This Weekend: The Great Backyard Bird Count!
Posted in Programs and Events on February 15 2013, by Matt Newman
Whether you’re binocular-savvy or just looking to lock down your birdwatching game, this is your weekend! And thanks to President’s Day, it’s the perfect opportunity to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, if only because you’ll have three straight days to join us at the NYBG. Winter is undeniably the best time of year to see our feathered friends on the wing, owing to the barren branches and annual mating habits of the raptors, songbirds, and waterfowl that call our neck of the Bronx home. So get off your couch, strap on some boots, and join up!
Even if you’re not quite an expert on all things avian, it’s never too late to learn; Debbie Becker will be on hand for her weekly Saturday birdwalk, where she’ll be more than happy to give lay birders a crash course in spotting and identification. And because the GBBC is so important to helping ornithologists and environmentalists understand the state of the nation’s bird populations, we even have a few pairs of binoculars to loan out at the Visitor’s Center for those who don’t have their own.
Over in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, we continue our yearly winter tradition of Tropical Paradise with guided tours, photography contests, camera workshops, and all the warmth of a South American rain forest. So if you’re sick of wrestling with the cold, this is an opportunity to at least pretend you’re a few thousand miles south, trading your parka for a t-shirt.
We know it’s chilly out, but we have more than a few cures for your winter woes. We’ll even be open on Monday, so come visit!
Saturday, February 16
Great Backyard Bird Count – All day
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Calling all bird watchers! Pick up a tally sheet to help identify and count the Garden’s birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Borrow a pair of binoculars and join one of our Explainers tracking birds around the grounds. At the Discovery Center, record your findings on our visitor’s tally chart and then at home on the GBBC website.
Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert.
Tropical Paradise Tour with ASL interpreter – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory entrance
Take refuge from winter by retreating to Tropical Paradise — a showcase of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s permanent collection, including orange-yellow crotons, fuchsia bromeliads, and more. Tour the many surprises in the Victorian-style glasshouse, where the harsh outdoor weather gives way to warm rain forest mists, soaring palm trees, and bright desert landscapes. You’ll feel like you are on vacation without leaving New York.
Tropical Paradise Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory entrance
Take refuge from winter by retreating to Tropical Paradise — a showcase of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s permanent collection, including orange-yellow crotons, fuchsia bromeliads, and more. Tour the many surprises in the Victorian-style glasshouse, where the harsh outdoor weather gives way to warm rain forest mists, soaring palm trees, and bright desert landscapes. You’ll feel like you are on vacation without leaving New York.
Sunday, February 17
Great Backyard Bird Count – All day
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Calling all bird watchers! Pick up a tally sheet to help identify and count the Garden’s birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Borrow a pair of binoculars and join one of our Explainers tracking birds around the grounds. At the Discovery Center, record your findings on our visitor’s tally chart and then at home on the GBBC website.
Tropical Paradise Tour – 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory entrance
Take refuge from winter by retreating to Tropical Paradise — a showcase of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s permanent collection, including orange-yellow crotons, fuchsia bromeliads, and more. Tour the many surprises in the Victorian-style glasshouse, where the harsh outdoor weather gives way to warm rain forest mists, soaring palm trees, and bright desert landscapes. You’ll feel like you are on vacation without leaving New York.
Photography Tips and Tricks – 1 to 3 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory Palms of the World Gallery
Join our expert on hand in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to dispense garden photography tips, encouragement, and critique for budding photographers. Each week, participate in a photo contest, “Picturing Paradise,” for a chance to win a spot in a photography course given at the NYBG this coming spring. The contest is run through the Garden’s Group Pool on Flickr. For more information visit nybg.org/tropical
Monday, February 18
Great Backyard Bird Count – All day
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Calling all bird watchers! Pick up a tally sheet to help identify and count the Garden’s birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count. Borrow a pair of binoculars and join one of our Explainers tracking birds around the grounds. At the Discovery Center, record your findings on our visitor’s tally chart and then at home on the GBBC website.
Ongoing Programming, January 19 – February 24
Tropical Paradise Photography Contest
After viewing the award-winning photographs from the International Garden Photographer of the Year display, take a spin through the Conservatory and snap your own pictures for entering into the Tropical Paradise Photography Contest. This year’s contest is all about picturing paradise: find paradise in the natural beauty of the Conservatory, be inspired by the award-winning photographs from paradises around the world, and find inspiration to picture paradise in the community of your fellow photographers in the NYBG Flickr Group Pool.
Tropical Discoveries and Wintertime Wonders
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Weekends and Holiday Mondays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. / Weekdays, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Inside the cozy Discovery Center kids of all ages can take a closer look at the differences between tropical and temperate plants. Pot up a specimen plant to take home and compare its characteristics with foliage in your neighborhood. Make bark rubbings, count tree rings, and head back into the winter garden with a field notebook to discover the vital sparks of life that lie just below the surface of this quiet season.
