University Press of New England, 2018 Paper: 978-1-61168-718-7 | eISBN: 978-1-5126-0267-8 Library of Congress Classification QL684.N7S36 2018 Dewey Decimal Classification 598.072347471
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Although an estimated four hundred thousand Hudson Valley residents feed, observe, or photograph birds, the vast majority of New Yorkers enjoy their birdwatching activities mostly around the home. Kathryn J. Schneider’s engaging site guide provides encouragement for bird enthusiasts to expand their horizons. More than just a collection of bird-finding tips, this book explores Hudson Valley history, ecology, bird biology, and tourism. It describes sites in every county in the region, including farms, grasslands, old fields, wetlands, orchards, city parks, rocky summits, forests, rivers, lakes, and salt marshes. Designed for birders of all levels of skill and interest, this beautifully illustrated book contains explicit directions to more than eighty locations, as well as useful species accounts and hints for finding the valley’s most sought-after birds.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
KATHRYN J. SCHNEIDER, a Hudson Valley native, has spent decades studying the behavior, ecology, and distribution of birds. An award-winning author, teacher, and conservationist, she is a past president of the New York State Ornithological Association.
REVIEWS
“This book is an excellent guide to the best birding sites in the Hudson Valley that will lead me to plenty of places I have not yet explored.”—Jeremy Kirchman, curator of birds, New York State Museum
“More than a book about where and when to bird, Schneider’s guide also covers how to bird. Included are techniques, equipment, and skill-building activities—along with information about the regional birding community and birding ethics. Schneider offers a welcome focus on conservation through eBird, Christmas Bird Counts, and other community science efforts to track the health of our planet through birding.”—Anne Swaim, executive director, Saw Mill River Audubon
“This book has something for everyone! Beginners get started with tips for learning bird songs and calls, buying binoculars, field guides, and apps, and joining local bird clubs. Experts can learn all about terrific destinations along the Hudson River from Troy to New York City, including directions, maps, history, habitats, and species found. And there is more—read about the role of glaciers, and later, humans, in altering the landscape of this region.”—Joan Collins, editor of New York Birders
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface • Acknowledgments • THE HUDSON VALLEY LANDSCAPE • A Land Shaped by Glaciers • A Land Changed by Humans • The River, Its Tributaries and Shoreline • The Uplands • The Physical Setting of Today’s Hudson Valley • The River • The Land • IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS BIRDWATCHING • Tools for Getting Started • Binoculars for Birding • Field Guides • Bird Feeders as a Stepping-Stone to Birding • Feeding Birds Responsibly • Learning to Bird at a Feeder • FROM BIRDWATCHER TO BIRDER • Before You Go—Staying Safe While Birding the Hudson Valley • The Annual Cycle • Find the Food, Find the Bird • Birds, Migration, and Weather • Some Important Bird Habitats in the Hudson Valley • Forests • Grasslands, Pastures, and Agricultural Lands • Scrublands and Successional Old Fields • Wetlands • Open Waters and Mudflats • Coastal Habitats • A Monthly Guide to Birding the Hudson Valley • STEP UP YOUR BIRDING GAME • Listen to the Birds • Learning Songs and Calls • Tap Into the Birding Community • Bird Clubs and Field Trips • Social Networking for Birders • Activities to Build Your Birding Skills • Seeing, Finding, Reporting, and Documenting Rare Birds • Ethical Birding and Conservation • INTRODUCTION TO BIRDING SITES • Public Land Ownership in the Hudson Valley • About the Birding Sites • THE UPPER HUDSON VALLEY • Albany County • Cohoes Flats • Ann Lee Pond and Bauer Environmental Park • Albany Pine Bush Preserve • John Boyd Thacher and Thompson’s Lake State Parks • Normanskill Farm • Five Rivers Environmental Education Center • Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station • Deer Mountain Nature Trail • Rensselaer County • Lock 4 Canal Park • Tomhannock Reservoir • Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center • Taconic Crest Trail, Petersburg Pass to Berlin Mountain • Papscanee Island Nature Preserve • Schodack Island State Park • Mud Pond Preserve • Greene County • Hannacroix Creek Preserve and Hudson River Interpretive Trail • Coxsackie Creek Grassland Preserve • Four-Mile Point Preserve and Vosburgh Swamp Wildlife Management Area • Hunter Mountain • Mountain Top Arboretum • RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary • Columbia County • Lewis A. Swyer