After tonight, Linda will be done with Classical Idol for one more year. But I want to share two websites with you if you would like to support the Rochester Oratorio Society.
Get more information about Classical Idol.
And join Linda at the final ROS concert on May 18th. Look here for information about the World Premier taking place that evening.
And I will be so excited if Springwater Trails is a major connection to ROS! You may not be able to get me to stop talking about it.
We will park at the corner of Grays Corner Rd/Beecher St/CR 39A and Main St/CR 36 in Atlanta, NY. Parking will be at the building with the red/white and blue roof on the corner. (The north east corner).
From Springwater: Go south on Rt 15 to Wayland. Turn left on Rt 21 toward N Cohocton and Naples. Follow the directions from Wayland.
From Wayland: Go East from Rt 15 on Rt 21 toward N. Cohocton and Naples. At 6.0 miles, turn right onto Grays Corner Rd, (CR 39A) toward Atlanta. Continue 0.6 miles to Main St. Parking is at the building with the red/white and blue roof on the left before Main St. (The north east corner).
From Naples, Honeoye and Canandaigua: From Honeoye, take CR 36 to Naples. Take Rt 21 S through Naples to N. Cohocton. In N Cohocton, turn right to stay on Rt 21. Take the first Left on University Ave (CR 39). After 0.6miles turn a slight right onto E Main St. After 0.4 miles, parking will be on the right just before Beecher St.
From Geneseo, Dansville and Rochester: Take 360 South to the Wayland Exit #3. Turn left onto Rt 15 North, go under the expressway and turn right onto 415S immediately after the northbound exit. Take the 4th left after 2.2 miles unto CR 36/ Atlanta East Wayland Rd. Follow CR 36 for 4.0 miles into Atlanta. Parking is on the left just past Beecher St.
If you use Google maps, we will park at Beecher St (North to south) and Main St (East to West).
If you are on bing.com/maps, the roads show the County number (CR36 and CR39A). CR39A is called Beecher St and Grays Corner Rd.
MapQuest does seems to match Bing, except it does not mention CR39A.
PS (All county roads mentioned here are Steuben County roads except for CR36 from Honeoye).
The after hike social will be at Cheryl Deusenbery’s, 4010 State Rte 21 N. From Wayland, the house is 5.2 miles from the Wayland traffic light. (just before Garlinghouse Rd/Ross Rd) Food can be dropped off before the hike if need be.
We’ve all seen these touching films where a cock and hen find each other, do this exquisitely choreographed courtship dance, and then, the happy couple flies off to build a nest together and enter a blissful monogamous relationship, in some cases, for life. However, some recent research has revealed quite a different story.
Sneaky surveillance cameras have captured several scenes where, a hen is fastidiously arranging her nest and, while her mate is off, acquiring additional nesting material, an opportunistic cock swoops in for a quickie, and flies off before the unsuspecting mate returns. This can be accomplished, most times, because the copulation act, in birds, is a fairly short one, so you don’t want to come back in your next life as a bird. However, I’m sure, there have been times when the intruder was still in the nest, when the mate returned, In this case, a scene like this might happen.
Moishe: So, what are you doing in my nest?
Abe: Well, everybody has to be someplace.
Zelda: Moishe, I’m hungry. Go get me a worm. Get one for Abe too.
Moishe: To hell with Abe. He can get his own worm.
Studies have shown that, DNA samples taken from clutches of chicks have revealed that, not all of them are the progeny of the sire of the nest. However, before you chauvenists accuse the poor hen of infidelity, what do you suppose her mate is doing while he’s out gathering nesting material? Oh well, so much for the illusion of avian monogamy.
The preceding information was obtained at a recent birding conference we went to, where we saw this hilarious powerpoint, presented by an ornithologist from the faculty of McGill University, named Dr. Bird. Not joking.
Our hike on Sunday will explore the Cohocton River and the Dutch Hill Wind Farms. Bring your binoculars.
We will start out at the corner of Beecher Street and Route 36 in the hamlet of Atlanta. Parking will be at the building with the red/white and blue roof on the corner. (Next door to the Mt. View Inn parking lot.) We will leave promptly at 2pm.
The hike will start on a flat 1.4 mile trail owned by the Atlanta North Cohocton Club (ANC) from Beecher Street to Parks Rd and runs between the B&H Railroad, an active rail system that runs from Painted Post to Avon, and the Cohocton River. Since the river has overflown its banks there is one 4’ section that may require you to have mid-high hiking boots.
About quarter of the way the Naturalist will detour off the trail to investigate an area owned by Gratten and Joan Wallace who have made a wildlife lookout around the Cohocton River bank. Bring your binoculars so when you climb to the birdhouse you will be able to see from bank to bank.
The Cohocton River changes from East flowing to South flowing in Atlanta. The Naturalist will reenter the ANC trail and continue on to Parks Road or further as far as time permits. Once you leave Parks Road we will be on a 4 mile trail to Wayland owned by the Dept. Environmental Conservation with fishing rights access at various points. A portion of the Wallace land has been given to the Federal Government for a Federal preserve as you will see signage for this along the way. Naturalist will then turn around and head back to the parking area.
The Tourist and Climbers complete the trail to Parks Road and then cross Route 36 for 4 tenths of a mile and begin the 400 foot climb up the seasonal Dutch Hill Road for another mile arriving at close to 1800 feet. I think it has been too cold yet for the protected trillium flower but you never know. I have even seen the rare red ones on these hills many years ago. We have been given permission by land owners to wander off the road if we see something that needs to be investigated more thoroughly.
When the climbers and Tourist reach the top of Dutch Hill Road they will continue hiking 1.5 miles through the fifteen wind turbines that make up the Dutch Hill Wind Farm, a portion of the fifty wind turbines of the Cohocton Wind Farm located in Steuben County. We will follow Fleischman Rd, an abandon dirt road, which is used by area farmers to reach their fields. So this may be muddy if we have had rain. The turbines are the Liberty Wind Turbine, the largest found in the United States and rise 420 feet above ground, 125 Megawatts that use 2.5 MW Clipper Windpower. The Cohocton Wind Farm provides power for about 50,000 Northeast homes. Installation was in 2008 and was developed and operated by First Wind. A turbine produces the equivalent of 650,000 barrels of oil or 160,000 ton of coal a year.
When we leave the windmills the climbers will continue down seasonal Shults Hill Road which is flank on both sides by woodlands. The tourist will take a slower pace and come down Davis Hollow Road. Cars for the return trip to the parking area will be stationed at the end of these two roads to bring you back to Atlanta.
The after hike social will be at Cheryl’s. Food can be dropped off before the hike if need be.
Click here for directions to Atlanta. (that is NY, not GA)