Birdwatching in the Hudson Valley | VISITvortex | MAGAZINE

OUTDOORS: Great Birdwatching Spots

Thanks to the John Burroughs Natural History Society for the information on birding in Ulster County.
Find out more at www.jbnhs.org

We can all identify at least a handful of birds. The ubiquitous crow, the noble bald eagle, or the elegant red cardinal come to mind. But as you start to think about it, or better yet as you start to pay attention to the birds around you, the sky is the limit on what we can discover about birds.

A great first step to birding in the Hudson Valley is the purchase of a Northeastern United States field guide. Every time you spot a bird, find out what it is and mark the page to remember that you’ve seen that species in your yard. Then when you’re ready, head out to one of the below birding sites to see for yourself where a variety of birds congregate. Remember to check local hunting season dates to make sure you’re dressed appropriately.

The Great Vly

The Great Vly, on the Ulster/Greene County line north of the Town of Saugerties, is a large freshwater marsh bordered by rock cliffs and wooded hills. Osprey, golden eagle, American bittern, blackbirds, and 30 species of warblers pass through The Great Vly during spring migration. Common nighthawks assemble in small flocks to rest and feed over the open marsh. Common and black terns have been observed in migration. Woodcocks, swamp sparrows, rails, and herons nest here, along with three species of vireos, warblers, and other woodland birds. In late summer and early fall, unique floating mats of vegetation provide good shorebird habitat.

Directions: From the village of Saugerties drive north on US 9W through the hamlet of Malden to West Camp. Turn left (west) at West Camp Road and continue 1.2 miles to the short (unpaved) access road on the right, flanked by posts with NYSDEC signage.

Bristol Beach State Park

Bristol Beach State Park, in the Town of Saugerties, provides views of the Hudson River. Migrating passerines and waterfowl follow the river inland during spring and back to the coast in the fall. Among summer nesters are eastern bluebirds. Scan the river from an elevated parking area and walk quietly out on the peninsula to the south end, checking for waterfowl in the cove on the west side. Exposed mudflats in the cove attract herons, egrets, and shorebirds during low tide in late summer and early fall. Winter activity will vary based on ice conditions: watch for unusual species of gulls and a diverse array of waterfowl at first ice-out in late winter. Bald eagles may be seen throughout the year.

Directions: Take US 9W north from the village of Saugerties; turn east onto Emerick Road (opposite Lauren Tice Rd) in Eavesport, just before entering West Camp. Follow Emerick Road 0.6 mile to the park.

Kingston Point

Kingston Point includes Kingston Point Beach and Kingston Rotary Park on the Hudson River. From late fall to early spring, look for ducks, gulls, and bald eagles on the Hudson River and in the lagoon. Shrubbery around the edges of Rotary Park and the adjacent BMX course provide cover for winter sparrows, finches, and Carolina wrens. A loop trail from Rotary Park to the intersection of North Street and Delaware Avenue follows reconstructed trolley tracks and an old railbed, providing views toward the Rondout Lighthouse, across the mouth of the creek to Sleightsburg Spit, and into a shallow lagoon that was part of the Victorian-era Kingston Point Park.

Directions: From US 9W in Kingston, follow Delaware Avenue east and downhill until it ends at the Point. Park at the Beach (turn left) or by the BMX course.

Sleightsburg Spit

Sleightsburg Spit, in Port Ewen, is a park on a narrow spit of land on the south side of the mouth of Rondout Creek. Vireos, warblers, and orioles nest in the canopy of deciduous trees. A large stand of cattails on the south side of the spit that attracts marsh wrens and least bitterns can be reached by canoe or kayak at high tide. In late summer, large numbers of great blue herons and other wading birds congregate in Sleightsburg Bay at low tide.

Directions: From US 9W, just south of the Rondout Creek bridge, turn east at the traffic light and head north and downhill; turn right onto 1st Ave. for one block; left onto Everson St; and then right onto a gravel drive to the boat launch parking area. A foot trail leads east along the spit.

Esopus Meadows

Esopus Meadows, in the Town of Esopus, is a shallow underwater shelf of the Hudson River offshore of Lighthouse Park and Esopus Meadows Environmental Center. Emergent river vegetation nurtures insects, small fish, and other food species that attract wading birds, waterfowl, and swallows during migration. In winter, look for ducks, bald eagles, and great cormorants. The adjacent forest is a 100-acre Scenic Hudson preserve. It is a magnet for warblers and other passerines migrating along the river. Summer nesters include worm-eating warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, and scarlet tanager. Five species of woodpeckers remain all year. More info: scenichudson.org. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

Directions: From US 9W in Port Ewen or Ulster Park, turn east onto River Road. Park at the Environmental Center at 275 River Road or the Lighthouse Park next door.

