LOCALadk Magazine

18 Spring 2017 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk Spring Birding In The Adirondacks By Joan Collins Although spring is a particularly exciting time for bird watching, birders flock to the Adirondacks all year! The unique boreal bird spe- cies found in the region are a magnet for avian enthusiasts. The highly sought-after trio of black-backed woodpecker, gray jay, and boreal chickadee are on most birders' wish lists. Fortunately, they are year-round Adirondack residents. In addition to this popular boreal trio and other interesting year-round residents such as spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, red crossbills and white-winged cross- bills, and evening grosbeaks, abundant seasonal species, migrants, and winter irruptive species make birding in the Adirondacks exciting at any time of year. A Diverse Landscape Northern New York is an interesting mosaic of habitats including deciduous, mixed, coniferous, and second growth forests; marsh- es, swamps, bogs, grasslands and shrublands; abundant lakes, ponds, rivers, and brooks. As a result of this diversity, over 200 bird species nest in northern New York. The newest species on our ever-growing Adirondack breeding list is the sandhill crane. In the spring of 2016, a pair nested in a Tupper Lake marsh and successfully raised two young. The Lure of Boreal Boreal species hold a special interest to birders. Boreal means of, or relating to, the north wind or northern regions. It describes a habitat dominated by coniferous forests such as spruce, fir, tamarack, and pine, but also contains some broadleaf deciduous trees such as birch, poplar, and aspen. Sphagnum moss is the dominant ground cover in boreal habitat, which also includes bogs. The Adirondacks contain both high (over 3,000 feet) and low elevation boreal habitat across a diagonal region running from the northeast to the southwest. In North America, the Adirondack region marks the southern range of the boreal zone. Most of the habitat is found in Cana- da, but also across northern sections of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota within the United States. Boreal habitat is mossy, wet, and filled with fascinating plant life. Botanists and birders are equally enamored by boreal locations. Bogs are acidic places with unique plants such as cottongrass, Labrador tea, bog rosemary, bog laurel, grass pink, leatherleaf, rose pogonia, and white fringed orchid. Insectivorous bog dwell- ers include include round-leaved sundew, bladderwort, and pitcher plant. Interesting lichens and mushrooms are abundant in the boreal forest, as well. The Adirondack region, with its many boreal bogs and forests, attracts species of great interest to birders that would other- wise be found far to our north. Most bird species are very habi- tat-specific. Boreal habitat boasts great variation. For instance, olive-sided flycatchers and rusty blackbirds are found in beaver wetlands: muddy areas with lots of standing snags. Bicknell's thrushes and blackpoll warblers breed in mountainous boreal Joan Collins

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