November Environmental Education: What to Do

Don’t Put those Binoculars Away: November Environmental Education Events with Bedford Audubon

As autumn passes by, it’s time to turn our attention (and binoculars!) to waterfowl. Join us in appreciating the late migrating birds and the amazing diversity of waterfowl that winter in our area. If you’re a new birder, waterfowl can be a great way to break into birding—we hope to see you on our Jamaica Bay trip!

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!

Saturday, November 4, 10am-12pm, Bird Seed Sale Pickup at Bedford Hills Park.  Thank you to all of our loyal supporters! If you pre-ordered bird seed and suet during our Fall Fundraiser, please be sure to pick up your order.

Sunday, November 5, 9:30-11am, Workshop: The Basics of Bird Photography at Bylane Farm. Have you ever wanted to freeze a bird mid-flight or simply learn how to set your camera to take a photo of a perched bird with artistic flare? Now’s your chance to discover how with Chestnut Ridge HawkWatch Spotter & Interpreter, Charlotte R. Catalano. Bring your own DSLR or SLR camera (tripod not necessary, but encouraged) and wear weather-appropriate clothing. Level of difficulty: Easy. Experience Level: Beginner. Limited to five (5) individuals. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Wednesday, November 8, 7pm, Lecture: Hope in the Face of Climate Change with Bedford Audubon Member & Climate Reality Leader Jack Kozuchowski in the Garden Room at the Katonah Village Library. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of climate change, but is there hope? Can we avoid the worst-case impacts for birds, habitats, and for us? Mr. Kozuchowski will make the case that it’s not too late to act. If the future of our planet looks bleak to you, listen to this important message of hope and peek at seven different future scenarios of how our world might fare, depending upon what we do or do not do today to address the climate challenge. Join us at 7pm for refreshments (please bring a reusuable mug or cup to help us reduce our ecological impact), and the program begins at 7:30. No registration necessary, we’ll see you there!

Sunday, November 12, 8am-1pm, Field Trip: Edith Read Sanctuary/Marshlands Conservancy, Rye. A favorite trip among members! Targets include waterfowl, Great Horned Owls, and lingering songbirds. Depart Bylane at 7:15am or meet us at the boathouse on Playland Lake at 8am. Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate. Please let us know if you’d like to borrow binoculars. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Thursday, November 16, 7:30-9:30am, Third Thursdays Bird Walk: Maple Avenue, Katonah with Naturalist Tait Johansson. Make birding a habit! Join Tait at this local birding hotspot for our new series of bird walks at Maple Avenue on the third Thursday of every month. Level of difficulty: Easy. Please let us know if you’d like to borrow binoculars. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Saturday, December 2, 8:30am-1pm, Field Trip: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge with Naturalist Tait Johansson. Join Tait on an outing to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a haven for wintering waterfowl, often including impressive numbers of Snow Geese.  Now that the West Pond has been repaired and is fresh water again, the Refuge should be an even better winter birding spot than it has been for the last 5 years. Meet at Bylane at 7am for carpooling or at the Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center at 8:30. Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate. Please let us know if you’d like to borrow binoculars. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Photo Credit: Charlotte Catalano