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Birding
This 518-mile, signed, leisure travel route - one of America's Byways - is a birdwatcher's paradise. Bring your binoculars & camera and come lift your eyes and your spirits birdwatching on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail!
Whether for just a weekend or for a multi-week journey, follow the Great Lakes Seaway Trail along the coasts of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. Throughout your trip, look for the green and white trailblazer signs that make it easy to follow the scenic byway route. The signed driving route connects historic villages and vibrant cities with scenic landscapes and diverse destinations along these waterways. The itinerary below highlights keys areas of interest for birding along the Seaway Trail. Click here to view the Birds of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Fact Sheet.
1. Pennsylvania Borderlands: This is one of the most undeveloped areas in northwestern Pennsylvania, making it an ideal area to explore for birds.
Key Areas of Interest:
-State Game Lands #314 (Roderick Wildlife Reserve)
-Erie Bluffs State Park
This 518-mile, signed, leisure travel route - one of America's Byways - is a birdwatcher's paradise. Bring your binoculars & camera and come lift your eyes and your spirits birdwatching on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail!Whether for just a weekend or for a multi-week journey, follow the Great Lakes Seaway Trail along the coasts of Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. Throughout your trip, look for the green and white trailblazer signs that make it easy to follow the scenic byway route. The signed driving route connects historic villages and vibrant cities with scenic landscapes and diverse destinations along these waterways. The itinerary below highlights keys areas of interest for birding along the Seaway Trail. Click here to view the Birds of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Fact Sheet.
 How many birds have you seen? Download the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Birding Checklist and track your progress! |
Key Areas of Interest:
-State Game Lands #314 (Roderick Wildlife Reserve)
-Erie Bluffs State Park
2. Presque Isle Area: Presque Isle State Park and the surrounding area are used by many species of migrant birds as an area to feed and rest. Sites farther away from the lake offer hiking trails through diverse habitats, which also harbor migrant songbirds.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Presque Isle State Park
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Tom Ridge Environmental Research Center
- Asbury Woods Nature Center
 Enhance Your ExperiencePrior to your journey, be sure to pick up the “Birding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail” guidebook and companion audio tour CD. The comprehensive guidebook details the birds you might see at each location, the best times of year to visit, and provides other useful information as you travel. The companion audio tour CD will help you get from destination to destination and enhance your birding experience on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. |
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3. Lake Erie Basin: Land birds migrating through this region are concentrated close to the lakeshore and use many human-planted areas. A highlight of birding this region is the observation of raptors and other diurnal migrants at the Ripley Hawk Watch.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Ripley Hawk Watch
- Lake Erie State Park
- Jamestown Audubon Nature Center
- Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History
4. Dunkirk Harbor Area: This region is one of the best birding areas along the New York shore of Lake Erie. It combines an area that receives concentrations of migrant land birds with a man-made site where large numbers of waterfowl and water birds concentrate.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Dunkirk Harbor
- Point Gratiot
5. Eastern Lake Erie: This region is heavily urbanized, yet excellent birding opportunities are available on preserved lands and redevelopment lands where restoration has occurred.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Evangola State Park
- Woodlawn Beach State Park
- Tifft Nature Preserve
- Lake Erie Seaway Trail Visitors Center
6. Niagara River: In addition to the world-famous falls, the Niagara River is also famous for its gulls. Nineteen species of gulls have been found here, marking the river as one of the best gull watching spots in the world.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Bird Island Pier and LaSalle Park
- Buffalo Waterfront
- Beaver Island State Park
- Niagara Gorge Discovery Center
- Goat Island
- Buckhorn Island State Park
- Whirlpool State Park
- Lewston Boat Ramp and Artpark
- Fort Niagara State Park
