Celebrate Winter On The Hudson River At EagleFest

CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY — Teatown Hudson River EagleFest, the annual festival celebrating the bald eagle’s winter migration to the Hudson River, will soar once again on Feb. 8. This year’s celebration features expanded programming including presentations by the youngest falconer in Connecticut, Christine Peyreigne, and award-winning filmmaker Jon Bowermaster.

Always highly anticipated, the event takes place at Croton Point Park. EagleFest is hosted by Teatown, a nonprofit environmental education center and nature preserve.

“EagleFest stands out as a community event because it is fun, inspiring and brings people of all ages together to share a very uplifting story: the comeback of the bald eagle from the brink of extinction. The event’s collaborative spirit comes from an outpouring of positive energy and the participation of non-profit organizations, families, businesses, schools and government,” said Kevin Carter, Teatown’s Executive Director.

Attendees coming from Manhattan or Poughkeepsie can take special Eagle Trains on Metro-North Railroad to Croton-Harmon Train Station. During the trip, on-board naturalists from Wave Hill and Sierra Club will point out various Hudson Valley birds to riders.

Teatown is also bringing back EagleFest bus tours, traveling with a naturalist to three nearby stops on the Hudson River for an in-depth view of eagles and their habitats.

Long-time favorites of the event, including bird experts Bill Streeter, Brian Robinson, and Brian Bradley will make special presentations of their own.

Each year, thousands flock to Croton Point Park to see live bird-of-prey shows and demonstrations, and especially to see wild bald eagles and other birds of prey thriving in their natural habitat along the Hudson River. Bald eagles, once on the brink of extirpation due to chemicals like DDT, have rebounded as a result of federal and state protections, and can now be seen nesting and hunting along the River.

All the while, guests will be able to enjoy cuisine from a variety of food trucks situated outside of the main tent. Guests are encouraged to dress for the weather. Food trucks and some educational activities, including wild eagle spotting and bird walks, will take place outdoors. Other activities, presenters and vendors are in heated tents throughout the festival grounds.

Teatown has set an impressive goal for the 2020 event: to only produce one bag of trash for the entire day of EagleFest. Teatown’s Community Environmentalist, Nadya Hall, is leading the effort by working with vendors and the Parks Department.

"Festivals are notorious for producing obscene amounts of trash," said Hall. "As we reflect on our own responsibility as environmental stewards, we are excited to rise to the challenge and tackle this ambitious goal with the help of our extended family of community volunteers."

The region's foremost raptor and evironmental experts will lead bird-of-prey demonstrations and other nature-related workshops and presentations to guests of all ages. This year’s featured presenters include:

Christine Peyreigne, the youngest falconer in the state of Connecticut. Christine became a falconer and started hunting with her red-tailed hawk, Theron, when she was just 16 years old. She will be joined by her bald eagle, Aurora, among other raptors.

Bobby Horvath, licensed wildlife rehabilitator and active-duty FDNY firefighter, will present at EagleFest for the first time with his bald eagle, Montana, as well as other raptors.

Bill Streeter, Director of the Delaware Raptor Center, who has over 30 years of experience as a raptor rehabilitator, falconer, and educator. Bill will be joined by his bald eagle, Benson, and other birds of prey.

Brian Robinson, a master falconer who has been providing wildlife education programs for over 25 years. His programs focus on the resiliency of birds of prey and other wildlife across New York State, with an emphasis on the Hudson Valley.

Brian Bradley, a falconer since 1984. He now does educational programming all over the Northeast with his hawks, falcons, and owls. Brian’s program, “Skyhunters in Flight,” features live flight demonstrations with his birds of prey.

Jon Bowermaster, writer, filmmaker, adventurer, and a six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council, will join the EagleFest lineup this year to show exclusive clips from his new film series, Hope on the Hudson.

The bus tours stop at the New Croton Dam, Verplanck Steamboat Riverfront Park, and George’s Island Park in Montrose. Stops may change due to weather. Tour times are from 9:30am – 11:30am, and 1:30pm – 3:30pm. Bus tours are intended for guests ages 12 and over. Tickets are $35 per person and do not include admission to Eagle Headquarters. To sign up for the bus tours, call (914) 762-2912 x110.

Eagle Train Cars will depart from Grand Central Terminal at 9:49am (arriving at Croton Harmon Station at 10:58am) and from Poughkeepsie at 9:52am (arriving at Croton Harmon Station at 10:52am). Free shuttle buses will bring attendees to/from the Croton-Harmon Train Station to Croton Point Park. To participate in this event, guests must purchase a regular train ticket from Metro North.

EagleFest 2020 will be held at Croton Point Park, 1 Croton Point Avenue in Croton-on-Hudson from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Pre-sale tickets are $22/adults (12+), $13/children (6-11), and free for children 5 and under. Tickets sold at the venue on the day of the event are $25/adults (12+), $15/children (6-11), and free for children 5 and under. To purchase tickets, visit teatown.org/eaglefest.

The 16th Annual Teatown EagleFest is generously sponsored by ConEdison, Club Fit, and 100.7 WHUD. The event is made possible with the support of our partners, Westchester Parks Foundation and the Westchester County Parks & Recreation Department. For details visit: www.teatown.org/eaglefest.

The snow date is Feb. 9.