Pelham Bay Park
New York · Northeast
Easy
April-May, October-November
Free
6:00 AM – 1:00 AM daily
About This Location
Pelham Bay Park is the largest park in New York City at 2,772 acres — more than three times the size of Central Park. Located in the northeast Bronx where Long Island Sound meets the mainland, the park encompasses forest, meadow, tidal marsh, rocky shoreline, and two golf courses that provide grassland habitat.
The Hunter Island section features old-growth forest with massive oaks that attract migrant warblers and breeding woodland species. The Kazimiroff Nature Trail winds through a maritime forest. The park's extensive shoreline along Long Island Sound attracts shorebirds, waterfowl, and occasional pelagic species visible from Orchard Beach. Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary protects tidal marsh habitat where Clapper Rails and Saltmarsh Sparrows breed.
Location
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Notable Species
Live Bird Data
Powered by eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Notable Sightings
Rare or unusual species spotted nearby in the last 14 days
Blackpoll Warbler
Setophaga striata
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
White-rumped Sandpiper
Calidris fuscicollis
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Cape May Warbler
Setophaga tigrina
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Recent Observations
Species reported at this location in the last 14 days
Mute Swan
Mallard
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Osprey
Northern Flicker
American Crow
Cliff Swallow
White-breasted Nuthatch
Gray Catbird
House Sparrow
House Finch
Birding Tips
- 1
Hunter Island's old-growth forest is the best area for spring warblers and breeding forest birds
- 2
Check the Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary marsh for rails and Saltmarsh Sparrows
- 3
Scan Long Island Sound from Orchard Beach in winter for loons, grebes, and sea ducks
- 4
Visit during spring migration (April-May) for the greatest species diversity
- 5
Fall migration (September-October) brings waves of southbound warblers and raptors
Amenities
Nearby Attractions
- Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
- City Island
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New York Birding Guide
Complete guide to birding in New York →