2013 Adirondack Birding Festival

Join us to celebrate the Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks!

June 7 - 9, 2013

This 3 day event features birding hikes, canoe trips, walks, safaris, outings and seminars throughout the county. All field trips are free and registration is required for each outdoor event. A complete list of the 2013 birding festival events and registration info is located below.

Special to this year's festival are two guest speakers ready to entertain, educate, and inspire all in attendance. We begin with Dr. Michael Moccio on Friday evening.  Perfect for both beginning and intermediate birders, Dr. Moccio will provide useful information to enhance the birding experience. Dr. Bruce Beheeler returns to present at the Adirondack Museum Saturday evening on his adventures searching for birds in the far reaches of the world.  

The festival reaches into the vast Adirondack Wild of Hamilton County, and includes the surrounding forests of our hamlets Long Lake, Indian Lake, Speculator, Racquette, Blue Mountain Lake, Piseco and Morehouse, Lake Pleasant and Inlet. Affordable lodging is available offering you and your birding partners a comfortable evening retreat to refuel and refresh as the festivities advance.

Hamilton County is over one million acres of the Adirondack State Park. With over 60% being classified as either Wilderness or Wild Forest, it is one of the best locations to watch boreal birds. Now in its 9th year, the Hamilton County Birding Festival brings together bird watchers from all over to explore and discover the amazing birds of the Adirondacks.

As you will be in the Adirondacks, you should be prepared for all types of weather phenomena, including heat, humidity, rain, cold, and even snow. Though June is typically filled with warm days and cool evenings, you can never be sure about the weather you will find.

What to Bring

For each trip be sure to bring the following:

• sunscreen
• bug repellent (netting or a bug shirt is recommended)
• water
• snacks and/or lunch
• binoculars
• bird books
• comfortable waterproof footwear

For canoeing trips, you also need to bring a canoe/kayak, paddles, and a PFD (as required by law).

Friday June 7, 2013

Morning Walks - 7AM

Ferd’s Bog Walk, Inlet, 1.5 hrs

Wood Warblers, Boreal Birds, Black-Backed and Three Toed Woodpeckers, Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadees, Olive-sided & Yellow Bellied Fly Catchers.

Northville – Lake Placid Trail, Long Lake, 5-6 hrs

Black-backed Woodpeckers, Yellow-Bellied Flycatchers, Boreal Chickadees, Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, Northern Goshawks, up to 14 variants of Woodland Warblers, Waterfowl, Common Loons.

Morning Walk - 10AM

Raquette Lake Rail Bed, Raquette Lake, 2 hrs

Over 20 species seen last year during this walk.

Afternoon Walks – 2 PM

Forked Lake Road, Long Lake, 3 hrs

A favorite 4^th year in a row through Woodland habitats! Woodland Thrushes, Gray Jay, and so much more.

Fall Lake/Piseco Airport, Piseco, 2-3 hrs

New trip for 2013! Nesting Blue Birds and a hike to the Fall Lake area through mixed hardwoods & conifers.

EVENING PRESENTATION: “All About Birds”, Indian Lake, 7:00PM - 1 hr

Join Michael Moccio in a lively presentation for both beginning and intermediate birders that will provide useful information to enhance the birding experience. Birders will learn how to advance their skills using identifying tips, how to report birds, and proper etiquette in the field. Advice on organizations to join, field guides, useful apps and more will be presented.

Saturday June 8, 2013

Morning Walks – 7AM

Ferd’s Bog Walk, Inlet,1.5 hrs

Walk through a 50-acre boreal forest. Wood warblers and boreal birds including Black-Backed and Three Toed Woodpeckers, Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadees, Olive-sided & Yellow Bellied Fly Catchers.

G-Lake, Morehouse (Piseco), 1.5 hrs

Hardwood forest and lake habitats with Nesting Loons, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Vireos, White-throated Sparrows, Oven Birds, Winter Wrens and a variety of Woodland Warblers.

