Finger Lakes Birding
A guide written by Laura Kammermeier of Birds, Words, & Websites.
Visitors can find plenty of top-notch bird watching opportunities in the Finger Lakes. Any hike through its rugged, rural landscape is sure to reveal a diverse assemblage of Eastern birds, with enough surprise finds—wild turkeys, drumming grouse, secretive thrushes, flitting warblers—to make it seem as though you’ve stepped into the wildness of days gone by.
The Finger Lakes region is located in the Atlantic flyway—a key migratory route for North American birds. Indeed, the area contains so many migration stopovers, breeding territories and overwintering sites that more than 20 Important Bird Areas, have been identified in this region alone.
Birding and ornithology have a storied tradition in the Finger Lakes, with institutions such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and numerous bird clubs, nature centers and land trusts peppered across the region.
As well as
enjoying a brief pilgrimage to Ithaca, NY for an easy hike and tour of the bird
observatory at Cornell’s Sapsucker Woods,
hundreds of great birding sites are found within easy reach and a scenic drive.
Some popular birding sites include:
Wildlife abounds within the massive wetlands complex that spans Seneca, Cayuga and Wayne Counties. The complex is home to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, which provides sanctuary for enormous numbers of wintering waterfowl (e.g., snow geese, wood duck, gadwall, green-winged teal, American wigeon, northern shoveler, northern pintail and blue-winged teal). In late summer/early fall, mudflats and shallow water areas crawl with migrant shorebirds, such as: killdeer, spotted sandpiper, greater and lesser yellowlegs, dunlin, common snipe, American woodcock, short- and long-billed dowitcher and more. The refuge is also a great place to see marsh birds (herons, night-herons, rails, bitterns), bald eagles, osprey, and other raptors. Be sure to stop in at the Montezuma Audubon Center, located one mile north of Savannah, at 2295 Route 89.
Connecticut Hill
Wildlife Management Area
At 11,045 acres, Connecticut Hill is the largest Wildlife Management Area in New York State. The rough, rugged terrain is populated with mature forests, open meadows, open fields and stands of evergreen. Excellent hilltop views reward a steep hike. Connecticut Hill is famous for a seminal study on ruffed grouse, and is managed to a state of succession that ensures ruffed grouse and other wildlife are plenty. White-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, cottontail rabbit, beaver, mink, muskrat, grey squirrel, red and grey fox, eastern coyote, waterfowl and numerous songbirds also reside on the Hill. A free map-brochure is available from the New York Department of Environmental Conservations’s Region 7 office in Cortland at (607) 753-3095. Astride the Tompkins-Schuyler County lines.
“Salmon Creek”
birding area is a one-mile stretch of Salmon Creek Road between French Hill
Road and Brooks Hill Road in Ludlowville Salmon Creek itself flows into Cayuga
Lake at Myers Point ,
which is also a good birding site. “Salmon Creek’s” claim to fame is its sizable
population of breeding cerulean warblers, plus other uncommon breeders, such as
orchard oriole, Acadian flycatcher and yellow-throated vireo. Now protected by
the Finger Lakes Land Trust,
this site also supports birds such as red-bellied woodpecker, tufted titmouse,
blue-gray gnatcatcher, veery, wood thrush, gray catbird, common yellowthroat,
yellow warbler, blue-winged warbler, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak,
indigo bunting and Baltimore oriole. Tompkins County.
Though the shoreline of Conesus Lake is mostly developed, the swampy areas surrounding its southern inlet (south of Sliker Hill Road and north of Guiltner Road) attract several good birds. In summer, birders enjoy a breeding colony (rookery) of great blue herons and a nesting pair of bald eagles. Red-headed woodpeckers, which are losing ground in the state, also breed here. The inlet is a good place to see migrating ducks, geese, and shorebirds. Livingston County.
The infrequently
mowed agricultural fields along Nation's Road from Avon to Geneseo in Livingston County are home to several species of grassland
birds, including Eastern meadowlarks, red-winged blackbirds, bobolinks, and
sparrows such as savannah, grasshopper, field and vesper. The state-threatened
Henslow's sparrow is a rare and thrilling find in spring. In winter, Nations Road is an excellent area to find horned
larks, snow buntings, northern harrier hawks and the state-endangered
short-eared owl. Visit an hour before sunset to see these two raptors circling
above the fields hunting for prey.
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth is an obvious choice for bird watchers. With 14,000 forested acres lining the Genesee River and 225 bird species, birding in the park can be a lifetime pursuit. Turkey vultures, chimney swifts, and other swallows are regularly seen in the gorge during the warm months. Dishmill Creek basin and the parade grounds, near the south end of the park, are great spots to find up to 25 species of nesting warblers and other songbirds. The Genesee River acts as a migratory funnel, so any location in the park has the potential to show good birds during spring and fall.
Palm Warbler. Photo: Laura Kammermeier
