We had the opportunity to visit good old friends up in the "Dacks" several weeks ago and spent several days out in the field with them. While the weather was warm and the flies had not quite all gotten the word that it was time for them to leave the mountains, we did enjoy visiting several new sites as noted in the new publication "Adirondack Birding" by Peterson and Lee. If you are heading to the northern part of NY and have any plans to bird this pristine area, you absolutely MUST have this guide. We visited Bloomingdale Bog and Bigelow Road as our first two sites. While the time of year and day were not the best, we did enjoy finding several species we had hoped for, namely the red-breasted nuthatch and the best of the day, the Lincoln's sparrow. We had hoped for Gray Jays, Black-backed woodpeckers, and Boreal chickadees, but these species eluded us. Folks we met along the way confirmed that these birds are indeed seen with some regularity at these sites, so we simply have to get back up there in the fall and try again. Closer to home, as we drove out of hosts driveway, we did get a great look at a Ruffed grouse which had perched atop a sand pile (for what reason, we can only speculate). The bird sat quietly and allowed me to get several photos from the car before heading back into the woods. All in all, any trip to the north country is worth the time and effort and we cannot wait to return in the near future.
