T For Travel

Birders can find new exciting species to observe even in the midst of the largest cities. For example, where I booked a room at a New York Cheap Hotel, Central Park is home to more than 150 species of birds throughout the entire year. I was fortunate enough to pack the right equipment to help me with my birding project.

I’m a recreational birder, so I only needed a few basic birding supplies in order to find birds on my trip. I brought binoculars, a compact, portable pair which helped me easily observe birds no matter where I was. A field guide tucked into my field jacket. A notebook so I could take quick notes on all the species I observed so I can compare and do a positive identification. I found a simple digital camera to be valuable for capturing birding observations quickly and easily so the species could be identified later on without interrupting any other plans I had. I could’ve brought more extensive equipment, like a multiple guides, a fully-equipped field bag or a spotting scope, but they really weren’t necessary for my casual birding vacation.

I knew when to spot birds effectively which increased my chances of finding a new or unusual species during my vacation. The very early morning hours, before any business activity begins, is one of the best times to observe birds feeding and preening after a long night. Later in the afternoon is another feeding time and taking an hour or two for casual birding was a welcome break from my structured vacation itinerary. Plus, putting in a few extra hours into my schedule helped too, like while at the beach, I not only built sand castles, I observed gulls and other shore birds. At the zoo, I visited the aviary and I contacted a birding organization prior to travelling to get tips on the best hot spots.  All of this made my birding a pleasure.

When one visits the city of New York for the first time it can be an overwhelming experience.  There is so much to do, so much to see.  One of the busiest and most bustling areas of the city is Times Square.  This is one area that truly never sleeps, for no matter what time of day or night, the streets are packed with people.  Many chose to stay in this section for just that reason, and there are many famous and top New York hotels to pick from.  Prices range and there are many luxury accomodations, as well as smaller less expensive options.  Staying in this area is for those travelers that want to experience the full excitement of Manhattan, as there are many restaurants, including the famous, and delicious, Ray’s Pizza. There are trendy bars and the nightlife, well, it goes on all night and continues through to the wee hours of the morning.

Central Park, is of course a huge draw for tourists, for reasons exactly opposite the reasons Times Square is.  Located right in the center of Manhattan this is one of New York’s most important and most loved landmarks.  The residents of the city love this park as well, this is a place that one can really escape the busy city streets and get lost in the forest.  Many run through the pathways, or bike and rollerblade.  One of the traditons of New Yorkers has become the watching, every spring, of the descendants of Pale Male hatching.  Pale Male is a hawk who has made his nest in the ledges of a 5th Avenue apartment for years, and is responsible for siring the many hawks living in Central Park today.  The park spans seven hundred and sixty eight acres, and the plan for the park was conceived in 1853.  The design is that of Calvert Vaux and Fredric Law, the two who won the design competion during that same year.

The city of Manhattan and the people living there are dedicated to the continued developments and improvements made to the parks located throughout the city, and to the city streets themselves.  Some of those projects span one hundred years, as in the constant updating and renovations made in the park along the East River.  One such project has been happening for fifteen years, and that is the planting of trees throughout the city during April.  Million Trees NYC has teamed up with Adrian Bebepe, the commissioner for the city parks, and Gary Bagley, the Exec. Director of the organization called New York Cares.

The goal is that, within the next decade, one million trees will be planted, putting back twenty percent of the natural forests that were removed throughout the history of the city and creating not only a more pleasant atmosphere, but a more healthy one as well.  Healthy for the souls and healthy for the bodies of all those living and working in the businesses, the city streets, and the small hotels.  New York citizens are well known throughout the world, as those most willing to come together when their city or any of her people are in need of help and this occasion was no different.

More than 5,000 people were out last month, all volunteers, located throughout the city’s parks, tending to the landscaping there, while another 1,300 people planted trees throughout the city.  In one day, twenty thousand trees were planted.  In one day!  That is the number of trees that are in Central Park, an amazing feat and an inspirational one as well.  In the Bronx, citizens planted fifteen hundred trees in Claremont park.  Brooklyn’s Spring Creek Park received two thousand trees.  Staten Island was not left out, as two thousand more were planted there.  On this one day, not only were the trees planted and tended but other areas of the city were as well.  Many volunteers worked fixing up the city’s paths, spreading mulch in the gardens of the parks, and painting fences.