Adirondack Vacation 2016

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~I absolutely love, love, love these birds. They have a great personality and they are incredible flyers. I really enjoyed watching them navigate through the woods. GRAY JAY at Bloomingdale Bog, North End, 9/18/16.~

When it rains it pours, here’s my fourth post in as many days. Tricia and I spent a week in the Adirondacks on a family vacation with both of her brothers, her nephew, and her cousin and his family. We stayed at a great place, White Pine Camp in Paul Smiths, New York. I would certainly recommend it to anyone planning to head up to the Adirondacks and we will surely go back.

So, while it was not a birding trip, almost all of our time was spent outdoors. We did a lot of canoeing and kayaking (we did one epic day of 9 lakes in 8 hours in a canoe). And, I did get out and do some birding on my own, checking out some of the local hotspots, including Bigelow Road and Bloomingdale Bog (both the north end and the south end). Unfortunately, it was pretty quiet on the birding front. I did manage to see Gray Jays in 2 locations, and I had a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Bigelow Road. On one paddling trip, Tricia’s brother Kevin located a young Red-bellied Woodpecker, which was a bird I wasn’t expecting to see for some reason. I came up empty in regards to Boreal Chickadees and Black-backed Woodpeckers, which was disappointing. For the week I had just over 40 species. Anyway, it was a great time and I hope you enjoy my vacation photos.

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~ A foggy morning Ring-billed Gull on a rock in Osgood Pond, where our camp was located. White Pines Camp, Adirondacks 9/17/16.~
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~This is another bird that I was sort of surprised to see up there. Belted Kingfisher on the shore of the Osgood River, 9/19/16.~
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~Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Bigelow Road, 9/18/16.~
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~I saw plenty of these guys at Bloomingdale Bog’s South End. Golden-crowned Kinglet, 9/21/16.~
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~Blue-headed Vireo at Bloomingdale Bog South End, 9/21/16.~

COMMON LOONS 

I’ve always enjoyed photographing the Common Loons up in the Adirondacks. In the past I have had some great experiences where the loons were as curious about me as I was about them. They would pop up right next to my kayak and provide for extraordinary photo ops. This time around, I found that the loons were not quite as curious. I’m pretty sure it had to do with the adults tending to and protecting their young, which were still staying very close to their parents and sometimes still being fed. That being said, the birds were still quite confiding and while I did not spend as much time shooting them as I have in the past, I was able to get some decent shots:

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8 thoughts on “Adirondack Vacation 2016”

    1. Thanks Karen, I did the best I could, even though it wasn’t all that birdy while we were there. Matt

  1. GREAT set of shots, Matt. I too LOVE Gray Jays. They are very high on my list of most loved birds. That up-close-and-personal Loon shot is a world-beater. BEAUTIFUL! Thanks!

    1. I found a new love for the Gray Jays this time around. I always liked them, but this time they really got me. Glad you like the loon close up. Matt

  2. When I saw you this past Sunday and you told me you had more Common Loon shots I couldn’t wait to see the post and I certainly wasn’t disappointed! You have a knack at photographing these great birds! As always terrific photos Matt!

    Scotty

    1. I was excited when you said you loved the previous loon photos, glad to hear you were not disappointed. Matt

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