Pugsley Creek natural area

White Plains Rd., Stephens Ave., Westchester Creek bet. Randall Ave., Lacombe Ave. and Cornell Ave.

The 79-acre Pugsley Creek Park and its neighboring park, Castle Hill Park, are largely natural area parks. In 2012, NYC Parks completed a restoration project to expand breeding and foraging habitat for birds and other wildlife, improve water quality by restoring the salt marsh at the mouth of the creek on the east side of of the Park. In 2021, an additional two acres of salt marsh was constructed on the opposite side of the creek, where historic fill was excavated, clean sand was placed and native salt marsh and coastal plants were installed.

The walking path along the eastern salt marsh connects to a wide multi-use path that allows visitors to pass through maritime forest around the permimeter of the Park. At the upstream end of Pugsley Creek a boardwalk provides views out over the mouth of the creek across the East River to La Guardia Airport or east to the Whitestone Bridge. Be on the lookout for various diving and wading birds such as buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), mergansers (Mergus spp.), ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis), and greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca). You may also hear songbirds such as the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), Swainson’s thrush (Catharus ustulatus), and northern parula (Setophaga americana).

The parkland surrounding the salt marsh and maritime forest area encompasses meadow and scrub-shrub habitats, where you can find low-lying groundsel trees (Baccharis halimifolia), seaside goldenrods (Solidago sempervirens), and wild carrots (Daucus carota).