Wildlife Viewing

The Watch Hill Nature Trail takes you through a variety of barrier island habitats, including the salt marsh where you may see many birds.

Fire Island National Seashore offers opportunities to catch glimpses of barrier island wildlife in its natural environment.

How exciting it is to spot a shy fox on the dunes as you hike through the Fire Island Wilderness!

Or to spy a seal on the beach as it suns itself on a cold winter day.

Strolling along the nature trail at Watch Hill or in the Sunken Forest, you can almost always see some of the park's bird life.

 

Don't be fooled by the seemingly tame deer expecting a hand-out. Feeding deer is not good for them, and it exposes you and others to the ticks they host.

When the park was established in 1964, the sight of a white-tailed deer was worthy of recording. Today, their numbers have soared so that at some locations—especially in some of the Fire Island communities and near the parking lots at each end of the island—deer are now viewed as a nuisance by many people. They have certainly become controversial issues due to their association with other forms of wildlife you may prefer NOT to see.

Deer are potential carriers of ticks that can transmit Lyme disease to people. You should never feed the deer or try to touch any wild animal. Always enjoy them from a distance.

 

Always enjoy viewing wildlife from a safe distance.

Should you find what appears to be an abandoned baby deer or other small animal, please leave it alone where you found it. Its mother is probably hiding nearby.