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Birds of the Rail Trail: A College Student’s Journey in Discovery
August 19, 2025
By SUNY Student Johnny Moore.
In the Spring of 2024, I conducted a research project for my SUNY New Paltz Ornithology class on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. I’ve enjoyed the trail for years as a runner, bicyclist, and birdwatcher, so it was an easy choice to do my project there. The goal of my study was to examine the diversity of birds that can be found along the trail and how that diversity changes from one habitat to the next.
Along the twenty-two mile trail, I selected ten sites at which to birdwatch. All of my sites were chosen because they represented various kinds of habitats along the trail where all sorts of birds would be found. One was in the Rosendale Trestle/Joppenbergh Mountain area, another was where the trail passes through the Kettleborough Cider House apple orchards, and another was in the center of the Village of New Paltz. I visited all of the sites five times between March and April of 2024.
I was curious how each habitat would vary in terms of what the birds were eating- are insectivorous (insect-eating) birds more abundant in urban areas or in rural areas? Are seed-eaters more diverse in farms or forests? The results I found are complex, so to summarize: insectivorous birds appeared to be less abundant and less diverse in the most human-impacted habitats, while the opposite was true for seed-eaters.
All in all, I counted a total of 72 bird species between all sites and days collecting data. Some of my favorites were Belted kingfishers, Winter wrens, American kestrels, and Louisiana waterthrushes. This project was one of my favorite things I did while in college, and I have the Wallkill Valley Land Trust to thank for providing the means to conduct it!
-Johnny Moore
Enjoy some images Johnny shared with WVLT from his project!
SHARE WITH WVLT: Do you have a favorite bird you have observed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail?
Photo by Johnny Moore. Brown Thrasher observed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, near Forest Glen Town of Gardiner.
Photo by Johnny Moore. Red-winged Blackbird observed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, near Rockwell Lane, Town of Ulster/ City of Kingston.
Photo by Johnny Moore. Barn Swallows observed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, on Denniston Road in the Town of Gardiner.
Photo by Johnny Moore. Barred Owl observed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, near Rockwell Lane in the Town of Ulster.
Photo by Johnny Moore. Eastern Towhee observed on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, by Forest Glen area in the Town of Gardiner.
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