Birdwatching in New York

The State of New York is located on one of the main migration routes in North America and offers excellent birdwatching for a visiting birder, even if you are only able to bird in the big New York City and Long Island. The Atlantic coast offer shore birds and water fowl. Niagara Fall is considered one of the best places to watch Gulls during the late fall season, and one can often spot up to 12 species on a good day.
Adirondack State park has excellent birdwatching for boreal species such as Black-backed Woodpecker, Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee to name a few.
In the Finger Lake region birds like Upland Sandpiper, Eastern Bluebird is common. A number of excellent Hawk Watch locations during spring and fall migration such as Fire Island and Derby Hill Bird Observatory attract many birdwatchers.
Experienced Birdingpals located throughout the state as well as in New York City will help make your visit to this fascinating place a birding experience to remember.

Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club.
Shortcuts to Local Pals in major cities: Albany Long Island New York Niagara Falls Rochester Syracuse Professional Guides
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		M	McCormack	Plattsburgh/Adirondack region	Anytime	English
		The Adirondacks are the southernmost range for many boreal species, including Black-Backed woodpeckers, Boreal Chickadees, and many boreal warbler species. The high peaks of the Adirondacks are home to Bicknell's Thrush, and are great viewing areas for hawk migration in the fall. Plattsburgh is nestled in the Champlain Valley, with diverse habitats for northern species and many natural areas that provide corridors for migratory birds.
		JB	Timmis	Albany	Anytime
		C	Finger	Albany	Weekend
		S	Mesick	Albany	Anytime	English/some Spanish/Russian
		Lots of habitat variety around Albany. Mountains, fields, marshes, rivers, deciduous and conifer forests. Adirondack National Forest and Catskill mountains both a couple hours away.
		J	Vellozzi	Ardsley	Anytime
		A	Graves	Bellport	Anytime
		D	Watkins	Binghamton	Anytime	English
		The Binghamton area has several very good spots to bird. One is listed on the NY important areas. Warbler migration time is most likely our best time. It is not unusual to get 20 types of warblers on a good morning. I am a member of our local bird club, where I am on the broad and lead a weekly trip to local hotspots. I have done the World Series of Birding for the last 7 years, being the captain the last 3 years. Once a year I lead a national trip to Alabama.
		P	Burkard	Chautauqua, Buffalo	Weekend	English/Spanish
		Novice birder, area of Eastern Great Lakes, featuring migratory routes and water fowl.
		R	Harris	Cambridge	Anytime	English/German
		I live in upstate New York between the Hudson River and the Vermont border, between Albany, NY and Bennington,VT.
		K	Diamond	Chester(Orange County)	Anytime	English American Sign Language
		P	Feinberg	Delmar	Anytime
		R	Koeppel	East Hampton, Long Island	Anytime
		R	Savage	East Hampton, Long Island	Anytime
		R	Guthrie	Greene County	Anytime	English/German Italian/Spanish
		B	Spencer	Haverstraw	Weekend
		E	Sheidlower	Honeoye Falls	Weekend
		W	Johnson	Hornell, Steuben	Anytime	English
		I'm a young Grandmother. Hornell is a wooded area and near P.A.
		H	Sprung	Hyde Park	Anytime	English
		Hyde Park is on the Hudson River about 100 miles north of NYC. It is a rich birding area. I mostly bird with a camera and kayak. Two excellent natural areas are the Audubon Ramshorn Sanctuary near Catskill, NY and the Tivoli Bays area near Tivoli (Rhinebeck, NY). Both are best accessed by Kayak - both are fresh water tidal areas. I am NOT going to be in the area this late spring, summer and fall as I will be traveling throughout the Western and North Central US birding and picture taking for the season. I will be in semi-regular (at least weekly e-mail) contact with the world. I would be glad to give long distance advice on my area while I am away.
		R	Sheldon	Ilion	Anytime	English
		I have been watching birds for years and photographing them for the last 4. I live in Herkimer County in central NY, and watch and photograph the birds I see. I have found nesting Bald Eagles in Herkimer and Montazuma NY, along with many other species of birds. I have a real passion for photographing birds and wildlife, and enjoy sharing this with others.
		M	Haribal	Ithaca	Weekend
		S	Fern	Ithaca	Anytime
		P	Becker	Katohna, Westchester	Anytime	English/French
		M	DeDea	Lake Katrine	Anytime
		B	McAllister	Lake Placid	Anytime
		K	Bucolo	Lockport	Anytime
		H	Farber	Melville	Weekend	English
		I Band (ring) birds for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife during May, September & October, as a hobby. I live on Long Island, NY. where I am near ocean, bay and wooded habitat.
