Birders of ALL levels—from beginner to expert—are welcome on Mearns Club field trips. Please join us!
In January 2009, the Mearns Club adopted the American Birding Association Code of Birding Ethics. Please keep the tenets of the code in mind when participating in Mearns Club field trips.
Information, including maps, for the birding locations mentioned in the list of field trips here can found on the pages of the Birding Areas section of this website (see the navigation menu).
The leader’s phone number is included for each trip so that you can call the night before or the morning of the trip if you have any questions. You can also check the Mearns Groups.io site for any last-minute changes.
If you lead a trip, you are responsible for sending a write-up to Richard VanTieghem at rich.w2vt@gmail.com.
COVID-19 Guidelines for Field Trips
Please check the CDC website for COVID-19 guidelines. The current guidelines are based on COVID-19 community levels. You can find the community level for any county in the Unites States by using the widget below.
Please do not attend a field trip if you aren’t feeling well or are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
Field Trip Schedule
March
March 26, SundayMarch 25, Saturday, Eastern Orange Lakes: Meet Bruce Nott (845-542-0583) in the northwest corner of the Newburgh Walmart parking lot at 8:30 am for a good mix of ducks, as well as our first phoebes and swallows.
April
April 1, Saturday, Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, Wallkill, New York: Meet Tom and Jane (845-443-5440) at the refuge at 7 pm to watch and hear displaying woodcock.
April 8, Saturday, Long Island Sound: Meet Bob Slechta (845-541-8210) in the Playland parking lot in Rye, New York, at 8:30 am for egrets, grebes, loons, Long-tailed Ducks, Purple Sandpipers, and more. Please call or text Bob to let him know you’re coming on the trip.
April 15, Saturday, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Pine Island, New York: Meet Liz McKnight (201-400-1428) at the Oil City Road platform at 8:30 am, and with luck we’ll see Blue-winged Teal, Sandhill Crane, and Rusty Blackbirds.
April 22, Saturday, 6 1/2 Station Road Audubon Sanctuary, Goshen, New York: Meet Don Aitchison (845-281-3220) at 8:30 am where the Heritage Trail crosses 6 1/2 Station Rd. in Goshen for ducks, swallows, kinglets, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
April 29, Saturday, Wawayanda State Park, New Jersey: Meet Rich Van Tieghem (201-370-2721) at 8 am at the Route 94 edge of the Warwick ShopRite parking lot (located southwest of the Village of Warwick, New York) for a trip we haven’t run in many years. As the spring migration heats up, we may have views of the recently active Bald Eagle nest.
May
May 3, Wednesday, Stewart State Forest: Meet Joyce Depew (845-978-9952) Bob Slechta (845-541-8210) at the Barron Road North parking area (Montgomery, New York) at 8 am for an easy walk and a good mix of migrants and local breeders.
May 6, Saturday, Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, Wurtsboro, New York: Meet Joyce Depew (845-978-9952) at the Stop Sign Trail parking area at 8 am for what promises to be a phenomenal morning of birding, with at least 60 species likely.
May 10, Wednesday, Vassar Farm, Poughkeepsie, New York: Enter the farm and drive back to the education center and barn to park and meet Ernie Welch (845-518-8441) at 8 am to explore a new birding venue for our club.
May 13, Saturday, Hudson Highland Nature Museum (formerly Kenridge Farm), Cornwall, New York: Meet Amy Greher (845-774-9399) at the Cornwall dog park at 8 am for a good mix of birds, including warblers, thrushes, and sparrows.
May 19–20, Friday–Saturday, annual Break 100: Form a team (minimum of two people) and see how many species you can identify in Orange County from 4 pm Friday to 4 pm Saturday. A count-down get together and potluck will follow at 2 pm on Sunday, May 21, at the Blooming Grove Senior Center, Blooming Grove, New York. If you’re interested in joining the fun, contact Karen Miller (845-381-3203).
May 27, Saturday, Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, Wallkill, New York: Meet Tom and Jane (845-443-5440) at the refuge at 8 am for grassland birds like Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink.
May 31, Wednesday, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Pine Island, New York: Meet Rich Van Tieghem (201-370-2721) at the Oil City Road platform at 8 am for rails, gallinules, Marsh Wrens, and more.
June
June 10, Saturday (tentative date), Mearns Club picnic: Meet at Winding Hills County Park in Montgomery, New York. Details to come as the date approaches. Watch Groups.io for updates.
August
August 19, Saturday, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Pine Island, New York: Meet Johanna Bloomfield (541-778-1754) at the Oil City Road platform at 8 am for migrating shore birds and local breeders like Common Gallinule and, with luck, Sandhill Crane.
September
September 2, Saturday, Black Dirt Region, Orange County, New York: Meet Dave Baker (845-440-4030) in the parking lot at the Jolly Onion in Pine Island, New York, at 8:30 am to search for Buff-breasted Sandpipers and American Golden-Plovers.
September 9, Saturday, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum Outdoor Discover Center (formerly Kenridge Farm), Cornwall, New York: Meet Amy Greher (845-774-9399) at 8 am at the Cornwall dog park, and we’ll see what we can find at this always productive site as fall migration picks up.
September 16, Saturday, Winding Waters Trail, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Pine Island, New York: Meet Bob Slechta (845-541-8210) in the parking area just west of the Oil City Road platform at 8:30 am for a good mix of birds and, hopefully, a Connecticut Warbler.
September 20, Wednesday, Stonykill Farm, Wappingers Falls, New York: Meet Bruce Nott (845-542-0583) at the farm at 8:30 am, and we’ll see if we can top last year’s tally of 60 species. This is a good location to see Lincoln’s Sparrow.
September 30, Saturday, 6 1/2 Station Road Audubon Sanctuary, Goshen, New York: Meet Don Aitchison (845-281-3220) at 8:30 am where the Heritage Trail crosses 6 1/2 Station Road in Goshen, and we’ll see what fall migrants we can turn up in the marsh and the trees and brush bordering it.
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