The birds of the Cove are the birds of the Atlantic Flyway. They come to the Cove for refuge and food. From late August into November, migrating birds pass through heading south, to be seen again in late April through May, making their way to northern breeding grounds. Some head along the coast while others follow the
Migrating Sandpipers and other shorebirds will stop at the Cove’s beaches, during quiet times, to pick for snails, clams, crabs, insects, and worms. Hawks and other raptors, including a pair of Peregrine falcons who nest on the
Birdwatchers have counted at least 60 species of songbirds at the Cove, some passing through, some here for a season, some living in the region year-round. 
The plants put in by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in 2002-2003, which include many native coastal species, were intentionally chosen to provide highly diversified feeding and nesting habitat for birds (and also to attract pollinators, especially butterflies). In time, with the installation, growth, and stewardship of varied upland and shoreline habitat along the full expanse of Brooklyn Bridge Park, this can be a major stopover for several hundred bird species, as many as Prospect Park.
Some of the migratory songbirds that come up from the south in spring will stay in our region through fall, breeding here. Among the first to arrive and last to leave, Eastern Phoebes may be seen at the Cove searching the rocks for insects, other terrestrial invertebrates, and small fish. The Barn Swallows return to the same nesting spots year after year, including several under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. For food, they snap insects out of the air. The Tree Swallows breed in our region but will need man-made nest boxes to breed near the Cove. Common Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts can be seen in the Park at dawn or dusk. The Nighthawks, which are declining in number, breed on city rooftops, the Chimney Swifts in chimneys.
Of the year-round resident songbirds, the native Song Sparrow frequents the brush among the rocks of the Cove, while others are more likely seen in the trees, shrubs, and grasses. The Northern Cardinal and American Robin, though native to our region, have been breeding in urban areas only in the last 30 years, colonizing from the south and the suburbs. In that same time, the House Finch, Blue Jay, and American Crow have come in from further away, and the native Northern Mockingbird and Mourning Dove have become more populous. Now ever present in North American urban areas, the Rock Dove (Pigeon) was introduced from Europe centuries ago, the European Starling brought in 1890 to New York City, and the House Sparrow first established in 1851, in Brooklyn.
Mallards and Canada Geese, as waterbirds, swim in the Cove throughout the year, joined in winter by the Black Ducks of inland waters and the Brant, geese that live exclusively along coasts. These are all surface feeders, skimming the waters and beaches for aquatic plants, animals, and insects, sometimes venturing onto the lawns of the Park. All year, too, the Gulls ply the skies and scavenge on both land and water. They sometimes drop clam shells from the air. The Black-crowned Night Herons fish at night.
The Peregrine Falcon, the fastest-flying bird, was once on the federal endangered species list and extinct in the Northeast, decimated by the insecticide DDT. Following the ban on DDT in 1973 and intensive re-introduction programs, populations are growing again.
In winter the Cove is visited by sea ducks and bay ducks (together also called diving ducks) that in spring will fly to breeding grounds in the
Red-Breasted Mergansers feeding on fish, the Buffleheads and Long-tailed Ducks on mollusks and crustaceans, the Canvasbacks on small aquatic plants and animals. Some Double-crested Cormorants still fly off in spring with the diving ducks, but others stay around all year, breeding on small unpopulated islands in the
WATER BIRDS AND RAPTORS MOST FREQUENTLY SEEN IN THE PARK
Mallard
Black Duck (most likely seen in winter)
Canada Goose
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Peregrine Falcon
Black-crowned Night heron
American Kestrel
Mute Swan
winter visitors
Gadwall
Bufflehead
Canvasback
Greater Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Brant
Snow Goose
Horned Grebe
Bonaparte’s Gull
passing through in migration
Great Blue Heron (breeds in this region, most likely seen in winter)
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Common Loon
Red-throated Loon
Red-tailed Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Bald Eagle
Osprey (breeds in this region)
Northern Herrier
summer visitors (breed in this region, seen at the Cove in summer and in Migration)
Laughing Gull
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
Least Tern
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Sources: Eric Salzman, Peter Joost, Paul Keim
Cindy Goulder
