Governors Island

Governors Island

NYC Audubon Naturalist Gabriel Willow leads a bird outing from the steps of our Nolan Park house on Governors Island. Photo: NYC Audubon
NYC Audubon has a seasonal island home, just a few minutes by ferry from lower Manhattan! Governors Island, a 172-acre island in New York Harbor, is now open to the public year round. Excellent habitat and a diverse variety of birdlife make it a birding hotspot, with over 220 species listed on eBird

Visit Us on Governors Island


This May 2024, NYC Audubon will occupy a new historic house on Governors Island: Colonels Row House 405B. Visitors can talk birds with us out on the porch of the house, make bird art, check out our exhibitions, and come bird with us.  Stay tuned for details on next year's season!

Visiting the Island on your own? Learn about the birds and birding spots of Governors Island in our helpful online guide.
 
Visitors to Governors Island from lower Manhattan or Brooklyn must reserve their ferry tickets in advance. View Governors Island ferry information and make a reservation.  NYC Ferry also offers service to Governors Island.

Note on Accessibility:
The ferry from the Governors Island Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan to Governors Island is wheelchair-accessible, as are most paths on the Island. However, the path directly to NYC Audubon's seasonal environmental center is a brick path with a very uneven surface. Colonels Row House 405B is itself unfortunately not wheelchair-accessible; several steps lead to the first floor gallery space. View more detailed accessibility information for Governors Island.
An image of two windows of NYC Audubon's seasonal environmental center on Governors Island treated by window film.
An image of two windows of NYC Audubon's seasonal environmental center on Governors Island treated by window film.
Bird-Friendly Glass on Governors Island
As part of our residence on Governors Island, we’ve made our seasonal home in Nolan Park a model for bird-friendly building design. We’ve created a crucial, real-world display of bird-friendly retrofit options using temporary, external window films, tapes, paints, and more. 
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A stylized, dark blue graphic featuring the silhouette of a person engaging with an art piece by Gal Nissim and Leslie Ruckman. A green illustration of a hawk overlays the dark graphic.
A stylized, dark blue graphic featuring the silhouette of a person engaging with an art piece by Gal Nissim and Leslie Ruckman. A green illustration of a hawk overlays the dark graphic.
Artist in Residence Program
NYC Audubon begins accepting applications for our 2024 cohort of Artists in Residence on Governors Island on January 16, 2024. This unique and innovative Artist in Residence program will offer two local artists space, resources, and transdisciplinary exchange opportunities to investigate birds and wildlife conservation in the context of urban natural space and public engagement. 
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