Skip to main content
Be prepared with helpful travel tips!
  • See & Do
    • See & Do
    • See all
    • Seasons
    • See all
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Accessibility
    • Arts
    • Attractions
    • Downtown
    • Health & Wellness
    • History
    • Live Music
    • Parks
    • Shopping
    • Stories
    • Weddings
  • Outdoors
    • Outdoors
    • See all
    • Hiking
    • Nature Walks
    • ADK Guides & Tours
    • Birding
    • Boating
    • Camping
    • Cross-Country Skiing
    • Cycling
    • Downhill Skiing
    • Fishing
    • Golfing
    • Ice Fishing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Paddling
    • Snowmobiling
    • Snowshoeing
  • Eat & Drink
    • Eat & Drink
    • See all
    • Cafés & Coffee Shops
    • Craft Beer & Cocktails
    • Restaurants
  • Events
    • Events
    • See all
    • ArtWorks ArtMarkets
    • Can-Am Rugby Tournament
    • Celebrate Paddling ADK
    • North Country New Year
    • Northern Current
    • Plein Air Festival
    • Winter Carnival
    • 3rd Thursday Art Walks
  • Stay
    • Stay
    • See all
    • Cabins & Cottages
    • Camping
    • Inns, Lodges, Bed & Breakfasts
    • Packages
    • Resorts, Hotels, Motels
    • Vacation Rentals
  • First Time Visitors
    • First Time Visitors
    • See all
    • Accessibility
    • Downtown
    • Getting Here
    • Greater Region
    • Guide
    • Stories
    • Seasons
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • Local
    • Local
    • See all
    • Live Here
    • Meet the Locals
    • Real Estate
    • Town of Harrietstown
    • Town of North Elba
    • Town of St. Armand
    • Village of Saranac Lake
    • Do Business Here
    • Chamber Job Board
    • Essex County IDA
    • Franklin County Economic Development Co.
    • Professional Services
    • Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
    • Community Initiatives
    • Arts & Culture Master Plan
    • Downtown Revitalization Initiative
    • Saranac Lake Brand
    • Village Community Development Department

Celebrate Paddling ADK

Homepage Story 11 Great Adirondack Birding Celebration
What can we help you find?
  • See & Do
      1. See & Do
      2. See all
      3. Seasons
      4. See all
      5. Spring
      6. Summer
      7. Fall
      8. Winter
      9. Accessibility
      10. Arts
      11. Attractions
      12. Downtown
      13. Health & Wellness
      14. History
      15. Live Music
      16. Parks
      17. Shopping
      18. Stories
      19. Weddings
  • Outdoors
      1. Outdoors
      2. See all
      3. Hiking
      4. Nature Walks
      5. ADK Guides & Tours
      6. Birding
      7. Boating
      8. Camping
      9. Cross-Country Skiing
      10. Cycling
      11. Downhill Skiing
      12. Fishing
      13. Golfing
      14. Ice Fishing
      15. Mountain Biking
      16. Paddling
      17. Snowmobiling
      18. Snowshoeing
  • Eat & Drink
      1. Eat & Drink
      2. See all
      3. Cafés & Coffee Shops
      4. Craft Beer & Cocktails
      5. Restaurants
  • Events
      1. Events
      2. See all
      3. ArtWorks ArtMarkets
      4. Can-Am Rugby Tournament
      5. Celebrate Paddling ADK
      6. North Country New Year
      7. Northern Current
      8. Plein Air Festival
      9. Winter Carnival
      10. 3rd Thursday Art Walks
  • Stay
      1. Stay
      2. See all
      3. Cabins & Cottages
      4. Camping
      5. Inns, Lodges, Bed & Breakfasts
      6. Packages
      7. Resorts, Hotels, Motels
      8. Vacation Rentals
  • First Time Visitors
      1. First Time Visitors
      2. See all
      3. Accessibility
      4. Downtown
      5. Getting Here
      6. Greater Region
      7. Guide
      8. Stories
      9. Seasons
      10. Spring
      11. Summer
      12. Fall
      13. Winter
  • Local
      1. Local
      2. See all
      3. Live Here
      4. Meet the Locals
      5. Real Estate
      6. Town of Harrietstown
      7. Town of North Elba
      8. Town of St. Armand
      9. Village of Saranac Lake
      10. Do Business Here
      11. Chamber Job Board
      12. Essex County IDA
      13. Franklin County Economic Development Co.
      14. Professional Services
      15. Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
      16. Community Initiatives
      17. Arts & Culture Master Plan
      18. Downtown Revitalization Initiative
      19. Saranac Lake Brand
      20. Village Community Development Department

