The attraction of birding the Adirondacks in winter is to see boreal species. We got the Gray Jay on Saturday despite having a dozen snowmobilers whiz by and other people walking their dogs off leash. We missed some of the other boreal species I suspect due to this commotion. We decided to head back to Bloomingdale Bog first thing on Sunday morning despite the looming weather forecast.
We were out the door at 5 AM and traveled through snow storms to arrive at the bog by 7 AM. Good news - no snowmobile or dog tracks in the fresh snow. We were the first people there. Brandon got a tip about the location of Black-backed Woodpeckers just up the road so we started there. It took Big Daddy Alyssa (AKA Cupcake) about 4 minutes to spot the bird! It was hammering away at a tree right beside the road. Unbelievable. We all oggled it and snapped some photos when here comes a huge snow plow. We thought it was the end of our encounter but that little sucker stayed put.
A few things to note about this woodpecker. First, it has a solid black back (hence, the name). Second, it has a yellow cap. Most woodpeckers have red caps. Appropriately, the third fact is that this woodpecker only has 3 toes. Most woodpeckers have 4 toes. All of these ID traits can be seen in the photo below.
Black-backed Woodpecker
It is really difficult to get a photo that is in focus of a woodpecker when they are pecking. Here is a video which is pretty good and shows the little guy at work. Check it out.
We headed back into the bog trail to try our luck with Spruce Grouse and Boreal Chickadee but came up short. Who cares. We saw a Black-backed Woodpecker! And the Gray Jays cheerily met us along the path again. We fed them cinnamon buns. Oh, and a few more cuties like this Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
And this Black-capped Chickadee posing with snowflakes streaking by.
Black-capped Chickadee
And this adorable Red Squirrel chowing down on the yummy peanut butter that was slathered on the feeder. Zoom in and you can see his little mouth getting ready to chomp on the peanut butter.
Red Squirrel
We were a happy group for sure. Here is the gang. That's Sam on the left, Alyssa in the pink hat and Brandon with the giant grin. Of course, yours truly has a dopey look as usual. It was a great trip even though our total list was shorter than usual.
I must be nuts. Who in their right mind would say "yes" to an offer to leave frigid, snow covered, miserable Philadelphia on March 1st and go to someplace that is even colder and snowier? The answer is me and a few other crazy birders. The nice part of this adventure is that our birding friend Brandon has a lake house up there and was generous enough to ask a few of us to come up. He promised some good birding and a chance to see some species that you can usually only find in Boreal forests of Canada.
I drove up with Alyssa and Sam on Friday afternoon - taking work calls in the backseat of Alyssa's Honda and doing email from my phone. It worked out pretty well. We arrived at the Lake House just in time for a new experience - snowmobiling. Here is the gang getting ready to drive across the frozen lake to the restaurant. Brandon's house is in the background.
Getting ready for a ride
Saturday, we headed out to Bloomingdale Bog in search of boreal species such as Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee and Black-backed Woodpecker. We geared up for a cold hike and headed out onto a snowmobile trail through the woods. After a short hike, a Gray Jay showed up right next to us with a friendly look in his eye. He was soon joined by friends and they all followed us up the path. Aw, that's nice.
Gray Jay
Gray Jay
We soon found out why they were so interested in us - they want to be fed. Someone has a bird feeder in the middle of the woods and everyone knows that the Jays will eat bread and peanut butter if you bring some along. I guess they are used to it.
Gray Jay eating Peanut Butter
Alyssa shot this video. The birds are just wary enough but eventually take the bread (or in this case, Sam's Club Mini Cinnamon Rolls) right out of your hand. Watch the very end.
We busted on the other boreal species on Saturday so headed off to Lake Champlain to see some ducks. We were surprised that the ferry was still running with all of the ice but as you can see, the ferry keeps a path open.
Lake Champlain NY - ferry
The open water attracts all kinds of ducks including some rarities. There was one Tufted Duck mixed in here but it never came close enough for a photo. The other rarity was a Barrow's Goldeneye. This duck was close to the ferry terminal so I was able to get a few photos.
Female Barrow's Goldeneye
Here she is preening her belly which is always cute to watch.
Female Barrow's Goldeneye
We have Common Goldeneyes in the east. Barrow's are usually found out west which is what makes this a rare find. I have seen Barrow's Goldeneyes in Seattle way back in 2006. The difference between Common Goldeneye and Barrow's can be seen on the shape of the head and color of the bill. Here is a photo of both birds swimming side by side. Notice in this photo, the bird in front has a black bill with yellow tip while the bird in the back has the opposite - yellowish bill with black tip.
Common and Barrow's Goldeneyes
Here are a few more duck photos from the day. We had a good laugh at the ducks who decided to try to walk on the ice. Here is an immature male Common Goldeneye trying his luck without skates.
Common Goldeneye
These 2 Mallards chased mussels around the ice trying to get them open. It entertained us for a while.
Female Mallard with Mussels
Male Mallard with Mussels
This is a Ring-necked Duck who insisted on sitting out on the ice but couldn't quite get comfortable.
Ring-necked Duck
Each time the ferry would come in, all of the ducks would fly to get out of the way. Here are a few male Common Goldeneyes coming in for a landing.
Common Goldeneyes
The photos aren't the best due to overcast conditions but you can see how many ducks there were. More to come later - including another video which was a highlight of the trip.
