Discovering Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, New York’s Best Kept Natural Secret
Do you know that phrase, get outside and explore your own neighborhood? Now that things are finally beginning to open up in New York, I realized how wholeheartedly I miss discovering and photographing outdoors. Travel is one of my favorite things and not being able to do so right now will make me even more grateful for when I get to explore the world again. So for the time being, I want to explore areas around where I live—it’s so easy to fall into a routine of where you go and that the further away the better, but that isn’t always the case. Recently I went to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on a whim and was absolutely blown away by the landscape. Perched off the Rockaways, the over 9,000 acres of land boasts grassy walking paths, lagoons and incredible bird watching. Many people might not know this, but New York is part of the Atlantic Flyway, where hundreds up on hundreds of bird migrate through each year. Over the past 25 years, over 300 bird species have passed through including colorful warblers, nestling osprey and a variety of herons and today, over 70 species nest in the refuge. During the warmer months (the place smelled like heaven!) the paths are lined with tangled vines of honeysuckle and native wild roses; the sea grass creaks as it bends with the wind and bird song is heard with every step. Birds are most active in the early hours of the morning, but when I went, about two hours before sunset, there were many spottings. There are many areas to explore like the West Pond and East Pond, which offer both tree-covered areas as well as water access.
How to Get There: You can access the refuge by public transportation (the A train then the Q53 bus), but it is also easy to drive there, if you have a car, there is plenty of parking.
PSA: For fellow bird and nature-lovers, please support the Migratory Bird Treat Act (MBTA) which is currently threatened by this administration. By signing the below, you will be contacting your local Congress to fight for what is right. This was pulled from the Audubon Society: “In 2017 the Interior Department gutted enforcement of the MBTA, giving companies a free pass from responsibility for bird deaths from industrial hazards, including major oil spills. Earlier this year, the Administration proposed making this bird-killing policy permanent. When the pandemic broke out across the United States, they rejected requests to postpone this unnecessary and harmful process, and shut down the public comment period in late March.”
Photography by Alison Engstrom
