1.8 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Monday, April 09, 2012
Sunday, April 08, 2012
WINDY!
16.7 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail (Utica-Rome) & Around Utica Marsh WMA
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Finally got back out on my bike - and what a day to do it! The Canalway trail heads basically west from N Genesee St, and there was a wicked headwind blasting east... made for very tough going on the way out, though the trip back was fantastic - I absolutely flew along the bike path with that tailwind.
I took a brief detour down into Utica Marsh and along Barnes Ave to the closed bridge. Apparently back in November 2010 an inspection showed that the bridge over the CSX tracks was unsafe and could potentially fail, there was no money and little incentive to repair/replace it, and the city gave the businesses down Barnes Ave (primarily used auto parts aka junk yards) a couple of weeks notice that they had to vacate their property. From the sound of things, the amount of time that's passed, and the fact that just about every structure along the road has been demolished - I'd guess there are no plans to ever reopen Barnes Ave. The landowners were supposed to go into the process of getting reimbursed via the state's eminent domain process. (More info can be found in the Utica Observer Dispatch article via the link, as well as in an earlier article when it was first announced the bridge would be closed.) While I miss the convenient access to Utica Marsh, I'm kind of pleased that it looks like the state is going to simply reclaim the land as part of the floodplain (hopefully after cleaning up the rest of the junk left behind.) The marsh is still accessible from the Canalway trail, and the lack of automobile access seems to have cut down on the number of sketchy characters hanging around down there - I know I wasn't always totally comfortable leaving my car at the Utica Marsh parking lot, and many of the comments I've seen about the closure have mentioned drug deals and prostitution, and at least one of the junkyards was destroyed in a series of arson fires last year.
I had planned to turn around early, possibly at Lock 20, but in the end decided to ride all the way to the parking area on Oriskany Rd before turning around. And as I mentioned previously, the ride back to the park-and-ride lot was a joy - with the tailwind I was pushing 15 mph pretty consistently. Best of all, my legs felt like I could have kept going for another 5-10 miles without too much strain - a reassuring observation, given the riding I've got coming up over the next two months...
JMH
16.7 Mile Ride on the Erie Canalway Trail (Utica-Rome) & Around Utica Marsh WMA
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Finally got back out on my bike - and what a day to do it! The Canalway trail heads basically west from N Genesee St, and there was a wicked headwind blasting east... made for very tough going on the way out, though the trip back was fantastic - I absolutely flew along the bike path with that tailwind.
I took a brief detour down into Utica Marsh and along Barnes Ave to the closed bridge. Apparently back in November 2010 an inspection showed that the bridge over the CSX tracks was unsafe and could potentially fail, there was no money and little incentive to repair/replace it, and the city gave the businesses down Barnes Ave (primarily used auto parts aka junk yards) a couple of weeks notice that they had to vacate their property. From the sound of things, the amount of time that's passed, and the fact that just about every structure along the road has been demolished - I'd guess there are no plans to ever reopen Barnes Ave. The landowners were supposed to go into the process of getting reimbursed via the state's eminent domain process. (More info can be found in the Utica Observer Dispatch article via the link, as well as in an earlier article when it was first announced the bridge would be closed.) While I miss the convenient access to Utica Marsh, I'm kind of pleased that it looks like the state is going to simply reclaim the land as part of the floodplain (hopefully after cleaning up the rest of the junk left behind.) The marsh is still accessible from the Canalway trail, and the lack of automobile access seems to have cut down on the number of sketchy characters hanging around down there - I know I wasn't always totally comfortable leaving my car at the Utica Marsh parking lot, and many of the comments I've seen about the closure have mentioned drug deals and prostitution, and at least one of the junkyards was destroyed in a series of arson fires last year.
I had planned to turn around early, possibly at Lock 20, but in the end decided to ride all the way to the parking area on Oriskany Rd before turning around. And as I mentioned previously, the ride back to the park-and-ride lot was a joy - with the tailwind I was pushing 15 mph pretty consistently. Best of all, my legs felt like I could have kept going for another 5-10 miles without too much strain - a reassuring observation, given the riding I've got coming up over the next two months...
JMH
EAGLES, OSPREY, & A KESTREL
A Brief Visit to Montezuma NWR & Lock CS-1
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Swung by Lock CS-1 and Montezuma on the way home today... and it turned out to be a good day for birds of prey.
