Waterfowl in Winter: December Environmental Education Events with Bedford Audubon

Winter is an amazing time to get outside and enjoy nature! The crisp air, golden sunlight, and wintering waterfowl beckon. That’s right, the abundance of reservoirs and lakes in our area serve as a haven for waterfowl each winter. And waterfowl can be a great way to break into birding—they kindly stay put, allowing for sustained observation of field marks and behavior.

December also means it’s Christmas Bird Count time! We have four local Counts in this region—plenty of opportunity to add to the 118-year strong tradition. New or inexperienced birders will be paired with more experienced groups, and fun is almost guaranteed!

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.

Sunday, December 10, 8:30-11am, Bird Walks: Deans Bridge & Titicus Reservoir with Naturalist Tait Johansson. Join Tait in exploring these excellent winter waterfowl spots in Somers and North Salem. This is perfect for beginning birders. Meet at the end of Dean’s Bridge Road in Somers. Level of physical difficulty: Moderate. Please let us know if you’d like to borrow binoculars. Register with Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or 914.302.9713.

Saturday, December 16, Science in Action: Peekskill Christmas Bird Count. Contact Michael Newhouse at mnewhouse@kleinfelder.com for details and to sign up!

Sunday, December 17, Science in Action: Greenwich-Stamford Christmas Bird Count. Contact Cynthia Ehlinger at Cynthia.ehlinger@gmail.com for details and to sign up!

Thursday, December 21, 7:30-9:30am, Third Thursday Bird Walk: Maple Avenue in Katonah with Naturalist Tait Johansson. Join Tait for our new tradition in marking the passing of the seasons and changing of birds by birding at this local hotspot. Meet at the dam. Level of physical 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 30, Science in Action: Putnam County Christmas Bird Count. Contact Charlie Roberto at chasrob@optonline.net for details and to sign up.

Monday, January 1, Science in Action: Pawling County Christmas Bird Count. Contact Carena Pooth at pawlingcbc@watermanbirdclub.org for details and to sign up.

Photo Credit: Bufflehead by Ray Morris, Creative Commons license