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Wildife & Habitat

Scroll down the page or click on the links below for information about our wildlife and habitat.

Birds   Mammals   Fish   Reptiles&Amphibians

Wetlands   Forests   Shrublands   Grasslands

Birds

Western New York lies along the Atlantic Flyway, a major north/south route traveled by migrating birds between their nesting and wintering grounds. Two hundred and sixty six species of birds have been recorded on Iroquois. Sixty species are considered year-round residents.

Of the tens of thousands of Canada geese winging their way northward each year, only about two hundred pairs nest on the refuge. For most Iroquois is a stopover point on the way to their nesting grounds in Canada. Twenty species of ducks also use the refuge use the refuge throughout the year. Waterfowl migration peaks in the spring from mid-March through early April. Fall migration peaks, generally from mid-September through early October.

 

Shorebird migration peaks are in May and again in July and August with yellowlegs, dowitchers, sandpipers, killdeer, American woodcock and snipe being common species.

Twenty-one species of birds of prey either nest on or migrate through the refuge. Red-tailed hawks and American kestrel are the most common. Over the years, two pair of bald eagles and a pair of osprey have established nest sites on the refuge. Occasionally immature eagles are also seen. Eagles stay on or near the refuge for most of the year, leaving only to find open water in winter or in times of drought. Osprey migrate out in the fall. To view images from the live kestrel cam click on the link below.

Kestrel cam (New York Wild.org).

Bird List 1.02 MB pdf

A bird list is also available at the refuge visitor contact station or by mail.

Bald eagles have been nesting on the refuge since 1986. The first pair were 2 of 42 eaglets that were relocated (hacked) from Alaska in an attempt to restore bald eagles in New York State. A second eagle nest was established in 2001. For a history of eagle activity on the refuge click here. 42 KB pdf

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Mammals

The diversity of refuge wetland and upland habitats support most of the resident mammals common to western New York, with 42 species recorded for the refuge. The most conspicuous species include white-tailed deer, muskrat, red fox, eastern cottontail, and gray squirrel. Infrequent sightings of coyote and river otter have been reported.

Mammal list 1.62 MB pdf

A mammal list is also available at the refuge visitor contact station or by mail.

You will need Adobe Reader software to open the pdf documents above. If you do not have this software, you may obtain it free of charge by following the link above.

Fish

Warm water fish species including northern pike, bass, black crappie, bullhead, carp, sunfish and yellow perch reside in the pools and Oak Orchard Creek. Freshwater clams and mussels are also found here.

Reptiles/Amphibians

The most familiar reptiles on the refuge are the midland painted turtle and snapping turtle.

During sunny days painted turtles perch on logs in the marsh to bask in the sun. Snapping turtles are often seen searching for a place to lay their eggs along roadsides or on dikes.

Snakes including Eastern garter snake and Northern water snakes may show themselves on sunny days. Less common sightings include Northern brown snake, Northern redbelly, smooth green snake, black rat snake and Eastern milk snake-- none of which are poisonous.

Amphibians include frogs, toads and salamanders. As the temperatures rise in spring, Northern spring peeper, Western chorus frog, Northern leopard frog, Northern gray tree frog, green frog, and Eastern American toad make their presence known through a chorus of songs as they try to attract mates. Salamanders including blue-spotted and Jefferson salamanders are rarely seen, only coming out in the evenings from their protective cover of leaves to hunt for insects along the forest floor.

Habitat

The relatively flat terrain of Iroquois NWR encompasses wetlands, upland forests, shrublands and grasslands. Wetlands are the dominant habitat type on the refuge.

