[Journal entry for September 19, 2018; Phil Faurot Birding Platform, Black Rock Forest, Cornwall New York] Dallas and I parked at the hiker’s lot on Reservoir Road in the late afternoon of a sunny day. We walked Reservoir Road (a woods road) past Upper Reservoir and then Bog Meadow Road (another woods road) to Aleck Meadow Reservoir. Many fall wildflowers were in bloom on the dams and along the roadsides, including Goldenrod, Turtlehead, Thistle, and Queen Anne’s Lace. We took the Stillman Trail (blazed in yellow) over to White Oak Road (a woods road), and the White Oak Trail (blazed in white) towards Sphagnum Pond Dam. We then took a short side trail to the birding platform.

The Phil Faurot Birding Platform is more of a puncheon than a platform. It leads out a hundred feet of so into a large wetland that extends northeast along the Sphagnum Pond outflow stream. The water level in the wetland was high and I had to wade six feet of so through shallow water to reach it, wetting my feet a bit in the process, and startling a turtle that was sunning itself on the wood planking. But the view was worth the sacrifice. The wetland was brightly lit by the sun and was a beautiful sight. The blueberry buses in the wetland are now a deep fall red and some of the maples – and maybe a tupelo, too - along its edges are beginning to change, but the grass is still green with amber brown tassels. We stayed only a few minutes and saw no birds.

We continued on to Sphagnum Pond Dam and to Sutherland Road (a woods road) just beyond it. We spotted a few toads, frogs and Red Eft salamanders by puddles alongside the road. We took Sutherland Road to Sutherland Pond and took an informal side trail down to the swimming spot, which is a rocky point on the northwestern shore surrounded by bushes and trees. I noticed, for the first time, a fork in the trail and explored the newfound branch, finding that it led to a second rocky section of the shore. This spot offered a very nice view of Sutherland Swamp, a large wetland south of the open water of the pond. The Blueberry Bushes are way ahead of those by the Birding Platform; the whole swamp has a ruddy appearance.

Dallas swam while I cooked a dinner of sausages, red cabbage and tea on my MSR PocketRocket stove. The day was growing chilly and we were grateful for the hot food and drink. After cleaning up, we retraced our path, but did not stop at the Birding Platform, for lack of time. The sun had not quite set as we reached Aleck Meadow Reservoir. The orange clouds were beautifully reflected in its waters. The light was growing dim by the time we reached the overlook along Reservoir Road, a couple of minutes away from out car. I guess that the sun had just set, for the western horizon was glowing orange.

3:30.