Adventure Awaits at Broad Cove
June 27, 2025
By Leslie Salmeron
This nearly 100-acre waterfront parcel on Flanders Bay, formerly a duck farm, is now known as Broad Cove Preserve and is one of the Trust's newest preserves!
Having opened to the public in June of last year, this preserve has already undergone several upgrades that benefit both our visitors and the local bird population.
Last winter, our Stewardship team embarked on a project to restore the meadow habitat for birds. We began by removing over 5 acres of invasive grasses and shrubs and replacing them with native grasses. After restoring the area, the team installed houses for the American Bluebirds, complete with predator guards. Thanks to these efforts, we’ve noticed an increase in the Bluebird population. Unrelated to the meadow restoration project, but just as exciting, Ospreys have also taken up the preserve as a home, with two Osprey nests built this spring!
Improving meadow habitat for birds requires a change in management, as well. To help ensure our bird population thrives through nesting and migration seasons, we have adopted a careful mowing schedule that considers the needs of ground-nesting birds and the availability of food sources. Naturalist Mary Laura Lamont has led several bird walks this year, spotting a variety of species, including Osprey, Bluebirds, Pine Warbler, Blue Jay, Eastern Phoebe, and a Purple Martin.
For our visitors, we have expanded our trails to widths of 6-8 feet and resurfaced them with stone dust and crushed stone to make them more accessible for our visitors. Due to the nature of this preserve and wetland setbacks, there are some areas where the surface of the trails change from stone to mulch or sand.
We invite you to visit Broad Cove Preserve on Overlook Drive in Aquebogue. As you enter the preserve from the parking area, make a left to explore the Meeting House Creek Trail, which offers a scenic view of Peconic Bay. If you make a right instead, you can follow Terry’s Creek Trail along the western boundary of the Preserve for equally stunning views.
If you have any questions about the preserve, please reach out to the Director of Stewardship, Jessie McSwane at JMcSwane@PeconicLandTrust.org.
Leslie Salmeron
Digital Communication Associate