Bird watching can be a great way for seniors to get outside and connect with nature while getting just the right amount of exercise. You don’t have to take it to the extremes — birding can be as simple as taking a walk in any park-like setting, as Kingsway Community residents do here on campus, and in nearby preserves. With a vast variety of trees, shrubbery, duck pond and many examples of the unique Pine Pitch tree made famous by the Albany Pine Bush, Kingsway Community's 25 acre-campus attracts backyard birds, hawks, ducks, geese and more. Many of the residents of our independent living residences love to attract birds to their balconies and patios with bird feeders, a wonderful way to enjoy the wonders of nature. What’s more, there is an abundance of nature preserves nearby that offer accessible and well-maintained trails for an exceptional bird-watching outings, here are a few:
Henry Gerber Reist Santuary
Niskayuna
From the Hairy Woodpecker to the Common Yellowthroat Warbler, this 111-acre sanctuary owned and operated by the Hudson Mohawk Bird Club is open to the public from dawn to dusk and contains several miles of well marked and well maintained trails. It is the variety of vernal pools in the northeast sector and the forested wetlands or swamps of the southern part, along side both wooded and open terrain that hosts an extensive range of flora, and thus makes for a perfect setting to encounter a broad variety of birds throughout the year.
Albany Pine Bush
Albany
There are only 20 inland pine barrens—plant communities dominated by grasses, low shrubs and small- to medium-sized pines—in the world. And the Albany Pine Bush is widely considered the best example. Today, the 3,200-acre globally rare ecosystem is home to more than 55 species that New York State has designated “of Greatest Conservation Need,” including the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly and a whole slew of birds. Birders should keep an eye out for the American Woodcock, Great Horned Owl, Whip-poor-will and Indigo Bunting.
Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve
Clifton Park
Located on 600 acres in the Town of Clifton Park, the historic Vischer Ferry preserve includes a segment of the original 1825 Erie Canal and Towpath. It’s also home to dozens of avian species, which make their home around the canal and other small water bodies, in open fields and marshes, along the Mohawk River, and in hardwood forest that’s contained in the preserve. Bird species known to nest in the preserve include the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Black-capped Chickadee, Baltimore Oriole and American Goldfinch.
Rensselaer Forest Tract
Rensselaer County
Due east of the Capital Region’s tri-city area is a tract of 100,000 acres of unfragmented forest that encompasses Grafton Lakes State Park and Cherry Plain State Park and has been designated an Important Bird Area. What bird species can you expect to see in the Rensselaer Forest Tract? A whole litany of them, including the Ruffed Grouse, Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern wood-pewee…the list goes on and on.