Illustration
State guide
When to catch New York'snatural highlights
When is the best time to see nature in New York?
The peaks we can name in New York each belong to a place, not the whole state. Warblers at Montezuma: mid-May; Waterfowl at Montezuma: mid-November.
Each card below gives the source's own words and where they apply.
Checked Sep 30. Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montezuma NWR: Species (Seasons of Wildlife) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
The peaks through the year
Named places, in their sources' words; not statewide dates
- Warblers at Montezuma
mid-May
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
“Warblers peak mid-May.”
- Waterfowl at Montezuma
mid-November
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge: tens of thousands of birds
“Mid-November, waterfowl numbers peak to the tens of thousands!”
On one calendar
Approximate months; the cards above give the timing
- Warblers at MontezumaUsual peak: mid-May
- Waterfowl at MontezumaMost numerous: mid-November
Solid: a usual peak, the best viewing time or when animals are most numerous. Hatched: a broader season, never a peak.
Pick a part of New York
19 places we follow
Adirondacks and the North Country
- Lake PlacidFall foliage
- Lake GeorgeFall foliage
- Saratoga SpringsFall foliage
Catskills and Hudson Valley
- North-South LakeFall foliage
- Western CatskillsFall foliage
- Vanderbilt MansionFall foliage
- Upper Delaware (New York side)Fall foliage
Finger Lakes and Central New York
- Finger Lakes National ForestFall foliage
- IthacaFall foliage
- Montezuma RefugeSpring migration · Winter wildlife
Western New York
- Letchworth State ParkFall foliage
- Allegany State ParkFall foliage
- Iroquois RefugeFall foliage
- Niagara FallsFall foliage
New York City
- New York CityFall foliage
- Brooklyn Botanic GardenCherry blossoms
New York on one map
Every place we follow here; tap one for its events
Browse by season and event
- Cherry blossoms · 1 place hereEverywhere →
- Fall foliage · 14 places hereIn New York →Everywhere →
- Spring migration · 1 place hereIn New York →Everywhere →
- Wildlife by season · 3 places hereIn New York →Everywhere →
- Winter wildlife · 3 places hereIn New York →Everywhere →
Park guides and towns to stay in
Towns: straight-line distances on their own pages
New York in pictures
Illustrative photos, not current conditions
How we know
Every timing above, from these pages
- Sep 28Park ServiceSeasons of wildlife: spring geese and ducks, shorebirds early May to mid-June, warblers peak mid-May at Esker Brook, fall shorebirds and waterfowlSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montezuma NWR: Species (Seasons of Wildlife) in a new tab)