July 8-9, 2010 Bloomingdale Bog/Whiteface/Boreal Life Trail at Paul Smith's VIC/Owling at Sabattis Circle Rd./Massawepie Mire (Franklin - Essex - Hamilton - St. Lawrence Counties)
I guided a California couple during the heat wave last Thursday and Friday. We began at dawn on Thursday at Bloomingdale Bog before heading to the Whiteface Memorial Highway by the 9 a.m. opening. Some of the birds found at Bloomingdale Bog: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Palm Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow and Pine Siskin. We had a few minutes before the drive to Whiteface, so we left the bog and drove to Oregon Plains Road, where we found an adult female Black-backed Woodpecker feeding a juvenile female! On Whiteface Mountain, weather conditions were absolutely perfect with calm wind (extremely rare on summits!). We heard many Bicknell's Thrushes singing and calling throughout the morning. There were even a few glimpses when birds would perch on dead snags to sing/call. Swainson's Thrushes appeared to outnumber Bicknell's Thrushes - our warm spring nights have allowed them to expand their range upward on peaks. The researchers at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies will hopefully keep an eye on what effect this may have on Bicknell's Thrush over time. We took food from the "castle" building and headed into the tunnel (50 degrees in here!) to the 270' elevator. Wooden platforms were recently added to the summit area so folks in wheelchairs can easily have the same views as those who can walk around the rocky summit. As we ate our food, the song of Bicknell's Thrush wafted up from all sides with no competing winds - it was lovely! Being a 46-er, I've always had mixed feelings about the "road" up Whiteface. I took the time to read Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech, which he gave at the opening of the road in 1935, posted in the castle building and it was beautiful. He gave a very eloquent argument for having at least one such road in the Adirondack Mountains. The experience of hearing and seeing Bicknell's Thrush from a highway and parking lot was different, but no less exciting than being immersed in their tangled, thick spruce/fir habitat. With calm wind, and so much habitat on this 5th highest peak in NY, hearing so many singing Bicknell's Thrushes from every direction was truly remarkable. I also drove up the peak on July 5th and heard many singing Bicknell's Thrushes - at 1:30 p.m.! Judith Scarl, coordinator for Mountain Birdwatch, reported being on a couple of Vermont peaks last week and was also surprised to find so much singing, calling, and flying around behavior by Bicknell's Thrushes during active nesting. Some of the many other birds found on Whiteface: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Winter Wren, and Blackpoll Warbler. By the time we hiked on the Boreal Life Trail, it was 93 degrees and oppressively humid. While owling along Sabattis Circle Road in the William C. Whitney Wilderness (3 to 4:30 a.m.), we found 3 Barred Owl young screaming for food! We could hear one adult give an occasional vocalization (they make very interesting sounds when with young). We drove by Sabattis Bog at dawn and heard a pack of coyotes howling and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher singing. Some of the many species found at Massawepie Mire: Ruffed Grouse Common Loon - flyover, vocalizing bird Northern Harrier Black-backed Woodpecker - female Northern Flicker Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Philadelphia Vireo - at least one, possibly 2 Gray Jay - family Common Raven Boreal Chickadee - flock with at least 5 birds Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird - 2 adults with one young bird Veery Hermit Thrush Palm Warbler Mourning Warbler - many along the drive in and one very nice view of a bird foraging on the bark of a tree Scarlet Tanager Lincoln's Sparrow Rose-breasted Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Purple Finch Evening Grosbeak - one vocalizing flyover pair and another bird at a different area of the mire July 12, 2010 Hamilton County (Inlet - Raquette Lake area) I guided a couple from Virginia this past Monday, July 12 and we visited Ferd's Bog, Shallow Lake, and the trail along Brown's Tract Inlet on yet another warm day. Some of the birds found at Ferd's Bog: Sharp-shinned Hawk Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Gray Jay - nice scope view Common Raven Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Swainson's Thrush Palm Warbler Lincoln's Sparrow We hiked the Shallow Lake Trail from Brown's Tract Campground (2.8 miles round trip). Here are some of the birds found: Common Loon - 3 adults together on Shallow Pond Osprey - nest across Shallow Pond Broad-winged Hawk Herring Gull - 4 on Shallow Lake Eastern Wood-Pewee Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Gray Jay - family; nice view of juvenile Boreal Chickadee - several Brown Creeper Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Swainson's Thrush Palm Warbler (nice views of some other warbler species including Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, and Black-throated Green Warblers) Lincoln's Sparrow On the Brown's Tract Inlet trail we found a singing Olive-sided Flycatcher looking like the ruler of the bog at the very top of huge dead snag. A few different warbler species (from the earlier part of the day) included Chestnut-sided and Pine Warblers. White-Fringed Orchid is currently in bloom at all the bogs visited during the past week. I had a wonderful time birding on the 8th 9th and 12th with very nice company. Joan Collins Potsdam & Long Lake -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
