"Fiddler's Pond" (Buckhorn Lake)
GPS Coordinates: ( 43.428707426273, -74.49567317962 )AriettaThis relatively easy 3-mile round trip hike follows the Northville-Placid Trail south through mixed hardwood forests of spruce, hemlock and yellow birch. You will cross a foot bridge over a stream that leads to Fiddler’s Pond. Habitats in the area include woodlands, marshland created by a beaver dam, meadows and ponds.
In order to get to Fiddler’s Pond, you must be prepared to bushwhack off of the Northville Placid Trail, just after crossing the footbridge. Follow the stream 0.4 mile NE to the lake, continuing along the southern and eastern shores of the lake for outstanding birding opportunities. Use of a compass or GPS and topographic map are advised before undertaking this off-trail hike to the pond. (Wells Topographic Map)
Potential sightings: nesting waterfowl such as Great Blue Herons, Common Loons and several duck species at the lake. Also look for Woodland Warblers, Winter Wrens, and Golden-crowned Kinglets along the trail.
Alder Flycatchers may also be seen in the wet thicket to the south of the lake.
Directions
From the east: 8 miles W. on State Route 8 from Speculator, on the left hand side of the road, just before the Piseco Common School. From the west: from the intersection of Route 8 and Route 10, just past the Piseco Common school, 3.4 miles E. on Route 8.
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