Seven Underrated Bird Spots in New York

Birdwatching in New York City is easier than you might think. “The best place to bird in New York is right where you are at the moment,” says Martha Harbison, a writer and vice president of the Feminist Bird Club. “I observed 20 species from my own window. And I live in a very bleak part of Brooklyn.

Each neighborhood has a large park that gets a lot of attention: Central Park in Manhattan, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, and Pelham Bay Park the Bronx – the largest in the city, with 13 miles of shoreline. But there are plenty of underrated birding sites in New York City, and many are accessible by public transportation.

Bryant Park, Manhattan

Although surrounded by glass high-rises and in the midst of the bustle of Midtown Manhattan, Bryant Park, a 3.6-acre green space on West 40th Street and Sixth Avenue, is a great place to spot birds, whether sparrows or the occasional bird. owl. In the spring and autumn, the American woodcock often appears. The woodcock, also known as the timberdoodle, can be seen on the ground under bushes doing a groovy dance. “Their eyes are way too far up on their heads, their beaks are three times too long, and they’re running around on the ground surveying the Earth,” said Christian Cooper, the author of “Better life through bird watching”, which Bryant Park considers one of his favorites.

According to Alyssa Bueno, a Bronx native and member of the Feminist Bird Club (an organization dedicated to birdwatching and making the outdoors inclusive and safe), this park is a wonderful area to see shorebirds such as greater yellow-legged sandpipers and lesser yellow-legged sandpipers, half-palm sandpipers, lesser sandpipers and half-palm plovers. Additionally, if you check out the east side of the park next to the golf course, Ms. Bueno advises, you can find “really good grassland habitat” with savannah sparrows and bobolinks during the trek, as well as a salt marsh with bitterns. – “and the views are amazing.” The park is conveniently located near the Soundview Ferry Terminal.

Haley Scott, a birdwatcher and environmentalist from the Bronx, said so this park, where the East River meets Westchester Creek really fits the definition of undervalued. “No one really watches birds in this park,” she said. “And one of the first times I went there, we saw 31 different species of birds.” Her highest number in this park: 51 species in one day. In the spring there are warblers, Baltimore troupials, eastern kingbirds and wading birds such as yellow-crowned night herons. Winter brings buffalo heads and mergansers. And it’s walking distance Soundview Parkwhere there are forest, grassland and salt marsh habitats with hawks, trees swallows and egrets. The Bx39, Bx36 and Bx22 buses all stop near the park.

Winter is a good time to see a variety of interesting ducks Baisley Pond Park puts them on, Harbison said. Look north creator, the ringneck duck and the gadwall. The park is also known for attracting a distinctive species of diving duck called a redhead. Redheads breed in the Great Plains, but they are known to visit New York City in large groups during the winter. The Q6 bus stops near the park.

Marine Park Salt Marsh, Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s largest park has its own ecosystem: tidal salt marsh. Bird watchers can find ospreys, great egrets, double–crested cormorants, black-crowned night herons, flashing American oystercatchers, with their vibrant red-orange beaks, and much more. “There’s a mysterious swamp bird called a flail rail,” Mx. Harbison said, “and Marine Park Salt Marsh is one of the few places in town where you can reliably encounter them.” Bus B3 stops near it Marine Park Salt Marsh Nature Center.

“I always say if you know what a bird is, you’re a birder,” said Roslyn Rivas, program manager for NYC Audubon. “You don’t need fancy equipment. You don’t need $200 binoculars. Honestly, you don’t even have to leave your house. You could just look through your window – or listen.” Still, she recommends for a little adventure Shirley Chisholm State ParkSurrounded by water and boasting 10 miles of biking and hiking trails, this is a wonderful place to see wading birds, shorebirds, grassland songbirds and many birds of prey, including American kestrels, red-tailed hawks and marsh harriers. It can be reached by taking the B42 bus to Canarsie Pier and walking along Shore Parkway.

Bee this park, located on New York Harbor and dedicated to Victorian photographer Alice Austen, “you can see a lot of waterfowl,” said Ms. Rivas. (A historic house and museum are nearby.) Potential bird sightings include gadwall and buffalo head, dazzling ducks such as the common spectacled eye and red-breasted merganser, and tons of gulls including the laughing gull and ring-billed gull. There is a rocky beach and a beautiful view of the harbor and the Manhattan skyline. Buses SIM33C and S51 stop nearby.