 As you travel the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, watch for birding interpretive panels in some key birding sites. To view an interactive map of the Seaway Trail featuring all 100+ interpretive panels, please click here. |
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7. Far Western Lake Ontario: This region offers lake watching and a concentrating feature for raptor and songbird migration.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Four Mile Creek State Park
-Wilson-Tuscarora State Park
-Golden Hill State Park
-Lakeside Beach State Park
8. Braddock Bay & Rochester Region: This region includes all or part of three Audubon-designated Important Bird Areas. In addition, parks and hot spots in the region lure an exceptional variety of woodland birds.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Hamlin Beach State Park
- Braddock Bay Bird Observatory
- Owl Woods & Raptor Branding Station
- Braddock Bay Park & Hawk Watch
- Beatty Point
- Island Cottage Woods
- Ontario Beach & Turning Point Park
- Durand-Eastman Park
- Irondequoit Bay & Wetlands
9. Sodus Bay to Little Sodus Bay: This extensive region of diverse habitats includes many niches for a wide variety of breeding, wintering, and migrant birds. Ranging from wide-open lake areas and sheltered bays to lakeshore woods and interior farmlands, this area offers many opportunities for visiting birds and birders.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Sodus Bay
- Chimney Bluffs State Park
- Lakeshore Marshes Wildlife Management Area
- Little Sodus Bay/Fair Haven Beach State Park
- Sterling Nature Center
10. Lower Reaches of the Oswego River: The human modifications of dams and harbor breakwalls actually make this area more attractive for some species. Protected sites with limited predator access enhance the area’s value to waterfowl and water birds, whose concentrations attract avian predators.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Rice Creek Field Station
- Oswego River & Harbor
- Minetto Area
- Fulton Area
11. Mexico Bay: This bay at the southeastern end of Lake Ontario forms a concentrating feature for birds in migration. Each season brings a different variety of birds to the area, from land birds in the spring to water birds in the fall.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Richard A. Noyes Sanctuary
- Mexico Point Town Park
- Derby Hill Bird Observatory
- Selkirk Shores State Park
12. Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes: This area is a freshwater barrier dune system, along which many miles of coastal barrier dunes protect extensive freshwater wetland and embayments. These wetlands form an extraordinary mosaic of habitats for both breeding and migrant birds.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Deer Creek Wildlife Management Area
- Sandy Pond
- Lakeview Wildlife Management Area
- Black Pond WMA & El Dorado Preserve
13. Henderson Bay/Chaumont Bay: The lands surrounding one of the world’s largest freshwater bays offer a diversity of habitats for bird and birder use at all seasons.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Henderson Bay
- Sackets Harbor/Black River Bay
- Seaway Trail Discovery Center
- Limerick Cedars & Chaumont Barrens Alvar
- Perch River WMA
- Point Peninsula
- Cape Vincent Grasslands
14. Thousand Islands Region: Birders with water-based transportation can reach habitats ranging from extensive creek side marshes to water bird loafing and nesting shoals, while birders with land-based transportation can still experience an interesting breeding bird fauna.
Key Areas of Interest:
- French Creek WMA
- Grindstone Island
- Wellesley Island
- Kring Point/Crooked Creek
15. Indian River Lakes: This extremely varied region harbors perhaps the most diverse breeding avifauna found near the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Indian River Lakes
- Grand Lake Reserve & Indian River WMA
16. Middle St. Lawrence: Although one of the ornithological least known waterfront areas in the state, this extensive region offers excellent opportunities for viewing a wide variety of birds.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Chippewa Bay & Chippewa Creek
- Hammond & Lisbon Grasslands
- Oak Point Area
- Jacques Cartier State Park
- Ogdensburg Harbor
- Sparrowhawk Point
17. Lake St. Lawrence: Much modified by the dams and locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway Project, the northeastern St. Lawrence region still offers many unique birding opportunities.
Key Areas of Interest:
- Coles Creek State Park
- Wilson Hill WMA
- Robert Moses State Park
Additional birding resources:
Beaver Meadow Audubon Center - 800-377-1520
Genesee Country Village Museum - 585-538-6822
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge - 585-948-5445
Jamestown Audobon Society - 716-569-2345
Minna Anthony Common Nature Center - 315-365-3580
Montezuma Audubon Center - 315-764-0226
NYPA Hawkins Point Visitor Center - 518-869-9731
New York State Audubon Society - 518-869-9731
Penn Dixie Fossil & Bird Site - 716-627-4570
Roger Tory Peterson Institute - 800-758-6841