Burroughs Sanctuary

Burroughs Sanctuary, in the Town of Esopus, is the site of Slabsides, the rustic cabin retreat of the famous late 19th and early 20th century naturalist John Burroughs. The Sanctuary consists of 192 acres on a wooded hillside, with a few short trails and a large pond. Migrating passerines visit in the spring; lowland woodland and “edge” species—wood thrush, scarlet tanager, eastern bluebird—nest here. Osprey, indigo bunting or bald eagles visit the pond, which is also a good place to study dragonflies and damselflies. The Sanctuary is open dawn to dusk daily, all year. More info: jbnhs.org

Directions: From US 9W in the hamlet of West Park, turn west on Floyd Ackert Road; cross the railroad tracks, go 1/2 mile and turn left onto Burroughs Road. Go 3/10 mile up the hill and park along the road near the entrance gate.

Overlook Mountain

Overlook Mountain Wild Forest is a 590-acre area within the Catskill Forest Preserve. A two-mile long route climbs to the top of the mountain where there is a fire tower and a restored firewatchers cabin. Migrating and nesting warblers and other montane species can be seen and heard along the red-blazed route. On weekends in good weather, the top of the fire tower is open and there are exhibits in the firewatchers cabin.

Directions: From SR 212 in the center of Woodstock, take Rock City Rd then Meads Mountain Rd north for two miles to the trailhead parking at the crest of the hill.

Slide Mountain

Slide Mountain, at 4,180 feet, is the Catskill’s highest peak and the site of the original discovery of Bicknell’s thrush. The peak is reached via a moderately difficult 2.8-mile foot trail. At higher elevations there is an extensive balsam fir/red spruce boreal forest where Bicknell’s thrush, Swainson’s thrush, blackpoll warbler, white-throated sparrow, and yellow-bellied flycatcher nest. The lower elevation deciduous forest hosts numerous species of breeding thrushes, warblers, woodpeckers, and scarlet tanager, winter wren, and yellow-bellied sapsucker. Crossbills, pine grosbeaks, and rarely boreal chickadee are potential winter invasion species. More info: nynjtc.org

Directions: Take SR 28 west of Kingston to Big Indian. Turn left onto CR 47 and continue 8.5 miles through the valley and uphill. After a hairpin curve, look for the Slide Mountain parking area on your left just past Winnisook Lake--which is the headwaters of the Esopus Creek.

Vernooy Kill Falls Trail

Vernooy Kill Falls Trail in the Sundown Wild Forest in the Town of Denning, provides hiking access to Vernooy Kill Falls and to Balsam Swamp, a unique and extensive balsam fir/mountain laurel swamp and sphagnum moss bog. A 1.8-mile walk from the Upper Cherrytown trailhead crosses two streams and gains 600 feet elevation to reach the falls. There are two other trailheads: one from Yeagerville Road in Greenville, and another from Trails End Road. Balsam Swamp is nearer the Greenville trailhead. Blackburnian, black-throated blue, Canada, yellow-rumped, and hooded warblers nest in the laurel and hemlock thickets along the trail. Veery, hermit thrush, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and several species of vireos and flycatchers breed in the surrounding forest. Northern waterthrush, white-throated sparrow, and dark-eyed junco breed in the swamp. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

Directions: At the traffic light in Kerhonkson, on US 209, turn northwest onto Clay Hill Rd. Go 1.5 mile and merge left onto CR 3 for 1/10 mile. At the Pine Grove Resort, turn left onto Cherrytown Rd, following the current route of the Long Path (aqua blazes). In 3.7 miles, turn left onto Upper Cherrytown Rd and continue for 3.1 miles to the NYSDEC parking lot on the right. The trail, following the Long Path, starts across the road.

