Birds of Inwood

The West Point Foundry Preserve in Cold Spring, NY, was quiet when I arrived there on Tuesday morning. Stepping off the train, the background noises disappeared, something a New Yorker would notice. As soon as I began my walk along the forested trail, I heard crows loudly calling overhead in the trees. I heard herons vocalizing in the Foundry Marsh. I saw a hawk of some sort over the Hudson River and a Red-winged Blackbird swinging on a tall marsh reed. An American Robin splashed in a cool stream.

After walking a while along the well-maintained trail between the marsh and forest, I heard and then saw a Pileated Woodpecker pecking on a tall tree. A loud and boisterous bird, the Pileated Woodpecker also happens to be the largest woodpecker in North America. I was easily able to spot its flaming red crest.

After seeing a Pileated Woodpecker, I could already call my day trip a complete success. Yet, many more birds would appear. Within the next two hours, I saw the following, in no particular order:

Warblers tend to favor the highest spots. Climb the stairs to the Kemble Bluff Overlook to enhance warbler sightings and to take in the greater landscape. I saved the spot for last, and the Pileated Woodpecker followed me there.

The West Point Foundry Preserve in Cold Spring, an easy day trip from Inwood via Metro-North at the Marble Hill station, is a testament to nature’s resilience. During the American Civil War, the Union Army manufactured its heaviest cannons there. The forest-marsh ecosystem was again ravaged in the twentieth century by metal waste from a battery plant. In 1983, Foundry Cove and the adjacent Constitution Marsh were included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s priority list. The initial cleanup of the area took over a decade.  

Scenic Hudson acquired the land in 1996 to manage the remaining archaeological sites in the 90-acre preserve. Hiking trails and interpretive features encourage visitors to explore the important remains of the nation’s early industrialization.  

West Point Foundry Preserve feels a little haunted, a bounteously beautiful natural landscape healing from old wounds. The interpretive signs, especially the historical photographs, depict sites of wartime industry and imply hard labor conditions. The Parrott rifle cannons manufactured here are often credited for helping the Union Army win the war. The cannons were test-fired across the river to targets on Crow’s Nest Mountain. President Abraham Lincoln visited the site in 1862 and watched a test-firing in operation. Now, with the renewal of the natural ecosystem, the preserve tells a new story in bird song.

When I was getting ready to board the train home to Inwood, I saw a gathering of gulls and cormorants in the middle of the Hudson River. They were perched on a tiny rocky island, gathered as an avian troop under the banner of the American flag. 

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Cover:  Scarlet Tanager (nonbreeding male). West Point Foundry Preserve. Cold Spring, NY. September 16, 2025. 11:22 a.m.

Additional photos from the West Point Foundry Preserve visit on September 16 may be found here on a new page. After seeing so many birds in Cold Spring, I am making plans for another visit soon. With fall migration underway, trips upriver also hold the possibility of seeing some of the birds that may arrive in Inwood a few days in advance. Call it “a sneak preview” of coming attractions. I should be able to bring back a fall foliage report.

Speaking of haunted, the Fort Cockhill site in the northern heights of Inwood Hill Park was once a fort for the Continental Army during the battle for American independence. Artillery, including a howitzer, was involved. I’ll save that story for later.

Sightings in Sherman Creek Park

Sherman Creek Park here in Inwood is another site where conservation efforts have restored natural habitats. On Wednesday morning, I saw a continuing Killdeer and Semipalmated Plover. I was treated to a glimpse of a Belted Kingfisher on the opposite shore. See September 2025 Sightings page.

Additional Resources:

• Scenic Hudson: West Point Foundry Preserve (organization’s website with guides and map)

• See a related post, Big Landscape, Little Ducks: A Winter Day Trip to Cold Spring, New York, on Birds of Inwood from February 2025.

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