More Saw-Whets and a Long Eared Owl
Thursday, March 8, 2012

Another successful evening of owl-spotting at the Owl Woods for Ann, despite the threat of rain. She spotted two saw-whets (and apparently the remains of a third that ended up in the belly of some predator) and even more impressive - a long-eared owl. Cool!



Note that the "ears" from which the long-eared owl gets its name are actually feathered tufts, rather than ears.



JMH

GRUMPY GEESE, HUNGRY DEER, AND CONFUSED WOODCOCKS...
3.2 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Saw Whet Owls Are Back!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Today after work Ann headed up to Braddock Bay and got to see quite a few unusual birds on an unusually warm, sunny day (for early March.) But the highlight of her visit clearly was the discovery of several Northern Saw-Whet Owls at the Owl Woods. I had wondered if the unusually warm winter would result in some migrating through earlier than usual; apparently the answer is yes!



Braddock Bay Raptor Research holds owl prowls on Saturday mornings from March 17 through April 14. It's definitely worth attending one to get an idea of what to look for and where to look, though the trails can get a bit crowded. I'm planning to be out in Rochester for a while during the upcoming spring break; I'm looking forward to heading to the Owl Woods to hopefully see some owls some mornings after Ann goes to work.

JMH

A GOOD NIGHT FOR A RUN!
7.1 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, March 7, 2011

I was pretty tired after what so far has been a long-ish week, but there was no way I was passing up a chance to go for a run when the weather today had been in the high 50's. And in the end I was glad I forced myself to hit the bike path, because despite dragging my backside most of the time tonight was a great night for a run - warm (53 degrees when I finished, according to a sign along Troy-Schenectady road) with a pleasant breeze and a glorious full moon to light everything up in shades of silver.

The path was clear from the Lions Park over to Lock 7. Initially I had thought to turn around at Lock 7 but there was enough of a clear track through the remaining snow that continuing west wasn't a problem. Once I reached the base of the old landfill, I took the path all the way to the top and soaked in the view of the river lit by the full moon while enjoying the breeze. I was even inspired to go through 2 very basic katas very slowly (running shoes, which are designed to grip the ground, are not the best footwear for doing turns in kata!)

The geese on the river were very noisy tonight - not sure if they were worried about the slow fat guy plodding down the bike path or something else, but there was a lot of honking going on. I also heard a few ducks and what I think were several killdeer. But what I enjoyed most was running along the bike path on a warm, quiet night, with occasional patches of snow crunching under my feet and silver light from the full moon filtering through the trees. I wish I'd had more energy so I could have stayed out for a few more miles!

JMH

More Knee
Monday, March 5, 2012

It's still there but not as problematic as yesterday... maybe if I don't do anything stupid this will prove to be very minor.

Of course, I wouldn't put money on my not doing something stupid...

JMH

BRRR...!!!
2 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Monday, March 5, 2012

Hard to believe, but tonight was colder than yesterday... I pulled on two pairs of gloves and my hands were still burning from the cold. Though once I was out for a while I didn't notice it as much - either the wind died down, my inner furnace kicked it up a notch, or I just started going numb.

Startled a group of deer near the parking lot and the start of the Wild Turkey trail - tried not to flush them, since I suspect they needed to conserve as much energy as possible for the very cold night ahead. I'm pretty sure it was the same group of adults and youngsters I've seen previously near the parking lot.

Heard lots of geese (and saw goose tracks frozen in the snow near one of the ponds, no doubt a remnant of the warmer weather Saturday) but only saw a few - of course, it didn't help that it was almost dark by the time I got down to the ponds. I was going to do a short loop - over the bridge and back to the car - but then I heard an owl hooting in the evergreens on the west side of the Beaver Pond, and I had to see if I could hear him better... no luck, when I went onto the boardwalk he shut up. Started calling again when I was over the bridge and heading up the hill to the parking lot, so I headed back again to try and catch his call on video... slight success, I got him from a distance, but once again he shut up as I got closer. Can't be positive, but I think it was a Great Horned Owl.

As I was walking up the hill over the beaver pond, something flew up into the air, fluttered around a bit, and then disppeared into the trees. My first thought was "What is a bat doing out now? Shoot, he's a goner." But with a bit more thought I'm not so sure it was a bat (actually, I'm hoping it wasn't) - maybe a bird instead? That would make more sense.

