The Old Croton Aquaduct trail passes through forested Highbridge Park. Photo: Eddie Crimmins
Birding in Highbridge Park, Manhattan
The Harlem River and East River, which divide Manhattan from the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, are in fact not rivers at all: they are both tidal straits, arms of the Atlantic Ocean. This salty ocean water mixes with the fresh source of the Hudson River and various small freshwater creeks, forming the estuary that makes our harbor so rich with life. Though access to Manhattan’s eastern shoreline has been largely cut off by development and highways over the years, connection to the river and its ecosystem is available at a series of green spaces that dot Manhattan’s eastern shore.
Highbridge Park, a 45-block green corridor stretching along Manhattan's east side from 155th Street to Dyckman Street, offers urban birders a unique blend of history and nature. Named for Manhattan's oldest standing bridge, this narrow yet diverse park harbors pockets of native forest that have remained undeveloped due to the area's rocky terrain. With its mix of forest, meadow, and thicket habitats, Highbridge Park provides a surprising refuge for both resident and migratory birds.
Birding Highlights by the Season for Highbridge Park
(no star = birding is not very productive, * = somewhat productive, ** = productive, *** = very productive)
Spring Migration**
Warblers and other songbirds
Summer*
Some nesting woodpeckers, songbirds
Fall Migration**
Warblers and other songbirds, raptors
Winter*
Mixed songbird feeding flocks, accipiters
Year-Round Highlights
Resident Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons nesting in area; woodpeckers
Stretching along Manhattan’s east coast from 155th Street to Dyckman Street, Highbridge Park includes native forest that was never developed or farmed due to the area’s steep and rocky terrain. The park is named for the High Bridge, completed in 1848. Manhattan’s oldest standing bridge, the High Bridge was built to carry water into the long-gone Highbridge Reservoir, via the Croton Aqueduct.
Though the park now abuts the Harlem River Drive, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it overlooked the Harlem River Speedway (a horse racetrack) and a popular pedestrian promenade along the Hudson River. (Though the construction of the Harlem River Drive in 1940 cut off community access to river, a huge new project to reconnect to the waterfront, the Harlem River Greenway, is under way.) The park now includes a recreation center, pool, playgrounds, and a mountain-biking trail. Though Highbridge Park is a New York City park, the northern section of the property is maintained by the New York Restoration Project.
Migrants like the Black-throated Green Warbler frequently stop through Highbridge Park. Photo: Kelly Colgan Azar/CC BY-ND 2.0
During migration and over the winter, check the forest floor of Highbridge Park for the mouse-like Winter Wren. Photo: François Portmann
George and Martha” have been among the nesting Red-tailed Hawks known to local birders in Highbridge Park. Photo: Robert/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Migrants like the Black-throated Green Warbler frequently stop through Highbridge Park. Photo: Kelly Colgan Azar/CC BY-ND 2.0
During migration and over the winter, check the forest floor of Highbridge Park for the mouse-like Winter Wren. Photo: François Portmann
George and Martha” have been among the nesting Red-tailed Hawks known to local birders in Highbridge Park. Photo: Robert/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Where to Find Birds in Highbridge Park
Access for birding in Highbridge Park is provided by a walking and biking trail running almost the park’s entire length, from 159th Street to Harlem River Drive/Dyckman Street (where the trail leads to adjacent Swindler Cove Park and Sherman Creek). The trail includes part of the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, and connects to the pedestrian High Bridge itself at about the level of 174th Street, providing an opportunity to walk high over the Harlem River (and cross to the Bronx).
Though a narrow strip of land, the park feels surprisingly remote in spots: the main trail passes through forest, meadow, and thicket, and past rare outcroppings of Manhattan schist bedrock. A good variety of land birds stop over here during spring and fall migration, including 25 warblers species recorded so far on eBird; the pathway provides good mid-story views as one looks down the wooded slope.
Highbridge is also a good spot to see raptors year-round. Resident Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, and American Kestrels all breed nearby, while Cooper’s Hawk is frequently seen fall through spring. The park’s habitat is also large enough to host a good variety of birds through the summer: Downy and Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, and Baltimore Oriole may all breed here.
When to Go Birding in Highbridge Park
See "Birding Highlights by the Season" above; the eBird links below also may be helpful. To learn about bird migration times and get other timing tips, see the When to Bird in NYC guide on our Birding 101 page.
For park operating hours, see the “Directions and Visiting Info” section, below.
It is best to bird with at least one other person in Highbridge Park, as some areas are remote and not heavily frequented. Watch for speeding cyclists on the trails.
Subway: The 155th Street A/C station is a few blocks from the 158th Street trail entrance. The northern trail end is a 5-10 minute walk from the Dyckman Street 1 and A train stations.
View the NYC Parks Map for Highbridge Park for operating hours, directions, and additional background information.
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