Blue Heron Cottage

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Blue Heron Cottage Blue Heron Cottage is located in Macedon NY on the Erie Canal. It is available as a short Term Renta
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This morning's sunrise as seen from the dock at the cottage. The sun rises right over the Erie Canal and can be quite s...
15/04/2023

This morning's sunrise as seen from the dock at the cottage. The sun rises right over the Erie Canal and can be quite spectacular. The dock is a great place to enjoy the view while also having a great cup of coffee.

Happy First Day of Spring! The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor was nice enough to post one of my photos to cele...
22/03/2023

Happy First Day of Spring! The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor was nice enough to post one of my photos to celebrate today's event.

Today is the , which means opening day of the NYS Canal System is right around the corner (even if it doesn’t feel like spring quite yet)! The canal is open for end-to-end navigation starting May 19, but you can hit the trail, paddle between locks, climb aboard a tour boat (some have special pre-season permits), or visit a heritage site, museum, park, or canal community before then. Start your adventure at http://www.eriecanalway.org/explore
📸: Genesee Valley Park, Dan Judd

Winter is such a nice time for watching the birds at the cottage. These photos were all taken today right outside the b...
26/02/2023

Winter is such a nice time for watching the birds at the cottage. These photos were all taken today right outside the back window. From time to time the backyard gets quiet with no birds around. If that happens, there is a good likelihood that a hawk has been attracted by the birds and is hiding out in a tree near by.

With the recent cold spell in our area, one of the few places on the canal near the cottage that is not frozen over is r...
07/02/2023

With the recent cold spell in our area, one of the few places on the canal near the cottage that is not frozen over is right in front of us. As a result 100's of geese have been staying over night and a rare sighting of two trumpeter swans have been hanging out over the past few days.

A beautiful winter sunrise on the canal. This was taken on the north side of the canal along the towpath (Empire State ...
15/01/2023

A beautiful winter sunrise on the canal. This was taken on the north side of the canal along the towpath (Empire State Trail).

Happy New Year from Blue Heron Cottage.
01/01/2023

Happy New Year from Blue Heron Cottage.

31/12/2022

Much of the canal in the Macedon area where the cottage is located has been lowered and the remaining water frozen over. One of the few spots still with water is right by our cottage because it is a wider section. Because of this, 100's of migrating geese have been stopping by to rest for the night. They also share it with the local gulls. This gathering of birds all in one spot has been noticed recently by a Bald Eagle. I was in the right place at the right time to capture him on video from the cottage deck.

The backyard bird feeder is very busy in the winter months. One of my favorites, the Pileated Woodpecker has been stopp...
20/12/2022

The backyard bird feeder is very busy in the winter months. One of my favorites, the Pileated Woodpecker has been stopping by on a daily basis. All the birds however can attract the attn of hawks. This Cooper hawk stopped by today looking for lunch. But I'm happy to report went away hungry.

It's been a great Autumn season for color in Western NY this year. These pictures were all taken with-in 10 miles of the...
21/10/2022

It's been a great Autumn season for color in Western NY this year. These pictures were all taken with-in 10 miles of the cottage along the Erie Canal Heritage Trail which is easily assessable from the cottage.

I always say we have the most amazing guests, and I was proved correct once again. A recent guest asked a small favor, ...
19/10/2022

I always say we have the most amazing guests, and I was proved correct once again. A recent guest asked a small favor, could we get a cake and birthday ballon to help make a surprise birthday celebration? No problem, we love doing this. As a thank you, they made custom Blue Heron Cottage coasters and a welcome sign. Which they had completed by the time they checked out! Amazing.

Fall is a great time to take our bikes out for a spin on the Erie Canal Trail. We have 4 for guest use at the cottage.
26/09/2022

Fall is a great time to take our bikes out for a spin on the Erie Canal Trail. We have 4 for guest use at the cottage.

Chase colorful leaves and burn some calories.

Sunrise kayaking paddle on the Erie Canal this morning. The colder morning weather is making for a beautiful mist off t...
16/09/2022

Sunrise kayaking paddle on the Erie Canal this morning. The colder morning weather is making for a beautiful mist off the canal as the sun comes up. Which makes a perfect time to take the kayaks out.

Where will your adventure take you on the Erie Canal Trail? August, September and October are great months to enjoy the ...
31/07/2022

Where will your adventure take you on the Erie Canal Trail?

August, September and October are great months to enjoy the trail on bike or by foot. And of course our new Loft 7D bikes make the trip even more enjoyable!

24/07/2022

We have a duck family that has taken up residence in the back yard of the cottage.

We always look forward to July when the front garden is in full bloom.
23/07/2022

We always look forward to July when the front garden is in full bloom.

14/06/2022

You never know who is going to visit the back yard at the BHC. Here a snapping turtle is stopping by to look for a place to lay her eggs. She determined our flower garden would be the perfect spot!

12/06/2022

When I was a kid my friends parents had a cottage in the 1,000 Islands which I would visit. It was fun to watch all the huge shipping freighters sail by so close to shore and try to determine their flag of origin. I get a similar notion watching the variety of boats float by the cottage heading to destinations both west and east on the Erie Canal.

A recent guest sent us this photo of a morning sunrise over the canal. Thanks for sharing with us Anne!
10/06/2022

A recent guest sent us this photo of a morning sunrise over the canal. Thanks for sharing with us Anne!

Happy National Trails Day! Here are some recent pictures of the Erie Canal Trail in Rochester.
05/06/2022

Happy National Trails Day!

Here are some recent pictures of the Erie Canal Trail in Rochester.

The canal has now been filled and is ready for the navigation season which starts tomorrow! You can compare these photo...
19/05/2022

The canal has now been filled and is ready for the navigation season which starts tomorrow! You can compare these photos with my post from last week showing the canal at its lower "off season" level.

15/05/2022

Only 5 Days till the locks will be open for traffic on the Erie Canal.

What better way to celebrate National Bike month than with the addition of two brand new bikes for guest use at the cott...
14/05/2022

What better way to celebrate National Bike month than with the addition of two brand new bikes for guest use at the cottage. These are Electra Loft 7D 7-speed bikes and will be perfect for riding on the canal trail. They offer a relaxing upright ride and are easy to handle. We now have a total of 5 bikes (4 adult and one child's) so 2 couples or a family can ride together.

This view will not stay like this for long. The canal will slowly start to fill starting this Monday! By the end of th...
01/05/2022

This view will not stay like this for long. The canal will slowly start to fill starting this Monday! By the end of the week it should be completly full. I will post new pictures next week from the same spot to see how it looks. PS: The large tarps you see are called Lake Bottom Blankets and help reduce seaweed growth.

We had nice weather and a hard working crew for Canal Clean Sweep Day in Macedon yesterday. Pictured are myself, Linda,...
24/04/2022

We had nice weather and a hard working crew for Canal Clean Sweep Day in Macedon yesterday. Pictured are myself, Linda, Elizabeth, Dick, Paul and David who helped fill 6 full bags of trash plus a toilet and chair at the Wayneport Rd parking lot and the trail heading west to Canandaigua Rd.

We are hosting bloggers at our Airbnb tonight (I am pictured with them in their latest post). This is a German couple we...
22/04/2022

We are hosting bloggers at our Airbnb tonight (I am pictured with them in their latest post). This is a German couple we noticed on the "Cycling the Erie Canal" page. They are spending 7 months biking across the US, starting in NYC, making 2 detours up into Canada, then down through Yellowstone to Mexico. Fate had them passing Macedon while we are between guests, so we invited them to stay the night. A nice way to pay back all the hospitality we experienced during our 2 week bike trip across Germany about 30 years ago! (There is a translate button if the post comes up in German, it is all the way at the bottom when viewing from a phone, and to the right of the post when viewing from a laptop.) https://glorypedalling.com/.../empire-state-trail-im-april/

Outdoor Magazine recently named the Empire State Trail (which includes the Erie Canal Heritage trail), as the #1 Rail T...
13/04/2022

Outdoor Magazine recently named the Empire State Trail (which includes the Erie Canal Heritage trail), as the #1 Rail Trail in the United States! The Erie Canal Trail runs on the north side of the canal from where we are making it very easy to ride to the entrance and start to explore the towns, locks and scenic beauty close by.

https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/destinations/north-america/25-best-rail-trails-in-the-us/

From a scenic path that extends the entire length of New York to a new route connecting Yellowstone to Grand Teton, here are the most scenic ways to experience America’s wilderness by bike

A recent guest sent us this photo of a Bald Eagle hanging out in a tree in back of the cottage on the north side of the ...
11/04/2022

A recent guest sent us this photo of a Bald Eagle hanging out in a tree in back of the cottage on the north side of the canal. Pretty cool.

