Date: 5/18/25 3:01 pm From: trwdsd via groups.io <trwdsd...> Subject: [hmbirds] Albany County big day- 5/17
Faced with an uncertain, stormy weather forecast for Saturday, Tristan Lowery and I grudgingly decided to abandon our Century Run attempt for 2025. Naturally, the day subsequently turned out to be nearly dry, with periods of sun through the morning hours. Not ones to pass up a good birding day in mid-May, Colleen and I trekked up to Partridge Run WMA in Berne at 8AM, then headed over to Rensselaerville State Forest at 10 AM for another hour or so. Between those two locations, and some roadside and incidental birding in transit, we headed home with a pretty solid list of birds to tally up. Our last 'road' bird was a Wood Duck at Watervliet Reservoir in Guilderland. We added four more species at home while dodging thunderstorms, but didn't get a hoped-for Common Nighthawk to finish the day.
We observed forty species at Partridge Run WMA, with highlights including Ruffed Grouse (drumming), Alder Flycatchers, Tennessee Warbler, and an unusually easy-to-see Blackpoll Warbler in a small tree. In Rennselaerville SF we added Northern Waterthrush, many Nashville Warblers, and high numbers of Magnolia, Blackburnian, and Chestnut-sided Warblers among other new species for the morning. Oddly, we did not come across a Black-throated Green Warbler in either location, nor anywhere else on the day. Our final total close to dusk was *89 species* , far more than expected given our casual efforts, and we felt that we could have made one hundred just by visiting The Crossings for shorebirds, the Hudson River for Osprey, gulls and waterbirds, and the two large reservoirs (Basic Creek, Alcove) for waterbirds and swallows. But we had a fun day, which is the general idea anyway. Looking forward to seeing what other individuals/groups came up with!
