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New York

Harbor seal
Harbor seal
İJ.T. Silva
Event: Seal Haul Out
Where: Montauk Point, eastern tip of Long Island
When: January through March
Harbor seals can be observed basking on the rocks at Montauk Point State Park.
Osprey in nest
Osprey in nest
İDoug Wechsler
Event: Ospreys Nesting
Where: Mashomack Preserve
When: Mid-March through early September
Ospreys nest on coastal bluffs and along salt marshes. Their nests of sticks and other found objects can be six to eight feet high and weigh several hundred pounds.

Open to the public. Immediate area around ospreys closed off.
Least tern nesting
Least tern nesting
İThe Nature Conservancy
Event: Shorebirds Nesting
Where: Long Island Beaches
When: April through August
Nesting piping plovers, least terns, common terns, roseate terns, black skimmers and American oystercatchers nest on open beaches along the Atlantic and the Peconic Bay.

Open to the public. Nesting sites fenced off.
Great blue herons
Great blue herons
İDouglas Rodda
Event: Great Blue Herons Returning
Where: Ironsides Island
When: April
More than a thousand great blue herons return to their nests at Ironsides Island, the largest rookery in northern New York.

Open to the public.
Shelter Island, NY
Shelter Island, NY
İDoug Wechsler
Event: Shadbush in Bloom
Where: Montauk Point, eastern tip of Long Island
When: Mid-May
The Montauk peninsula at the eastern tip of Long Island is adorned with a profusion of white blossoms as the shadbush bloom, creating a hauntingly beautiful scene reminiscent of the Scottish moors. The Montauk moorlands are one of the most ecologically important natural areas on Long Island. Contact the South Fork-Shelter Island Chapter to find out about guided tours to the Conservancy's Andy Warhol Preserve.
Prairie smoke
Prairie smoke
İElinor Osborn
Event: Prairie Smoke Blooming
Where: Chaumont Barrens Preserve
When: Late May through early June
Acres of alvar grassland turn smoky pink with thousands of feathery plumes as this prairie flower blooms at its easternmost outpost.

Open to the public. Facilities available: interpretive trail.
Pitch pine
Pitch pine
İGeorge C. Gress
Event: Shorebirds Migrating
Where: El Dorado Beach Preserve and Sandy Pond Beach Natural Area
When: Early July, August, September
Thousands of shorebirds stop on the rocky and sandy shores of Lake Ontario to rest and feed as they make their long commute from arctic breeding grounds to wintering grounds in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Open to the public. Facilities available: El Dorado trail, Sandy Pond boat access.
Red-tailed hawk
Red-tailed hawk
İBrad Bidwell
Event: Hawks Migrating
Where: Butler Memorial Sanctuary
When: Late August through mid-November
From the hawkwatch at Butler Sanctuary, view hundreds of migrating raptors such as merlins, kestrels, northern harriers, Cooper's hawks, broad-winged hawks and many more. Less common species such as northern goshawks, peregrine falcons, bald and golden eagles can also be seen.
Buck moth
Buck moth
İAlbany Pine Bush clip art file
Event: Buck Moths
Where: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
When: Late September to mid-October
The male moths fly over the shrubby canopy of the pine barrens during mating season. The buck moth is an indicator of good-quality pine barrens.

Open to the public.
Pine cone
Pine cone
İAlbany Pine Bush clip art file
Event: Native Pine Barrens Seed Collecting
Where: Albany Pine Bush Preserve
When: Mid-September to mid-October
Volunteers help gather seeds from a variety of native pine barrens plant species, including grasses, New Jersey tea, scrub oak and pitch pine. Lupine is collected in July. Volunteers help to restore habitat January through March.

Open to the public.
Dwarf Pine Ridge
Dwarf Pine Ridge
İArnold Adler
Event: Coastal Buck Moths Mating
Where: Dwarf Pine Barrens
When: October
Large black, white and orange diurnal moths mate in dwarf pitch pine and scrub oak barrens.

Open to the public.
Mashomack Manor
Mashomack Manor
İDoug Wechsler
Event: Wintering Ducks
Where: Mashomack Preserve, Shelter Island; Shinnecock Bay, Southampton; and Mecox Bay Preserve,
When: Late November
Arriving from their nesting grounds farther north, large flocks of black ducks, scoters, and oldsquaw can be observed in their winter habitat on eastern Long Island. Rich feeding grounds and relatively mild winters attract these birds to the area. Observe from Conservancy preserves on Shelter Island, Southampton and Water Mill.
Adirondack High Peaks
Adirondack High Peaks
İGary Randorf
Event: Rare Blooms
Where: Adirondacks (public lands)
When: Early August
Boot's Rattlesnake-root - globally rare - blooms atop New York State's highest peaks on publicly owned land. The Conservancy's Summit Steward Program helps to protect their habitat from inadvertent trampling by hikers.
Adirondack region
Adirondack region
İHarold E. Malde
Event: Bats Hibernating
Where: Adirondacks - Hague Bat Hibernaculum
When: October through April
Six species of bat, including the rare Indiana bat and small-footed bat, hibernate in the largest bat wintering site in the northeast, the Conservancy's Hague Bat Hibernaculum. About 125,000 bats crowd into one abandoned mine for a long sleep.

The hibernaculum is not open to anyone but bats.

For additional information on a particular location, click on the name of the preserve associated with the event or visit the New York site.