Astoria Park

Situated right along the East River in Northern Queens, Astoria Park offers a unique urban birding experience. This picturesque green space is a haven for bird enthusiasts, featuring nesting raptors like Red-tailed Hawks and Peregrine Falcons, wintering waterbirds on the river, and a variety of migrating songbirds. With over 160 species documented, including rare sightings of Common Goldeneye, Caspian Tern, and Philadelphia Vireo, Astoria Park is a must-visit for birders of all levels.

Flycatchers, thrushes, warblers, tanagers, and other land birds; shorebirds and waders; waterfowl

Summer
Double-crested Cormorants, gulls, occasional foraging egrets; Chimney Swifts, Tree and Barn Swallows

Fall Migration ✸✸
Warblers, thrushes, sparrows, and other songbirds; waterfowl 

Winter ✸
Wintering waterfowl including dabbling and diving ducks; songbird feeding flocks 

Year-Round Highlights
Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, common dabbling waterfowl, Double-crested Cormorant, gulls

View a Google map of Astoria Park.
 

Astoria Park, located in an intensely picturesque and urban junction of New York City, is a good spot to see nearby nesting raptors such as Red-tailed Hawk and Peregrine Falcon, wintering waterbirds on the East River, and stop-over songbirds during migration. Created in the early 1900s to provide local residents needed green space and access to the East River, the park includes many recreational facilities and is crossed by not just one but two bridges: the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and the Hellgate Bridge, named for the infamous rough waters of the channel here. 

Over 160 species have been documented by eBirders in Astoria Park, including not only waterbirds and raptors, but also an impressive array of migrating land birds, including: 

Astoria Park faces the meadows and gardens of the southern Governors Island across the East River, and migrating birds may fly back and forth between these two patches of habitat, as they travel through the City. 

 
Circular paths provide access to several meadows lined with trees and shrubs in Astoria Park, which may attract migrating songbirds, while a bike and walking path along Shore Boulevard provides a vantage point on the East River. 

The narrow, waterside Ralph Demarco Park, just north of Astoria Park, is a connected green spot with trees that provides river access; it is normally included in eBirds reports on Astoria Park. 

Red-tailed Hawks and Peregrine Falcons have nested on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in recent years, and the species are often seen hunting in the area. 

In the wintertime, the most common dabbling waterfowl are joined by diving species such as Bufflehead and Red-breasted Merganser, and sharp-eyed birders have picked out occasional loons and scoters as well. Great Cormorant is seen here in the winter, joining a year-round contingent of Double-crested Cormorants as well as Herring and Laughing Gulls, which nest on Mill Rock Island, a small, wild Harbor Heron island visible from the park, across the East River.

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To learn about bird migration times and get other timing tips, see our Birding 101 page.

For park operating hours, see the “Directions and Visiting Info” section, below.

 

View eBird hotspot records for Astoria Park to explore recent bird sightings, species bar charts, and more. (Click on “Hotspot Map” at left to see other nearby locations.)

 

Astoria Park is a popular, well-frequented neighborhood park and is generally safe to bird. 

View a Google map of Astoria Park.

Visit the NYC Parks page for Astoria Park for operating hours, directions, and additional background information.

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