Birding Factoids

446 species
in 46 families

27 of the 246 species 
endemic to 
North America are 
represented here. 
No state endemics
No USA endemics
    New York
    Hotspots
 Checklist of New York BirdsLocal EventsTours and GuidesRare Bird AlertsSpeciality BirdsMap
.........
Check out the Buffalo Audubon Society's Peregrine Falcon webcam
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New York Specialities
(Pause your cursor on the photo to see the species name. Click on the birds for more info... )
Eastern Bluebird - New York State Bird - Photo by J. R. Lyles
Photo by J.R. Lyles

Yellow Warbler - Photo copyright Robert McDonald

Photo copyright Robert McDonald

Blue-headed Vireo - Photo copyright Steve Nanz

Photo copyright Steve Nanz

Pink-footed Goose - Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel

Photo copyright Stefan Tewinkel

Black-throated Blue-warbler - Photo copyright Larry Master

Photo copyright Larry Master

Veery - Photo copyright Harold Stiver

Photo copyright Harold Stiver

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Photo copyright Jeremy Barker

Photo copyright Jeremy Barker
    Key to Icons....Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge - at the Gateway
      National Recreation Area, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY
    Key to Icons....Bill Scholtz's Jamaica Bay Photo Journal
    Key to Icons....Braddock Bay  - Contributed by: Tom Lathrop & Kurt Fox and other
      area birders - The Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA) includes the land and waters of Braddock Bay, Cranberry Pond, Long Pond and Buck Pond, and portions of Buttonwood and Salmon Creek, all of which are along the Lake Ontario shoreline. The WMA hosts a variety of nesting and migrant birds. Recently, it was nominated as the first Important Bird Area in Kingbird Region 2. See also Raptor Research at Braddock Bay. And one more site.
    Key to Icons....New York City Central Park Birdwatching by Christopher Hayes. 
    Key to Icons....New York City - Birding in the Big Apple - Out-of-towners are usually
      amazed to learn about the great birding opportunities in New York City. This site highlights one good winter birding spot for each of the five boroughs.
    Key to Icons....Long Island Birding - Seasonal spots on Long Island, Suffolk & 
      Nassau Counties, New York. 
    Key to Icons....The City Naturalist - Observing Birds in Central Park and  Key to Icons....Niagara Falls and the Niagara River - Birding is better from the
      Canadian side of the River
    ....Brooklyn Bird Club Local Area Hotspots - best birding hotspots in
      Brooklyn and Queens, and around the JFK Airport. Information is provided on:
      • Arverne Piping Plover Nesting Area
      • Breezy Point
      • Floyd Bennett Field
      • Fort Tilden/Riis Park
      • Greenwood Cemetery
      ....Key to Icons  Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
      • Prospect Park
      • Other Coastal Areas
    ....Western New York Birding Site Guide - Western New York includes
      all the areas west of the larger Finger Lakes. Major geographic features that affect birding include Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, the Genesee River Valley and the western portions of parts of the Allegany plateau. Sites are described, as well as  specifics on where to find local birds.
    ....Central New York Birdwatching - Kirkland Bird Society - site guide
      links are provided for:
      in New York State.
      • Ferd's Bog - Eagle Bay, NY
      • Derby Hill - Mexico, NY
      • Sulphur Springs Road - Sauquoit, NY
      Many more sites are under construction
    ....Seawatching at Montauk Point - part of Noel Wamer's birding site.
    ....Canadian Peregrine Foundation - The Canadian Peregrine Foundation
      is dedicated to providing whatever means are necessary to continue studying, documenting and protecting this species, not just in Ontario but throughout Canada. Webcams are operating in Rochester, New York.
    ....Bear Mountain State Park - one of the best places for spring birding
      in southern New York State has got to be Doodletown Road.  It is located in Bear Mountain State Park, on the west side of the Hudson River, south of West Point. In spring, Doodletown is fabulous.  Breeding birds include Hooded, Cerulean, Golden-winged, Blue-winged, and Kentucky Warblers, Pileated Woodpecker, Indigo Bunting, Ruffed Grouse, etc. etc.  Last year Common Ravens bred in the area.  The Queens County Bird Club recorded close to 100 species on a spring outing there last year. That's pretty good for a location away from the coast.
    ....Eaton Birding Region Areas of Interest - includes links to site guides
      (and information on planned sites) including:
      • Bare Hill
      • Finger Lakes National Forest - GORP
      • Hi Tor / West River Wildlife Management Area
      • Hoskins Woods - The Nature Conservancy
      • Howland Island Wildlife Management Area
      • Seneca Lake State Park
      • Stid Hill W.M.A.
      • West Hill Preserve - The Nature Conservancy
      • West Side of Canandaigua Lake - Ms. Barbara Lyons
      • The Little Lakes
    ....Rockland County Hot Spots - from the Rockland Audubon Society. 
    ....Chemung Valley Audubon Society: Where to Bird in the Chemung 
      Valley, New York
    ....Westchester County Birding Spots - includes seperate sections for
