Welcome to Queens County Bird Club

Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, prefer short trips or birding all day, you will feel at home!

The Queens County Bird Club Inc. is a “Full Service” organization of naturalists:
Monthly Meetings – Noted speakers, vivid presentations
Field Trips – half-day, all-day, weekend
Conservation – projects, advocacy, support

NEXT Monthly In-Person Meeting – Wednesday, October 21st, 2026 7:30 – 9:30 pm.

Where: Alley Pond Environmental Center – NEW BUILDING
229-10 Northern Blvd, Douglaston, NY 11362 (map)

Presentation – “Karlo and Alison Mirth present “Peninsular Malaysia”

In September 2025, Karlo and Alison Mirth went on a Calidris Birding Tours trip to the southern part of the Malaysia Peninsula. They visited lowland rainforests, mangroves, and highland areas including world-famous Fraser’s Hill. Karlo and Alison arrived two days before the start of the tour to recover from jet lag and to bird on their own in a nearby park and acquaint themselves with commonplace birds.

Besides seeing many new birds and bird families, there were many sightings of other fascinating fauna including several species of primates and mammals, reptiles, and over 30 species of butterflies.

Doors will open at 7:00 PM and the presentation will begin at 7:30 PM. Please be prompt and ring the bell when at the front door when you arrive.

Upcoming field trips – see Calendar link for details and registration info

“The QCBC Big Sit at Fort Totten” – Mack Chitulescu (347) 572-3119

When: Sunday, October 11th – 10am to 2pm
Where: Fort Totten Visitor Center, Lee Rd, Fort Totten, NY 11359, USA
Description:

Since the Battery Harris Platform at Fort Tilden burned down, we will have this year’s Big Sit on top of the fort at Fort Totten Park. The Fort Totten Park Visitors Center hours are from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Therefore, the QCBC “Big Sit” will take place from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. You may come and go as you choose. If they let you inside the gate, there is parking on the right before the Abbott Road & Murray Avenue intersection (west of the Fort Totten Playground).

If they don’t let you through the gate, you will need to park in the Little Bay Park parking lot, take Totten Avenue to the fork on the road (which is Bayside Street). Make a left at Bayside Street, make a right on to Abbott Road, then a left at North Loop (which is the road before the Fort Totten Playground), and then bear right. You will see the entrance to the Fort Totten Visitors Center (which is Lee Road). Sign in at the entrance and the park ranger will give you directions from there.

There are plenty of birding opportunities in Fort Totten Park before and/or after the Big Sit including Abbott Road by the pines and pollinator gardens east of the Fort Totten Playground, the field across from the Visitors Center and Shore Road by the bay.

Here is part of the official description the “Big Sit”: Some people have called it a “tailgate party for birders.” Find a good spot for bird watching—preferably one with good views of a variety of habitats and lots of birds. Next, create a real or imaginary circle 17 feet in diameter and sit inside the circle for 24 hours, counting all the bird species you see or hear. That’s it. Find a spot, sit in it, have fun. Then submit your findings.

Birdwatchers Digest
Kissena Park – Eric Miller – 917-279-7530

When: Sunday, October 18th – 7:45am – 12:00pm
Where: Kissena Park
Description:

This mini-trip includes Kissena Park both east and west of Kissena Blvd. Expect to find many species of sparrows and southbound migrants.

Meet at the Kissena Velodrome parking lot, which can be entered from Booth Memorial Ave north of Parsons Blvd – see map.

Contact the trip leader to register.
QCBC Monthly In-Person Meeting – Karlo and Alison Mirth present “Peninsular Malaysia”

When: Wednesday, October 21st 7:30 – 9:30pm
Where: Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd, Douglaston, NY 11362, USA
Description:

In September 2025, Karlo and Alison Mirth went on a Calidris Birding Tours trip to the southern part of the Malaysia Peninsula. They visited lowland rainforests, mangroves, and highland areas including world-famous Fraser’s Hill. Karlo and Alison arrived two days before the start of the tour to recover from jet lag and to bird on their own in a nearby park and acquaint themselves with commonplace birds.

Besides seeing many new birds and bird families, there were many sightings of other fascinating fauna including several species of primates and mammals, reptiles, and over 30 species of butterflies.

Doors will open at 7:00 PM and the presentation will begin at 7:30 PM. Please be prompt and ring the bell when at the front door when you arrive.
Arverne/Bayswater – Joe Schiavone (203) 640-2927

When: Saturday, October 24th – 7:30am – 12:00pm
Where: Arverne East Nature Preserve, 190 Beach 44th St, Queens, NY 11691
Description:

Arverne East Nature Preserve hosts five different maritime ecosystems, providing a safe home for diverse local flora and fauna. Pedestrian pathways weave through the preserve, offering New Yorkers a new way to observe and appreciate these natural environments, including accessible connections to the Rockaway boardwalk and beach. A new welcome center was also constructed as part of this project, which houses a community meeting space, office space for Urban Park Rangers, crew headquarters for Parks maintenance staff, and public restrooms.

“By establishing the new Arverne East Nature Preserve, we’re not only protecting our natural environment but also providing fresh opportunities for New Yorkers to engage with the rich diversity of plant and animal life that enriches our city,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue.“As custodians of over 10,000 acres of natural areas across the five boroughs, Parks is committed to maintaining strong, ecologically vibrant public spaces, helping local wildlife thrive while making our city more beautiful, resilient, and livable. Together with the new welcome center, local farm, and native plant nursery, this new nature preserve is a great resource for the Rockaway community.”