At Lock CS-1 both adult eagles were present - one in the nest and one perched in a tree down the shoreline. When I walked down the road a little ways to get some shots of the eagle in the tree, I also discovered that one of the chicks was sticking his head up over the edge of the nest.
I only stopped briefly at the Montezuma Visitors Center - between the holiday and the sunny weather, there were lots of people there. Apparently the osprey have started nesting along the Seneca trail - the trail is blocked off and both were visible in the nest, though one flew off shortly after I started taking pictures. I briefly considered going on the wildlife drive, but the number of people present and the fact that I'd just driven through Friday afternoon made me reconsider, and I ended up taking the main roads over to the eagle nest in the northwestern corner of the main part of the refuge.
When I pulled up at the unofficial parking area to view the eagle nest, a small brown raptor swooped away and landed on a nearby utility pole. Turns out it was a female kestrel. While I watched she went from the pole to perches on the power lines, and several times dropped down into the nearby field trying to snag prey only she could see. She was definitely struggling to maneuver in the very strong wind. Very cool!
Across the field I had a fairly good view of the eagle nest, since the trees still haven't gotten their leaves. While I was there I saw two adults on the nest - don't know if the infamous trio (two males and a female) still nest there, the nest is too far away to make out any details even with my new camera, and the wind didn't help.
JMH
A Brief Visit to Montezuma NWR & Lock CS-1
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Swung by Lock CS-1 and Montezuma on the way home today... and it turned out to be a good day for birds of prey.
At Lock CS-1 both adult eagles were present - one in the nest and one perched in a tree down the shoreline. When I walked down the road a little ways to get some shots of the eagle in the tree, I also discovered that one of the chicks was sticking his head up over the edge of the nest.
I only stopped briefly at the Montezuma Visitors Center - between the holiday and the sunny weather, there were lots of people there. Apparently the osprey have started nesting along the Seneca trail - the trail is blocked off and both were visible in the nest, though one flew off shortly after I started taking pictures. I briefly considered going on the wildlife drive, but the number of people present and the fact that I'd just driven through Friday afternoon made me reconsider, and I ended up taking the main roads over to the eagle nest in the northwestern corner of the main part of the refuge.
When I pulled up at the unofficial parking area to view the eagle nest, a small brown raptor swooped away and landed on a nearby utility pole. Turns out it was a female kestrel. While I watched she went from the pole to perches on the power lines, and several times dropped down into the nearby field trying to snag prey only she could see. She was definitely struggling to maneuver in the very strong wind. Very cool!
Across the field I had a fairly good view of the eagle nest, since the trees still haven't gotten their leaves. While I was there I saw two adults on the nest - don't know if the infamous trio (two males and a female) still nest there, the nest is too far away to make out any details even with my new camera, and the wind didn't help.
JMH
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Friday, April 06, 2012
EAGLES, EAGLETS, HERONS, & A WHOLE LOT O' WATERFOWL
A Brief Visit to Montezuma NWR & Lock CS-1
Friday, April 6, 2012
By the time I dragged my backside out of the house and got on the road, there wasn't going to be enough time to stop for a run or a ride... so I decided to swing by Montezuma NWR instead. Didn't have as much time as I'd have preferred, so I settled for checking out the areas south of the Thruway along with a brief side trip to Lock CS-1.
Lots of geese and ducks in the pools by the Visitors' Center and along the wildlife drive. I definitely spotted teals, shovelers, grebe, coots, mallards, and of course plenty of Canada geese. No osprey in sight at any of the nests I checked - maybe they nest later in the season. I also saw several herons both in the air and hunting in one of the pools... good to see them back, we should check the rookery at Black Creek Park this weekend. (I also need to get up to the Gull Bay Preserve on Lake George sometime over the next few weeks, while the herons are still nesting.)
My visit to Lock CS-1 found the eagle out of the nest (and perched in a nearby tree.) While I was there a fuzzy little head popped up over the side of the nest a couple of times - looks like the eggs have hatched!
JMH
A Brief Visit to Montezuma NWR & Lock CS-1
Friday, April 6, 2012
By the time I dragged my backside out of the house and got on the road, there wasn't going to be enough time to stop for a run or a ride... so I decided to swing by Montezuma NWR instead. Didn't have as much time as I'd have preferred, so I settled for checking out the areas south of the Thruway along with a brief side trip to Lock CS-1.
