Adirondacks

I just got back today from the Adirondacks, a 1,000,000 acre park in Upstate New York. The Adirondacks are home to many boreal specialty species, as well as lots of nesting warblers, including the only nesting Palm Warblers in the US. 

Day 1: Day 1 was a travel day, with a 6 hour drive to the cabin in Inlet, NY. 3 hours in to the drive down, I saw my first FOY of the trip - Peregrine Falcon. 

When we arrived at the cabin, we went for a quick walk at Rocky Mountain. Rocky Mountain isn't really a mountain, more just a 300 foot high hill. Being in the Adirondacks, of course, the official elevation is about 2300 feet. On the way up, not much was seen, a couple of Black-throated Green Warblers, 2 Hermit Thrushes and an Ovenbird. The summit was much more interesting, however, with 2 lifers: Purple Finch and Blackburnian Warbler.

Purple Finch: 

Ovenbird: 

I'll spare you the horror of my Blackburnian shot, I got a better one later.

Day 2: Brown's Tract is a campground near Raquette Lake, also close to Ferd's Bog in Inlet. We kayaked around Brown's Tract Pond, but didn't find much, just a distant Common Loon and a Northern Parula. Back at the kayak launch, we found 3 Blue-headed Vireos, a lifer for me. 

Blue-Headed Vireo:

Northern Parula: 

Cooperative Mallard: 

After kayaking, we continued on to Ferd's Bog, hoping for warblers, thrushes, and boreal specialties. However, we only had twenty minutes, and I heard a Black-Throated Blue Warbler sing. The BTB Warbler is my nemesis, having heard it in my yard and almost everywhere during migration, but never being able to find it. I took off into the woods, jumping over rotten trees and the like, until I came to a stream 1/10 of a mile into the woods. I heard it call again, and started to search desparately, until I found the male in a nearby tree. Unable to contain my excitement, I jumped on a log and started snapping pictures. Then, the log, which turned out to be rotten, broke, and I almost got impaled by a stick. Nevertheless, I was able to get a recognizable shot! 

Black-Throated Blue Warbler

Day 3: Moose River Plains can be a great place to bird if the bugs aren't out in swarms, like they were today. At any given time, I was being swarmed by about 25-50 black flies and mosquitoes. We started out by Red Rock Road, where we saw Northern Parulas, Cedar Waxwings, a Blackburnian Warbler, and a Chestnut-Sided Warbler, a lifer for me. 

Cedar Waxwing

White-Throated Sparrow

Blackburnian Warbler - as promised

Distant, misty shot of a Chestnut-Sided Warbler

The rest of the trip was mostly uneventful, with 2 FOY Common Ravens, a couple of Black-Throated Green Warblers and a Hermit Thrush.

Adirondacks Trip:

Lifers: 5: Purple Finch, Blackburnian Warbler, Blue-Headed Vireo, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Chestnut-Sided Warbler

FOY's (not lifers): 2: Peregrine Falcon, Common Raven

Excited for the South Shore of MA tomorrow: a King Rail has been reported recently and I hope to see Saltmarsh and Seaside Sparrows, Orchard Orioles, and migrating shorebirds!