Governors Island Winter Birding

Date: Monday, January 20, 2025

Leader: Annie Barry
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. The walk will begin at 1:00.
Relative Difficulty: Easy. We will walk three to four miles on mostly flat terrain.

Trip Description: Governors Island is a 172-acre island located 800 yards off the southern tip of Manhattan. It has a long history as a military installation dating back to the Revolutionary War. After its decommissioning, it was opened to the public and quickly became a popular birding destination. Over 200 species of birds have been found there, including nesting Common Terns and a wide variety of spring and fall migrants. In winter, we might expect to see birds including waterfowl, raptors, gulls (possibly including some uncommon species), Great and Double-crested Cormorants, and Purple Sandpipers.

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

Registration: Registration opens at 9 am on Monday, January 13. After that time, click here to register. Registration closes at 6 pm on Friday, January 17. 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.