      site guides to northern Westchester County, the Hudson River area, Long Island Sound and southern Westchester County. See also the information provided by the Hudson River Audubon Society.
    ....Four Harbors Birding Sites - serving Smithtown, Port Jefferson,
      Stony Brook and surrounding communities. The site differentiates key locations by season.
    ....Central New York Birding Sites - includes site guides to Ferd's Bog - 
      Eagle Bay, Derby Hill - Mexico and Sulphur Springs Road - Sauquoit. Other sites are under construction
    ....Birding the Lake Ontario Plains - from the Buffalo Ornithological 
      Society. Buffalo area birders primarily bird the Niagara River area, and the lakeshores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Additionally, the BOS region includes the entire Niagara Peninsula, which includes not only NYS, but also parts of southern Ontario.
    ....Buffalo Audubon Society Nature Preserves - for directions and 
      trail maps to these important areas. 
    ....Directions to Important SSAS Locations - from the South Shore
      Audubon Society.
    ....Tifft Nature Preserve - Less than three miles from downtown Buffalo, 
      Tifft Nature Preserve is a 264-acre refuge dedicated to environmental education and conservation. Its 75-acre cattail marsh abounds with wildlife. Migrating birds use the marsh and adjoining woods as a rest site. Animals like beaver and fox make their homes in its fields, thickets, streams and ponds.
    ....Derby Hill Bird Observatory, Helen Jahn Memorial, is located on the
      shore of Lake Ontario in the Town of Mexico, Oswego County.
    ....Rochester and the Genesee Region - Recommended Birding Spots
      ("Only one day to bird ..."). Contributed by: Kurt Fox.
    ....Rochester Birding Association - Site Guides:  The Rochester 
      Birding Association publishes site guides which are part of the RBA Handbook. These guides include maps, lists of expected and uncommon birds, and recommendations of when to visit each location. Two samples are available on-line: Hamlin Beach State Park and Highland Park.
    ....Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge - a great place to watch birds....
    ....Hamlin Beach State Park - Hamlin Beach State Park is on 
      Lake Ontario about 25 miles northwest of Rochester. The park offers good birding year-round but is especially good in migration as the buffering effect of the lake holds small, northbound landbirds on shore and holds southbound waterfowl just offshore. It is especially good during fall waterfowl migration. 
    ....Hudson Valley:  East Bank of River: Birding
    ....Hudson Valley: Westchester County: Activities & Recreation: Bird
      Watching
    ....H. G. Reist Wildlife Sanctuary - Hudson Mohawk Bird Club
    ....A Guide to the Birds of Queens - From the NYC Department of 
      Parks & Recreation. Includes descriptions of:
      • Alley Pond Park
      • Udall's Park Preserve
      • Cunningham Park
      • Kissena Park
      • Forest Park
      • Willow Lake Natural Area
      • Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
      • Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis Parks
    ....Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex is comprised of seven
      National Wildlife Refuges and one Wildlife Management Area.
    ....Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge - Montezuma National Wildlife
      Refuge (MNWR) lies at the north end of Cayuga Lake, five miles east of Seneca Falls. The refuge serves primarily as a major resting area for migratory waterfowl, but is also managed to provide habitat to other birds, notably shorebirds. 
    ....Bluebird Conservation on Long Island - this site, by Dr. John Potente
      identifies the bluebird prervation acticities underway. Also see "Preservation" for information on the Grandifolia Sandhills area.
    ....Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - established in 1960, lies 
      26 miles west of New York City's Times Square and seven miles south of Morristown, New Jersey.
    ....Wildlife Viewing Guide - The information on DEC's Wildlife Viewing
      Web page comes from the New York Wildlife Viewing Guide, which was published early in 1998 as a cooperative venture of Defenders of Wildlife, Falcon Press and DEC's Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources. Information is provided on:
      • Derby Hill Bird Observatory
      • Dunkirk Harbor
      • Lime Hollow Nature Center
      • Finger Lakes National Forest
      • Fire Island National Seashore
      • Mashomack Preserve
      • Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History
      • Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area
    ....National Wildlife Refuge Index - New York - US Fish and Wildlife
      Includes information on:
      • Long Island Refuges Complex 
      • Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge 
      • Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
    ....The Nature Conservancy of Central and Western New York - preserve
      profiles including:
      • Moss Lake - Allegheny county
      • El Dorado Beach Preserve - Jefferson county
      • Sandy Pond Beach Preserve - Oswego
      • Chaumont Barrens - Jefferson county
    ....New York Trip Reports - a number of New York trip reports are available
      from Blake Maybank's "Birding the Americas - Trip Report and Trip Planning Repository".

