22 February, 2010 I briefly visited The Great Vly WMA in northern Saugerties township this afternoon and found the marsh near the outflow had thawed considerably, creating a much larger area of open water than was present just a week ago. In addition to 20+ Mallards, 10 Black Ducks, and dozens of Canada Geese, the open water has attracted one Northern Pintail, providing a nice close view from the adjacent overlook. I did not research my records, but to the best of my recollection, this is the first time I have ever encountered a pintail in the Vly, and a good indication that waterfowl are on the move north.
The dozen Mute Swans that have spent most of the winter in the Vly, previously restricted to a small pool of water and very approachable, were still present today but scattered over a larger area and less tolerant of my movements. Two Yellow-rumped Warblers were also observed briefly along the edge of the Redcedar field opposite the north dam, the first I have encountered since last fall. Steve M. Chorvas Saugerties, NY [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
