An Accidental Birdwatcher LbNA #21496
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Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | N/A |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Apr 15, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Seneca Falls |
| County: | Cayuga |
| State: | New York |
| Boxes: | 5 |
| Planted by: | Craftymouse
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|---|---|
| Found by: | Team W-C |
| Last found: | Oct 8, 2022 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Apr 15, 2006 |
In place as of June 22, 2008. Bring BUG SPRAY!!!
This series of boxes can be found at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region. For directions to the Refuge, go here:
http://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/
We highly recommend taking the self-guided driving tour of the Main Pool. Don't even THINK of leaving home without your binoculars!!! It's incredible how many different species can be spotted around the refuge. The day that we planted these boxes we saw Grebes, lots of Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, Green-Winged Teal, Mallards, Blue-Winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, Wigeons, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Ring-necked ducks, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Coots, Lesser Yellowlegs, Crows, Tree Swallows, LOTS of birds! The highlights were watching a Great Blue Heron stalk fish in a small stream, and seeing two Osprey tending to their nest.
There's lots of fun things to do at Montezuma! To begin, pick up a map from the visitor center (and a bird checklist too!) and look for the Esker Brook Trail. This is where you'll find our boxes. There's an online map if you want to head straight for the trails. Look for the hiking icon on this map:
http://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/m6-map.html
CLUES:
An accidental birdwatcher? What's that? Montezuma plays host many, many species of birds. Most of these birds are common sights in the area, while others are more rare. And then there's a group of birds called "accidentals". These are birds that have only been seen once or twice at the refuge. Will you be the lucky one to spot some accidentals?
Park in the lot at the trailhead for the Esker Brook Trail. Take the trail on the right side of the lot. This is the Ridge Trail. You'll find your first bird fairly quickly. At the first bridge you come to, pretend you're looking for a troll under the right side. You won't find a troll, but if you look carefully, wedged in a small rock house you should be able to spot a Cinnamon Teal. Please, please, please take the time to rehide this little bird very well, adding extra rocks for cover if necessary. We've had reports that he likes to peep out of his hiding spot from time to time, and we'd hate to have him disappear.
After re-hiding the Teal, continue on the Ridge Trail. You'll also find this bird fairly quickly. Between the bridge with the Teal and marker #1, you'll find the remains of a tree that blew over long ago. The stump is on the left side of the trail, and the trunk has fallen over to the right side of the trail. On the side of the trail with the stump are several 2 to 3 foot long chunks of the tree that are completely stripped of bark. Take a peek behind the chunk that is about 6 feet to the left of the stump. You should spot a Red Phalarope nesting here. Please be sure to tuck him in safe and warm when you're done, so his nest won't be discovered.
Continue along the Ridge Trail. Your next stop will be at marker #2. Here you should find a 2-trunked tree on the left of the path, a little ways into the bush. Stretching his legs behind the 2-trunked tree is an American Avocet. We'll leave it to you to decide how to get to the back of the tree. We went around it counter-clockwise and seemed to do ok. Please make sure the coast is clear before you go diving into the scrub! Likewise, please take the extra time after re-hiding this box to make sure that it isn't visible from any angle.
After re-hiding the American Avocet, continue on the Ridge Trail. At marker #5 there will be a sign that says:
Pond (right arrow)
(left arrow) Brook
You want to turn left. You should quickly arrive at a bridge/boardwalk. Turn right to cross over it. When the boardwalk ends, turn left. You're now walking on the Orchard Trail. Continue on your way as you pass a bench and marker #10. Shortly after marker #11, on the left of the trail is a group of 3 rocks: 1 small rock, completely covered in moss, 1 medium rock, half-covered in moss, and 1 large rock with no moss, that's pink and white in color. Look behind this grouping of rocks to see a Gyrfalcon who's on the lookout for prey. Please be sure to cover him completely when you're finished stamping. He's very close to the trail, but as long as he remains undercover, he should be fine. Take care that he's hidden from all angles. When in doubt, an extra sprinkling of leaves and debris is always nice!
Continue on the Orchard Trail. At this point, I'll apologize now. There aren't really any good landmarks to give you in regards to the last box. The simplest thing to do was to have you count paces. But don't count yet. First you must continue on the Orchard Trail until it's end. You'll know you're at the end when you reach a small wooden sign (on a post, facing away from you) that says Orchard Trail. Stop at the sign and prepare to backtrack! Count 60 steps BACK up the trail, the way you just came. (Seriously, if I didn't have you backtrack from the sign, you'd have been counting about 200 steps!) At 60 steps you should have a rotting tree trunk on your left. It's lying on the ground, just about perpendicular to the path. The bottom of the trunk (the part nearest you and the path) has a V split and a hollow base. About 3 feet up, inside the hollow split is a Forster's Tern. He's tucked under bark and debris. He likes it that way, so please be sure to tuck him in as well as you found him.
