The Main Pool and May’s Point Observation Deck both have a good diversity of birds. With many parts of the Wildlife Drive mowed, viewing has improved. East Road Overlook wins the prize for the current largest number of great egrets and May’s Point takes the prize for the most great blue herons! There has been a continuing pair of trumpeter swans at May’s, no cygnets though. On Monday afternoon, the sandhill crane family showed up in the Visitors’ Center Wetland. At one point they passed very close to the VC deck, then crossed over to the back side of the unit. All-of-a-sudden, the two adults seemed to be chasing something, unseen to us, in the shorter vegetation. They disappeared into the higher vegetation leaving the colt out in the unit. Eventually the female came back out near the colt and the male emerged farther to the south, alert and looking all around. Feel free to chime in with any possible explanations. The TOTALLY cool things to be seen and experienced at Montezuma never fails to amaze and entertain me!
HOLY COW, ONLY 30 days until the FOTMWC Montezuma Muckrace!! Sign up by August 26 so your team name will be printed on the Muckrace T-shirts! The tricolored heron has not been reported in about a week but with Hurricane Debby inching up the Atlantic Coast who knows what birds will end up in the Wetlands Complex on September 6 and 7? Could be an AMAZING 24 hours of birding!!
Two weeks after the Muckrace is the FOTMWC Native Plant Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday September 21 at the MNWR Visitors’ Center.
2024 “Grow Native: It’s for the Birds!” – Native Plant Festival and Sale
This year’s Grow Native! Native Plant Festival and Sale, sponsored by the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, will focus on the relationship between native plants and native birds. The day will start at 8:00 am with a pre-festival guided nature walk with NYS Master Naturalist, Pete Saracino. Krissy Boys from the Cornell Botanic Gardens and Janice Wiles from Doce Lume Farm in Skaneateles will team up for a native landscape presentation in the morning. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Biologist, Linda Ziemba, will follow with a talk outlining efforts being made in “managing the marsh” for native plant and bird populations. Zeb Strickland from Forest and Water Solutions, LLC. will start off the afternoon addressing the issues of invasive plants. Christopher and Madison Rosier will share their journey to becoming “natural” beekeepers. And for our final presentation, Jean Soprano, wildlife rehabilitator and founder of Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, will talk about her work and introduce visitors to a variety of live birds of prey.
In addition to our special presentations, there will be native plants for sale by Grow Wild Native Plant Nursery and Wild Meadow Greenhouses, a variety of demonstrations and vendors including Montezuma Winery and Muranda Cheese, Fast and Fusion Food Truck and White Rabbit Roasting Company, a 50-50 raffle to benefit the Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex and more. Please join us for a fun-filled day at the Refuge.
“Come for the flowers, stay for the fun!”
Pete is conducting another guided walk this Sunday, August 11 at 10am. Meet at the Refuge Visitors’ Center sunroom.
Hopefully, you can get out soon to explore and experience all the amazing things at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex trails, towers and the Refuge Wildlife Drive. Remember, the Refuge Wildlife Drive is currently open to vehicles only. Dogs on a leash are only allowed in and around the Visitors’ Center and on the parts of the Seneca Trail that are open.
Pic #1: empty great blue heron nests at Tschache Pool, #2: great egrets Knox-Marsellus Marsh (from East Road), #3: great egret Main Pool, #4: herring gull Main Pool, #5: smartweed Tschache Pool, #6: trumpeter swan May’s Point, #7: trumpeter swan May’s Point.
ENJOY, be respectful and safe.
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