Hamlin Beach State Park

Contributed by: Tom Lathrop and Kurt Fox

Rating

Fall	Winter
Spring	Summer

Site history/background

Hamlin Beach State Park is on Lake Ontario about 25 miles northwest of Rochester. One of the main features of this 1223 acre park is a sand beach which extends for about a half mile along the lake. There are also woods nearby, about 10 miles of hiking trails and a two mile nature trail. The park offers good birding year-round but is especially good in migration as the buffering effect of the lake holds small, northbound landbirds on shore and holds southbound waterfowl just offshore. It is especially good during fall waterfowl migration.

A Hamlin Beach LakeWatch is conducted by Braddock Bay Raptor Research (BBRR). Every fall, the lakewatch counts migrants which pass the bluffs by Parking Lot #4. Weather, directions and numbers are recorded for each species. Much insight has been discovered. Visitors are welcome to come watch daily from mid-September to mid-December.

Read Rising's Commentary on the Lakewatch.

For a comparison of migrating loons in the Finger Lakes, see the Loon watch website .

Best Birding

In fall and winter, Hamlin Beach State Park is best known for migrating waterfowl and gulls. However, passerine birding in the campgrounds is not to be ignored. Jaegers, rare inland, are regularly recorded here every fall. The November loon flight can be spectacular. Winter holds moving waterfowl and winter finches are possible. Spring waterfowl are not as intense as fall but is still worthwhile. The top five counts (some over 2000) of Red-necked Grebe in New York State have been recorded here. Summer is for the recreationists.

Regular Specialties

Fall - Most migrating waterfowl, including all three Scoters (with White-Winged being the most common), both Scaup, Common and Red-throated Loons, Peregrine Falcons, Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Brant, and an occasional Jaeger. Also a variety of shorebirds, including Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings, or perhaps Purple Sandpipers on the stone jetties in November.

Winter - Scaups, Common Goldeneyes, Red-Breasted and Common Mergansers, Buffleheads. Little Gulls or other rare gulls are also a possibility, as are Snowy Owls.

Spring - Red-Throated Loons, Horned and Red-Necked Grebes (closest to shore early in the morning)

Noteworthy Records

Annual: Northern Gannet (immature birds only - five in 1996, 10 in 1998), Black-legged Kittiwake (thirteen in a single day in 1996), Harlequin Duck, Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers (over 200 during the 1996 season), Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Little Gulls, white-winged gulls.

Rarities: Ancient Murrelet, Least Tern (1995), Great Gray Owl (1996), Pacific Loon (1999), Western Grebe (1995), Sooty Tern and Black-capped Petrel (Hurricane Fran birds - 1996), King and Common Eiders, Long-tailed Jaegers (1999), Ross's Gull, Laughing Gull, Sabine's Gull, Franklin's Gull, Ivory Gull (1999), Arctic Tern (1993, 1999), Piping Plover (1996), Cave Swallow (1999), Lark Sparrow, Townsend's Solitaire (2000), Boreal Chickadee, Boreal Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker and many more not listed.

Warnings

In the spring and fall, it can be quite cold in the morning along the beach. Gloves, a hat, scarf, warm socks and boots, plus a winter coat may be needed, even in late spring or early fall.

Doubly so in winter! Winter observers have been known to bring arctic sleeping bags and observe from within those. Really!

During the summer Hamlin Beach is a popular place for the usual beach activities, so serious birding is best early in the morning.

Admission is charged starting at 8:00 AM in summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and on weekends in late spring and early fall. This may be avoided by entering the park earlier than 8:00 AM.

Areas of Interest

The LakeWatch - One of the best places to watch migrating waterfowl in the fall is from a bench in front of a shelter marked "West Bluff - Shelter No. 1" near Parking Lot #4, just west of the restaurant. There is a point here which is the most northerly piece of land along this part of the lakeshore. Rumor has it that North or Northwest winds in October may bring jaegers. However, jaegers (including Long-tailed) have been reported in August, and the 1996 fall season totals were over 200 birds (mostly Parasitic). In October, most species of ducks can be seen flying along the lake, The most numerous species in October are all 3 scoters, both scaup, and Common Loons. One caveat: these birds are usually well off shore. A spotting scope is almost essential for identification, and still will not provide a very satisfying look at the birds. Other specialites in the fall from this location include Peregrine and other falcons (they come straight in off the lake), Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Brant, and an occasional rarity. Later in the fall fairly large numbers of Red-throated Loons are observed from here, heading west.

In late fall, Common Redpolls, Horned Larks, and Snow Buntings are possibilities on or around the beach near Shelter No. 1.

In spring and late summer, the West Bluff area can be good for shorebirds and terns.

In the winter, the road to Parking Lot #4 is blocked off and not plowed. It is still possible to reach that location by walking down the road or along the beach. Warm clothes and good boots are recommended. (Cross-country skis would be another possibility, but carrying a scope might be tricky.) The campgrounds, if not in use, are good for anything that find trees comforting - such as the winter finches.

