Night Hike

Spend a night snowshoeing the Paul Smith trails in search of owls this December

Story and photos by Ashlie Doran

The darkness enfolds and the snow crunches underfoot as a string of bundled-up nature enthusiasts march along the Boreal Life Trail at the Visitor Interpretive Center in Paul Smiths, New York.

Passing low ferns and sparse mixed woodlands quickly, the trail becomes a slight hill and then dips down on the other side. Inclining again deeper in the woods, the trail narrows as the trees become denser making the darkness more opaque.

Without any artificial light, snowshoers walk through the forest while quietly hoping to hear the hoot of the Barred Owl, a common North American bird.

You can hear them any time of year, said Milt Adams, Environmental Educator at Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretation Center (VIC), but the Barred owl is most vocal during the early to mid-winter because of its mating season. Their hoot sounds something like, "Who cooks for you. Who cooks for you all."

The woods open along Barnum Pond with Jenkins Mountain adjacent. After a short time walking around the boardwalk, the trail circles round to end at the beginning. It is about a one-mile trail. Adams estimates that it would take about an hour to snowshoe the trail.

If you would like to take a little adventure to see a seldom seen creature and snow shoe, the fourth annual "owl prowl" is happening at the Paul Smith Visitor Center on December 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. If there is no snow, walking will suffice. The event is free. However, pre-registration is required.

Before the expedition, Adams first compares and contrasts Barred owls to hawks, he said.

He said that owls' large eyes allow more light into the pupil at night. Owls do not see distance as well as hawks.

Owls have very good hearing which helps them hunt at night. Each of their ear holes can move independently to triangulate where a sound is coming from, Adams said.

Silent flight is also an owl characteristic. Their feathers allow them to quietly glide through the air because its leading edge has frayed tips. This cushions the air when it flaps its wings, so you don't hear it.

Owls also have distinctly feathered feet. It is believed their feet are feathered to protect them against possible bites from prey. They hunt at night, so if they just barely catch the prey and it fights back, the feathers protect against injuries. Hawks do not have feathered feet, Adams added.

Although it is not a sure thing to see or hear an owl during the night hike, there is a non-releasable Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl, and two Red Tail Hawks at the Visitor Center.

Nonetheless, "magical moments" often happen at Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretive Center, according to Andy Flynn, Public Relations for VIC.

One of these moments occurred during VIC's fourth annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration last June, Flynn said. At first, there was skepticism that the birding group would see or hear any owls. But then, during the hike through the woods, the group caught two Barred Owls aggressively hooting for their territory. Owls even flew over their heads.

During the Great Adirondack Birding Celebration on the night of June 2, Brian Mcallister led 20 individuals along the Barnum Brook Trail.

At first, the group didn't hear any response to the owl calls Mcallister was making. By chance, they heard the faint calling of an owl. They continued walking until they came to the intersection at Jenkins Mountain Trail, which is an old logging road.

The call notes became clearer after Mcallister stopped and repeated his owl calls.

"My next set of calls imitated an owl giving a territorial call [meaning as an owl I was stating that this is my territory]. Apparently, this owl was going to show this intruding owl [me] that 'No, it is not your territory. It is mine!'" Mcallister described.

"Suddenly through the opening in the trees, we could all see a black, shadowy figure fly over our heads and land in a nearby tree"

With the cloudy night sky overhead, the group walked quickly to a clearing in the woods. The owl's call became louder and more forceful as they got closer and closer.

"Suddenly through the opening in the trees, we could all see a black, shadowy figure fly over our heads and land in a nearby tree. The territorial owl had come to defend its borders. The group was letting out muffled shouts of excitement…not wanting to scare away the owl with loud shouts," Mcallister described. "I gave one more call and the defending owl again flew over our heads and landed in some spruce trees about 30 feet away. Quickly, flashlights went up into the branches searching like prison spotlights."

Watching them from its perch, the Barred Owl continuously called out as the flashlight beams caught its large eyes.

"[It has] big, beautiful brown eyes," Carol Pinney, a participant during the hike that night said.

"By now all the hairs on our necks were standing upright! The next moment, a second barred owl flew into the woods close by and started a border dispute that can only be described as frighteningly haunting," Mcallister said. "When two owls meet and dispute a territory, the call notes they give become loud and very aggressive. Their call notes suddenly turned into cat-like yowls and screams."

"It was really, really eerie," Pinney said after describing the whining, screeching argument between the two birds.

"Those are the types of exciting moments we have at VIC"

After only a few moments, the owls resolved their conflict with one owl flying off. Soon after, the other owl flew away, as well.

"I've never experienced that before," Pinney said. "I was really blown away."

"When that happens, it is something special," Flynn said. "Those are the types of exciting moments we have at VIC."

Rare and exciting experiences happen at Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretative Center. They'll give you the knowledge. You'll gain the experience.

"It's what the interpretative center is all about-the first-hand experience," Flynn said.

Have you seen or heard owls in the Adirondacks?

Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretative Center

History

*Opened May 1989

*Is a private-public preserve

*Paul Smiths College leases the 2,885 acres to the New York State Adirondack Park Agency (APA).

Details: The APA pays the staff and owns the buildings on the property. However, a not-for-profit friends group funds educational programs, and publications. It is a membership based group called the Adirondack Park Institute. It was incorporated in 1989, as well. They exclusively fund the Visitors Interpretive Centers (VICs) in both Paul Smiths and Newcomb, New York.

You can sign up for a membership at Paul Smiths or Newcomb's VICs. If you are a member, you may borrow snow shoes for use on the VICs trails for free. They are not rentable. However, if you participate in a program, snow shoes are also offered for free.

Events:

**Their largest event is in August. The annual Wildlife Festival draws many people interested in nature.

**During the first weekend of June, they have their annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration. They started this event five years ago as the birders movement became increasingly popular. The birding market is currently doing very well on Wall Street because of the booming birding industry helped along by the baby boomers.

"A lot of folks come from all over. They travel from Canada and other states," said Andy Flynn, Public Relations for Paul Smiths VIC.

**The special events in January are the Chilly Ski Festival and the Friends and Family Snowshoe Day.

Distinct memories:

Flynn recalled one day where an individual walking the trails around Heron Marsh came back and told him, "I just had two moose follow me!"

"We're getting more moose [as a state], but it is still a rare site," Flynn said.

Gray Jays are another rare animal that graces the Paul Smiths VIC with its presence. Gray Jays are like Blue Jays only they are gray and black and bigger.

"The Visitors Center is set up pretty well to interpret birds. [A person] can talk to a birder and then go out and see the bird themselves," Flynn said. "You can't find that anywhere else in the Adirondacks." There are many "different species to wow you."

Want to virtually go birding? Test your skills.