Prospect Park natural areas

Prospect Pk W, Flatbush, Parkside, Ocean Aves

Prospect Park is a 585-acre oasis in the middle of urban Brooklyn designed to bring the feeling of the countryside to city dwellers. The designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, incorporated remnant woodlands of the glacial moraine into a 150-acre core natural area, and created an entire water system complete with waterfalls, streams, and a 60-acre lake. Much of this area was restored by the Prospect Park Alliance through a series of capital projects along the watercourse and the in-house efforts of the NYC Parks Natural Resources Group. Today, Prospect Park Alliance natural areas crews manage these sites.

Visitors can explore the site on a series of paved nature trails punctuated with rustic shelters, benches, and overlooks. Today as you walk along the waterways, you can observe turtles, fish, insects, and waterfowl living among the native aquatic plants. Some of the showy blooms you can find along the water include blue flag (Iris versicolor) and arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia). Paths through the woods yield views of some of the oldest and largest trees in Brooklyn: stately tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), oaks (Quercus spp.), and sweet gums (Liquidambar styraciflua). Visitors will also notice evidence of on-going woodland restoration: water bars to slow erosion on slopes, fencing to keep pedestrians out of sensitive areas, and new plantings of native trees and shrubs.

Many species of birds visit Prospect Park, especially during the spring and fall migrations when as many as 100 different species may be spotted in a day. Migranting birds include the scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea), rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea), the American woodcock (Scolopax minor), and the golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), a species of special concern in New York State. There are also many birds that breed in the park, including the wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) and red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). The combination of woodlands, grassland openings, and waterways along the migratory flight path leads to a diverse assemblage of birds, with yearly counts often reaching 200 species.