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As spring begins to force the retreat of winter in the North Country, its advance is first noted in the Champlain Valley. There, birders will note arriving and singing Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, and Song Sparrows. But it is the ducks that often have them most excited. Lake Champlain offers migrating waterfowl a north-south corridor along which to travel, and they oblige by staging some large assemblages of ducks. Many of these birds spent the winter in the lake, while others simply move through from the south. And this winter’s cold has condensed ducks in the valley to the open water around the ferry terminals. Birders should look for:
In addition, less common species such as Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, and Black Scoter can also be found, and a Tufted Duck has even wintered in the valley this year.
The fields and agricultural lands of the Champlain Valley are also good for wintering and migrating raptors which head north during the early portion of the spring. Birders should look for them perched along fields and hedgerows as they hunt or where they may be visiting local bird feeders in search of unwary songbirds. As wintering Rough-legged Hawks vacate the fields for the summer, other species move into replace them and Osprey arrive from the south to fish in the lake all summer. Birders should look for:
In addition, resident owls such as Eastern Screech Owl, Great Horned Owl, and Barred Owl become more vocal during the spring giving birders an easier time in finding them. And the nights that find the owls calling may also be good nights for migrating passerines to arrive from the south.
After all, as it does with ducks and raptors, the Champlain Valley provides a good migration corridor for songbirds. As spring advances, sparrows such as White-throated, Savannah, Lincoln’s, and White-crowned move into and through the area. Breeding birds begin to arrive and the forest patches and hedgerows become home to Warbling Vireo, Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Kingbird, and Great Crested Flycatcher.
One of the best places to witness this migration is Crown Point State Historic Site where a spring bird banding station has been run since 1976 and has banded better than 100 species of birds! Chief among them are the warblers and better than 20 species of warblers move through the valley on their way north or stay to breed in the region. Some of these species are difficult to find elsewhere in the North Country and lucky birders have found breeding Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers in the brushy edge habitat and young forests of the Champlain Valley as they enjoy more common species such as Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warbler.
Birders should also note that larger contiguous habitats for warblers and other forest birds such as Scarlet Tanager and Swainson’s Thrush are an easy drive into the park. There birders can visit locations near Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, or in Hamilton County and it is recommended that they check out the birding websites for those locations. In addition, if a visit up into the Adirondacks is in order, birders can hunt through coniferous habitats for breeding warbler species such as Palm, Magnolia, and Nashville Warblers. And they can also search for resident boreal bird species like Black-backed Woodpecker while they are at it.
Lake Champlain has an array for even the pickest of birds, browse our lodging selection to find the stay that's right for you. Birding is just one of the many things to do in the region, and many can be done while your birding!
This aptly named Lake Champlain Birding Trail brochure will provide you with details of what species can be found in the region and includes a handy map guide. Click on the image to view and print the brochure.
with a head-to-tail length of 36-55 inches and wingspan of 66- 79 inches, it's no wonder this bird is the largest North American species.