Birds of the Adirondacks: Broad-winged Hawk overflying the VIC parking lot (6 May 2015)

Birding the Adirondacks:
Teddy Roosevelt Bird Walks
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Adirondack Birding: Northern Parula on the Logger's Loop Trail at the VIC (20 June 2015)Birding the Adirondacks: Northern Parula on the Logger's Loop Trail (20 June 2015)

List of Birds Seen at the Paul Smiths VIC

Join John and Pat Thaxton, Adirondack bird guides and NYS Licensed Guides, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on a Bird Walk to search for the VIC's summer resident birds. By June, the birds are setting up nesting territory, singing, and showing off their mating displays. You will be challenged to see and hear many of the bird species identified by a young Teddy Roosevelt in his research while visiting Paul Smiths in the 1870s (See: Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. The summer birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, NY). To get a preview of the bird species usually observed along the VIC trails for specific dates, check out the Trip Reports (below) from previous bird walks.

Birders meet at the VIC building at 9:00 AM. The cost is $20/person. Free for Friends of the VIC Warblers; $15 for Friends of the VIC. This program is made possible through donations from Friends of the VIC. Please call (518) 327-6241 to preregister.

Bird walks during the summer of 2016 are scheduled for the following dates:

Guides: John & Pat Thaxton are both experienced Adirondack bird guides, New York State Licensed Guides, and Adirondack 46ers. They are members of the American Birding Association and the New York State Ornithological Association. For The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State, 2000-2005 (Cornell University Press), John & Pat covered 25 atlas blocks, which included most of the Adirondack High Peaks. They have been leading professional birding trips in the Adirondacks for over 10 years.

Birding at the VIC: Designated an Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy, the 3,000-acre Paul Smith’s College VIC property contains every habitat type found in the Adirondack Park with the exception of alpine vegetation. Included on the property is a 60-acre marsh, five ponds, several brooks and swamps, bogs, fens, and varied forest types, most notably northern boreal forest. The 25-mile trail system traverses a variety of habitats with extensive boardwalks through wetland ecosystems. Common sightings at the Paul Smiths VIC include: Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Great Blue Heron, American Bittern, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Warblers include (Yellow) Palm Warbler, Northern Parula, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Nashville Warbler. Other sightings may include Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Wilson’s Snipe, Broad-winged Hawk, Hooded Merganser, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Ring-necked Duck. Click here for a list of birds seen along the various trails at the Paul Smiths VIC.

Trip Reports from the 2015 Spring & Summer Bird Walks

Trip Reports from the 2014 Spring & Summer Bird Walks

Trip Reports from the 2013 Fall Bird Walks

Trip Reports from the 2013 Spring & Summer Bird Walks

Trip Reports from the 2012 Fall Bird Walks

Trip Reports from the 2012 Summer Bird Walks

Trip Reports from the 2011 Summer Bird Walks

 

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.