We would love see you at a NNYA field trip or event. All NNYA sponsored events are free and you don’t need to be a member to attend. We sponsor a variety of bird walks, workshops and lectures throughout the year that covers the 5 northern counties of NY.
February 26, 2011 Leonard Pond
The rescheduled Northern NY Audubon ski trip on the Leonard Pond Trail took place today. Ski conditions were perfect. It is also easy to bushwhack-ski in the woods now that the deep snow has consolidated a bit. We skied 5 miles round trip, but all the birds we saw and heard were found in the first ½ mile! Here are the 7 species found: HAIRY WOODPECKER, COMMON RAVEN, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, RED CROSSBILL (1 flyover near the trailhead, then we found a group of 6 that were foraging over our heads in the Red Pine stand – nice views, then more birds joined that group making it at least 10, and we found 3 more near the trailhead on our way out – with singing heard among this group.)
We also hoped to find Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, and Boreal Chickadee, but unfortunately, not today. Past the Red Pine stand (with all the crossbills), it was dead quiet. Lunch at the Backwoods Inn is a nice way to finish the trip. – Joan Collins, Long Lake
January 29, 2011 Bloomingdale Bog
Bright blue skies and a warming sun shone down on 11 chilly faces as we made our way along the Bloomingdale Bog trails. I just wish we had more bird sightings than the number of participants:-( To cap-off a cozy walk we finally encountered 5 very hungry GRAY JAYS on the South end of B’dale Bog Trail. We all made an interesting observation as we started hand-feeding these jays…it turns out they prefer Nature Valley Granola to the bland (but nutritious) black oil sunflower seeds. It was thought that the jays must have a bit of a sweet tooth! Other "birds" observed were: GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, barking beagles, friendly "wabbit" hunters, and a few diesel-eating snowmobiles! Great day all..thanks! - Brian McAllister, Saranac Lake
January 22, 2011 Adirondack Interpretive Center Newcomb NY
Five frigid feather finders braved the 0 degree temps on Saturday January 22nd at the Adirondack Interpretive Center in Newcomb (formerly the VIC). The birds at the feeder were the easiest and best finds of the day; COMMON REDPOLL, EVENING GROSBEAK, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, RED BREASTED NUTHATCH and HAIRY WOODPECKER. We strapped on the snowshoes and headed out on the Sucker Brook trail where the only addition was hearing a PILEATED WOODPECKER in the forest. (There was also a single SNOW BUNTING in the parking lot of the AIC on Friday). Despite the cold, the trip was exquisitely beautiful with the sun shinning down and a mist rising from the open water at the outlet of Rich Lake. Lots of mammal sign in the woods in the form of fresh tracks; red fox, mouse, red squirrel, snowshoe hare, weasel and otter. Thanks to the hardy souls; Paul Hai, Caitlyn Snyder, Peg Goldman and Carol Turner for the coming out on such a grand day. – Charlotte Demers, Newcomb
November 7 2010 Ausable Marsh Peru NY
This morning about a dozen birders from the Adirondacks and the Champlain valley joined me on a walk through Ausable marsh via the campground roads. Upon arrival I feared that we wouldn’t see many birds with the presence of waterfowl hunters throughout the marsh, but we still managed to see 31 species, including a few surprises. On our way in a local person driving by mentioned that an owl had been seen for some time in the back loop of the campground, and lucky for us a screeching Blue Jay led us to find the BARRED OWL perched in a pine tree at campsite #90. We all enjoyed the chance to look at this beautiful bird through our spotting scopes for some time, and the owl was still there when we left. Another highlight was a small flock of 3 SNOW BUNTINGS which we were able to get within 10 feet of–we actually almost stepped on them as they blended in so well with the grass and gravel of the main parking lot where we were walking! Waterfowl were scarce but there were modest numbers of GOLDENEYE, COMMON MERGANSERS, HOODED MERGANSERS, BUFFLEHEAD, and COMMON LOONS. Songbird activity was fairly good, with mixed flcoks of chickadees leading us to find a TUFTED TITMOUSE and 2 BROWN CREEPERS. We had a few flocks of JUNCOS, mixed in were 3 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS and one SONG SPARROW. Some of us had some nice looks at a pair of PILEATED WOODPECKERS. Lastly, as we were wrapping up the trip near our cars an adult BALD EAGLE soared right overhead. The complete list of birds is below. It was a wonderful morning of birding with good birds and good company. A huge thank you to everyone who made the trip!
Happy birding!
Melanie McCormack
Plattsburgh
Location: Ausable Point
Observation date: 11/6/10
Number of species: 30
Canada Goose 105
Mallard 4
Greater/Lesser Scaup 1
Bufflehead 9
Common Goldeneye 6
Hooded Merganser 4
Common Merganser 7
Common Loon 7
Horned Grebe 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Bald Eagle 1
Bonaparte’s Gull 3
Ring-billed Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Barred Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 25
Black-capped Chickadee 9
Tufted Titmouse 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 5
Brown Creeper 2
American Tree Sparrow 5
Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 18
Snow Bunting 3
American Goldfinch 2
October 30, 2010 Wilson Hill to Hawkins Point
Eight of us took a chance on the weather Oct.30, and birded the Seaway for 3 hours from Wilson Hill to Hawkins Point in 40 degree temps. We had light rain for the last hour- a very gray day. We got a bit chilly and cut short some of our planned route. Ducks and bald eagles had been much more numerous earlier in the week when Marybeth and I previewed the Wilson Hill area. The largest duck concentrations were in Redhead, Widgeon, Ring-neck duck, and Hooded Merganser.
