Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge, Long Island

National Wildlife Refuges are among my favorite places in the world, Jeff’s too. He has a winter birthday, so I’m always trying to find fun things to make the day cheery. It was last winter when I discovered that Long Island actually has a few NWR’s, Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge [340 Smith Rd, Shirley, NY 11967] is the closest to our Long Island base.

wertheim_national_wildlife_refuge_4We decided to take a winter walk through beautiful the wetlands and watch the wildlife on his birthday.

wertheim_national_wildlife_refuge_long_island_7It was a really great time. We covered the 5 miles of well marked trails available in the park.

wertheim_national_wildlife_refuge_long_island_4The birding was great from waterfowl to woodpeckers, and Jeff was even treated to his first bald eagle sighting on Long Island!

wertheim_national_wildlife_refugeVery cool. There are woodsy trails, boardwalks, and long gravel roads.

wertheim_national_wildlife_refuge_long_islandThe park is bisected by the Carmans River, one of the longest rivers on Long Island. This summer we revisited the park and loved seeing it in a new season (tip! BRING BUG SPRAY). The parking lot looked a lot different blanketed in wildflowers instead of snow.

wertheim_national_wildlife_refuge_1However, Indian Landing seems beautiful to me in any season at all.

wertheim_national_wildlife_refuge_6I can’t wait to check out the other NWR’s on the island, and I hope they’re just as lovey as Wertheim.

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