So, let’s start this off with a bang! My husband and I just visited the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center in Oyster Bay, NY. Keeping in mind that it was late January at the time, and absolutely freezing, what an amazing place!! The Sanctuary runs right up alongside a cemetery with a decent sized parking lot off to the right designated for both, free of charge. Because we visited off season there were no staff on premises,there was however an abundance of information available. There were upcoming events listings, identification boards displaying the different bird species one may run into, information about the sanctuary and photos taken on the grounds.
When you first walk through the gate you are greeted with a beautiful fountain. Due to the cold weather the water had been turned off but that only added to the experience. The top of the fountain had a few inches of water pooled inside which had become a birdbath for a very grateful Black-capped chickadee and Tufted Titmouse. It was as if they had been sent to welcome visitors into the sanctuary, and I must admit, we spent a long time standing there watching the two enjoying their bath.
Once we entered further onto the grounds there was a closed visitor center on our left along back of which was a cluster of setup bird feeders with picnic tables and benches. We could quickly see that this was where the action would be, but decided to continue exploring first before committing to one location. There was a very small frozen pond and a large variety of trees and plants scattered about. opposite the feeders stood a bird blind for visitors to sit inside with their cameras and/or binoculars to spy birds close up without spooking them. The “shed-sized” blind was immaculately kept and had several different viewing spots cut into the walls that looked out at birdhouses, feeders and trees. We continued on to walk the trail that led the length of the sanctuary spotting multiple Downy Woodpeckers along with one Hairy Woodpecker drilling away at the trees in search of lunch.
Finally we took a seat at a picnic table alongside the visitor center. Immediately there was a commotion coming from a bush beside us, a large group of White-Throated Sparrows had come to investigate. We sat as still as possible and watched as one by one they came out to have a look, landing on outstretched branches then to a stack of chopped wood beside us and eventually to the scattered seed on the ground beneath the feeders. Within a short few minutes the feeders were alive with songbirds. First, the always curious Black-capped Chickadees, checking us out just as eagerly as we did them. Soon after moved in a group of White-breasted Nuthatches, and then, not wanting to miss out on the meal, several Tufted Titmice. The environment created at the sanctuary had obviously left the birds in the area comfortable around visitors because pretty soon it was as if we were not even there. More and more tiny birds swooped in to feast at the variety of feeders, venturing closer and closer to us eagerly watching close by. At times it seemed as if they were even posing for us. A few woodpeckers even came to join in on the action.
I have been enthusiastically birding for a couple of years now and have had some incredible moments; spotting a Sandhill Crane flying over a small lake in Setauket, Finding my first Snowy Owl at Jones Beach, the absolute thrill I get every time I get to add a new bird to my life list. This trip will be amongst this short list of my amazing moments in birding. Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary has the ability to transport you to another world where everything else fades away, where nothing else exists and you are granted this magical moment of invisibility to view birds so close you could almost reach out and touch them, and yet, there are no cages or confinements trapping them there. It was an incredible opportunity to view free, wild birds up close, without the need for zoom lenses and binoculars.
I cannot tell you enthusiastically enough how much I recommend taking a trip to Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary! This was my first visit but I already cannot wait to go back! It was cold, quiet and off-season and yet stunningly beautiful and full of life. I can only imagine how different the experience will be when everything is in bloom, the fountain is once again flowing and the warm weather calls the rest of our feathered friends back home!
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