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Community Corner

No. 90: Target Rock Wildlife Refuge

The 80-acre preserve on Lloyd Neck is one of 9 wildlife refuges on Long Island that protect migratory birds along the Atlantic Flyway.

It was just me and the birds, squirrels and chipmunks walking in the woods one recent sunny afternoon, but I could hardly hear myself think with all the rustling, scampering, tweeting and chirping going on. The woods are alive this time of year, and there’s no better way to hear that than a visit to the national wildlife refuge at Target Rock.

The 80-acre preserve at the tip of Lloyd’s Neck offers an easy walk to the beach on wide paths, although the uphill climb on the way back to the parking lot may leave you huffing a bit. It is mostly hardwood, upland forest, with a half-mile of bay beach.

Gardner’s Path is a wide, gentle walk past the former vegetable and cutting garden of Ferdinand and Mary Eberstadt, the family that donated the land to the government under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act in 1967. There’s very little to hint at the glory of the Eberstadt’s former award-winning gardens this time of year since undergrowth is reshaping the woods, but glimpses show through here and there in groupings of flowers and a stand of spruce, and much more is visible when the azaleas, rhododendron and mountain laurel bloom. Eberstadt was a respected financier who helped the military prioritize its supply lists during World War II so industry could meets its needs, and who identified a lack of coordination among intelligence agencies at the end of the war that led to the creation of the National Security Council.

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Hikers also may follow two other paths, Warblers’ Loop (1 mile, about an hour’s walk) and Rocky Beach Trail (3/4-mile), and stop at an elevated viewing platform overlooking the beach. The platform is equipped with a scenic viewfinder that lets you easily see birds perched atop Target Rock or the beach houses across the harbor. Along the way, visitors get glimpses of nearby private homes.

Legend has it the British Navy used the 14-foot high Target Rock for target practice during the War of 1812. Perhaps we should be glad they missed more often than not since the rock still serves as a local landmark. Target Rock is one of the more prominent reminders of the glaciers that reshaped this part of Long Island, giving us the hills and rocky shoreline we enjoy today.

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Near the shore there’s a brackish pond where visitors can observe the action from behind a screened viewing stand. Two beautiful snowy white Great Egrets flew in to feed while I was there, and they settled down when I quietly waited behind the screen, stalking long-legged around the edges of the pond, vigorously snatching up dinner. Several platform nests line the causeway out from Huntington, and platforms also can be seen along the beach.

Birders will see the most activity among warblers in late April and May when migratory birds visit on their way back north, then again in September as they repeat the journey heading south.

Target Rock and the eight other national wildlife refuges on Long Island are located on the Atlantic Flyway, a major bird migration path on the East Coast. These nine refuges are among the more than 530 refuges nationally that comprise the National Wildlife Refuge System, which exists to provide and protect habitats for migratory birds, endangered species and fish.

Visitors to the beach at Target Rock also will likely see hermit crabs, mussels and periwinkles, bank swallows and piping plovers, and kingfishers in the spring and summer. Striped bass attract fishermen and cormorants alike. The downy woodpeckers were busy in the woods the day I visited, pecking at dead trees, adding new holes in line with ones from their previous visits.

Those who want to observe nature in action will find the best viewing is during the early morning and evening hours. The park is open a half-hour before sunrise and a half-hour after sunset. Bring binoculars if you have them since these animals and birds romp in the woods off the beaten path. Sit or stand quietly so the critters become accustomed to your presence and the woods will spring to life around you.

The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is home to a variety of songbirds, mammals, shorebirds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Interpretive markers along the trails explain some of the animals and plants visitors may see.

Parts of the beach may be closed from April to August to protect nesting birds such as bank swallows and piping plovers. Harbor seals also sometimes use the beach and nearby rocks as resting sites, a NWR brochure notes. A trail map and various brochures explaining the refuge system on Long Island are available at a covered kiosk at the trailhead.

Admission to the refuge, 12 Target Rock Road, Huntington, NY, 11743, is $4 per vehicle, $2 per pedestrian or bicycle and is on the honor system – envelopes and a lock box are provided to collect your payment at a stand at the parking lot, where the restrooms also are located.

Visitors also may purchase an annual refuge pass (valid 12 months from the month of purchase) for $12, or a duck stamp (valid July 1 to June 30) for $15.

The federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, which are known as duck stamps, function both as a hunting license and a conservation tool, as well as a collectible. A current year’s duck stamp also serves as an entrance pass for National Wildlife Refuges where admission is normally charged. The stamps raise about $25 million each year for conserving wetlands.

Leaders of groups over 12 may request an entrance fee waiver by filling out a fee waiver form and returning to Ann Bell at Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 360 Smith Road, P.O. Box 21, Shirley, NY, 11967.

For more information, visitors may email longislandrefuges@fws.gov or call 631-286-0485 or visit the refuge's web site.

Stay tuned for No. 89 next week, same time same place, as Huntington Patch explores the places and activities in town.

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