Twelve new locations have been added to the New York State Birding Trail. The new additions, in Central New York and Hudson River Valley, provide affordable opportunities for quality birding experiences.
The new additions provide a diversity of habitats that include forests, meadows, vernal pools, streams, and peat bogs. Although habitats vary across the locations, these sites offer great opportunities to observe seasonal migrating birds such as woodland warblers and flycatchers.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) coordinates the New York State Birding Trail, a unique network of birding hotspots across New York State.
These latest additions to the trail bring the total number of sites on the trail to 402:
Finger Lakes:
Butternut Creek Recreation & Nature Area
Cobb’s Hill Park
Durand Eastman Park
Highland Park
Irondequoit Bay State Marine Park (Irondequoit Bay Outlet)
Lime Hollow Nature Center
Mendon Ponds Park
Oatka Creek Park
Hudson Valley:
Black Rock Forest
Edith G. Read Sanctuary
Jay Heritage Center
Locust Grove Morse Young Estate
According to DEC, in 2022 7.4 million residents enjoyed wildlife watching close to home and 2.7 million visitors traveled to New York to experience its diverse birding opportunities.
The New York State Birding Trail map is available at www.ibirdny.org and provides valuable information on each site such as location, available amenities, species likely to be seen, directions, and more. Digital information on the Birding Trail will be updated periodically, so budding outdoor enthusiasts are encouraged to check back often.
DEC encourages birding enthusiasts to visit I BIRD NY for more information on where and how to observe birds, upcoming bird walks, a downloadable Beginner’s Guide to Birding (also available in Spanish), information on the annual I BIRD NY Challenge, and additional educational resources.
Selected Birding Trail sites meet criteria to help ensure a positive experience for visitors throughout the state. Additionally, sites post signage noting them as official locations on the Birding Trail. For information on the nomination process, see DEC’s website.
Read about birds in New York State.
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