Get in touch with New York City’s wild side with a nature walk

A patch of blue peeked through a phalanx of giant tulip trees, and I asked Sunny Corrao, a New York Urban Park Ranger, what it was. 'It's the Hudson,' she responded as we walked through the woods occasionally snacking on wild black raspberries and avoiding poison ivy. Eventually we reached a long timbered ridge.

'Bet you can't guess what it is,' she asked.

I had no clue, so Corrao explained that generations of Native Americans shucked oysters and tossed the shells on a pile that nature eventually covered with topsoil and trees, including the native tulips.

Shortly after saying goodbye to Corrao, I emerged from the subway into a cacophony of people scurrying down a sidewalk through an urban canyon. It was a world apart from the peaceful forest, but both were on Manhattan Island. That a forest can exist amid the 8.5 million people who call New York City home is amazing but forests, marshes, ponds, ocean beaches and islands are sprinkled about and enhance the quality of life for residents and offer visitors fascinating nature outings.

Manhattan is the best known of New York's five boroughs. About 1.6 million people live on its 23 square miles — about a third the size of Cedar Rapids. Manhattan's 71,672 people per square mile compares with 1,784 per square mile in the City of Five Seasons. It's crowded.

Fortunately, as New York grew explosively in the 1800s, forward thinking people recognized the need to protect open space.

Today's it's hard to imagine Manhattan without Central Park, but it's far from the only, or even the largest park. Both Central Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn were planned by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead and feature, among other amenities, a blend of woods, athletic fields, lakes, walkways, meadows, zoos and vendors.

At 1,146 acres, Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx dwarfs Central Park's 843 acres and Prospect's 526 acres. About 5,000 smaller parks sprinkle the city, and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens is part of Gateway National Recreation Area. It has 9,000 acres of open bay, salt marsh, mudflats, ponds, upland fields and woodlands. Wildlife ranging from coyotes and wood warblers to seals and ocean birds calls New York City home.

Iowans visiting the Big Apple often stay in Midtown hotels and enjoy such iconic tourist destinations as Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building. Museums, theater, sports, or a dizzying array of other entertainment options are usually on their itinerary. Too few visitors realize they can spot rare birds, view slumbering seals, walk an ocean beach and hike through wetlands and forests during a visit to New York City. Natural areas add opportunity for those who enjoy the outdoors. For example, while an art fan might wander the Museum of Modern Art, his or her partner can ride an Audubon boat out into the harbor to view seals and seabirds or watch birds in Central Park.

New York can be roasting hot in midsummer and frigid in winter. Walking is almost mandatory between subway and bus stops so I bring a small backpack loaded with snacks, a raincoat, mini binoculars, a cellphone with navigation app and a water bottle.

When Henry Hudson sailed the Half Moon up the river that eventually bore his name, he witnessed one of the richest diversities of life on the planet. Striped bass, shad, oysters and crabs swarmed in the water, while birds winged overhead and reptiles, insects and mammals stalked woodlands. Four centuries later, despite massive urbanization, many of the natural wonders remain.

I grew up within sight of Manhattan's skyline in New Jersey and continue to trek there a few times a year to visit relatives. Whenever I'm in the Big Apple I seek a new place to explore and am never disappointed. Last summer I hopped on the A Train at Midtown's Penn Station and exited at the 207th Street stop near Cloisters Museum. It was only a short walk to Inwood Hill Park where I met Corrao and explored the wild forest and midden.

Getting around in Manhattan is relatively easy. I prefer the usually fast and inexpensive subway. A brochure called the 'NYC Audubon Map and Guide to Birding by Subway' helps me find new natural areas that are easy to reach. Many are along the legendary A Train, a subway that extends from the northern tip of Manhattan to Gateway National Recreation Area on the east edge of Queens. It crosses three boroughs and is easy to access from the Port Authority, Penn Station and many hotels.

Perhaps the world's best known urban park is Central, aptly named for being smack dab in the middle of Manhattan. I sometimes exit the A Train at 59th Street near Columbus Circle at the southwest corner of the Central Park. From there a leisurely walk on park sidewalks takes me north to Strawberry Fields, where I salute John Lennon, and continue north beyond Hernshead Lake. This part of the park is called The Ramble and features huge trees that attract thousands of migrating songbirds. Late April and early May are prime birding times.

