Salt Marsh · Quogue
Dune Road — Shinnecock to Quogue
Long Island's longest continuous salt marsh drive. Clapper Rails clatter at dawn, Seaside Sparrows trill from the cordgrass, and in winter the Short-eared Owl quarters the phragmites at dusk.
Access & parking
The 13-mile barrier island road from Shinnecock Inlet west to Westhampton. Pull-offs and small public beach lots give access to the marsh on the bay side and the ocean dunes on the south side.
Parking: Several public road-shoulder pull-offs; Tiana Beach and Pikes Beach require a Southampton Town sticker in season.
Restrooms: Seasonal portable restrooms at Tiana Beach and Pikes Beach.
Difficulty: Stroller-friendly
When to go
Seasons: Spring Migration, Breeding, Fall Migration, Winter
Time of day: dawn
Target species
- Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans)
- Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima)
- Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
- Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
- American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)
- Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
Rarities reported here
- Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
- Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)
Photography tips
Shoot from the road shoulder on the bay side at dawn — the marsh is in shadow from the dunes and the soft light pulls the Saltmarsh Sparrow out of the high cordgrass.
eBird hotspot
Open this hotspot on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird database →
Nearby birds
Other salt marsh sites worth pairing on a day trip:
- Accabonac Harbor · Springs
- Mecox Bay · Water Mill
Looking for the broader fauna calendar (whales, seals, sea turtles)? /wildlife covers every species on the East End.