Saw Mill River Audubon started offering a Zoom interactive chat to connect the Lower Hudson regional birding community in April 2020, at the start of the COVID pandemic.
This Bird Chat has continued to be popular and now draws an average of 70+ birders and bird photographers for each Chat.
In 2024, Bird Chat usually happens twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 7:00 to 8:00 pm, with some schedule changes noted below.
2nd Tuesdays offer you the opportunity to share bird photos and bird sightings via screen sharing. Share photos or even just an eBird list to tell us about you recent birding in the LoHud region.
4th Tuesdays will feature some regional birding speaker/topic such as those listed below.
Upcoming/Recent Bird Chat Topics/Guests
- Tue Aug 8 Share Night
- Tue Aug 27: Steve Rappaport on using Discord to Connect with Birders plus recent sightings
- Tue Sep 10: Share Night
- Tue Sep 24: No Bird Chat
(see this special event) - Tue Oct 8: Share Night
- Tue Oct 22: Late Fall Migration on Long Island & Hotspots
Some Recent Bird Chats & Video Links
- YouTube playlist for all past Bird Chats. (Not all Bird Chats are recorded; this depends on the guest’s preference.)
- Putnam County birding hotspots
- Stateline Lookout Hawk Watch
- Birder’s View of Croton Point
- Rockland County birding hotspots
- Westchester Long Island Sound Shorebirds
- Westchester Bird Records & Trends
Register here to have a personalized Bird Chat Zoom link emailed to you.
You can re-register whenever you need the Zoom link sent again, if you did not save it.
By registering, you’ll get an email with the Zoom connection info right away AND you’ll also get a reminder email before each Bird Chat.
(Of course, you can unsubscribe from those reminder emails anytime, just click unsubscribe on email footer.)
- You don’t need to have a webcam — or be seen — or you don’t need to have a microphone — or be heard — to enjoy our Bird Chats
- You are welcome just to watch and listen on your computer, or even just listen by phone.
- (Although, if you connect only by phone without a computer screen, you’ll miss out on a lot of the pictures and other visuals we usually show.)
- If you have never used Zoom OR if want to learn more about using Zoom, there is a LOT of help online. Here are helpful instructions for joining your first Zoom meeting.
LoHud Bird Chat on Discord
- Continue the Bird Chat conversation online at the LoHud Bird Chat Discord
- To connect with our Discord, visit www.tinyurl.com
/lohudbirdchat - (Please note that the above Discord invitation will show as coming from Keith Lea, a local birder taking the lead on this project.)
New York Chat on Discord
- Connect with bird reports statewide on the New York State Bird Chat Discord at: https://tinyurl.com/NYS-RBA-Discord
What We Do
- Some quick announcements from local Audubon and birding groups
- Let us know in advance if you have something you want announced.
- Some sighting highlights and pictures from the past couple of weeks, often drawn from eBird reports.
- A conversation guest or birding topic or birding hotspot focus for the next 30 minutes or so.
- Your questions, comments, sightings and observations
Some Past Bird Chat Guests
past Bird Chat videos here
- Joshua DiPaola, Natural Resource Specialist, NYS State Parks
- Elijah Goodwin, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Ecology, Stone Barns
- Chris Zumwalt, Local Falconer
- Alan & Della Wells, Rockland County birders
- Don Riepe, American Littoral Society’s Jamaica Bay Program Director
- Tom Burke & Gail Benson, NYC Area Rare Bird Alert
- Sean Camillieri & Kyle Bardwell, volunteer Regional eBird Reviewers
- Charlie Roberto, Area Birder
- Kevin McGrath & Steve Rappaport, local bird photographers
- Michael Bochnik & Fran Greenberg, Hudson River Audubon of Westchester
- Sandy Morrissey, Bluebird Trails, Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon
- Joan Collins, Adirondack Avian Expeditions
- Kathryn Schneider, Author, Birding the Hudson Valley, Co-Chair, NYS Breeding Bird Atlas Steering Committee
- Barbara Mansell & Debbie van Zyl, Dutchess County birders from Waterman Bird Club
- Tait Johannson, Naturalist, Bedford Audubon Society
- Arabella Pajoohi, Eliza Wein, Adam Vinson, NYS Young Birders Club members
- Scott Craven & Larry Trachtenberg, Ossining/Croton Birding