Mohonk Preserve

Mohonk Preserve, on the Shawangunk ridge west of New Paltz, spans 6,600 acres in adjacent corners of the towns of Gardiner, Rochester, and Marbletown. It is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the Shawangunk ridges and habitat. Its trails are open to members and visitors. The day use fee for nonmembers is $9. There are several areas of the Preserve that can be especially rewarding for bird-watching. The open fields at Spring Farm have a large population of nesting indigo buntings. Duck Pond hosts many woodland and “edge” species of warblers, plus wood thrushes, scarlet tanagers, and, usually, an Acadian flycatcher. More montane species, like slate-colored juncos, blackburnian warblers, eastern flicker, and winter wrens, nest on the north-facing slopes of Rock Rift. The ridge now supports nesting peregrines, ravens, and black and turkey vultures. From September to November, there is a Hawk Watch on the Near Trapps ridge. Info: mohonkpreserve.org. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

Directions: The Visitor Center for Mohonk Preserve is located on US 44/NY 55, about 1/2 mile north of the western terminus of SR 299. Maps and information can be obtained there, or by calling 845-255-0919, or at www.mohonkpreserve.org. Guests of the Mohonk Mountain House Hotel have free access to the Preserve's trails.

Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary

Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary is on the floodplain of the Wallkill River at the western edge of the village of New Paltz. The sanctuary, owned by the Huguenot Historical Society, is open to the public. There is a pleasant trail (which may be flooded after heavy rains) through the grassy meadow and stands of water-loving trees. Marsh species—sora rail, snipe, Empidonax flycatchers, and even a sedge wren—have been found here. Orioles and common yellowthroats nest. In the fall, many sparrows visit the Community Gardens in the Sanctuary. On autumn nights listen for great horned and screech owls. Bluebirds and woodpeckers stay all winter. More info: jbnhs.org

Directions: Heading west through New Paltz on Main St. (SR 299), turn right (north) just before the bridge over the Wallkill River. Go one block on Huguenot St, take the left fork toward the water treatment plant, and park. Walk north along the river about one block to enter the sanctuary.

Shawangunk Grasslands NWR

Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge is on the site of the old Galeville Airport in the Town of Shawangunk. The refuge is part of the Wallkill River NWR and is managed for grassland species of concern and for protection of the watershed of the Wallkill River. Bobolinks, eastern meadowlark, eastern bluebird, upland sandpiper, and vesper and Savannah sparrows nest, as historically have grasshopper and Henslow’s sparrows. Winter brings rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, and short-eared owls. In early spring, American woodcocks perform their twilight courting flights. More info: shawangunk.fws.gov

Directions: From SR 299 west of New Paltz, turn south on CR 7 (Libertyville Rd and then Brunswyck Rd) to CR 18 (Hoagerburgh Rd). The entrance and parking area is on CR 18 between Long Lane and Bates Lane. Also, drive through nearby Blue Chip Farm on Bates Lane, about 1.5 miles south via CR 18, to look for Longspurs and Horned Larks in winter and for Red-headed Woodpeckers all year.

Birding in Dutchess County:

Brace Mountain (Taconic State Park)

Part of the 1,547-acre Taconic State Park in the Town of North East. Highest point in Dutchess County, 2,311 feet, located where New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut come together. Deciduous and coniferous woodland and open areas at the summit. Spring, summer, and fall. Good vantage point for fall hawk migration. Breeding hermit thrush and dark-eyed juncos, as well as other woodland species. Requires a two-mile hike each way, moderate from the west or partially strenuous from the east. More info: BerkshireHiking.com

Directions: For access from the west, drive 5.5 miles north on NY 22 from the traffic light in Millerton. Turn right on White House Crossing and follow it to the end. Go left onto Rudd Pond Road (CR 62) for 1/4 mile, turn right (east) onto Deer Run Road. Then turn left onto Quarry Hill Road and follow it around to the east side where fields meet woods. Here is the southern end of the South Taconic Trail. Park your car and hike the trail, following the white blazes for 2 miles to the summit. To reach the area from the east, drive to Salisbury, CT on US 44. At the town hall turn left and follow the signs to Mt. Riga Road. At Southe (Forge) Road, turn right onto unpaved Mount Washington Road. Go north several miles and look for a grassy parking area on the left. Park here. There is a steel gate at the back of the parking area. Follow the woods road trail on the other side of the gate for about 2 miles. Here it intersects South Taconic Trail. Take the trail to the left (south) a short distance to the summit. Maps of the area can be obtained for a fee from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, G.P.O. Box 2250, New York, NY 10116. Walking 4 miles (moderate to strenuous).

Buttercup Farm Wildlife Sanctuary

Town of Stanford. 553 acres of woodlands, fields, pastures, wooded swamp. Best in spring and fall. Raptors, waterfowl, great horned owl, eastern bluebird, and many resident nesting species. Walking distance: Allow 2-3 hours to cover either the western or eastern part. Easy to moderate. More info: ny.audubon.org

Directions: Midway between Stanfordville and Pine Plains on NY 82. Entrance to the east side is indicated by a small sign leading to a parking area. To get to the western entrance, take Route 82 and take Stissing Road, which goes off to the west about 1.5 miles north of Cold Spring Road (CR 53). Then continue onto Mountain Road; entrance will be on your right. Allow 2-3 hours to cover either the western or eastern part.

