Join us for a Bird & Bike event for Black Birders Week! This outing is a collaboration between Connecticut Land Conservation Council, Gather New Haven, New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation (NHCAT), Black and Brown SoulCyclist, and Black Wing Coalition, made possible through a grant from the Claire C. Bennitt Watershed Fund.

You can expect to enjoy a beachside bike ride, learn more about coastal birds, and enjoy great company! This event is a part of Black Birders week, so this is a space that centers new birders who are people of color, particularly Black people. We will start at Long Wharf and bike 2.5 miles to Sandy Point in West Haven. Once we arrive in Sandy Point we will walk for 1 hour along the beach for a guided bird walk. We can expect to see sea gulls, loons, great egrets, great blue herons, and other birds. After the bird walk on the beach, we will bike the same 2.5 mile route back to Long Wharf.

This event is open to the public and children must be accompanied by an adult. Children who will be independently riding their own bike must be 10 years or older. Children under 10 years of age must ride in a trailer or seat attached to an adult’s bike. To participate in the event you must know how to ride a bike and be comfortable riding on the sidewalk. We will stay as a group during the bike ride, ride at a slow pace, and take breaks along the way as needed. We will bike 0.2 miles on soil, 1.8 miles on the sidewalk, and 0.5 miles on a paved bike path. The route we will take is mostly flat, but we will have to bike uphill for 0.2 miles as we bike on the sidewalk over the Kimberly Street bridge.

Meet us at Long Wharf with your bike, helmet, and bike lock. If you don’t have a bike, NHCAT will be on site to provide free rentals for bikes, but you will need to bring your own helmet and bike lock.

Please wear comfortable clothes and bring a bottle of water, or two. Bring your sun protection (sun block, sunglasses, a hat) and a pair of sandals to switch into when we walk along the beach, or you can walk barefoot.

CLCC will provide binoculars, snacks, and extra water for all attendees. 

There is a porta-potty at Sandy Point.

For questions contact CLCC’s Community Conservation Coordinator, Vanessa Daye, at Vanessa@CTConservation.org.

Weather Policy: If a light drizzle is forecasted the event will go on. If heavy rain is forecasted the event will be cancelled. You will receive an email 24 hours before the event to confirm whether or not the event will be taking place.