LOCALadk Magazine

birds like warblers, tanagers, and vireos who travel incredibly long distances from Central and South America to their northern breeding grounds here in the Adirondacks and beyond. e Wadhams Complex hosts many of these beautiful songbirds, but perhaps one of the most unique are Mourning Warblers, a chunky warbler with an olive-yellow body and conspicuous gray hood, yet very secretive and difficult to glimpse. Look carefully for them within small clearings in the forest. e Riverside Trail parking area is located along Mountain View Drive in Willsboro. It is maintained by CATS and is generously hosted by Dan and Kim Rivera of Triple Green Jade Farm. is 1.2-mile loop crosses a farm field and meadow with a beautiful forest fringe that skirts the west bank of the Boquet River. It's easy to get distracted by the Red and White Trilliums that carpet the forest floor in spring, but if you pay close attention, you'll see Northern Rough- winged Swallows and Belted Kingfishers actively feeding along the river. Both species nest in burrows along steep exposed riverbanks. But what makes the Riverside Trail so unique for birds is the presence of "winged-warblers." e south side of the property and woodland fringe contain young, regenerating forest, the perfect habitat to support Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers. e latter of the two species is in great decline and unlike the former, has yet to be detected at this location. Both Blue-winged Warblers and Golden-winged Warblers hybridize and produce offspring that share identification traits, one of which is referred to as "Brewster's Warbler." Several Brewster's Warblers have been documented here, suggesting that at one point Golden-winged Warblers might have been present. Birders visiting the Riverside Trail should be on the lookout for winged-warblers and a handful of other striking neotropical migrants from May through September. ere are very few additional places to find winged- warblers in the Adirondack Park. Along the west side of Route 22 in Willsboro, you'll find the parking area for the Ancient Oak Trail. is 2.5-mile loop has been permanently protected through a conservation easement, managed by CATS. e landowners at Ancient Oak recognized the unique conservation importance and value to the community, so they worked with CATS to protect it forever. You'll find stunning ancient White Oak trees with an appearance that would fit well on a Lord of the Rings movie set. Magnificent sections of hardwood forest and woodland swamp are neatly divided by a beautiful meadow and cattail marsh. e property holds an exciting array of songbird species, and like many natural areas, the most active time to visit is during spring and fall migration. is allows birders to take advantage of seeing passage migrants as well as resident breeding birds. At the Ancient Oak Trail, you'll find Bobolinks nesting in the meadow, a grassland- dependent species whose population is in steep decline. ose familiar with Bobolinks have described their song as being similar to the sounds made by R2D2, the famous droid from Star Wars movies. Swamp Sparrows are active in the cattail marsh and Wilson's Snipe has been present here as well. Look to be 22 LOCALadk Short-eared owl

• Cover