A trip to Montezuma Wildlife Refuge

[MAK]

   Today Rochester falcon watchers Joyce,SusanC,BrianH,Jeanne,MarciaL,KathyO,Dana,CarolP and myself took a ride out to the Montezuma wildlife refuge about 45 miles east of Rochester. This is where Jemison was released and  we didn't spot him anywhere.
   I rode along with Joyce, Brian and Susan. We first went to the Armitage eagle nest where I saw my very first Bald eagle in the wild. You needed binocs to spot him but halfway up a tree in the distance you could clearly see the white on his head. Thankfully it was windy and it kept blowing a branch out of the way so you could find this national treasure. We also spotted its nest, a very impressive looking structure indeed! As I was awe struck with the eagle Brian yelled there was an Osprey behind me flying across the field. I turned around and saw my very first Osprey but wait there was another up there flying just above the treeline. Zowee hot diggity dog! How lucky am I to have seen two of the most awesome raptors on earth within minutes of each other.
   From there we went to Tschache(pronounced like shockey)Pool. What a haven for wildlife. There were Juvenile and adult Bald eagles and golden eagles all over the place. Many Osprey gracing the sky(which I have fallen in love with). I saw Trumpeter swans,Cormorants of which there were many. Egrets of some sort and more shorebirds than I've ever seen in one place.
   Next up was May's point pool where we discovered an Osprey on the branch of a tree with a very pink chunk of salmon in it's talon eating on and off for a good long while. His mate was to the left and up a bit farther in an adjacent tree. Just adding to my new fondness for these gorgeous birds. Across the road from this location Marcia and Brian saw a fleeting glimpse of an Ibis of some kind which Marcia had wanted to see.
   We met up with CarolP,Kathy,Dana and Jeanne (who had to leave) at the visitors center. All of us went to another place where we saw Sandhill cranes (I think) many Great Blue Herons,gulls,egrets and more. My favorite here and another first was a Northern Harrier which kept flying and hovering just above the ground seeking prey. The amber color on the underside of this bird of prey was just stunning. By this time the temperature was dropping, the wind was getting stronger and the rains came. So we packed it in for bird watching on this day.
   We visited the Montezuma Winery and sampled their vintage wines before we left the refuge and ended a wonderful day at the Iron Skillet diner for a bite to eat before heading home.
   Truly this was a banner day for this bird watcher and one I will never forget.
  

[jeanne]

Great report, MAK!!!  Montezuma is awesome!  My first time there also and it is amazing to see so many birds at one time.  And they co-exist!  The only falcon representative was a kestrel that kept hopping around as he ate!  When the falcon watchers come for the weekend next year, it might be a nice visit!  Just awesome!

[valhalla]

But did the Osprey sing to you?    As promised, we went over to the shack and were treated to an hour of osprey family enjoyment with friends and beer.  Then ....   We went home and jumped in the pool for the first time!

[Donna]

Nice going MAK, glad you saw your 1st "Majestic" Osprey. Love their call as Janet said, especially when it's echoes over a lake.

Janet: Pool....yay, way to go. 

[MAK]

No Janet I never heard an osprey sing but I sure had plenty of sightings. They are gorgeous in flight!  

PS

[Carol P.]

To add just a bit to MAK's report.

Kathy O, Dana and I arrived a lot earlier than the rest of the folks.  We drove out onto Willdlife Dr, which skirts along the side of the main pool.  The main pool was drained totally this year due to an infestation of Carp, I believe.  They said when it was first drained, the Eagles gathered for a feast of fish.  I would have loved to see that!

The road was closed just after the Seneca Spillway, which is where young Jemison was released.  We turned around and headed back to the visitor's center.  On the way back we noticed a Harrier hunting over the drained main pool, which is more like a marsh or swamp now.  Kathy pulled over and we were entertained by not just one, but three Harriers skimming the tall grasses, white rump patches shining in the sun.  

They acted more like juveniles than adults, sometimes coming together for a little game of talon tag.  They were the browner color of the female.  We watched their antics for a good hour or so, when Jeanne arrived.  One of the Harriers flew towards us and landed in a tree on the other side of the drive, but only for a few seconds.  The Harrier again took flight and landed on the road in front of us!  We were amazed by it's beauty.  S/he took off and again joined the other two.  It was a wonderful start to our day.

Because we heard that juvenile Peregrines had been seen at Tow Path Rd, that's where we headed.  This road is a dirt road with many dips and craters.  You have to take it really slow.  We joined a group of birders that already had their scopes set up.  Stretched out before us was a birders paradise.  Thousands of all kinds of shore birds and raptors were below us.  Juvenile Bald Eagles were everywhere!  You didn't know where to look first!  

I spotted a falcon on the ground far off to our right.  I quickly got the scope out and discovered it was a beautiful male Kestrel who was enjoying his dinner.  Not a Peregrine, darn it!  Oh, well.  We remained for a couple hours before joining the rest of the group at the Montezuma visitor's center.  The rest of our adventure is in MAK's report.

It was a marvelous day of birding.  We didn't see any Peregrines, but how can you not be thrilled with Bald Eagles, Osprey, Harriers and Kestrels, and a quick glance at a Sandhill Crane!  It doesn't get much better than that.  

[Lou]

Dana and I went there today (Sunday) and we did see what was either a juvie peregrine or a merlin while we were on Towpath Road. Didn't get a picture because it flew over our heads and over the woods behind us so quickly, but my guess is that it was Jemison. (okay - maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part). We saw a lot of Bald Eagles - an amazing number of them...at one point we saw four juveniles sitting on the ground about 50' apart. We also saw Ospreys, tons of Egrets, Herons, Comorrants and shorebirds including Greater and Less Yellowlegs. The rare find for the day was an Ibis.

MAK - glad to see your report. I remember the first time I saw an Eagle - it was a "Holy Cow - these things really do exist" kind of moment.  I love the Ospreys too. We had a pair that we could view in our area up until recently. They had a nest on top of a communication tower in Hilton but it was either blown down or removed off-season by the bastids at the phone company. Last weekend we saw the Ospreys at the Iroquois Nat'l Wildlife Reserve, but Montezuma has a much larger population. At any rate, we're lucky to be close to a few wildlife reserves to add on top of our city-falcon watching experience.

Lou

[falconsforever129]

This sounds like a wonderful place to visit...from the sound of these reports it sounds like a bird paradise!  I hope Jemison is there or nearby at least and I hope he finds another falcon to share adventures with for a lifetime. He deserves a happy life!
The eagles, ospreys and hawks sound awesome...I have seen all of these birds but never so many species in one day like you all did....
What a great day...when I come up for watcher's weekend next year I want to visit Montezuma also.
I think I should spend an entire week up in the area just exploring and enjoying !!