the Way of the Turtle

MUSKRATS & BEAVERS & OWLS, OH MY!
6.7 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Quads are still a bit sore from the weekend's workouts, but I bit the bullet and headed over to the bike path to get in a few miles of relatively easy running. The night was a lot clearer than I expected it to be and the waxing moon lit everything up to an incredible extent... even with all the snow gone there was no need at all for a light while I ran. I started out by heading east to the redecked bridge and the overlook at the bend in the river, then once I got back to the park headed west to a little ways past the bridge out to the penninsula. Took it pretty slow, and definitely felt my lack of conditioning during the last mile or so. Guess I just need to be patient... not the easiest thing to do but what other option do I have?

I've really got to try and get back there during daylight hours on Friday, maybe right after work... the water/ice levels are incredibly high everywhere along the path, and the whole time I was running I could hear the ice shifting and cracking all around. It's really quite unnerving... constantly sounds like some large creature is crashing its way through the ice. I'd love to get some photos before the water recedes back to something like normal levels.

There was a good-sized muskrat swimming in the open water under the redecked railroad bridge... it was too dark to see him clearly but I could still make out his shape gliding through the water. I heard a few other noises along the way that were most likely muskrats heading back into the water as I went by.

When I got back to the park the first time, I noticed a large, dark shape out on the ice that's currently covering the boat launch area. Didn't remember it from before, and as I got closer and heard gnawing noises I knew why - it was a large beaver up on the ice munching away on something. Eventually he got tired of me hanging around and slipped back into the water, giving a couple of those very distinctive tail smacks as he swam around. When I returned to the park the second time, he was back up on the ice gnawing away, and a second beaver was off in the water plants a little ways off. I watched them both for a while before once again the one up on the ice got tired of me hanging around and headed back into the water.

As I was heading west I also heard a very vocal owl hooting away - I may have even heard a second owl answering the first. On the way back to the park, only the one was calling. There were also ducks calling to each other in the flooded field near where I turned around. No question this was a good night for wildlife, even if I could barely see some of the more interesting critters.

JMH