Day 61. July 21, 2014. Monday. Lake Placid, NY

We spent the day birding and sightseeing in the Adirondack Mountains. We started out birding some lowland sites hoping for a particular species of warbler, then got a campsite about noon at Wilmington Notch (a few miles northeast of last night). This seems more like a camp in the woods than did Meadowbrook.

From there, we headed for higher elevations and spent most of the day on Whiteface Mountain, one of the highest peaks in New York. The birding wasn't great, but the changing habitats from mixed forest at the bottom to spruce-fir at middle elevations to tundra-like conditions at the summit was interesting over so short a distance. We listened intently and with long duration for Bicknell's Thrush (heard before in Nova Scotia), but without success, as this is one of their prime breeding locations in the United States. We were delighted, however, by a juvenile Peregrine Falcon who was hunting and playing around the summit. We got some close-up photos when the bird sailed past us only a few feet from our heads, and we got more good photos when it was harassing a family of Common Ravens.

In camp, we were alerted by the shrieking of hungry little falcons to the presence of a Bald Eagle soaring down the canyon. Of course, that brought our attention to a nest with three Merlin kids and their parents in a tree in the campground. Such a thrill to see fledgling falcons! Liz watched as a parent brought in a Black-capped Chickadee for the kids to eat, but the kid didn't seem to know how to unwrap it. On a larger prey item, mom unwrapped and the kids feasted.

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 140721