BirdingWeek: Summer birding- The Adirondacks and Vermont

Every summer in early July, we head for the Adirondacks and/or Vermont. It offers the chance to see boreal birds, both summer breeders and year-round residents.

Our first stop was at the eastern end of Little Tupper Lake in Hamilton County, NY. There was a pair of breeding-plumaged Common Loons just offshore.

Heading out Sabattis Circle Rd., we stopped along the roadside next to a bog opening. This location has consistently proven to be an excellent spot to see birds. We observed Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Winter Wren, both species of kinglet, Hermit and Wood Thrush, Nashville Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and Northern Parula.

Sabattis Circle Rd., near Little Tupper Lake (click to enlarge)

bog opening at Sabattis Circle Rd. (click to enlarge)

At Bloomingdale Bog, which straddles the Essex/Franklin County, NY border, we walked south of County Rt. 55 for about half a mile. We observed a few Lincoln's Sparrows, along with Chipping, Song, Swamp, and White-throated Sparrow.

old railroad bed at Bloomingdale Bog (click to enlarge)

Bloomingdale Bog (click to enlarge)

power line cut at Bloomingdale Bog (click to enlarge)

Just beyond the power line cut is a wooden platform feeder where visitors deposit bird seed, peanuts, and other not-really-for-the-birds type foods. A family of Gray Jays has learned to silently trail behind visitors, and if need be, to glide right next to potential meal tickets. I have mixed feelings about this, but it's hard not to smile when a Gray Jay is looking you in the eye, eating hulled sunflower seeds from your hand.

juvenile Gray Jay taking seeds while parent observes from nearby branch (click to enlarge)

adult Gray Jay (click to enlarge)

juvenile Gray Jay (click to enlarge)

Palm Warbler (yellow) in a larch tree (click to enlarge)

Bloomingdale Bog (click to enlarge)

After Bloomingdale Bog, we headed up Oregon Plains Rd. to the east end of Bigelow Rd., where we parked and walked in. Bigelow Rd. is renowned for hosting two other boreal residents, Black-backed Woodpecker and Boreal Chickadee. We came upon a couple of birders from Pennsylvania who had seen two Boreal Chickadees just before we arrived, but they could not be relocated. Due to the recent deluge of rain, the road was impassible without proper boots, so we reluctantly turned about-face and hiked back to the parking area.

Our final birding stop was private property at the Intervale Lowlands near Lake Placid, by invitation of the owner. We made a mid-afternoon loop through brushy fields, woodlands and the riparian corridor along the West Branch of the Ausable River. A wide variety of species were encountered, including Osprey, American Kestrel, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Veery, many Nashville and Magnolia Warblers, Indigo Bunting, and Purple Finch.

Olympic Ski Jumps at Lake Placid (click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

We stayed at a lakefront cabin on Lake Champlain for two nights. The first day we got a bonus view with our evening meal...

Lake Champlain at Westport (click to enlarge)

cabin on Lake Champlain at Westport (click to enlarge)

double rainbow with dessert (click to enlarge)

double rainbow with dessert (click to enlarge)

The next morning we headed over to Vermont on the Essex-Charlotte ferry, which is about a twenty-five minute journey. We drove over to Shelburne Pond, where a winnowing Wilson's Snipe circled over a nearby farm field. Not much else of note was found at the pond and surounding area, so we headed up to Shelburne Farms.

Adirondack Mountains from the ferry (click to enlarge)

Shelburne Farms has some wonderful dairy products, thanks to their resident bovines. But they have something even better, much rarer in the upstate, interior New England area: Cattle Egrets. For Capital Region birders, Cattle Egrets are like American Coots. Most anywhere else in the country, the two species are commonplace, but not around our parts, you've got to work to see 'em. We paid our admission to the farm grounds, and walked the gravel path out past the pastures towards the dairy barn, hoping for a lucky break. We got one, or rather two, perched up on a pair of fence posts near the barn.

Cattle Egrets (click to enlarge)

Back at our cabin, we had a real surprise waiting for us on our front door, a Luna Moth!

Luna Moth (click to enlarge)

Tuesday morning we went back to Bloomindale Bog and Bigelow Rd. We were able to hear a pair of Boreal Chickadees along Bigelow Rd., but they never came close enough to the road for visual confirmation.