		D	Taggart	Moriches/Long Island	Anytime
		M	Cooper	Long Island	Anytime	English
		Long Island, New York, is located along the Atlantic Flyway in Eastern North America. The widest variety of birds are present during spring and fall migration, with peak diversity in May and again from August through early October. As a coastal barrier island, winter is also good for interesting waterfowl, gulls and vagrants from western North America, while shorebirds (waders) are often the higlight during midsummer. Local specialties include, at the proper seasons, Piping Plover, Roseate Tern, Fish Crow, Sharp-tailed Sparrows, Seaside Sparrow and alcids and sea ducks. I've been birding Long Island for over 30 years, and I've been leading field trips for local birding groups for most of that time. I'm very familiar with Long Island hotspots, somewhat familiar with Manhattan and New Jersey areas, but I can offer general guidelines for most areas in the northeastern US.
		A	Block	Bronxville, New York	Weekend	English
		I'm a wildlife biologist who's been birding for more than 30 years. My knowledge not only includes birds but anything on wildlife and plants. I have lived in the tri-state area all my life so I am familiar with all the good birding sites such as Central Park, Jamaica Bay, Brigantine NWR, the Adirondacks, Cape May, etc. I can take someone to any of the sites in the NY, NJ and CT area. I'm located just one half hour north of NYC and would be happy to meet anyone at their hotel, all I ask is for them to pay for gas (and lodging if required). It is best if you contact me to see when is the best time to go to certain sites or if you have specialties you are looking for.
		R	Olley	Bronx, New York	Weekend	English
		Work at Bronx Zoo, travel to S American and C America looking for local birders and people who would like to get together and travel to Mexico in a group.
		R	Perera	Bronx, New York	Anytime
		P	Dorosh	Brooklyn, New York	Weekend
		K	Notopoulos	Brooklyn, New York	Weekend
		E	Harold	Brooklyn, New York	Anytime	English/French
		K	Morgan	New York	Anytime	English/Italian French/Spanish Some Japanese/German
		What I love about birding in New York City is how easy it is to get around by public transportation. No car, please!
		Y	Garcia	New York	Anytime
		C	Bloch	New York	Weekend
		P	Jeffrey	New York	Weekend
		P	Epstein	New York	Anytime
		P	Shen	New York	Weekend
		A	Virgin	New York	Weekend
		S	Rouff	New York	Weekend
		M	Lee	New York	Anytime	English/French Russian/Polish
		R	Zain Eldeen	New York	Weekend	English
		I do not have a car but I can take birders out to places accessible by public transportation, such as Central Park, Prospect Park, and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
		A	Rubenfeld	New York	Weekend	English
		Long-time birdwatcher (with car) familiar with NYC and metropolitan area, including Long Island, lower Hudson River Valley, and central/northern New Jersey.
		C	Thoreen	New York	Anytime
		R	Elve	New York	Anytime	English
		All seasons daily sunset tour of Hudson River Park, west village generally Christopher Street to w 14 street along river side some horticultural/garden interests as well Audubon and Sierra Club, information per other areas.
		J	Drucker	New York	Weekend	English some Japanese
		I am a 16 year old high school student who resides in Manhattan, New York City, and has a second home"+" in Sheffield, Massachusetts. I have been been birding over 9 years, and my passion from Ornithology has taken me all over the U.S., as well as to South America and Europe. I am very familiar with Central and Riverside Parks in Manhattan, as well as the birding locations in Southern Berkshire County, Massachusetts. As I am a student, my time may be limited, but I will try my best to show any guest the local wildlife.
		G	Light	Niagara County	Weekend	English
		I am very familiar with Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, and the Lake Plains. Contact me with your bird wish list and I'll let you know which birds we may see. I also have access to up-to-date Rare Bird reports.
		K	Cohen	Niagara Falls/Buffalo	Weekend	English
		Western New York has many different ecological areas to explore from the hills of Allegany State park to the marshes of Iroquois National Wildlife refuge. In winter the Niagara river and Lake Ontario sustain many wintering waterfowl.
		L	Means	Niagara Falls, Buffalo	Weekend
		W	Broderick	Niagara Falls	Anytime
		N	Klein	Northport	Anytime
		S	Ervine	Ossinger	Weekend	English
		M	Thompson	Oswego	Weekend
		D	Koch	Pine Plains	Anytime	English
		Veterinarian/Birder/Photographer Mid-Hudson Valley New York.
		B	Prentice	Port Jefferson	Anytime
		A	Braunstein	Riverdale	Weekend
		R	Minetor	Rochester	Weekend
		K	Sucy	Rochester	Anytime	English
