the Way of the Turtle

EAGLE!
6.4 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Thursday, March 11, 2010

Another day of feeling just a bit off, which meant I didn't get outdoors until late in the day and ended up doing a big chunk of the run at dusk. I also ended up cutting my run short - I'd planned to do 8-9 miles today but just didn't feel up to that once I got out there.

Plenty of wildlife along the bike path... blackbirds and robins, and quite a few geese now that the river is no longer iced over. I spotted a merganser right near the Niskayuna Lions Park boat launch, and I'm pretty sure it was a beaver I saw swimming nearby. Also saw a number of muskrats out and about. But the prize of the day was the bald eagle perched in his (or her) usual spot at the mouth of the Lisha Kill. Now it remains to be seen if this is the start of another "eagle whammy" like last spring, when I spotted an eagle almost every time I was out running or riding.

Since there was still some daylight left when I reached the construction zone by the Ferry Rd bridge, I was able to get a better look, and it does seem like they're going to be working on the bridge rather than replacing it with a ground-level roadway. In the meantime they've built a construction road from Rosendale Rd over to Niska Island and cut down a lot of trees to provide access. Necessary work I'm sure but it sure is unsightly. I'll have to wait and see what kind of impact it the construction has on the wildlife in the area - that's a prime area for herons, waterfowl, muskrats, and beaver. Of course, it's also the spot where I saw the otter last week...

It was such a pleasant night that I found myself seriously considering trying for the entire 8-9 miles, but I suspect I would have regretted it if I had. Spent a few minutes when I got back to the park looking out at the river and just listening... it's incredible how much the night sounds have changed in just a month or so when I was there in the midst of one of the big freezes back in late January/early February. Of course, as the weather keeps warming up things will really pick up in the evenings...

JMH