Lots of geese and ducks in the pools by the Visitors' Center and along the wildlife drive. I definitely spotted teals, shovelers, grebe, coots, mallards, and of course plenty of Canada geese. No osprey in sight at any of the nests I checked - maybe they nest later in the season. I also saw several herons both in the air and hunting in one of the pools... good to see them back, we should check the rookery at Black Creek Park this weekend. (I also need to get up to the Gull Bay Preserve on Lake George sometime over the next few weeks, while the herons are still nesting.)
My visit to Lock CS-1 found the eagle out of the nest (and perched in a nearby tree.) While I was there a fuzzy little head popped up over the side of the nest a couple of times - looks like the eggs have hatched!
JMH
Thursday, April 05, 2012
2.3 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Columbia Land Conservancy scheduled a "Nearly Full Moon Frog Walk" for tonight at Hand Hollow. I had planned to put in 90 minutes or so on my bike before driving over there, but it was too darn windy and chilly for me to be very enthusiastic about that... so instead I decided to go for a walk on the way, and Ooms was the most convenient place to go.
For once I actually had the trails to myself, though someone did show up toward the end of my walk. I checked out the shoreline below the parking area - the beavers have been very active! Lots of blackbirds around, plus I spotted a pair of blue-winged teal. I followed the path up to the gazebo, then mad my way through the fields and along the other side of the pond.
No sign of any nesting activity at the new osprey nesting platform... I fear they're going to be disappointed at how that turns out. Osprey have always seems pretty skittish to me, and there's an unofficial connecting path from the gazebo to the next hilltop that passes very close to the platform - I suspect any osprey that gets interested in the possibilities will quickly be dissuaded by the foot traffic. (With luck I'll be wrong and we'll get to see osprey nesting there!)
Took a bunch of photos with the new camera along the way; I've got mixed feelings about how they came out. Some of the features are great (especially given the price I paid) but then there are other annoying quirks that have me asking "what were they thinking?" I suspect there's going to be a bit of a learning curve until I can use it the way I want to - hopefully at times to take even better pictures than I can with my Canon (a tough act to follow - my Canon is fantastic!)
I would have liked to walk back to the car along the trails, but time was getting along, so I followed the road instead, and headed over to Hand Hollow with plenty of time to get in some additional walking before the CLC program started.
JMH
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Columbia Land Conservancy scheduled a "Nearly Full Moon Frog Walk" for tonight at Hand Hollow. I had planned to put in 90 minutes or so on my bike before driving over there, but it was too darn windy and chilly for me to be very enthusiastic about that... so instead I decided to go for a walk on the way, and Ooms was the most convenient place to go.
For once I actually had the trails to myself, though someone did show up toward the end of my walk. I checked out the shoreline below the parking area - the beavers have been very active! Lots of blackbirds around, plus I spotted a pair of blue-winged teal. I followed the path up to the gazebo, then mad my way through the fields and along the other side of the pond.
No sign of any nesting activity at the new osprey nesting platform... I fear they're going to be disappointed at how that turns out. Osprey have always seems pretty skittish to me, and there's an unofficial connecting path from the gazebo to the next hilltop that passes very close to the platform - I suspect any osprey that gets interested in the possibilities will quickly be dissuaded by the foot traffic. (With luck I'll be wrong and we'll get to see osprey nesting there!)
Took a bunch of photos with the new camera along the way; I've got mixed feelings about how they came out. Some of the features are great (especially given the price I paid) but then there are other annoying quirks that have me asking "what were they thinking?" I suspect there's going to be a bit of a learning curve until I can use it the way I want to - hopefully at times to take even better pictures than I can with my Canon (a tough act to follow - my Canon is fantastic!)
I would have liked to walk back to the car along the trails, but time was getting along, so I followed the road instead, and headed over to Hand Hollow with plenty of time to get in some additional walking before the CLC program started.
JMH
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
A NEW CAMERA - AND BEAVERS!!!!
1.5 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I had planned to go for a run after work... but then found myself too tired and hungry when I got home, and finally settled on going for a walk at Five Rivers after I grabbed a bite to eat.
