Braddock Bay, sometimes improperly referred to as Braddock's Bay, is a small bay of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

located in Monroe County northwest of Rochester, New York in the United States. Braddock Bay is renowned for being an excellent bird-watching location, as raptors and other birds congregate there when migrating north in spring.

History

The bay's name is derived from a "barbarous mispronunciation" of its original name, Prideaux Bay, which referred to British General John Prideaux. The name was first given after Prideaux and his force of 3,200 soldiers encamped at the bay in 1759, on their way to the Battle of Fort Niagara during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, where Prideaux would be killed. Initial mispronunciation of the bay's name led to some confusion with British General

Edward Braddock Edward Braddock (January 1695 – 13 July 1755) was a British officer and commander-in-chief for the Thirteen Colonies during the start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of what is known in Europe and Canada as ...

, resulting in the bay's current name. Braddock Bay Marina was home to United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 45 from its creation in November 1974 until its dissolution at the end of 2011.

Land management

Much of the land in this complex of marshland and small bays is managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as the Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area. The WMA was created in 1982 after the

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation and h ...

(NYSOPRHP) transferred all but approximately of the former Braddock Bay State Park (established in 1956) to the NYSDEC. The remaining parcels were leased to the Town of Greece in 1981. As of 2014, the NYSOPRHP retains ownership of on the bay. Much of this property is maintained by the Town of Greece as Braddock Bay Park, which is located on the east side of the open bay and includes a hawk-watching station.

Birdwatching

The Braddock Bay Raptor Research center sponsors banding of both owls and

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

s, whose numbers peak in late March and early April. The Braddock Bay complex also includes: * Owl Woods (Pear Orchard) – banding station * The Spits (East & West) * The Bay * Cranberry, Long and Buck Ponds * Beatty Point: a portion of the Braddock's Bay that has extensive grassy fields, a haven for the numerous grassland bird species (nests can easily be crushed when wandering off-trail in spring). * Hogan Point and Hincher Road * Northrup Creek * Salmon Creek * Island Cottage Woods * Rose Marsh Birds to look for include: * Spring:

eastern kingbird The eastern kingbird (''Tyrannus tyrannus'') is a large tyrant flycatcher native to the Americas. The bird is predominantly dark gray with white underbelly and pointed wings. Eastern kingbirds are conspicuous and are commonly found in open areas ...

indigo bunting The indigo bunting (''Passerina cyanea'') is a small seed-eating bird in the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. It is bird migration, migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to ...

, bobolink, Savannah sparrow and

northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost United States, USA. The northern ...

, small groups of ducks, robins, swans and Nelson's sparrow. * Summer: black terns, Caspian,

common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

and Forster's terns during migration periods, red-winged blackbirds, swans,

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

s, and sedge wren occasionally * Fall: red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, swans, great blue herons, and turkey vultures * Winter: chickadees

References

External links

Braddock Bay Raptor ResearchTown of Greece: Braddock Bay Park
{{authority control Bays of New York (state) State parks of New York (state) Parks in Monroe County, New York Bodies of water of Monroe County, New York Bays of Lake Ontario