Road, Katonah

Doug AitchisonCome experience the stories, adventures, sights and sounds of the Appalachian Trail, as Dan Aitchison presents his slideshow on the 2,174 mile trek north. Untamed wildlife, unpredictable weather, too much gear, and the unique people along the way make for a humorous and interesting program.

Dan Aitchison is the Curator of Wildlife with Westchester County, in charge of coordinating and managing the Westchester County Pilot Deer Management Program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University. After graduating in 2004, he felt that it was the time to do something “big,” so following his girlfriend Heather’s, dream, they formulated a plan that would take the next six months of their lives—a 2,174 mile hike from Georgia to Maine.

This program is free and open to the public. Katonah Memorial House is wheelchair accessible. Please do not block the Fire Department access. Park alongside the meeting house side of the driveway.

Return to Top of Schedule

Field Trip to Edith Read Sanctuary (Playland) and Marshlands Conservancy, Rye With Tait Johansson
Thursday, February 25, 8:45 a.m.2:00 p.m. Carpool from Bylane at 8:00 a.m. or meet at Playland Boathouse (on Playland Lake) at 8:45 a.m.
In winter, the 85-acre lake at Edith Read Sanctuary, an Important Bird Area, is home to over 5,000 ducks. Marshlands Conservancy, located off Route 1 in Rye, features a wide variety of waterfowl, which congregate in the sheltered coves on Long Island Sound at this time of year. Bring lunch and binoculars and dress warmly. Level of difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Return to Top of Schedule

Field Trip to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY With Tait Johansson
Saturday, March 6, 8:45 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Carpool from Bylane at 7:30 a.m. or meet at the main parking lot on Cross Bay Blvd. Expected return to Bylane 3:00 p.m.
At any time of year, Jamaica Bay offers birdwatchers a special treat. Our focus will be on the large numbers of waterbirds that spend the winter here, and since Jamaica Bay is on the Atlantic Flyway, we hope to see some early migrants. Bring binoculars and lunch and dress warmly! Level of difficulty: Easy.
Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Return to Top of Schedule

Bringing Nature Home With Doug Tallamy
Wednesday, March 10, 7:30 p.m.
Katonah Memorial House, 71 Bedford Road, Katonah

Doug TallamyWith many of our bird species in serious decline, it is clear that we must change our approach to bird conservation if we hope to keep them in our future. Native plants will play a key role in the restoration of our landscapes because only natives provide the coevolved relationships required by animals. By supporting a diversity of insect herbivores, native plants provide food for birds, particularly during reproduction. Many people don’t want insects in their yards, but they do want birds. They need to realize that 96% of the terrestrial birds in the U.S. rear their young on insects. This lecture complements the goal of Bedford Audubon’s Native Plant Garden as formulated in one of National Audubon’s main programs “Audubon at Home.”

Doug Tallamy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, where he has authored 69 research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, and other courses for 28 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. He travels across the U.S. giving more than 100 lectures each year to promote wildlife in residential settings through native plants. His book, Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writer’s Association. Dr. Tallamy is also an expert photographer. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the program.

This program is free and open to the public. Katonah Memorial House is wheelchair accessible. Please do not block the Fire Department access. Park alongside the meeting house side of the driveway.

Return to Top of Schedule

Visit to the Bronx Zoo With BAS Bird Enthusiasts Joan and Peter Becker
Thursday, March 18, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Carpool from Bylane Farm at 8:00 a.m.
Experience one of the Tri-state area’s premier attractions! Come eyeball-to-eyeball with Laughing Kookaburras, Pink-cheeked Cockatoos, and Helmeted Curassows to name only a few of exotic the species you will ogle in the world famous House of Birds, the Sea Bird Colony, Aquatic Bird House, Birds of Prey Aviaries, and duck-filled Northern Ponds. And what zoo trip would be complete without visiting Madagascan lemurs, great bears, snow leopards. Admission fee applies. Level of difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Return to Top of Schedule

Photo Montage Courtesy of and Copyright © by Rick Paris
rick@rickparis.com www.rickparis.com

Copyright © 2001–2010 Bedford Audubon Society, Inc.
For comments or questions contact
webmaster