JMH

BRRR...
1 Mile Walk at Turning Point Park & on the Genesee Riverway Trail
A Short Drive Along the Ontario Lakefront
Sunday, March 4, 2012

Lazy day today, windy with snow flurries, but after lunch Ann and I headed over to Turning Point Park and took the Genessee Riverway Trail down to the boardwalk and out onto the river basin. Lots of gulls squawking on the river, as well as a pair of swans drifting around (one was fast asleep, head tucked under wing) and a heron hanging out on the far side of the turning basin. Not many folks out and about, but that was no great surprise, because it was pretty cold, with a fairly vicious, damp wind blasting down the river. We didn't even walk to the far end of the boardwalk, only about halfway.

After that we went to Ontario Beach Park and drove through the parking lots to see if the snowy owl was in sight. No luck, but we could see the waves hammering the beach - if it hadn't been so cold, it would have been a fun day to walk out on the pier. From there I decided to explore a bit, so we headed west on Beach Ave along the lakeshore, until we reached a point where the road was closed due to bridge construction. On the way back we spotted a sharp-shinned hawk in a tree alongside the road and a raft of long-tailed ducks (ie. the "barking ducks" we first saw at Ontario Beach back in March 2009) so it was definitely worth the time spent exploring.

JMH

@#$%*&*!!ing Knee...
Sunday, March 4, 2012

For a little while now my right knee has been griping when I put pressure on it at the wrong angle or twist in certain ways - a twinge on the upper inside of the knee, right at about the same place I tore my left knee back in late June, 2009. This morning I managed to tweak it good somehow, because I spent much of the day unable to straighten my leg with someone jabbing a needle into the side of my knee.

On the plus side, it really only hurts when I try to straighten my leg. But on the minus side, it has me more than a bit worried, since the left knee kept me from running for quite a while... if this is the start of an injury similar to that, it will really derail my plans for the spring and early summer...

No point worrying about it, I guess... time will tell... and all I can do is treat it kindly and wait to see what happens.

JMH

Weekly Activity Summary
2/26/2012 - 3/3/2012

running (2x) - 16.2 mi
riding - 0 mi
walking/hiking (2x) - 4.2 mi
snowshoeing (1x) - 3.7 mi

JMH

SLUSH & SNOW
9.1 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, March 3, 2012

3.7 Mile Snowshoe in the Albany Pine Bush
Thursday, March 1, 2012

WINTER RETURNS, BRIEFLY...
2.1 Mile Walk Through the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, February 29, 2012

When I left work today and saw the snow coating the trees, I realized just how much I've missed snow during this non-winter we've had. My preference would have been to go out for a run, but given how little sleep I've gotten recently I didn't trust my legs, so I went out for a walk after dinner instead. The snow was changing over to sleet, but everything still looked wintry and wonderful.



















Not that we should get used to this.... after all, the daytime temperatures are supposed to be up around 50 this weekend...

JMH

2.1 Mile Walk at Five Rivers EEC
Monday, February 27, 2012

7.1 Mile Run at the Vischer Ferry Nature Preserve
Sunday, February 26, 2012

Weekly Activity Summary
2/19/2012 - 2/25/2012

running (1x) - 7.6 mi
riding (1x) - 12.8 mi
walking/hiking (4x) - 11.0 mi
snowshoeing - 0 mi

JMH

4.2 Mile Walk at Hand Hollow Conservation Area
Saturday, February 25, 2012

7.6 Mile Run on the Nipmuck & Natchaug Trails
Saturday, February 25, 2012

WOO HOO! COOL MUSIC!
Tannahill Weavers in Rochester!
Dougie MacLean in Schenectady!
Thursday, February 23, 2012

12.8 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, February 22, 2012

No Surprise... No SnōShū...
Tuesday, February 20, 2012

Didn't take a psychic to see this one coming... we cancelled last weekend's snowshoe races because, well - there's no snow! And with temperatures forecast for the 40's and even 50's this week, along with on and off rain - doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon, so the plug has been pulled on this weekend's race as well. Fortunately it does sound like they have plenty of snow for Nationals in Frisco, CO... but it's going to be tough going for anyone from around here, between the the few opportunities to train and racing at altitude.

On the plus side, the lack of winter weather has made it much easier to run trails... if only I was getting my backside out the door to run. At this point it seems more and more likely that I will have to skip the Instant Classic Trail Marathon in Virginia in mid-March - I've been way too lazy over the past few weeks and right now I doubt I could even finish 26+ miles, much less in 7 hours or less. Nothing's definite but right now I can't say it's looking good...

JMH