By Tom Boyle All Things Birds Associate Naturalist |Natco Lake
was created by accident, rather than by Mother Nature. The
National Fireproofing Company (Natco) mined clay here for bricks
in the 1930's. Eventually the mining equipment hit underground
springs and the lake filled in. A ditch was dug in an attempt to
drain off the water into a nearby tidal creek. The ditching
brought in salt water and made the lake brackish, as it remains
today. Birding the northern section of the lake: Walk east along
the Henry Hudson Trail and over a small bridge. Eastern Phoebe
has nested under this bridge. After the bridge, turn right off
the paved trail and then left. Follow the unpaved trail a short
distance to a small tidal cove in the lake. On a changing tide,
Yellow-crowned Night Heron is regularly seen. Both night herons
nest locally and can be seen frequently. Occasionally, Diamond-
backed Terrapins are seen basking on flotsam in the cove.
Continue on the unpaved trail until it ends at a lawn on the
lake's north side. S