Schoharie Valley Sunday- May 23rd

Colleen and I drove out to the Schoharie Valley and birded a few locations from
8am-2pm.

Old Rt. 30 (adjacent to the CLOSED Max V. Shaul SP):

This overgrown, but still mostly paved road rises up quickly above the creek and
Rt. 30; it allows you to be at eye level with the tops of 50-75 foot tall trees
to the south side, but the hillside rises just as steeply above you to the north
(= warbler neck.) Highlights here were CANADA, Blue-winged, and Chestnut-sided
Warbler, along with numerous Black-and-white Warblers. We also had good looks at
a singing Eastern Wood-pewee, Red-eyed Vireos, Dark-eyed Juncos and an Indigo
Bunting. Maybe heard a Cerulean Warbler singing briefly, but nothing definitive.

NYPA Nature Trail, North Blenheim:

We walked down to the boundary of the CLOSED Mine Kill State Park, and back. We
saw Alder Flycatcher singing, quite a few Chestnut-sided and Prairie Warblers,
and observed Tree, Barn, and CLIFF Swallows around the ponds near the entrance.
This is a fun and educational place to visit (NY Power Authority Visitors
Center) and would be worth the trip alone.

Franklinton Vlaie:

Water levels are quite high here; Several Great Blue Heron, a Green Heron, and
some returning residents around the water, including Chestnut-sided and
Black-and-white Warblers, and a beautiful deep blue Indigo Bunting sitting out
in the sun over Rt. 145.

We ran out of time to go up to the Sharon Springs area for upland and
agricultural land species. A return trip is in the offing to this region that
doesn't seem to get too much attention locally; with migration winding down, why
not take a trip out this way, you'll like it.