It was a brisk spring morning in June at the start of our First Wednesday Walk at Mohawk Mountain. We started the trip at the nearby Coltsfoot Valley in Cornwall where Bobolinks and other meadow habitat birds were encountered. A few participants, including Merlin, were able to pick out a singing Eastern Meadowlark, but it never perched out in the open for everyone to observe. We next ventured to the ski area parking lot pond where a Green Heron first vocalized, then flew out of the thicket on the opposite shore. Four species of flycatchers foraging the wetland included Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Willow Flycatcher and Least Flycatcher. Heading into the state forest trails, we encountered very vocal Scarlett Tanagers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers and Veeries, but only a Black and White Warbler came close enough for everyone to see. The secretive Canada Warbler was giving vocalizations, but true to its nature, remained hidden in the thick underbrush. The black spruce bog was relatively quiet as the time slipped away into the later morning and the warming temperatures usually do. The last stop at the mountain peak gave good views of the surrounding mountains, and a singing Prairie Warbler and Indigo Bunting finalized our checklists.
Jack Swatt