Nyquist Sanctuary

Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary - Gardiner - 10-16-26

Autumn in New York…..Today, the foliage is pretty close to peek autumn hues in this part of the state. What a great day to be out and about. I and two fellow members of our birding club head out to the New Paltz Gardens for Nutrition and the adjacent Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary, a peaceful 47-acre preserve featuring a mix of hardwood forest, open fields, and ponds that attract a variety of birdlife and native plants. The adjacent Garden for Nutrition and the sanctuary are located on a fertile floodplain making for ideal growing conditions for the local gardens and native platnts.

American goldfinch - Gardens - 10/16/26

At this time of year, many of the flowering plants in the gardens have gone to seed, attracting good numbers of sparrows and other songbirds. Among the most common right now are the American goldfinches which love the seeds of the Sunflowers grown here. We found White-throated sparrows and could hear them singing the “Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada” refrain, but as far as photos were concerned, they were elusive. House sparrows on the other hand were plentiful as they always seem to be!

House sparrow - Gardens - 10/16/26

The gardens attracted more than just birds today. Those flowers that were still in bloom produced nectar that attracted a good number of honey- and bumble bees as well as many Cabbage white butterflies. It was nice to see several Monarchs on their way south which had stopped by for a momentary rest and refueling respite.

Monarch butterfly - Gardens - 10/16/26

Heading out to the Sanctuary grounds….

The 56-acre nature preserve is comprised of meadows on an oxbow floodplain with easily traversed nature trails. More than 150 species of song birds, waterfowl, herons and other marsh birds have been recorded here and the site is considered to be a prime birding venue. As we hiked the trails, we found the wildlife to be a bit on the quiet sidle today. We did hear and see and large flock of Canada geese flying at a considerable height above us as well as Common ravens off in the distance. Blue jays were pretty abundant and this individual monitored our progress along one of the trails for a considerable distance.

Blue Jay - Nyquist Sanctuary - 10/16/26

Red-winged Blackbird couple - Nyquist Sanctuary - 10/16/26

Red-winged Blackbirds were also present in good numbers. In New York in fall, these birds gather in noisy flocks that thicken along marshes and fields as they prepare for migration. Males still flash their namesake red-and-yellow shoulder patches (note the rather blurry image of a male in the background) while the females are more patterned resembling fancy sparrows on steroids. The blackbirds today were perched on cattails, fence posts, and the surrounding trees, their sharp conk-la-ree calls and raspy chatter punctuating the autumn air as they fed on seeds and lingering insects.

One of the prettiest birds of the day was a Carolina wren perched on a broken snag. The bird had obviously just secured a caterpillar for a mid-day meal.

Carolina wren - Nyquist Sanctuary - 10/16/26

And so, while there was nothing out of the ordinary to capture our attention on our walk through the Gardens and Sanctuary, it was a beautiful day to be hiking the trails of this splendid area. With the meadows, the ponds, the Wallkill River, and distant views of the spectacular Shawangunk Ridge, we were reminded once again that we do indeed live in a magical place full of the best that nature has to offer.