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Welcome to
Queens County Bird Club
since 1932
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 MEETING is LIVE - Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 7:30 pm.
Please arrive early - the front door must be locked after the meeting starts.
Venue: Alley Pond Environmental Center NEW BUILDING
229-10 Northern Blvd
Douglaston, NY 11362
Presentation - "The South Pacific Revisited – Digitizing specimens from the Whitney South Sea Expedition"
by Paul Sweet, Collections Manager, Dept of Ornithology of the American Museum of Natural History
Paul Sweet was born in Bristol, England and has been interested in Natural History for as long as he can remember. After completing a degree in Zoology at the University of Liverpool, he traveled extensively in the Americas and Asia for several years before working in the Singapore Natural History Museum. In 1991 he moved to New York to work at the American Museum of Natural History where he is now the Collection Manager of the Ornithology Department, the largest bird collection in the world. During his tenure at the AMNH, he has participated in many museum expeditions to countries including Vietnam, Central African Republic, Cuba, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.
The Whitney South Sea Expedition was the longest and most ambitious ornithological voyage ever undertaken. Spanning over 20 years from 1920 to 1941, this comprehensive survey visited hundreds of Pacific islands, many of which were ornithologically unknown. Ultimately over 40,000 bird specimens were sent back to New York for study, resulting in the description of 277 new taxa. Specimens amassed by the expedition also shed light on bigger questions in evolutionary biology, biogeography and speciation. Although this collection is immensely valuable, it was collected 100 years ago when modern data standards had not been developed. Particularly lacking from the specimens’ original labels was detailed geographic information. Fortunately, the expedition crew kept personal journals that often give information on precise collecting localities. Using this information and working with NYC high school students in the AMNH Science Research Mentorship Program, we have been able to unite this information with the specimens, allowing them to be used for modern studies that require specimen mapping.
Upcoming field trips - see Calendar link for details and registration info
Due to COVID-19, QCBC is holding field trips with limited registration and social distancing, as per CDC guidelines.
- Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21 - Cape May, NJ
- Sunday, April 21 - Shu Swamp
- Saturday, April 27 - Cesar Castillo Memorial Bird Walk - Forest Park, Kissena Park, Jamaica Bay West Pond. (In conjunction with NYC Audubon and Queens College)
- Sunday, April 28 - Ridgewood Reservoir
- Sunday, May 5 - Forest Park
- Saturday, May 11 - "Big Day" - at multiple Queens locations.
December 17, 2023 Christmas Bird Count Results are in!
What a great count! A record 134 species, and more than 60 participants.
For highlights by Queens Count Circle compiler Corey Finger, use this link here
For a detailed spreadsheet by sector, use this link here for a PDF, or this link here for to download in Excel format.
You may view previous years' spreadsheets using the "Downloads and Links" tab, select "CBC results".
For more information about the CBC, use the "About Us" tab, select "XMAS Bird Count".
- Hear a podcast by "It's In Queens" featuring an interview with QCBC President Ian Resnick: here
- Past meeting recordings: allow time to download.
- To view a recording of QCBC's Feb. 18, 2021 presentation of "Snowy Owls: the Ultimate Nomads" by Jean-Francois Therrien of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, use this link: here .
- To view a recording of QCBC's Mar. 18, 2021 presentation of "New Discoveries on Songbird Migration" by Prof. Bridget Stutchbury, use this link: here .
- To view a recording of QCBC's Apr. 2, 20211 presentation of "NYS Breeding Bird Atlas: Update after one year" by Brendan Fogarty, use this link: here .
- To view a recording of Abigail Martin's May 18, 2021 presentation on "Discover the Pantanal Jaguar", use this link here.
- To view a recording of Paul Sieswerda's Sept 22, 2021 presentation on Gotham Whales, use this link here .
- To view a recording of Nathan Pieplow's Oct 20, 2021 presentation on "The Language of Birds", use this link here .
- To view a recording of Michael Brothers' March 16, 2022 presentation on "Pelagic Birding", use this link here.
- To view a recording of Ron Magill's May 18, 2022 presentation on Panama's Harpy Eagle Project, use this link here.
- To view a recording of Bob Dieterich and Peter Lopez's Sept 19, 2022 presentation on "India Birds" use this link here.
- To view a recording of Dr. Tricia Miller and Michael Lanzone's Feb 15, 2023 presentation on "Golden Eagles" use this link here.
- To view a recording of Shai Mitra's June 21, 2023 presentation on "Birding Long Island's Outer Coast", use this link here.
