Sunday, April 20, 2014
I expected Montezuma to be similar to Iroquois and it was... lots of geese, blackbirds, and swallows and a few other birds. Every osprey nest had an osprey sitting in it - a good sign for lots of little ospreys this summer - and there was a group of terns in the pool near the visitors center. I also spotted a few coots and ring-necked ducks along the drive. One plus to the spring growth not having really started yet - hundreds of muskrat lodges were visible all over the marsh. It's incredible to think of how many of those little guys must live there.
I didn't go to Lock CS-1 but I did stop to check out the eagle nest across from the intersection of Rts 89 & 31 and spotted two eagles - one on the nest and one on a branch nearby.
Other than the eagles being harder to spot, I suspect things will be more interesting in a month or so, when there are more ducks and wading birds puttering around, and when the purple martins are back in their colony next to the visitor's center.
JMH
