So fellow travelers, spring weather finally put in a full court appearance today. It figures, since it’s our last day of spring break. Oh well, I know better than to take good weather days for granted so I threw on some hiking shoes, grabbed my camera and headed out.

When I go birding I never really know what to expect. Sure, there are sightings I hope to catch but no one birds for long before encountering the Second Noble Truth of Buddhism : “desire is the root of all suffering.”  During our annual birdathon one can go for hours without seeing some of the more common birds.  I remember one year our team did not spot a pigeon until close to 4pm.  We thought we had gone mad.  We eventually found a half dozen of the buggers lined up along a rooftop ridge.  One begins to suspect a kind of winged conspiracy like the year we never spotted a single hummingbird only to find several hovering around our feeder the following morning.  Seriously?

Today, I headed back to a spot I have been meaning to check on since I grabbed this shot from a distance on my way out of town.

Yes, an eagle perched in trees just inside the city limits of Syracuse New York.  Go Orange!

A few years ago, several eagles decided to winter over at the south end of Onondaga Lake. There is a sewage treatment plant where Onondaga Creek comes into the lake and the warm outflow keeps that end of the lake ice free. It creates enough open water for the eagles to hunt successfully for fish. Even through the brutal cold and frigid temperatures of this past winter,  when Erie and Ontario saw record ice cover ( as did all the Great Lakes ) the south end of Onondaga has a good sized area of open water.  Half a dozen eagles took up residence there this winter providing quite a display for the steady stream of local birders.

The day I grabbed the distant shots I did not have time to find the walking trail which follows the creek and runs right underneath the eagles’ roost.  It is part of a relatively new section of walking trail which is part of a long term project to connect existing trails into a continuous lake loop. Delilah and I often walk the trails at the northern end of the lake and I’ve accessorized a few of my poems with shots taken there. Today’s objective was to locate the parking area at the Inner Harbor where fellow birders indicated the trail towards the eagle trees could be accessed.

Success…

the tell tale “sail”  which covers the stage used for concerts and, as a bonus, a welcome serenade from a little house finch who let me get just close enough to snap a quick shot.

With the finch’s song to put “spring” in my step I walked towards the trail and hopefully more birdacious encounters.

To be continued……

Walk gently on the path my friends and may adventure find you ready.