And there you have it! You've become an accidental birdwatcher! Now head back to the Orchard Trail sign and continue on to the parking lot, just a few steps further. Head on over to the other fascinating parts of the refuge and see what you can see!
Let us know if you see anything interesting...and how your hunt went!
This series of boxes can be found at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, in the heart of the Finger Lakes Region. For directions to the Refuge, go here:
http://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/
We highly recommend taking the self-guided driving tour of the Main Pool. Don't even THINK of leaving home without your binoculars!!! It's incredible how many different species can be spotted around the refuge. The day that we planted these boxes we saw Grebes, lots of Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, Green-Winged Teal, Mallards, Blue-Winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Gadwalls, Wigeons, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Ring-necked ducks, Osprey, Bald Eagle, American Coots, Lesser Yellowlegs, Crows, Tree Swallows, LOTS of birds! The highlights were watching a Great Blue Heron stalk fish in a small stream, and seeing two Osprey tending to their nest.
There's lots of fun things to do at Montezuma! To begin, pick up a map from the visitor center (and a bird checklist too!) and look for the Esker Brook Trail. This is where you'll find our boxes. There's an online map if you want to head straight for the trails. Look for the hiking icon on this map:
http://www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/m6-map.html
CLUES:
An accidental birdwatcher? What's that? Montezuma plays host many, many species of birds. Most of these birds are common sights in the area, while others are more rare. And then there's a group of birds called "accidentals". These are birds that have only been seen once or twice at the refuge. Will you be the lucky one to spot some accidentals?
Park in the lot at the trailhead for the Esker Brook Trail. Take the trail on the right side of the lot. This is the Ridge Trail. You'll find your first bird fairly quickly. At the first bridge you come to, pretend you're looking for a troll under the right side. You won't find a troll, but if you look carefully, wedged in a small rock house you should be able to spot a Cinnamon Teal. Please, please, please take the time to rehide this little bird very well, adding extra rocks for cover if necessary. We've had reports that he likes to peep out of his hiding spot from time to time, and we'd hate to have him disappear.
After re-hiding the Teal, continue on the Ridge Trail. You'll also find this bird fairly quickly. Between the bridge with the Teal and marker #1, you'll find the remains of a tree that blew over long ago. The stump is on the left side of the trail, and the trunk has fallen over to the right side of the trail. On the side of the trail with the stump are several 2 to 3 foot long chunks of the tree that are completely stripped of bark. Take a peek behind the chunk that is about 6 feet to the left of the stump. You should spot a Red Phalarope nesting here. Please be sure to tuck him in safe and warm when you're done, so his nest won't be discovered.
Continue along the Ridge Trail. Your next stop will be at marker #2. Here you should find a 2-trunked tree on the left of the path, a little ways into the bush. Stretching his legs behind the 2-trunked tree is an American Avocet. We'll leave it to you to decide how to get to the back of the tree. We went around it counter-clockwise and seemed to do ok. Please make sure the coast is clear before you go diving into the scrub! Likewise, please take the extra time after re-hiding this box to make sure that it isn't visible from any angle.
After re-hiding the American Avocet, continue on the Ridge Trail. At marker #5 there will be a sign that says:
Pond (right arrow)
(left arrow) Brook
You want to turn left. You should quickly arrive at a bridge/boardwalk. Turn right to cross over it. When the boardwalk ends, turn left. You're now walking on the Orchard Trail. Continue on your way as you pass a bench and marker #10. Shortly after marker #11, on the left of the trail is a group of 3 rocks: 1 small rock, completely covered in moss, 1 medium rock, half-covered in moss, and 1 large rock with no moss, that's pink and white in color. Look behind this grouping of rocks to see a Gyrfalcon who's on the lookout for prey. Please be sure to cover him completely when you're finished stamping. He's very close to the trail, but as long as he remains undercover, he should be fine. Take care that he's hidden from all angles. When in doubt, an extra sprinkling of leaves and debris is always nice!
Continue on the Orchard Trail. At this point, I'll apologize now. There aren't really any good landmarks to give you in regards to the last box. The simplest thing to do was to have you count paces. But don't count yet. First you must continue on the Orchard Trail until it's end. You'll know you're at the end when you reach a small wooden sign (on a post, facing away from you) that says Orchard Trail. Stop at the sign and prepare to backtrack! Count 60 steps BACK up the trail, the way you just came. (Seriously, if I didn't have you backtrack from the sign, you'd have been counting about 200 steps!) At 60 steps you should have a rotting tree trunk on your left. It's lying on the ground, just about perpendicular to the path. The bottom of the trunk (the part nearest you and the path) has a V split and a hollow base. About 3 feet up, inside the hollow split is a Forster's Tern. He's tucked under bark and debris. He likes it that way, so please be sure to tuck him in as well as you found him.
And there you have it! You've become an accidental birdwatcher! Now head back to the Orchard Trail sign and continue on to the parking lot, just a few steps further. Head on over to the other fascinating parts of the refuge and see what you can see!
Let us know if you see anything interesting...and how your hunt went!