Birding Festivals in the Adirondacks:
2015 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration
Intervale Lowlands Field Trip

Intervale Lowlands Field Trip Report (6 June 2015)
Intervale Lowlands Field Trip Report (7 June 2015)

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Birds of the Adirondacks: Veery. Photo by Larry Master. www.masterimages.org

• Time: Saturday, 6 June, 7:00 AM and Sunday, 7 June, 7:00 AM
• Fee: Included in Great Adirondack Birding Celebration registration fee
• A la carte price: $40 per person. Register by 30 May. Fees paid at the time of registration. Pre-register as early as you can, as this walk fills up quickly.
• Where to Meet: The Iron Bridge parking area on Riverside Drive in Lake Placid, about 25 miles south east of the Paul Smiths VIC
• What to Bring: Gear for a short day trip: hat, binoculars, sunscreen, snack, water, rain gear, insect repellent

Intervale Lowlands is a private 135-acre nature preserve which includes 7,500’ of frontage on the West Branch of the Ausable River in Lake Placid. In the early 20th century, the property was one of several farms along River Road serving the Lake Placid Club. The current preserve is comprised of forested areas, grasslands, wetlands, and aquatic habitats that support more than 150 species of birds, including rare forest breeding raptors. It is an eBird Birding Hotspot.

With a mixture of young boreal forest, riverside shrub-lands, and open fields, Intervale Lowlands is home to more than fifteen species of breeding warblers.  The Mourning Warbler is common. The Cape May Warbler was confirmed nesting during the last Breeding Bird Atlas and during the last two years. 

Also found here are six species of nesting woodpeckers (including Black-backed Woodpecker), Brown Thrasher, Indigo Bunting, Lincoln's Sparrow, Alder Flycatcher, Wild Turkey, American Woodcock, Ruffed Grouse and American Bittern. Olive-sided Flycatchers and Rusty Blackbirds visit regularly. Nest boxes/platforms are put up for Osprey, American Kestrels, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Flickers, Hooded Merganser and Common Merganser, Black-capped Chickadee, and Barred Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls. Bald Eagles fish the river on a weekly basis.

Past sightings have also included:

• Blue-headed Vireo
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Great Blue Heron
• Blackburnian Warbler
• American Redstart
• Ovenbird
• Winter Wren
• Brown Creeper
• Bay-breasted Warbler
• Veery

Resident mammals include: Beaver (two families), Coyote, Deer, Bobcat, Otter, Fisher, and Ermine. Bear, Marten. Red and Gray foxes visit regularly. Moose visit occasionally.

Click here for a list of bird species seen at Intervale Lowlands.

The trails criss-crossing the nature preserve are a mixture of grassy roads and packed earth walkways through largely level ground. The walking is easy, but there are a few boggy areas, especially near the river, so hiking boots are recommended. The field trip will take participants a relatively short distance (about a mile) from the parking area near the iron bridge, so birders have the option of curtailing the walk after a few hours.

Trip reports from previous Great Adirondack Birding Celebration field trips to this location:

• Intervale Lowlands Bird Walk (8 June 2014)
• Intervale Lowlands Bird Walk (2 June 2013)
• Intervale Lowlands Bird Walk (3 June 2012)

Getting There

From the Paul Smith's College VIC parking lot: Turn RIGHT onto Route 30. After 0.8 miles, turn LEFT onto Route 86. Drive 12 miles to Saranac Lake. Continue to follow NY-86E. After driving through Saranac Lake, drive 6.1 miles, then make a slight RIGHT at Old Military Road (County Route 35), following the signs to the ski jumps. Drive for 3.6 miles to the junction with Route 73 near the horse show grounds. Drive 0.4 miles, passing the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex on your right and crossing a bridge over the west branch of the Ausable River. Take an immediate LEFT onto Riverside Drive. Drive 0.6 miles to an iron bridge on your left. There is a small gravel parking lot near the bridge. Please park there.

From Lake Placid: From the Sunoco gas station follow NY-73 E for approximately 1.4 miles. Just after the Lake Placid Olympic Ski Jumping Complex turn LEFT onto Riverside Drive. Drive 0.6 miles to an iron bridge on your left. There is a small gravel parking lot near the bridge. Please park there.

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