New York Harbor Birds
Audubon NY Hosts Harbor Islands Eco-tours, June to August
New York City Audubon’s Sunset Eco-cruise will take you to islands in the harbor where thousands of herons and other birds nest each summer.
Bird watching might not be an obvious activity for visitors to New York, but here’s a unique outing you should take in if you’ve got the time--whether you're living or visiting there. Audubon New York hosts a harbor tour on Saturday and Sunday evenings from June 2 to August 12. On board is a naturalist guide, knowledgeable about the history and ecology of the harbor—important factors in understanding why the harbor islands have become home to thousands of birds in the last few decades.
Birds weren’t always so numerous here, but New York City Audubon has been monitoring the herons for more than twenty years in a study called the Harbor Herons Project. Their mandate is to both study the herons and protect the precious bird habitat on the islands. The Sunset Eco-cruises have been a natural extension of that project. The eco-tour takes you close enough to the islands to get great views of the birds: Black-crowned Night-herons, cormorants, terns, egrets, gulls, and Glossy Ibis, to name a few. For about an hour and a half you can enjoy the water, birds, a New York sunset, and the sights and sounds of the city on the shore.
In 2007, from June 2 to August 12, New York City Audubon’s Sunset Eco-cruise leaves Pier 17 of South Street Seaport, Manhattan, on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM. Wine and snacks can be purchased on the tour; tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children. Audubon NY indicates that you should book in advance by calling New York Water Taxi at 212-742-1969 or visiting their web site (although you can purchase tickets for other routes and tours on the web site, I could not find how to book for the Sunset Eco-cruise when I visited).
Read more about New York Harbor Islands and the birds that live on them:
