When you arrive at the Visitor Center parking lot, it’s always a good idea to scan the skies and check the edges right around the lot; often raptors and waterbirds are spotted flying over, right off the bat! A cluster of Eastern Red-Cedars at the lot’s northern end can attract waxwings and kinglets, while several connected meadows south of the lot and center (you have to thread your way through an old wooden fence) can be popular with songbirds. (These clearings are also a prime spot to see courting American Woodcocks in the spring: from mid-March through May, the aerial exertions and acrobatics of the males can be seen and heard just before dark.)

 

Stop in at the Visitor Center to get a free checklist, Birds of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (not available online). Also at the Visitor Center, rangers can point you in the right direction and give you tips on the birds. Visitors can also borrow binoculars for free during Visitor Center hours Friday through Monday 10am to 4pm–visit the desk for more information and the online calendar for ranger-led programs. The facility has interesting exhibits which highlight Jamaica Bay's remarkable plant and animal life and ecological history. Just inside the Visitor Center there is a white board with a log of recent sightings. Check it out before you go birding!

As you exit the back of the Visitor Center, a trail to the left leads through a native plant/pollinator garden and past Tree Swallow and House Wren nest boxes to a new wooden walkway and observation platform looking over the salt marsh. In the warmer months, these marshes can be an excellent spot for Clapper Rail, which breed here, as well as foraging wading birds including Glossy Ibis and Little Blue and Tricolored Heron. 

 

The main trail to the West Pond departs just from the back entrance to the Visitor Center. Take the gravel trail that encircles the West Pond, following it in a clockwise direction. The trail is about 1 ½ miles and takes about an hour and a half to complete, depending on your birding style. During nesting season, this trail is swarming with Tree Swallows, Yellow Warblers, and Red-winged Blackbirds; also be on the lookout for Willow Flycatcher and Boat-tailed Grackle. Examine the saltmarshes to the left carefully at several spots where a good view is available from the trail, for waders and shorebirds. Check snags around the pond for raptors such as Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle. An Osprey platform in the marshes to the left hosts nesting birds every spring.

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As you head around the pond, the variety of birds can be spectacular, as you look to your left at the bay and saltmarsh, and to the right at the West Pond. The bird life changes constantly with the seasons; in late summer it’s a tern nursery, while in winter, the pond can be filled with hundreds of ducks and the open bay can host grebes and other diving birds. Please stay on the trail; good perspectives on the pond and bay are available from the trail at several points, including the narrow section of the pond’s edge formerly known as “the Breach”—where Hurricane Sandy broke through into the pond in 2012. (The West Pond was a saltwater lagoon of the bay for several years until the Breach was repaired in 2016.) 

 

At the westernmost end of the West Pond, the trail passes by Terrapin Point—which is closed to access during Diamondback Terrapin nesting season to provide protection for these turtles of brackish (partly saltwater) environments. From June through July, female terrapins leave the waters of the Bay to lay their eggs in sandy areas; you may notice small shelters on the path, built to protect the nests from predators. (Brown Thrasher also nest in this area.)

As the trail swings around past large saltmarshes on the Bay side, you will lose sight of West Pond and reach the lush, wooded North Garden. Follow the trail back south (right), and the South Garden follows; it is just before you return to the Visitor Center. (Note that though these areas may have once resembled “gardens” of some sort, they are now a thick tangle of forest, vines, and shrubs, interspersed with a few clearings.) Several interconnected trails here are excellent places to explore in spring and autumn for migrant vireos, gnatcatchers, warblers, and other songbirds. 

 

Breeding land birds in the “Gardens” include Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Horned Owl, White-eyed Vireo, Great-crested Flycatcher, and American Redstart—the latter two often found in several trailside clusters of tall Willow Oaks. Also, check out the butterflies: to date, 72 species have been recorded with 35 species regular breeders. Pick up a butterfly checklist at the Visitor Center.

