stony point battlefield
Best birding is in spring and early fall during the migratory seasons.
Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site is located on a knobby promontory projecting into the Hudson River in the town of Stony Point, NY. It is the only preserved Revolutionary War battlefield in Rockland County -- the site of a successful midnight assault led by Brigadier General Anthony Wayne against a British Garrison on July 15-16, 1779. The site also hosts the oldest lighthouse (1826) in the Hudson Valley, which was restored and is now open on a limited basis. The Battlefield is open seven days a week from April 15 through October 31, and only weekdays in the winter. Call 845-786-2521 for information and hours of operation.
There is good birding throughout the site year-round. Park in the parking lot when the site is open and enjoy birding through-out the grounds. You may park outside the grounds on the town’s Park Road, and walk into the site in the early morning, before dusk, or on weekends in the winter. Do not park on the sites drive, Battlefield Road, at any time as it is a marked tow-away zone. There are diverse habitats for birds including a freshwater swamp area at the entrance, woodlands, meadows, lawns and a small beach on the Hudson River on the south side of the peninsula. During winter, Bald Eagles roost in the trees near the river's edge. The best place to view them is with a scope or binoculars from south of the point at the Stony Point River View Town Park on the corner of East Main Street and Beach Road. (Note: The Stony Point Marina is no longer available for visitors.)
During the spring and summer of the Atlas 2000 breeding bird survey, the following species were observed along the entrance road and vicinity:
American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, Baltimore oriole, barn swallow, belted kingfisher, black-capped chickadee, blue jay, Canada goose, chimney swift, common grackle, common yellowthroat, downy woodpecker, eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe, eastern wood-pewee, gray catbird, great blue heron, great crested flycatcher, house finch, house wren, indigo bunting, mallard, mourning dove, mute swan, northern cardinal, northern flicker, northern mockingbird, northern rough-winged swallow, red-bellied woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, red-winged blackbird, song sparrow, tree swallow, tufted titmouse, turkey vulture, white-breasted nuthatch, wood duck, wood thrush, yellow warbler, yellow-billed cuckoo.