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AccessibilityWildlife
Meet and learn about NYC's wildlife neighbors, from the fish and crabs of our waters to the hawks and eagles of our skies. Our expert Urban Park Rangers, Parks Wildlife Unit, and our partners and friends lead wildlife-viewing tours and lectures all across the New York City. Join us! To learn more about NYC's wildlife and what to do when encountering wildlife, please visit our Urban Wildlife page.
Wildlife Events
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan 
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, October 16, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Intro to Birding
at Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Learn how to use binoculars to spot amazing birds that live around the salt marsh with an expert from NYC Bird Alliance. Families welcome.
Free!
Team RIVER Saturdays
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteers will work in different areas of the park to clean and beautify this important community resource.
Free!
Community Work Day
at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Stop by the Wyckoff Urban Farm on the third Saturday of the month to learn about what we're growing, get to know our farmers, and get your hands dirty with farm projects!
Free!
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Birding With Ryan
at East Fourth Street Community Garden, Brooklyn
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join local birdwatching author and garden member Ryan Goldberg for a fall birding event.
Free!
Event
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Riverside Park Birding Club
at 116th Street and Riverside Drive (in Riverside Park), Manhattan
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Monthly walks through birding hotspots in Riverside Park, led by Riverside Park Conservancy Field Staff.
Free!
Event
Birding: Hawk Watch
at Pelham Bay Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Join the Rangers as they hike up the hills of the Bronx-Pelham Landfill, a site closed off to the public.
Free!
Halloween Boo Bash
at White Garden (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
Celebrate Halloween park-style at our free, family-friendly Halloween Boo Bash! Come in costume and celebrate Halloween with themed activities, crafts, music, treats, and more!
Free!
Event
Nighthunters: An Evening Owl Adventure
at Wave Hill, Bronx
5:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.
Join us at Wave Hill for an exclusive after-hours encounter including nature walks, owl programs, and bird trivia!
Event
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Autumn Gardening: Prep the Pollinator Garden
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Autumn garden maintenance is an important step to a successful growing season. Maintain our pollinator garden as we prepare it for a dormant winter.
Free!
Kids
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, November 1, 2025
Birding: Beginner Birding
at Pelham Bay Nature Center (in Pelham Bay Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a birding adventure around Pelham Bay Park to learn the basics of birding how to identify common species in our parks.
Free!
Urban Wildlife Scavenger Hunt
at Entrance - West 100 Street and Central Park West (in Central Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers in a series of games and activities to complete a scavenger hunt for the city’s most amazing wildlife.
Free!
Kids
Sunday, November 2, 2025
Intro to Birding
at Salt Marsh Nature Center (in Marine Park), Brooklyn
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Learn how to use binoculars to spot amazing birds that live around the salt marsh with an expert from NYC Bird Alliance. Families welcome.
Free!
Bug Buddies!
at Queens County Farm Museum (in Queens Farm Park), Queens
11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Calling all bug enthusiasts for a monthly Bug Buddies program with our STEM Coordinator and resident bug expert, Keith McManus!
Kids
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Wild Oyster Survey
at Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Randall’s Island Park Alliance is partnering with the Billion Oyster Project to conduct a wild oyster survey in the Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh!
Free!
Thursday, November 6, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Fall Cleanup
at Icahn Stadium (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Volunteers will not only help with picking up litter and debris but also remove invasive species, clean walking trail paths and other duties to put us on a good path for the winter months.
Free!
Plants and Habitat for Migrating Birds
at Wave Hill, Bronx
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Plants play an important role in the journey of migrating birds, join us for an autumn birding walk.
Foliage Frolic Weekend
at Wave Hill, Bronx
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Autumn peak is upon us, and there’s no better place in New York City to enjoy all the fall colors than Wave Hill!
Long Pond Park 25th Anniversary Hike
at Long Pond Park, Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Long Pond Park celebrates 25 years as a NYC Park. Take a guided hike with park naturalists, arborists and historians to hear about the many wonderful aspects of this ‘hiding in plain site’ gem.
Free!
Discovery Hike: Urban Wildlife
at 130th Street and 11th Avenue (in Powell's Cove Park), Queens
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn how animals such as birds, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and others survive in our urban environment while searching for some of these species.
Free!
Sunday, November 9, 2025
Foliage Frolic Weekend
at Wave Hill, Bronx
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Autumn peak is upon us, and there’s no better place in New York City to enjoy all the fall colors than Wave Hill!
Discovery Hike: Camouflaged Critters
at Potter Avenue and Royal Oak Road (in Clove Lakes Park), Staten Island
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Learn about the urban wildlife which can hide easily in our parks to stay safe. Rangers will bring you on a hike to explore and identify wildlife.
Free!
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Community Work Day
at Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum (in Fidler-Wyckoff House Park), Brooklyn
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Stop by the Wyckoff Urban Farm on the third Saturday of the month to learn about what we're growing, get to know our farmers, and get your hands dirty with farm projects!
Free!
Autumn Gardening: Bulb Planting
at West 218th Street and Indian Road (in Inwood Hill Park), Manhattan
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers as we plant bulbs for our spring garden. Daffodils and tulips go in the ground in the fall so we’ll have flowers in the spring!
Free!
Kids
Living With Urban Coyotes
at Entrance - Mt. Eden Parkway and Morris Avenue (in Claremont Park), Bronx
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.
Learn about the basic biology of these super smart and energetic animals.
Free!
Sunday, November 16, 2025
Birding: Fall Migration
at Hanover Avenue and Palma Drive (in Eibs Pond Park), Staten Island
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Join the Urban Park Rangers on a birding adventure around Eib's Pond Park to look for fall birds that include warblers, raptors and more!
Free!
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Team RIVER Volunteers
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Team RIVER Volunteers
at Randall's Island Park, Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteer with Team RIVER (Randall’s Island Volunteer Ecological Restorers) and help keep Randall’s Island Park beautiful!
Free!
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Trail Work Thursdays
at VCPA Garden & Compost Site (in Van Cortlandt Park), Bronx
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Be a part of the community effort to maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park.
Free!
Saturday, November 22, 2025
Team RIVER Saturdays
at 10 Central Road (in Randall's Island Park), Manhattan
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Volunteers will work in different areas of the park to clean and beautify this important community resource.
Free!
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