Preface
Acknowledgments
1 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 Todayโs Hudson Valley
The River
The Land
2 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
3 FROM BIRDWATCHER TO BIRDER
Before You GoโStaying 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
4 STEP UP YOUR BIRDING GAME
Listen to the BirdsโLearning Songs and Calls
Mnemonics
Recordings and Apps
Description and Visualization
Tips for Learning Bird Vocalizations
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
5 INTRODUCTION TO BIRDING SITES
Public Land Ownership in the Hudson Valley
About the Birding Sites
6 THE UPPER HUDSON VALLEY
Albany County
Cohoes Flats
Ann Lee Pond and Bauer Environmental Park
Albany Pine Bush Preserve
John Boyd Thacher and Thompsonโs 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
7 THE MIDโHUDSON 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
Denningโs 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
8 THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY
Rockland County
Bear Mountain State ParkโDoodletown 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
9 BEYOND THE TEN COUNTIES: NEARBY SITES TOO GREAT TO BE MISSED
Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve
Bashakill Wildlife Management Area
Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch
10 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
