Rockefeller State Park Preserve offers quiet countryside walks of all lengths through forested hills and valleys surrounding sunlit pastoral fields. Thirty miles north of New York City, the property is the former Pocantico Hills and Rockwood Hall country estates of John D. Rockefeller family and William Rockefeller. Since 1983, the Rockefeller Family has generously donated over 1771 acres to the State of New York to safeguard these lands for present and future generations. Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the Preserve is open to the public year-round, sunrise to sunset.

Friends of Rockefeller Website

The Friends of Rockefeller State Park Preserve (FRSPP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works with the Rockefeller State Park Preserve and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation to protect and maintain the Rockefeller State Park Preserve located in Pocantico Hills, NY. The FRSPP was established in 1996 to encourage public participation in protecting the Preserve’s wildlife and habitat, sustaining its historical and archaeological features, and most importantly – maintaining its unique system of carriage roads. The Friends support educational programs, major exhibits, habitat restoration and carriage road maintenance

We are a friendly community of people who enjoy exploring the outdoors. Our 1,100+ members are drawn from northwestern Westchester County, New York and beyond. All share a common desire to learn more about birds and other wildlife, and a common belief in the importance of preserving and protecting wildlife habitats. We hope you’ll browse through our upcoming events and join us for a field trip, workshop or community program.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology brings together the agility and impact of an on-the-ground nonprofit organization with world-class science and teaching as part of Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Our work spans disciplines from science to art, engineering to education. Our global community includes supporters, participants, and partners from all walks of life, united by a love of birds and nature and a commitment to help protect our planet.

Birds are telling us—in their behavior, in their dwindling numbers, in their silence—that we must take action now, and that we must take action where birds need us most, from the Arctic to Chile and everywhere in between.

 We follow the science

Our science shows where birds go and what they need when they get there. We’re prepared to heed that call.

We pair advocacy and diplomacy to influence decision-makers

Audubon pairs diplomacy with advocacy to achieve conservation outcomes.

We inspire an expansive Audubon flock

Our chapters and centers are hubs that connect individuals and communities to Audubon and to action.

And, of course, we have birds

Birds delight and connect people across cultural, generational, and geographic boundaries. They inspire us to be better. And for 118 years, birds have been theheart and soul of Audubon.

eBird Mobile makes it easy to record the birds you find and seamlessly link observations with eBird–a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world. This free resource helps you keep track of your birding activity, while making your data openly available for scientific research, education, and conservation.

Answer three simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will give you a list of possible matches. Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in any country in the world.

Sony a6700 APS-C Camera Body

This is the Sony a6700 camera body, which is my primary camera for bird photography. It has an APS-C sensor, which has a 1.5 crop factor. This extends the reach of the lens, so the Sigma 150mm to 600mm zoom lens’s maximum zoom range increases from 600mm to 900mm. The “crop factor” doesn’t truly increase the zoom lens range; it means images are captured by a sensor that is smaller than a full-frame sensor, giving the effect of increasing magnification.

This camera features a 26-megapixel sensor, which provides sufficient resolution to crop my bird pictures without a significant impact on quality. The sensor also excels at capturing videos. I’ve posted many of these on my Instagram account, which can be found here.

Sony a7c ii Full-Frame Camera Body

This is another camera body I use for bird photography, the Sony a7c ii. This camera features a full-frame sensor, which produces high-quality images when paired with my Sigma zoom lens. The camera’s sensor is 33 megapixels, which allows for some great pictures when coupled with the Sigma 150mm to 600mm zoom lens. One of the features I like with this camera (and the Sony a6700) is the subject recognition and fast focusing. Birds don’t hang around long, so you have to have fast autofocus for a better opportunity to capture them.

I’ve also used this camera for videos and live streaming, and it delivers excellent quality for both purposes.