‘Here’s a new kind of outing to delight city kids, and visiting out-of-towners — New York City Audubon has just launched Eco-cruises in the waters of the Big Apple. The hour-and-a-half trips, aboard New York Water Taxi, are a birder’s delight, but even kids who aren’t into flying creatures will enjoy the trip. And birds are not all you can see. On a preview tour, we spotted a harbor seal cavorting in the water. That alone was worth the price of admission. It’s one g to see a seal at the zoo; quite another to unexpectedly see one in its natural habitat.
Natural habitat, of course, is not a phrase often associated with Red Hook and the Gowanus Canal, two of the areas explored on the tour. A naturalist leads the trip, pointing out different wildlife and sharing a history lesson. We motored around Governor’s Island, came up close to Liberty Island (and were treated to a spectacular view of the Statue of Liberty), and headed to Brooklyn and back.
On our tour, we saw over a dozen different kinds of birds, including a peregrine falcon, several kinds of ducks, gulls and grebes. The challenge is to search on the water, in the air, and on land. Bring your binoculars! (Or borrow them on board).
The bi-level catamarans have a heated, enclosed lower deck and an open upper level; kids will want to be upstairs, of course (though you can see many birds through the windows down below). Be sure to dress very warmly.
A light repast is included with the ticket, a late Continental breakfast. There is a bathroom on board, but be sure to get your kids noshing, so they don’t get seasick. Although the boats are quite stable, this intrepid reporter felt out-of-sorts when we crossed the wake of a cruise line ferry.
NYC Audubon also has birding adventures for kids back on land, including one on red-tailed hawks on April 15. And starting in May, the organization is offering Sunset Eco-cruises, where you can see herons, ibis and egrets nesting. For more info on the Audubon Society, go to www.nycaudubon.org
Info:
When: Saturdays, 10:30am–noon, March 4, 11, 18 and 25
Where: South Street Seaport, Pier 17.
How much: adults, $45; children under 12, $20. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nywatertaxi.com, and at the New York Water Taxi ticket booth, South Street Seaport, Pier 17 For more info: www.nycaudubon.org