"Mike's Ditch" Parking Lot 4 has three entrances (or one entrance and two exits). Between the parking lot and the main access road is a narrow strip of ditch with a mix of phragmites, phalaris, sedges, and cattails - an ideal microhabitat for a number of species. In fall, the small ditches provide microhabitats that are easily combed for rare sparrows, such as Nelson's Sharp-Tailed Sparrow.

If one is to find a needle in a haystack, it is better to search a small haystack. Nobody knows this better than Mike Davids. For those who frequent Hamlin Beach State Park, they know that Mike Davids is a regular. He often leaves the lakewatching to look for dickey birds. One of his regular checks is this ditch paralleling parking lot number 4. He has found Lark, Nelson's ST and Leconte's (2001) Sparrows there in years past.

The Campground Note: Campers have paid for their lots. Privacy is expected.
South of Parking Lot #4, across the median, is a good place in late fall, winter and early spring to find migrants and wintering birds. Plenty of undergrowth, native berries and cones exist. In the fall, this area can be a good place to observe migrating passerines, especially sparrows. In a good year, birds like Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, both crossbills, and Pine Siskin can be seen here. Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker and Townsend's Solitaire (2000) have been recorded here on more than one occasion, although not to be expected.

Area Near Parking Lot #1 - The lake near Parking Lot #1 is a good place in fall and winter to find waterfowl in the water. In the fall, this area can be a good place to observe migrating passerines. In a good year, birds like Bohemian Waxwing, Pine Grosbeak, and Pine Siskin can be seen here. In late fall, the rock jetties should be checked for Purple Sandpipers.

Yanty Creek Nature Trail - This is a trail which goes through a nice mix of habitat. It is maintained by the Hamlin Lions Club. It is particularly good for warblers and other migrants in spring and fall. The habitat includes fairly young deciduous woods, brushy areas, and there are two platforms built by the Lions Club which overlook a cattail marsh. The trailhead is near the lake several hundred yards east of Parking Lot #1.

Nearby Birding

Surrounding Areas The areas around Hamlin Beach State Park are fairly flat rural farming areas, with quite a few orchards west of the park. This area has typical grassland birds: Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrows, etc. in the summer. The orchard areas west of the park may attract nesting Orchard Orioles. Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Northern Shrikes, Rough-legged Hawks, and perhaps Short-Eared Owl and Snowy Owls can be found in this region in the winter, and Northern Harriers for most of the year.

ShoreAcre Ponds On the way out to Hamlin Beach State Park, get off the Parkway at the NYS Route 266 exit. Turn right and head towards the lake and take the first right. This was formerly (before the Parkway split the ponds) an excellent spot for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. Small numbers of each can still be found here. In recent years, Eurasian Wigeon, Red and Red-necked Phalarope have been spotted here.

West Lakeshore

Troutburg Get off the Parkway at the NYS Route 272 exit. Turn right off the ramp and head to the lake. For those who make it to Hamlin Beach State Park a little too late, the fee can be skirted by going here instead. The view may not be as commanding, but the birds passing by will be the same. This is a good spot for diving ducks which may summer in the area. Western NY's largest Bank Swallow colony can be seen just to the east of here. Western Grebe has been spotted here on a rare occasion.

Lakeshore Road

Point Breeze Get off the Parkway at the Lakeshore Road exit. Turn right off the ramp and head towards the lake. The orchards along this road have been home to Orchard Orioles anywhere between here and the town of Point Breeze during summer.

The pier at Point Breeze has been the site for Purple Sandpiper (November and early December) and Snowy Owl (winter) in past years. Waterfowl and gulls regularly pass by in migration and is much the same as Hamlin Beach State Park, except there is more boat traffic and fishermen.

NYS Route 18 Get off the Parkway at the Lakeshore Road exit. Turn left off the ramp and head south. You will soon reach NYS Route 18. The area along NYS Route 18 to the west for several miles have been the prime site for Buff-Breasted Sandpipers in the recent past. Look for plowed land that has been disc'd flat with no furrows (actually, nothing larger than a golf ball). Check for Buff-Breasted Sandpipers in the last week in August and the first week in September.

Norway Road

Lakeside Beach is a state park at the west end of the parkway. It offers 4 miles of hiking trails, a beach and a view of Lake Ontario. General information about the park can be had at (716) 682-4888.

Directions

Located on the Delorme NYS Atlas and Gazetteer on page 71, block B5.

A map that accompanies the following directions is located here (17KB).

The park can be easily reached from Rochester by taking Interstate 390 north to the end, then taking the Lake Ontario State Parkway west to the Hamlin Beach State Park exit.

Facilities

There are restrooms at Hamlin Beach State Park at both Parking Lot #1 and #4. The restrooms at Parking Lot #1 are heated and open throughout the winter.

There is a restaurant near Parking Lot #4 that is open in the summer and on weekends in the late spring and early fall. It can be a good place to warm up with a cup of coffee on a cold morning.

There is a tent and trailer camping area with electrical hookups at the park. The phone number for information is (716) 964-2462

State Resources Online

The descriptions/maps to the Hamlin Beach State Park is sponsored by NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation .

This page was last updated on 27 Nov 2001.