NYS has hundreds of species of birds in thousands of acres of parks and protected lands. The Hudson Valley has lots of places where you and your family can observe them. See this list of places to go and what you may see.
Dutchess County
Fahnestock State Park
1498 Route 301, Carmel
This is a great wild area where you can see wild turkeys,
barred owls, Red-shouldered hawks, Winter wrens, Blue-gray gnatcatchers,
Louisiana waterthrushes, and Warblers. There are trails and a beach where you
can watch. There are several other recreational opportunities in this park
also.
Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve
Route 9D, Beacon
This is a beautiful park with views of the Hudson
everywhere. You can see prairie warblers, red-eyed vireos, black-crowned night
herons, and bald eagles. There is an eagle blind at Dennings Point. With forty
miles of trails and beaches galore, spotting birds should not be a chore.
Mills-Norrie State Parks
9 Old Post Road, Staatsburg
This area is actually a combination of Ogden Mills and Ruth
Livingston Mills Memorial State Park and adjoining Margaret Lewis Norrie State
Park. There are more than 1,000 acres along the Hudson River here. You can see
red-shouldered hawks, wood ducks, common mergansers, great blue heron and bluebirds.
Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center
79 Farmstead Lane, Wappingers Falls
The barn and classrooms are closed for now, but the grounds
and trails are open from sunrise to sunset daily. Look for barred owl,
red-tailed hawk, many songbirds, Eastern bluebird, woodpeckers, cardinals,
killdeer, wild turkey and kestrel. The Verplanck Memorial Perennial Garden is
planted specifically for attracting butterflies and birds.
READ MORE: Take the bird challenge
Orange County
Bear Mountain State Park
3006 Seven Lakes Drive, Bear Mountain
Bear Mountain is home to lots of different wildlife. You can
see bald eagles, osprey, great blue herons, pileated woodpeckers, warblers and
kingfishers. You can see them off the trails and a viewing platform. There are
many other family-friendly activities you can do here also.
Sterling Forest State Park
116 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo
This is a pretty wild area and you are sure to spot several
birds around here. Watch for Whip-poor-wills, Bald eagles and Ring-necked
ducks. You can spot them from the trails, lakes and ponds, or the visitors
center. You can fish, bike and boat while you are too.
Stewart State Forest
There are 3 different parking areas – see the website under
Directions
This is a huge area with tons of trails and wetlands. You
can find wild turkeys, great blue herons, pied-billed grebes, blue-winged
warblers, American woodcock, and hawks. There are 18 miles of gravel roads and
trails, meadows, fields, and lots of ponds and water holes. Biking and mountain
biking can be done here also.
READ MORE: Check out Birdability which promotes birding for everyone
Sullivan County
Bashakill Wildlife Management Area
There are 16 parking areas – click the link above and it’s
under Directions
Bashakill has over 200 species of birds. It has been
designated a Bird Conservation Area. Some of the birds to watch are green
heron, great blue heron, American bittern, ring-necked duck, bald eagles,
osprey, and Cooper’s hawk. The website lists several more. Watch them from the
trails, marsh and observation towers.
Ulster County
Shawangunk Grasslands
902 Hoagerburgh Rd, Wallkill
This beautiful grassland area protects 597 acres to support
grassland-dependent migratory birds and wintering raptors. Some of the birds
you could see here are the short-eared owl, northern harrier, upland sandpiper,
Henslow’s sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, vesper sparrow, horned lark, and
bobolink. You can see them on 3.6 miles of trails. Area is open dawn to dusk.
Minnewaska State Park Preserve
5281 Route 44-55, Kerhonkson
The Minnewaska State Preserve is over 2,000 feet above sea
level and the views are breathtaking. This area supports a huge amount of
forest-dwelling birds. You can expect to see northern saw-whet owl,
black-and-white warbler, black-throated blue warbler, Canada warbler, Eastern
wood-pewee, northern flicker, scarlet tanager, eastern towhee, field sparrow,
gray catbird, indigo bunting and prairie warbler. There is also a pair of endangered Peregrine Falcons that nest on the cliff face.
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