Great Adirondack Birding Celebration

In 2025, the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration (GABC) will be managed for the first time by the Northern New York Audubon, founded in 1978 as High Peaks Audubon, and merging in 2008 with St. Lawrence/Adirondack Audubon to become Northern NY Audubon. We are excited to continue the 20-year tradition of the GABC while offering new opportunities for birders of all levels, with expert-led field trips, engaging workshops, and a deeper focus on conservation in the Adirondacks.

Now in its 21st year, the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration (GABC) invites birders of all abilities to experience this beautiful and diverse landscape while connecting with the region’s birds and wildlife. The Adirondacks are a vast, six-million-acre wilderness in Upstate New York, offering some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the Northeast. As the southernmost reach of the great northern boreal forest, the region features dense spruce-fir woodlands, remote bogs, and rugged mountain peaks, creating a unique blend of northern and temperate ecosystems. This makes the Adirondacks a critical breeding ground for many boreal bird species typically found much farther north, including Bicknell’s Thrush, Canada Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Boreal Chickadee.

The Great Adirondack Birding Celebration will be held at the Paul Smith’s College Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) in Paul Smiths, New York, with most field trips offsite. The celebration 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 (IBAs), with full (Friday) and half-day trips (Saturday and Sunday), and presentations by accomplished ornithologists. Field trips have limited capacity so be certain to register early.

Event highlights include:

• Exploring the boreal bogs and forests of the northern Adirondacks.
• A trip to the summit of Whiteface Mountain in search of Bicknell’s Thrush.
• Exploring the rolling hills and fields along the Lake Champlain shoreline for grassland birds and a variety of nesting songbirds.
• New this year: a birding-by-canoe trip down the scenic Saranac River.

Registration is open now! For more information or to view the full schedule of events, please visit: https://www.nnya.org/gabc.

Your participation in GABC supports the conservation and education work of Northern NY Audubon and our mission to promote the protection and responsible management of birds, wildlife, and fragile ecosystems throughout Northern New York.

Target species include Bicknell’s Thrush, Black-backed Woodpecker, Canada Jay, Common Loon, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Spruce Grouse, Boreal Chickadee, plus many, many species of breeding warblers.

Visit our website for more information.