Albany-Adirondack Independence Day Birding Trip 2021

Since March of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, we had not made any travels further than 200-mile radius of Brooklyn where we reside. Fortunately, with the arrival of vaccines, COVID-19 cases are steadily declining in the U.S. Like many other fellow New Yorkers, we have been fully vaccinated for over a few months now and finally felt safe enough to resume our birding adventures. During the pre-COVID years, we usually visited the Adirondack Park in New York over the July 4th weekend and we were determined to keep the tradition alive. The Adirondack Park boasts whopping 6.1 million acres of wilderness and is the largest park in the contiguous United States. It covers one-fifth of New York State, greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined and is undoubtedly a terrific birding destination.

Adirondack Park

JULY 2, 2021 off to an early start

Trying to maximize our precious birding hours, we left Brooklyn Friday evening and drove 160 miles north to Albany, about half way point between our home and the final destination in the Adirondack Park. We arrived at our hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, in Albany before 9pm. Our plan was to bird the Albany area before heading up to the park tomorrow.

Hilton Garden Inn

JULY 3, 2021 Albany, the State and the BIRDING Capital!!???

Although it was a gray gloomy Saturday morning in Albany, we were all smiles with the anticipation of great birding ahead.

We left the hotel before 7am to visit our first birding spot in Albany, Black Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area. As soon as we got out of the car, we heard birds singing from all different directions. The area certainly was birdy! Unfortunately, the trail was muddy, wet and overgrown with weeds due to the lack of proper care and also the recent recurring rain. To make matters worse, the rain came down pretty hard within 10 minutes of birding. We retreated to the car and decided to move onto our next pick.

Black Creek Marsh Black Creek Marsh

Black Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area Total Species: 7
American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee, Gray Catbird, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Miraculously, the rain stopped while driving to Albany Pine Bush Preserve - Karner Barrens Trail. The preserve was a complete opposite of Black Creek Marsh; it was merticulously kept with easy walking trail. Well, there was one striking similarity; it was crazy birdy. We spent about an hour and a half there and saw 24 species of birds. It was easy and comfortable birding and definitely a must-go birding destination in Albany.

Albany Pine Bush Karner Barrens Albany Pine Bush Karner Barrens Albany Pine Bush Karner Barrens Field Sparrow White-breasted Nuthatch Black-capped Chickadee American Goldfinch Downy Woodpecker Prairie Warbler

Albany Pine Bush Preserve - Karner Barrens Trail Total Species: 24
American Goldfinch, American Robin, Baltimore Oriole, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Northern Flicker, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Prairie Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Turkey Vulture, White-breasted Nuthatch

This wonderful Albany Pine Bush Preserve is made up of 12 trail systems each covering unique fauna and bird species. Since the Karner Barrens Trail was so amazing, we had to check out a few more trails belonging to the Pine Bush Preserve, using the little time we had left in Albany. Our next stop was Madison Avenue Pinelands Trail, only a few minutes drive away. The trail was located in the dense forests of pitch pine trees. However not as birdy, we still managed to grab 13 species within half an hour.

Albany Pine Bush Preserve Albany Pine Bush Preserve Common Yellowthroat Female American Robin Chestnut-sided Warbler Red Squirrel

Albany Pine Bush Preserve - Madison Avenue Pinelands Trail Total Species: 13
American Goldfinch, American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Prairie Warbler, Red-tailed Hawk, White-breasted Nuthatch

Our last stop in Albany was Hunger Kill Barrens Trail, another Pine Bush Preserve trail. The trail consist of canopy forests of giant white pines and riparian ravines with wetland plants and ferns. We picked the trail hoping that the forest canopy would shield us from the light rain. The forest was beautiful and we stayed dry under the canopy but it was devoid of bird activity. The only interesting living thing we saw on the trail was a mushroom man. This young man was a mushroom aficionado and spent his free time collecting wild mushroom for consumption. That marked the end of our birding in Albany and we were back on the road driving northward.

