Point Peninsula Wildlife Management Area is located in Lyme, on Lake Ontario in Jefferson County, NY, and includes 1,086 acres comprised primarily of grasslands, divided by Beach, South Shore, and Pine Woods roads. It also contains a natural wetland complex consisting of emergent marsh, shrub/scrub swamp, and floodplain forest.
Point Peninsula is possibly one of the most critical wintering areas in the Northeast for arctic-breeding raptors and other uncommon birds, and is a designated Grassland Bird Conservation Area.
The WMA’s marsh and western shoreline support a breeding population of black terns (state-endangered), as well as substantial populations of breeding and migrating fowl—including short-eared owls (state-endangered), rough-legged hawks, snowy owls, northern shrikes (state-threatened), and northern harriers (state-threatened), American bitterns (state-special concern), bobolinks, and eastern meadowlarks.
The open grasslands are ideal for spotting these rare birds, so grab your binoculars and camera for a visit.
Read more about New York’s grasslands.
Illustration: Short-eared owl (courtesy DEC).
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