The Catskills are a favorite destination of many naturalists and animal lovers, and birders are no exception. Whether they are observing backyard birds from the comfort of their home or hiking up a mountain at the crack of dawn to search for an elusive species, birding appeals to people of all ages and skill levels.
Schoharie County resident Barb Palmer has been a bird lover since she was a child, a fondness that was passed down from her mother. She later became more serious about birding after meeting a friend whose passion for the hobby was contagious. That was about 10 years ago, and Palmer has been hooked ever since.
“My friend and I get very engrossed in watching and listening to the birds,” Palmer said. “Time flies, but also stands still. I enjoy being outside, especially in the woods. Birding gets you outside, which is where I want to be.”
Mark DeDea of the John Burroughs Natural History Society in Ulster County said the Catskills are a hotspot for birding because the higher elevations and robust plant life make it a good breeding habitat for many species. The proximity to the Hudson Valley also brings in many different birds because it is a major migratory route. In Ulster County alone, approximately 300 different species of birds have been observed which is significant considering there have been approximately 450 species observed in the entire state.
Spring is an especially active season for birding in the Catskills because that is when the neotropical migrant birds return.
“They’re in their most colorful plumage, they’re all singing, the boys are really showing off and trying to stake their territory,” DeDea said.
At Landis Arboretum in Esperance, Schoharie County, spring is also the breeding season for their most popular bird, the Eastern bluebird. The arboretum, a New York State Birding Trail site, has a “bluebird trail” with 40 nesting boxes built to support the population of the Eastern Bluebird — New York’s state bird. They even host a “bluebird lottery” each spring where participants guess which nests will be occupied by bluebirds for a chance to win various prizes.
Shayne Mitchell, a volunteer at the arboretum tasked with monitoring and maintaining the nesting boxes, said although the boxes are made for and mostly used by the bluebirds, they also often get tree swallows and house wrens settling into their nesting boxes. Apart from the nesting boxes, the arboretum is attractive to over 100 species of birds because of its diverse landscape with old growth forests, wetlands, ponds and fields.
“There’s really a wide variety of habitats, so it supports a lot of different birds,” Mitchell said.
One of the Catskills’ biggest attractions for birders is the Bicknell’s Thrush. The species was discovered by John Burroughs when he observed a bird that looked almost identical to a Gray-Cheeked Thrush but did not have the same song. The John Burroughs Natural History Society now makes an annual trip to Slide Mountain to observe the species as it is one of the few places in the Catskills where they breed. Known for and identified by their song, birders make sure they reach the top of the mountain before the sun rises to hear the birds’ dawn chorus.
While Bicknell’s Thrush may be the “it” bird of the Catskills, it may not be a very beginner-friendly species. For those starting out, DeDea said, warblers are often a popular bird because they are colorful and very vocal, making them flashy and easier to spot.
For Palmer, the Cedar Waxwing is always a favorite to observe.
“They are beautiful, the song is sweet, and they’re so sociable among themselves,” Palmer said.
These are a fairly easy bird for casual birders to observe because they can be attracted to backyards with some fruit and berries.
Mitchell said, aside from his bluebirds, he also gets excited to encounter the Pileated Woodpecker. These large, noisy birds are hard to miss and can be found in mature forests with plenty of dead trees to forage from.
DeDea said any hike on Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) property will provide beginner birds with an abundance of species to observe, even if they stay at the trailhead. Palmer also recommended people take a walk around bodies of water and in parks to find a variety of birds. There are also many sites in the Catskills that are part of the DEC’s New York State Birding Trail, like Landis Arboretum.
Mitchell said technological advancements have made it easier than ever to get started with birding. With endless information available online and identification apps, birding has become more accessible than ever. Mitchell, DeDea and Palmer all recommend Merlin — a free app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that identifies birds by sound or image.
For people starting out, DeDea recommends joining a bird walk or another guided birding activity because they can learn from a guide and may be able to borrow equipment like binoculars.
“I think with birding, the initial draw for a lot of people is the solitude — being by yourself with nature,” DeDea said, “but then it kind of comes full circle a lot of times where it is then cool to be, and fun to be out with folks as weird as you are … ‘bird nerds’, as my wife like to call us.”
John Burroughs Natural History Society and Landis Arboretum both offer a variety of birding events throughout the year, like John Burroughs’s Ulster County bird count and Landis Arboretum’s American Woodcock search. More information can be found at jbnhs.org and landisarboretum.org
