Massawepie Mire

       We have journeyed north up into God's Country....the Adirondack Mountains......for a week of birding with our friends in South Colton, NY.  My roots are in the "Dacks" as my Dad was born and raised in the north country and many a fond memory was made as we vacationed up here during my childhood.

Cedar waxwing

      Yesterday, we took our first birding venture out to Massawepie Mire, the largest mire in the Adirondack preserve.  Our targets are the boreal species....Boreal chickadee, Gray jay, Three-toed and Black-backed woodpecker, and Lincoln's sparrow.  On the road into the "back country", we encountered many a warbler.....Black and white, Black-throated blue, Common yellowthroat, Yellow, Blue-winged, and more.  Great sightings of Cedar waxwings and Ovenbirds afforded me fine opportunities for photos.

Ovenbird

      But the sighting of the day was a mammal rather than a  bird. We spotted two Fishers, an adult and a youngster, walking down the wood-road and heading directly towards us.  The adult, noting our presence, veered off the trail and into the woods, leaving the young fisher to its own resources.  The little fellow looked lost as it wandered back and forth, into and out of the woods apparently looking for Mom.  We watched for 10 minutes or more before we started to continue down the path.  Eventually, the young fisher headed back into the wooded edge of the road.  We can only assume that he found Mom impatiently waiting for her offspring to rejoin her.

Fisher

     We still have several more days of opportunities to find our target species, and the sighting of the martens more than made up for our "misses".  The Adirondacks are indeed a place which borders on the spiritual and we are blessed to be able to spend time up here with our good friends.  This morning (Friday), its back into the mountains in search of whatever the "dacks" will yield and once again, the mountains treat us to a fine display as an American bittern is hiding in a wet grassy area right next to Route 68 in Pierrepont.  As cars sped by, the bittern would raise his head allowing him to check out his surroundings while remaining all but invisible to the passers-by.  Were it not for our "eagle-eyed" host, Rosie, we undoubtedly would have passed by with the rest of the travelers.  Got to love the mountains "inside the blue line".

American bittern

Bear Mountain

Looking south from Bear Mountain

     People often ask me if I would ever consider leaving the Hudson Valley and move permanently to our second home in Florida.  Well, we do have some pretty severe conditions up here with the snow and all, but we don't get an awful lot of hurricanes or tornadoes either.  We do have the fall which means I have to rake up all those bushels of leaves that fall to the ground. But they do look beautiful while they remain on the trees.  And yes, I do miss looking out the front windows and looking out onto the wonderful sea, but on the other hand, we are not exactly hurting for inspirational vistas here in the Highlands.  Take today for example.  Sharon and I travelled up to the top of Bear Mountain, a 1400' granite block which overlooks the Hudson and offers some great birding and some great views.  At this time of year, the canvas is painted in an extraordinary array of green, white and pink as the mountain laurel has just reached peak blooms.

      It is unbelievable to drive up the mountain along Perkins Memorial Drive and witness one of nature's premier works of art.  There are few gardens in the world that can match the mountains literally covered with the glossy leaves and white and pink clusters of flowers.

    
  Add to this the birds that like to call the mountain peak home and you've got all it takes to make for a wonderful day of birding or just sitting on the mountain and taking in the sights and sounds.

Eastern towhee

     Our best birds of the day tried to rival the flora with the Great Crested flycatcher's lemon yellow breast and the Scarlet tanager's brilliant red coat serving to accentuate the floral arrangement of the peak. The songs of the oriole, the warbling vireos, the Eastern towhee and the Chipping sparrow added a third element to the mix, just to round out an overall breathtaking experience.

Scarlet tanager

Great crested flycatcher

So, will I ever leave the valley for the Sunshine State (which I also love!)?  Not in this lifetime........