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ISLAND GETAWAY: EXPERIENCE THE PEAK OF SPRING MIGRATION AT GOVERNORS ISLAND
May 6, 2022
Leader: Ryan Goldberg
Participant limit: 20
Focus: Start the weekend early with a trip via ferry to Governors Island, in the upper harbor, at the height of spring migration. This 172-acre island, part of the borough of Manhattan and a military outpost since before the Revolutionary War, is now open year-round to the public. The Lenape called it Pagganuck, or “Nut Island,” because of its abundance of chestnut, hickory, and oak trees. The island’s geography and its unique mix of historic forts, officers’ houses, grasslands, mature trees, and native plantings and landscaping make for an important stopover site for migrants. Target species will include a rich assortment of songbirds — warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks and grassland specialists like bobolinks — as well as the terns, herons, and swallows that nest there. On eBird, 225 species have been reported on the island.
Registrar: Ryan Goldberg, email: ryangoldberg@gmail.com
Registration period: April 23 – May 5Notes: We will take the 7 AM ferry from the Battery Maritime Building, located at 10 South Street, in Lower Manhattan. Please arrive 5-10 minutes early. Advance reservations on the ferry are strongly recommended, so please purchase your ticket well in advance of the date: https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry. The round-trip fare is $3 but free to some groups.
Prepare for a 4-6 hour trip and please bring lunch; we will likely eat at “Picnic Point” on the south end of the island. This trip might extend into happy hour — there are several bars and beer gardens on the island — for those who would like to make it a full-day outing.
Current club members will receive priority. If you need to cancel, please do so at least 24 hours in advance so we can offer someone your spot; no-shows will be moved to the bottom of the list for future trips.
More information:
On the island’s history and its birds: https://www.nycaudubon.org/events-birding/birding-resources/birding-in-nyc/birding-in-manhattan/governors-island.
A map of the island: https://gov-island-site.s3.amazonaws.com/pages/visitor-info/Visitor_Map_2022_02_11_EN.pdf