NYC bird photography sites

[Barry Ekstrand]

I have a trip to New York City coming up, I'll be staying by Times Square. I probably will have one morning that I can get out and would like to go to a good spot for birds. I'm looking for recommendations on the best nearby spot to target - if in a big area like Central Park specific spots to go to in that area would be helpful. I get plenty of waterfowl photos at home in the Houston area so I would especially like to see colorful songbirds and species not native to Texas. I'll be using a Canon 5D Mark III and 400 mm f5.6 lens. Any help will be appreciated.

Barry

[shane shacaluga]

I was there a few months ago and stayed by Times Square too. Central Park has quite a few birds but there are millions of people everywhere so getting a good shot is hard

I saw lots of birds close to the water areas

Would advise to go really really early in the morning but am sure it packed with people as well.

Maybe the Bronx Zoo may be an option to consider or going to the coast

[Wendy Kates]

Barry...check out this website: http://www.birdingbob.com/ Bob DeCandido is an ornithologist who leads birding excursions through Central Park several mornings a week, along with his partner Deb Allen, who is a nature / bird photographer. When I went in late May, Bob was ill and Deb was leading the tour, and she was very good. She took us through The Ramble, which is well-known for sightings of warblers and other song birds (and where you would most likely get totally lost if you attempted it yourself!). There were lots of opportunities for bird photography. I went on a weekday, and it wasn't terribly crowded. I'm planning to join one of their tours again when I am in NYC later in the month. --Wendy