19th Annual Hamilton County Adirondack Boreal Birding Festival
The Hamilton County Department of Tourism and Audubon NY welcomes you this June for the 19 th Annual Adirondack Boreal Birding Festival.
The Adirondack Park in upstate New York is a bird-watching haven! In June, the Adirondack Boreal Birding Festival in Hamilton County celebrates the height of the breeding season with 4 days of birding hikes, walks, safaris, outings, and presentations throughout the county.
Joan Collins, owner of Adirondack Avian Expeditions & Workshops, LLC, leads birding tours year-round, is a New York State licensed guide, an Adirondack 46er, and has climbed all the Adirondack fire tower peaks. She writes the Birdwatch column for Adirondack Explorer magazine, and has published several journal, magazine, and newspaper articles on wildlife and conservation topics in various publications including Audubon, Conservationist, Adirondack Life Magazine, Adirondack Explorer, New York Birders, LOCALadk Magazine, and The Kingbird. Joan authored several warbler species accounts, in addition to serving as a peer reviewer for The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. She is a past President of the New York State Ornithological Association and Editor of New York Birders. She served for many years as a Board of Directors member of the Audubon Council of New York State and Northern New York Audubon Society, and as a past President. Joan is a frequent keynote speaker and presenter on ornithology topics.
Follow Joan on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian
Her website can be found at: http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/
Rich Hanlon is a birder, naturalist educator, author, NYS licensed guide, and owner/operator of Wild Neighbors Nature Connection, LLC with an Environmental Studies degree from Penn State University ('09) and 17 years of experience investing in his passion of helping people to experience transformational connection with nature's community. Most of his work involves guided birding in the northern Adirondacks and young naturalist series at local rec parks. He is a relational birder, meaning that his focus is on the connections between birds and their environment. With him, you can expect to learn as much about the habitats of our feathered neighbors as the birds themselves. Rich lives in Duane Center, NY, just a little north of Paul Smith's with his wife Erin and their dog Polly.
Follow Rich on Facebook at: http://www.Facebook.com/adknatureguide
His website can be found at: http://www.wnnc.net
Pat Bixler is an experienced hiker, birder, and licensed guide who has spent countless hours in the Adirondack wilderness. He is an official 46er, Northville-Placid trail finisher, and can also be found on his kayak or mountain bike. During the summer months, Pat serves as a steward on the summit of Whiteface Mountain protecting the sensitive alpine habitat and interpreting the flora and fauna for visitors. Through all of this, he has found a personal connection to our feathered friends and hopes to share that experience with you. Pat lives in Saranac Lake, NY, just outside of the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks.
Mike & Wanda Moccio have visited the Adirondacks since their college days. While working in their careers in Connecticut, Mike’s newfound interest in bird watching inspired him to help establish the Cove Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Stamford, Connecticut, dedicated to conserving habitat for birds and other wildlife. This sanctuary is now an Important Bird Area (IBA). Mike and Wanda became NYS-licensed hiking guides to lead and engage bird-watching participants. They also participate in breeding and waterfowl surveys for various state and federal organizations. They retired in 2016 and currently reside in Indian Lake, NY.
Schedule:
Friday, June 6, 2025
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Ferd’s Bog – 5:00 AM
Ferd's Bog Trail, Ferds Bog, Inlet, NY 13360
Enjoy a morning outing at the boardwalk trail overlooking the magnificent Ferd’s Bog. This place is enchanted by the drumming of black-backed woodpeckers, the songs of Lincoln’s sparrow, palm warbler, olive-sided flycatcher, and many more of our feathered neighbors! We’ll meet at the Ferd’s Bog Trail and walk the 0.3-mile relatively easy trail (minus some roots and rocks to traverse) to Ferd’s Bog Boardwalk. A wide platform at the end of the boardwalk overlooks the peatland environment providing satisfyingly expansive views. This is where we will set up our folding chairs for a while to observe. Expect to encounter the above-mentioned species, learn about the behaviors and habits of the birds who make a home there, and hear about the habitat and history of the American three-toed woodpecker population reported at Ferd’s Bog between 1974-2012. After we’ve birded in place at the end of the boardwalk, we’ll take a closer look into the varied forest layers from the spruce bog to the hardwoods and inbetween.
GUIDES: Rich Hanlon and Pat Bixler
EVENT LENGTH: 5 hours
LIMIT: 20
BRING: Camp chair, bug protection, hat, water, snacks, sunscreen, binoculars.
MEET: Ferd’s Bog Trailhead
GPS Waypoint: 43.785262, -74.750350
DIRECTIONS: From Hoss’s Country Corner in the Town of Long Lake, drive 23.7 miles south on Route 28 to the Town of Raquette Lake. Turn Right on County Road 2. After 0.4 miles turn left onto Antlers Road. After 0.3 miles turn left onto Uncas Road. Follow Uncas Road for 5.5 miles and then the parking area for Ferd’s Bog will be on your right.
Driving Safari/ Short Walks: Moose River Plains, Inlet - 6:00 AM
Join Joan Collins for a trip into Moose River Plains Wild Forest | Experience Our Adirondacks, one the largest “Important Bird Areas” (IBA) in New York State. The IBA is 305,00 acres. We will drive over 10 miles on dirt roads during our visit to Moose River Plains, with several car-birding stops and short hikes along the way. One stop will be at Red River, a fascinating area where several habitats come together, including boreal forest, mixed forest, and marsh, and hike a short distance on the Mitchell Ponds Trail. Sumner Stream will be another stop just before we encounter the “Plains” area. In the Plains, we will hike to Helldiver Pond (.4 miles round trip on a level trail) in boreal habitat, and Icehouse Pond (.8 miles round trip on gentle hilly terrain) in wooded and open habitats. A wide variety of habitats occur in Moose River Plains – mixed forest, boreal forest, spruce bogs, flat lands, open woodlands, marshes, etc., offering a wide variety of bird species! Moose tracks are frequently found, and sometimes Moose! With numerous campsites along our route, outhouses are in abundance when needed.
GUIDE: Joan Collins
EVENT LENGTH: 6-7 hours
LIMIT: 15 Participants
BRING Food (lunch), water, appropriate attire/hiking shoes, binoculars, hat, sunscreen, and
insect spray.
MEET: Meet at the intersection of Route 28 and Limekiln Lake Rd. in Inlet at 6:00 a.m.
GPS WAYPOINT:
DIRECTIONS: There is a golf course at the intersection of Route 28 and Limekiln Lake Rd. in Inlet. After we meet up, we will all drive to the Moose River Plains Rd. and carpool from that location.
