Come experience a world class destination for bird-watchers through the impressive collection of birdlife that is plentiful year round along Lakes to Locks Passage. Many different bird species can be found at sites along the byway which lies along the Atlantic Flyway for migratory birds. The byway contains important feeding, resting, and breeding habitat for birds migrating between northern breeding grounds and southern wintering areas.
During spring and fall migrations look for migrating waterfowl such as Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck, Common and Hooded Mergansers, Snow and Canada Geese, and Northern Pintail. Some birds that summer in the far north call the byway region their winter home. Look for Bohemian Waxwings, Snow Buntings, Common Redpolls, Snowy Owls, and Rough-legged Hawks.
Visit the Pauline Murdock Wildlife Management Area, near the Adirondack community of Elizabethtown, a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation managed site with diverse habitat. About five acres of the parcel are floodplain and the remaining 60 acres are a moderately steep mountain slope. The floodplain is a good place to see a variety of grasses and wildflowers. Wild grapevines cling to old fence posts and wires. Raspberry, lilac, and red barberry brushes provide clues to old building foundations. The primary forest species on the mountain slopes include white pine, eastern hemlock, sugar maple, beech, red pine, and red oak. A 700-yard nature trail offers walkers pleasant views of songbirds as it winds through the boreal northern forest. Blue birds and cedar waxwings use the river and flood plain habitat.
Find birds and other wildlife along a self-guided nature and hiking trail along the Salmon River at the Macomb Reservation State Park lies just outside the Adirondack Park near Schuyler Falls, New York. Surrounded by state land, the park has a wilderness atmosphere.
The 6,642-acre Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge across Lake Champlain near Swanton, Vermont includes most of the Missisquoi River delta, and consists of quiet waters and wetlands which attract large flocks of migratory waterfowl. Upland areas of the refuge are a mix of open fields and a hardwood forest of American elm, white ash, white oak, silver, and red maple. Both of these areas provide habitat for migratory songbirds, resident mammals and other wildlife. Refuge lands also protect the Shad Island Great Blue Heron rookery, the largest colony in Vermont.
The Nature Conservancy manages several preserves that provide wildlife viewing in the southern region of Lakes to Locks Passage. Three ecological regions converge, creating incredible natural diversity in a relatively concentrated area. Several sites are open for visitation in the area, including the Denton Wildlife Area and the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, home to the rare the Karner blue butterfly.
