Not so, this fine Monday. A trip to the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge was the order of the day. The destination, even. Not just a hurried stop along the way. Finally, I'd be able to find out everything about those halls I've heard so much about.
But first, the swamp.
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| Not a bright sunny day, but not bad for early April in Upstate New York. |
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| Occasionally the sun would pop out and illuminate the cat-tails. I think the volunteers keep the invasive phragmites under control. Otherwise there would be no view beyond those lofty plants. I'm pretty sure they take their name from a tribe of tall evil invaders in the Bible's book of Hydroponicus. |
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| And it would be a shame not to be able to see the ducks. |
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| Lots of them, and lots of different kinds. They seem to enjoy swimming. |
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| We can cross the Goldeneye Duck off our "to be seen" list. I wonder why they're called that. |
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| The Mrs. and Mr., I believe. |
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| The bufleheads were also in residence. |
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| A buck for each duck fills a truck. |
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| Such diversity so close to the NY State Thruway. Seems like maybe we've done something right here, even though the proximity must take its toll. |
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| Taking off! |
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| Love the splashes as they run along the water. |
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| Also nice to see them fly. |
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| Pony tails are in. |
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| I love to watch these prehistoric-looking herons fly. Very purposeful and graceful. |
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| The tree holds court over the canal beyond the swamp. |
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| Black ducks with a white bill? No, these are coots! I've been called one many times, and now I know why. They're elegant and lovely! |
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| Dad focusses on Mom with gosling. |
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| A different duo drips after dunking. |
Incoming and...
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| Splashdown. |
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| After visiting Montezuma proper, we went on a wild goose chase to find the sandhill cranes, but only saw a few hawks and this killdeer. I was convinced he only had one leg until he took off showing both. |
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| The refuge claims 3 nesting pairs of eagles within the confines, but we only saw this scary replica. I would not want to meet an eagle this size, regardless of national symbolism. |
All in all, a fine day at the edge of the swamp. But we didn't see any halls during the entire escapade. We'll have to go back and search again.
