Sterling Nature Center - Heron Trail
Some days, nothing seems to go right. On other days, everything seems to work out without a plan. Today in Sterling we had the later. Blue skies and a break in the extreme heat got us into the car and heading to Sterling. Nope, not for the Renaissance Fair, but for the Sterling Nature Center just down the road .
This area features a blue heron observation area that is very cool. The pictures don’t do it justice at all. These birds and their nests are pretty big. Mixed in with the heron are owl nests. I could definitely spend some more time here but with binoculars.
Blue Heron #2
According to the brochure we picked up at the sign in:
“Woodlands, meadows, beaver created wetland, man-made wetland, vernal pools, streams and Lake Ontario are a few of the habitats along this trail in which you may see a heron. A short spur leads to the 80-acre beaver wetland that in 2005 contained a 60-nest great blue heron rookery.” — Cayuga County Parks & Trails
Nesting area
Blue Heron #3
We hit up a geocache along the way. This was the only section of trail that was “too buggy” to hang out. For this reason, we didn’t stop to sign the log ….
Geocache - GCZ5M7
A chorus line ...
I have additional details about the hike posted on my Trails, Tails & Tents blog.
After the hike, Shannon and I grabbed a few drinks, our suits, a blanket and lunch on the way to the lake (located at the end of the Lake Trail). This was really a nicely secluded area with plenty of space and few people.
Sterling Nature Center - Lake Ontario Shoreline
Cooling Off - McIntyre's Bluff Background
The picture above shows McIntyre’s Bluff in the background. From the parking lot to McIntyre’s bluff is a little under half a mile. The first .2 miles is a well traveled path to the lake and the remaining distance is on small rocks or via the Lake.
Sterling Nature Center - McIntyre's Bluff
After fueling up we had a couple of sandwiches at Chinook Marina before heading over to Fair Haven Beach State Park. I have to say that this park is awesome. It’s huge. They had a really nice beach which was sectioned off for swimmers and n0n-swimmers, fishing access, boating access, camping that ranges from primitive tent camping to cabins right on the Lake. It was enough for Shannon and I both to agree on a return visit this summer.
We were able to catch up with the Piper clan at Fair Haven just long enough to say hello to the kids before heading back to Syracuse. Below was the last shot of the day ….
Fair Haven Beach - Pier
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