Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

This is a pretty place to take a walk but isn’t anything special. I’m glad it exists and there are plenty of beautiful birds but it’s not as beautiful as you’d expect. Worth a walk.

I was in it and didn’t even know it! Driving along the NY Thruway you’ll see a side road on the westbound side where you can stop and look at birds. Very peaceful, serene area to drive through.
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge was established on September 12, 1938 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.

Driving along the NY State Thruway, you will see signs for the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Its a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Located between Syracuse and Rochester (like the Waterloo Outlets), its mostly in Seneca County.
Its a marshland. You will see water. And grasses. And birds if you are lucky. Its one of their stops on the migration routes.
From wiki:
«In 1937 the Bureau of Biological Survey, which later became the US Fish and Wildlife Service, purchased 6,432 acres (26.03 km2) of the former marsh. The Civilian Conservation Corps began work on a series of low dikes which would hold water and restore part of the marsh habitat that had once existed.[3]
The refuge was opened in 1938 as the Montezuma Migratory Bird Refuge. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7971 which established the Bird Refuge on September 12, 1938.[4] The refuge provides a stopping point for waterfowl and other migratory birds. The refuge restored marsh land lost to drainage from the construction of the Cayuga and Seneca Canal that linked the Finger Lakes to the Erie Canal.»
The refuge also has an area where Bald Eagles have been nesting in recent years.[2]“
Take a side trip off the Thruway and come visit this very interesting and cool place. See some birds. Take some pictures. Learn a little about conservation.
(First to review 275)

Awesome place for bird watching. Amazingly so because of its close proximity to the interstate highway. We saw a huge variety of birds including an osprey stopping in mid-​flight to grab a fish out of the marsh. Five blue herons, countless red winged blackbirds, water fowl. Great staff and very knowledgeable and friendly. What a gem!

We visited the Montezuma nature reserve and even saw a bald eagle nest for the first time! We did not see much on the nature drive but did see swamp lands and a blue heron! The hike was not as nice as we anticipated and I would skip it next time.
However, we came at the wrong time of year (spring) and had already missed the migration.

This refuge is open to the public. I did some bird watching here. There is a tower you can climb up to for wildlife viewing. Lots of Canda geese around, so watch where you step as they tend to make a mess on the ground. Small visitor center, and the staff member there was friendly.