The Great Adirondack Birding Celebration!

Watch Video
Be prepared with helpful travel tips!

Alan Belford

May 15, 2018

Share

A Chilly Start to Spring

While winter held off the arrival of spring this year with both hands, warm weather is finally coming on in full force – and birds are coming with it. After all, even with the chilly weather we’ve had this spring, birds have been on the move – with ducks like Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, and both Hooded and Common Mergansers on Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, and sparrows such as Fox, Vesper, Savannah, and Field joining numbers of Song, Swamp, White-throated, and Dark-eyed Juncos at feeders and birding sites in the area.

In the past week or so as the weather has started to warm up, I’ve found species like Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Sandhill Crane, Common Loon, American Woodcock, Merlin, Osprey, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. And our late April snows are not going to keep others away for long.

The Diversity of the Nesting Season

The nesting season is the single most important event around which the entire bird calendar revolves, and the birds are going to be here – chilly weather and all. Not only that, but Adirondack springs often begin as a vacillating pendulum between warm and cold before spring – and eventually summer – finally win out.

And so as the snow melts for the final time of the season and the leaves bravely poke their faces out from the buds in the hopes that warm weather will greet them, a feathered diversity of birds arrives to celebrate the season. Actually they come to breed here or to migrate further north to nest, but in the mind of a birder, it certainly feels like a celebration.

Hence the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration (GABC) is aptly named. Birding enthusiasts should not miss this annual celebration based at the Paul Smith’s College VIC. The GABC has been taking folks out on birding adventures for years on the first weekend in June – when our recently arrived birds are in their places and singing on cue. Their concert is not one to be missed.

This seasonal performance takes place across the Adirondacks and North Country, and the GABC targets some of the best places to witness it. These include trips by car, foot, and canoe – giving birders fun options to explore.

So Many Places to Go — So Many Birds to See!

Birders can check out research on Common Loons, look for Bicknell’s Thrush, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, and other species in the montane spruce-fir forests on the top of Whiteface Mountain, or beginning birders can learn some of the tools of the trade.

Many folks will be interested in the trips to premier boreal birding locales in the region – including Bloomingdale Bog, Spring Pond Bog, and Madawaska – the trip I most often lead. These trips take them to places where they can find the likes of Black-backed Woodpeckers, Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadees, and possibly even a state-listed Spruce Grouse. These same locations are also great for Lincoln’s Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, and Olive-sided Flycatchers, all of which only recently arrived back in the Adirondacks for the summer.

More than that, the woods everywhere are loaded with vireos, tanagers, grosbeaks, finches, sparrows, flycatchers, and of course, an array of warblers. In fact over 20 species of warblers breed in the Olympic Region alone and the GABC gives folks an opportunity to find all of them, not to mention the chance for lingering migrants still on their way north. And so, GABC participants can find: Blackpoll Warblers singing from the top of Whiteface Mountain; Mourning Warblers in some of the young forests along Blue Mountain Road; Nashville, Magnolia, and Palm Warblers in our bogs and coniferous habitats; and Black-throated Green Warblers and American Redstarts in the area’s deciduous forests.

Not only that, but two additional trips take birders either to the St. Lawrence Valley or to the Lake Champlain Region where birders can find both Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers, and where birdwatchers can explore the edge habitats, fields, and wetlands in the surrounding valleys.

Such trips can pad the lists of birders with Baltimore Oriole, Eastern Kingbird, American Bittern, Virginia Rail, Least Bittern, Green Heron, Caspian Tern, Black Tern, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Great Egret, Great Horned Owl, Indigo Bunting, and a long list of others. Both trips take birders to great spots.