Rock Lake, Indian Lake, 2-3 hrs

Mix of a hardwood/conifer forest. This is a great birding trail for wood-warblers, and marsh/lake birds. It is possible to see Boreal Chickadees & Black-Backed Woodpeckers.

Morning Hikes – 7AM

Lows Ridge/Hitchins Pond, Long Lake, 5-6 hrs

Hike through a variety of habitats including a bordering marsh, coniferous and deciduous forests. Common Loons, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Red Shouldered Hawk, Broad-Winged Hawk, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Common Raven, Gray Jay, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Palm Warbler, Canada Warbler, Magnolia Warbler.

Fiddler’s Pond Hike, Piseco, 5-6 hrs

Wetland areas with Great Blue Heron, Common Loons, several duck species, as well as woodland species and boreal birds.

Morning Driving Safaris – 7AM

Perkins Clearing, Speculator, 3 hrs

Mourning, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, and other wood warblers, Olive-sided and Alder Flycatchers, Indigo Bunting, Rose Breasted Grosbeak. We will identify as many wildflowers, frogs, butterflies & dragonflies as time allows.

Afternoon Driving Safari – 2PM

Powley Road, Piseco, 3 hrs

Woodland habitat drive with American Three-Toed Woodpecker, various Birds of Prey, Olive Sided Flycatchers, Thrushes, Cedar Waxwing, Sparrows, and other woodland habitat bird species, Indigo Bunting, Northern Parula, Carolina Wren, Chestnut Sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Nashville Warbler, and Chipping Sparrow.

Afternoon Walk – 4:30PM

Cedar River, Indian Lake 4:30PM – 2+ hrs

We'll look for wood warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers and thrushes and everything in between in the woodlands and bordering the Cedar River.

PRESENTATION: “Lost Worlds – In Search of Birds in the World’s Last Wild Places”, Adirondack Museum 7:30PM – 1 hr

• PRESENTOR: Bruce Beehler
• MEET: Museum Auditorium

Sunday June 9, 2013

Morning Walks – 7AM

WALK: Northville-Lake Placid Trail, Long Lake 7AM – 5-6 hrs

Boreal forests, marsh/bog, swamp, mixed forest, deciduous woods, and shoreline habits offer opportunities to spot Black-backed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Boreal Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, nesting Northern Goshawks and up to 14 varieties of woodland warblers, Yellow-Rumped, Magnolia and Blackburnian, waterfowl, Common Loons and Bald Eagles.

WALK: Rock Lake, Indian Lake 7AM – 2-3 hrs

This is a great birding trail for wood warblers, and marsh/lake birds through mixed hardwood and conifer forest. It is possible to see Boreal Chickadees & Black-Backed Woodpeckers.

Morning Driving Safari – 7AM

Moose River Plains IBA, Inlet, 5 hrs

Almost every species of breeding bird in Hamilton County can be found in one of the many rich habitats contained within the remote wilderness known as the Moose River Plains Important Birding Area (IBA).

Morning Hike – 9AM

Lows Ridge/Hitchins Pond, Long Lake, 5-6 hrs

Marsh, coniferous, deciduous, and cliffering habitats make for a great hike to spot Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Common Loon, Great Blue Heron, Red shouldered Hawk, Broad- winged Hawk, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Common Raven, Gray Jay, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Palm Warbler, Canada Warbler, Magnolia Warbler (& many other warbler species).

2013 Event Schedule & Registration

We invite you to download the 2013 Event Schedule or the convenient printable condensed schedule to bring along with you. Please call 800-648-5239 with any questions and to register. We look forward to seeing you!

Hamilton County Dept. of Economic Development & Tourism
102 County View Drive, P.O. Box 57, Lake Pleasant, NY · 12108
Ph: 518-548-3076 || Fax: 518-548-3091 || Toll Free: 800-648-5239 || info@adirondackexperience.com

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