the Way of the Turtle

BIRDS!
6.1 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A rainy morning followed by a warm sunny afternoon... too bad that the sunshine was mostly gone by the time I got done teaching this week's karate lesson, but I still headed over to the bike path for a short run... in shorts! Wahoo!

Enough of the snow and ice was gone on the path heading east that I started out with about a mile out and back in that direction, then took the Gerbil Wheel west to Lock 7 and back. I was surprised to find that my legs didn't feel too bad... I was expecting a lot of grumbling after yesterday's long haul on snowshoes up at Thacher Park.

Along the way I saw birds, birds, and more birds, and I heard a few I didn't see. It's a great time of year for waterfowl - I spotted common mergansers, northern shovelers, wood ducks, mallards, black ducks, green-winged teals, and of course Canada geese. Also a number of cardinals and smaller birds, and the blackbirds were calling constantly. At various times I also heard a kingfisher, a killdeer, and a woodcock calling. Spring is definitely on the way!

JMH