Fall in Love with Fall Migration this September with Bedford Audubon

Migration is a biannual miracle. In the autumn, birds travel hundreds, and often thousands of miles, to Central or South America. They dodge predators, ride out bad weather, and circumnavigate cities. All without maps or a navigation app! Fall in love with fall migration this September. Learn more about these amazing birds, whether it’s shorebirds, songbirds, or raptors.

Mark your calendars for the Third Thursday for the rest of the year. We’re starting a new tradition of meeting at the same location, same day and time, to enjoy and appreciate the changing of the seasons (and the species!). Make connecting to nature a habit!

August 25 through November 22, 9am-5pm, Science in Action: Experience the Miracle of Migration at the Chestnut Ridge HawkWatch. Join us at the Chestnut Ridge HawkWatch located at TNC’s Arthur Butler Sanctuary in Bedford Corners every day, weather permitting, to experience the miracle of raptor migration. Our data is combined with other sites across North America to create powerful population and migration analyses that help us better protect raptors and their habitat. No registration required—we’ll see you there!

Tuesdays through end of October, 9-11am, Volunteer: Leon Levy Native Garden with Garden Chair Liz Stein. Join us for morning of fun the Garden—learn about native plants, observe birds and butterflies in the Garden, and help keep our Garden growing throughout the season. No prior gardening experience necessary, just a willingness to get dirty! Cost: Free. Level of difficulty: Easy. If you’re a first-time volunteer with us, please register with Janelle at jrobbins@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.232.1999.

Wednesday, September 6, 9am-12pm, Garden Tour: Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, Connecticut. We’ll have a guided tour to see late-summer abundance, in the native plant collection of the Red Maple Wetlands and the wildlife that it sustains. Bring your binoculars! Level of physical difficulty: Easy to moderate. Depart Bylane Farm at 9am. Program fee: $10, donation to Bartlett additional, please bring cash. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Sunday, September 10, 8-11am, Bird Walk: Ramble Along the North County Trailway at New Croton Reservoir with Naturalist Tait Johansson. It’s September, and that means it’s Hudson River Valley Ramble time! Join us for a nature walk focused on birds, near the peak of fall migration. We’ll follow the Trailway south over the reservoir and through the woods and shrublands in search of migrants and year-round residents. Meet at the parking lot at the intersection of the Trailway and Route 118 in the Town of Yorktown—this is just north of the bridge where it crosses the New Croton Reservoir. Level of difficulty: Easy. Cost: Free. Please register in advance with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Tuesday, September 12, 7:15am-2pm, Bird Walk: Experience the Wonders of Fall Migration in Central Park with Naturalist Tait Johansson & Central Park Birder Doug Kurz. Central Park is truly an extraordinary “migrant trap”, famous for its impressive concentrations of landbirds in spring and fall. We’ll stop at the Boathouse for lunch, or bring your own. Meet at Bylane at 6am, or at 72nd Street & Central Park West at 7:15am. Level of difficulty: Easy. Cost: Free. Please register in advance with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Saturday, September 16, 10am-12pm, Field Trip: Broad-winged Hawk Migration at the Chestnut Ridge HawkWatch. Join this year’s HawkWatch Team for the peak of Broadwing migration, which can result in seeing thousands of hawks in a single day! Meet at the parking lot of the Arthur Butler Sanctuary at 9:45am. Level of difficulty: Easy-moderate (the walk up to the HawkWatch is uphill, but there are bleachers at the platform). Cost: Free. Please register in advance with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Thursday, September 21, 7:30-9:30am, Third Thursdays Bird Walk: Maple Avenue, Katonah with Naturalist Tait Johansson. Join us at this local migration hotspot for the first of our new series of bird walks at Maple Avenue on the third Thursday of every month. Level of difficulty: Easy. Cost: Free. Please register in advance with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Saturday, September 23, 10am-12pm, Field Trip: Peak Migration at Chestnut Ridge HawkWatch. Meet up with the HawkWatch Team for Broad-winged Hawks, joined by increasing numbers of other migrant raptors such as Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, Ospreys, and Bald Eagles. Meet at the parking lot of the Arthur Butler Sanctuary at 9:45am. Level of difficulty: Easy-moderate (the walk to the HawkWatch is uphill, but there are bleachers at the platform). Cost: Free. Please register in advance with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.