GENERAL INFORMATION:
We've put together a few weekend getaways "close to home" that focus on seasonal hotspots. Scheduled to coincide with traditional three-day holiday weekends, these trips are a great way to take a mini-vacation without the expense of extensive air travel. Tours will focus on birds as well as the unique natural history of the area.
PACE, WEATHER, AND TRAVEL CONDITIONS:
Our days in the field usually begin about 7:00 a.m. and will end about 6:00 p.m. The trips involve easy walking on flat ground and some moderately strenuous hikes on hilly terrain, depending on the habitat focus of the tour.
TOUR SIZE: Travel during these tours will be in vans, with no more than 7 participants plus a leader in one "12 person" van. Tour size is limited to 12 participants.
All weekend getaways include transportation by van from New Jersey.
PRICE: The price for the four-day/three night weekend is approximately $575 per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement (if you request single occupancy, or we are unable to locate a suitable roommate for you) varies for each tour. See indivdual tour descriptions below for details on each tour.
Additional information about the tour, with specific meeting times, a list of participants, addresses of motels, lists of things to bring, a reading list, a list of probable/possible birds, further information about weather, dress, etc., will be mailed to all participants well in advance of the tour.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Scott Barnes - All Things Birds
Plainsboro Preserve
80 Scotts Corner Rd
Cranbury, NJ 08512
Phone: (609) 897-9400
or by email to scott.barnes@njaudubon.org
Winter New England Weekend: February 17 to 20, 2012
One of the hottest winter birding destinations in the northeast, Essex County Massachusetts offers a chance to see boreal and northern species rare or absent farther south. We’ll seek out beauties such as King Eider, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Snowy Owl, and Black Guillemot while birding famous sites including Parker River NWR (Plum Island), Newburyport Harbor, Gloucester Harbor, and scenic Cape Ann. Other birds we usually enjoy include Harlequin Ducks, Bald Eagles, Rough-legged Hawk, Black-headed Gull, both ‘white-winged’ gulls, and Northern Shrike. Previous trips have recorded such gems as Pink-footed Goose, Tufted Duck, Gyrfalcon, Thayer’s Gull, Northern Hawk-Owl, Dovekie, Thick-billed Murre, Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, and White-winged Crossbill. Our trip covers areas so productive and well-birded that one never knows what rarity might appear.
Package includes: van transportation from New Jersey, 3 nights' lodging in Amesbury Massachusetts, and tour leadership.
Leaders: Scott Barnes and Linda Mack, who have made over 15 trips to the area.
Adirondack Mountains Weekend: June 15 to 18, 2012
Join Scott Barnes and Linda Mack for a long weekend of great birding and natural history. The northern Adirondack Mountains provide one of the last, unspoiled wilderness areas in the northeast. Over 6,000 square miles of rugged peaks, rocky slopes, pine/spruce forests, and wetlands are both beautiful and bird-rich. From our base in Saranac Lake, we’ll day trip to nearby bogs, boreal forests, and mountains in search of Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Olive-sided & Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Mourning Warbler, and “winter” finches. We’ll also focus on boreal flora, alpine plants, and butterflies like fritillaries, tortoiseshells, and checkerspots. Participants will also have a chance to visit Lake Placid and the Adirondack Interpretive Center at Paul Smith’s.
Package includes: guiding, van transportation from New Jersey, three nights’ accommodations, and entrance fees.
Delmarva Weekend: November 2 to 5, 2012
Late autumn is a wonderful time to visit the bird-rich Delmarva Peninsula. We’ll visit Bombay Hook and Prime Hook NWR’s in Delaware where huge flocks of waterfowl reside, Bald Eagles hunt, and late-season migrants such as pipits, larks, and perhaps a longspur may be found. From our base in Chincoteague, Virginia, we’ll spend two days birding Virginia’s Eastern Shore at places like Kiptopeke State Park and Chincoteague NWR. Kiptopeke is strategically situated at the bottom of the Delmarva Peninsula and funnels migrants just like Cape May. We should expect to see a large variety of waterbirds, raptors, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and perhaps a rarity or two. Last year’s trip recorded American White Pelican, Rough-legged Hawk, Sandhill Crane, White-winged Dove, Cave Swallow, and Yellow-headed Blackbird, among others. Expect approximately 140 species of birds, plus the Chincoteague ponies, Sika Deer, other mammals, and late-season butterflies and odes. Scott Barnes and Linda Mack lead.
Package includes: van transportation from New Jersey, 3 nights lodging in Chincoteague, and tour leadership