Amagansett National Wildlife Refuge

The Amagansett refuge, skirting the Atlantic Ocean on Long Island's south fork in Amagansett, preserves a unique double dune system.

Its terrain includes marine sand beach, primary dunes, secondary dunes, swales, fens, cranberry bogs and oak scrub.

Long-tailed ducks, white-winged scoters, common loons, horned grebes, Ipswich sparrows, rough-legged hawks and short-eared owls winter here. Merlins, Cooper's hawks, kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks and peregrine falcons are prevalent during autumn and spring migrations.

Piping plovers and common and least terns use the marine beach for nesting. From April 1 to August 30, a portion of the beach is closed to protect sensitive wildlife during the nesting and brooding season.

The declining Eastern hognose snake is still prevalent on the refuge.

Amagansett’s marine beach is open to the public year-round and is bordered by the town of Amagansett public beach and a Nature Conservancy beach.

The beach offers an excellent view of the ocean and provides opportunities for viewing shorebirds and terns in the summer, raptors during autumn and spring, and sea ducks and gannets in winter.

Surf fishing for striped bass, bluefish and black bass is permitted from the beach.

During summer, a town parking sticker is required to park in the town lot near the refuge.