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Spring Nature Activities in NYC: Hawks, Flowering Trees and Worms!

4/14/09 - By Anna Fader

Springtime is when the nature in NYC makes itself most obvious to us city kids. While frequently we can be oblivious to the nature all around us, in Spring you can't help but notice the flowering trees, the buds bursting from the earth and, possibly even some wildlife. It's a great time to take your little urbanites to the park and observe the magic of nature at work. Here are some great ways to take in nature in the city this Spring, with places to see red-tailed hawk nests, flowering trees and earthworms.

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Flowering Trees
The trees in NYC are starting to bloom. We're seeing lots of pink magnolias, white pears and, of course, the cherry blossoms. Flowering trees are a great nature lesson because they provide the opportunity to learn about the cycle of life and watch the metamorphosis of a tree from dormant to bud, to flower, to leaf in a short period of time. Plus it's beautiful.

Red-Tailed Hawk Nests
Birds are nesting all around the city. Of course, the most exciting bird watching might be our famous red-tailed hawks. There are red-tailed hawk nests all over the city now and the eggs will be hatching in late April to early May. Here are some locations to find and observe hawks (make sure to bring binoculars to see them better):

Manhattan Hawks
Inwood Hill Park, Highbridge Park, Lower Riverside Park (near the Marina), 960 Fifth Avenue (78th Street) and 888 7th Avenue

Brooklyn Hawks
Green-wood Cemetery and two in Prospect Park

Bronx Hawks
Fordham University

Queens Hawks
A pair of hawks are nesting in the Unisphere, on the Equator.

Find out more about hawk watching in the city at UrbanHawks.com

Earthworms
Earthworms are very active this time of year. Look closely at the ground and you may see little piles of loose soil. This is Earthworm casting (or poop). Earthworms eat rotting plant material and their waste is new soil which is then new food for plants. It's the circle of life!

See our previous post on nature activities in NYC with kids.

This article was contributed to by Leslie Day author of The Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City

About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

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