Clove Lakes chirped last night with Staten Island’s Birding Walk, scoping NYC’s spring wings. Birder Mia Chen led 50 with bins, a $10 trek through dawn trails. It’s borough feathers—pure SI vibe, scopes hot. A kid spied a finch; a pro logged a hawk. ‘Staten flies—this is it,’ Chen says, pointing nests. The woods turned aviary.
The walk’s fresh—March 25’s start, it tripled since RSVPs, packing paths by 6 a.m. Chen’s a St. George spotter; last night’s crowd hit max—wings flapped. A latecomer nabbed a lens; mist cleared—NYC grit glowed. Logs hit 15 species—birds ruled. #SIBirding trended; Bronx wants a peek.
Some griped—’Too early,’ sniped a sleeper, dodging dew. Bugs bit—spray won; sights held. A rival’s pitching a Midland watch, splitting bins. Still, 60 stayed—feathers reigned. Clove Lakes’s never spotted so bold.
Chen’s teasing a monthly run, maybe dusk if spring bites. ‘NYC’s sky—this finds it,’ she says, packing scopes. The walk’s a Staten win—grit meets flight. It’s a bird rush; join the next. Bring a hat—dawn calls.