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Places to Bird
Queens
Alley Pond Park
Breezy Point District
Forest Park
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Other Places to Bird
Brooklyn
The Bronx
Manhattan
Staten Island
Alley Pond Park
Queens’
most ecologically diverse park, containing an entire watershed and touching Little Neck
Bay on the north, but criss-crossed by parkways. Best birding areas are Alley Wetlands and
Upper Alley Woodlands. Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC) is located just off Northern
Blvd. in the Alley Wetlands section of the park.
Riverside Park Fund
Phone: (212) 870-3070
Alley Pond Environmental Center
Phone: (718) 229-4000
Web
Site:
www.alleypond.com
Queens County Bird Club
Phone: (718)229-4000
Directions:
Subway/Bus: From Manhattan, #7 train to Flushing/Main Street (last
stop). Q12 bus from Stern’s Dept. store on Roosevelt Ave. toward
Little Neck to the APEC bus stop at approximately 228th Street (20
minute bus ride).
Train: From Penn Station, take the Long Island Railroad to
Douglaston. Hike south along Douglaston Parkway about 1/4 mile to
APEC. For trains schedule, call (718) 217-5477.
Breezy Point District (Jacob Riis Park / Fort
Tilden / Breezy Point)
The western end of the Rockaway Peninsula, covering approximately 5 miles of
uninterrupted Atlantic oceanfront. The major attraction is fall migration or songbirds at
Jacob Riis Park and of hawks at Fort Tilden. It is also good during butterfly and
dragonfly migration.
There
is a Visitor Center at Fort Tilden just inside the Beach 169th Street entrance, where you
may obtain maps of both areas. At the tip of Breezy Point, the NPS manages 1,059 acres
that include a beachhead for nesting colonies of endangered and threatened plovers, terns
and skimmers. In spring and summer, it is subject to closure.
Visitor Center
Phone: (718) 318-4300
Web
Site:
www.nps.gov/gate
Directions:
Subway/Bus: Queens-bound A train to Rockaway Park / Beach 116th
Street station. Take the Q35 Green bus line (call (718) 995-1700 for
schedule) to the entrance of Fort Tilden.
Or, Brooklyn-bound 2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue, the
last stop. From the corner of Nostrand Avenue, take the Q35 bus
south on Flatbush Avenue to Fort Tilden.
Car: From Manhattan, take the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn / Queens
Expressway (Rt. 278) toward Verrazano Bridge, but stay right on
Shore/Belt Parkway to Exit 11S, which brings you onto Flatbush
Avenue. Go south on Flatbush over the toll bridge.
To reach Riis Park, continue on the main roadway that veers left,
then keep to the right and follow Riis Park signs to the entrance on
the right, about 1 mile from the bridge. There is a parking fee in
summer.
To reach Fort Tilden, take Breezy Point/Fort Tilden exit on the
right. At the first traffic light, turn left into the entrance of
Fort Tilden. Some parking lots require a seasonal permit, others
offer limited-time parking from April 15 to September 15. There is
on-street parking on Beach 193rd Street reached by going 1 mile past
the Fort Tilden entrance traffic light to the Silver Gull Club sign
and making a left onto Beach 193rd Street. You can enter Fort Tilden
from the east.
To Breezy Point, continue past Fort Tilden through the Breezy Point
Cooperative, to the Beach 222nd Street parking lot. You can obtain a
same day parking permit by applying at the Headquarters Building /
Visitor Center.
From Jamaica Bay, continue south on Cross Bay Blvd., cross the toll
bridge and proceed west 3 1/2 miles on Beach Channel Drive. Follow
signs.
Forest Park
In
the center of Queens, Forest Park consists of 538 acres on the crest of Harbor Hills
terminal moraine. The eastern portion holds the most interest for birders.
The park consists of 3 nature trails, the newly renovated Seuffert Bandshell with its free
concerts, the famous Daniel C. Mueller Carousel and the Track and Field.
Queens Urban Park Rangers
Phone: (718) 846-2731
Directions:
Subway: from Manhattan, Queens-bound E or F train to Kew
Gardens/Union Turnpike. Walk to Park Lane South and Metropolitan
Avenue, where there is an entrance to the park.
Car: From Manhattan, Queens Midtown Tunnel to Long Island Expressway
(495) to Woodhaven Boulevard. South on Woodhaven to Myrtle Avenue,
east to Park Lane South.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (Cross Bay Boulevard)
Jamaica
Bay is internationally recognized as one of the prime birding spots in North America. It
consists of 9,000 acres of open bay, salt marsh, upland islands, mudflats, two brackish
ponds, several freshwater ponds, and the North and South gardens. It is a rich area for
wintering water fowl, migrating shorebirds, wading birds, raptors and warblers. There is a
gravel path around the West Pond. Visitors to the East Pond are advised to wear boots, as
the trail is likely to be muddy. First-time visitors should obtain a permit at the Visitor
Center, open daily 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
A checklist and map may be obtained at the visitor center or by writing Gateway National
Recreation Area, Wildlife Refuge, Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY 11234.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Phone: (718) 318-4340
Web
Site:
www.nps.gov/gate
Directions:
Subway: From Manhattan, take the Queens/Rockaway bound A train
to Broad Channel. Walk west on Noel Road to Cross Bay Boulevard,
then north (right) about 3/4 mile to the Visitor Center.
Subway/Bus: From Manhattan, take the Queens-bound E, F, or R subway
to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue. Take the Rockaway-bound Q53
Express bus and ask to be let off at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Visitor Center. Bus runs every 1/2 hour (call (718) 335-1000 for
schedule).
Car: From Manhattan, take Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn / Queens
Expressway (Rt. 278) toward Verrazano Bridge, but stay right on
Shore Belt Parkway to Exit 17S, Cross Bay Blvd. Take Cross Bay Blvd.
south through Howard Beach, over the North Channel Bridge. In 1 1/2
miles, you reach the Visitor Center on the right.
From the Long Island Expressway (Rt. 495), take Woodhaven Boulevard
south. It continues through Howard Beach and becomes Cross Bay Blvd.
and crosses the North Channel Bridge. In 1 1/2 miles you reach the
Visitor Center on the right.
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