Evening at Cropsey Pond

Finally, after a two-year absence due to a nagging knee injury, I once again participated in the Audubon Society’s Birdathon this past weekend. For the third time, I ventured into the wild and trailless heart of the Pepperbox Wilderness in the northwestern Adirondacks. Unfortunately, I was not alone, as a nasty and tenacious head cold came to visit me five days earlier, with its effects still being felt today.

Although I contemplated bailing on the Birdathon, the nearly optimal weather forecast made me throw caution to the wind, and head up north for three days of bushwhacking and birding. Originally, I planned to head up a day earlier, so I could have a single reconnaissance day on Friday, but the cold put the kabash on that thought.

The weather cooperated well enough, with only partly cloudy skies and plenty of sun; it might have been a little bit too nice out. The big day started out cold (around 35 degrees while eating breakfast that morning), but the temperatures quickly rose into the mid-70’s by the afternoon.

The one bonus of a cold morning was the lack of black flies, which allowed for a leisurely combination of both birding and breakfast in the morning. While wolfing down my cold cereal that morning, a black bear ambled along the far shore of Cropsey Pond, obscured only slightly by a thin film of fog lifting from the surface of the water. Luckily, the big bruin did not even notice my presence, despite the contents of my food bag being strewn all over my campsite.

Unfortunately, the birds did not cooperate as much as the black bear. The morning started off productive enough, but by mid-morning my plans kind of fell apart due to circumstances beyond my control. That is, the beavers mucked them all up by damming up all the meadows along the Cropsey Pond outlet, leaving me to scramble along steep slopes instead of making excellent time meandering through grassy and level terrain. Not to mention missing the opportunity to spot birds flying over the open area, or hanging out at the forest’s edge.

The extra time navigating the flooded meadows required me to end my day’s quest early at the southern tip of Sunshine Pond, camping in the same place I started the Birdathon in 2011. Maybe I will try again next year to make it to Raven Lake, or I might just try another area entirely.

The final tally was only 46 bird species, the least amount for the three years I sampled the Pepperbox Wilderness. Although somewhat disappointing, there will always be next year for another attempt to break the 60 species ceiling.
Keep your eyes peeled for a complete Birdathon 2013 trip report in the near future.

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