Day 3: January 3rd - Mine Road

Sunny, breezy and pretty chilly….26 degrees

     Our friends Bobby and Diana who live nearby told us of several recent sightings of Ring-necked pheasants along the roadside of Mine Road in Fort Montgomery.  The area is quite pristine other than the road which winds through the hilly topography.  Popolopen Creek parallels the macadam and along with the grasses and shrubs offers some prime habitat for song birds, game birds, turkeys, and raptors.  

Popolopen Creek along Mine Road

     You can get a feel for this area by watching the video below.

     As I ride along slowly, looking for any signs of the pheasant, I come across a recently struck deer which already shows signs of scavenger activity. This could be the opportunity for my image of the day.  Eagles are in this area and often take advantage of a free meal like this.  I pull my portable blind (AKA Toyota RAV4) off the road at some distance from the carcass and wait patiently.  Within minutes, a juvenile Bald eagle sweeps down across the sky just above me.  I stir with the anticipation of the eagle coming down for a nice close encounter only to have my hopes dashed by a pair of American crows which fly onto the scene and drive my eagle away.  Forty-five minutes more waiting proves to be of no avail, and so today’s shot of the day is that of a dead deer carcass.  Nobody said it was all gonna be pretty!

    (oh yeah...for the record, I never did see or hear any sign of the target pheasant today)