Mason Neck NWR
(near Washington DC)
Long Island Refuges
(near New York City)
Great Swamp NWR
(near New York City)
Rhode Island Refuges
(near Providence)
Great Meadows NWR
(near Boston)
Autumn again. The days grow shorter, the nights are cooler, and all across the northern reaches of America birds are embarking, once more, on the long journey to warmer wintering grounds. The sight can be spectacular—flocks by the thousand cruising south in giant clouds—and getting outside to witness the ritual should be as much a part of the fall tradition as pressing leaves and carving pumpkins.
But where are the best places to witness the sight? That depends on where you live and whether it is close to a major flyway. A flyway is like a highway in the sky, where waterfowl and other migratory birds can cruise nonstop for hundreds of miles at 25-55 mph 1,000-5,000 feet above the ground. There are four flyways in North America: Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific. Most waterfowl management activities are organized on the basis of these four flyways. Within each flyway, there are specific migration corridors used heavily by waterfowl. These migration corridors follow landscape features such as rivers, valleys, coastlines, and mountain ranges.
For the purposes of this roundup, GORP has focused on the Atlantic Flyway (apologies to our birding friends farther west—we'll get to your flyways eventually). Birds originating in Quebec and Ontario comprise the majority of the Atlantic flyway's waterfowl with some coming from the prairie provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Most birds migrate to the southeast, crossing the Great Lakes to winter in the Chesapeake Bay and in areas such as the lowcountry of South Carolina. This flyway is home to black ducks, canvasbacks, scaup, sea ducks, Atlantic flyway Canada geese, greater snow geese, and Atlantic brant. There is also heavy concentration of raptors like osprey, hawks, and (to a lesser extent) bald eagles, as well as an abundance of songbirds.
Based on an impromptu survey of East Coast birding opportunities, GORP has selected a handful of the finest wildlife refuges in the region for autumn birding. In selecting these refuges, there were three primary criteria that influenced our decision. First was the overall quality of the refuge: its size, variety of terrain, diversity of year-round inhabitants (like the wild turkey shown above), and abundance of birds during the fall migration. Second was proximity to major metropolitan areas, because despite our best intentions to get away from the city at every possible opportunity, we are often limited to a day (or less) to enjoy the outdoor experience. The final quality that typifies our selections is the presence, to some extent, of forests on the refuges. Autumn, as we all know, is the peak of the northeast leave-changing season, and it certainly enhances the experience when not only are the birds abounding, but colorful foliage as well.
The five National Wildlife Refuges we selected are Mason Neck, just 18 miles south of Washington D.C., and the first National Refuge established specifically for the endangered bald eagle, Great Swamp, 26 miles west of New York City and home to a large wilderness area, The Long Island Complex, a series of sites stretching east from New York, Rhode Island Refuges, four preserves south of Providence, and Great Meadows a vast marshland 20 miles west of Boston.
These refuges offer wildlife viewing opportunities year-round, but autumn, with the abundance of transitory birds and peak foliage colors, is optimal. So grab your binoculars and a warm sweater and get out there—the birds are waiting.
Special thanks to the Refuge Reporter for the photograph.
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