A VISIT TO THE ALABAMA SWAMPS
1.3 Mile Walk at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
6.5 Mile Ride at the Oak Orchard State Wildlife Management Area
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge official site
Oak Orchard State Wildlife Management Area official site
photo slideshow
The Alabama Swamp area of western NY covers approximately 19000 acres and is split up into three refuges/preserves - the Tonawanda and Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Areas, both overseen by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and separated by the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The wetlands are the remnant of the massive Tonawanda Lake which covered much of western NY at the end of the last glacial period. The Seneca Indians cleared and drained some of the swamp for farming, and settlers in the 1800's extended that practice, to the point that by the 1930's a noticable decline in wildlife was evident to the local residents. In the decades that followed plans were put into place to restore and protect these valuable wetlands. (More info can be found at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge site.)
1.3 Mile Walk at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
6.5 Mile Ride at the Oak Orchard State Wildlife Management Area
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge official site
Oak Orchard State Wildlife Management Area official site
photo slideshow
The Alabama Swamp area of western NY covers approximately 19000 acres and is split up into three refuges/preserves - the Tonawanda and Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Areas, both overseen by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and separated by the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The wetlands are the remnant of the massive Tonawanda Lake which covered much of western NY at the end of the last glacial period. The Seneca Indians cleared and drained some of the swamp for farming, and settlers in the 1800's extended that practice, to the point that by the 1930's a noticable decline in wildlife was evident to the local residents. In the decades that followed plans were put into place to restore and protect these valuable wetlands. (More info can be found at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge site.)
Ann and I headed over to the swamps after lunch, hoping to do a little riding and see some wildlife. We parked at the Swallow Hollow area, on the eastern edge of Iroquois, and started out walking the 1.3 mile loop along several boardwalks, the top of a dike, and a path through both a pine forest and a hardwood forest. We didn't actually see much wildlife, beyond several butterflies and a heron, though we did see ample evidence of turtles having laid eggs along the edge of the dike (including several spots where another animal had enjoyed a nice meal of turtle eggs!) The path did give us some nice views of a large pond, and was fairly peaceful even with the other folks we met out walking.
After that we unloaded our ATB's and headed down the road and into Oak Orchard on a DEC access road (ie. gravel and grass doubletrack.) It became clear early on that this would be fairly different from our walk, both in terms of wildlife (the terrain was much more open) and in terms of heat and sun (no tree cover, so it was very hot!) We rode out and back, and along the way spotted three painted turtles crossing the path, apparently making a commute between bodies of water. Oddly enough, I didn't see any turtles sunning themselves on the logs.
Swallows were constantly zooming overhead - I saw some incredible aerial displays on the part of these little guys! I lost count of the number of herons we saw... it seemed like every few minutes another one would be flying off, and periodically we heard them squawking, though it wasn't clear if they were upset with us or with other herons. I was a bit surprised we didn't see more geese, though there were plenty of droppings along the path. At one point I spotted what I thought was a group of ducklings, but after watching them submerge themselves and come up some distance away, I decided I had no clue what kind of waterbird they were!
Near the point where we turned around, we stopped to look at some big fish (10-12" long) swimming in a dammed-up pool at the mouth of a culvert under the road, and were very surprised to see one of the largest of the group repeatedly popping his head up over the edge of the dam. Ann decided to try to get a picture of him doing this, and while she was doing so he came up and pushed himself completely over the dam! Don't know that much about fish, but some of the research I've done in several of my books and on-line suggests that he was a carp (I had previously thought that all carp looked like big goldfish, but found out I was wrong.) We also listened to some incredibly loud frog choruses when we stopped for some sips of water.
Despite the short length of the ride (only 6.5 miles over fairly level ground) I was definitely feeling the effect of being out in the sun non-stop by the time we returned to the parking area, so we abandoned our earlier plans to possibly ride the old road through Iroquois or visit the Oak Orchard Creek waterfall in favor of finding someplace to buy some cold drinks. But not before a quick stop just out of the parking area to scoot a turtle the rest of the way across the road... given the speed at which I saw cars travelling down that road, I suspect he would have been a goner left to his own devices.
At some point I hope to go back with binoculars to better see the birds, but probably not in the middle of summer... a cool or cloudy day seems like it would be best, given that it wasn't terribly hot and humid today and the sun was still pretty brutal.
JMH
