Mark DeDea, caretaker at the Forsyth Nature Center in Kingston, runs natural history field trips with the John Burroughs Society and likes nothing more than taking people out to find eagles and owls on a cold winter day. “We’ve done this trip for six or seven years, seeing up to 200 bald eagles some years. And we’ve had good luck with different owl species that also nest at Croton Point. We get to a spot with evergreens, look under the trees for owl pellets and look up. When the owls are asleep – some are completely nocturnal – we try not to disturb them.”

It’s a big, exciting draw for “newbies,” DeDea says, referring to first-time birders. He believes that they have sighted the same female great horned owl nesting there four years in a row. They’ve also seen screech owls and snowy owls: a really big treat. “And lots of bald eagles! We counted 125 a few weeks ago. It fluctuates; they might be forced to move south if it gets too cold.”

DeDea has 62 field trips scheduled this year, and his next excursion to Croton Point and Piermont Pier will be held this Saturday, February 19. All field trips with the John Burroughs Society are free to the public. Please register by calling (845) 339-1277 or e-mailing forsythnature@aol.com.

The group will meet at the Forsyth Nature Center and will carpool, leaving by 8 a.m. Dress warmly, bring a lunch and be prepared to meet some of Nature’s most awesome creatures. The group expects to return by 4 p.m. The Forsyth Nature Center is located at 157 Lucas Avenue in Kingston. See www.forsythnaturecenter.org.