Tourists aren't the only ones flocking to the world's borough. Recently, a pair of bald eagles has been spotted soaring over Queens. NY1's Clodagh McGowan filed the following report.
Even in the heart of the urban jungle, birds can find a little piece of paradise.
If you take a walk through Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, you can find a variety of species. But a pair of bald eagles are definitely getting a lot of attention.
"This year, we finally confirmed that we have two adults again," said Jeffrey Kollbrunner, a local wildlife and nature photographer. "It looks like they are a pair or trying to become a pair, which is exciting for our area."
Kollbrunner has two decades of experience documenting birds in Queens. He has spotted immature bald eagles in the area over the past seven years but says the mature eagles have been sighted more recently, in the past two years.
"Having these birds of prey are phenomenal for the region, and you know, people can enjoy them from a distance," Kollbrunner said.
That's exactly what we did. We spotted one of the eagles sitting on ice in the lake. Twenty minutes later, he had company.
Kollbrunner says the state's conservancy efforts have proven successful.
"The bald eagles have had a great recovery over the last 30 years, when we went from one breeding pair in New York State in the early '70s to now, there are probably over 170-plus breeding pairs in New York State," Kollbrunner said.
Kolbrunner says it’s not clear if the pair of eagles have a nest in the area because they can easily fly 50-plus miles a day. The birds need a lot of space. Their nests can be six feet in diameter.
"We don't have a tremendous amount of tall trees in this area, but they do have some that would be a potential spot where they would consider it," he said. "I'm not a bald eagle, but it looks good to me."
While the eagles might not be looking for real estate in Queens, Kolbrunner says there's a good chance they were in the area looking for food before the upcoming storm.
"They may know more than we do. They may be filling up and fueling up before the weekend," he said.
If you'd like to see the birds in action, Kolbrunner runs nature walks and bird watching tours throughout the winter. For more information and to see his work, head to jknaturegallery.com.