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Birding Sites in the Finger Lakes

CHEMUNG COUNTY

Center at Horseheads Marsh Grasslands

Coordinates: 42.103063°N 76.490760°W

Google Earth View

Habitat: This is strictly grasslands that are mowed regularly. There are no shrubs.

Seasons: Spring and summer are best and may produce savannah sparrows, grasshopper sparrows, bobolinks, meadowlarks, killdeer, horned lark, and other grassland birds. Rarities include black-bellied plover, upland plover, and snowy owl (winter).

Access: There are three points at which you can enter the Center at Horseheads Marsh. If you have just visited the marsh, you have parked on Wygant. Rd. on the west side of the railroad tracks. Drive over the tracks and enter the Center using the driveway on your right. You can also enter from Old Ithaca Rd. or from North Main St. near the Horseheads business district. (Keep in mind that neither Mapquest or Google Maps provides an accurate depiction of the area and that Google Maps is the worst.) Once you enter the Center you will see streets running east-west and north-south. The streets running east-west are A St., B St., C St., D St., and E St. The streets running north-south are 1st Ave., 2nd Ave., 3rd Ave., 4th Ave., and 5th Ave. From whereever you enter, you want to find the intersection of E St. and 5th Ave. There you will find a large grassy field. The other fields run along E St. to the north of that intersection.

Notes: 1. These grasslands are listed by the National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area, yet it hasn't stopped them from being built on. Much building is going on at this site even as this is being written.

2. Birding is probably best done from your vehicle.

Nearby Birding Sites:

Catharine Valley Trail

Horseheads Marsh

Mark Twain State Park

Updated 5 April 2011