Croton Point Park (7/9)

Guide: Gabriel Willow

Travel in comfort aboard Metro-North (leaving at 8:45am from Grand Central Station) to visit Croton Point Park, a beautiful 500-acre park on a peninsula on the Hudson River, about one hour north of the city. The park is rich in natural and human history: It has the oldest native American oyster shell middens in the northeast, revealing that it was inhabited as long as 7,000 years ago; today, the park has a wonderful mix of forest, wetlands, and grassland. The grasslands are atop a hill formed by a former landfill, and are home to hard-to-find breeding bird species such as Indigo Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolink, and Eastern Meadowlark. The woodlands nearby are home to breeding Great Horned Owl, Willow Flycatcher, and Orchard Oriole, as well as the more expected common breeders. Bring lunch for a picnic in one of the riverside pavilions.

$50 for NYC Audubon members, $65 for non-members. Limited to 15 people.

Photo Credit:

Bobolink. Photo: Kelly Colgan Azar / Flickr Creative Commons