Great Adirondack Birding Celebration

The Great Adirondack Birding Celebration (GABC) is designed to introduce birders of all ages and skill levels to the unique boreal bird species and habitats in the Adirondack Park. The celebration features birding field trips to local Important Bird Areas (IBA's). Full day trips are available Friday and half day trips on Saturday and Sunday, including presentations by accomplished ornithologists. Field trips have limited capacity and early registration is recommended.

The Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center in Paul Smiths, NY will host beginner bird walks, expert presentations, interactive programs and activities for the whole family in addition to the off site field trips.

This year, the celebration is working in conjunction with the Uihlein Foundation. The Uihlein Farm is also hosting ADK Action with a native plant sale as part of the Adirondack Pollinator Festival.

Schedule of Events:

Full Day Field Trips:

7:30 am - 4:30 pm: Champlain Valley

Participants leave the VIC for an all-day field trip “down the mountain” to the beautiful shoreline of Lake Champlain in search of migratory birds. This field trip will feature stops at many birding hotspots as we look at a cross-section of bird life from high elevation to low.

Preregistration required. Transportation included. Bring a bag lunch, plenty of water and bug repellant if you use it.

7:30 am - 4:30 pm: Franklin County Hotspots

Enjoy a full day birding some of Franklin County’s least visited birding hotspots. Begin the day observing a Bald Eagle nest at a site also good for American black ducks and a variety of warblers and other songbirds. We’ll move on to state land composed of spruce-fir forest rich with a thick mossy carpet, and then visit a local park with some incredible pond and mountain views. We may see loons, eagles, and ospreys foraging as well as Mourning Warblers. Northern Goshawk was observed along our route last summer so we can hope! Debar Pond, our lunch spot, is also the location of the historic Debar Pond Lodge. From there we’ll round out the day on California Road which borders more spruce-fir forest and a couple of extensive marshes. The habitat along California Road is home to a great variety of songbirds including Yellow-bellied and Olive-sided Flycatchers.

Preregistration required. Transportation included. Bring a bag lunch, plenty of water and bug repellant if you use it.

Register Here