Birds of the Adirondacks:  Golden-winged Warbler. Photo by Larry Master. www.masterimages.org  Used by permission.

Birding Festivals in the Adirondacks:
2016 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration
Birding the St. Lawrence Valley Field Trip


Birds of the Adirondacks:  Double-crested Cormorant. Photo by Larry Master. www.masterimages.org  Used by permission. Birds of the Adirondacks: Double-crested Cormorant. Photo by Larry Master. www.masterimages.org
This site is no longer being updated with current information on birding activities at the VIC. For current information on the events planned for the 2017 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration, visit: http://www.paulsmiths.edu/vic/gabc/schedule/. For information on birding in the Adirondacks, visit: Adirondack Wildlife: Birds of the Adirondacks.

Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks: Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.  Photo by Larry Master. www.masterimages.org.  Used by permission. Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks:
Alder Flycatcher. Photo by Larry Master. www.masterimages.org. Used by permission.

The all-day Birding the St. Lawrence Valley field trip will explore a wide variety of habitats, including fields, edge forest, deciduous forest, and lowland conifer wetlands. The trip will take us to active waterfowl gathering places near the shoreline of the St. Lawrence River, stopping along the way to sample the bird life in the raptor-rich agricultural fields near Massena. We'll search for buntings, sparrows, hawks, ducks and much more during this all-day outing.

We will depart from the Paul Smith’s College VIC in vans at 8:00 AM with lunch and beverages on board.  We will return to the VIC at about 3:00 or 4:00 PM. Our exact itinerary is subject to change. Preregistration required. The bag lunch, which is part of the trip fee, includes a sandwich, fresh fruit, chips, dessert and bottled water. Vegetarian and vegan sandwiches will be available.

During the 2015 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration, birders who participated on this field trip saw 66 species:


Canada Goose Veery
Mallard  Swainson's Thrush
Ring-necked Duck Wood Thrush
Common Loon American Robin
Double-crested Cormorant Gray Catbird
American Bittern Brown Thrasher
Great Blue Heron European Starling
Green Heron Cedar Waxwing
Turkey Vulture Blue-winged Warbler
Osprey Yellow Warbler
Northern Harrier Chestnut-sided Warbler
Sharp-shinned Hawk Black-throated Blue Warbler
American Kestrel Yellow-rumped Warbler
Killdeer  Black-and-white Warbler
Ring-billed Gull American Redstart
Caspian Tern Ovenbird 
Rock Pigeon Common Yellowthroat
Mourning Dove Eastern Towhee
Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Savannah Sparrow
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Song Sparrow
Northern Flicker Swamp Sparrow
Pileated Woodpecker White-throated Sparrow
Eastern Phoebe Northern Cardinal
Great Crested Flycatcher Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Eastern Kingbird Indigo Bunting
Willow Flycatcher Red-winged Blackbird
Warbling Vireo Common Grackle
American Crow Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Raven Baltimore Oriole
Tree Swallow Bobolink
Barn Swallow American Goldfinch
Black-capped Chickadee Trumpeter Swan



Explore the VIC

The Paul Smiths VIC offers a wide variety of programs throughout the year to educate and inform Adirondack Park residents and visitors about the natural wonders of the Adirondack Mountains. You can help support these programs by joining the Friends of the VIC. More information on Friends of the VIC memberships

Explore the Trails

The VIC trails are free and open to the public, from dawn to dusk, spring through fall. In winter, the trails are open to cross-country skiers and snowshoers for a fee. Day or season passes may be purchased.