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Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
>>>>

birdingpal.com...>> A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for New York Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!
       

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Local Birding Events

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Rare Bird Alert

         New York City Hotline: (212) 979-3070 
         Lower Hudson Valley Hotline: (914) 666-6614 
         Birdline of Eastern New York (Hudson-Mohawk Region, East-Central NY) 
      Hotline: (518) 439-8080 
         Albany Hotline: (518) 439-8080 
         Buffalo (Western New York and adjacent Ontario) Hotline: (716) 896-1271 
         Syracuse Hotline: (315) 668-8000 
         Ithaca and Finger Lakes Region Hotline: (607) 254-2429 
         Rochester and the Genesee Region Hotline: (716) 425-4630 
         You may want to subscribe to the Western New York Rare Bird      For more on Rare Birds, and discussion, try eBirds NYC - an eMail list
      for birding in the NYC Area
         Or, join the chat at the Northern New York Birds discussion group/      Also check Kirkland Bird Club's Rare Bird Alerts
         Check also New York RBA Archives

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North American Specialities in New York

Information derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.5.
These counts will differ in minor ways from counts based on the ABA classification,
but an international checklist system was required to enable world-wide
country to country comparisons.These speciality birds may be uncommon, or extremely rare
at this location, or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species
noted below have been made in New York. Species highlighted in bold italic print have
ONLY been found in this state of the US.  Consult the Breeding Bird Survey or
Christmas Bird Count data on the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center website
to determine the "best" place to see each bird. Species printed in blue are endangered.


North American Endemic Specialities in New York - No USA Endemics
___ Bachman's Sparrow
___ Baird's Sparrow
___ Bewick's Wren
___ Black-headed Grosbeak
___ California Gull
___ Chestnut-collared Longspur
___ Fish Crow
___ Harris's Sparrow
___ House Finch
___ Le Conte's Sparrow		 ___ Mountain Bluebird
___ Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
___ Pileated Woodpecker
___ Red-bellied Woodpecker
___ Red-shouldered Hawk
___ Ruffed Grouse
___ Sage Thrasher
___ Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed
___ Sparrow		 ___ Say's Phoebe
___ Seaside Sparrow
___ Smith's Longspur
___ Spotted Towhee
___ Spruce Grouse
___ Townsend's Solitaire
___ Tufted Titmouse
___ Western Grebe
___ Williamson's Sapsucker
Other Notable New York Birds
___ Pink-footed Goose

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Links checked December 1, 2000