Starting in April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, Saw Mill River Audubon began offering a Zoom interactive chat to connect the Lower Hudson regional birding community.
This Bird Chat now draws an average of 80+ birders and bird photographers of all abilities and experience levels.
In 2021 Bird Chat is happening twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
Upcoming Bird Chat Guests
2nd & 4th Tuesday
- Tue 7/27: How to Bird Croton Point and an update on the landfill grassland restoration project
- Tue 8/10: Alan and Della Wells, Rockland County birding hotspots
- Tue 8/24: Tom Burke: Westchester Long Island Sound shoreline: shorebirds & wading birds
- Tue 9/14: Orange County (FL): Audubon Birding Hotspots
- Tue 9/28: Michael Bochnik, Westchester Bird Records & Trends
- Tue 10/12: NO BIRD CHAT! Special live Zoom with David Sibley.
Details to follow! - Tue 10/26: David Baker, Orange County (NY) Birding
The same Zoom link will work through December 2021.
You only need to register ONCE for Bird Chat.
By registering, you’ll get an email with the Zoom connection info right away AND you’ll also get reminder emails a couple of days before and on the afternoon of each Bird Chat, repeating the Zoom link info.
(Of course, you can unsubscribe from those reminder emails anytime, just click unsubscribe on email footer.)
- You don’t need to have a webcam — or be seen — or need to have a microphone — or be heard — to enjoy our Bird Chats
- You are welcome just to watch and listen on your computer, or even just listen by phone.
- (Although, if you connect only by phone without a computer screen, you’ll miss out on a lot of the pictures and other visuals
we usually show.) - If you have never used Zoom OR want to learn more about Zoom, there is a LOT of help online. Here are helpful instructions for joining your first Zoom meeting.
what we do
- some quick announcements from local Audubon and birding groups*
* let us know in advance if you have something you want announced. - some sighting highlights and pictures from the past couple of weeks, often drawn from eBird reports.
- a conversation guest or birding hotspot focus for the next 30 minutes or so.
- your questions, comments, sightings and observations
* past Bird Chat videos here
- Don Riepe, American Littoral Society’s Jamaica Bay Program Director
- Tom Burke & Gail Benson, NYC Area Rare Bird Alert
- Sean Camillieri & Kyle Bardwell, volunteer Regional eBird Reviewers
- Charlie Roberto, Area Birder
- Kevin McGrath & Steve Rappaport, local bird photographers
- Michael Bochnik & Fran Greenberg, Hudson River Audubon of Westchester
- Sandy Morrissey, Bluebird Trails, Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon
- Joan Collins, Adirondack Avian Expeditions
- Kathryn Schneider, Author, Birding the Hudson Valley, Co-Chair, NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Steering Committee
- Barbara Mansell & Debbie van Zyl, Dutchess County birders from Waterman Bird Club
- Tait Johannson, Naturalist, Bedford Audubon Society
- Eliza Wein, Adam Vinson, NYS Young Birders Club
- Elijah Goodwin, Ph.D., Grassland Management for Birds, Rockefeller State Park Preserve & Stone Barns Fields
- Scott Craven & Larry Trachtenberg, Ossining/Croton Birding