New York State spring migrant weekend

An important part of the Atlantic flyway, the mighty Hudson River channels thousands of spring migrants along its scenic reaches. The tour takes in some of the mighty Hudson's most spectacular scenery and also promises an unbelievable wealth of great birding. All of the birds, especially the neotropical migrants, will be in their spring finery and each day will ring with bird song as we track down some of the best birding to be found in lower New York State.

The tour promises a variety of birds including up to 30 species of Warbler (with sightings of many Hooded, Golden-winged and Cerulean Warblers) as well as a variety of other birds. Trips to the same sites over previous years have included such diverse species as Upland Sandpiper, American Bittern, Northern Goshawk, Whip-poor-will, Red-headed Woodpecker, Virginia Rail and Bald Eagle among others.

Itinerary

Day 1: Today, we set off this day at mid-morning from New Haven Connecticut, with van pickups on route as we head westward to New York State birding as we go until we hit the Hudson River. At the shores of the Hudson, we will stop for an evening rendezvous with Constitution Marsh a spectacular Audubon-owned site with a trail and extensive boardwalk that will take us into the heart of the marsh and some evening appointments with some of it’s denizens including Marsh Wren, Least Bittern and Virginia Rail. That evening we will have dinner in the picturesque town of Cold Spring before heading for our lodging for the night.

Day 2: We will be up at dawn for our visit to Bear Mountain State Park and the now fabled Doodletown Road. Doodletown is the site of an old town which was subsumed by the creation of Bear Mountain State Park. It is simply magnificent for birding and the remnants of the old town make for an interesting and sometimes spooky backdrop to the fantastic birding. Highlights here will include multiple (and I mean multiple) Hooded Warblers, Cerulean Warblers and the possibility of Kentucky Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Acadian Flycatcher and Golden-winged Warblers among others. We will also stop at other local spots to look for more, warblers, flycatchers, orioles, thrushes and a variety of sparrows.

Our next stop will again be a bird-filled one at Sterling Forest where we will be greeted by Golden-winged Warblers in numbers that are hard to imagine. Here we will also hope to see a number of other warblers including more Cerulean Warblers and more Hooded Warblers among the highlights.

The end of our day will include a stop at Bashakill our destination for the next morning. This evening visit will hopefully allow us to pick up a wealth of crepuscular and nocturnal birds including American Bitterns which are often easily found by there continual ‘booming’ calls. Other highlights at this spot are Virginia Rail, Sora, Whip-poor-will, Common Nighthawk, Common Moorhen, Solitary Sandpiper and possibly an owl or two.

Day 3: Today will see us return to Bashakill pre-dawn for a search for neotropical migrants. This can be an exceptional site for spring warblers and it is certainly one of the most beautiful. Again almost any eastern warbler is possible and previous visits have included Golden-winged, Prothonotary (rare), Mourning, Blackburnian, and Cerulean Warblers. There should also be a wealth of flycatchers and vireos as well as the possibility of both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos. This truly is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever birded and even without the birds it would be a memorable spot. The fact that is rated in the top five migratory birding spots in New York State by many people just adds to its natural charms. We will again keep our eyes out for marsh dwelling birds and look for the Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, and Ospreys that often nest at the site.

After a quick break for lunch we will head to our final destination for the tour, the Shawangunk Grasslands. Here we will hope to find nesting open country specialties such as Eastern Meadowlark, Upland Sandpiper, American Kestrel and a variety of sparrows among others. We will also look for a few locally nesting Red-headed Woodpeckers and then will be making our way back to Connecticut in time for evening dinner on Sunday.

The trip at a glance:

Tour price: $595.00 per person from New Haven, Connecticut based on double occupancy

Deposit: Full payment of $595.00 due at time of booking.

Single Supplement: $140.00 per person (subject to availability)

Maximum Group Size: 10 plus leaders

Included in cost: Pickup in New Haven or enroute to New York State; guided ground transportation; accommodations; meals beginning with the first night of the tour through lunch on Sunday, May 16, and services of expert birding guide. Tour price is based on double occupancy. Cost of the tour is based on a minimum of 6 people, with fewer a small group surcharge may apply.

Not included: Transportation from your home to the pick-up and return drop-off location. Personal items such as laundry, telephone calls, bottled water, alcoholic beverages, other drinks, passport fees, individual transfers, trip insurance.

Thanks to John Schwarz and Gina Nichol for use of photos.

Gina Nichol is the founder and principal tour leader of Sunrise Birding. A naturalist and birder for more than twenty years, Gina began leading ecotours for Audubon Nature Odysseys in the early 1990's in Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, the Pacific Northwest, and Baja California. Gina's avid interest in wildlife biology led her to the Yellowstone Institute in Wyoming where she studied animal behavior as well as methods for tracking animal movements. She also worked on a research project investigating habitat requirements of Eurasian Otters and Mountain Lions in the Jim Sage Mountains in Idaho. Her varied interests and love of the natural world have taken her to Alaska, Costa Rica, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Kenya, Chile, the Northwest Territories, Panama, the American Southwest, California, Belize, Florida, and a host of other destinations. She has led tours in New England, Costa Rica, Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, Antarctica, India, Montana and Yellowstone, Big Bend, and Coastal Texas and continues to expand the Sunrise Birding's wildlife tour offerings.

Sunrise Birding is a company devoted to personalized, authentic, affordable birding and natural history tours.