HUDSON RIVER EAGLE TRIPS

Join naturalist Tait Johansson for one of our Hudson River Eagle Trips to seek out these iconic raptors as they hunt, scavenge, and interact in their winter habitat. Watching eagles navigate the challenges of winter along the river offers a compelling glimpse into the behavior and ecology of a top avian predator.

The stretch of the Hudson River bordering northwestern Westchester County supports the largest concentration of wintering Bald Eagles in the northeastern United States outside of the Chesapeake Bay region. Open water, a rich prey base, and forested shorelines combine to create ideal conditions for foraging, roosting, and nesting. With multiple stops between Peekskill and Croton Point, we will visit some of the most reliable eagle-viewing locations along this ecologically important river corridor. Join us for one of these popular trips (we’re offering two again this year!), and we should get plenty of sightings in both the morning and afternoon visit.

Tuesday, February 3, 9:00am-1:00pm and Saturday, February 14, 2:00pm-5:00pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org.

Please specify which trip you will be joining when you register.

_________________________

FIRST WEDNESDAY WALK

Our much-loved First Wednesday Walk has a new home! Join us at Hilltop Hanover Farm in Yorktown Heights for a winter morning of birding through open meadows and woodland margins. We’ll be on the lookout for birds such as Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Swamp Sparrow, with the possibility of Fox Sparrow or Winter Wren. Open to birders of all experience levels, this outing offers a welcoming way to discover a new site while keeping the tradition of our monthly walk.

Wednesday, February 4, 7:30am-9:30am. Level of Difficulty: Easy/Moderate (due to snow/ice on trail). Cost: Free. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org

_________________________

Encore Photo Exhibit Reception

Join us for the Opening Reception of an encore presentation of our Members’ Photo Exhibit at the Larchmont Library! Now is your chance to experience From Near and Far: Celebrating Birds Across the Americas, a selection of bird photographs from across the Americas, captured by Bedford Audubon members. Beyond the birds we see locally, both year-round residents and migratory species, there is a vast array of fascinating bird species we never experience here in New York – almost 11,000 species globally! This exhibit visually showcases some of the most photogenic bird species from all parts of the Americas while answering some of the questions you might have about our migratory birds as they travel along aerial “flyways” extending from North America south to Mexico, Central America, and as far south as the tip of South America: where do “our” birds go when they head south, how far do they travel, and what other bird species do they encounter on their wintering grounds? 

Sunday, February 8, 2:00pm-4:00pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. Cost: free. Location:  Larchmont Public Library, 121 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY.  Please email Susan: info@bedfordaudubon.org to RSVP.

_________________________

Online Garden Workshop

Winter can be the most challenging season for birds — and they’re surviving it right outside our windows! Join Naturalists Tait Johansson and Steve Ricker, and garden experts Missy Fabel and Beth Metzger, to discover How Your Garden Can Support Birds in Winter, an engaging online program that explores how birds endure cold, snow, and food scarcity, and how your garden can make a real difference.  From the tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet that survives subzero temperatures to Winter Wren, Dark-eyed Junco, and Northern Cardinal, you’ll learn which birds migrate from the north, which birds stay year-round, how they keep warm and dry, what they eat when everything seems frozen, and how climate change is reshaping winter survival. Our presenters will share fascinating insights into bird behavior, physiology, and survival strategies, along with practical, garden-ready tips on providing food, water, and shelter using native plants and thoughtful design. This program will leave you inspired and equipped to help birds thrive all winter.

Thursday, February 12, 7:00pm-8:00pm, Location: Virtual/Zoom. Cost: Free for Bedford Audubon members: email Susan to register and receive the Zoom link info@bedfordaudubon.org, a $10 donation to support the Leon Levy Native Habitat Garden is requested for non-members (click link below to register/donate). 

  _________________________

Habitat Renewal VOlunteer Day

Did you know that even in winter, there are things you can do to enhance the environmental value of your garden, patio or yard to welcome more birds, bees and other pollinators in the spring? Join Naturalist and Board Member Steve Ricker to work in and around Bedford Audubon’s Leon Levy Native Habitat Garden and learn how the elements of a good native habitat garden work together to provide essential resources for native birds and other wildlife, how to identify and remove invasive plants, and why this is so vital to a healthy ecosystem. Tools and gloves are provided, but you can bring your own. Loppers and hand pruners are the most used types. Plants with thorns and poison ivy will be present.

Saturday, February 14, 11:00am-12:30pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org

 _________________________

Project FeederWatch

Be part of a shared birding experience and add your observations to a continent-wide effort to understand winter birds. Spend an hour with us as we observe and tally the birds visiting Bylane Farm and the surrounding landscape. This program is part of Project FeederWatch, a long-running community science initiative that invites people across North America to count birds at feeders, in backyards, and in nearby green spaces throughout the winter. The project is a partnership between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. 

Sunday, February 15 and/or Monday, February 16, 9:00am-10:00am. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Cost: Free. Email Susan to register for one or both the counts: info@bedfordaudubon.org 

 _________________________

GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Afternoon birding for the whole family! Join bird enthusiasts around the world as we watch, count, and report as many birds as possible as part of The Great Backyard Bird Count. Naturalist Tait Johansson will lead our group for Bedford Audubon’s Backyard Bird Count at Bylane Farm. Tait will share his bird identification tips and answer questions we may have while we observe the sanctuary’s busy bird feeders through the windows. Weather permitting, we will head outside for a bird walk around the sanctuary. This is a great opportunity to introduce friends and family to the joys of birding while adding to an important global community science project. 