Except - when I stepped out the door, I found a package on the steps containing a new camera. As part of their bankruptcy restructuring Kodak is phasing out their digital camera unit and, given the sale e-mail I received late last week, is looking to sell off the cameras they currently have to raise a bit of capital. I've been very happy with my Canon cameras (my Powershot SX110IS not only takes great photos, but it continues to work after tons of abuse over the last few years) and had looked at a higher level model (something like the SX40) but really, I can't justify spending $400+ on a camera unless I'm going to start shooting photos for money. So when I received an ad for a sale on the Kodak Easyshare Max (Z990) for a very sweet price (less than I paid for my Canon) I checked out the reviews and decided to take a chance.
Of course, that delayed me even further, since I had to take time to set the camera up so I could try it out during my walk. But finally I made it out the door and to Five Rivers, with about an hour to spare before dark.
Tonight was another chilly, windy evening - I ended up wearing gloves most of the time. Since I was trying to take lots of pictures I didn't walk very far. The turkey hen was hanging out near the Visitors Center - she always looks lonely to me now that her two young 'uns are gone, but maybe we'll get lucky and she'll have more chicks this year. Given how chilly it's been, I didn't expect to see any frogs in the man-made pond, so I was happy to have a couple floating in the water. Heading down toward the Heron Pond, I took some nice shots of a red squirrel chowing down on a pine cone.
The beavers have clearly been active - they've built a small dam on top of the spillway out of the Heron Pond, presumably to raise the water level. I wonder if they've outgrown the Beaver Pond and some will be moving upstream? I surprised one of the older adult beavers when I crossed the road to the Beaver Pond; initially, he swam around a bit, but then he came back to shore and continued eating. While I was there taking photos of him, three other beavers came swimming upstream, including one that crossed the road and ended up in the Heron Pond. It's good to see them so active - I was a bit worried that all the work they did at the far end of the Beaver Pond might have driven them away, but happily that's not the case.
I watched the beavers until it started getting too dark to do so, then walked back to the parking lot, along the access road next to the Heron Pond and then the grass path to the orchard. I could hear the woodcocks doing their thing in the fields and had some really nice views of both the almost full moon appearing and disappearing behind the clouds and Venus and Jupiter shining in the sky to the southwest.
JMH
1.5 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I had planned to go for a run after work... but then found myself too tired and hungry when I got home, and finally settled on going for a walk at Five Rivers after I grabbed a bite to eat.
Except - when I stepped out the door, I found a package on the steps containing a new camera. As part of their bankruptcy restructuring Kodak is phasing out their digital camera unit and, given the sale e-mail I received late last week, is looking to sell off the cameras they currently have to raise a bit of capital. I've been very happy with my Canon cameras (my Powershot SX110IS not only takes great photos, but it continues to work after tons of abuse over the last few years) and had looked at a higher level model (something like the SX40) but really, I can't justify spending $400+ on a camera unless I'm going to start shooting photos for money. So when I received an ad for a sale on the Kodak Easyshare Max (Z990) for a very sweet price (less than I paid for my Canon) I checked out the reviews and decided to take a chance.
Of course, that delayed me even further, since I had to take time to set the camera up so I could try it out during my walk. But finally I made it out the door and to Five Rivers, with about an hour to spare before dark.
Tonight was another chilly, windy evening - I ended up wearing gloves most of the time. Since I was trying to take lots of pictures I didn't walk very far. The turkey hen was hanging out near the Visitors Center - she always looks lonely to me now that her two young 'uns are gone, but maybe we'll get lucky and she'll have more chicks this year. Given how chilly it's been, I didn't expect to see any frogs in the man-made pond, so I was happy to have a couple floating in the water. Heading down toward the Heron Pond, I took some nice shots of a red squirrel chowing down on a pine cone.
The beavers have clearly been active - they've built a small dam on top of the spillway out of the Heron Pond, presumably to raise the water level. I wonder if they've outgrown the Beaver Pond and some will be moving upstream? I surprised one of the older adult beavers when I crossed the road to the Beaver Pond; initially, he swam around a bit, but then he came back to shore and continued eating. While I was there taking photos of him, three other beavers came swimming upstream, including one that crossed the road and ended up in the Heron Pond. It's good to see them so active - I was a bit worried that all the work they did at the far end of the Beaver Pond might have driven them away, but happily that's not the case.
I watched the beavers until it started getting too dark to do so, then walked back to the parking lot, along the access road next to the Heron Pond and then the grass path to the orchard. I could hear the woodcocks doing their thing in the fields and had some really nice views of both the almost full moon appearing and disappearing behind the clouds and Venus and Jupiter shining in the sky to the southwest.
JMH
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