Activities

Walks and Hikes

with Genesee Valley Audubon Society are family friendly opportunities to explore nature first-hand with other environmental enthusiasts.

As part of our mission Genesee Valley Audubon Society wants to encourage all to get out and appreciate nature. To support that mission, we offer several local bird walks throughout the year. Our hope is that you will see something that peaks your interest enough that you will want to come out and experience one or more of our offerings, and bring along your family and friends. Everyone is welcome.
Registration is required. Please note: if registration link is not working, copy and paste the URL into your browser.
Please check here or our Facebook page for updates on upcoming GVAS activities and programs. 

Brickyard Trail at Sandra Frankel Nature Park, Spring Evening Walk
Meet in parking lot at 2300 Elmwood Ave
Tuesday, May 7, 7:00pm-9:00pm

This is a joint nature walk with Burroughs Nature Club. Participants will meet in the parking lot in front of Brighton Library, near the road, 2300 Elmwood Ave., 14618. This is a casual evening nature walk to watch for birds and listen for frogs and other wildlife. This short easy walk of about a mile and a half round trip will give us a chance to explore an urban wetland at dusk. Who knows what we will find? The trail surface is finely crushed stone and plenty wide enough to accommodate any wheelchair or stroller. We have to cross the road to get to the path, which is relatively flat. Public facilities are available inside the library during hours of operation. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to June Summers at summers@frontiernet.net. Registration is required no later than Sunday, May 5 at http://tinyurl.com/5y4tsmzt 

Mount Hope Cemetery Walk with the Friends of Mt Hope Cemetery
North Gate Entrance on Mt Hope
Sunday, May 19, 8:00am-10:00am

Join us at the North Gate of Mount Hope Cemetery for birding and history as we stroll through the older section of this Victorian cemetery, founded in 1838. The large mature trees and bushes are very attractive to migrating birds. Bring your binoculars. We will walk about one mile. The route will be partly on pavement and partly on uneven ground, and there is a hill. This route is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers. The North Gate is on Mt Hope Ave across from Robinson Dr. (This is NOT the gate that is across from the Distillery Restaurant.) Preregistration will be available at https://fomh.org/tours-events/tours/ starting one month before the event. There is a $15 charge for this tour; the money goes toward restoration work at the cemetery. If you have questions, email Joanne Mitchell at jwmitchell@rochester.rr.com.

A Spring Bouquet of Birds: A Sit and Bird event PREMIER
Lakeview Community Church, 30 Long Pond Road
Saturday, June 1, 8:00am-9:30am

Come join us in a new birding opportunity from GVAS for all abilities as we host our inaugural Sit and Bird event. Some call it Slow Birding, Some Call it Mindful Birding. Most just call it bird watching. We are inviting you to bring a chair, your binoculars, the non-alcoholic beverage of your choice, and spend a quiet morning just sitting in nature enjoying the birds. The southern shore of Lake Ontario is along the Atlantic flyway. The geography of central and western New York concentrates large numbers of birds as they travel up to their summer breeding grounds. On a beautiful day in June we will have the opportunity of seeing many different species of birds all in their brightest breeding plumage. It is a feast for the eyes and heart even if you don’t know a robin from an eagle. GVAS volunteers will be on hand to help with the names of the birds if you care to learn. Prompts will be suggested to allow you to just view, breath in, and hear nature. There will be time to share and time to just sit and soak it all in. We hope this is an event that you will enjoy and invite friends and family to at future events. We will be setting up along a parking area. Sunscreen, hat, and water bottle are highly recommended. Sorry, but there are no public facilities available at this site. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Loretta at loretta.morrell.gvas@gmail.com. Register is required no later than Thursday, May 30 at http://tinyurl.com/3yvnaa7r 

Nature Walk at Tinker Nature Park
1525 Calkins Road
Saturday, June 8, 2024, 9:00am

Come join GVAS Saturday, June 1st at 9:00am for an early summer morning walk along the trail at Tinker Nature Park, an accessible area that features a crushed stone and grass trail that circles the perimeter of the park and is 1.2 miles long. Be aware that there are gentle slopes. We will park in the paved 1525 Calkins Road lot where there are accessible designated spaces and a bathroom available. We will discover what wildlife waits for us around a pond, wetland, open field, and woodland. We should see many spring migrants and birds that come visit for short period every summer to brood and raise their families. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Loretta at loretta.morrell.gvas@gmail.com. For more information about this trail we invite everyone to check out the details on Birdability.org, http://tinyurl.com/4uuse77n  Registration is required no later than Thursday, June 6 at  http://tinyurl.com/mrycztb7

 Follow Genesee Valley Audubon Society on Facebook or Twitter for updates.

Programs, Presentations & Events

are a great way to learn about a variety of environmental topics and get involved with nature.

Join GVAS at Bird of Prey Days
April 26-28, 2024 @ Braddock Bay Park
199 East Manitou Road, Rochester, NY 14612

Celebrate the spring raptor migration! For schedule of events: https://www.bbrr.org/bird-of-prey-days/

Save the dates!
July 20 – Water Chestnut Pull
September 21 – Coastal Clean-Up at Braddock Bay

To participate as a volunteer with any of these activities, please visit our Get Involved page.

Genesee Valley Audubon Society
P.O. Box 15512
Rochester, NY 14615

Email: summers@frontiernet.net