I have received a few questions about the hours/accessibility of
Noblewood Park in Willsboro, NY for Labor Day weekend and beyond.  I
realize that the web site was not clear about these two things, and I
apologize for this.  A clearer explanation of off-season accessibility is
now available on the Noblewood web
site:  www.albany.net/~cardinal/Noblewood/Noblewood.htm
      Noblewood Park will be open for full use through Labor Day, Monday,
September 6.  By "full use," I mean that the main gate will be open, so
visitors can drive into the park, swim at the town beach, camp at one of
the camp sites, and drive down to the canoe launch site to put a canoe or
kayak in the Boquet River.
      After Labor Day, the main gate to Noblewood will be closed until next
summer, *but* the park is in fact open year-round to pedestrian
visitors.  For birdwatchers, this change in operating status should have
very little effect on your visit to the park.  It essentially means an
extra three to five minutes of walking to reach the river mouth.  It also
means that there is no fee (for any visitors) to enter the park.
      I was at Noblewood this evening, and while the birding was quite
slow, the views from the river mouth were just gorgeous in the waning light
of the late summer/early fall day.  I imagine that the views are even more
spectacular with the arrival of fall colors, and I bet the fall birding
there is going to be great too!  If you have any questions about Noblewood,
feel free to e-mail me.

Good birding,
Matt Medler