I just got word from Reuben Stoltzfus: There will NOT be a shorebird walk this Saturday, August 5th.
Refuge staff will work on cutting some openings in the vegetation along the Tschache Pool dike over the next few days. There WILL BE shorebird walks led by Reuben on August 12th & August 19th. Reuben says that Andrea VanBeusichem, who is Visitor Services Manager for Montezuma NWR, will post a notice on Eventbrite (with which I am unfamiliar), and if you reply to that, it will help Reuben gauge how many people to expect. Meet Reuben at the Tschache Pool Tower parking lot at 7am to start the walks. Bring a scope if you have one, and please share what you find and assist others in seeing, hearing, and identifying shorebirds or asking questions. That’s what makes these walks work so well, in my opinion. That means staying close together enough to communicate and let the most people observe birds in case the birds do fly off, even though shorebirds are less skittish than many other birds. The refuge plans to place a barricade on the dike road, beyond which we visitors will not be allowed. Please respect this. If you would like to lead a shorebird walk on either August 26th or September 2, please call Reuben Stoltzfus at 607-869-9466. This number is for his roofing and construction business, but you should leave a message for him with option 3, which is for messages for Reuben’s family. I hope to see many of you, and some shorebirds as well, on August 12th & 19th! - - Dave Nutter > On Aug 2, 2023, at 4:55 AM, Dave Nutter <nutter.d...@me.com> wrote: > > For a number of years the management at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge > has allowed a limited number of the public into normally restricted areas on > a few days in summer to observe migrant shorebirds on guided walks. > > Reuben Stoltzfus has been talking to staff to see what can be arranged this > year, hoping for a series of morning walks through August into the beginning > of September. They would happen on Saturdays, which would allow Amish and > Mennonite birders to participate. Reuben asked me to write to CayugaBirds-L > to let you know what’s happening. Anyone is welcome to forward this info to > other regional list-serves. > > The shorebird habitat is best at Tschache Pool, so that’s where he > anticipates walks to occur, but the vegetation is currently too tall > alongside the dike road to view it except by standing on the bed of a pick-up > truck. That’s how Jay McGowan, helping the folks who regularly census the > birds for the refuge, was able to amass a very respectable list of shorebird > species a couple days ago. Public vehicles would not be allowed on walks, so > staff will have to cut some gaps in the roadside vegetation before walks are > practical, and there will be a limit as to how far along the > several-mile-long dike that walks will be allowed to go. > > If staff are able to do this work in the next few days, then the first walk > might be this Saturday, August 5th, and Reuben is willing to lead a trip that > morning. That would be very short notice, so keep an eye out for a sign-up > notice. Reuben also plans to lead walks on the 12th and the 19th, when it is > more likely that the habitat will be viewable. If there are folks willing to > lead walks on August 26th and September 2nd, when Reuben cannot, that would > be great, so please think about helping that way. When word goes out how to > sign up to go on the early walks, that may also be the chance to sign up to > lead a later walk. > > If and when walks are permitted, Reuben anticipates starting at 7am at the > parking lot by the Tschache Pool tower off NYS-89 just north its I-90 > overpass. Numbers of participants should not be as limited as they were > during COVID. I hope to have more information for you soon. > > - - Dave Nutter -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
