Where to go birding in Rochester?

[Will]

I used to work at Kodak downtown, got to know a few of the falcon cam'ers out on the bridge at the falls, brought my camera a few times to take some shots.  But now I've got a longer lens for my camera and since the falcons aren't downtown much anymore, what other spots can I get some shots, particularly water fowl?  I tried Irondequoit Bay off of Empire Blvd, but all I saw were gulls and ducks.  Any creeks or other areas I should check out?

[Shaky]

You might have luck at Braddock Bay, Montezuma, and Charlotte

[Donna]

You might have luck at Braddock Bay, Montezuma, and Charlotte

Yeah Will, you may catch some Eagles, Ospreys and others as Lou and Granny have. Good luck and that's one huge lens you have. You may even see a Peregrine.

[Will]

Thanks guys.  I forgot about Braddock Bay, I'll have to go out there once I get the lens back from service.  And yea this is the monster new lens I've acquired -

[Shaky]

Wow! I bet it takes great pictures of washers and dryers!

[valhalla]

My wrists and shoulders hurt looking at that beast and my Chiropractor just fell over!  Wil - How much does that Beast weigh? 

[Will]

Wow! I bet it takes great pictures of washers and dryers!

The level of detail on the powder coated paint on them is incredible!!

[Will]

My wrists and shoulders hurt looking at that beast and my Chiropractor just fell over!  Wil - How much does that Beast weigh? 

  

The lens and hood itself weighs 15 pounds, with the camera about 17, add another 2 or 3 for a monopod which is what I'll have to have on it at all times when I'm shooting with it.  If I decide to get a gimbal tripod head for my tripod to mount this, that'll add about another 8 pounds or so to the rig.  Yeesh. 

But, with a 1.4x extender I get a 560mm f/4 lens, add another one and I have a 800mm f/5.6!  I bought it mainly to take race car photos (I'm going to daytona in january for the 24 hour race), but also for birding.  I just need to buy that gimbal, I'm saving up for a Wimberley head now, it's an awesome piece and makes handling one of these large lenses a breeze.

[valhalla]

My wrists and shoulders hurt looking at that beast and my Chiropractor just fell over!  Wil - How much does that Beast weigh? 

  

The lens and hood itself weighs 15 pounds, with the camera about 17, add another 2 or 3 for a monopod which is what I'll have to have on it at all times when I'm shooting with it.  If I decide to get a gimbal tripod head for my tripod to mount this, that'll add about another 8 pounds or so to the rig.  Yeesh. 

But, with a 1.4x extender I get a 560mm f/4 lens, add another one and I have a 800mm f/5.6!  I bought it mainly to take race car photos (I'm going to daytona in january for the 24 hour race), but also for birding.  I just need to buy that gimbal, I'm saving up for a Wimberley head now, it's an awesome piece and makes handling one of these large lenses a breeze.

   Daytona    How about sticking around for the 500 on Valentine's Day?   

[Will]

My wrists and shoulders hurt looking at that beast and my Chiropractor just fell over!  Wil - How much does that Beast weigh? 

  

The lens and hood itself weighs 15 pounds, with the camera about 17, add another 2 or 3 for a monopod which is what I'll have to have on it at all times when I'm shooting with it.  If I decide to get a gimbal tripod head for my tripod to mount this, that'll add about another 8 pounds or so to the rig.  Yeesh. 

But, with a 1.4x extender I get a 560mm f/4 lens, add another one and I have a 800mm f/5.6!  I bought it mainly to take race car photos (I'm going to daytona in january for the 24 hour race), but also for birding.  I just need to buy that gimbal, I'm saving up for a Wimberley head now, it's an awesome piece and makes handling one of these large lenses a breeze.

   Daytona    How about sticking around for the 500 on Valentine's Day?   

haha, nah I'll just be there for the rolex race weekend. I took pics at it this year, had a blast!! Can't wait to go back.

[Donna]

Each year, more than 150,000 visitors come to the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge to view the millions of birds that live at, or just pass through the extensive wetland area.

What many don’t realize is that each fall the refuge also offers some great, but restricted, hunting opportunities for deer and waterfowl.

"We were established back in 1937 as a migratory bird refuge, primarily for water fowl. However, we have other migratory birds here as well, such as woodland birds and raptors," said Tom Jasikoff, the refuge’s manager for the past 12 years. "Initially, we didn’t allow hunting. But as time went on, the refuge’s deer population kept getting bigger and bigger and the health (characteristics) of the herd were declining."

He said deer are capable of harming a habitat and eating themselves out of house and home.

"They’re capable of eliminating the understory (of plants and trees), which would have a major impact on ground nesting birds, such as the wood thrush," he said. "Is it fair to the wood thrush to let its population be damaged because we don’t hunt deer? I don’t think so."

The idea of maintaining a healthy diversity of wildlife at the refuge, coupled with the passage in 1999 of the National Wildlife Improvement Act, have both contributed to the refuge’s pro-hunting policies.

The federal legislation puts the focus on "wildlife first" at each of the country’s more than 500 federal wildlife refuges. The law also identified six big public uses for the land — hunting being one.

"Congress and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife system recognize hunting as a legitimate activity and management tool and that it should continue," Jasikoff said. "So, while deer are hunted here as a management tool to keep the herd size in check, ducks and geese are also hunted here as an allowed recreational activity."

Federal law requires up to 30 percent of wildlife refuge to be open for hunting. But that percentage varies from refuge to refuge. At Montezuma, the percent on land that’s hunted is about 12 percent, Jasikoff said.

[Will]

Donna - Montezuma is definitely a place I want to check out some time.  Whenever I drive to/from Syracuse I always look but never see a single bird!  I'm guessing they're out away from the thruway where it's noisy. But yea, I'll be going there for sure.