New Birding Web Site and Map for the Adirondacks

June birding festivals gearing up

ADIRONDACK REGION, N.Y, March 23, 2006 - The Adirondack region's new interactive birding website, www.Adkbirds.com, and a detailed birding map are now available to the public. These new tools for birding enthusiasts were developed by the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to coincide with two annual birding festivals taking place in June. The Adirondack Park of New York state is home to a wide variety of birds and birding enthusiasts have been flocking to the area in increased numbers each spring. The unique mountain forests provide the nesting home for over 100 bird species. Boreal birds, such as the spruce grouse and Bicknell's thrush, are found in the region. The new map and Web site both consolidate a vast amount of information on the 86 birding sites and over 300 species found in the Adirondacks. The Web site includes a detailed description of each bird found in the Adirondacks, provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Extensive research on the ground, the cooperation of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Google mapping make this Web site the most complete and useful regional birding site in the country," states Ann Melious, executive director of the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council. The printed map is an informative resource for birders on the road. It combines the birding spots throughout the Adirondacks with the region's Scenic Byways. The map provides a full explanation of where the birding sites are as well as how to get there and what the bird watcher will experience. The map gives exact directions to birding sites as well as tells birders if they need to hike from their car and what the environment is at each location. The user-friendly, interactive Web site serves as an extensive guide and sightings source pre and post bird trips. One key feature of the site is the bird sighting alerts. Visitors can record their own bird sightings or sign up for an email alert of when other's register bird sightings. The Web site allows visitors to get driving directions from their home directly to the birding sites. "The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit institution with a mission to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity focused on birds," states Anne Hobbs, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, public information specialist. "We're very excited to partner with the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council on this Web site. With their birding sites and our information, we can inform birders and gain awareness for both our organizations." The release of the map and Web site coincide with two popular birding festivals. The fourth annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration will be held June 2-4, 2006 at the Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) in Paul Smiths. The celebration will feature birding trips, lectures, workshops and the Teddy Roosevelt Birding Challenge. The Adirondack Birding Festival in Hamilton County, New York is taking place June 8-11, 2006. The four- day festival features outings with licensed Adirondack guides, canoe trips, hiking excursions and lectures throughout Hamilton County. The festivals provide the perfect opportunity for birders to view these birds in their rare habitat. While the birding festivals take place in specific places, there are birding opportunities all over the Adirondack Region. Scenic Byways provide the perfect route to catch the birds in their habitat. The byways, 14 in all, crisscross their way through and around the park and lead birders to Important Birding Areas, as well as simply roadside viewing areas. The Adirondack Regional Tourism Council can provide more information on the birding events in the region as well as the birding map and Web site. Please visit their Web site as www.Adk.com or www.Adkbirds.com. Birding photos are available at www.Inphorminc.com/photos.