And so, despite the persistent snows and chilly weather, spring will win this ongoing battle with winter, ushering in the diversity of May and June and one of the best times of year to bird the region. It is a time of year which beckons us to get outside. At time of year which begs us to explore. And a time of year which calls for a celebration.

Plan your spring and summer birding trips today, and learn more about the GABC here. And while you’re at it, we've got great places for to stay and dine during your visit!

Share

Packages and Promotions

range

Valid Aug. 1

- Aug. 3

Valid Apr. 1

- May. 31

BikeADK Loves Canada - Weekender

BikeADK

BikeADK

Canadian Residents receive 15% off Registration!

package
Other
range

Valid Apr. 1

- Oct. 31

Valid Apr. 15

- Oct. 31

Fish & Stay

Voco Saranac Lake

Voco Saranac Lake

Enjoy a 2-hour fishing session on Lake Flower for two, guided by expert anglers.

package
Activities and Attractions
range

Valid Apr. 1

- Oct. 31

Valid Apr. 15

- Oct. 31

Bike & Stay

Voco Saranac Lake

Voco Saranac Lake

Explore the beauty of Saranac Lake and the newly developed Adirondack Rail Trail.

package
Activities and Attractions
range

Valid Apr. 1

- Oct. 31

Valid Apr. 15

- Oct. 31

Paddle & Stay

Voco Saranac Lake

Voco Saranac Lake

Escape to the serene beauty of the Adirondacks and immerse yourself in nature as you paddle the tranquil waters of Lake Flower in a kayak, canoe,...

package
Activities and Attractions
range

Valid Apr. 1

- Jan. 30

Valid Jan. 21

- Jan. 21

Pet Getaway

Voco Saranac Lake

Voco Saranac Lake

Your dog deserves an Adirondack getaway too. Book our pet friendly hotel near Lake Placid welcomes every member of your crew. Book our Pet Package...

package

Valid

-

Valid Apr. 1

- Apr. 1

The Wild Center Family Getaway

Voco Saranac Lake

Voco Saranac Lake

Enjoy 2 adult and 1 child admission tickets to The Wild Center, where nature meets discovery.

package
Activities and Attractions
range

Valid Apr. 1

- Oct. 31

Valid Apr. 15

- Oct. 31

Golf & Stay

Voco Saranac Lake

Voco Saranac Lake

Tee off at one of the Adirondacks' historic golf courses, surrounded by breathtaking mountain views.

package
Golf
range

Valid Apr. 18

- May. 13

Valid Apr. 18

- May. 13

Canadian Love - Victoria Day Package

Traverse Lodge

Traverse Lodge

20% off stays from May 15 to May 20 for our Canadian friends!

package
Load More
What can we help you find?
Sign up to receive more information.
Enter Email
Do•Stay•Eat•Shop•Events
Work Here•Contact Us•All Are Welcome•Media Kit•Privacy Policy
39 Main Street, Saranac Lake, NY 12983
Powered by the Regional Office of
Sustainable Tourism
THERE’S MORE TO EXPLORE
We’ve got the best ideas for things to do on your next Adirondack adventure, and we will deliver them right to your inbox! THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING! Your next adventure awaits you in your inbox! Tell us more about what interests you, and we can help you plan your next trip.
View privacy policy
MANAGE YOUR PREFERENCES

Success!

You have successfully entered this contest. Be sure to check your inbox for your customized travel inspiration.

Thank you!

Thanks for updating your information. Be sure to check your inbox for your customized travel inspiration.

Thank you!

Thanks for being awesome by subscribing to our newsletter. Be sure to check your inbox for your customized travel inspiration.

Success! Message Sent.

Thanks for being awesome. We have received your message and look forward to talking with you soon.

Thank you!

Thanks for being awesome. You can now download the guide.

Thank you!

You have successfully completed the Snowmobile Map Request form. You should receive a physical copy by mail in 1-2 weeks.

Share to: