We headed out on this hot, steamy day and the first thing we encountered was a snapping turtle near the Seneca Trail Tower. We stayed back and watched her for a while as she slowly dug the soil. At first, we thought she was just starting the task of preparing a place to lay her eggs. But after a short while she moved away from the hole, circled around and moved towards the VC Wetland. Perhaps she was finished. We did not disturb the area where she had been digging. However, this is a good reminder that since we are in June, this is when turtles come out of the marshes to lay eggs. They may be crossing our trails, the Wildlife Drive or public roads. It is wise to keep an eye out for them.
We came upon a Canada goose family whose goslings are getting really mature. The young are molting into plumage that resembles the adults. If you are out and about you may have noticed the cottonwood fluff on the ground looking like snow! It has to be tough for folks who are allergic to it! In two of the areas along I-90 we found two female wood ducks each with 11 ducklings! Later in the VC Wetland, we had a few shorebirds and I got a picture of a semipalmated plover with one neck ring (towards the top of the pic) and a killdeer with two neck rings (towards the bottom of the pic). Just as we were getting ready to leave the VC, someone alerted us to a sandhill crane that showed up. YAY! We almost missed it.
The 1st pic is a close up of the snapping turtle, the 2nd pic shows how close she was to the tower, the 3rd pic is the Canada goose goslings starting to resemble the adults, the 4th pic is cottonwood fluff along the Seneca Trail, the 5th, 6th & 7th pics are of the wood duck mamas and ducklings, the 8th pic is the comparison of the semipalmated plover and killdeer, and the 9th pic is the sandhill crane in the VC Wetland.
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. The Wildlife Drive is now open for hiking and biking until mid-August. E-bikes are allowed but riders must observe the 15 mph speed limit on the Drive. Visitors who want to hike or bike on the Wildlife Drive MUST leave their vehicle in the VC parking area. Hikers access the Drive via the Seneca Trail and cyclists via the Wildlife Drive from the parking area. Visitors should NOT exit and abandon their vehicle on the Wildlife Drive to hike or bike. Visitors in vehicles may exit their vehicle, BUT they must stay with their vehicle, no wandering. Anyone on the Wildlife Drive must stay on the Drive and not go onto any dikes or into any impoundment areas!! The only exception is that visitors may hike the trail to the photo blind.
Dogs on a leash are only allowed in and around the Visitors’ Center and on the Seneca Trail. Dog owners must clean up after their dog and take it with them when they leave. Dogs on a leash are not allowed walking on the Wildlife Drive or Esker Brook Trails, ever. In the Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, the DEC had new Wildlife Management Area land-use regulations pass in 2022. The regulations state that dogs must remain on a leash and under control of the owner at all times on any WMA property, with a few exceptions related to hunting. Also, folks must clean up after their pets. All of this information can be found here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/p51expressterms.pdf if you’d like to take a closer look.
Fishing is not allowed in any of the Refuge impoundments, but fishing is allowed in the waters, canals, rivers and lakes, around the Refuge. Last year I checked with the DEC staff about fishing and was told that visitors may fish in the Northern Montezuma Wetlands Management Area (WMA). I asked about the ponds on Howland’s Island and other areas. My source said people can fish in them, but he doesn’t know why anyone would want to as they are not particularly good places to fish. He said that the rivers, streams, canals and lakes in and around the WMA are way better for fishing.
ENJOY, be respectful and safe.
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