Adirondack Birding All Summer

Trip Date: June – August 2020 | Location: New York

The only good thing about the pandemic was the opportunity to work remotely, which allowed us to spend our first full summer in the Adirondack Mountains. It was a season of quiet discovery and backyard connection.

Life in the Adirondacks

Upon arrival, the first thing we saw was a large rabbit sitting on a stump, nibbling new buds off a pine branch. Research taught us this was a Snowshoe Hare, and we promptly named him Harold. It was fascinating to watch Harold change color; as the weeks passed, he shed his winter coat, eventually turning dark brown to blend into the summer forest. By early fall, a smaller hare appeared in the yard, whom we dubbed “Son of Harold.”

Each morning, a family of Wild Turkeys followed a well-worn path they created through a wild raspberry patch on our property. It was a joy to watch the young poults grow—at first, they were barely larger than baseballs! 2020 also turned out to be a banner year for chipmunks. While we overheard many camp owners discussing ways to keep them out of their buildings, we never had a real problem. In fact, we loved watching them scurry around the perimeter as we sat by our fire pit each evening.

Deer Country

Deer were regular morning and dusk visitors, drawn by the birdseed we set out to attract Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and other locals. A very small spotted fawn often lingered on the edge of the woods while the adults fed; eventually, as it grew, it became braver, venturing into the open to clean up scraps on the ground. We even had a young buck wander right up to our truck!

Local Road Trips

Summer sunrise comes early in the Adirondacks, and it is usually light by 5:00 am. We woke up many mornings to the sound of Common Loons calling from nearby Fourth Lake. The yard birding in Eagle Bay was so good that we made just a few road trips. Ferd’s Bog/Raquette Lake area, Long Lake, and the Circle Road by Sabattis are always reliable spots. At Sabattis, we found a family of Canada Jays that came right out of the bog to delight our non-birder friends. Another fun day trip was to Moss Lake, where we saw Eastern Bluebirds, followed by a stop at Wagner Farms to see the amazing sunflowers.

Warblers and Barred Owls

Now for the birds! We tallied a total of 42 “yard birds” on our property during the summer. This included eight warbler species: Ovenbird, Black-and-White, Nashville, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Yellow-rumped, and Black-throated Green. Some were easily visible, while others tested our patience and binoculars. We also began using the BirdNet app to record and identify birdsong; it helped our “ear birding” immensely, and as the summer progressed, we found ourselves needing it less and less.

We also installed a newly built Barred Owl nest box on a large White Pine, hoping it might attract some interest. It did not take long. About a week later, in the middle of the night, we heard a startling, growly sound outside our bedroom window. BirdNet identified this as a male Barred Owl signaling to a female that he had found a potential nesting site. Unfortunately, we had installed the box a bit too late in the season, and she wasn’t interested. Even so, he persisted with his vocalizations for several weeks. We hope that next spring the pair will mate and put the box to good use!

This was a magnificent summer in the Adirondacks and surely the first of many to come. The weather was perfect and far more comfortable than the Florida heat. We can’t wait to return and see what new adventures await us!

Trip Summary: 56 species • 18 New York year birds • 0 life birds

Next Up: Trying for a new January Record – a blazing trip around Florida.