Volunteers are the lifeblood of NYC Audubon, essential to carrying out our mission of protecting the birds and habitats of New York City. Whether you are an experienced birder looking to help with bird surveys, or have little-to-no experience and are just passionate about the environment, there are many ways to get involved in the field with NYC Audubon.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
A volunteer tagging a horseshoe crab to help track its migrations. Photo: NYC Audubon
Horseshoe Crab Tagging and Monitoring
Each year, Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs come to the eastern coastal shores of North America to breed by the hundreds of thousands, and NYC Audubon community science volunteers head to the beaches of Jamaica Bay to count and tag spawning horseshoe crabs. Data collected by volunteers helps us assess the stability of the horseshoe crab population, whose eggs serve as a crucial food source for shorebirds like the threatened Red Knot. Get involved this season by joining our volunteer information session on April 10, 6pm.
Public Programs Manager Roslyn Rivas educates festival goers about birds at our Raptorama! program at Jamaica Bay
Public Festivals
Public Festival volunteers engage the public with conservation and birds at NYC Audubon festivals, primarily held on Saturdays and Sundays across New York City. Volunteers should be able to communicate comfortably with festival participants. Interested? Please fill out our quick and easy form to indicate your availability and we will be in touch when opportunities arise!
(Questions? Contact Public Programs Manager Roslyn Rivas at rrivas@nycaudubon.org.)
Visitors to Governors Island don self-created bird masks as part of Halloween festivities at the NYC Audubon house at Nolan Park. Photo: NYC Audubon
Governors Island Seasonal Environmental Center
Governors Island volunteers engage the public with conservation and birds at NYC Audubon's seasonal environmental center on Governors Island, as well as support NYC Audubon's Governors Island Artist in Residence (AiR) program. Volunteers are needed during our open season from May-October, Fridays-Sundays. Volunteers should be able to communicate comfortably with Island visitors. Interested? Please fill out our quick and easy form to indicate your availability and we will be in touch when opportunities arise!
Read more about our Governors Island programs before registering.
(Still have questions? Contact Advocacy and Engagement Associate Jesse McLaughlin at jmclaughlin@nycaudubon.org.)
Photo Courtesy of Van Cortlandt Park Alliance
Landscape Stewardship at Van Cortlandt Park
Saturday, March 18, 10am–12pm
With Van Cortlandt Park Alliance
A small wet meadow within Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx is home to a diverse plant assemblage, attracting a wide variety of pollinators and bird species. The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and NYC Audubon are working towards improving the health and diversity of this meadow. Join the organizations on March 18, from 10am to noon, to assist in plant removals to prepare for a planting and seeding of a pollinator plant species.
With Van Cortlandt Park Alliance
A small wet meadow within Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx is home to a diverse plant assemblage, attracting a wide variety of pollinators and bird species. The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and NYC Audubon are working towards improving the health and diversity of this meadow. Join the organizations on March 18, from 10am to noon, to assist in plant removals to prepare for a planting and seeding of a pollinator plant species.
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An injured songbird in the hands of a volunteer. Photo: NYC audubon
ONGOING: INJURED BIRD RESPONSE TEAM
New Yorkers find injured and baby birds year-round but are unsure of how to help. As an Injured Bird Response Team volunteer, you will be answering injured bird inquiries sent to NYC Audubon, and -- if needed -- putting out an alert to our Injured Bird Transport Team to take the bird to a rehabilitation center. This volunteer opportunity is fully remote and requires a low-time commitment. Volunteers are encouraged but not required to sign up for a weekly 5-hour shift. If interested, please email Katherine Chen at kchen@nycaudubon.org for more information.
American Woodcock, a common collision victim that needs transporting to an animal rehabilitator. Photo: NYC Audubon
ONGOING: INJURED BIRD TRANSPORT TEAM
Oftentimes, people find an injured bird in need of treatment but are unable to bring it to a rehabilitation center themselves. Injured Bird Transporters are needed to travel to locations throughout the city and carry injured or orphaned birds to the Wild Bird Fund or another rehabilitation center. Transporters can determine for themselves based on their schedule and location whether or not to answer a request sent to the Injured Bird Transporters team. In general, this volunteer opportunity calls for a medium-time commitment that is dependent on the transporter’s own location and the pickup location for the bird. If interested, please email Katherine Chen at kchen@nycaudubon.org for more information.
A stunned Chestnut-sided Warbler rests in the hand of a Project Safe Flight volunteer. Photo: Sophie Butcher
CLOSED: Project Safe Flight Collision Monitoring
Project Safe Flight registration for spring 2023 is now closed. If you have any questions, please contact communityscience@nycaudubon.org
