BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The state's 2025 birding challenge is featuring nine hot spots for bird watching in St. Lawrence County on its Birding Trail in 2025.

The challenge to spot a gray jay, boreal chickadee, black-back woodpecker, palm warbler, Canada warbler, snow goose, loons or other feathered avians began March 1 and continues until Nov. 1.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is encouraging birders of all ages and abilities to participate in the challenge to spot the most birds in the state. Challenge finishers will be awarded a commemorative I BIRD NY Challenge patch and a chance to win birding-related prizes.

New York State's wide-ranging habitat types, from the Atlantic Ocean's sandy beaches to majestic Catskill and Adirondack peaks, Great Lakes shorelines, and everything in between, create a birder's paradise that supports more than 450 different bird species throughout the year, DEC said in a press release.

St. Lawrence County itself is home to a large number of species. Local birding locations on the state's Birding Trail that are highlighted on the DEC's website [https://dec.ny.gov/nature/animals-fish-plants/birds/birding ], with commons species spotted, include:

• Robert Moses State Park in Massena -- Wild turkey, peregrine falcon, great blue heron, bald eagle, red-winged blackbird, snowy owl, ruffed grouse
• Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area near Waddington -- Migrating dabbling and diving waterfowl, breeding waterfowl, black tern, ring-necked duck, redhead, least bittern, bald eagle
• Upper and Lower Lakes Indian Creek Nature Center in Rensselaer Falls -- Sandhill crane, black-billed cuckoo, black tern, least bittern, golden-winged warbler, trumpeter swan
• Chippewa Bay Preserve -- Common merganser, common goldeneye, Canada goose, mallard, red-winged blackbirds, black-capped chickadees
• Hart's Falls Preserve near DeKalb Junction -- Eastern bluebird, pileated woodpecker, chestnut-sided warbler, scarlet tanager, song sparrow, American goldfinch
• Higley Flow State Park in Colton -- Scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, common loon, ruffed grouse, barred owl, belted kingfisher, pileated woodpecker
• Leonard Pond Trail near Childwold -- Gray jay, boreal chickadee, black-back woodpecker, palm warbler, Canada warbler, snow goose, loons
• Cranberry Lake Campground and Day Use Area -- Forest songbirds, warblers, vireos, waterfowl, loons, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, forest raptors, bald eagle, osprey
• Crooked Creek Preserve in Hammond -- Bald eagle, Canada goose, common merganser, cliff swallow, red-winged blackbirds, black-capped chickadees.

These nine St. Lawrence County locations are part of the NYS Birding Trail, a network of birding hotspots across the state.

The trail offers opportunities to connect with nature, whether watching owls in quiet woodlands, tracking shorebirds along scenic coastlines, or catching glimpses of majestic eagles along quiet rivers, the DEC said. The trail continues to expand with new locations added regularly through a nomination and vetting process, said the DEC.

The Department of Environmental Conservation said birdwatching is one of the fastest-growing outdoor recreational activities in the U.S. According to the 2022 National Survey of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 7.4 million wildlife watchers generated $10.8 billion in New York State in 2022, a press release from the state organization said. This is up from four million New York resident wildlife viewers spending more than $6.4 billion annually in 2016, DEC said.  

How to participate

To complete the challenge, participants must identify any 10 bird species of their choosing and submit a challenge sheet to DEC. More than 1,800 birding enthusiasts completed the challenge in 2024, the program’s highest-ever number of participants.

Challenge sheets may be submitted online via Survey Monkey or sent via email or mail. Entries must be received by Nov. 15. All participants will be awarded a commemorative patch, given a completion certificate, and entered into a drawing for great birding prizes.

Two youth and two adult winners will be chosen. Participants will also receive an extra prize entry for providing a photo documenting their challenge experience.  

Birding enthusiasts can visit I BIRD NY at the website above to access this year's challenge sheet, as well as find information on where and how to watch birds, upcoming birding events, a downloadable Beginner's Guide to Birding (also available in Spanish), and additional resources.   

“No matter where you live or where you come from, birdwatching is a fun, easy, and affordable activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, abilities, identities, and backgrounds,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a press release from DEC. “Now with nearly 400 locations across New York State, the NYS Birding Trail welcomes new and experienced birders to enjoy both migrating and resident birds in a diverse variety of habitats.”

Help St. Lawrence County Stay Connected!

We’re glad you read this article reported by the staff of NorthCountryNow.com.

If you haven’t done so already, please consider subscribing to ensure you have full access to all the news and info about St. Lawrence County.

Your subscriptions make it possible for us to provide trustworthy local news, promote our many community events, and encourage community dialogue.

Please click here to subscribe today!