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The
Betar Byway
and
the
in the Village of South Glens
Falls, NY
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The
Betar Byway is a paved
path that follows the shoreline of the |
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There are two
entrances to the Betar Byway. From the
southern entrance you may also access both the SGF Bikeway Extension
and the beach
area. To reach this entrance, use exit 17N
(South Glens Falls exit) of I-87 and proceed north on Rt 9. Travel 4.5
miles north on
Rt 9 and take a left onto Beach Rd - directly across from the
intersection of
Rts 9 & 32. Straight ahead you will
see the
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 The Betar Byway paved
walking/biking path
 The path overlooks the river for much of its length  Wood Ducks and kingfishers love this spot  View from the overlook on the bikeway extension trail |
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Birding the Byway The paved Betar
Byway meanders along the river and is flanked by pockets of
predominately
deciduous trees with tangled undergrowth, providing good habitat for
ground and
low elevation nesters. Forty-three different
species of trees provide a wide variety of nesting places and food
sources. Commonly seen during the summer months
are
Eastern Wood-Peewee, Eastern Phoebe, Great-crested Flycatcher, Cedar
Waxwing,
House Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush, Brown Creeper, both Warbling
and
Red-eyed Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, Song
Sparrow and Northern Cardinal. Chimney
Swifts are seen frequently in summer as well. Blackbirds,
both nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, catbirds
and
mockingbirds are seen year-round. As might be expected in this habitat,
Downy,
Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers will be sighted year round; Northern
Flicker as
well. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has been
sighted in spring and summer. Birding is
generally slower
in the fall and winter
months. Resident jays, cardinals,
goldfinches, nuthatches and chickadees will be sighted along the path
and Mallard, American
Black Duck, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Common and Hooded Mergansers
may be
seen on the river. Northern Flicker,
Belted Kingfisher and Eastern Bluebird have over-wintered here the last
two
years. Bald Eagles have been sighted as
well. The river trail is cleared of snow
in the winter.
Late
winter and early spring
migration will bring Green-winged
Teal, Common Goldeneye, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead,
both Hooded and Common
Mergansers, and American Black Ducks as well as Mallards and Wood Ducks
that
remain to nest. Pied-billed Grebe,
Red-necked Grebe, Spotted Sandpiper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, may be
sighted during April
and May. The spring migration period
will find the woods harboring a large variety of songbirds - warblers
in
particular. Blackburnian, The
South Glens Falls Beach
Bikeway Extension is a mixed oak
and pine woods, and as expected, woodpeckers, creepers, titmouse, and
chickadees are prevalent. Also sighted
here in the past have been both Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. Check the
flooded area near
beach entrance for gnatcatchers,
woodpeckers, ducks and warblers. Northern Flicker families are often
seen on
the grassy areas. The wet areas and
river setbacks adjacent to the beach concession stand building have
yielded
Wood Ducks, Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, and House Wren
during
nesting season. In early winter, Snow
Buntings have been sighted on the beach and Spotted Sandpiper is often
seen
during migration times. This oasis of
mixed habitat can be very productive.
A birding brochure, which includes a checklist for this site, is available in the literature holder at the First Street entrance, courtesy of Southern Adirondack Audubon. Southern Adirondack Audubon
is compiling sightings records for this site. |
