the Way of the Turtle

BRRR... WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING? Part 3
A Chilly Visit to Lock CS-1 & Montezuma NWR
Sunday, May 9, 2010

I left Rochester to sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures, and arrived at Cayuga-Seneca Canal Lock 1 to grey skies with some sun peeking through the clouds and a frigid wind blowing across the lake. Not much to see at first... no eagles in view, so I settled for snapping pictures of the area of the lock and across the lake. I could just barely make out some birds bobbing up and down off in the water... even with the photos I'm still not sure if they were geese or cormorants. A heron flew by and landed near where I'd parked, but I spooked him when I went back to the car. As I was driving off I scanned the treeline along the shore of the lake and - success! A pair of eagles were perched in a tree further down the shoreline. I suspect that means any eggs have hatched (or presumably the female would be keeping them warm) but it will take further visits to be sure.

From there I headed to Montezuma, where the Main Pool has been drained... the usual suspects were around (blackbirds, swallows, geese... I also spotted a tern) but I didn't stick around long because the wind blasting across the wetlands made Lock CS-1 seem balmy. I decided to do the wildlife drive, though I didn't expect to see many birds, between the weather and the lack of water in the main pool. In the end I spotted lots of geese and blackbirds (no surprise there) but also a heron in the prime feeding spot by the outlet between the Main Pool and the Cayuga-Seneca canal... while I was taking photos of him I saw lots of carp swimming near the outlet, though not as many as the other times we've been there. Further along the drive I spotted a pair of mallards and also a pair of blue-winged teals. It's also incredible how much growth has occured in the areas which burned back in early April, but I guess I should have expected that, since even the Deputy Manager of the refuge has commented on the unexpected benefits of the burn. I guess it's a good reminder that often humans work to prevent things which are a part of the natural process and in some cases are ultimately beneficial to the environment and wildlife.

I debated about stopping at the other viewing areas but decided that since I was there anyway it didn't make sense to skip them. At Mays Point Pool I startled a group of mallards into the air and watched the swallows swooping around, and also enjoyed the fact that the sunshine finally caught up with me. With blue skies overhead the water took on a brilliant blue color that only seems possible on cold sunny days. The sun also helped cut the bite of the wind a bit, but I still wasn't able to stand being up on the Tschache Pool observation tower for long. Not that it mattered... there weren't any birds in sight. I stopped at the North Spring Pool mainly to get some pictures of the incredibly blue water and also took some shots of the osprey nesting platform... I know there's a nesting osprey in there because I've seen her on NY Wild's osprey webcam, but she wasn't visible from where I was. I did spot an osprey flying overhead as I drove back to route 5/20 to head back to the Thruway, though...

JMH