Birding Festivals in the Adirondacks:
2013 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration
31 May - 2 June 2013

The 11th annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration -- the longest running boreal birding festival in the Northeast -- was held 31 May - 2 June 2013, at the Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) in Paul Smiths, New York. The festival featured field trips to boreal birding hot spots, informative lectures, workshops, a raffle, social hours and more. Click here for a schedule of events. Click here for a description of the field trips.

There were two keynote speakers:

On Friday, 31 May, Sara R. Morris spoke on bird migration.  Sara Morris is a professor of Biology and the Program Coordinator of the Environmental Science Program at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. She earned her MS and PhD in zoology at Cornell University.  Her research focus is bird migration, specifically in how birds use sites in-between where they breed and winter to successfully complete their migrations. At Canisius, Dr. Morris teaches classes in ornithology, vertebrate zoology, and  ecology.  During the summer, she is a guest lecturer at the Shoals Marine Lab and an instructor at the Audubon Camp in Maine.

On Saturday, 1 June, Michale Glennon spoke on the Wildlife Conservation Society's Boreal Bird Project.  Michale Glennon is the  Adirondack Landscape Science Coordinator for the Adirondack Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Her research interests lie primarily at the intersection between land use management and ecological integrity, with a number of projects ranging from the impacts of low density, exurban development on wildlife to the potential changes to Adirondack lowland boreal communities resulting from climate change.  Dr. Glennon joined WCS in 2003 after completing a Ph.D. at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where she explored the effects of land use management on bird and small mammal communities in the Adirondack Park.

Great Adirondack Birding Celebration 2013 - Schedule of Events
Great Adirondack Birding Celebration 2013 - Field Trip Descriptions
Great Adirondack Birding Celebration 2013 - Registration Form (Word)
Great Adirondack Birding Celebration 2013 - Registration Form (PDF)

Some of the boreal species that participants in the birding festival were looking for included the Black-backed Woodpecker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, Bicknell's Thrush and a variety of migrating warblers.

• A checklist of birds observed during the 2013 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration is available here:
• A checklist of birds observed during the 2011 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration is available here.
• A checklist of birds observed on the Paul Smiths VIC trails is available here.

The 3,000-acre Paul Smiths VIC 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 site includes significant glacial and geological features and provides scenic vistas of Saint Regis Mountain and Jenkins Mountain. The VIC property includes 6 miles of interpretive trails and 8 miles of back country trails for spring, summer, and fall use. An interactive Summer Trail Map is available here.

Trip reports from selected Great Adirondack Birding Celebration field trips are available here:

• Intervale Lowlands Bird Walk (2 June 2013)
• Beginner Birder Workshop (1 June 2013)
• Beginner Bird Walk (2 June 2012)
• Intervale Lowlands Bird Walk (3 June 2012)
• Madawaska Flow Bird Walk (3 June 2012)
• Wetland Walk (3 June 2011)

Where to stay

• Adirondack Lodge (Lake Clear) -- 30-40% off lodging package; rooms, suites, chalets. Use of boats and bikes included. Six miles from the VIC.
• Adirondack Motel (Saranac Lake) -- 10% discount for Birding Celebration participants. Fourteen miles from the VIC.
• Paul Smith's College Overlook Dorm -- available to Birding Celebration participants. Call Beverly Farley (518-327-6053) for details. One mile from the VIC.
• In and around Saranac Lake (14 miles from the VIC)
• In and around Lake Placid

The 11th Annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration was sponsored by:

Northern New York Audubon Society
Paul Smiths College
Adirondack Birding Center at the Paul Smith's College VIC
Wild Birds Unlimited
Mac's Canoe Livery
Bookman Design
Larry Master Images
The Sawyer's Cottage-4 Season Rental
Olympic Regional Development Authority