I drove to Slide Mountain in the Catskills yesterday afternoon with
the goal of being on top as dawn broke in order to record Bicknell's
Thrush. I "camped" in the trailhead parking lot and set the alarm for
3 AM. It was a long, dark climb without mishap. I arrived at a spot
about .2 miles from the summit where many of the spruce and firs had
been blown down in some storm a few years ago. Just as I arrived the
first bird of the day began to sing: a White-throated Sparrow . And
right after him, the first Bicknell's. First a few calls, then full-
blown song. For the next three quarters of an hour I bounced up and
down the trail, getting one set of song & calls then another before
they all fell quiet again. The sun was by then up, a giant orange ball
on the horizon trying to peek through the trees. Other birds had begun
to sing: Magnolia and Black-and-white Warblers, Winter Wrens, a Purple
Finch, Juncoes and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Heading back down the
trail I passed through zones of Wood and Hermit Thrushes, Black-
throated Blue and Black-throated Green Warblers, Ovenbirds, and
Yellow-rumped Warblers. Back at the trailhead, the early morning
chorus consisted mainly of Red-eyed Vireos, Least Flycatchers, a
Scarlet Tanager and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. After a good nap, I
headed home.
Bob McGuire
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