the Way of the Turtle

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