Now that Bow-tie Beaver Meadow, the Four Ponds, and Big Bad Leroy Bog (and their respective bird species) are in the Birdathon record book for this year, it is time to move on to Sunshine and Deer Ponds, before finally stopping for my lunch break at Hunters’ Vly. The route to these waterbodies can be
Birdathon 2016: Bushwhacking Through the Four Ponds
On the day before the Birdathon, I have a single goal; get into camp in the Pepperbox Wilderness backcountry in a timely manner. When doing so, the ample daylight remaining allows for accomplishing all the necessary chores, packing up for the next day and making it to bed early enough so I get plenty
Birdathon 2016: Journey to Fourth of Four Ponds
When the daylight hours begin to overtake those of darkness and spring enters its middle-age, it is once again time for my annual birding/bushwhacking ritual, the Birdathon. This contest requires searching for as many bird species as possible within a 24-hour period on the third Saturday in May. This year, as it has for the
Birdathon 2015: Birding Using Illegal Trail System
The Birdathon starts with a whimper. Regardless, I am up around midnight to see it in, hoping that a barred owl sounds off to start my list. Some rain fell earlier in the evening, but it never really amounted to much – just enough to make everything wet for my hike this morning. While waiting
Birdathon 2015: Discovering Illegal Trail System West of Raven Lake
After walking up Raven Lake Road from the trailhead at the end of Necessary Dam Road, the easy part of my trip is over, with the bushwhacking portion set to begin. The Shallow Pond Canoe Carry acts as my starting point, but it will not be long before striking out on my own and entering
Birdathon 2015: Hiking Up Raven Lake Road
It is May once again, and that means many things in the Adirondacks, including black flies, bushwhacking and the Birdathon. The Birdathon is my traditional first bushwhacking adventure of the season, and it mixes two of my favorite things, birding and bushwhacking. What better way to get back into the bushwhacking groove than an all-day
Birdathon 2014: Final Report for the Pepperbox Wilderness
On May 16, 2014, I participated in the Audubon Society’s Birdathon, a challenge to observe as many bird species within a single 24-hour period as possible. This was my eighth year participating in the event, all of which took place wholly or in part in the Adirondack Park. For the fourth time in five years,
Birdathon 2014: The Case of the Missing Tent Stake at Sunshine Pond
Where to end my Birdathon bushwhack in the Pepperbox Wilderness always becomes a difficult decision. There is always the constant incentive to push on, hoping that the next destination will provide the big breakthrough of a plethora of bird species, producing the banner year I continue dreaming about during the weeks leading up to the
Birdathon 2014: Birding Up Deer Pond Outlet to Sunshine Pond
Birds tend to be less active in the late afternoon; that is just a fact. The singing dies down, with many birds taking their siesta after feeding during the earlier morning hours. This phenomenon makes Birdathon afternoons a time of profound desperation, where the frantic search for any new species to add to a scant
Birdathon 2014: Unproductive Bushwhack to Deer Pond Outlet
After exhausting the beaver ponds along the Cropsey Pond outlet during the early morning hours, an unproductive bushwhack over a couple of ridges, separated by a series of wetlands, are all that lies between me and the more bird diverse Deer Pond drainage. The afternoon hours, when most self-respecting birds are taking their siesta, is
