Foster Island tornado damage

Of  course I wasn't going to be able to walk the RiverDog on Foster Isand yesterday.

We walked around and took a couple shots from the levee.

Then I thought we might go through the woods to the mudflats, until I saw this mess.

Maybe we will visit again after the spate of rainy days we are having.

Too sad

After the enormous shock from seeing the loss of trees in Brand Park, both here and the picnic area, I was beginning to prepare myself for the river side of the levee.
 Devastation.
 Five little, four little, three little lindens left standing.  Keep in mind that these trees are well over one hundred years old.  All told, I would venture to say that one third of all the trees in the Brand Park area came down when the Southside tornado hit. 

That's right.  Three tornados touched down, one on the North Side--I got caught in my car there, one on the South Side--and one way out in Golden Glow, far west of West Elmira the town.  The rest of the damage was caused by the way the tornados rushed down through the Chemung River Valley, creating windstorms that blew right down the river. 
 Our flood control saves us once again, and the Chemung goes low, just in time for the customary August drought.  Here is the Chase Hibbard Dam with the Don Hall Portage center left.  Again note the buoys--I think they are buoys, although I may be wrong--to warn of the submerged (usually) dam.
 Finally, a LOL moment.  I can't tell what it actually was, but it looks like someone plunked a skating surface or a helipad right in the north channel of the Chemung in Downtown Elmira!

Three days after the storm

Here is a typical shot of the river from West Elmira.

As usual, the trails along the strand will need clearing.

The Chemung is already very, very low.

This is all tree debris in the middle of a "wade-able" Chemung.  Bait fishers should soon appear.

Aftermath of Storm

Actually, the Chemung just kept chugging along.

View from the North Bank. 
Luckily, this tree did not block the walkway to the portage.



Warning bouys are floating higher.  Note the higher shoreline.



Relief soon?

We really have no cause to complain, but it's worrisome to see this empty channel of the Chemung River.  Fortunately, forecasters tell us we will be getting 100F  (38C) degree weather today.  Up here, that sort of day usually brings thunderstorms with it by night.

My prayers are with the rest of the country, and all my blog-buddies suffering.  Wish I could send some down to you.

Good news on the horizon, though.  This La Nina is expected to be switched to El Nino by the Fall and Winter.  That should bring an end to the Nationwide Drought.  Too late for the majority of Americans.  Still, we are looking forward to it--most of us.  Some work buddies are just barely rebuilding after the flooding of last September!

pb
Little Pond

Well, look who's back!

I've been wondering where this fellow went.  I usually see it up near the Canada goose nesting island.

Here he is among the very dispaced geese, no doubt.

Makes the geese look absolutely enormous!

Roll out those lazy, hazy days of Summer!

 Ellie enjoys the cool river on a scorching day.

 The river level is dropping way too soon this year.

Of course that gives everyone a temporary bit of beach front real estate, at least for now.

Welcome back to the river, Ellie!

 Tuesday, Ellie was well enough for a short trip to the Chemung.

When we arrived, we saw this dubious looking individual threatening the geese.

Well, why didn't they just fly away?  I intended to question the harrasser.

 And he wasn't alone.  There were several people who had the hapless fowl hemmed into a circle.

Fortunately, there were cars and trucks labeled to indicate that they were from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Okay, then.  I walked Ellie well away from the odd scene, and let her enjoy herself.  When she tired--and that was very, very soon--I popped her in the car and joined the intruders.  By then they were herding the geese up towards a hastily assembled chute that narrowed to a corral.

Mystery solved.  The birds couldn't fly; they are caught in their moulting season.  And they sure look scruffy.  this adult didn't have enough feathers to escape by air.

Neither did this adolescent.  They were easily directed into the chute and finally cramped together in the corral.

Then the DEC people began releasing some of them.  Those lucky few just wandered away to the water, clucking with irritation.  The rest huddled together.

 The DEC got down to business.  A few gently grabbed the younger birds, and one by one, they were handed down an assembly line of workers.

 The freed birds had already seen this show;  the rest simply fell in line.  There was very little squawking, except from the humans.  The annoyed geese were peeing and pooping on their handlers.

You can see in this closeup that the fowl were quiet.  There was one male who clucked at me when I aimed the camera at him.  Otherwise, they just waited patiently.

And the workers started by banding them.  No birds were hurt at any time.  A band was clamped onto the leg and the critter was passed down the line.

Here's a closeup.  No pain.  However, the band wasn't the only part of the procedure.

Nope.  The final indignity came at the hands of the last worker.  Each bird was sexed, by a very knowledgeable DEC'er.  Frankly, I couldn't see the differences.  Then the information was recorded with the band number and the location.  The now-cranky goose was released.

I felt priviledged to be able to record the banding.  And glad that Ellie just happened to be well enough to return to the river that day.

new portage for kayakers and canoeists

Lookie here!

Hey, the Chemung is low enough for bait fishing.  Ooops!  Three days of rain.  Never mind.

On the other hand, the geese don't mind the muddy waters.  Click on the photo to see there are actually six families of babies here.

The ones on land are not crazy about a car full of noisy dogs showing up.

We took advantage of the cloudy, cold weather to visit the new boat portage.  This allows boaters to carry their rides past the Chase-Hibbard dam.  The view is great and the walking is easy.

  

 This is where a fisherman can walk right down next to the dam and safely fish the water either above or below it.  The white water below it yields some pretty spectacular catches.

Maybe you prefer something a little more rustic.  This downed tree brought soil with it, and is creating a nice peninsular.  You will have to act fast;  the river could swell during a big storm and eliminate the whole thing.

No matter.  All along both banks are tiny niches for anyone willing to look.  Good for fishing, good for shutterbugging, too.

pb

Little Pond

Bad dog disciplined by geese

It started out innocently.  Ellie ignored the geese, and I encouraged them to go to the water.

 But the families were just soooooo cute, I had to talk to the grownups and tell them how beautiful their babies are!

And the whole flock headed to the river,  unfortunately followed by Ellie.  The next thing I knew there was a huge cacophony of geese scolding, mixed in with some sort of construction that chose to begin just at that moment, right across the river!

This was my fault.  I was cooing at the geese and their babies, and SOMEONE got very jealous.  Otherwise she can't be bothered with the noisy things.

Every RiverDog has her day.

And no one does it up like Ellie.

 I don't usually post butt-shots, but this one shows just how low the river is.  Jones Island in the background.

 City of Elmira from Gateway area, just downstream from the Madison Avenue bridge.

 Ellie the Mud Puppy.  Dunn Field in center background.

And the last hurrah before going home.  Not fishing, just yet.  Maybe next week.

I always want to remember...

That the 
Common
Merganser
is rather
uncommon
here
in Elmira. 

That these lovely lindens are slowly disappearing.  I understand it is for our flood protection, but it still hurts.

A closeup of its leaves and bracts, for identification.

pb