Trip Highlights

Seven birders were on the walk on this humid September morning.  Activity and songs were few, but we did manage Black-and-white, Redstarts, and a Parula for warblers.  The sandbar was empty except for Ringbill Gulls, but Pondside Rd did not disappoint.  Both Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal were present, along with many mallards and Wood Ducks.  Two Great Egrets were lurking in the grasses, and an osprey and four D-C Cormorants perched in the dead snags.  

The highlight of the morning was when two birders asked if we could ID two strange chicken-like birds.  We were delighted to scope out two immature Common Gallinules feeding in the weeds.  There were 38 species recorded for the morning.

With fingers crossed, we scanned the early evening sky for nighthawks.  Eighteen birders had gathered in the parking area for this annual ritual.  Birding got off to a very slow start.  We watched flocks of blackbirds fly into the reeds and heard a chickadee call.  When we moved on up to Tina Lane and the open area there, the first nighthawks began to pop up over the tree tops.  Not the best count, but we did see 31 nighthawks before it became too dark to count.  

Also getting our attention were the many green herons (9) flying to roost, and the trees at the back of one of the ponds that had attracted 9 Great Egrets and 4 Double-crested Cormorants.   Another highlight was a Peregrine Falcon that perched long enough for everyone to enjoy close views in the scope.  The watch ended as we listened to the call of a nearby screech owl for a total of 27 species.

The weather was cool when six members met up at the Pynchon Point parking lot, but warmed later, providing a beautiful sunny weather field trip. The Point gave us Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo, and other usual landbirds, as well as C. Merganser (6), Bald Eagle, DC Cormorant, Spotted Sandpiper, Great Blue Heron. The special species for this spot was A. Kestrel (3).  We made a quick stop at Bondi’s and added Semi-palmated Plover, Least and Semi Sandpipers.

From there we headed to the Eastern States grounds where over 150 Canada Geese were grazing in the fields. It must have been a good day for A. Kestrel, because we found another two here.  Also along the river bank, we picked out two Solitary Sandpipers and a Spotted Sandpiper. Last stop I recorded was on River Rd in Agawam.  Somehow I do not have notes from the Longmeadow portion of the trip. Sorry about that…  Anyway, River Rd gave us Bald Eagle (2), Cooper’s and Red-tailed Hawks, C. Merganser (6), Great Blue Heron, and a few landbirds, including Chimney Swift (4).

Seven people attended in seven kayaks.  We started at the Sunderland bridge and kayaked north to the Montague town line and back again.   It was cloudy and calm, perfect conditions for a beautiful and peaceful paddle on the river.  The sun popped out, and in our eyes just 15 minutes before we got off the river.   It reminded us of how easy on the eyes it was to kayak during the overcast, but warm morning.  The trip took four hours.  We observed 17 species in all.

There were eight Common Mergansers taking turns resting on a sandbar and then taking a swim in the slight current.  We counted six Bald Eagles.  There were 50+ Bank Swallows perching along the wire that stretches across the river on the approach to the Montague line and flying high and low with acrobatic moves.  We had a Pileated and two Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  Seen in groups of two or three, we counted ten Spotted Sandpipers, plying the muddy flats along the banks of the river until we got too close, and then we watched as they flew off with their telltale stiff wing beats.  Two Kingfishers were seen and heard.  Two Carolina Wrens, a White-breasted Nuthatch, a Red-eyed Vireo, and three Goldfinch were spotted, a Raven was heard, and 5+ Cedar Waxwing were heard and seen sallying out over the river for insects, and then returning to their perches, high on bare branches that lined the river. Other than bird species were Monarch Butterfly and Gray Tree Frog.

It was a great trip. The weather was nice all weekend, with mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures during the days and a slight breeze in the afternoons.  By the time we reached the Fort Edward grasslands on Sunday, it was actually hot.

Mosquitoes were as bad as we've seen them at the Massewepie Mire, but most of us wore head nets and long sleeves, so they weren't too annoying.  A breeze kept them from bothering too much.

We added 4 birds to the total trip list, including 2 Sandhill Cranes north of Saranac Lake on the way to Bloomingdale Bog!  We also heard 2 Cape May Warblers on a new trail we took.

We changed the itinerary a bit this year.  Instead of going to Moose River Plains the first day, we started the trip by hiking on the Roosevelt Truck Trail, off of 28N north of North River.  We continued to the Visitor Center in Newcomb, then the Northville-Lake Placid Trail near Long Lake (which we have done in the past), and finally the Shaw Pond marsh (3 Virginia Rails).

Saturday we followed the regular itinerary - Tupper Lake marsh (Cliff Swallow), en route to the Mire (Mourning Warbler), Massewepie Mire (2 American Bitterns, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Jay, 12 Palm Warblers, Canada Warbler, and 6 Lincoln’s Sparrow), Bloomingdale Bog (Olive-sided Flycatcher).  We skipped Floodwood Road.

Sunday we drove to Tupper Lake and had coffee and breakfast at the McD's there (decided Stewart's coffee was not worth even stopping).  Enroute to Whiteface we stopped along Wilmington Notch to look for Peregrines along the cliffs there.  Didn't get any, but did see 2 Spotted Sandpipers.  We planned to get to Whiteface to drive up the highway as soon as the road opened at 8:45.  The views at the top were amazing!  Whenever we have been up there before it has been misty and cloudy, but on Sunday we could see for miles.  Bicknell's was a life bird for some, and, after several attempts at trying to see it, and only hearing it, we got a great look at the last place we tried for it.  We were all very pleased.

We continued to the grasslands near Fort Edward and added the usual species there, except no Grasshopper Sparrow this year.  And no Orioles.