To reach Big John’s Pond (and the western side of East Pond), first cross Cross Bay Boulevard at the traffic light at the Visitor Center parking lot entrance. (Traffic moves very quickly here, so please only cross with the walk sign and watch for oncoming cars). The trail begins right on the eastern side of the intersection, veering left and running parallel to the boulevard as it winds through open woods; watch for sparrows and warblers along the trail; Carolina Wren often sings in this area. 

 

Continue on this trail until you reach a perpendicular, wide, open grassy trail that enters from Cross Bay Boulevard. Head right here and you will soon come to Big John’s Pond (on your left). It’s best to keep quiet as you walk the short wooden walkway to the wildlife observation blind, so as not to scare any birds near the blind.

Popular with bird photographers, the blind can offer up-close views of both night-heron species, which often loaf in low trees along the edge (look carefully). Check the shadowy pond’s edge for waterfowl such as Wood Duck and Green-winged Teal, as well as freshwater sandpipers and waterthrushes. Warblers also forage in the trees around the blind and along the water’s edge. At the far end of the pond from the blind, you will see a nesting box. In season, Barn Owls call it home. Get there early in the morning and you may get to see one in the next box entrance (or see young, in the springtime). 

View a map of the East Pond (PDF).

 

Continuing straight down the trail past Big John’s Pond, you will reach a viewing area (with a bench) on the western bank of the East Pond. (There is also a small bird blind a five-minute walk down a trail to the left (north).) In the warmer months, look for waders and shorebirds along the pond's far edge. Late fall through early spring, the East Pond can be full of wintering waterfowl: numerous Ruddy Ducks, Scaup (mostly Greater, but look for Lesser), and American Wigeon are sometimes joined by Redhead, Northern Pintail, and rarities such as Eurasian Wigeon. Check the far shore for Green-winged Teal. Snow Geese are also a star attraction here; they often gather at the southern end.

 

During shorebird migration in May and particularly in late July through early September, the East Pond is THE place in New York City to look for shorebirds. Throughout the summer, the East Pond water level is lowered to provide mudflat habitat around the pond's three-mile perimeter, making it attractive to shorebirds—and shorebirders. (Note: See “Special Birding Notes” below to learn about the importance of both the East Pond water level and the tide to successful shorebird watching in Jamaica Bay.)

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When the East Pond water has been sufficiently lowered, walking on the edges of the pond to view shorebirds is possible. Many birders start at the southern end. Carefully cross Cross Bay Boulevard at the light in front of the Visitor Center and then walk south (right) about 200 yards and look for a trail that leads in towards the pond. Boots are highly recommended as it can be muddy and wet. Here, it is advisable to bird with others, in case someone gets stuck.

 

The East Pond was impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and since then, navigating it requires new cautions. A deep cut was formed at the south end. When entering from the southwest corner, follow the trail signs to properly continue to the east side of the pond. There are soft spots in the southeast corner, and walking along the edge is not recommended. It is actually safer to walk diagonally through the shallow water to reach the east bank of the pond.

 

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Depending on the water level, getting your feet wet may be necessary again in order to walk northward toward the area of ruins known as the Raunt, often one of the busier areas for shorebird activity. Beyond the Raunt, one can continue to the north end of the pond, but for most it is recommended to only go as far as a deep-water cove created by Sandy. (If you wish to continue further, it is possible to walk up the embankment and around the cove.)

 

The North End is another access point, but only if the water is very low. For this entrance, parking is available in the Fisherman’s Parking Area just south of the North Channel Bridge. If the water level is too high, do not walk in; if it's muddy, walk with caution. Access to the pond is from the northwest. Never walk the shoreline along the north side--this is one of the most treacherous areas on the pond—and only walk south along the western bank with caution.

 

One can continue a good distance south along the western bank, but for some, stopping at the Sanderling Point sandbar may be a better plan than navigating the soft-bottomed Mud Cove (a.k.a. “Deadman’s Cove”). And always, consider the disturbance that your movements may cause the birds.