The woodland at the eastern end of Forest Park (the largest in Queens) is maintained in a natural state, and its native trees and understory, rich forest floor, fallen trees, and snags provide excellent bird habitat. This 72-acre portion of the park can be entered from the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Park Drive. This area is characterized by magnificent tall oak trees, which attract large numbers of spring migrants, and by a kettle pond, the "Water Hole," beloved by birders for the close-up views it provides of migrating songbirds. The Water Hole is often most active in mid-late morning, when the park heats up and birds come to cool down. 

Follow Park Drive (which has no cars) in and take the first trail on the right, the start of the Yellow Trail (marked by boulders). Follow this trail up a small incline, the trail will bear left. As the trail continues to the right, a small, unmarked path on the left will lead to the south side of the Water Hole (about a five-minute walk). The Water Hole is a natural vernal pond that does not always have water. Look carefully since it can often be obscured by vegetation.

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On a spring migration day, before the area dries up in the later months, you may be fortunate enough to spot a variety of flycatchers, warblers, and other songbirds that come down to drink and bathe. On the north side of the Water Hole, a bird feeding station is maintained by the Queens County Bird Club from November to April. This provides an easy opportunity to see a concentration of birds overwintering in this area, such as finches, chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, and woodpeckers including the occasional Yellow-breasted Sapsucker.pine-grove

If you continue west on Park Drive past Memorial Drive, a grove of mature pines on the left can provide good habitat for (appropriately) Pine Warbler and mixed flocks of chickadees, titmice, and kinglets during migration, and Red-breasted Nuthatches and irruptive finches over the winter. This area is also occasionally used by roosting owls. Jackson Pond Playground, at the end of Memorial Drive, has a bathroom open to the public; the clearing and wood edge to the right as you descend toward the playground can also provide good birding.gully

The 93-acre Gully, another glacial depression, is also a great birding area. The Gully’s terrain is more knob-and-kettle topography with a mature overstory of oak and hickory trees and an understory of Flowering Dogwood and Mapleleaf Viburnum. From the intersection of Park Drive and Memorial Drive, take the Bridle Trail north toward the railroad tracks. The trail will split off on the left but continue north until you see the tracks. Here, the trail will curve toward the left; continue following this as it heads northwest. The bridle trail will split off again to the left; ignore this and continue on the same trail until you come to an overgrown area on your left known as the “Horseshoe.” (Here, horses and their riders used to rest and socialize during rides.)

Below the Horeshoe lies the Gully. Continue a short distance on the Bridle Trail past this until you see the Blue Trail. Take the left trail (south/west) as it passes the crest on the outside of the Gully. An informal trail splits off from the Blue Trail down into the Gully, and small, informal trails loop inside this area. In the spring, this area has been known to be good for “skulkers”, such as Hooded, Mourning, and Kentucky Warblers.

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The remainder of this beautifully wooded section of Forest Park is also worth exploring during migration for woodland songbirds, flycatchers, and woodpeckers. Be aware that because of its peculiar shape and numerous trails, it is one of the easiest parks in which to get disoriented. Use the wide bridle trails and the railroad tracks to keep yourself oriented. Or consider taking one of the three formal trails (Blue, Yellow, and Orange) to explore the woods and stay safe. On the first warm May days, be on the lookout in areas with fallen logs and stumps for a “termite hatch-out,” which can allow birders to watch hungry, termite-mad songbirds gorging themselves at close range.strack-pond

The western section of Forest Park is dominated by various recreational facilities (including rest rooms, golf course, tennis courts, bandshell, picnic area and a historic carousel). There is also a small nature area called Strack Pond, which has water year-round. Here you can walk around the pond and may see birds such as ducks, wading birds, Belted Kingfishers, and hawks, in addition to many songbirds during migration. A few species such as Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged Blackbird, and Baltimore Oriole likely breed here.