Staten Island Hot Spots and Fall Migrants

Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026

Leader: Seth Wollney
Transportation: Carpool Trip: While carpool rides for everyone usually work out, there is no guarantee of enough volunteer drivers to accommodate all participants. The Registrar will work to organize rides and to notify participants when a rental car may be necessary. Registrar will also inform participants of the carpool fee, which is based on the trip location; the cost of any rental cars should be split evenly by those participants.
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: Expect to walk 3-4 miles on mostly flat terrain.

Trip Description: Staten Island is a wonderland of habitats and a spectacular place to see birds, particularly during fall migration. The island’s southern shore offers fantastic coastal birding, and the Greenbelt, located at the center of the island, boasts a 2,800-acre network of forests. Trip locations are selected each year based on recent sightings and known hotspots. Past trips included stops at Conference House Park, overlooking Raritan Bay at the southernmost point of New York State; Mount Loretto (Cape May, Blackpoll, Nashville, and Pine Warblers, in addition to Purple Finchs and Indigo Buntings); Great Kills Park (Common Nighthawks); Miller’s Field (gulls, terns, and sandpipers); and anywhere else that our leader expects to find interesting birds.

Registration: Registration opens at 9 am on Monday, October 19. After that time, click here to register. Registration closes at 6 pm on Wednesday, October 28. 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.