Albany Pine Bush Preserve Cooper's Hawk

Albany Pine Bush Preserve - Hunger Kill Barrens Trail Total Species: 4
Black-capped Chickadee, Cooper's Hawk, Red-eyed Vireo, Tufted Titmouse

Before getting to our final destination in the Adirondacks, we stopped at a rather unusual birding hotspot, Crown Point State Historic Site. As the name suggests, it is the site of the British fort constructed during the French and Indian War. But more importantly (at least to us), it is designated as one of the Important Bird Conservation Areas. Since 1976, the site has been used as a bird banding station and over 13,000 birds across 97 species have been banded at the station. So far, over 180 species have been observed at the Crown Point Bird Conservation Area. When we got to the location, a steady rain was falling. Undeterred by the rain, we marched on to record 22 bird species. That concluded our wet but fun-filled day before getting to the campground in the Adirondack Park.

Crown Point State Historic Site Crown Point State Historic Site Crown Point State Historic Site Crown Point State Historic Site Osprey Osprey House Wren Cedar Waxwing Northern Flicker Red-winged Blackbird Female

Crown Point State Historic Site Total Species: 22
American Goldfinch, American Robin, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Brown-headed Cowbird, Canada Goose, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, House Wren, Mallard, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, Osprey, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull, Song Sparrow

We arrived at the campground at Macomb Reservation State Park before 8pm. We setup our tent in record time and were fast asleep by 9pm. There really is no better feeling than falling asleep while breathing in fresh crisp mountain air.

Macomb Reservation State Park Macomb State Park Campground

JULY 4, 2021 the climb

We were woken up by loud screeching calls of Raven fledglings (have you heard them? you would think dinosaurs were nearby). We left the campground by 6:30am to head to Lyon Mountain, hoping to catch a glimpse or two of highly sought-after Bicknell's Thrush. The thrush has a limited summer range in the northeast, from upstate New York to Nova Scotia and Quebec, where it nests near the tops of mountains. We had seen this bird only once before and you will never guess where we saw it. Prospect Park in Brooklyn! Yep, you heard it right. We saw this highly elusive mountain-top dweller in Prospect Park during spring migration in 2015! The climb to the mountain top is 3.5 miles so we figured it would take us about 2.5 hours to get to the top where the thrush awaits. Well, what we didn't take into account was how easily distracted we were by birds, basically ANY bird... The trail was quite birdy. Whenever we heard an unfamiliar bird call, we just couldn't control our urge to locate and observe the mysterious bird. We must have made at least ten extended stops along the trail. When we got to the top portion of the trail, it got steeper and very rocky which further delayed our ascent. By the time we finally got to the top, it was almost 1pm and certainly was the worst time to look for a thrush. As a result, we did not see the thrush but were happy to have seen some interesting species such as a charming little Winter Wren. At the mountain peak, We spent rather fustrating time trying to photograph a Nashville Warbler before making our descent back to the car. It was almost 4pm when we finally got back to the parking lot and, needless to say, we were beyond exhausted.

Winter Wren Yellow-bellied Sapsucker White-throated Sparrow Blue-headed Vireo Black-throated Green Warbler Chipping Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Lyon Mountain Fire Tower Swainson's Thrush

Lyon Mountain Total Species: 17
Black-and-white Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, Black-throated Blue Black-throated Green Warbler, Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Dark-eyed Junco, Hairy Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Nashville Warbler, Ovenbird, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-eyed Vireo, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, White-throated Sparrow, Winter Wren

It was the Fourth of July so most restaurants closed early. We grabbed some salad and sandwiches from a local supermarket and ate at our camp site. Tired from all the climbing, we crashed out before 9pm. Usually we go to sleep around midnight but whenever we go camping, we find it so much easier to fall asleep as soon as the sun goes down. It is said that camping can reset our biological clocks and help those of us who find it tough to get to sleep and/or wake up in the morning. Well, we are the living proof of that theory.

JULY 5, 2021 bog x 2

Very first time we visited a bog was in the Adirondack Park in 2016 and the sheer beauty of it completely took our breath away. Today, we were going to visit two bogs, hopefully to catch a sight of some boreal specialities. Our first stop was the Silver Lake Bog Preserve maintained by the Nature Conservancy. We got there before 8am and immediately noticed the birdy-ness of the area. From our past experiences, bogs are usually not as birdy as they are beautiful. Well, this bog was no ordinary bog: it was packed with birds, especially the boardwalk portion of the trail. Although it did not seem to hold many different species, the trail was inundated with Nashville and Magnolia Warblers. However, we quickly came to realize how difficult it was to find a bird in the densely forested surroundings. We spent nearly 5 hours on this trail playing hide and seek with dazzling yet uncooperative birds.