Participants were: Gene and Carolyn Kaczka, Joan Howlett, Ann Beaulieu, Kathy
MacAdoo, Ann Spencer, Marybeth Warburton, and Eileen Wheeler
pileated woodpecker
hooded merganser
common merganser
redhead
ring-neck duck
American widgeon
mallard
scaup
common loon- 5
trumpeter swan
mute swan
Canada goose
great blue heron
bald eagle
peregrine falcon
double-crested cormorant
snow bunting- flock of about 50
black-backed gull
ring-billed gull
American robin
black-capped chickadee
dark-eyed junco
rusty blackbird
blue jay
American crow
red-wing blackbird
European starling
Eileen Wheeler
Canton, NY
May 22, 2010 Massawepie Mire
Sixteen people took part in the Massawepie Mire bird walk on Saturday. It was overcast early in the morning, but by late morning, the clouds were gone. Mosquitoes were out in force while it was overcast, and then black flies took over when the sun came out! Our group hiked just over 6 miles round trip beginning at the South Branch of the Grass River, then heading out into the mire for nearly 3 miles (turning around at Silver Brook). We did not hike the Mountaineer Trail on Sat. (so no waterfowl species in our list). The temperature ranged from 50s to low 80s. It can feel like being in an oven at Massawepie Mire when the sun is shining and it’s hot – no shade on the dirt road. We found 58 species including 17 warbler, 5 woodpecker, 6 sparrow, and 6 flycatcher species. (Normally each year, we find 18 warbler species, but didn’t come across a Yellow Warbler on Sat. – Gray Catbird was also missing from the usual Yellow Warbler location.) There were a few other species missing – Swainson’s Thrush and Olive-sided Flycatcher (we also listened for Olive-sided Flycatchers at Fox Marsh on our way home, and did not hear them at that location either.) – Joan Collins, Potsdam and Long Lake
May 8, 2010 Point-au-Roche NY
The Point au Roche bird walk on May 8, jointly sponsored by the Friends of Point au Roche and the Healthy Parks Fair and the Northern New York Audubon, had 10 folks in attendance, four of which were novice birders attending a bird walk for the first time. Despite the constant threat of rain and a few raindrops from time to time, we had a successful outing (35 species). A couple of notes: the WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH was feeding young and we watched the little ones peek out of the hole to get food. The COMMON GOLDENEYE female did a wonderful circle dance around and around the pond and finally sneaked into the hole in a dead tree. Careful observers saw downy material in the hole and in the beak of the bird. One blooming apples tree was adornded with FIELD and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and a female COWBIRD. They appeared to be nibbling on caterpillars. – Judith Heintz, Plattsburgh
May 1, 2010 Huntington Wildlife Forest, Newcomb NY
Sixteen birders started out at 9:00 under cloudy, overcast skies. The sun soon emerged and so did the birds and then off came the fleeces and jackets. The trip started along Rich Lake Marsh where sparrows were in abundance; WHITE-THROATED, SONG, SWAMP, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were all seen foraging in the shrubs and making use of small puddles for drinking and bathing. Some new arrivals included a YELLOW WARBLER and a BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (heard). A HOODED MERGANSER pair was observed on Military Pond. An OSPREY and a BROAD-WINGED HAWK made a nice flyover as we hiked our way back to the gate and for those that stayed after lunch, a MERLIN perched in a nearby spruce (thanks for carrying that scope Spence!). The group tallied 30 species; a good mix of marsh birds, waterfowl, and northern hardwood species. – Charlotte Demers, Newcomb
April 3, 2010 Ausable Marsh Peru NY
A hardy group of 16 people joined the NNY Audubon field trip to Ausable Marsh this morning. The marsh was alive with activity and having such a large group
helped us to spot a great variety of birds. The highlights were surprisingly early arrivals of a BALTIMORE ORIOLE and MARSH WREN, as well SAVANNAH
SPARROWS, PINE WARBLER, and YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. Both the OSPREY and BALD EAGLES were actively fishing this morning which allowed for some great views of these birds. From start to finish we had 38 species, which is an impressive total for this early in the season. Thank you to everyone who joined me this morning for the walk, it was a delightful way to spend a chilly sunday morning!
- Melanie McCormack, Plattsburgh
March 13, 2010 – Deer Pond Trail Tupper Lake NY
Six strong-willed, Adirondackers faced below-zero temperatures this morning as we don snowshoes and extra layers and walked the Deer Pond Trail outside Tupper Lake. Much to my surprise the birds were quite vocal and active despite the temps. Highlights were the finding of a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER busily pecking away on a white pine trunk 30ft off the trail. Also of note were the many RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH sightings as well as the cheerful call notes of the dozen or more GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS. BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES and BROWN CREEPERS (heard, not seen) made up the rest of the days sightings.
Alas, no red crossbills to be seen…but let’s keep an eye out for them and other winter finches as winter progresses.
Thanks to the brave folks from Westport, Saranac Lake and Saranac Inn for
attending. – Brian McAllister, Saranac Lake
