I moved my way North today, from Watertown to Cape Vincent, then Potsdam, and down into the Adirondacks in Newcomb.  There is a bird called the Grey Partridge which was introduced into New York as a game bird in the 30s.  These birds established breeding colonies and have lived as wild birds in the state ever since.  Lately, though, their population has declined drastically, and now there are only a handful of birds in the state.  This is a bird that I'd especially love to see for my Big Year, and my Bull's Guide (a record book of birds in NY) told me that Cape Vincent is the last stronghold for Partridge.  So this morning found me cruising through the snowy back roads of Cape Vincent, and beautiful penninsula towards the top of New York State, just across the border with Canada.  The area is lots of farmland leading down to a craggy coastline, and I can see why it's a popular summer vacation spot.  As I was driving up and down these back roads, windows down and heat blasting, I made a couple of calls to people that I thought might know something about the birds.  As the morning progressed, I talked to some very helpful birders who told me that the last time the Partridge was seen in Cape Vincent was between two and four years ago, and was now believed to be extirpated.  The only spot in the state that the bird has been seen recently, it turns out, is Malone, which is about 3 hours east of Cape Vincent.   Well, I really want to see this bird, so I made some calls and juggled some work stuff to extend my trip a couple of days to take a shot at it.   I'll be visiting Malone in a day or two and will, of course, keep you posted!