A few years ago a hawk called Pale Male lived in the heart of the city and grabbed headlines. Raptors are actually common in New York City and a pair of bald eagles may nest along the Hudson River this year. Coyotes and foxes are sometimes spotted and opossums and raccoons are common.

Although the New York City has thousands of cafes, restaurants and taverns, few allow noncustomers access to their restrooms. Finding a toilet can be challenging, so I never lose an opportunity to use the rest room when I buy a meal or coffee.

The A Train continues south from 59th Street and makes almost a 90 degree easterly turn just before ducking under the East River and continuing across Brooklyn to Queens. Then it turns south near John F. Kennedy International Airport and crosses Jamaica Bay. It finally ends at Far Rockaway by the ocean.

'This is the only subway in the world that takes a rider to a national park visitor center,' said Tod Winston, communications manager for New York City Audubon. The visitor center is part of Gateway National Recreation Area, which hugs both the New York and New Jersey sides of the massive harbor. A short walk from the subway stop is the open Atlantic Ocean where seabirds skim over incoming combers.

'Slightly inland from the ocean Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge's fresh and salt water marshes attract a wide diversity of birds,' continued Winston said.

New York City Audubon is a chapter of the National Audubon Society and is an outstanding resource for visitors. It publishes the subway birding guide and offers year-round public events centered on natural areas. All are led by trained naturalists.

One of the more popular events is a boat trip that leaves from the South Street Seaport every Sunday afternoon in winter. It brings people close to seabirds and seals resting on rocks poking above the water. Other public activities are frequently held scattered about the city. For a list, check www.nycaudubon.org.

'We have another service for nature loving visitors. Several of our staff and volunteers are available as private guides on nature outings,' said Darren Klein, York City Audubon program manager. He will arrange a private guide to lead an individual or group of up to 19 people on a nature outing. The most common requests are for birding in Central Park. The fee is $200 per hour for any number of participants up to 19 and typical trips last about an hour and a half. To make a reservation, call Klein at (212) 691-7483 Ext. 304.

Many people would be surprised that 13 nature and environmental centers are scattered about New York City. Three are in Manhattan. They are the home base of the New York Urban Park Rangers, a corps of naturalists who, like Sunny Corrao, help residents and visitors find and enjoy the natural treasures of the city. The New York Park Department holds many scheduled activities and will plan custom adventures for visiting groups. For information, contact www.nycgovparks.org/programs. Its quarterly online publication, 'Outdoors in New York,' lists many programs and information on natural New York.

New York is probably the best American city to visit for a vast diversity of cultural opportunities, history, sports, food and so much more. It's also a prime place to enjoy nature.

Tips for enjoying New York City

First time visitors to New York City can be intimidated by its size, energy, crowds, and sprawling immensity. Fortunately, getting around is relatively easy and inexpensive. Here are a few tips for enjoying a visit:

• Bring comfortable clothes and broken in walking shoes. Walking is essential. Rain is common and winter can be slushy. Tuck a raincoat, snack, and bottle of drinking water into a backpack or purse. I always bring my pair of Alpen mini binoculars for wildlife viewing.

• Use the rest room whenever one is available. Public toilets are scarce and cafes and coffee shops restrict use to customers.

• Bring cash in small bills. Tipping service people is often expected.

• Scan city maps before arriving to familiarize yourself with city geography. Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx have streets that go every which way. Fortunately, Manhattan is easy to navigate. Except for the southern tip of the island, streets run east/west while avenues extend north/south. Street numbers increase to the north. Well known Midtown features hotels, shopping, and entertainment and centers on Times Square at 42nd St. North/south blocks are about one-third the length of east/west blocks. A smart phone with a navigation app can be useful.

• Take public transit into Manhattan. Tolls for driving are expensive, parking fees are astronomical, and traffic is so heavy that walking is often faster and almost always more efficient.

• Taxis, Uber, busses, and subways are common ways of getting around. The subway is generally fast and inexpensive. Subway maps can be viewed online or at stops (where you get on and off) scattered about the City. A single subway or bus ride costs $2.75 and a weekly unlimited pass is $31. Other packages and discounts are available.

• Keep your eyes open. Like many big cities New York has a reputation for being crime ridden, but tourist areas are generally safe. Locals advise visitors to keep their eyes open. Common hazards include vehicles weaving through throngs of pedestrians and walkers tripping off curbs because they are watching their phones.

• Enjoy the city. It has energy unmatched anywhere else. There is no other place that offers such diversity of food, entertainment, and nature. Select a few choice spots to visit rather