Our MAS trip from Drumlin Farm to the Adirondacks from Fri 6/6 to Mon 6/9 involved a mixture of boreal and grassland habitats to maximize our exposure to the wide variety of breeding species that can be found in northern NY. Despite 2 very challenging rainy days [Fri & Mon], we had 2 lovely birding days where we had many birding highlights each day as we explored remote boreal trails, marshes and managed grasslands - net result were 128 breeding species including 20 warbler species [Golden-winged, Mourning], thrushes [Bicknell's, Swainson's], sparrows [Henslow's, Lincoln's], vireos [Philadelphia, Blue-headed], terns [Caspian, Black], wrens [Sedge& Winter], chickadees [Boreal], jays [Canada], flycatchers [Yellow-bellied, Olive-sided, Alder], marsh species [Sora, Bittern, Crane] and so much more. Day 1 - 1st stop on our long drive [often in heavy rain] was in northern Vt near Whitehall NY - Tim's Trail that took us through some woods and then opened into a shrubby grassland returning back to the entrance - no rain at this point as this remote narrow trail turned out to be a goldmine of species - singing Golden-winged & Blue-winged & Prairie Warblers that also included a male Lawrence's Warbler - had also Field Sparrows, Louisiana Waterthrush, Magnola, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, B&W, Blk-thr Green, C Yellowthroat, Am Redstarts, Indigo Bunting, Yellow-thr Vireos, Gt-crested Fly & ended hearing 2 Screech Owls - close by we had along a small river a Kingfisher & War= bling Vireos [missed the Least Bittern spotted a few days earlier by Leslie].The balance of the day was dealing with medium rain as we explore some boreal trails, lakes with some success finding a Boreal Chickadee, Blk-thr Blue & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Swainson's & Hermit Thrushes, Veery, Golden-crKinglets, Pileated Woodpecker, C Loons, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Ravens - net result the rain kept bird activity low, us wet - thank goodness for Tim's Tr= ail where we all got excellent looks at the warblers, bunting & more! Day 2 - clear weather as we focused on boreal birding at Massawepie Mire near Tupper Lake as we hiked this old dirt railroad bed that crossed an expansive wetland bog with stunted scrubs, fir trees on either side of us - here we were greeted by 8 Canada Jays, singing Nashville, Canada, Wilson's & Palm Warblers, Yellow-bellied & Alder Flycatchers, Lincoln & Wht-thr Sparrows, Red-b Nuthatches, Golden-cr Kinglets - further down the trail the bog ends & opens up into ideal boreal forest for Blk-backed Woodpeckers & longshot Spruce Grouse which did not appear.Before you start walking the bog trail we had a variety of deciduous habitats that yielded Mourning, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Magnola, Pine, N Parula, Blk-thr Green, Yellow, Blk& Wht, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ovenbirds, Rose-b Grosbeaks, Blue-headed Vireo, Olive-sided Fly, Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Buntings, Cedar Waxwings, Broad-winged Hawks - missed the Blk-billed Cuckoos nesting nearbyAfter lunch, we headed to the Watertown area for non-boreal birding with grasslands & large marshes. Gameplan was to eat an early dinner and arrive at Chaumont Barrens Nature Preserve that has a lovely marsh & extensive fields [managed for field birds] for an evening birding experience - also has an observation tower for scanning the marsh and fields for nesting Short-eared Owls.As we walked to the marsh, we enjoyed various pairs of Bobolinks and E Kingbirds. Once at the marsh, volumes of Marsh Wrens & Swamp Sparrows were calling - over the marsh, a Caspian Tern was crashing into the water and a pair of Black Terns swooping about - in the water we had Blue-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebes, C Moorhen plus an Am Egret, Gt Blue & Green Herons, a Virginia Rail called & as dusk was coming, suddenly a lone Sandhill Crane called & flew off -it was so special being there watching the sun set, hearing the Bobolinks singing along with the marsh birds - so peaceful & lovely way to end the day. Day 3 - An early start on a clear morning took us to Perch River wildlife area where there are lookouts and dikes around extensive marshes, fields and woodland edges. Here we experienced the songs of Scarlet Tanagers, Veery, Gt-crested Fly, E Kingbirds, Yellow Warbler - from the marshes, the song of the Soras and other marsh species. As we walked along the dike, the calls of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo greeted us, an Am. Bittern flew by us along with 3 Blk-cr Night Herons, more Pied-billed Grebes & C Moorhens, Caspian Terns plus all the Marsh Wrens & Swamp Sparrows - other highlights was a Green Heron teed up in the scope - a wonderful way to start the morning!Next stop was a special habitat for the Sedge Wren which we heard calling - nearby we had our 1st Towhees, Orchard Oriole, Catbirds, C Yellowthroats, Blk&Wht WarblersOur final stop in Watertown area was another managed grassland area that blew everyone away - one little dirt pull-off with the grasslands on either side of this back road. Here we had stunning looks at E Meadowlarks & Bobolinks sitting up on fence post, pair of Am Kestrels hunting the fields & stopping on the poles to tear apart their prey, being surrounded by Henslow's, Savannah & Vesper Sparrows singing & teeing up, Barn & Tree Swallows swooping bye, Turkey Vultures overhead - it was hard to leave!We then traveled back to Lake Placid area to bird another boral habitat - Bloomingdale Bog. Here we walked another trail in the evening enjoying another Canada Jay, Black-thr Blue, Magnolia, Blk-thr Green, Nashville Warblers, Red-b Nuthatches, Winter Wrens and the lovely song of the Hermit Thrush. Day 4 - Back to windy, cool & rainy weather as we drove up to near the top of Whiteface Mountain with the goal of finding/hearing the Bicknell's Thrush - as we got higher over 4000 ft, we did hear a Swainson's Thrush singing through the wind & rain - not ideal weather but we really lucked out as we pulled into a dirt pull off near the top, there was a Bicknell's Thrush feeding in the dirt by the stunted pines along with a Junco - time to get off the mountain and head home with time to stop maybe 1 more stop weather permitting.Fortunately the rain stopped briefly, and we pulled off by a small lake and what did we hear singing were 2 pairs of Philadelphia Vireos plus a nearby Red-eyed Vireo by the road edge - that was a special treat for everyone to compare the songs plus closeup views of the Philadelphia Vireo's breeding plumage. In the lake was a beautiful C Loon close up, Least Fly & Brown Creeper calling, Chestnut-sided & Magnolia Warblers feeding - that was a great ending as we then continued drive home in the rain. In the end again, we enjoyed viewing/hearing 128 species on this Adirondack excursion, many of which are species that we rarely see/hear in NE, especially in full breeding plumages. In addition to all the bird species, we encountered many large Snapping Turtles laying eggs, Muskrats, Swallowtail & other beautiful Butterflies along the trails, White-tailed Deer everywhere, Moose tracks, colorful wildflowers and the wonderful smell of the boreal forest surrounding you. Thanks to Leslie Bostrom for all her planning/scouting/driving and Lindsay Neubeck-Brown for her expertise/driving and a hardy crew of participants dealing with a few rainy days, hiking these trails and a few Mosquitos along the way - in the end, we all had a wonderful exposure exploring all these boreal and grassland habitats in upper NY!!
