Great Swamp (New York) - Geography and Ecology

Geography and Ecology

The Great Swamp, also known as the Great Patterson Swamp, is located in eastern Putnam and Dutchess counties, in the U.S. State of New York. The swamp covers almost 6,000 acres (24 km2) of land in the Putnam County municipalities of Southeast, Patterson, The Town of Pawling, and the Village of Pawling, and the Dutchess County municipality of Dover, making it one of the largest wetlands in the state. The swamp is located at the northern end of the intruding suburban development from Westchester County and New York City to the south, Roughly 40,000 people live in the 63,018-acre (255.02 km2) watershed, which is divided into two sections at Pawling. North of there, the water flows from the Swamp River into the Ten Mile River, which leads it into the Housantonic River, and in time, the Long Island Sound. South of Pawling, the river flows southward in the Croton River, eventually into the East Branch Reservoir, one of New York City's drinking water reservoirs. The swamp itself is designated DP-22 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The largest single body of water within the swamp is the Ice Pond, accessed by a steep dirt road. Ice Pond was utilized for at least two ice harvesting operations, one of which dates back to 1867.

The swamp is home to about 180 species of bird, including 100 that breed there. The red-winged blackbird is one of the most commonly observed, while the bittern, sora, and marsh wren are often not seen. The large size, wide range of habitat, and river dynamics are what make the swamp so suitable for wildlife. Several areas, ponds, and preserves have concentrated wildlife. The Sharparoon, an 1,800-acre (7.3 km2) reserve off New York State Route 22, was home to one of the first breeding grounds for ravens within the county. Other commonly seen species include turkey vultures, red-tail hawks, swallows, swifts, black vulture, redstart, veery, indigo bunting, Louisiana waterthrush, northern waterthrush, winter wren, black-throated green warbler, willow flycatcher, and alder flycatcher. Throughout other areas, the wood duck, mallard, Canada goose, great blue heron, and belted kingfisher are seen nesting in various bridges. The swamp is part of New York Important Bird Area #89.