Birds & Brews: Nighthawk Edition in Central Park

Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Leader(s): Alan Drogin, Amanda Bielskas, Gillian Henry
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: Early evening, ending just after sunset
Relative Difficulty: Expect to walk about two miles on (mostly) paved paths, with some moderate inclines. We will stand in the same spot at sunset for a while waiting for the Nighthawks. It will be fairly dark outside by the end of the walk.

Trip Description: This walk series is aimed at the after-work crowd, but anyone is welcome to join us! Central Park is one of the world’s premier birding spots, and we hope to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather to look for some migrants. We are targeting dusk at sunset in mid-September which is usually a fairly reliable time to spot some nighthawks, but we make no guarantees! The walk will start around 5:30 pm and we will bird for 1-2 hours before heading to a local bar just after sunset for some casual conversations and libations.

Registration: Registration opens at 9 am on Monday, September 7. After that time, click here to register. Registration closes at 6 pm on Sunday, September 13. 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.