Join NYC Bird Alliance to explore the Rockaways, a vital habitat for shorebirds year-round, with a FREE community bird outing.  In the summer, these beaches provide crucial nesting grounds for shorebirds like Piping Plovers, Least Terns, and Black Skimmers, while in the fall, becoming important foraging habitat for sandpipers and other shorebirds making their way south. 

* The group will meet on the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk at Beach 60th street, walk east on the beach, and return through the new Arverne East Nature Preserve to the north of the boardwalk. Scopes may come in handy if you have them. 

Registration not required but strongly encouraged. Free and open to all, with a special welcome to Rockaway residents. Limited binoculars available - first come first serve. 

Accessibility: *Please note the route is dependent on beach access. The beach may be closed for the safety of the breeding birds found on the beach. The guide will determine the best route the day of. Typically, the first half of the tour will take place on soft sand, but the Arverne East Nature Preserve has fully paved paths. Those who prefer not to walk on sand can take the boardwalk to Beach 44th Street and rejoin the group as we leave the beach and continue through the nature preserve.

Directions: Public transportation is available via the A Train to Beach 60th street. The Beach 67th Station, which is nearby, offers elevator access. Accessible public restrooms can be found at the Beach 60th Street Playground just off the boardwalk, and at the Arverne East Nature Preserve building at Beach 44th Street, at the half-way point on this outing. 

Photo: American Oystercatchers are one of the birds that can be seen nesting along the beach. Credit: Nicholas Wetzel.