Biodiversity: Birds, Forest Types, Flora

Biological research by faculty and students has been ongoing at Hartwick College’s Pine Lake Environmental Campus for over 35 years.

Vascular plants and ferns have been completely catalogued and Hartwick’s herbarium holds voucher specimens for all species (Rabeler 1975, Smith and Rabeler 1976). Forest ecology classes have established long-term plots that have characterized forest community structure at three different locations in the Upper Tract.

Studies of the bird communities at two sites have been published and the fish community is known from complete surveys conducted in 1985, 1995, and 2003. Several senior thesis projects have investigated components of the natural communities at Pine Lake, and a soil map has been produced for the Upper Tract. To date we have identified 11 distinct plant community types and more than 750 species of organisms.

Thus far, no state-listed threatened or endangered species have been documented at Pine Lake or on the Upper Tract.

Biological Diversity Number of Communities/Species
Plant communities 11
Vascular plants 518 species (94 families)
Vertebrates 130 species
Birds 70 species (nesting)
Mammals 20 species
Fish 17 species
Amphibians 16 species
Reptiles 7 species
Insects 17 orders (100+ families)

Learn more about biodiversity at Pine Lake:

Birds

Forest Types

Vascular Flora


Birds of Pine Lake

J. Robert Miller made observations of all the bird species at Pine Lake between 1971 and 1986.
Seasons obeserved (s/S/F/W): s:Spring, S:Summer, F:Fall, W:Winter, ‘-‘:observed only on Upper Tract.

Alder Flycatcher (s/S)
American Bittern (s/S)
American Black Duck (s/S)
American Crow (s/S/F/W)
American Goldfinch (s/S/F/W)
American Kestrel (S)
American Redstart (s/S)
American Robin (s/S/F)
American Tree Sparrow (s/W)
American Woodcock (s/S)
Bank Swallow (s/S)
Barn Swallow (s/S)
Barred Owl (s/S/F/W) –
Bay-breasted Warbler (s)
Belted Kingfisher (s/S/F)
Black Scoter (F)
Black-and-white Warbler (s/S)
Black-billed Cuckoo (S)
Blackburnian Warbler (s/S)
Black-capped Chickadee (s/S/F/W)
Blackpoll Warbler (s)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (s/S)
Black-throated Green Warbler (s/S)
Blue Jay (s/S/F/W)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (s/S)
Blue-winged Teal (s/S)
Bonaparte’s Gull (s)
Boreal Chickadee (W)
Broad-winged Hawk (s/S)
Brown Creeper (s/S/F/W)
Brown Thrasher (s/S/F)
Brown-headed Cowbird (s/S)
Bufflehead (s)
Canada Goose (F)
Canada Warbler (s/S)
Cape May Warbler (s)
Cedar Waxwing (s/S/F)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (s/S)
Chimney Swift (s/S)
Chipping Sparrow (s/S)
Cliff Swallow (s)
Common Grackle (s/S)
Common Nighthawk (S)
Common Redpoll (W)
Common Snipe (F)
Common Yellowthroat (s/S/F)
Cooper’s Hawk (F/W)
Dark-eyed Junco (s/S/F)
Downy Woodpecker (s/S/F/W)
Eastern Bluebird (s/S)
Eastern Kingbird (s/S)
Eastern Meadowlark (s/S)
Eastern Phoebe (s/S)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (s/S)
European Starling (s/S/F)
Evening Grosbeak (s/F/W)
Field Sparrow (s/S)
Fox Sparrow (s/F)

Golden-crowned Kinglet (s/F/W)
Gray Catbird (s/S/F)
Great Blue Heron (s/S/F)
Great Crested Flycatcher (s/S)
Great Horned Owl (s/S/F/W)
Green-backed Heron (s/S)
Green-winged Teal (s)
Hairy Woodpecker (s/S/F/W)
Hermit Thrush (s/S/F)
Hooded Merganser (s)
Horned Grebe (s/F)
House Finch (s/S/F)
House Sparrow (s/S/F/W)
House Wren (s/S)
Indigo Bunting (s/S)
Killdeer (s/S/F)
Least Flycatcher (s/S)
Lesser Scaup (s)
Louisiana Waterthrush (s/S/F)
Magnolia Warbler (s/S)
Mallard (s/S)
Mourning Dove (s/S)
Mourning Warbler (s/S)
Nashville Warbler (s)
Northern Cardinal (s/S/F/W)
Northern Flicker (s/S/F)
Northern Oriole (Baltimore) (s/S)
Northern Parula (s)
Northern Pintail (s)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (s/S)
Northern Waterthrush (s/S)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (s/S)
Osprey (s/S/F)
Ovenbird (s/S)
Pectoral Sandpiper (s)
Pied-bill Grebe (s)
Pileated Woodpecker (s/S/W)
Pine Grosbeak (s/F/W)
Pine Siskin (s/F/W)
Prairie Warbler (s/S) –
Purple Finch (s/S/F)
Red Crossbill (s/F/W)
Red-breasted Grosbeak (s/S)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (s/S/F/W)
Red-eyed Vireo (s/S/F)
Red-shouldered Hawk (s/S/F/W)
Red-tailed Hawk (s/S/F/W)
Red-winged Blackbird (s/S/F)
Ring-necked Duck (s)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (s/F)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (s/S)
Ruddy Duck (F)
Ruffed Grouse (s/S/F/W)
Rufous-sided Towhee (s/S/F)
Rusty Blackbird (s/S)

Scarlet Tanager (s/S)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (F)
Solitary Sandpiper (S)
Solitary Vireo (s/S/F)
Song Sparrow (s/S/F)
Spotted Sandpiper (s/S)
Swamp Sparrow (s/S)
Tree Swallow (s/S)
Tufted Titmouse (s/S/F/W)
Turkey Vulture (s/S)
Veery (s/S)
Virginia Rail (s/S)
Warbling Vireo (s)
White-breasted Nuthatch (s/S/F/W)
White-crowned Sparrow (s)
White-throated Sparrow (s/S/F)
White-winged Scoter (s)
Wild Turkey (s/S/F/W) –
Wilson’s Warbler (s)
Winter Wren (s/S) –
Wood Duck (s/S)
Wood Thrush (s/S/F)
Yellow Warbler (s/S)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (S)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (s/S/F)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (S)
Yellow-breasted Chat (s)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) (s/S/F)
Yellow-throated Vireo (s/S/F)


Forest Types and Vascular Flora

Map of Forest Types at Pine Lake, including Upper Tract- Robert V. Riddell State Park

List of Vascular Flora at Pine Lake, including Upper Tract- Robert V. Riddell State Park