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NEW YORK:Finger Lakes Warbler
& Orchid Special!
with Matthew Young
June 20 - 24, 2025
Contact [email protected] to reserve your space!
Trip Cost & Travel Planning> Registration Form>
Tour Registration, Terms, Cancellation Policies>
Experience central New York
in all its early summer splendor!
This new tour, like no other in North America, is designed with the help of Matthew Young to delve into the rich flora and bird life of the beautiful Eastern Finger Lakes Region of Central New York and learn about its abundance nature, highlighting its breeding warblers and orchids.
Join us as we immerse ourselves in nature, exploring bogs, fens and uplands for as many as 20 species of native orchids, as well as the area’s state forests and parks in search of up to 20 species of breeding warblers! Our unique journey includes Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and explorations of several State Forests, Wildlife Management Areas, Nature Centers, and Unique Natural Areas.
Imagine experiencing the songs of breeding Warblers and observing the activities of Mourning, Cerulean, Blackburnian, Canada, Chestnut-sided, Hooded, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, and Blue-winged Warblers, and both Waterthrushes. Orchids possible include Purple Fringed, Tall White-Fringed, Bog Candles Orchids, two of the pink bog mat orchids in Grass Pinks and Rose Pogonia, and many other species including some cryptic, and some not so cryptic. And of course, we’ll all soak in the majestic beauty of North America’s finest orchid, the Lady Slipper of the Queen (aka, the Showy Lady Slipper Orchid). 
Our approach will go beyond identification to a more holistic appreciation, listening to nature and reading the land. In the mornings, we will take in the beautiful songs of breeding warblers, and learn about the intricate habitat differences of the many warbler species that grace this beautiful region of central NY. In the afternoons, we’ll explore unique habitats for orchids. And, under Matthew's expert direction, we will visit some conifer forests and be on the lookout for any Red Crossbills as well, one of his many specialties.
It’s time for some fun in central New York and a unique exploration of its stunning nature. Are you ready?
PHOTOS, from top: Blackburnian Warbler by Steve Bird, Canada Warbler by Matthew Young, Purple Fringed Orchid by Matthew Young,
Showy Lady's Slipper by Gina Nichol, Black-throated Blue Warbler by Gina Nichol, Showy Lady's Slippers by Matthew Young. Below, Rose Pogonia and Grass Pink Orchid by Matthew Young.
ITINERARY
Friday 20-Jun-25, Day 1: ARRIVAL SYRACUSE, NY
Plan to arrive Syracuse Hancock International Airport (Code: SYR) by 3 PM today. Airlines serving SYR include Allegiant, American, Breeze, JetBlue, Sun Country, Delta, Frontier, and United. We’ll make our way toward Cortland, New York (where we will be based for the tour) making our first stop to look for orchid species along the way. This evening we’ll enjoy a welcome dinner and review the plans for the coming days before retiring to our accommodation.
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, June 21, 22, 23, Days 2, 3, 4:
EXPLORING THE NATURE OF THE EASTERN FINGER LAKES
We’ll have three full days to explore the area's flora and fauna. Mornings will be spent birding and afternoons orchid hunting. We'll bird the special woodland and shrubland habitats used by breeding Mourning, Hooded, Cerulean, Blackburnian, Canada, Chestnut-sided, Hooded, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, Prairie, and Blue-winged Warblers, and Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes.
After lunch we'll visit bogs and fens and depending on weather and other environmental conditions, we could find a variety of orchids including Green Bog Orchid, Shinning Ladies' Tresses, Showy Orchis, Bog Candle, Greater Purple-fringed Orchid, Fen Orchis, Rose Pogonia, Helleborine Orchid, Southern Twayblade Orchid, Tall White Orchid, Tubercled Orchid, Club-spur Orchid, Round leaf Orchid, and Early Coralroot among others. And, we'll visit some very special places to look for Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid, Pink Lady's Slipper, and even Yellow Lady's Slipper if we are lucky.
We'll also visit Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, the world-nenowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology, State Forests, Unique Natural Areas, Wildlife Management Areas, Land Trusts Preserves, Nature Centers, and other local natural areas to experience the birding and nature that abounds.
Tuesday, June 24, Day 5: DEPARTURES FROM SYRACUSE, NY
After a final morning of birding and catch up on any orchids we want to see, we’ll head to Syracuse for departures in afternoon.
TOUR LEADER: MATTHEW YOUNG
Matthew Young is the President and Founder of the Finch Research Network, as well as co-author of the new Stokes Guide to Finches. Matt has been observing and enjoying nature since a very young age. He’s lived in Central New York for 27+ years and it was during this time when he really started studying everything from birds to orchids, and bogs and fens. Additionally, Matthew worked at the Cornell Lab across 15 years where he worked on Cerulean and Golden-winged Warblers, the Songs of Warblers of North America, Voices of Hawaii’s Birds, Merlin Bird ID, and was Project Lead on Lab’s first Irruptive Finch Survey in 1999. Widely known as a preeminent authority on finches of North America, but beyond this, he’s the Founder and President of the Native Orchid Conservation Network and co-author describing a new species of orchid, Spiranthes sheviakii, and has published several papers about the Red Crossbill vocal complex including describing a new call type, Type 12.
Gina Nichol and Steve Bird will accompany this tour as well.
Photos, above: New York landscape, Pitcher Plants, Birding Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge by Gina Nichol.
Below, Red Crossbill by Matthew Young.
 NEW YORK:
Finger Lakes Warbler & Orchid Special! with Matthew Young June 20 - 24, 2025 Contact [email protected] to reserve your space! Registration Form> TOUR PRICE: $2095.00 per person based on double occupancy and a minimum of 6 persons from Syracuse, New York. (Airport code: SYR). Single
supplement: $595.00 per person based on availability Deposit: $750.00
per person
per tour.
Note:
Tour deposits
can be
paid by
credit
card via
PayPal.
Use this link to
make your credit card payment. Please
advise [email protected]
when you have made payment. Included in cost: All
accommodations,
all breakfasts and all lunches during the tour, two dinners (Days 1 & 4), guide
services
as stated
in the
itinerary,
private
ground
transportation
during
the tour,
and park
entrance
fees. Not
included: Flights, tipping,
travel insurance, excess baggage
charges, 2 dinners (ask about the all meals included option for an additional $100 pp), private
excursions, à la
carte dishes,
snacks, drinks,
laundry,
telephone
calls and
anything else
of a purely
personal
nature. Also,
any and all
costs arising
from illness or Covid-19
related issues
are not included
in the tour
cost and are
the sole responsibility
of the traveler.
These include,
among others,
the costs
of medical treatment,
hospitalization,
medical fees,
transport,
meals and
accommodation
in case of
illness or
quarantine,
and the costs
of any Covid
tests needed
before, during
and after
the tour.
Once
the tour is
confirmed to
go ahead, we
will send you
information
about booking
your flights.
**Please
note: Tour prices
are based on
quoted costs
from ground operators, estimated
fuel costs, and
other costs known at the time of itinerary
publication.
The erratic nature
to global financial
markets makes
it difficult
to predict changes
in costs and
currency
exchange rates
over the long
term. Since tours
are priced well
in advance of
the actual operation
of the tour,
tour costs, fuel
costs and exchange
rates can change,
sometimes drastically.
Depending on
the extent of
such changes,
it may be necessary
to implement
a surcharge on
this tour. If
a surcharge is
necessary, every
effort will be
made to minimize
the amount. Cancellations
and Refunds:
TRIP INSURANCE: PLEASE NOTE:
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Phone: 203.453.6724