Field Notes, Early May 2026, Massawepie

Elle thinks she saw a blackfly, I didn't see it so maybe she was mistaken

A couple of interesting days birding at Massawepie and closer to home at Lake Eaton. Massawepie has been one of our favorite places to visit in late April/early May and in past years we’ve been lucky to hit it on gorgeous spring days. This year the forecast was promising but partly sunny quickly devolved into mostly cloudy. Happily, the clouds spit out a bit of snow at mid-day for comic relief.

But the birding was good and on a side trip down to the canoe put-in at the Standing Pole Dam site we were rewarded with three Solitary Sandpipers.

Oh, and Elle thinks she saw a blackfly. I didn’t see it so maybe she was mistaken. They are elusive little devils.

Solitary Sandpiper, a migrant stopping for a rest along its journey north.

But the highlight of the weekend is surely the Cape May Warbler seen at Lake Eaton. Sitting quietly at a spot where a stand of hardwoods comes up against the large Pines and Hemlocks near the shoreline I watched a steady stream of small birds foraging along the edge. The Cape May was the most distinctive. A Blackburnian flitted by, and might have stolen the crown, but it didn’t stop for a photo.

There’s no mistaking this one. The male Cape May Warbler is distinctive.

I initially thought that a female Cape May Warbler was also present but I got only a passing look, and no pictures, so maybe not. Looking at eBird I see no records of Cape May Warblers nesting in the central Adirondacks so these are migrants.

A cooperative Yellow-rumped warbler seen near Horseshoe Pond at Massawepie.

A White-breasted nuthatch at Lake Eaton. This one was apparently unaware that it is supposed to walk down the trees.

Brown Creeper at Lake Eaton

Blue-headed Vireo at Lake Eaton.