Yes, there are 8.8 million humans in New York City. But there are scuzzins of non-human wild animals too, if you know where to look.
Our city’s Department of Parks & Rec has a great resource for locating all the furry and feathery beasts and the best times of year for seeking them out.
This month, September, it’s all about the flyers. Monarch butterflies flit through our grassy meadows during their 2100-mile journey to Mexico. And all the birds who spend their summers with us are starting to join the Great Migration southwards. If you’re in Central Park, Prospect Park, or Van Cortlandt Park, be sure to look up at all the flapping wings!
Next month check out Pelham Bay Park where you might spot coyotes peeping out of their dens. Keep a safe distance and don’t feed them, and everyone will be happy.
Red-backed salamanders appear for their autumn mating dances in damp areas of parks such as Wolfe’s Pond on Staten Island and Seton Falls in the Bronx. White-tailed deer will also be out and about.
Before the cold weather arrives, the Eastern Gray squirrels will be scurrying everywhere, looking for snacks to bury underground.
In the Rockaways, keep an eye out for harbor seals who consider our ice-free waters warm enough for hanging out over the winter. Other cute faces you might see include those of the Virginia opossum creeping along fence posts.
Alley Pond Park in Queens is the breeding ground for red foxes beginning in December. There will also be flight arrivals by the green-winged teals, northern pintails, ring-necked ducks, snow geese and American wigeons in non-freezing bodies of water at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.
When the trees are bare, it’s the best time to spot owls perched in their nests, beginning in January. They are mostly active at night, but some of them also go hunting during the day.
Our national bird, the bald eagle, also calls NYC its home for the winter. Try Inwood Hill Park and Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the best viewing spots.
In early spring the ospreys build their nests along our coastline on very tall trees or even utility poles—search for them at Marine Park in Brooklyn and Freshkills Park on SI. Peregrine falcons perform courtship rituals under the George Washington Bridge.
Piping plovers begin laying their eggs at Breezy Point and Fort Tilden. Red-tailed hawks roost almost everywhere: in forest-like settings but also on window ledges and bus stop awnings.
In April, alewife herring return to the Bronx River, our city’s only freshwater river. A fish ladder was added to the 182nd Street Dam at the Bronx River Greenway to help the fish travel upstream. Cave-dwelling bats come out of hibernation and fly around at dusk and dawn, feeding on mosquitoes.
Take the ferry to Lemon Creek Park to view big purple martin colonies. They love the man-made birdhouses we have provided for them there. Listen for the spring peepers, which are frogs that begin serenading us as the weather warms up.
We love all the opportunities the city gives us for connecting with and appreciating such fascinating creatures!