New York Day Tour OverviewJamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in New York City managed by the National Park Service and is composed of the open water and intertidal salt marshes of Jamaica Bay. The refuge provides habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, both marine and terrestrial. It was established in 1972 and covers an area of 9155 acres (37.05 km2). It is one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the northeastern United States.
The refuge is part of the greater Gateway National Recreation Area, a 26607 acre (10767 ha) National Recreation Area in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Scattered over Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, New York, and Monmouth County, New Jersey, it provides recreational opportunities that are rare for a dense urban environment, including ocean swimming, bird watching, boating, hiking and camping.
These two sites are fantastic year-round birding sites, great for both land birds and waterfowl, while the nearby Atlantic coast in Rockaway is a reliable place for seabirds in season. In the spring and fall, warblers, grosbeaks and thrushes pass through in great numbers, while the ponds at Jamaica Bay are packed with shorebirds for most of late summer. Fall and winter bring large flocks of ducks and geese, while just off-shore lucky birders can find alcids, gulls and occasionally even a migrating whale. ). It’s a birder’s paradise with almost 300 bird species sighted at the refuge over the last 25 years; that is nearly half the species in the Northeast!
The easy walking trails throughout the parks make for a comfortable day of birding, and the close proximity of John F. Kennedy International Airport can permit the adventurous birder an exciting few hours during an extended layover.
The exact nature of this trip varies based on the season, and other places nearby may be substituted where appropriate.
This day tour takes place in and around New York City
The expert-guided birding tour can be booked as a small group private tour for dates that suits your travel plans.
Specials likely to be found on this day tour
(Many of the same birds listed above breed in the park, but the following are more easily found in the summer months)
Spring
• Woodcock
• American Oystercatcher
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Wood-warblers (many species)
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Baltimore Oriole
• Orchard Oriole
• Eastern Kingbird
• Osprey
Summer
• Little Blue Heron
• Tricolored Heron
• Glossy Ibis
• Laughing Gull
• Barn Owl
• Boat-tailed Grackle
• Willet
• Clapper Rail
• Foster’s Tern
• Marsh Wren
• A wide variety of sandpipers (most easily seen during high tide on mudflats in the park)
Fall
The list here is similar to that of spring, but most waterfowl begin to show up in October. Peak hawk migration also occurs during the fall months.
• Brandt
• Snow Goose
• American Black Duck
• Peregrine Falcon
• American Kestrel
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Bald Eagle
Winter
Waterfowl are the primary target within the park, as are wintering sparrows. The coastline offers the possibility for alcids and rare gulls.
• Horned Grebe
• Green-winged Teal
• Greater Scup
• Canvasback
• Gadwall
• Ruddy Duck
• Tree Sparrow
Do you have a quick question about this birding tour? Speak to a specialist at
info@naturetravelbirding.com