My Adirondack family time is spent in a variety of outdoor ways. We hike trails, climb mountains and swim in as many Adirondack ponds and lakes as possible. Recently my son has taken an interest in bird watching. I am not sure if twelve is a typical age for most children to start seeing the smaller details of a nature walk. Up to this point he has always rushed to the summit. As he's gotten older, he has become more aware of his surroundings. 

As he left our house the other day he came rushing backing excitedly chattering about hearing owl sounds in the nearby woods. He went outside with camera and recorder in hand in an attempt to capture the elusive bird. Though his owl turned out to be a mourning dove, he made the discovery himself by identifying the bird from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

For the fourth year The Wild Center and Whiteface Mountain have joined forces to engage all levels of birder in the ecology and boreal species of the High Peaks. Lead by the Wild Center's naturalist Kendra Ormerod and two birding interns, the event will take on three different dates, June 23, July 21 and August 18 . The zenith of the event will be searching for Bicknell's Thrush.   

Registration is encouraged for these events and participants are to meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Wilmington Candy Man Homemade Adirondack Chocolates parking lot to carpool to the Whiteface Memorial Highway Tollhouse.  Ormerod will then conduct stops along the drive, identifying the unique ecology of the High Peaks. Whiteface Mountain is a perfect example of an alpine zone with its transition to shrubby vegetation and stunted trees. This very change in structure directly affects the various species seen there. 

Once at the Whiteface summit, the naturalists will lead participants along the 3/4-mile nature trail and over to the summit. Though the event is scheduled to conclude at 11:30 a.m., the naturalists will be on hand to answer questions well past the scheduled time. 

For my family attending such an event gives us the chance to develop a new interest alongside experts and glean a bit more information about other Adirondack boreal species. There are other birding opportunities that focus on nuturing that young birder, but this event is right in our Adirondack backyard. 

Photos of Whiteface Memorial Highway are ©AdirondackFamilyActivites.com. Diane Chase is the author of the Adirodack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™