Birding

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Fantastic year-round birding

The Champlain Valley and Lake Champlain Region offer excellent year-round birding. Each season has different players that make an appearance. That just adds to the excitement -- you never know what you’re going to see!

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Spring Birding

Early Migrants Return: Early arrivals like Eastern Bluebirds, Song Sparrows, Common Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds usher in the season alongside Caspian Terns and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
May Migration Peak: Migrating songbirds move along the lake route, with many passing through the bird-banding station at Crown Point State Historic Site.
Nesting Begins: Baltimore Orioles, Chestnut-sided Warblers, Bobolinks, and Savannah Sparrows begin nesting in local woods and fields, while Ospreys hunt over open water.

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Summer Birding

Mixed-Species Flocks: Post-breeding birds quiet down and form large, diverse feeding groups—including up to 25 warbler species—in preparation for migration.
Early Shorebird Arrivals: Southbound shorebirds arrive to forage along mudflats and sandbars in spots like Ticonderoga Marsh and Wickham Marsh.

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Fall Birding

Raptor Migration: Broad-winged Hawks begin passing through in September, followed by wintering Rough-legged Hawks later in the season.
Sparrows & Rarities: Hedgerows fill with varied sparrow species, American Pipits pass overhead, and prime conditions arise for spotting rare bird species.
Winter Arrivals: The first Northern Shrikes, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, and American Tree Sparrows arrive as autumn fades.

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Winter Birding

Field & Farm Specialties: Open fields south of Westport and the "Magic Triangle" host Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Northern Shrikes, and wintering raptors.
Snowy Owls: Irruptive Snowy Owls regularly make seasonal appearances across the region's agricultural fields.