Best Places to See Animals Around
NEW YORK CITY
Click on animal icons for details each location. You must allow Active-X to see the icons. See list below of top viewing areas, tips to see this animal and the state of its population.

 


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Monk Parrots at Green-Wood Cemetery
Naturalist Steve Baldwin gives an entertaining tour of sites where the Monk Parrot is nesting around the New York metro area, especially near the entrance to Green-Wood Cemetery and around Brooklyn College. His site BrooklynParrots.com lists all the latest details.
Pale Male 927 5th Ave
Famous Red-Tailed Hawk lived on the  5th Avenue balcony of this building. Palemale.com
New York Wolf Conservational Center
The New York Wolf Conservation Center promotes the preservation of wolves through education and captive breeding and release programs. The public can visit at programs several times a week, including wolf howls. The center helps with the recovery of extremely rare Mexican Gray Wolves and Red Wolves.
The 7 Buck Run , South Salem, NY 10590
(914) 763-2373
Central Park Owls
A few saw-whet and long-eared owls nest in Central Park, especially in the Ramble and North Woods. Dr. Robert "Birding Bob" DeCandido helped re-introduce Easter Screech Owls and now gives winter and spring tours.
Harbor Seals at Sandy Hook
In winter Harbor Seals visit Sandy Hook. The NYC Audubon and other clubs offer walking tours.
Hibernia, NJ Bat Hibernaculum
One of the biggest bat caves on the east coast, this old mine houses 25,000 little brown bats. You can watch them fly out from a viewing platform at dusk. New Jersey Skylands explains the history here.
Seal Cruises by the Riverhead Foundation
The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which rescues sea creatures, offers a seal cruise Jan-April.
(631) 369-9840

 
Osprey at Great Kills Park
The Osprey nesting at Great Kills Park are easy to see.
Cormorant Nests in the East River
Double-breasted cormorants nest on Mill Rock Island, which you can see from the shore. Or on the NYC Audubon Society's boat tour.
Wild Turkeys in Dongan Hills Staten Island
Residents of the Staten Island neighborhood of Dongan Hills complain that flocks of wild turkeys overruns their neighborhood.
Osprey at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Osprey nest at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. The Brooklyn Bird Club offers field trips.
CRESLI Seal Walk Cupsogue Beach Co. Park
The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island offers seal walks Nov.-May at Montauk and Cupsogue Beach County Park.

 
Red-Tailed Hawks at St. John the Divine
A pair of red-tailed hawks live on the back of St. John the Divine
CRESLI Seal Walk at Montauk
The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island offers seal walks Nov.-May.

 
Staten Island Dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins are sometimes spotted from the Ocean Breeze Fishing Pier on Staten Island in late summer.
Monk Parrots at Veteran's Field Park, Edgewater, NJ
Monk Parrots like in Veteran's Field Park in Edgewater, NJ. Local naturalists are struggling to protect them from utilities who want to take down their nests.
Edgewater Parrots
BrooklynParrots.com
Inwood Hill Park Flying Squirrels
Flying squirrels can sometimes be seen at night in Inwood Hill Park.
AnimalTourism.com
Jose the Beaver at the Bronx Zoo
 José, the first beaver spotted in New York City since 1800, lives in the Bronx River new the zoo. The Wildlife Conservation Society says you can "his lodge from the bridge leading into the Bronx Zoo near our Bronx River Entrance (Gate B)."
North Brother Island
Yellow-crowned night herons nest  on this abanonded island off the Bronx. The NYC Audubon Society runs regular tours.
Horseshoe Crabs Mating at Pelham Bay Park
Horseshoe crabs mate on beaches across the East Coast in May and June at high tides. The NYC Parks Department sometimes offers tours.
Lakota Wolf Preserve
The Lakota Wolf Preserve houses timber, tundra and arctic wolves in an area of the country where wolves are now extinct. Packs are separated into fenced areas. You can tour behind the fence or have a photography tour inside the fence.
Mount Pleasant Rd., Columbia, NJ 07832
(908) 496-9244
Salamanders and Snapping Turtles at Alley Pond Nature Center
The (rare and pretty) Spotted Salamander and the Snapping Turtle can be found among the Kettle Ponds.
animaltourism.com
more info »
Pheasants and turkey Pelham Bay Park
Pheasants and turkey roam Pelham Bay Park.
Zelda the Wild Turkey of Battery Park
Zelda the wild turkey makes frequent appearances in Battery Park. At first park officials tried to convince her to relocate, but she just kept moving back.
Deer at Clay Pit Pond State Reserve
White-tailed deer have been spotted--and illegally hunted--at Staten Island's Clay Pit Pond State Park.
Peregirnes at 55 Water Street
A pair of peregrine falcons usually nest at 55 Water Street. (Marker on bridge not precise). Fans host this site and webcam.
Arverne Piping Plover Nesting Area
The NYC Parks Department protects this area where Piping Plover and oystercatchers nest.
Grey Seals on Hoffman Island
Grey Seals can sometimes be spotted on Hoffman Island off Staten Island in the winter.
Peregrine Falcons nest on the Brooklyn Bridge
A pair of peregrine falcons usually nest on the Brooklyn Bridge. (Marker on bridge not precise).
Peregrine Falcons on Throgs Neck Bridge
A pair of peregrine falcons usually nest on the Throgs Neck Bridge. (Marker on bridge not precise).
Seals at Execution Rocks Lighthouse
In the winter seals are sometimes seen at Execution Rocks Lighthouse. AnimalTourism.com
Monk Parrots at Green-Wood Cemetery
Naturalist Steve Baldwin gives an entertaining tour of sites where the Monk Parrot is nesting around the New York metro area, especially near the entrance to Green-Wood Cemetery and around Brooklyn College. His site BrooklynParrots.com lists all the latest details.
Possum, Raccoons and Deer in Van Cordtlandt Park
One of the biggest expanses of forest in New York City, Van Cortlandt Park is home to possum, raccoon, hawks and the occassional deer and coyote.
Peregrine Falcons nest on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
A pair of peregrine falcons usually nest on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. (Marker on bridge not precise).
Alley Pond Park Flying Squirrels
Flying squirrels can sometimes be spotted at Alley Pond Park at dusk, especially in the summer. Ask a park ranger for help.
CRESLI Great South Channel Whale Cruise
The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island
offers overnight cruises to see whales and pelagic birds in the Great South Channel off Cape Cod.

 
Bats live near Turtle Pond
Bats live near turtle pond, where many turtles live.
Bruce Yolton has captured many Central Park wildlife photos.
Peregrines on the Goethals Bridge
A pair of peregrine falcons usually nest on the Goethals Bridge. (Marker on bridge not precise).
NYC's only red squirrel
New York City's only Red Squirrel lives in the Pinetum. No one knows how it got here or how it survives among the gray squirrels.

 

 

 

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