Feathered Friends
Chris Cooper leads AmPark Neighborhood School students on a bird walk through Van Cortlandt Park. Photo: NYC Audubon
The Feathered Friends After School Birding Club, founded by NYC Audubon board member Chris Cooper, is an educational extracurricular program brought to elementary schools by New York City Audubon in the spring. Volunteer educators lead students on a journey of nature discovery that begins right outside school and continues for a lifetime.
Through the program, students:
- Deepen their grasp of scientific concepts by seeing them in action and investigating them
- Develop an appreciation for the natural environment in their own neighborhood and their role in preserving it
- Learn important skills such as keen observation, attention to detail, and mentorship
- Get outdoors and active!
Feathered Friends took flight in 2018, starting out at Bronx’s AmPark Neighborhood School (PS 344). Students at the school birded in nearby Van Cortlandt Park, built bird houses, learned common bird songs, conducted experiments on birds’ flight velocity, among other educational and fun activities. Since 2023, volunteers lead groups of students birding through Van Cortlandt Park weekly in the spring.
