Important Bird Area: Hoosic Plateau

This IBA features very good breeding populations of a wide variety of neotropical migrants. Common breeding warbler species include: Blue-winged Warbler (locally around the periphery), Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern and Louisiana waterthrushes, and Common Yellowthroat. Mourning Warblers breed in very small numbers locally in Savoy Mountain State Forest and have been recently found in Dubuque State Forest. Other regular breeding birds include Wood Ducks, Black Ducks, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed hawks, Northern Goshawks, American Woodcocks, Barred Owls, Northern Saw-whet Owls (one of the best areas in the state to find this species during the breeding season), Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Alder Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Veery, Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, Evening Grosbeak, and Scarlet Tanager. Common Ravens and Turkey Vultures are commonly seen in and flying over the IBA and may breed in the parcel. Rusty Blackbird was first documented as a breeding bird in the state at Tyler Swamp in the Savoy Mountain State Forest in 1977 and has been noted breeding in this parcel in 1978 on Borden Mountain. Likely, this species is a very local and rare but regular breeder in the parcel. Summering reports of a Sharp-shinned Hawk also suggest the site nominators; young have been documented in the area. Historically, Olive-sided Flycatchers bred in several locations throughout this IBA area (example: Busby Swamp, Hawley Bog, Hell Huddle Road) but have not been found breeding recently though the bird still occurs as a migrant, and future nesting might certainly occur. Lincoln's sparrows were documented breeding at Busby Swamp (summer of 1981) and summering/breeding birds are still found there some years. There were several summering records of Yellow-bellied flycatchers at Busby Swamp (e.g., summer 1981), and nesting was suspected at that time. Summer records of a Swainson's thrush may also suggest breeding. Ruby-Crowned kinglets were documented as breeding on Borden Mountain in this IBA area (3 July 1932, see Petersen & Veit, and singing male birds during the breeding season have been more recently reported at least up to 1976 (see Petersen & Veit) and into the 1990s.