Hi everyone, The countdown begins. A week from Saturday 8/26/17 we will hold the 12th annual Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival. It has always been a fun filled day and hope you all can attend. If you want to walk on the East Pond, please BRING BOOTS. There are a few places where the water might be ankle deep. Don Riepe, Kevin Karlson and Lloyd Spitalnik thank Gateway Nat'l Recreation Area (run by National Park Service), NYC Audubon and American Littoral Society For their sponsorship.
The festival is free but we ask for a very modest $20.00 donation to help defray our costs. Here is the itinerary for the day: *Program Schedule* *8:30am* Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (Google map <https://www.google.com/maps/place/Jamaica+Bay+Wildlife+Refuge+Visitor+Center/@40.6166866,-73.8249345,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xfbac1d06ab0c74e2!8m2!3d40.6166866!4d-73.8249345>) for registration and continental breakfast (coffee, donuts, juice, etc.) *9am* Hike to the West Pond to view shorebirds during the incoming tide (Kevin Karlson, Lloyd Spitalnik, Sean Sime, Tom Burke, et al.) *10:30am*Welcome from the National Park Service (Gateway Superintendent Jennifer Nersesian) *10:45am**Family activity with a National Park Service Ranger *10:45am* Overview of Jamaica Bay conservation issues and wildlife (Don Riepe) *11:15am*NYC Audubon shorebird research (Dr. Susan Elbin, Debra Kriensky) *11:45am* Lunch (bring lunch or drive to deli located in nearby Broad Channel) *12:30pm* Hikes to East and West Ponds at high tide or other sites to be selected (all leaders) *2pm**Family activity with a National Park Service Ranger *3pm*Shorebird photography (Lloyd Spitalnik) *3:30pm*Birding by impression (Kevin and Dale Karlson) *4:30-5pm* Discussion and wrap-up **Family activities are intended for children and will run concurrently with principal festival events.* -- All my best, Lloyd Lloyd Spitalnik Photography www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com <http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com/main.php> -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
