Alan Belford

Alan Belford

Alan Belford has spent much of his life outdoors exploring and learning about wildlife – particularly birds. An avid outdoor recreationist and athlete, Alan is often out hiking, paddling, running, or cross country skiing – with his Labrador retriever Wren at this side. His hobbies and athletic pursuits soon became a profession when he began his career, earning two graduate degrees in wildlife along the way. A certified teacher and former cross country, baseball, and ultimate frisbee coach, he loves teaching others and has taught multiple natural history (specializing in ornithology) courses for both college students and the general public. His wildlife research has focused on vertebrates – particularly mammals and birds – most recently with the Wildlife Conservation Society researching the impact of human development on wildlife communities in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. He is a licensed guide in New York State, he has traveled widely both domestically and internationally, and he is also a published travel writer and photographer – focusing on outdoor and nature writing. He can be contacted at alan.belford1@gmail.com.

Written by Alan Belford

A Few Full-day and Multi-day Paddles in the Central Adirondacks

20Apr2019
Paddling Season! With a warming spring sun upon us and the Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, and Brown Creepers singing early spring to my yard, our lakes and waterways are beginning to open up. Such...

Half Day Paddles in the Central Adirondacks

25Mar2019
It’s time to start thinking about paddling It may seem strange to read (or in my case, write) a canoeing blog when all of our lakes are frozen solid, but with longer days, warmer temperatures, and...

Birding Sabattis Bog and Paddling Round Lake

Starting at Sabattis Wren and I were out early the other day, starting our trip at Sabattis Bog. Early mornings are key at Sabattis, as the road can get fairly busy when folks are heading in to...

Hiking, Birding, and Exploring in Hitchins Bog

A splendid place Hitchins Bog offers birders a great place to explore boreal habitat, reached along an old railroad bed. Since the bed runs roughly north-south through the bog, birders have their...

An Evening Paddle to Round Lake

The End of the Day Round Lake is perhaps my favorite paddle in northern Hamilton County, and a friend and I took a chance to get out on it the other day. It was late by the time we arrived, but we...

Camping, Birding, and Exploring Along Horseshoe Lake

Waking up in a beautiful place My friend and I camped along Horseshoe Lake the other weekright along the St. Lawrence-Franklin-Hamilton county lines. Wren and I woke early while it was still dark,...

Paddling and Birding Along the Bog River

You Can't Miss a Chance to Paddle Here Wren and I had the opportunity to paddle the Bog River the other day and we couldn't turn down the chance to do so. After all, the Bog River is a great place to...

Spring Birds & Peepers

An Afternoon and Evening of Exploring Around Little Tupper Lake and Round Lake A nice day to head out While our recent weather has been wet and raw, it had been warmer not long ago and on a day when...

Paddling and birding Round Lake and Little Tupper Lake

Ducks on the move With waterfowl migration beginning, I make sure to check out area lakes whenever I can. And so, when Wren, my dog, and I had a chance to explore south of Tupper Lake the other day,...

Birding Through Northern Hamilton County

Starting At Sabattis Bog I had work to do in the middle of the Adirondacks the other week, and so Wren and I began our trip by birding our way south through northern Hamilton County. We started at...

Exploring the Sacandaga River

Birding as I Paddled I really enjoy paddling the Sacandaga River out of Speculator, so when Wren and I were there recently I made sure we took advantage of the opportunity to do so. We pushed off...

Paddling and Camping at Mason Lake

A Great Place to Paddle If you are looking for a nice, quiet paddle in southern Hamilton County, check out Mason Lake. Located along Rt. 30 near the southern end of Indian Lake, it's  just south of...

Hiking Bald Mountain

An easy hike with a splendid view Located a short distance west of the Hamilton-Herkimer County border, Bald Mountain (also known as Rondaxe Mountain, which is frankly a more interesting name) is a...

Exploring the Moose River Plains

An Early Start on a Cool Morning After a pleasant night camping, Wren and I headed into the Moose River Plains fairly early in the morning to look for wildlife. The long, winding road cut us through...

Paddling and Camping at Cedar River Flow

So Beautiful You Can't Stay Indoors! With the weather so unseasonably warm this week, I couldn't resist the urge to be outside exploring with Wren at my side. After winding our way down through...

Paddling the Sacandaga River Out of Speculator

A Nice Walk Before Our Paddle In the heart of the Adirondacks, the Sacandaga River out of Speculator offers a great marsh to explore for both paddlers and birders alike, and I was excited for the...

