Activities
Eastern Meadowlark by Sheri Douse
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.
Winter Bird Walk at Durand Eastman Park along Log Cabin Road
Lakeshore Blvd Lot# D directly across from Log Cabin Road
Wednesday, March 13, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Genesee Valley Audubon Society (GVAS) invites you to join us to take a walk in nature on hopefully a pretty winter day. We will be walking on a paved road which is maintained throughout the winter. We will be listening and watching for our resident birds that overwinter in our area: woodpeckers, bluejays, cardinals, etc. Binoculars may enhance your enjoyment. Dress for the weather and possible slippery conditions. We will meet on Lakeshore Blvd Lot# D directly across from Log Cabin Road. Access to the parking lots along Log Cabin road are not available during the winter months. Pre-registration is required no later than Sunday, March 10. https://tinyurl.com/3dpchwdv
Nature Walk (Duck, Duck, Goose, Swan) at Ontario Beach Park and Seabreeze
50 Beach Avenue
Wednesday, April 10, 10:00am
All are welcome to join Genesee Valley Audubon Society in search of overwintering ducks and other waterfowl. We will begin our day at the Genesee River harbor. We will meet in the parking area north of the Port Authority building just south of the Charlotte Pier. Next we will caravan down to the Irondequoit Outlet bridge at Seabreeze and pop over the bridge to the new Sandbar Park in Webster to see what birds we may find there. It’s important that you dress for the weather, and wear proper footwear for probable icy conditions. Binoculars may enhance your enjoyment. Find a map and more details Charlotte: http://tinyurl.com/u89kt4cw SeaBreeze: http://tinyurl.com/34xssnhz
Register no later than Sunday, April 7. http://tinyurl.com/mtp583t7
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.
Pollinator Gardening
Tuesday, Feb. 27 2024, 7:30 pm, by Zoom
I have not arranged a speaker yet but I am sure that I can find someone to speak on how to put in a pollinator garden. Pollinators are important to flowers of all kinds including the crops that we eat. Watch the GVAS Facebook page for more details. Register with June Summers, summers@frontiernet.net by Feb. 25.
Lights Out! Why Birds Need Them!
Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 7:30 pm, By Zoom
Birds navigate by many methods: the stars, gravitational pull, and landmarks, to name a few. Passerines (small perching birds) migrate at night and need the darkness to make their way. If they run into bright lights they become confused and lose their way. There are things we can do to help. We borrowed this video from Menunkatuck Audubon Society because they have experts that can tell us what to do help birds migrate safely. Register required with June Summers, summers@frontiernet.net by March 23. If I don’t reply within several days please call (585) 355-1824.
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