Washington Square Park – Dec 2020

The birdy stuff Explore Birds From Home is back! We are offering TWO STEAMy classes this month. Join us on Dec 9th and Dec 16th, both days at 3:30 pm ET. Free and fun and great for 5-10 year olds. Register here. The FOURTH episode of Your Bird Story will be released on Thursday, Dec10th.

Yoshion cherry, fall foliage, Nov 2020, Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park – Nov 2020

Thank you for being a voter during the recent General Election. We are excited about the next steps in the movements for racial equity and environmental justice. We wrapped up Explore Birds From Home last month. We had lots of STEAMy fun! Check out some of the objects created by the youth participants. Many of

Green ash leaf

Washington Square Park – Oct 2020

This initiative is led by a Black woman and its bird program is run by a white woman accomplice. Black Lives Matter to us, still! We encourage you to complete the 2020 Census and to vote. Vote early and in-person, if you can do so safely. There are three sessions remaining in Explore Birds From

Explore Birds From Home logo

Washington Square Park – Aug 2020

Although the Black Lives Matter uprisings have moved on from the park, the demands for racial and economic justice are ongoing in NYC, nationally, and globally. This month we are launching Explore Birds From Home, free bird natural history and maker classes, in collaboration with the teaching artists at KoKo NYC. This program is funded

A tree spray painted in Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park – Jul 202

We don’t have an official statement about the protest marks on the monuments in the park, but we have to speak out against the defacement of trees in the park. Trees are living beings, not objects, with inherent rights to exist and thrive. Please do not “tag” the trees in Washington Square Park or elsewhere.

Washington Square Park – Jun 2020

I am writing this newsletter with a very heavy heart. The racial animus that has led to the deaths of and threats to too many Black lives is frightening, appalling, and maddening. Action is necessary right now. You can call or write to your elected officials to demand substantive and sustainable reforms.  You can march with racial

Red-tailed hawks perched on a church cross

Washington Square Park – May 2020

The Covid-19 situation in New York and elsewhere remains grim. We hope you and all your loved ones are well and safe. Our in-person public programs are still on hold, but we have resumed our bird survey and plant phenology monitoring programs with appropriate physical distancing protocols. For official park status updates, please visit the

Yoshino cherry, Washington Square Park, March 2020

Washington Square Park – Apr 2020

We hope this newsletter finds you and yours healthy and safe. Our wildlife and plant phenology surveys, the EXPLORE BIRDS education program, and related community science experiences are on hold. We miss spending time in the park. We will miss observing the changes in the trees and shrubs, the arrival of migratory birds, and the