Surf-Turf-n-Sky: Good Luck for Great Paddling, Hiking & Birding

Starting with a Hike Wren and I were out looking for a short hike and paddle the other week and I decided that Good Luck Lake and the West Branch of the Sacandaga River might fit the bill. The...

Paddling Round Lake

Sunny Paddling Weather! Our warm weather of late has made for terrific paddling in the southern Adirondacks, and Wren and I took advantage of it to enjoy some time birding on Round Lake this past...

Hiking and Storming on Pillsbury Mountain

A Long and Winding Road The adventure of hiking up Pillsbury Mountain begins with the road to the trailhead. Wren and I bumped along through Perkins Clearing and Sled Harbor and she was anxiously...

An Evening Paddle at Mason Lake

A Beautiful Place Mason Lake is a quiet body of water directly along Route 30 - just south of Lewey Lake - which many folks pass on their way through the southern Adirondacks. If they don't stop,...

Paddling Along the Jessup River - and Battling Beaver Dams While We're at it!

Waiting to Run Free and Explore Since the Jessup River sits on a busy stretch of Route 30, I left Wren in the car while I unloaded the boat and our gear for our paddle last week. Wren patiently...

Paddling South Inlet

Windy Weather We've had quite a bit of windy weather of late and my afternoon paddle on South Inlet last week was no different. I chatted at the put-in with a few folks who were coming off the water...

Exploring Brown's Tract Inlet on Foot

I had been interested in paddling Brown's Tract Inlet this past week, but the day I had slated for exploring it became quite windy, meaning a paddle across the wide waters of Raquette Lake was not in...

Camping and Paddling at Limekiln Lake

Two Souls in Need of Rest Wren and I were exploring various places in Hamilton and Herkimer Counties this past week, and after poking around Moss Lake and some other areas around Old Forge just over...

Hiking & Birding the Shallow Lake Trail

Getting Started on the Trail After fixing a flat tire picked up by driving so many dirt roads (Wren slept in the sun while I change the tire), Wren and I made it to the trailhead for Shallow Lake....

A Fall Paddle on Twitchell Lake

A Well-known Lake Wren and I had been camping near Stillwater Reservoir and we drove south through Big Moose to Twitchell Lake – right near the Herkimer-Hamilton County line, for a paddle. I chatted...

Camping & Birding in the Moose River Plains

I woke off and on throughout the night to the wind racing through the trees. A new weather pattern was rolling into the area. My dog, Wren, and I were camping in the Moose River Plains Recreation...

Hiking & Birding Wakely Mountain

Wakely Mountain sits as a lonesome sentinel brooding above the Moose River Plains, and it is one of the tallest mountains in the park outside of the High Peaks Region. Wren and I set out on the trail...

Paddling Cedar River Flow

The Canvas of a Fall Landscape With a picturesque fall day stretched out before us, Wren and I set out from Wakely Dam onto Cedar River Flow as a soft south breeze brought us warm temps and played...

Paddling South Inlet

A Cool and Foggy Start The  mid-October day started foggy and cool as we awoke in camp, but I knew the sun would soon burn it off. After a short hike, Wren and I made our way to South Inlet which...

Paddling Wakely Pond

Calling an Audible I had planned on paddling and exploring Cedar River Flow this past weekend and loaded up my gear for the trip with Wren. It was a breezy, overcast day, but I was hopeful we could...

Paddling the Bog River

Many of the most memorable paddles in the Adirondacks are quiet backwaters which take boaters into a watery wilderness away from the noise of motors and the din of everyday life. The Bog River is one...

Hiking, Birding, and Bearing at Hitchins Bog

Birds on my way to the Bog The other day, I stopped off at Sabattis Bog along Sabattis Circle Road on my way to Hitchins Bog. Sabbatis sits right along the road and gives easy access to a splendid...

Birding in Horseshoe Bog

Bog Birding I've recently done some poking around along the border of Hamilton and St. Lawrence Counties and found myself the other day in what some folks call Horseshoe Bog. Horseshoe is really an...

A Diversity of Species Birding at the Newcomb Bioblitz!

29Jun2014
Each year in the Adirondacks, the All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) seeks to document the array of species which inhabit a certain patch of the park by inviting volunteer naturalists of all...

A Flood of Spring Migrants

19May2014
Great Birding in the Adirondacks during Spring Migration Spring is a constantly changing time of year in the Adirondacks. Migrating birds have been arriving in our area for weeks with each day adding...

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