In March 2022, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the grand opening of the Long Island segment of the New York State Birding Trail.
The Long Island segment includes 20 locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy.
“Long Island is an important haven for resident and migratory bird species and this latest segment of the New York State Birding Trail brings our partners together to help more communities enjoy an accessible and affordable hobby,” Commissioner Seggos said.
Birdwatching has become one of New York’s fastest-growing recreation and tourism activities. DEC manages the New York State Birding Trail in collaboration with partners including the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
The statewide trail includes a network of promoted birding locations that can be accessed by car or public transportation, providing an inclusive experience for all visitors to enjoy birds amid beautiful natural settings with little or no cost or investment in equipment.
The Long Island segment of the birding trail includes 20 locations on a mix of State and Federal lands throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties.
The trail includes coastal stops from the tip of Long Island to the west end of Long Island’s south shore. There are also numerous sites along the island’s interior and north shore, including a variety of habitats.
The trail includes coastal stops from the tip of Long Island to the west end of Long Island’s south shore. There are also numerous sites along the island’s interior and north shore, including a variety of habitats.
Trail stops include some of Long Island’s most important habitat areas. At Montauk Point State Park, birders can view beaches along the tip of Long Island. The barrier island ecosystem near Fire Island Lighthouse is where one-third of all North American species have been recorded.
Inland sites like Edgewood Oak Brush Plains and Ridge Conservation Area offer multiple opportunities to observe migratory birds and other forest and grassland species. The sandy pine barrens of Rocky Point Pine Barrens State Forest are ideal habitat for woodpeckers, great horned owls, and orioles.
Three National Wildlife Refuge properties with salt marshes and lagoons offer the chance to see waterfowl, raptors, waders, and songbirds.
Visiting north shore sites such as Sunken Meadows State Park that has salt marshes where snowy and common egrets, black-crowned night herons, and great blue herons can be seen fishing in the waters of the marsh.
Long Island is part of the Atlantic flyway and on the migratory path of a high diversity of bird species. During spring, an array of bird species migrate northward to seasonal breeding grounds. Multiple bird species usually begin arriving in mid-April and continue through early June. Many shorebirds will return in the summer.
New segments of the New York State Birding Trail will continue to open in a phased approach. In addition to State-owned and managed locations for the Birding Trail, publicly and privately managed sites can complete a simple self-nomination process to be considered for inclusion on the trail.
To promote the trail as an inclusive experience for all, DEC and partners are working to select sites that are welcoming and accessible by public transportation. More than half of the locations on Long Island are accessible by public transportation.
The New York State Birding Trail map and other resources can be found on the DEC I Bird NY webpage.
source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation