September has arrived and Prospect Park Alliance is ringing in Tree Appreciation Month!
Be a Park Champion and help us extend our Summer of Stewardship into the fall. Prospect Park is home to over 30,000 trees of over 175 varieties—and each plays an essential role in keeping our human and wildlife communities healthy and happy. Take a look at some of the ways you can help celebrate and support the beloved trees of Brooklyn’s Backyard this season:
Remember to #BeAParkChampion: While the park’s trees may appear big and strong, like all living things they are susceptible to injury and disease. With over 10 million visitors in the park each year, the trees in Prospect Park need all of our support. Please do not hang hammocks or decorations from our trees, and avoid climbing or breaking branches. Remember to also stay on designated paths in the woodlands to protect fragile wildlife habitats to help our trees thrive for generations to come!
Fall Volunteering in the Park:Want to take a hands-on approach to caring for the park and its trees? Prospect Park Alliance has a full slate of fall volunteer opportunities. From our weekend Park Pitch In events to Junior Volunteer Corps for kids and families, there are many ways to lend a hand in your park. Plus, mark your calendars for City of Forest Day to celebrate NYC’s urban forest on Saturday, October 14!
Soar Into Fall Migration:Wonder what makes Prospect Park the best bed and breakfast in town for migrating birds in the fall months? Learn about the trees that provide birds with essential fuel and protection as they make their journey to warmer climates and learn about bird watching opportunities with the Brooklyn Bird Club.
Enjoy the Health Benefits of Nature: Get active outdoors in Prospect Park by taking part in one of the many free wellness opportunities offered this fall, from nature walks for adults ages 60+ and a fun-filled pop dance class, there is something for everyone to get active this season.
Fall bird migration is in full swing, and Prospect Park is the place to be. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, Prospect Park is a haven for birds in all seasons, with 200+ species of resident and migratory birds. Autumn is an especially notable time for bird sightings as countless feathered friends embark on their lengthy journey to warmer climates. The park is a crucial rest stop for these species thanks to the 585 acres of green space and 30,000 trees of more than 175 species which allow migratory birds to fuel up on seeds, berries and insects and find valuable protection as they venture south.
As Prospect Park Alliance embarks on Tree Appreciation Month, we’re celebrating the park’s plentiful native trees and the many ways they support the park’s bird population and keep our ecosystem healthy. “Prospect Park’s plentiful Oak trees, Hackberry trees, Eastern Black Cherry trees and Dogwood trees and even a few Willow trees are some of the most essential tree species for migratory birds during this time of year,” shares Prospect Park Alliance’s Senior Forest Ecologist, Howard Goldstein. “These trees support a huge amount of bustling insect and invertebrate life which create the best restaurant in town for migrating birds looking to grab a bite.”
Northern parula c. Tom Stephenson/Brooklyn Bird Club
One can’t-miss area for those looking to spot these traveling birds in the coming months is Esdale Bridge overlooking Ambergill Falls in the Ravine in Prospect Park. “It’s got everything the birds need: a forest full of native species alongside a water source makes this a valuable migratory haven,” shares Goldstein. “We see plentiful Warblers in the area feeding off of the insects and invertebrates they find in these vegetation areas.”
Fall warblers spotted in Prospect Park. c. Tom Stephenson / Brooklyn Bird Club
Another must-visit destination for birders is the Butterfly Meadow located onLookout Hill. The open meadow surrounded by forest in a hilly area of the park makes it an ideal stop for migrating birds. Since the mid-1960’s, volunteers from the Brooklyn Bird Club have collaborated with Prospect Park Alliance to maintain the meadow—removing weeds and invasive plants, and promoting native plant species including diverse wildflowers that attract insects for wildlife and birds.
“The meadow is a lifesaving haven even through winters,” shares Prospect Park Alliance Eco-Zone Gardener Peter Dorosh. “It offers dried flower seeds that feed Goldfinches, White throated sparrows, Kinglets, Woodpeckers and more. The Eastern White pine grove at the east end of the meadow, named affectionately ‘Arleen’s Pines,’ serves as an important winter roost for raptors.”
“There’s no better testament to the importance of Prospect Park’s trees and natural habitat than seeing all of our migratory birds gather the food they need to make the next leg of their difficult journeys to their wintering grounds, which can be as far away as South America,” shares Brooklyn Bird Club Board Member, Tom Stephenson. “The best way to find these birds is to join one of the Brooklyn Bird Club outings and carefully watch any fruiting tree for Swainson’s Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, and examine the understory to spot Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush or Hermit Thrush. Scan the treetops and you might get lucky and spot some of the park’s most brilliant sightings like Northern Parula, Blackburnian or Cape May Warblers.”
Please do not hang hammocks or decorations from our trees, and avoid climbing or breaking branches: this damages the tree bark and can make trees susceptible to disease.
Please stay on designated paths in the woodlands to protect fragile wildlife habitats, and make sure to dispose of your trash properly. This will help our trees grow for generations to come.
For the past few weeks, an unusual visitor has been perched in the treetops high above Prospect Park’s lake. The Anhinga, also known as the Devil Bird, is a large waterbird with a snake-like neck that is typically found in the swampy southeastern corner of the country. But, for the first time since 1992, the bird has been spotted in New York—right here in Brooklyn’s Backyard.
Located along the Atlantic Flyway, with more than 250 migratory and resident bird species spotted each year, Prospect Park is a long beloved birdwatching haven. “The park’s 585 acres are a critical life-saving space for birds. Prospect Park is a rest stop full of food and water thanks, in part, to Prospect Park’s lake and watercourse,” says Peter Dorosh, a Prospect Park Alliance Eco Zone Gardener and avid birder who recently spotted the Anhinga himself. “Prospect Park was the lucky beneficiary of such an awesome sighting: Brooklyn’s only lake caught the Anhinga’s eye.”
For Dorosh and Prospect Park Alliance’s crew of Eco Zone Gardeners and Forest Ecologist, which works to restore and sustain the park’s natural areas, the Anhinga’s arrival highlights an important aspect of their job: ensuring the park’s landscape is a healthy breeding and foraging habitat for birds and other wildlife—both expected and unexpected.
“Birds stop in, refuel, rest and then continue onward for the greater breeding territories in the northern United States and Canada,” explains Dorosh. To Dorosh and Prospect Park Alliance, the priority is ensuring the birds find what they need to thrive in the park. “It’s important to plant native trees and shrub species because these plants attract insects—particularly moths and caterpillars, as they are the soft food needed to feed baby birds and fledglings,” he says.
The Alliance also focuses largely on mitigating habitat loss. “We do our part to remove the invasive plants and replace them with native plants,” says Dorosh. “This greatly benefits natural habitats and restores food webs that include the pollinating wildflowers, grasses and fruiting shrubs that are essential for insects.”
The team strives to create and maintain habitats that send the right signals to any new bird species that may unexpectedly arrive due to the changing climate. “Birds know if a breeding territory will ensure the survival of their species,” Dorosh says. “If we have enough native trees, birds will coexist with other birds and become specialized in what they eat—that’s how evolution intended it.”
As anyone familiar with the variety and abundance of species in Prospect Park knows, there’s plenty to go around. “Warblers and flycatchers eat insects. Cardinals and Blue Jays eat berries and nuts. Sparrows eat grass seeds, and Hawks are carnivores who help keep the rodent population at bay,” explains Dorosh. “We have it all in Prospect Park, as long as we maintain the habitats to become and stay healthy and native.”
A key focus of the non-profit Prospect Park Alliance’s mission is to sustain and restore the park’s natural areas, including Brooklyn’s last remaining forest and only Lake, which suffered from significant erosion and neglect prior to the Alliance’s founding. Keeping the park green and vibrant is important to both humans and birds alike. During the fall migration, one of the peak birdwatching times of year, we sat down to talk to Alliance EcoZone Gardener and avid birder Peter Dorosh, recognizing the park’s important role as a haven for more than 200 species of birds.
“The most exciting season for birdwatching is now and in the spring, the biannual migrations when birds travel to and from their breeding grounds throughout North America,” Dorosh said. When asked why Brooklyn’s Backyard is a great place for birdwatching, he said: “Because it’s a contained green space surrounded by urban dwellings, birds migrating see a dark spot during their migratory travels at night (recognizing it as a green space), and come down from flight for shelter and food.”
The Alliance’s landscape management team, which includes gardeners, a forester and also a forest ecologist, focuses on sustaining our natural areas with native plantings that are specifically geared to providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife.
Prospect Park takes on even more importance for birds in light of a recent study that found steep, long-term losses across virtually all groups of birds in the U.S. and Canada. How to nurture birds in Brooklyn’s Backyard? Please sustain our woodlands by staying on path, and not climbing or hanging structures on our trees. Have a dog? Please keep your pet on leash, and on path, in woodland areas. Dorosh explained that birds, whether they are nesting, breeding or migrating, see dogs as a threat. “Most particularly during nesting season, the parent birds get unnecessarily stressed and hyper-vigilant in trying to protect their young even if the nest is high above.” Even if birds are not directly attacked by dogs, just the sight of dogs can send birds into a panic, causing unnecessary stress during this critical time in their survival.
Help spread the word about good park stewardship: Dogs are allowed off leash in the park from 6 am to 9 am and 9 pm to 1 am on the Long Meadow (not ballfields), Nethermead, and the Peninsula Meadow. At all other times and locations, dogs should be on their leashes. Birds and park wildlife will thank you!
c. Rob Hanson
Virtual Program: Winter Birding
February 16, 2021
While winter might seem like a slow time for birdwatching, many migratory species can be seen in New York only at this time of year, along with an exciting host of year-round birds.
Watch this recorded virtual program from our partners at Turnstile Tours for a discussion with experts from the Brooklyn Bird Club, where they share some of the notable species currently found in the city, how to identify them, and tips for where to to find them. A birder joins live from the field, showing some of these spots in Prospect Park.
People are often surprised to learn that Prospect Park is one of the best birding locations in the United States. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, the 585-acre park is ideal for birding, with more than 250 species spotted each year, including migrating songbirds in spring and fall, and a large diversity of waterfowl and resident birds throughout the year. In fact, Prospect Park has been designated one of New York’s 130 Important Bird Areas (IBA), which are critical for bird conservation.
Since its founding, Prospect Park Alliance has cared for the natural areas of the park, making sure that wildlife and ecosystems can thrive in the borough with the least amount of green space per resident. In recent years, the Alliance’s team—which includes a Natural Resources Crew, a Woodlands Youth Crew and a dedicated corps of volunteers—has enriched the park with native trees and plants that support our avian residents, ensuring that Prospect Park is a bird haven for generations to come.
During the spring and fall migration season, many birds visit Prospect Park as a stopover to rest and refuel on their journeys between wintering grounds and summer breeding sites. Here are some tips from Prospect Park Alliance naturalists in order to make the most of this time of year:
Where to See Birds:
Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn’s last remaining forest, a destination for birds. Some of the best birding locations can be found along the higher-elevation ridges, such as Lookout Hill and areas in the park’s northeast corner, including the Vale. Peter Dorosh, Field Technician with the Prospect Park Alliance Natural Resources Crew, attributes this to the presence of oak trees in these areas, and the bugs that live there. “Oaks host a great diversity of insects,” Dorosh says, “it’s like going to a cafeteria for a warbler or other birds that feed on insects.” Prospect Park is also home to an extensive watercourse, which leads to Brooklyn’s only lake. From the Upper Pool (home to Dog Beach), down to the Lake, look for ducks, herons and a variety of shorebirds that are attracted to the abundant food in the park’s thriving waterways. Learn more about three migratory bird hotspots in the park.
When to See Birds:
Early morning is an ideal time to catch lots of bird activity. As birds awake, they are likely to seek out food, and this flurry of movement makes them easier to spot. Dusk is a similarly good time to spot feeding birds, filling up their bellies before bed.
What Birds You’ll See:
With over 250 species of birds frequenting Prospect Park during migration season, you’re sure to see a lot! From early arrivals to birds of prey, spirited warblers to brightly-colored fan-favorites, check out our Spring Migration Checklist to learn all about the birds on their way to Brooklyn’s Backyard.
“It’s bittersweet,” Keehbauch said of the project as the formal restoration work comes to a conclusion, “but it’s been a really exciting transformation and I hope we’ve engaged enough people in this project, that they’ll work hand in hand with the Alliance to help take care of this area.” Keehbauch and a crew of Alliance staff, volunteers and even goats have worked over the past four years to revive the woodlands in this quiet northeast corner of the park, beloved by birdwatchers and in-the-know park visitors.
On this morning, Keehbauch was joined by her Alliance colleagues A.J. Logan, Natural Resources Crew Forestry Technician, and Kate Abrams, Woodland Youth Crew Supervisor, with the dozen-or-so high school students in her charge. The teens, participants in this Alliance program that hires local high school students to become stewards of Brooklyn’s last remaining forest, chatted happily as they dug holes, sawed logs and mulched paths for the park’s newest feature—a rustic trail which is the capstone of the massive restoration effort undertaken by the Alliance.
AJ Logan and Mary Keehbauch c. Lucy Gardner
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy brought widespread destruction to New York City, felling over 500 trees throughout Prospect Park, including 50 in the Vale of Cashmere alone. With $1.2 million in grants from the National Park Service and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to repair storm damage in the Vale as well as Lookout Hill, Prospect Park Alliance began work to restore these woodlands.
First came storm cleanup and a survey of the surrounding woodlands, which showed that relatively few species of trees and shrubs were thriving in the Vale, and many of these were considered invasive in New York State. Then came the demolition team—a group of goats hired to scale the steep hills and eat the dangerous and non-native plant species such as English ivy and poison ivy. This popular crew spent two summers in the park, eating the Vale clean, and prepping the space for the massive replanting that was about to take place.
“We planted the area heavily, with a focus on creating a multidimensional, ecologically diverse woodland,” said Keehbauch, pointing out examples while standing in the landscape. “Throughout the changing seasons, people will be able to see a variety of native plants, understory trees and shrubs, with great flowers that will create food for insects and birds, feeding the park ecosystem.”
In recent years, Keehbauch and her crew have worked to replant and maintain this area with essential support from fellow Alliance staff, the Woodlands Youth Crew, and many dedicated volunteers—notably a corps whose work has focused on the east side of the park, and who have dedicated countless hours to this often-overlooked area of the park. During the last two years, they’ve succeeded in planting over 20,000 trees, plants and shrubs in the Vale alone.
In replanting, Keehbauch and her team have “stayed true to the native plant palette of the region,” bringing in more than 25 native species of plants including ferns, wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs, including elderberry and chokeberry, “plants that are going to hopefully help our butterfly and native bee population and draw in birds.”
Members of the Prospect Park Alliance Woodlands Youth Crew, c. Lucy Gardner
And the plants aren’t the only addition to the landscape. As the restoration project came to an end this winter, Keehbauch and her team installed a new rustic rail trail, which leads visitors to two sites of future restoration: the Rose Garden to the Children’s Pool. Following in the footsteps of park creators Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, this Adirondack-inspired feature takes a meandering route through the woods, inviting visitors to enjoy another view of Brooklyn’s Backyard.
“We hope the trail will keep people from creating their own paths, which are destructive to this newly replanted landscape,” said Keehbauch. “It should also be an interesting experience—for birders, children—they’ll get to experience the interior of the woods right in the middle of Brooklyn.”
This project was undertaken by numerous contributors over the years. Special thanks are given to the Volunteer Corps, the Woodlands Youth Crew and their Alliance supervisors, and the members of the Prospect Park Alliance Hurricane Sandy Restoration team throughout the project: Christopher Guicciardo, Mary Keehbauch, Alexandra Kerr, A.J. Logan, Martha Maciasz, Michael Marino, and Victor Rendon.
c. Steve Nanz
3 Bird Migration Hotspots
September 20, 2019
Bird migration season is in full swing here in Brooklyn, and there’s no better place to see the hundreds of species passing through than Prospect Park. In recent years, Prospect Park Alliance has made an effort to reduce invasive plant species and encourage the growth of native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses—and our feathered friends could not be happier about it. Native plants produce seeds and berries, and host a variety of local insects, all of which our local and migratory birds love to snack on. Head into the park during this migration season for a chance to see a few of the more than 200 bird species that use Prospect Park as a rest stop. We suggest these park birding hotspots:
Lookout Hill
Lookout Hill is the highest peak in Prospect Park, part of the Terminal Moraine left by glaciers in the last ice age that extends through Brooklyn. Prospect Park Alliance’s horticulturalists and Natural Resources Crew have been hard at work maintaining Lookout Hill’s natural spaces, including the Butterfly Meadow. The geography of Lookout Hill, combined with the abundance of native food sources, make this a top-notch destination for birds (and fellow birdwatchers) during migration season. Find a variety of songbirds including many species of warblers, as well as raptors enjoying the vista.
Prospect Park Lake
Whether you’re walking the shores of the Peninsula, or staring through binoculars at Music Island, Prospect Park Lake—Brooklyn’s only lake—is a fabulous destination for birdwatching. Since the opening of the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in 2013, this area of the park has enjoyed a dedicated crew of Alliance gardeners who maintain the plantings and the facility’s green roof. The 55-acre lake is a year-round destination for waterfowl and shorebirds, and migration season means you’re sure to see something spectacular no matter which way you look.
Vale of Cashmere
In 2012, Prospect Park lost over 500 throughout the park due to Hurricane Sandy, with 50 alone in the Vale of Cashmere. Thanks to grants from the National Parks Service through the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant Program for Historic Properties, the Alliance was able to hire a dedicated crew to restore this area of the park. Over the course of years, the crew removed damage, used a popular goat team to clear invasive species, and in 2017 planted over 20,000 native plants and shrubs. The result? A bird haven in a quiet corner of the park. Head here to watch songbirds enjoying the landscape, and discover a part of Prospect Park you may never have seen before.
We hope you rested up during the quiet winter season, because spring is here and the migratory birds are on their way to Prospect Park! With over 150 migratory species set to make an appearance in Brooklyn’s Backyard, Prospect Park Alliance has pulled together a spring migration checklist to help you make the most of this spectacular season.
Prospect Park lies on one of the great flight paths of the natural world, the Atlantic Flyway. In fall, many species migrate south along the Atlantic coast to reach wintering grounds with abundant food. In spring, they head north to return to their breeding territories. During these months, birds of all kinds stop briefly in the park, and for some species, the park is their destination.
Spring Migration Checklist:
Early Migrants: Starting as early as February or March, early-migrating species of birds are making their way through Prospect Park. These species include the easily identified Red-winged Blackbird, as well as the Common Grackle, Eastern Phoebe and the well-camouflaged American Woodcock.
Red-winged Blackbird, c. Steve Nanz
Birds of Prey: Many raptors begin their trip north early in the season. In addition to our year-round Red-tailed Hawk residents, look for Merlins, Cooper’s Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks and more soaring above the park, perched on high vantage-points and snacking on small mammals.
Warblers: The rock stars of spring migration, 36 species of warblers can be spotted over the course of spring migration in Prospect Park. Known for their bright colors in spring, warblers are a group of energetic songbirds that migrate at night and rest and re-fuel by day. When warblers journey over Brooklyn, they are likely to stop in Prospect Park, where they feed on insects and berries. Rested and refueled, they continue on their way after a day or two. Keep an eye out for vibrant yellows of the Common Yellowthroat and Palm Warbler, blue on the Black-throated Blue Warbler and Cerulean Warbler, and fiery orange on the handsome Blackburnian Warbler.
Blackburnian Warbler, c. Steve Nanz
Brightly-colored Migrants: When peering through foliage, some of the easiest birds to spot are the brightly-colored species. Bright red might mean a Scarlet Tanager, vibrant orange could be a Baltimore Oriole, blues show up on Eastern Bluebirds and Indigo Buntings, and even our year-round American Goldfinches wear their brightest spring yellow.
Ready to grab a pair of binoculars and get out into the park? Check out our birdwatching page, with birding tips, locations and upcoming bird walks in Prospect Park. And, download the Prospect Park App to see how many birds you can spot in our Backyard Birds Challenge!
c. Martin Seck
Fall Things to Do in Prospect Park
October 17, 2018
Prospect Park’s most colorful season has arrived, and Prospect Park Alliance has plenty of ideas of how visitors of all ages can enjoy this time of year in Brooklyn’s Backyard. Here is our checklist for autumnal fun in Prospect Park, get out and experience it all!
Take a fall foliage walk! Check out some of our favorite routes through the park to see the stunning colors of autumn, from the Peninsula to Lookout Hill, the Nethermead, the Lullwater and beyond.
Bid adieu to the birds. Fall is migration season in Prospect Park, with hundreds of species of birds stopping through these 585 acres on their way to their winter homes. Read our tips for birdwatching in Prospect Park, and check out upcoming bird walks you can join!
Strap on your skates because starting October 26, the LeFrak Center at Lakeside is open for ice skating, hockey, broomball and curling. Enjoy these wintertime activities surrounded by the picturesque autumn colors, and before the arctic weather sets in!
Learn more about nature at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. Prospect Park Alliance presented free nature activities Thursday through Sunday in October, and Saturday and Sunday in November and December. Take a birdwatching walk, introduce your child to the creatures that creep, crawl and fly in the park. Plus, pick up ready-to-go Discovery Packs filled with nature activities for families!
Go for a run. Ready to break a sweat? Fall is the perfect time to go for a run in Prospect Park and admire the colorful foliage from the park’s 3.36-mile loop, not to mention the paths that run through the natural areas of the park. Prefer an indoor activity? The indoor tennis season kicks off October 22 at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. Sign up for a seasonal court or lessons today.
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