This place is for the birds
On the pastoral fringes of Queens lies a little-known nature preserve with a lot of history. We explored parts of it a couple weeks ago, but could tell there was much more to uncover. Udalls Cove Park Preserve encompasses 40-plus acres abutting an inlet of Little Neck Bay near Douglaston. At one time the famous Little Neck oysters were harvested there, but pollution levels prevent that now. In the early 1970s, a community group successfully pushed to have the land, which includes, forest, wetlands and salt marshes, protected from development.
We found a pleasant trail going around a small pond but didn’t make it to the one that leads out to the bay. That one is called Virginia Point and we’re definitely going back to find it soon. There are several species of birds to be seen including egrets and osprey. Also notable: Grimaldi’s, perhaps one of the best pizzerias in New York, is right down the road.
