While walking the Massawepie Mire railbed, I was thrilled to spot two Spruce Grouse fledglings in the boreal habitat west of the crossing of the South Branch Grasse River. The DEC and regional ecologists have been working to establish a breeding population of this endangered species, with their efforts including the release of males and females. It was therefore wonderful to see successful breeding. I was fortunate enough to have one of the fledglings fly into the boughs of a conifer to pose for photos.

The Massawepie Mire provides perfect habitat for the Spruce Grouse, with substantial boreal forest. The Mire is the largest bog peatland in New York State with more than 900 acres of bog itself. The nearby Massawepie Lake Trail (only accessible part of the year due to the Boy Scout summer camp) is a wonderful hike - check it out at stlctrails.com.