Upcoming Events

For directions to meeting places, arrangements to meet you along the way, and other information, contact Bill Ostrander at 607-207-0000 or browncreeper9@gmail.com. CVAS is committed to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our conservation and education programs and to welcoming all who wish to work and learn with us. Any person, regardless of age, race, religion, ability, or gender identity, who is interested in wild life study, protection, and conservation, may be enrolled as a member upon receipt of the first payment of dues.

CVAS Events

Apr 4	8:00AM	Erin Hotspots Meet at 8:00 AM at the Park & Ride on State Route 13 north of the Byrne Dairy traffic circle. We’ll carpool to Erin from there. We’ll be looking for migrating waterfowl and early spring migrating songbirds.
Apr 9	7:00PM	CVAS Book Club Join us as we celebrate National Poetry Month! Please bring a favorite short nature poem to share. Directions: We meet at Appleridge, 168 Miller St, Horseheads, NY 14845. Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.
Apr 10	10:00AM	Catharine Valley Trail Cleanup and Bird BioBlitz Our friends at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County and FORCES are sponsoring a cleanup of the Catherine Valley Trail and a "Bird BioBlitz" on Friday, April 10th. Meet up at 10:00 AM at the Ek Birding Trail parking lot to join in on the activities.
Apr 11	8:00AM	Northrup Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Meet at Sperr Memorial Park on Kahler Road South at 8:00 AM. We’ll carpool from there to the Sanctuary in the Town of Rathbone, Steuben County, New York where we should arrive at about 9:15.
Apr 16	7:00PM	CVAS Monthly Meeting Haley Michal Turner will present her research on apex predators in our region, with a special focus on her work with bobcats. Bobcats are a special presence in New York. They are the only species of wild felines with a breeding population which are still roaming our state. Given their proclivity for nocturnal behavior and apprehension of humans, seeing a bobcat in the wild is a fairly exclusive accomplishment in the northeastern United States. This makes them a difficult species to study, and a great candidate for monitoring through passively activated trail cameras (also called game cameras). Private landowners across New York generously allowed the DEC and Cornell University to deploy trail cameras on their properties, and with the addition of some cameras on state land, over 325 camera sites were active in New York in 2023 and 2024, with the objective of monitoring the abundance of bobcats. Haley Turner is a PhD student at Cornell University. She has a Master's in quantitative ecology from Cornell University and a Bachelor's of Science in Environmental Science from George Mason University. Meet at Appleridge, 168 Miller Street, Horseheads, NY, for a lively discussion about birding and a presentation from one of our knowledgeable hosts. A bird identification workshop precedes the program at 7:00 p.m.; the program begins at 7:30p.m. All are welcome to these free events. Appleridge is wheelchair accessible. You can connect on Zoom by sending a request to windingwayhorse@aol.com.
May 14	7:00PM	CVAS Book Club Join us as we discuss Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration by Rebecca Heisman. This is an exciting, behind-the-scenes account of groundbreaking discoveries by scientists from many disciplines who worked to answer an age-old question: how and why do birds migrate? Directions: We meet at Appleridge, 168 Miller St, Horseheads, NY 14845. Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.
Jun 11	7:00PM	CVAS Book Club We will meet to discuss our next book list. Directions: We meet at Appleridge, 168 Miller St, Horseheads, NY 14845. Use Parking Lot A and enter the front door to the lobby. Proceed to the large staircase on your right and go up one floor. At the top of the stairs turn right. The Conference Room is the first door on your right. Or, use an elevator to the left of the staircase in the lobby. You can download our reading list here.

Other Events

Wednesdays

2:00PM

Birdability Outreach Program Webinar Series

These webinars will cover various topics related to accessible birding and outdoor exploration for people living with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. These webinars are open to everyone—whether you’re new to birding, an experienced birder with a disability, or an advocate for accessible outdoor spaces. You can register for individual sessions or the entire series, and each event will feature opportunities to ask questions and connect with others in the community. Register here.

All Season

Montezuma Audubon Society
Come Bird with Us! The Montezuma Audubon Society has birding and boating events all season long! Visit the Montezuma Audubon website for more information and to register.

All Season

Birding Festivals
A great way to enjoy bird watching is by going to festivals—they're organized to get you to great birding spots at a great time of year, and they're a great way to meet people. Experts and locals help you see more birds, and you'll meet other visitors who share your hobby. While you're there, keep an eye out for Cornell Lab representatives, as they do attend several festivals each year. You can find a complete list of birding festivals here.