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Videos

I took this video of an Osprey hunting for fish over the Erie Canal from the cottage dock. Pretty cool to see them hover then dive for a fish. I believe it has a nest close by as we saw it flying by with a big branch the other day.

Much of the canal in the Macedon area where the cottage is located has been lowered and the remaining water frozen over. One of the few spots still with water is right by our cottage because it is a wider section. Because of this, 100's of migrating geese have been stopping by to rest for the night. They also share it with the local gulls. This gathering of birds all in one spot has been noticed recently by a Bald Eagle. I was in the right place at the right time to capture him on video from the cottage deck.

Baby Ducks
Baby Ducks

We have a duck family that has taken up residence in the back yard of the cottage.

You never know who is going to visit the back yard at the BHC. Here a snapping turtle is stopping by to look for a place to lay her eggs. She determined our flower garden would be the perfect spot!

When I was a kid my friends parents had a cottage in the 1,000 Islands which I would visit. It was fun to watch all the huge shipping freighters sail by so close to shore and try to determine their flag of origin. I get a similar notion watching the variety of boats float by the cottage heading to destinations both west and east on the Erie Canal.

Two of my favorite Woodpeckers, a Piliated and Northern Flicker, stop by the suet feeder off the back window this week.

Waves of migrating Geese start descending on the canal starting around 4pm. They are looking for a place to spend the night. This was the 6th wave that landed in a short amount of time. They make quite the racket but are fun to see both land and take off.

This is the Sam Patch Tour Boat that provides tours all summer long out of the Port of Pittsford. They are passing the cottage on their way to their winter home at Erie Macedon Landing before the canal waters are lowered.

I had mentioned in a prior post that the Red-winged blackbirds are congregating for their migration south. Here is a short video taken about a 1/2 hr after sunrise showing them flying out of the reeds. If you watch till the end, they all come back at once. Pretty amazing. I have no idea why they do this but its fun to watch.

Why does this heron seem to have a problem breathing? Technically, the term is "Gular Fluttering". It's actually normal and they will do it as a way to cool off on hot days or when in direct sun. By opening their bills, and vibrating their upper throat muscles and bones, herons are able to increase the passage of air across the mucus membranes of their throats. This behavior, increases heat loss on hot days. Because of its permanent down coat and lack of sweat glands, the ability to lose excess heat is important to a bird.

The Red-winged black birds are starting to flock together to start their migration south. Although you don't see any birds in this video, I wanted to capture the sound they make, which is quite loud. There are 100's of the birds in the reeds. They are most noisy an hour after sunrise and also before sundown.

This week offered some beautiful weather for sitting on the dock in the early evening. On this night an Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Duck and a Kingfisher all happened to fly close by. An approaching rain storm from the west also made for some cool clouds. Here is a short video taken with my cell phone.

Here is a longer version of the lock video. We have had guests who have paddled the kayaks from the cottage heading East and gone through the Macedon lock #30. It's about a 3 mile paddle to the lock.

I'm sometimes asked by guests from out-of-state if the Erie Canal is an actual working canal. I assure them it is and a boat can still go from Albany to Buffalo via a series of 35 locks. Here is a time lapse of a house boat going through Lock 32 in Pittsford which is about 100 years old and the lock tender is lowering the boat the same way they did it in 1918. In real time it took about 8 minutes to lower the boat the 25' drop.

A few weeks back we had high winds & rain pelt the cottage and we unfortunately lost one of our large (80') Cottonwood trees in the backyard. I was filming the high winds when it came down live in front of me! We were fortunate that it fell mostly in the canal. We will have to wait till the canal waters are lowered this fall before we can remove it. On the plus side, the birds like having a new log to rest on, including a Green Heron couple who hangs out in it quite often.

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