March 2026 Bird Walks in & around the Hudson Valley
Join bird walks near you! Columbia, Ulster, Dutchess County NY & Berkshire MA. Updated Mar 4: Three walks hosted by John Burroughs Natural History Society (Ulster County) have been added.
Columbia County - Alan Devoe Bird Club
For more details & to register, please visit:
https://www.alandevoebirdclub.org/AboutCalendar.htm
SAT Mar 14
VOSBURGH SWAMP WMA w/HMBC (Greene County)
Coordinator: Alan Mapes, 518-817-1512. Meet 8:00 am at the Four-mile Point Preserve parking lot on Four Mile Point Road. From Mansion Street in the Village of Coxsackie, go South on State Route 385 (Washington Ave), approximately 2.5 miles to a left turn onto Four Mile Point Road. Proceed to the bottom of the hill – parking area is straight ahead where the road takes a 90-degree bend to the right. We will look for resident birds and early migrants, Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Kinglets, and Fox Sparrow. The trail also provides access to views of the Hudson River and ponds for waterfowl.
SAT MAR 21
COPAKE LAKE (postponed from Mar 7, weather dependent)
Coordinator: Marian Sole, 203-710-9096. Meet 9:00 am at the intersection of County Route 7 and Lake view Road (Copake Lake). We will search for spring migrant waterfowl. Common Loon, Grebe, Mergansers, Teals and others are potential species.
Columbia Land Conservancy - Columbia County
THU MAR 19
Timberdoodle Trek at Siegel-Kline Kill
7pm. “Timberdoodle” is a common nickname the American Woodcock. During this guided walk, led by experienced birder Spencer Crawford, we will enjoy the sunset and hope to see the Timberdoodle’s unique mating ritual and its distinct sky dance.
For more information and to register, visit here.
This program is weather-dependent! In the event that the weather on March 19 does not cooperate, it will be re-scheduled for April 2. Please be sure to check your email the day of the event.
Dutchess County - Waterman Bird Club
For more details & to register, please visit:
https://watermanbirdclub.org/about-us/field-trips-2/
Wednesday, March 4, Mills Mansion – Leader: Kate Shaughnessy (845-242-3476). Meet at the Mansion parking lot, Old Post Rd., Staatsburg at 9am.
Wednesday, March 11, Bowdoin Park – Leader: Barbara Michelin (845-242-2301). Meet at the upper-level parking area (127 Sheafe Rd. Wappingers Falls) at 9am.
Wednesday, March 18, Vassar Campus – Leaders: Ken & Carol Fredricks (845-452-7619). Meet at the greenhouse parking lot (106 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie) and park at the south end of the lot at 9am.
Saturday, March 21, Dutchess Gables – Leader: Janet Allison (845-264-3222). Call for time and meeting place.
Wednesday, March 25, Buttercup West – Leader: Janet Allison (845-264-3222). Meet at parking lot (Stissing Mt. Ln. & right onto 22 Mountain Rd., Stanfordville – off Rt. 82) at 9am.
Ulster County - John Burroughs Natural History Society
For more details & to register, or to check out their nature walks focused on non-bird subjects, please visit: https://jbnhs.org/events/list/
Sun, March 8
EARLY MIGRANTS ON THE RONDOUT
10 am. Enjoy a brisk, late morning, winter walk identifying woody plant by bark, structure, and bud. This Kingston Land Trust (KLT) preserve has two short trails that access the old quarry of approximately 20 acres in the Wilbur neighborhood of Kingston. Trip leader Tom O’Dowd is not just our expert guide but can share news and happenings as the KLT Land Stewardship Coordinator. Please register with Tom (tkodowd@gmail.com or 914 213-7079) for this outing as parking is limited.
FRI, MARCH 20
VERNAL EQUINOX WOODCOCK WALK
6:00 P.M. Celebrate the Vernal Equinox with one of the year’s great natural history events. Please register with trip leader Christine Guarino (chrissy.guarino@gmail.com) for an evening stroll in the Shawangunk Grasslands to hear and possibly see male woodcocks perform their courting flights. We should hear early amphibians and maybe an owl or two also. Meet at the refuge entrance on Hoagerburg Road (Ulster Cty. Rt. 18), field party will make the short walk to the east (and the main refuge parking lot).
SAT, MARCH 21
SIGNS OF SPRING NATURE WALK
8:00 A.M. The Esopus Creek Conservancy and John Burroughs Natural History Society are co-sponsoring a guided nature walk to observe early signs of spring in a variety of ecologically rich habitats in the Town of Saugerties on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Depending on available time, conditions, and participant interest, we will visit The Great Vly Wildlife Management Area, Esopus Bend Nature Preserve, Falling Waters Preserve, and/or the Saugerties Lighthouse peninsula on the Hudson River. Meet in the Saugerties Village Beach parking lot on Rte. 9W, just north of the Esopus Creek bridge, at the foot of Partition Street in the Village of Saugerties. Participants can stay for the duration, or drive to each location and leave whenever necessary. Bring binoculars, field guides, and spotting scopes if you have them, and be prepared for wet, muddy trails, and early spring weather conditions. Light rain often makes for excellent birding and nature observation, but heavy rain will cancel the walk. Children are welcome and encouraged, but please do not bring pets. Please register with field trip leader, Steve Chorvas (schorvas@gmail.com) and for additional information or directions. This joint ECC/JBNHS Environmental Education walk is free and open to the public. For additional information about upcoming ECC Nature Walks and Paddles, please visit www.esopuscreekconservancy.org.
SUN, MARCH 22
TIVOLI BAYS BIRDING
8:00 A.M. We will explore the tidal marshes and upland habitat of this DEC property. Bald Eagles, waterfowl, and other early migrants (like Rusty Blackbird) are reasonable expectations on this walk. Please register with trip leader Jessica Cukrovany (procolinos@gmail.com). Field party will meet at the Bard College parking lot on Gatehouse Drive just north of sharp turn on Dutchess County Rt.103 and Cruger Island Road. The group will walk down Cruger Island road to the bays and the causeway and trails will surely be muddy. Please consider this and choose proper footwear (like muck boots).
Berkshire County, MA - Hoffmann Bird Club
For more details & to register, please visit: https://hoffmannbirdclub.org/events/
Mon, March 9
March Meeting: Jonathan C. Slaght – “Owls of the Eastern Ice; A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl”
7:00pm-9:00pm. Jonathan C. Slaght, Regional Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Temperate Asia Program, will present: “Owls of the Eastern Ice; A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl”. Zoom only – Request Link and for more information, please visit here.
Sun, March 15
American Woodcock, Greylock Glen, Adams
6:30 pm. We will be listening to their nasal “peent” calls and hopefully will see the amazing aerial displays of the American Woodcock in the evening. Estimated time is 6:30 PM about ½ hour after sunset. Meet at the parking lot of the Greylock Glen Visitor’s Center, Gould Road, Adams. We will be walking on a level gravel path up to the meadow area. RSVP here.
Sun, March 22
Spring Waterfowl Search
7:30AM. Spring is a great time to look for waterfowl on our local lakes, wherever there is open water. This trip will involve driving to multiple lakes and wetlands. There is limited walking. Meet at Farnams Causeway (off of Rte. 8) on Cheshire Lake. RSVP here.
Sat, March 28
Game Day: Wingspan
1:00 pm. Back by popular demand! Join us for an afternoon of playing the board game Wingspan! Table space is limited. RSVP required, visit here. Light refreshments will be provided. Never played before? That’s okay, we’ll teach you! Meet at the Berkshire Athenaeum, Athenaem Room on the 2nd floor balcony.