The early morning hours of the Birdathon are the most productive for picking up bird species. My time so far was spent using an illegally marked trail to get from Raven Lake in the Five Ponds Wilderness to Big Bad Leroy Bog within the Pepperbox Wilderness with disappointing results of not even 30 species
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 2013: Ending the Day at Sunshine Pond
Time is running out. Reaching the dead period of mid-afternoon, the chances of producing a stellar bird list for my first Birdathon in two years is decreasing rapidly with every passing moment. Birds no longer sing with the fervor of the early morning hours, leaving visual identification of new species my most important chance of
Birdathon 2013: Adventures in Filtering at Deer Pond Outlet Stream
The worst thing about crossing a beaver dam in the Adirondacks is that sometimes you just do not know what you are going to find on the other end. Sometimes the conditions are obvious from the other side, but often it is not. This is the case when I cross a beaver dam (point #13
Birdathon 2011: Final Report for the Pepperbox Wilderness
On May, 21 2011, I participated in the Audubon Society, Onondaga Chapter’s Birdathon, a competition to observe as many bird species as possible within a single 24-hour period. For the second year in a row, I bushwhacked through the Pepperbox Wilderness even though last year was less than a complete success. Unlike last year, the
Birdathon 2011: Bushwhacking Birding Along Deer Pond Outlet Stream
On May 21, 2011 I birded some of the ponds and streams in the northeastern Pepperbox Wilderness of the Adirondack State Park for the Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a challenge to locate as many bird species as possible in a single 24-hour period. This was my second attempt to perform the Birdathon in
Birdathon 2011 Teaser: Birding Pepperbox Wilderness again
The Onondaga Chapter of the Audubon Society held its Birdathon on the third Saturday in May again this year. I participated for the second year in a row by bushwhacking through the heart of the Pepperbox Wilderness of the Adirondack State Park for another opportunity to increase my disappointing species count from last year. For
Pepperbox Bushwhack Birdathon 2010 Final Report
For those of you interested in the final results of my Birdathon bushwhack within the Pepperbox Wilderness on May 15, 2010 the final results are listed below. The name of the each bird species is followed by the location where the species was first detected.
Pepperbox Birdathon 2010 Day Two, Part Two
The following is an account of the second half of the second day of my trip to bushwhack my way through the Pepperbox Wilderness while participating in the National Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a 24-hour contest to detect as many bird species as possible and this was the first time I participated since
Pepperbox Birdathon 2010 Day Two, Part One
The following is an account of the first part of the second day of my trip to bushwhack my way through the Pepperbox Wilderness while participating in the National Audubon Society’s Birdathon. The Birdathon is a 24-hour contest to detect as many bird species as possible and this was the first time I participated since
