Four free nature programs span the morning and early afternoon at Rye's two major wildlife preserves on Saturday, Sept. 19, starting with a beginner birding walk and ending with a live-animal show.
Westchester County Parks posted the lineup in its weekly events schedule. All four programs are free.
The day begins at the Marshlands Conservancy, a 147-acre preserve known for its salt marsh, with Birding for Beginners from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The county listing encourages attendees to bring binoculars, questions and a love of birds.
At 11 a.m., the action shifts to the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, where a resident naturalist will lead an Ecology of Long Island Sound shoreline hike until 12:30 p.m. The program, open to ages 7 and up, includes a visit to the sanctuary's Living Shoreline habitat restoration. Read covers 179 acres along the Sound and features brackish and freshwater ponds.
Back at Marshlands, the Friends of Marshlands hold their annual membership meeting from noon to 1 p.m. in the nature center building. The meeting is open to current members and anyone interested in joining. A live-animal program, "Our Forest Animals!," follows at 1 p.m. and runs until 2:30 p.m. It focuses on forest wildlife and why forests matter to the animals that depend on them.
Together, Marshlands and Read span more than 300 acres of coastal habitat and hold an Important Bird Area designation from the Audubon Society, according to a Friday, Sept. 11 MyRye.com feature on the preserves' birdlife.
Fall migration season brings thousands of warblers, raptors, shorebirds and waterfowl through the Long Island Sound flyway between September and November.
Kara Mason, a nature photographer and Saw Mill River Audubon board member, said in that Sept. 11 feature that the two preserves are uniquely positioned on the Sound's migratory flyway. "We are truly lucky to have these diverse environmental gems right here in Rye!" she said.
For questions, call Marshlands Conservancy at (914) 835-4466 or Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary at (914) 967-8720.
Saturday, Sept. 19 at a glance:
- 9–11:30 a.m. — Birding for Beginners, Marshlands Conservancy
- 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. — Ecology of Long Island Sound, Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary
- Noon–1 p.m. — Friends of Marshlands Annual Membership Meeting, Marshlands Conservancy
- 1–2:30 p.m. — Our Forest Animals! (live-animal program), Marshlands Conservancy
