The Woodsman's Journal Online: A Trip To Tifft Farms: Social Isolation, Exercise, and the Outdoors, During COVID-19 ©

“Tifft Nature Preserve: An Urban Sanctuary”, a Seaway Trails map. A larger copy of the map can be found HERE.

So how are you getting your exercise these days, what with “social isolation” and “no unnecessary travel”? It’s tough getting enough exercise, since all the gyms are closed, and you have to stay away from places that everyone else might be going to. Myself personally, I have been going for a lot of walks and I try to go to places where I can see interesting wildlife, whenever possible.

So anyways, on Tuesday, April the 14^th, it was a cold, but sunny day, about 40^o Fahrenheit (4^o Celsius), although with the windchill it felt much closer to freezing, when we decided to get out of the house and get some much needed exercise. We decided to go to Tifft Nature Preserve, which is only about 4 miles (6.4 km) from my house, not a very long, unnecessary, trip.

An excerpt from the Tifft Nature Preserve website, found HERE

But what is Tifft Nature Preserve, you ask? Well, before 1845 it was a typical Great Lakes, lakeshore wetland; then it became a farm; later a system of canals and railyards; then a dump and since 1972, it has come full circle back to be a lakeshore wetland! In 1845 it was on the edge of the village of Buffalo and now it is an urban nature preserve surrounded by the city of Buffalo, New York!

Since it is spring and Tifft Nature Preserve is a system of lakes and marshes, it is a natural place for migratory birds to stop and rest on their travels north. A total of 265 bird species have been seen in Tifft Nature Preserve and 66 different bird species have been known to breed here or have been seen during breeding season. Birds that are regularly seen in the preserve are the common loons, northern harriers, peregrine falcons, common terns and many others. The nature preserve is also home to beaver and eastern coyotes, not to mention the ever-present white-tailed deer.

Very weathered scat, most likely from an eastern coyote, based on the size and amount of hair, as a comparison the knife in the picture is 5 inches (12.7 cm) long, photograph by the author.

Evidence of beavers at work within the nature preserve, photographs by the author.

The preserve is also home to a nesting pair of ospreys, and although bald eagles aren’t common in the preserve, they have been seen there and are becoming more common in the region around Buffalo, NY. In 2018 the ospreys nesting in the nesting box above Lake Kirsty in the Tifft Nature Preserve drove away a bald eagle who wanted to take their nest, HERE.

An excerpt from the Tifft Nature Preserve, Osprey Cam website, found HERE

While out walking we saw the ospreys, who have returned to Tifft each year, since 2011, building a nest above Lake Kirsty. Unfortunately, the nesting box is on the far side of the lake and it was too far away to get any good photographs. We also saw a common loon, which had stopped here on its way north, diving for fish in the middle of the lake: it was also too far away to get a good picture.

The mounds across from Kirsty Lake, photograph by the author.

Old Tifft Street, photograph by the author.

During our walk up the trail to the North Viewing Blind, on Lisa Pond, I saw a kingfisher who flew past too fast to do more than say “Hey is that a ...”?! I remember when kingfishers were common in the 1970s, and then I didn’t see any for a couple of decades. Now, however, I am starting to see them more often again.

A canadian goose¹ sitting on her nest near the North Viewing Blind on Lisa Pond

All in all, we had a great time, we got out of the house, got some much-needed exercise and saw some cool wildlife! So, if you are in the Buffalo, New York area, or are going to be, take a trip to Tifft Nature Preserve! For more information on trails in the Buffalo, New York area go HERE. If you don’t live anywhere near the Western New York area, find a nature preserve near you and get out of the house and get some exercise, just remember to social isolate and stay six feet (1.8 m) apart, oh, and wear a face mask!

Two views of Berm Pond, photographs by the author.

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at Bandanaman Productions for other related videos, HERE. Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube. If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site. I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

Notes

¹ According to Languagehat, while the name for this goose is officially canada goose, over time, it has become more common to call it canadian goose.

Languagehat, “Canadian Geese”, January 12, 2004,

Sources

“Tifft Nature Preserve, Important Bird Areas, New York”, Audubon, [National Audubon Society], https://www.audubon.org/important-bird-areas/tifft-nature-preserve, accessed April 24, 2020

“Rare Sighting at Tifft Nature Preserve, Photographer captures an Osprey & Bald Eagle”, May 17, 2018, WBEN, [Entercom Communications Corp, © 2020], https://wben.radio.com/articles/rare-sighting-tifft-nature-preserve, accessed April 24, 2020

“Social distancing recreation in Buffalo: Know where to go”, April 26, 2020 , WBEN, [Entercom Communications Corp, © 2020], https://wben.radio.com/articles/social-distancing-recreation-in-buffalo-know-where-to-go, accessed April 26, 2020

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Sunday, April 26, 2020

A Trip To Tifft Farms: Social Isolation, Exercise, and the Outdoors, During COVID-19 ©

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