Saturday, April 27, 2013

Wild happenings at the Stone House

 
Spring is well and truly here, and humans and animals alike are exploring the Esopus valley, enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Lynn Schense, an avid birder, is currently staying with us and reported seeing the following birds early yesterday morning down by the creek:

An Eastern Phoebe, a Chickadee - Black Capped, a Dark-Eyed Junco, a Black and White Warbler, a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, a Song Sparrow, a Chipping Sparrow, a White-Throated Sparrow, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, a Northern Flicker, a pair of Wood Ducks, Blue Jays, a Northern Cardinal, a Robin, a European Starling, a House Sparrow, a Red-winged Blackbird, and a Tufted Titmouse. She also heard a Carolina Wren and a Hairy Woodpecker. That makes 20 species!

We've also been seeing Bald Eagles regularly this year, and the other day Sam saw a Fisher Weasel at dawn as he was out taking photos by the river. Fisher Weasels prefer woodland, are mainly found along the Canadian-US border, and are still listed as a threatened species. Since this is more open valley than woodland, it might just have been passing through. Last year we also saw a Black Bear - a rare sight here, and doubtless on its way between the Catskills and the Shawangunk Ridge. It's a privilege to share our land with such a multitude of wildlife.....

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The longest elevated pedestrian park in the world!


Walkway Over The Hudson from Sam Scoggins on Vimeo.


Here's a little video we made of The Walkway over the Hudson last weekend. The Walkway is one and a quarter miles long and it takes about 20 minutes to reach the other side. As you can see, it's popular with cyclists, joggers, hikers and dog walkers. Don't miss the unicyclist!

The Bridge is already in the Guinness Book of Records for last year's longest line dance ever recorded - this year will see another attempt on May 4th, this time for the world's longest chorus line! There's still time to be part of the event, you can find out more on the Walkway's official website.

When we walked there last weekend, we could see that work for the new riverfront park on the Poughkeepsie side was well underway. A 20-storey glass elevator will be built to take people down to the waterfront from the bridge, and is scheduled to be finished by the Fall.