The Town of Long Lake is planning a Winter Birding Weekend for January 27-28.

Events will include field trips, a presentation, and social dinner. Participants will look for winter irruptive species such as Bohemian Waxwings, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Common and Hoary Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks, along with year-round boreal residents such as Black-backed Woodpeckers, Gray Jays, and Boreal Chickadees.

Joan Collins is scheduled to lead field trips on both days. The main field trip will take place on Sunday, January 28, with an optional trip on Saturday, January 27, 2018 for those who arrive early. (In the event of inclement weather on Sunday, the Saturday trip will become the main field trip.) Attendees will meet at the Geiger Arena parking area at 8 am (across from the Long Lake Post Office).

On Saturday afternoon at 4 pm, Joan Collins will present “Winter Bird Visitors of Northern New York” at the Long Lake Town Hall. Each year, avian visitors from the far north move south to spend the winter in the northern New York region. Some of the species, like Bohemian Waxwing and Snow Bunting, can be found every winter. Other species, such as Pine Grosbeak, irregularly irrupt, while some species visit on a fairly regular schedule, such as the Common Redpoll, which arrives every-other winter. Why the birds move to the region, and where they can be found, will be discussed. The presentation will feature nineteen species that visit northern New York in winter using photographs, audio, and video. This event is open to the public, no registration is necessary.

Joan Collins, President of Adirondack Avian Expeditions & Workshops, LLC, leads birding trips year-round, is a New York State licensed guide, and Adirondack 46er. She is Editor of New York Birders, Vice-President of Northern New York Audubon, and past President of the New York State Ornithological Association.

Joan has published several journal, magazine, and newspaper articles on wildlife and conservation topics in various publications including New York Birders, Conservationist and The Kingbird. She authored several warbler species accounts, in addition to serving as a peer reviewer for The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. Joan is a frequent guest speaker and teaches classes on ornithology topics. Her website can be found here.

A social dinner will follow the Saturday afternoon presentation. Participants will gather at the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake after the talk and dinner will begin at 6:30 pm.

Registration is required to attend the field trips. Call the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Department at (518) 624-3077 to register. There is a maximum of 25 participants for each field trip. The presentation and dinner at the Adirondack Hotel are open to the public. If you plan to attend dinner at the Adirondack Hotel after the presentation, call the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Department to let them know by January 24th.

The Long Lake Diner opens for breakfast at 6:30 am. Stewarts offers quick breakfast items. On Saturday, participants can pre-order lunch from the ADK Trading Post for pick-up along the birding route. Menus will be sent to participants. Sunday’s lunch plans will be decided as the winter progresses and the birding route is planned for that day.

The Winter Birding Weekend is sponsored by the Long Lake Parks and Recreation Department and cosponsored by Northern New York Audubon. For more information, click here.

Photos courtesy Joan Collins