Floriane Rhumais a Financial Services Executive and consultant residing in Brooklyn, NY. Brooklyn, NY is the most populous of the five boroughs with 2.3 million residents and is the second largest borough in area (81.8 square miles) after Queens. Brooklyn, NY is Located at the southwestern end of Long Island, fronting on New York Bay and the Narrows, Harlem River, and Jamaica Bay. There are three landscaped parklands located at the heart of borough: Prospect Park, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Green-Wood Cemetery. Good bird watching in each of these parks. Other Brooklyn, New York birding opportunities include Jamaica Bay at Floyd Bennett Field and Dead Horse Bay. Floraine Rhumais a big fan of all of these areas. Prospect Park Prospect Park was designed in 1865 by landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. They were granted this commission once they completed Central Park in Manhattan. They designed and created a 526-acre public park, considered to be one of their finest works, with, rugged woodlands, rolling meadows and an artificial system of waterways. The New York City Landmarks Commission granted Prospect Park scenic landmark status in 1980. In 1998, the National Audubon designated it an Important Bird Area in New York State. With more than 200 species cited each year, Prospect Park is Brooklyn bird watching central. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Located to the east of Prospect Park and south of the Brooklyn Museum lies the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The Brooklyn Garden was founded in 1910 as the research arm of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. Covering 52 acres, the garden features specialty gardens as well as the renowned Cherry Esplanade. The New York Metropolitan Flora Project, an ongoing inventory of all the plants in the New York metropolitan area is conducted by The Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a natural habitat for birds given the concentration and diversity of its berry-producing trees. During spring and fall migration, hundreds of birds drop down in the Garden for shelter, food, and water. Green-Wood Cemetery The Green-Wood Cemetery was opened in 1841 as a nonsectarian burial ground. There are over half a million people memorialized here by extraordinary Victorian mausoleums and monuments. Some of the most famous residents include Horace Greeley, Duncan Phyfe, De Witt Clinton, Samuel F. B. Morse, Peter Cooper , Reverend Henry Ward Beecher and WhistlerÂ’s father. Green-Wood Cemetery, 478 acres of rolling hills and ponds landscaped with exotic trees, shrubs and marine vegetation, lies on the highest point in Brooklyn. This final resting place has become a haven for botanists, historians, art lovers, and, of course, birders, particularly during migration. Floyd Bennett Field and Dead Horse Bay Floyd Bennett Field, New York City first municipal airport was built in 1931 on a group of islands at the mouth of Jamaica Ba. Since the grassland areas between runways has to be maintained this inadvertently provided habitat for grassland birds. When Floyd Bennett Field was decommissioned 2001 they stopped the maintenance of the grasslands and natural succession started to occur. The National Park Service and the NYC Audubon started a grassland restoration project in 1985. The once again managed grasslands are spectacular in spring when the wild flowers and grasses create a vivid color palate. Connect me to FacebookConnect me to TwitterConnect me to Linkedin
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