Pelham Bay Park – Orchard Beach Area

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025

Leader: Jack Rothman
Transportation: Public Transportation – Participants can use public transportation to arrive at the meeting location.
Meeting Point: After your registration is confirmed, the Registrar will share directions, the exact meeting place, and time with attendees.
Schedule: Half-day trip.
Relative Difficulty: The terrain varies from level to hilly.

Trip Description: Pelham Bay Park is New York City’s largest park, covering 2,772 acres. Our winter walks start at Orchard Beach and center around the northern forested areas of Hunter Island and Bartow-Pell Woods. The waters off Orchard Beach and Twin Island are excellent spots to scan flocks of overwintering waterfowl, loons, and grebes and Harbor Seals. Sightings from prior walks included Red-necked Grebes, Purple Sandpipers, American Widgeons, and Razorbills in the water. Tree Sparrows and hawks were seen on the land and in the air.

Please read The Linnaean Society of New York COVID-19 Field Trip Guidelines before registering.

Registration: Registration opens at 9 am on Monday, February 10. After that time, click here to register. Registration closes at 6 pm on Wednesday, February 19. Members (and those who have applied for membership) will be prioritized over non-members.

Please read the About Our Trips page, if you’re going on a field trip for the first time. It details our field trip policies, recommends what to bring on a trip, and offers other useful information, pro tips, and tricks.

If after visiting the About Our Trips page, you still have questions, feel free to contact the Registrar via email.