Birding Festivals in the Adirondacks:
2015 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration
Birding by Ear Workshop

• Time: Saturday, 6 June, 7:00 AM and Sunday, 7 June, 7:00 AM
• Fee: Included in Great Adirondack Birding Celebration registration fee
• A la carte price: $40 per person. Register by 30 May. Fees paid at the time of registration.
• Where to Meet: The Paul Smith's College VIC Great Room
• What to Bring: Gear for a short day trip: hat, binoculars, sunscreen, snack, water, rain gear, insect repellent

Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks:
Swamp Sparrow on Heron Marsh at the VIC

Open your consciousness to a whole other dimension of life—the world of bird song!  If you are interested in learning to identify birds by their song or in honing your existing song identification skills, join our Birding by Ear workshop.  This workshop will delve into the world of bird vocalizations and give you a framework for learning the voices of our master singers.

Early June is a great time to improve your skills, since the birds are actively searching for mates or guarding territory and are quite vocal at this time.  During the workshop, participants will take a closer listen at how birds make sounds and what their sounds mean in breeding season.  We will also explore some of the regional dialects which make birding by ear so challenging. 

Workshop leaders will provide participants with tips to make birding by ear a rewarding pursuit and familiarize them with common bird songs and vocalizations, including tricks for recalling vocalization.  Participants will learn basic methods of representing the songs and calls, including birdsong mnemonics and written descriptions of the songs (i.e., depicting the Scarlet Tanager as a robin with a sore throat).   Workshop participants will also learn what bird songs are used for in the avian language, how songs are produced, and how to use habitat and migratory information to determine likely species. 

Boreal Birds of the Adirondacks:
Black-throated Blue Warbler near the Heron Marsh Trail at the Paul Smith's College VIC

The workshop is designed for beginning to intermediate birders, as well as experienced birders looking for a tune-up or an opportunity to learn more about the specifics of birding by ear in the Adirondack Mountains.

The VIC is an ideal place to develop or hone your birding by ear skills. The 3,000-acre property includes varied Adirondack habitats, providing excellent opportunities to see and hear the many different boreal birds that make the Adirondacks their seasonal or year-round home. As a result, the VIC has become a bird watching haven, attracting birders from throughout the northeast.

• Heron Marsh (accessible from the Barnum Brook Trail, the Heron Marsh Trail, the Logger's Loop Trail, the Woods and Waters Trail, and the Jenkins Mountain Trail) is home to a variety of water birds, including American Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser, Mallard, and American Black Duck.
• Birds which nest on Barnum Bog, including the Lincoln's Sparrow and the Palm Warbler, can be seen and heard from the Boreal Life Trail boardwalk. The Boreal Life Trail also has an overlook tower on Barnum Pond, where Common Loons are sometimes seen or heard.
• Common Loons usually nest on Black Pond and can also be seen on Little Black Pond. Both are accessible from the Black Pond Trail and the Woods and Waters Trail.
• The early successional forest on the north side of the Logger's Loop Trail offers opportunities to see the Scarlet Tanager, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler.
• One very convenient birding hot spot at the VIC is the VIC parking lot, where a large number of birds may be seen and heard, including a wide variety of warblers, as well as other species, such as Hermit Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Ruffed Grouse, American Goldfinch, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed VIreo, and Hairy Woodpecker.
• Other sightings at the Paul Smiths VIC include Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Brown Thrasher, and Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.
• For a list of birds seen on the trails at the Paul Smiths VIC, click here.

This trip will begin with a short presentation on birding by ear in the VIC Great Room, then go outside for a field trip on the VIC nature trails. This is a non-strenuous field trip. The VIC trails are wide, surfaced walking paths. The walking is easy, with a few small hills. Hiking boots are recommended in wet weather, but are not normally necessary. The field trip will cover both Barnum Bog and Heron Marsh, with a short stop in between at the VIC building, for the convenience of birders who opt for a shorter walk.