Preserve at Mill Creek • Wilson M. Powell Wildlife Sanctuary • Hand Hollow Conservation Area • Stockport Flats • Ooms Conservation Area at Sutherland Pond • Beebe Hill and Harvey Mountain State Forests • Greenport Conservation Area and Harrier Hill Park • Olana • Lake Taghkanic State Park • Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Copake Falls to Under Mountain Road • THE MID–HUDSON VALLEY • Ulster County • Great Vly Wildlife Management Area • Esopus Bend Nature Preserve • Esopus Meadows Preserve and Lighthouse Park • Balsam Lake Mountain • Kenneth L. Wilson Campground • Falling Waters Preserve • Shaupeneak Ridge • Minnewaska State Park Preserve • Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary • Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge • Dutchess County • Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area • Buttercup Farm Sanctuary • Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Millerton Station to Sharon Station Road • Mills Norrie State Park • Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies • Peach Hill Park • Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve • Nuclear Lake • Pawling Nature Reserve • Denning’s Point State Park and Madam Brett Park • Orange County • Stewart State Forest • Six and a Half Station Road Wildlife Sanctuary • Hudson Highlands Nature Museum and Outdoor Discovery Center • Goosepond Mountain State Park • Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge • Mount Peter • Sterling Forest State Park, Ironwood Drive • Harriman State Park, Island Pond • Harriman State Park, Elk Pen • Harriman State Park, Lake Skannatati Pine Swamp Loop • THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY • Rockland County • Bear Mountain State Park—Doodletown and Iona Island • Hook Mountain • Rockland Lake State Park • Kakiat County Park • Piermont Pier and Marsh • Putnam County • Clarence Fahnestock State Park • Wonder Lake State Park • Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area • Little Stony Point State Park • Nimham Mountain Multiple Use Area • William Clough Preserve • Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary • Westchester County • Muscoot Farm • Croton Point Park • Teatown Lake Reservation • Rockefeller State Park Preserve • Cranberry Lake Preserve • Arthur W. Butler Memorial Sanctuary and Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch • Marshlands Conservancy • Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary • BEYOND THE TEN COUNTIES—NEARBY SITES TOO GREAT TO BE MISSED • Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve • Bashakill Wildlife Management Area • Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch • SPECIES ACCOUNTS • Waterfowl • Quail, Grouse, and Turkeys • Grebes • Pigeons, Doves, and Cuckoos • Nightjars • Swifts and Hummingbirds • Rails, Gallinules, Coots, and Cranes • Shorebirds • Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers • Loons • Gannets and Cormorants • Waders • Vultures • Osprey, Kites, Hawks, and Eagles • Owls and Kingfishers • Woodpeckers • Falcons and Parrots • Flycatchers • Shrikes and Vireos • Jays, Crows, and Ravens • Larks, Martins, and Swallows • Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, and Creepers • Wrens, Gnatcatchers, and Kinglets • Thrushes • Mimids and Starlings • Waxwings, House Sparrows, and Pipits • Finches and Crossbills • Longspurs and Snow Buntings • Sparrows and Relatives • Chats and Blackbirds • Warblers • Tanagers, Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Relatives • Appendix: Rarities, Vagrants, and Extinct Species • References • Index
University Press of New England, 2018 Paper: 978-1-61168-718-7 eISBN: 978-1-5126-0267-8
Although an estimated four hundred thousand Hudson Valley residents feed, observe, or photograph birds, the vast majority of New Yorkers enjoy their birdwatching activities mostly around the home. Kathryn J. Schneider’s engaging site guide provides encouragement for bird enthusiasts to expand their horizons. More than just a collection of bird-finding tips, this book explores Hudson Valley history, ecology, bird biology, and tourism. It describes sites in every county in the region, including farms, grasslands, old fields, wetlands, orchards, city parks, rocky summits, forests, rivers, lakes, and salt marshes. Designed for birders of all levels of skill and interest, this beautifully illustrated book contains explicit directions to more than eighty locations, as well as useful species accounts and hints for finding the valley’s most sought-after birds.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
KATHRYN J. SCHNEIDER, a Hudson Valley native, has spent decades studying the behavior, ecology, and distribution of birds. An award-winning author, teacher, and conservationist, she is a past president of the New York State Ornithological Association.