		I'm available most weekday mornings and weekends. I love the Rochester area and its birding spots, and enjoy showing them to new people!
		L	Bassett	Russell	Anytime	English
		I have been birding at home, in all states except Hawaii and in Costa Rica and several European countries.
		J	van Leeuwen	Savannah	Anytime	English
		I live in the hamlet of a small town and supply many feeding opportunities through feeders, flowers, shrubs etc... I have been birding for only 5 or 6 years and began with hummingbirds. From there my love grew to all the birds in the area.
		B	Marrs	Smithtown	Anytime	English
		I have been an avid birder for at least the last 10 years. Locally we see lots of Eastern flyway migrants and rarities from up North and out West. I know of many local locations of specific species occurrences based on season. I have done bird research in California, Georgia, St. Maartin in the Caribbean and here locally on Fire Island (a barrier island of Long Island, NY). I am in touch with the local occurrences of rarities and of seasonal abundance of common species.
		K	Conklin	Swan Lake	Anytime	English
		M	Mau	Syracuse	Anytime
		R	MacLean	Syracuse(East)	Anytime
		W	Dwyer	Troy	Weekend	English/German Japanese(basic)
		My wife and I live near Albany, the capital city of NY state (3 hours north of New York City by car or train). There are many good local birding spots we enjoy including Five Rivers Environmental Center, Vischer's Ferry and Niles Huyck Nature Preserve.
		E	Turco	Troy	Anytime	English
		I live on the edge of Troy, sort of suburbia, deer and turkeys are about. I see many birds in flight and have a feeder that adheres to my window, visited by finches, chicadees and other small birds. Would enjoy being in touch with other birders, possibly attending meetings ect, Thanks Emily.
		P	Relson	Ulster Park	Weekend
		A	Michelin	Wappingers Falls	Anytime	English
		P	Schoenberger	Woodstock	Weekend	English
		B	Manning	Tarrytown, Westerchester	Anytime	English
Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		L	Spitalnik	New York	Anytime	English
		I've been birding for 20+ years and run Metro Birding Briefs an email service to alert the NY Metropolitan area about rarities. The reports go out as they are received so it's almost real time. I am also a wildlife photographer website www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com. I'm available to take individuals or small groups out to Central Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlfe Refuge or if there are target birds around, to see them. For birding I charge $150.00 per for half a day and for photography I charge $250.00 per for half a day.
		B	Elrick	West Milford	Anytime	English
		Friendly knowledgeable birding guide in the New Jersey, New York metro area Some of the best bird migration sites in the Eastern USA are in the NY, NJ, Metro area. The migration through NJ during April and May has becoming better known in the last few years after many teams from around the world have competed in the World Series Of birding. There are also within 1hr from Manhattan Island some breeding sites of the less common and highly sought after species Including Golden-winged, Worm-eating and Blackburnian warblers. Add to that the Sandpiper migration in July through August and you have a World class birding area for most of the year. I have 20 years experience as a bird guide in NY, NJ, PA and GA leading bird walks for bird clubs and organizations. I have a masters U,S,G,S, banding permit and earned a B,T,O, "A" ringing permit before emigrating to the USA. The best birding is just after sunrise and so most days 4 or more hrs birding can be managed before any other commitments. There is always a minimum of a four hr charge. http://site.nynjbirdingguide.com/Home_Page.html

Local Information

	Name	Description
	Audubon New York	Club
	Brooklyn Bird Club	Club
	Bedford Audubon Society	Club
	Naturalists' Club of Broome County	Club
	Buffalo Audubon Society	Club
	Buffalo Ornithological Society	Club
	Cayuga Bird Club	Club
	Nature Club of Central New York	Club
	Ralph T. Waterman Bird Club	Club
	Eastern Long Island Audubon Society	Club
	Rockland Audubon Society	Club
	Saw Mill River Audubon Society	Club
	Southern Adirondack Audubon	Club
	Sullivan County Audubon Society	Club
	Rochester Birding Association	Club
	Latest Sights NYC	RBR
	Fire Island	Hawk Watch
	Derby Hill Bird Observatory	Hawk Watch
	Lake Champlain Birding Trail	Sites
	The City Naturalist	NYC Sites
	Long Islands	Sites
	Birding Hotspots around the world	Sites
	Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island	Pelagic
	Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia	New York
	Local weather	Yahoo
	Electronic maps	MapQuest
	Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc.
	Printable bird check list
	Trip Reports from New York

Last update 30/11/2009