Syracuse.com - Wildlife photographer wonders 'What's the plan?' concerning Onondaga Lake's bald eagles

[HuntingNY-News]

"Do I want duck hunting to continue on Onondaga Lake. Absolutely," he said.

Syracuse dentist Greg Craybas said his concern about duck hunting at the eastern end of Onondaga Lake where bald eagles congregate during the winter months should not be misconstrued as a "broad brush against duck hunting."

"I don't like things brewing and stewing," he said. "I'm a sportsman. I shoot skeet. I'm also a wildlife photographer."

"I just want everyone -- the duck hunters, the bird watchers, Audubon, Honeywell, the DEC -- to sit down and discuss these eagles. What's the plan?" he said. "Are we just going to let everyone clear out the trees where they perch for a bike path? We have to a thoughtful plan to keep these eagles here and keep them coming back. They're a resource that should be preserved and protected."

Comments by Craybas and others, though, resulted last week in the city of Syracuse announcing plans to place "No Hunting" signs along the shore prior to next year's duck hunting season. The city has an ordinance banning the discharge of firearms within city limits. The city's boundaries extend will into Onondaga Lake, including well beyond the area near the Metropolitan Sewage Treatment Plant discharge pipe where the eagles congregate.

Craybas, who's been out recently photographing eagles on the lake, noted when the lake freezes, the area by the discharge pipe remains unfrozen and is a gathering spot for migrating ducks and geese - and the eagles that perch in the nearby trees that feed off the waterfowl and any fish they can get. He has personally seen as many as 18 at once there.

He was dismayed to find hunters frequenting that area at times. There's been no reports of eagles being shot. He noted, though, that hunters were scaring the ducks and geese away. He also noted at last three areas on shore where shotgun shells littered the ground.

Craybas photographed one area where he saw the shells and his photo ran with a story on the city's announcement to post the "No Hunting" signs published Sunday on syracuse.com/The Post-Standard Sunday. Several commenters on Syracuse.com accused him of planting the shells and setting up the shot to prove his point -- allegations that Craybas calls "ridiculous."

He reached out this week to Ron Falkowski, president of the Central New York Wildfowlers, who frequently hunts Onondaga Lake in the winter. Craybas said he would provide Falkowski with "blown up" pictures of the shells to prove they were waterfowl loads.

"All I know is what he told me over the phone," said Falkowski Tuesday, noting he was down to Long Island this week duck hunting. "I have no comment until I get back and see the pictures."

As for allegations that he trespassed to get to the spot to take the pictures, Craybas noted the area at the end of the Creek Walk in the Inner Harbor is heavily posted with signs and that he came in through "another way" where there are no signs. However, he did concede he had to cross the CSX railroad tracks, which would technically be trespassing.

"Am I doing something that I probably should be doing? Probably," he said. "Yeah, I'm technically entering an area (the railroad tracks) that's unsafe."

However, he said in his opinion his efforts to document with pictures the spectacular wildlife scenes there is raising a public awareness, and that it's his hope that some good will come of it.

"Do I want duck hunting to continue on Onondaga Lake. Absolutely," he said. "But some thought should be given about continuing it at this place when the rest of the lake freezes over."

HONEYWELL RESPONDS:

Victoria Ann Streitfeld, a Honeywell spokeswoman, issued the following statement Wednesday morning about the eagles on Onondaga Lake:

"Eagles have begun returning to Onondaga Lake, one of Audubon's "Important Bird Areas," as a result of a healthier ecosystem in New York State. The lake, a part of that ecosystem, is supporting a growing and diverse population of fish, mammals, and birds as a result of upgrades at the County's Metro plant, the lake cleanup, and significant habitat restoration in areas surrounding the lake. We have worked with Audubon to identify which trees should be preserved along the lakeshore to enhance vegetation and habitat long-term."

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog