Embedded Files
Photographs taken along the Chenango Canal towpath between Bouckville and Hamilton by Nick Hunter over the past 12-13 years. Nick Hunter was the original president of the CCA in 1992.
Great Blue Heron: Two pics – one in flight and the other showing a Great Blue Heron on the canal towpath (after hunting the shoreline).
Herons wade the shallow water along the edge of the canal, mainly for tadpoles, frogs, and fish.
Wood Duck: Two pics – a male cruising along on the canal near the feed mill and a family seeking cover along the far bank of the canal near the bridge on Woodman Pond road.
Wood ducks are intolerant of humans and will relocate when disturbed.
The sluggish water and abundant aquatic vegetation of the Chenango Canal provide ideal habitat for dragonflies. They are easily observed hunting, chasing, breeding and perching in the warm summer months.
Widow Skimmer dragonfly: This is a male Widow Skimmer, one of many species of both dragonflies and damselflies that patrol canal waters. Mosquitoes are a primary food source.
American Toad: One pic of a toad singing. Toads live on land but breed in shallow, warm water habitats. A chorus of breeding toads rings loudly along the shallow waters of the canal in late April and May. It is quite a spectacle.
Bullfrog: One pic of a bullfrog drifting in open water, eyes prominent. A large frog with a voracious appetite. Often heard but not seen as it hides in the vegetation along water’s edge near shore. This one was disturbed and escaped to open water. It will make its way to shore when the coast is clear.
Snapping Turtle: Two images, both on dry ground. The one without flowers or greenery is a female that was digging nests and laying eggs. Snappers spend most of their time lurking in the canal waters. They will bask in the sun on occasion but are most visible on warm rainy days in late Spring when mature females leave the water to dig nests and lay eggs.
Painted Turtle: Two pics – one is a closeup on dry ground, the other shows several turtles on logs on the far edge of the canal. Painted turtles often crawl up on a partially submerged log to bask in the sun on warm summer days.
Muskrat: One pic of a muskrat feeding on top of aquatic plants. A common inhabitant of the canal ecosystem, muskrats occur along the canal but prefer the adjacent cattail marshes for food and habitat.
Beaver: One pic of a beaver swimming in open water. Beavers sometimes cruise the canal and, when startled, respond with a loud tail slap that sounds like a gun shot.
An all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Publicly encouraging research for the preservation of the canal, surrounding waters and land,
while maintaining it as both a historic and public recreation site.
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