Saturday, February 15, 1:00pm-3:00pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. To register, please email Susan: info@bedfordaudubon.org

_________________________

Public Lecture Series: Feathered Hosts, Hidden Risks

Join Bedford Audubon’s new Executive Director Medha Pandey at the Katonah Village Library for a fascinating look at the role that birds play in the spread of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness in the United States. Primarily transmitted by the blacklegged (deer) tick, Lyme disease is expanding as ticks and their pathogens travel with their hosts. Because birds can fly long distances, they play a powerful and often overlooked role in dispersing ticks and pathogens, increasing risk to humans, wildlife, and livestock. This talk will explore changes in the prevalence of the Lyme disease pathogen in bird-borne blacklegged ticks in Westchester County and reveal how certain bird species help maintain this pathogen in the environment.

Medha Pandey is the new Executive Director of the Bedford Audubon and a Ph.D. candidate at Fordham University, scheduled to defend her doctoral dissertation next month. Medha’s research interests include animal behavior and wildlife conservation, especially at the intersection of ornithology, epidemiology, and One Health. She is excited to explore ways to broaden the programming at Bedford Audubon and how we can best serve the community and the birds.

Wednesday, February 18, 7:00pm. (refreshments at 6:45pm). Katonah Village Library Garden Room. Cost: Free. No need to register, all are welcome.

_________________________

Third Thursday’s Bird Walk

Start your day on an easy, fun, and friendly bird walk. Join Naturalist Tait Johansson at this local hotspot for our regular Third Thursday Bird Walk on Maple Avenue in Katonah. It’s hard to know exactly what will turn up, but Bald Eagles and Common Ravens are often reliable sightings. If the reservoir has any open water, we can also expect waterfowl like Bufflehead and Common Merganser. In the surrounding trees, we might spot Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, along with Brown Creeper, Eastern Bluebird and possibly Winter Wren.

Thursday, February 19, 7:30am-9:30am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org

_________________________

EagleWatch

Wondering where to find raptors in winter? Take part in Science (and Advocacy) in Action this winter by joining Naturalist Tait Johansson and the team from Bedford Audubon and Saw Mill River Audubon for EagleWatch. We will be monitoring roosting Bald Eagles within the Lower Hudson Valley Important Bird Area (IBA) to facilitate decision-making that impacts this Important Bird Area. This event is family-friendly and a fun way to introduce ecology to your kids!

Thursday, February 19, approximately 1.5 hours before sunset. If you’re interested in checking it out, call 914-232-1999 or email Tait directly at tjohansson@bedfordaudubon.org.

_________________________

Shawangunk Grasslands Field Trip

Register now for Naturalist Tait Johansson’s popular field trip to the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge — this program fills quickly! We’ll visit this remarkable 600-acre refuge, established in 1999 to protect vital habitat for grassland migratory birds and wintering raptors. Bundle up for a rare late-afternoon outing, timed to take advantage of peak activity as daylight fades. We’ll remain mostly stationary, carefully scanning the open grasslands for wintering Short-eared Owls as they begin their dusk hunting. Along the way, we also expect to see Northern Harriers and, with a bit of luck, may be rewarded with a sighting of a Rough-legged Hawk.

Thursday, February 26, 3:30pm – 6:00pm Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org

_________________________

Owl Workshop and Owl Prowl

Silent flight, razor-sharp night vision, extraordinary hearing, and the ability to rotate their heads up to 270° make owls some of the most mysterious and captivating birds. This immersive program offers a rare opportunity to learn more about what makes owls such exceptional predators. If you’re intrigued by owls, don’t miss our Owl ID Workshop and Owl Prowl, a two-part experience led by Naturalist Tait Johansson. Designed for both curious beginners and experienced birders, this program blends in-depth learning with real-world observation.

In the first part of the program, Tait will dive into the ecology and behavior of local owl species, explaining how their unique physical features and hunting strategies allow them to thrive after dark. You’ll learn practical tips for identifying owls by sight and sound, including how to distinguish common calls and recognize key field marks. Along the way, Tait will help uncover the secrets behind their silent flight, heightened senses, and stealthy hunting techniques. After a break, we’ll reconvene at sunset for part two: the Owl Prowl. Participants will travel to several nearby locations where owls are known to frequent, listening carefully for calls and scanning the landscape for movement. With luck, we may hear or even catch glimpses of these elusive birds in their natural habitat, putting newly learned skills into practice during this memorable evening adventure.

Saturday, February 28, 1:00pm-3:00pm for Workshop and 6:00-8:00pm for Owl Prowl. Cost: $25 (Members); $35 (Non-members). Location: Bylane Farm for the workshop, owl prowl locations tbd. Level of Difficulty: Easy.

 _________________________ 

Voices of Bedford Audubon

Last month, we shared letters of support from members of our community. Each one tells a deeply personal story — a spark of discovery, a growing connection to nature, or a lifelong commitment to conservation — that led them to support Bedford Audubon.

We’ve gathered these testimonials in one place for you to enjoy. Click the button below to hear from community members and discover the impact of Bedford Audubon through their voices.

_________________________

Memberships Matter

Bedford Audubon memberships help make all of these programs possible. To become a member, just click the box below. Do you have questions, suggestions, or other thoughts? Call the office at 914-232-1999 or email info@bedfordaudubon.org. We’d love to hear from you!