NYC Bird Alliance Activities and the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
category: ENGAGEMENT
Updated November 17, 2020
NYC Bird Alliance’s team continues to do its best to maintain the essence of our mission while working remotely. Our focus remains on the health and sustenance of our people and our organization. We have been grateful for your expressions of concern for our staff and naturalist guides. We, in turn, are concerned for you, our members, and colleagues in conservation.
After suspending most spring and summer in-person programming in accordance with state and federal government guidance, as of early September, we have returned to very limited in-person programming, taking necessary precautions for health and safety. We will continue to follow governmental guidance and expand our programming when that becomes feasible. Please continue to check our website, sign up for eNews, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for new programming and updates. And help birds through our advocacy work—become an Avian Advocate!
See below for the status of all NYC Bird Alliance programs.
Virtual Programming:
- We have been producing our normal spring and summer festivals in a virtual format, including the Jamaica Bay Horseshoe Crab Festival, "It's Your Tern!" Festival, and Shorebird Festival at Jamaica Bay. Access all of this content on our "virtual birding" page, as well as our video series The World of Birds, Virtual Birding by Ear, The Masked Birder, and many more digital birding resources. We also conducted online information sessions about our horseshoe crab monitoring in the spring, and for our fall collision monitoring and Tribute in Light monitoring programs.
In-Person Programming:
- Most of NYC Bird Alliance's spring and summer in-person conservation and birding programming was suspended in accordance with state and federal government guidance. As of early September, we are not able to offer our normal schedule of fall birding programs but are offering limited free walks in select parks. Learn more. We are also conducting very limited in-person conservation programming, such as our Tribute in Light monitoring program, in a carefully planned, socially distanced manner.
Overnight Trips:
- Overnight trips remain suspended until further notice. We will update our Overnight Trips webpage when we are able to resume programming.
2020 Audubon Christmas Bird Count:
- We regret that because of the pandemic, we are unable to coordinate a public Christmas Bird Count in Central Park and Manhattan this year. It is unclear at this time whether public counts will be held in the City’s other boroughs. Information on other counts may be available via the map view of count circles available on National Audubon's Christmas Bird Count page.
Communications:
- The fall issue of The Urban Audubon has been published in print; view the online PDF. (The summer issue of The Urban Audubon was only published online; both low- and high-resolution (for printing) versions are available.) If you are not already receiving email messages from us, sign up for The eGret so you won’t miss our publications and important announcements.
- NYC Bird Alliance’s staff continues to work remotely. You may still reach us via email. Phone calls are forwarded and if you leave a message we will call you back. Without access to the physical office, our response time and registration-modification processes are taking longer than usual. We thank you for your patience.
Fall migration is in full swing, and we know that many of you will be out birding. Please take care and be conscious of your choices when visiting our public parks and green spaces. Protect your and our community’s health by following the CDC’s recommendations and state and city regulations. Wear a face mask and practice social distancing. Do not share binoculars or scopes.
We hope everyone in our community is safe and well during this time. Changes to our programs and activities will continue to be posted on this page and on our specific programming pages. General inquiries may be made by phone to NYC Bird Alliance, Monday through Friday, 9:30am to 5:30am, at 212.691.7483 or by email to info@nycaudubon.org.
