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
Showing posts with label cameras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cameras. Show all posts
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
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
2.4 Mile Walk Through the Pine Hills Neighborhood of Albany
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I'd hoped to go down to Mt Washington State Forest for a long run in the woods today, but ended up sleeping late due to what currently seems a depressingly typical disrupted night's sleep and woke up to blah weather with a threat of thunderstorms later this afternoon. So, tomorrow, hopefully.
Ended up being lazy most of the day but finally kicked my backside out the door for a walk to the store and back during a break in the rain (well, it started out that way, then rained lightly for about half the time I was walking.) Took along the Kodak in case any pictures presented themselves, and ended up with a nice view of the setting sun and the rising moon over a nearby athletic park. Unfortunately, the Kodak just isn't up to the task... it's fine for basic shots and of course will be invaluable the next time I'm in either a downpour or under a waterfall, but it's woefully inadequate for the types of photos I'm used to taking. Then again, what do I expect from a $60 fixed-focus camera, compared to my $200 superzoom (which to its credit has survived adventures that would have reduced lesser cameras to scrap. Go Canon!)
JMH
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I'd hoped to go down to Mt Washington State Forest for a long run in the woods today, but ended up sleeping late due to what currently seems a depressingly typical disrupted night's sleep and woke up to blah weather with a threat of thunderstorms later this afternoon. So, tomorrow, hopefully.
Ended up being lazy most of the day but finally kicked my backside out the door for a walk to the store and back during a break in the rain (well, it started out that way, then rained lightly for about half the time I was walking.) Took along the Kodak in case any pictures presented themselves, and ended up with a nice view of the setting sun and the rising moon over a nearby athletic park. Unfortunately, the Kodak just isn't up to the task... it's fine for basic shots and of course will be invaluable the next time I'm in either a downpour or under a waterfall, but it's woefully inadequate for the types of photos I'm used to taking. Then again, what do I expect from a $60 fixed-focus camera, compared to my $200 superzoom (which to its credit has survived adventures that would have reduced lesser cameras to scrap. Go Canon!)
JMH
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