REVIEWS
“This book is an excellent guide to the best birding sites in the Hudson Valley that will lead me to plenty of places I have not yet explored.”—Jeremy Kirchman, curator of birds, New York State Museum
“More than a book about where and when to bird, Schneider’s guide also covers how to bird. Included are techniques, equipment, and skill-building activities—along with information about the regional birding community and birding ethics. Schneider offers a welcome focus on conservation through eBird, Christmas Bird Counts, and other community science efforts to track the health of our planet through birding.”—Anne Swaim, executive director, Saw Mill River Audubon
“This book has something for everyone! Beginners get started with tips for learning bird songs and calls, buying binoculars, field guides, and apps, and joining local bird clubs. Experts can learn all about terrific destinations along the Hudson River from Troy to New York City, including directions, maps, history, habitats, and species found. And there is more—read about the role of glaciers, and later, humans, in altering the landscape of this region.”—Joan Collins, editor of New York Birders
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface • Acknowledgments • THE HUDSON VALLEY LANDSCAPE • A Land Shaped by Glaciers • A Land Changed by Humans • The River, Its Tributaries and Shoreline • The Uplands • The Physical Setting of Today’s Hudson Valley • The River • The Land • IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS BIRDWATCHING • Tools for Getting Started • Binoculars for Birding • Field Guides • Bird Feeders as a Stepping-Stone to Birding • Feeding Birds Responsibly • Learning to Bird at a Feeder • FROM BIRDWATCHER TO BIRDER • Before You Go—Staying Safe While Birding the Hudson Valley • The Annual Cycle • Find the Food, Find the Bird • Birds, Migration, and Weather • Some Important Bird Habitats in the Hudson Valley • Forests • Grasslands, Pastures, and Agricultural Lands • Scrublands and Successional Old Fields • Wetlands • Open Waters and Mudflats • Coastal Habitats • A Monthly Guide to Birding the Hudson Valley • STEP UP YOUR BIRDING GAME • Listen to the Birds • Learning Songs and Calls • Tap Into the Birding Community • Bird Clubs and Field Trips • Social Networking for Birders • Activities to Build Your Birding Skills • Seeing, Finding, Reporting, and Documenting Rare Birds • Ethical Birding and Conservation • INTRODUCTION TO BIRDING SITES • Public Land Ownership in the Hudson Valley • About the Birding Sites • THE UPPER HUDSON VALLEY • Albany County • Cohoes Flats • Ann Lee Pond and Bauer Environmental Park • Albany Pine Bush Preserve • John Boyd Thacher and Thompson’s Lake State Parks • Normanskill Farm • Five Rivers Environmental Education Center • Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station • Deer Mountain Nature Trail • Rensselaer County • Lock 4 Canal Park • Tomhannock Reservoir • Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center • Taconic Crest Trail, Petersburg Pass to Berlin Mountain • Papscanee Island Nature Preserve • Schodack Island State Park • Mud Pond Preserve • Greene County • Hannacroix Creek Preserve and Hudson River Interpretive Trail • Coxsackie Creek Grassland Preserve • Four-Mile Point Preserve and Vosburgh Swamp Wildlife Management Area • Hunter Mountain • Mountain Top Arboretum • RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary • Columbia County • Lewis A. Swyer Preserve at Mill Creek • Wilson M. Powell Wildlife Sanctuary • Hand Hollow Conservation Area • Stockport Flats • Ooms Conservation Area at Sutherland Pond • Beebe Hill and Harvey Mountain State Forests • Greenport Conservation Area and Harrier Hill Park • Olana • Lake Taghkanic State Park • Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Copake Falls to Under Mountain Road • THE MID–HUDSON VALLEY • Ulster County • Great Vly Wildlife Management Area • Esopus Bend Nature Preserve • Esopus Meadows Preserve and Lighthouse Park • Balsam Lake Mountain • Kenneth L. Wilson Campground • Falling Waters Preserve • Shaupeneak Ridge • Minnewaska State Park Preserve • Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary • Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge • Dutchess County • Tivoli Bays Wildlife Management Area • Buttercup Farm Sanctuary • Harlem Valley Rail Trail, Millerton Station to Sharon Station Road • Mills Norrie State Park • Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies • Peach Hill Park • Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve • Nuclear Lake • Pawling Nature Reserve • Denning’s Point State Park and Madam Brett Park • Orange County • Stewart State Forest • Six and a Half Station Road Wildlife Sanctuary • Hudson Highlands Nature Museum and Outdoor Discovery Center • Goosepond Mountain State Park • Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge • Mount Peter • Sterling Forest State Park, Ironwood Drive • Harriman State Park, Island Pond • Harriman State Park, Elk Pen • Harriman State Park, Lake Skannatati Pine Swamp Loop • THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY • Rockland County • Bear Mountain State Park—Doodletown and Iona Island • Hook Mountain • Rockland Lake State Park • Kakiat County Park • Piermont Pier and Marsh • Putnam County • Clarence Fahnestock State Park • Wonder Lake State Park • Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area • Little Stony Point State Park • Nimham Mountain Multiple Use Area • William Clough Preserve • Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary • Westchester County • Muscoot Farm • Croton Point Park • Teatown Lake Reservation • Rockefeller State Park Preserve • Cranberry Lake Preserve • Arthur W. Butler Memorial Sanctuary and Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch • Marshlands Conservancy • Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary • BEYOND THE TEN COUNTIES—NEARBY SITES TOO GREAT TO BE MISSED • Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve • Bashakill Wildlife Management Area • Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch • SPECIES ACCOUNTS • Waterfowl • Quail, Grouse, and Turkeys • Grebes • Pigeons, Doves, and Cuckoos • Nightjars • Swifts and Hummingbirds • Rails, Gallinules, Coots, and Cranes • Shorebirds • Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers • Loons • Gannets and Cormorants • Waders • Vultures • Osprey, Kites, Hawks, and Eagles • Owls and Kingfishers • Woodpeckers • Falcons and Parrots • Flycatchers • Shrikes and Vireos • Jays, Crows, and Ravens • Larks, Martins, and Swallows • Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, and Creepers • Wrens, Gnatcatchers, and Kinglets • Thrushes • Mimids and Starlings • Waxwings, House Sparrows, and Pipits • Finches and Crossbills • Longspurs and Snow Buntings • Sparrows and Relatives • Chats and Blackbirds • Warblers • Tanagers, Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Relatives • Appendix: Rarities, Vagrants, and Extinct Species • References • Index
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