Cruger Island

60 acres on the Hudson River in the Town of Red Hook. Bay, estuary, tidal marsh, mudflats, tidal swamp, wood lands. An excellent area for all kinds of birds, with waterfowl and shorebirds most plentiful. Osprey, northern harrier, marsh wren, least bittern, Virginia rail. Best in early spring and late summer; also excellent for observing ducks on the river in late fall. Walking distance: 2 miles (moderate). Allow 4-6 hours.

Directions: Take NY. 9G north toward Annandale and Tivoli. Turn left onto CR 103 (Annandale Road) about 5 miles north of the Rhinebeck intersection of US 9 and NY 9G. Where CR 103 takes a sharp turn to the left, go down Cruger Island Road. Park your car at one of the state MUA lots (you will pass some Bard College dorm lots; do not park in these). Walk the road. Cross the railroad tracks carefully to get over to the island and be aware of the tides so that you don't get stranded. Walking distance: 2 miles (moderate). Allow 4-6 hours.

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Valkill)

190 acres in the Town of Hyde Park. Lake, marsh, forest; varied habitat. Best in spring and summer. Herons, wood duck, belted kingfisher, swallows, warblers, barred owl, pileated woodpecker, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common snipe. Walking distance: 1 mile. Allow 2-3 hours. More info: nps.gov/elro/index.htm. SEE A VIDEO on visitvortex.com

Directions: Take NY 9G north from Poughkeepsie. Look for the entrance to Valkill about 1/2 mile north of the traffic light for the St. Andrews Rd. cutover to US9. Alternatively, continue beyond this entrance and take the next right, Franklin Road. Then take a left onto Roosevelt Road and drive about 1/2 mile to the back entrance. Walking distance: 1 mile. Allow 2-3 hours.

Montgomery Place

A Hudson River estate of 434 acres just south of Bard College in the Town of Red Hook. Orchard, gardens, lawns, deciduous and hemlock woods, and a view of the Hudson. Trails. Wheelchairs can use the roads. Winter wren, warblers, flycatchers, orioles, pileated woodpecker, rose-breasted grosbeak. Walking distance: 2 miles (easy). Allow 2-3 hours. More info: hudsonvalley.org

Directions: Take NY 9G north to the intersection with NY 199. Turn left (west) onto NY 199. CR 103 crosses NY 199 before the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Turn right onto CR 103 north. Montgomery Place is 2-3 miles up the road on the left. Park at the Visitors' Center. Walking distance: 2 miles (easy). Allow 2-3 hours.

Poet’s Walk

120 acres in the Town of Red Hook with varied habitat and great views of the Hudson River. Grassland and woodland birds, including bobolink and orchard oriole. Walking distance: 2 miles. Allow 3 hours. More info: scenichudson.org/whatyoucando/visitourparks/poetswalk

Directions: Take NY 9G to NY 199 (toward the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge). Make a right (north) onto River Road and watch for the park entrance on the left. Walking distance: 2 miles. Allow 3 hours.

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

212 acres overlooking the Hudson River in the Town of Hyde Park. Varied habitat including meadows, woodlands, ponds, streams, inlets, and bays. Best birding is in spring between the mansion and the river. Warblers, thrushes, kinglets, woodpeckers, swallows, waterbirds, gulls. More info: nps.gov/vama

Directions: Just north of the Village of Hyde Park on US 9. The entrance is clearly marked. Walking distance: 2.5 miles (easy to moderate). Allow 3 hours.

Spring 2011 Birding and Nature Walks

Saturday, 4/2, 1-4pm

Vernal Pools at Esopus Bend Nature Preserve

Steve Chorvas, schorvas@verizon.net

Saturday, 4/16

Birds & Beans & Mohonk Preserve present

Migratory Birds that winter in Nicaragua and spend spring/summer in the Shawangunk Ridge

mohonkpreserve.org, 255-0919

Saturday, 4/16, 9am Guided Bird Walk.
Clermont Historic Site. 518-537-4240.

www.friendsofclermont.org

Saturday, 4/16, 8:30-11:30am

Creativity, Community, Observation,
and Nature at Burroughs Sanctuary