Birdwatching

Sherwood Island State Park is a renowned birdwatching destination. It is the #1 eBird Hotspot in Connecticut with over 300 species observed and over 6,000 completed user checklists. No matter what time of day or year, you will routinely see birders around the park with binoculars, scopes, and some very large cameras.

The park is a vital and thriving habitat for migratory and resident species in part because it is the largest undeveloped piece of coastal land between New York City and Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT – a span of almost 100 miles. Sherwood Island State Park also offers a variety of habitats including dunes, forests, meadows, and saltmarsh. A thriving colony for Purple Martins is maintained beside the Nature Center. 

Dr. Richard L. Soffer was a founding member of the Friends of Sherwood Island State Park. When the original nature center was opened, he contributed journals containing 14 years (1994-2007) of his ornithological observations at the park. The collection includes daily narrative diaries as well as charts that detail daily sightings and conditions.

You can download Adobe Acrobat PDFs of his journals below.

Introduction | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007

• eBird Hotspot – Includes a list of birds seen at the park with photos and information.

Photos on this page were provided by Westporter A.J. Hand who has generously donated many of his spectacular wildlife photos to Friends of Sherwood Island State Park over the years.