This past Wednesday I had an encounter with one of the Spencer Marsh birds. At 6:45am while driving south on NYS-34/96 I was just coming back up from under the railroad when I saw an adult Bald Eagle gliding down toward my lane from the east. Fortunately the driver ahead of me also noticed in time, and we both braked. The eagle was able to abort its landing, rising up into view again. It turned back toward the marsh where it perched in a tree. Continuing driving, the other driver and I straddled what attracted the eagle, a road-killed muskrat, I believe. In the next couple hundred yards there were a recently hit rabbit and another substantial meal as well. In addition to the deaths of several medium-sized mammals there could have easily been more serious tragedy: the loss of a Bald Eagle, considerable damage to a vehicle, and possibly a serious car crash.
A word to the wise: Please don’t speed or tailgate. Stay alert. Be ready to brake for wildlife or in case another driver does. I have found that often just letting up on the gas pedal is enough to alert a crossing animal and give it time to pass in front of me so that I don’t kill it. Swerving is generally not a good idea. Often mammals are killed just past a rise in pavement where they can’t see or hear oncoming traffic in time. I think it’s a good idea to be alert for such places along roads to avoid killing critters, running over dead critters, or hitting the animals which eat dead critters. To me it’s worth a bit of care to observe wildlife. After all, a skunk is a lot prettier walking away than smeared on the wheels and undercarriage. And a Turkey Vulture is magnificent in flight and a service to everyone on the ground, but not what you want coming through the windshield. —Dave Nutter > On Mar 12, 2016, at 6:09 PM, Geo Kloppel <geoklop...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Patricia and I did a car trip, visiting swamps from West Danby to Spencer, > Van Etten, Alpine, Cayuta Lake (the NYS boat launch), Trumbull Corners and > Newfield, hoping we might run into some Rusty Blackbirds. Struck out on > those, but I thought It worth mentioning that a Bald Eagle is already sitting > the nest in North Spencer Marsh. > > -Geo > > Sent from my iPhone > -- > > 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/ > > -- > -- 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/ --
