Find Your Adventure - Visit the Completed NYS Birding Trail & Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

Visit the NYS Birding Trail—All Regions Now Complete!

Just in time for fall migration, DEC announced the opening of the final three segments of the NYS Birding Trail. The Adirondacks-North Country, Catskills, and Southern Tier segments bring the total number of birding trail locations across the state to over 300, with a variety of parks and other public spaces for new and experienced birders to enjoy.

The Adirondacks-North Country segment includes 41 locations and offers unique opportunities including the chance to experience historic great camps and views of the Adirondack High Peaks while observing boreal species such as loons, boreal chickadees and the Canada jay. The Catskills segments includes 23 locations from Forest Preserve lands and iconic state parks to a national wildlife refuge and the popular Ashokan Rail Trail. The Southern Tier segment includes 34 locations and is full of breathtaking scenery from the deep forests of Allegany State Park to the gorges and towering rock formations of Watkins Glen State Park, Rock City, and McCarty Hill State Forests. Visit the NYS Birding Trail website to see a Google Map, find other birding trail resources, and more! Keep scrolling for more on fall bird migration.

Photo Credits: Inclusive Woods & Us; equipment courtesy of REI

Hispanic Heritage Month

DEC is proud to observe Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, honoring the rich history, culture, and influence of Hispanic and Latino Americans, both past and present. In celebration of this observance, DEC will be launching a Spanish-language version of the Find Your Adventure Newsletter! Offered monthly, the Spanish edition of Find Your Adventure will help to better promote the many outdoor recreational offerings happening across state lands to all New Yorkers. Beginning mid-September 2022, this will also be DEC’s first translated newsletter service. Stay tuned to DEC’s social media accounts and GovDelivery to opt-in and subscribe.

Catskills Fall Foliage & Hiking Challenges

If you are looking to enjoy the fall foliage this season, consider a trip to the Catskills or Otsego County. Keep an eye on the Fall Foliage Report to help plan your adventure, while making a bucket list of things to do.

For Catskill related hikes, check out Catskill Mountain Club’s (CMC) trail challenges, including the CMC Hiking Trails Challenge, offering easy to moderate difficulty trails to hikers and walkers of different abilities. A brochure of the hikes is available on the Catskill Moutain Club’s website.

Otsego Outdoors is offering the Fall Octet Challenge, September 22 – December 20. People who complete eight-an Octet- of the featured hikes, paddles, and bike routes in and near Otsego County receive a free embroidered patch and a listing on the Otsego Outdoors Challenge Roster. Otsego Outdoors, a joint program of Otsego 2000, the Otsego Land Trust, and the Otsego County Conservation Association, offers a new Challenge each season. Otsego Outdoors also highlights local outdoor events, organizations, and businesses.

For those looking for alternate locations, check out the Trails Less Traveled webpage, offering a sample from across New York. All New Yorkers are encouraged to practice Leave No TraceTM Principles and Love Our New York Lands by recreating safely and sustainably, hiking in suitable conditions based on weather and experience level.

For those looking for alternate locations, check out the Trails Less Traveled webpage, offering a sample from across New York. All New Yorkers are encouraged to practice Leave No Trace^TM Principles and Love Our New York Lands by recreating safely and sustainably, hiking in suitable conditions based on weather and experience level.

New Parking Area at Potato Hill

DEC and Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) announced the opening of a new parking area on Potato Hill State Forest in the town of Caroline, Tompkins County. With support from Finger Lakes Trail Conference, FLLT funded construction of the parking area on the State Forest property. DEC designed the parking area and issued a permit for construction. It is now open to the public and provides safe access to Potato Hill State Forest, Summerland Farm Preserve, and the Finger Lakes Trail, which traverses both properties.

Fall Bird Migration is Underway!

Fall migration is an exciting time for birding. With migrants on the move your favorite birding site can change within a few days, with different species traveling in and out. Every spring and fall, thousands of raptors migrate, and birders may see or hear eagles, kestrels, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ospreys, Broad-winged Hawks, and Peregrine Falcons among others. The NYS Birding Trail highlights several hawk watches including Bear Mountain Hawk Watch at Bear Mountain State Park, Hook Mountain Hawk Watch, and Mount Peter Hawkwatch Trailway, all within the Hudson Valley segment.

It’s also important for everyone to turn off the lights for birds at night. DEC launched the ‘Lights Out’ initiative aimed at keeping non-essential outdoor lighting from affecting the ability of birds to migrate successfully. Many species of shorebirds and songbirds rely on constellations to help them navigate to and from their summer breeding grounds through the State. Excessive outdoor lighting, especially in adverse weather conditions, can cause these migrating birds to become disoriented, a phenomenon known as fatal light attraction.

While you observe all the birds migrating this fall, finish your 2022 I Bird NY Challenge offered for beginners in English and Spanish, as well as experienced in both English and Spanish. Don’t forget to sign up for our Words of a Feather newsletter, a monthly e-newsletter for birding news, updates on the NYS Birding Trail, and upcoming birding events near you. 

Upcoming Events

Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. – 2022 Long Island Women’s Fishing Expo
Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. – Five Rivers: 40th Annual Fall Festival
Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. – Reinstein Woods – 22nd Annual Fall Festival
Sunday, September 18 from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Free Learn to Fish Clinic at Hempstead Lake State Park (Nassau County)
Wednesday, September 21 from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. – Shorebird Stroll at Woodlawn Beach State Park
Saturday, September 24 – Free Fishing Day in NY
Saturday, September 24 from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Five Rivers: New York State Free Fishing Weekend
Saturday, October 1 from 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. – Reinstein Woods – Woods Walk: Changing Seasons
Saturday, October 8 - October (Birding) Big Day
Saturday, October 15 at 10 a.m. – Reinstein Woods – Autumn Colors
Saturday, October 15 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Free Fishing Clinic and Festival at Hempstead Lake State Park (Suffolk County)