For Christmas I got Kathryn a gift certificate for her and a friend to go birding in the Adirondacks with Joan Collins at Adirondack Avian Expeditions.  Joan Collins is a New York State licensed bird guide, bird walk leader, writer, and speaker on ornithology topics. She has led walks and made presentations for many organizations including Audubon, the Adirondack Mountain Club, and the New York State Ornithological Association. Joan also belongs to the ranks of the intrepid Adirondack 46ers (having climbed all 46 peaks in the Adirondacks over 4,000 feet). Joan is a serious ear-birder and is fascinated by bird vocalizations/sounds.  Bird behavior, migration, and the history of North American Ornithology are among the many topics that interest Joan. She enjoys bushwhacking and camping in the Adirondack wilderness year-round.

Kathryn had a wonderful day birding with long-time friend Jane Moon, guided by Joan Collins of Adirondack Avian Expeditions although Kathryn was still sick with a stomach bug. She and Jane stayed at the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake….old and quaint. The heat was off (old steam radiators) so Jane asked them to turn it on. Kathryn was messing around with the kindle and heard the radiators – really loud! – and thought “That noise will be hard to sleep through!” A few minutes later the windows look fogged so she got up….steam billowing out of the bathroom. Went downstairs to tell the clerk (fortunately it happened at 9:03 because they all leave at 930) and by the time we got back to the room, steam clouds are flowing into the hall. Apparently there was something wrong with the steam radiators! But she had a nice steam bath for a few minutes. Got moved but didn’t sleep well (had eaten a small supper but was still sick so had cramps all night).

The group got an early start Tuesday but it was darn cold and she got a bit hypothermic. It warmed up by 10:30 and was much more comfortable although the black flies came out but they weren’t really biting. She saw a lot of birds – 62 species by visiting locations in Newcomb, Minerva, Long Lake, and Tupper Lake . While the goal seemed to have been seeing as many black backed woodpeckers, grey jays and boreal chickadees as possible, we also saw a broad winged hawk feeding his mate, eagle, sand hill crane, kinglets, evening grosbeaks, a zillion warblers including pine, palm, nashville, yellow rumped, yellow, blackburnian, and of course all the usual back yard birds.