Wetlands

Wetlands include Emergent Marsh, Shrub-Scrub Wetlands and Forested Wetlands (bottomland hardwood swamp)

Emergent Marsh:

This habitat is characterized by shallow water, approximately 5-6 feet deep, with waterloving plants emerging through the surface of the water. The refuge has 15 freshwater impoundments that encompass nearly 4,000 acres, over one third of the refuge. Mohawk and Oneida pools on the west side of the refuge are emergent marshes on the floodplain of Oak Orchard Creek. These impoundments (pools) were developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s by constructing dikes between existing hummocks of land. Cayuga and Seneca pools, located in the same area, as well as the remaining impoundments are primarily fed from run-off after rain or snow melt. The type of plants most likely seen here are cattail and bur-reed. The open water portions of the impoundment support pondweeds, coontail, bladderwort and Eurasian watermilfoil. Emergent marsh is important for the survival of waterfowl as well as shorebirds, terns (including Black Terns) Bald Eagles, rails and bitterns as well as muskrat, mink and amphibians..

Shrub-Scrub Wetlands:

Shrub-Scrub wetlands are transition zones between marsh and forested wetlands. They provide a mid layer of habitat providing nesting space, shelter and a food source for many birds and mammals. Plants common in shrub and scrub wetlands include buttonbush and water willow among others. Shrub-scrub wetlands attract red-winged blackbird, the marsh wren, and the common yellowthroat, as well as wood duck, wood frog, and American woodcock.

Forested Wetlands:

The refuge has 3,401 acres of forested wetlands (bottomland hardwoods) most of which is second growth with mature trees 75+ years old. About 1,000 of these acres are contained in Seneca Pool which is a red maple/green ash swamp. This pool provides a large contiguous tract of forested wetland habitat for species such as wood ducks and cerulean warblers. The rest of the bottomland hardwood swamp acres are along Oak Orchard Creek. Tree species which dominate the habitat includes silver maple with some red ash, swamp white oak, and slippery elm. Plants common along creek edges include buttonbush and water willow, accompanied by red osier dogwood, white dogwood, swamp rose, purple nightshade, watercress, water hemlock, swamp milkweed, lizards tail, cardinal flower, broad-fruited bur reed, forget-me-nots, among others. A dense understory of sensitive fern, borders the creek channel with broad-leaved cattail growing in marshy areas at the bends in the creek. Forested wetlands support wood ducks, cerulean warblers and other warblers, Baltimore oriole, rusty blackbird, northern flicker, bats, river otter and beaver.

Between the marsh and drier upland forests and grasslands are transition zones where the dominant species include willow, dogwoods, northern arrowwood, staghorn sumac, exotic bush honeysuckles, and speckled alder. These moist soil areas are characterized by soil that is kept moist most of the year but lacks enough standing water to make it a marsh.

The most active places for viewing wildlife is where two habitat types meet. These "edges" attract many different wildlife species because of the variety of food, cover and other habitat requirements arranged close together.

Uplands

Forests

Sugar maple, American beech, and white ash dominate the 1,738 acres of upland forest. Much of the forest on the refuge is in second growth. Forests are home to many mammals, including red and grey squirrels, chipmonks, raccoon, and the largest being white-tailed deer. This habitat also attracts hundreds of species of songbirds. Large tracks of forests are critical for species of concern such as American woodcock, cerulean warbler, black-billed cuckoo and wood thrush.

 

 

Shrublands

Approximately 60% of the upland habitat on the refuge is maintained as shrubland or grassland.

Shrublands provide a mid layer of habitat providing nesting space, shelter and a food source for many birds and mammals. Species of concern supported by shrublands include field sparrow, blue-winged warbler, and golden-winged warbler.

 

Grasslands

Refuge grasslands are a mix of managed warm and cool season fields and unmanaged forb dominated fields ranging in size from one to 250 acres. Switchgrass, smooth brome, and goldenrod dominate the grasslands. Grasslands are currently managed to control invasive species and to maintain nesting habitat for waterfowl and other birds such as wild turkey, upland sandpiper, Eastern meadowlark, horned lark and sedge wren some of which nest on the refuge. Species in need of conservation which utilize these grasslands include bobolink, Grasshopper sparrow and Henslow's sparrow. Foxes, meadow voles, white-tailed deer and cottontail rabbits can also be found here.

Images by USFWS unless otherwise noted.

"Painted Turtle" Photo credit: Douglas Domedion ©

"Bald Eaglets", Photo credit: Peter Nye, NY DEC

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