Shawangunk Grasslands N.W.R.

Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025

Leader: Tod Winston
Transportation: Carpool Trip – Drivers willing to provide rides are encouraged to attend. The Registrar will work with participants without a vehicle to organize rides and share the suggested carpool fee for the driver. This usually works out, but we can not guarantee a ride without enough volunteer drivers.
Meeting Point: After your registration is confirmed, the Registrar will share directions, the exact meeting place, and time with attendees.
Schedule: Full-day trip.
Relative Difficulty: The terrain is flat, but expect to spend many hours in the sun, and even though we stay on the trails (maintained with the help of the Friends of the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge), take precautions against ticks.

Trip Description: Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, which protects 597 acres in Ulster County, NY, was established in July 1999 to support grassland-dependent migratory birds and wintering raptors. With views of the majestic Shawangunk Ridge, the refuge is among a dwindling number of sites in NY State (one of only two in the Hudson Valley) large enough to support the entire assemblage of northeastern grassland birds. This spring trip will search for migratory and grassland-dependent breeding birds, butterflies, and odonates. We will likely see and hear Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Bluebirds, and more. To the delight of many, the Henslow’s Sparrow was found singing here a few years ago.

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

Registration: Registration opens at 9 am on Monday, May 12. After that time, click here to register. Registration closes at 6 pm on Wednesday, May 21. 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.