Peregrine Falcon Silver Lake Bog Preserve Silver Lake Bog Preserve Silver Lake Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Scarlet Tanager Red-eyed Vireo Northern Parula Nashville Warbler Brown Creeper

Silver Lake Bog Preserve Total Species: 12
Alder Flycatcher, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Canada Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Purple Finch, Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

We have visited the fabled Bloomingdale Bog Trail more than five times but there was no way we were going to skip coming here this time around. The main attraction is seeing ever so curious and charming Canada Jays. This boreal bird species was renamed from Gray Jay to Canada Jay in 2017. Name change for bird species is not particularly uncommon but how it happened is quite interesting: The Royal Canadian Geographic Society decided to conduct a survey among Canadians to pick its first national bird (surprisingly, Canada has no national bird). Despite losing to the Common Loon in a popular vote, Gray Jay was chosen and the name was changed to Canada Jay. Unfortunately, the Canadian government eventually elected not to have a national bird so Canada Jay didn't become a national bird but the name stayed. Canada Jay sighting is almost guaranteed at this trail because there is a feeding station locals setup and there is no other bird, in my opinion, that loves free food more than jays! We waited for them for a little bit near the feeder and two hungry individuals flew in to grab some cranberries. Seeing Jays munching snacks, we realized how hungry we were. It was already after 5pm so we reluctantly decided to call it a day.

Bloomingdale Bog Red Squirrel Hermit Thrush Golden-crowned Kinglet Eastern Chipmunk Canada Jay Blue-headed Vireo

Bloomingdale Bog Trail Total Species: 13
American Crow, Blue Jay, Blue-headed Vireo, Canada Jay, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Parula, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Scarlet Tanager, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler

We knew where we wanted to eat our dinner. There is a cute casual pizza place in the town of Saranac Lake called Little Italy Pizzeria. To our surprise, we were told that the wait for a pie was about an hour. That must have been because it was a holiday weekend. Well, we don't even wait that long for a pizza in New York City! We were definitely in a mood for pizza so we drove back to Plattsburg and got us a pie at Big Sal's Pizzeria and Restaurant. The pizza might not have been as good as the one from Little Italy Pizzeria but it tasted great in our empty stomach.

JULY 6, 2021 farewell wilderness

Why do all good things come to an end? Sadly, today was our last day to enjoy the wilderness of the Adirondack Park. We had two places in mind to conclude our trip; our *new* favorite bog, Silver Lake Bog, and another excellent place for such boreal specialities as Black-backed Woodpecker and Bicknell's Thrush, Whiteface Mountain.

When we woke up at 6am, steady rain was falling so we decided to delay our departure by sleeping in a little later than usual. We still got to the Silver Lake Bog a little after 9am and immediately noticed that the boardwalk was not nearly as active as yesterday. However, we were rewarded with a sighting of the cutest boreal speciality bird, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Flycatchers in general are very hard (or nearly impossible) to identify as many of them look very much alike and this one is no exception. Only way to positively identify the bird was through vocalization and there was no doubt that it was, indeed, a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

Silver Lake Bog Silver Lake Bog Northern Parula Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Silver Lake Bog Preserve Total Species: 6
American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Satisfied with the flycatcher sighting, we left the bog to head to our final destination, Whiteface Mountain. The name must sound familiar to many of the older folks as it was made famous by being one of the sites for the 1980 Winter Olympics as well as being the premier skiing spot . The last time we visited the mountain in 2016, we saw two beautiful Black-backed Woodpeckers and we were hoping to repeat the sighting and possibly add Bicknell's Thrush to our list. We stopped at the entrance trying to pay the toll and the lady in the booth kindly warned us that it was extremely foggy at the higher elevation with basically zero visibility and it was really not worth paying the $80 toll (yep, you heard it right. the toll is $40 per person). We had only about an hour to spend before making our way back to Brooklyn so we took her wise advice and decided to visit the Northville Lake Placid Trail instead. The trail was somewhat quiet but we were thouroughly entertained by delightful Winter Wren songs coming from all directions.

Northville Placid Trail Northville Placid Trail Northville Placid Trail Black-throated Blue Warbler Ovenbird

Northville Lake Placid Trail Total Species: 6
Black-throated Blue Warbler, Dark-eyed Junco, Eastern Phoebe, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Winter Wren

Although it was a very wet and rather chilly weekend, we had the greatest time exploring the wilderness of the Adirondacks and are sure to be back again.