Bayswater Point State parkcomprises 12 acres at the tip of a peninsula jutting out into Mott Basin on theeastern shore of Jamaica Bay in the Rockaways. The park’s terrain iswonderfully varied and includes beachfront, wetlands and woodlands. Thisdiversity helps make it an ideal habitat for migrating and nesting birds. Infact, the park was once a bird sanctuary overseen by Audubon. Our goal for thislovely and peaceful park is to preserve the existing natural systems, and asfeasible, restore what has been lost.

The 11-acre Norton BasinNatural Resource Area is located at the eastern end of the Rockaway Peninsula.The site is bounded to the west by Norton Basin (a tributary of Jamaica Bay),to the east by a new development of multi-family homes facing Bay 32nd Street,to the north by the western end of Healy Avenue, and to the south by Bayswater Park, which is operated by New York City Parks.

Contact the trip leader to register and for additional information.
QCBC Monthly In-Person Meeting – Donna Schulman presents “Birding Western Australia”

When: Wednesday, November 18th 7:30 – 9:30pm
Where: Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd, Douglaston, NY 11362, USA
Description:

Western Australia may be less travelled than Eastern AU, but it is marvelously rich in habitat diversity: karri forests, flowering heathlands, red rock coasts, 17 endemic bird species, extraordinary marsupials. Donna visited Western Australia in Sept. 2025. Highlights included Cheynes Beach, home to the infamous “three skulkers,” the unique Dryandra Woodlands, Perth’s Rottnest Island with its endearing Quokkas, and the breathtaking shorebird abundance of Broome’s Roebuck Bay. There were Black-Cockatoos, Fairywrens, Firetails, Bowerbirds, Ringnecks, Kites, Kookaburras, and, of course, Kangaroos. Did Donna see those three skulkers? Tune in and find out!

BIO
Donna learned how to bird with QCBC and has branched out to Central & South America, Africa, SE Asia, and Australia. A former labor educator and library director, she reviews books for 10,000 Birds, Birding magazine, and discusses birding books as part of the Birding Book Club on the American Birding Association Podcast. Donna’s photographs have been featured in Birding and Birdwatching Magazine; publications of New Jersey Audubon, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and NYSOA; the educational signage of Negri-Nepote Grasslands in N.J., and a tern colony somewhere in Germany; and just recently, the 2025 Town of Southampton Report on Threatened and Endangered Species Management and Protection Program. She is a past editor of QCBC’s News and Notes.

Zoom link to follow closer to the date of the presentation.
South Shore Potpourri – Ian Resnick – 917-626-9562

When: Sunday, November 22nd – 8:00am – 3:00pm
Where: Meet at Lofts Pond – 2352 Windsor Rd, Baldwin, NY
Description:

Explore various duck ponds of the South Shore, starting with Lofts Pond in Baldwin – see map for this location – and heading east to Milburn Creek, Cow Meadow, Cammanns Pond, Mill Pond Park Bellmore, and any other nearby locations that have reported interesting sightings on that day.

Meet at the southwest corner of Loft’s Pond Park. Park on-street near the map address.

Contact the trip leader to register.
Grand Jones Beach – Ian Resnick – 917-626-9562

When: Sunday, November 29th – 8:00am – 3:00pm
Where: Meet at Boat Basin West End – Jones Beach State Park NY
Description:

We will start this field trip at Jones Beach West End – the gazebo at the boat basin adjoining the Coast Guard Station – see map. We will proceed both on foot and by vehicle to other locales in the Jones Beach area.

Please bring lunch.

If you have a scope, please bring it to the first location; it may be useful in others as well.

You must call the trip leader to register.
Montauk Point – Ian Resnick – 917-626-9562

When: Saturday, December 5th – 7:30am – 4:30pm
Where: Meet at Georges Lighthouse Cafe, 1999 Montauk Point State Pkwy, Montauk, NY 11954, USA
Description:

We will start the trip viewing from the back of the restaurant specified by the map. Parking is in the lot on the opposite side of Montauk Hwy.

If you have a scope, it will be useful here. Razorbills, Gannets, Eiders and Scoters are possible here.

We will proceed to various birding spots in the Montauk area. We usually end the trip with a visit to the Shinnecock Inlet and dinner at a restaurant near there.
Bring lunch.

Contact the trip leader to register and for additional information.
QCBC Monthly In-Person Meeting – Doug Robinson presents “Climate Change & Birds”

When: Wednesday, December 9th 7:30 – 9:30pm
Where: Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd, Douglaston, NY 11362, USA
Description:

Pre Queens County CBC & Doug Robinson will present “Climate Change & Birds”. More information to follow closer to the date of the presentation.

Doors will open at 7:00 PM and the presentation will begin at 7:30 PM. Please be prompt and ring the bell when at the front door when you arrive.
Queens Christmas Bird Count – Corey Finger – 10000birdsblogger@gmail.com

When: Sunday, December 20th – All day
Where: Queens, NY
Description:

Participate in the National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running community service project in the nation! https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count

If you have done a Christmas Bird Count for the Queens circle in a previous year, you know what to do!
If you need to be assigned to a sector, please email Corey Finger to assign you a sector and give you the contact info for a sector leader. 10000birdsblogger@gmail.com

Compilation plans are pending.

Hear a podcast of “It’s In Queens” featuring an interview with QCBC President Ian Resnick here.