Birds of Long Island AP Environmental Science Mr. Clark
Jan 11, 2016
Birds of Long Island
AP Environmental Science
Mr. Clark
National Wildlife Refuges The Oyster Bay and Target Rock National
Wildlife Refuges are located on the north shore of Long Island, east of New York City.
Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge
The Oyster Bay NWR is a 3,209-acre Refuge that includes sub-tidal (bay bottom to mean high tide line) habitats, salt marsh and a freshwater pond.
Most Long Island water bird species have been documented on the Refuge.
Wintering waterfowl include black ducks, greater scaup, bufflehead, canvasback and long-tailed ducks .
Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge
Target Rock NWR is an 80-acre refuge composed of mature oak-hickory forest, a half-mile rocky beach, a brackish pond, and several vernal ponds. It is very close to Caumsett State Park.
The land and waters support a variety of songbirds (particularly warblers during spring migration), mammals, shorebirds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge
Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge The most common raptors observed at the
Target Rock NWR include red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, eastern screech owl, osprey, and American kestrel.
Screech owls are abundant and easily detected on the Refuge.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge Waterfowl: Waterfowl use occurs in the
brackish pond and the rocky shoreline.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge Puddle ducks comprise about a fourth of
the ducks using the Refuge and black ducks are by far the dominant puddle duck.
Black ducks use both the brackish pond and the rocky shoreline.
The most common diving ducks include common golden-eye, greater scaup, long-tailed duck, bufflehead, and red-breasted merganser.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns and Allied
Species, Common loons, red-throated loons, great cormorants, and horned grebes are common in winter off the Refuge's beach.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge During the summer, double-crested
cormorants are easily observed. Among the six species of long-legged
waders present, those commonly documented on the Refuge include great blue herons, snowy egrets, and great egrets.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge Four species of gulls are present on the Refuge,
while sandpipers also make use of the rocky beach and brackish pond.
The most common shorebird species include greater yellowlegs, black-bellied plover, semi-palmated plover, spotted sandpiper and willet.
Common and least terns are observed on the Refuge from May through September.
Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge Other Migratory Birds: A total of 35 neo-
tropical bird species have been documented on the Refuge.
The most common include gray catbird, American robin, Rufous-sided towhee, northern flicker, northern oriole, northern cardinal, bank swallow, and house finch.
Crow
Blue Jay
Purple Finch
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Gray Catbird
Starling
Tufted Titmouse
Yellow-Shafted Northern Flicker
Great Blue Heron
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Eastern Screech Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Great Horned Owl
Sparrow Hawk (American Kestrel)
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Barn Owl
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Black Crowned Night Heron
Downy Woodpecker
Mourning Dove
House Sparrow
Cedar Waxwing
Robin
Wood Thrush
Cardinal
Rufous-Sided Tohee (Eastern Towhee)
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Black-Capped Chickadee
Red-Tailed Hawk
Osprey