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Late Fall
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The inlet to Conesus Lake is public lands (1,120 acres), well more aptly named swamp, and is a Fish and Wildlife Management Area maintained and developed for wildlife by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). During summer and migration (but not hunting season), this place is worth checking.
The best viewing can be done at the north end at Lakeville's Vitale Park, mid-lake at Geneseo's Long Point Park, or at the south end at the DEC boat launch. Most of the land at the water's edge is privately owned in this area. Please respect landowners' rights.
Fall and spring holds migrating waterfowl. Winter holds birds trying to overwinter. This is probably the best spot in the Genesee Region to see the largest numbers of Tundra Swans (late fall), Redhead (winter), Canvasbacks (winter), Hooded Merganser (late fall and winter). Large numbers of Ruddy Ducks (fall), Ring-necked Ducks (spring), and American Coot (fall/winter) can be recorded as well. Almost all the grebes, dabbling ducks and many bay ducks have been recorded in winter here (including Blue-winged Teal, N. Shoveler and others).
Lucky watchers may see scoters, Red-necked Grebes, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, and both loons. A heronry on DEC land at the south end of the lake holds Great Blue Herons in season. Wood Ducks are prevalent in the swampy inlet area, prior to the fall hunting season. Unusual is the late-August gathering of Green Herons where up to 30-35 birds may be seen at the inlet swamp at night. Bald Eagles and Osprey have been sighted on more than a few occasions. Carolina Wrens have been regularly tallied on the local "Little Lakes" Christmas Bird Counts around the lakes and at the inlet.
Warnings
If traveling by foot in the DEC lands in the inlet area, be forewarned that the area is public hunting grounds and care should be taken in the hunting seasons.
A map that accompanies the following directions is located here (29KB).
Before you get there ...
(Lima Road Pond) The first spot to check (when coming from the north) is actually before you get to Conesus Lake. It is a little, unknown spot, takes about 3 minutes off your birding trip, but often my highlight: Get off the I-390 at the Lakeville exit (Rt 15A). Turn left (south). After about a mile you should see Fratelli's restaurant on the left followed by S. Lima road on the left and Triphammer on the right. Here, the road forks - Rt 15A heads left into hamlet of Lakeville (Town of Livonia). Take the right fork (West Lake Road). Immediately, the road forks again with the straightaway (West Lake Road) going down to hamlet of Lakeville (Town of Livonia). Turn right onto Lima Road (heads into Geneseo). Go about 100 yards. There is a small pond on the left. In recent years, this pond has held a Glossy Ibis (several weeks) and Ross's Goose. In the fall, check for lingering shorebirds and ducks. Several species of duck have been seen here (including Hooded Mergansers (over 20!), plus Mallards, and Black Ducks) and Ring-billed, Bonaparte's gulls and late Great Blue Herons. In the summer, check for herons, including Green. The surrounding field are sometimes good for field birds (especially on manure spreads in winter) and a resident American Kestrel. The pond is dull in winter once it is frozen. When done looking, turn around, turn right onto West Lake Road and head into hamlet of Lakeville (Town of Livonia).
Doing Vitale Park ...
Off NYS Route 20A, in the hamlet of Lakeville (Town of Livonia) lies an excellent viewing area
for waterfowl. At the traffic light at NYS Route 15A and NYS Route 20A, take
NYS Route 20A east for about 50 yards. On the right (next to the US Post Office, across from the lumber mill), is a DEC sign (brown
with yellow lettering, but off the road a bit) marking the entrance to an
access. This is Lakeville's Vitale Park. It is also called Sand Point. Park in the ample lot and car pool if traveling in a group (avoiding the "Reserved for Sheriff" spaces). Walk around the park at the water's edge and scope for birds along the shoreline and horizon. Tundra Swans and diving ducks accumulate here in late fall.
Doing the West Side ...
Leaving Vitale Park, turn left onto NYS Route 20A. At the traffic light,
veer left (staying on Route 20A). Just west of the light (about 100 yards
or so) on the left side of 20A is Pebble Beach Road - take it. Park in the
DEC access (about 50 yards) and scan the outlet stream. This is pretty
much the same view as Vitale Park, but this cartop boat launch is sometimes worth a hidden grebe, kingfisher, or perhaps a heron too. During a CBC, a Yellow-throated Warbler visited a suet feeder along this road.
Continue south on Pebble Beach Road. Drive up the hill (not on the private
drive). The field at the top of the hill near the water tower sometimes has interesting sparrows
and meadowlarks, perhaps a Am Kestrel or Short-Eared Owl. Turn left onto West Lake Road. A few
hundred yards down, on the left is Gray Shores. Turn here if the road is
not closed for winter; otherwise take the next left (which is also Gray
Shores). Look between the houses on Gray Shores, a fair viewing spot exists
where the road heads back up to West Lake Road. During one winter, a Yellow-breasted Chat were seen in this area.
Look between the houses all the way down the lake on West Lake Road. Turn left where Reservoir Rd intersects West Lake Road. If traveling with a group, park along West Lake Road and walk down the hill (Reservoir Rd) towards the water. An open lawn and a good viewing spot exists in front of the Town of Geneseo Water Filtration Plant.
Continue south, look between the houses all the way down the lake on West Lake Road. Soon, Long Point Road intersects West Lake Road. A large parking area exists at the base of the hill. Park here and walk the edge of West Lake Road and Long Point Road (up the hill). Check the scrub, field and bushes for shy
sparrows, mockingbirds, bluebirds, or perhaps a Carolina Wren.
Returning back to the car, cut across West Lake Road and into Long Point
Park. Walk out to the shore, and onto the dock. You can see lots ...
sometimes. Purple Martin is regularly recorded here during the summer. Leaving here, few overlooks exist (other than between houses) until the inlet area is reached at the south end of the lake.
Doing the South End ...
At the very end of the south end of the lake, turn left into the DEC access area (the inlet). It was formerly marked by a brown and yellow DEC sign, which has grown legs and walked off. Park and walk along the creek (watch for ducks and
sparrows) and walk the edge to the lake. Stop and scope from the NE corner.
Ruddy Ducks and Hooded Mergs are regular during the fall. If a flurry
of ducks take flight, then watch for a passing eagle. The
reeds at the edge of the lake can be birded for hiding wrens or sparrows. Keep an ear open for Pileated Woodpeckers, or maybe an owl at dusk. Be sure to check the creek bed. It has held Killdeer and Cmn Snipe into January.
Warning (repeated)
If traveling by foot in the DEC lands in the inlet area, be forewarned that
the area is public hunting grounds and care should be taken in the hunting
seasons. This can include duck hunting with duck hunters nearly underfoot at the
edge of the water.
Conesus Inlet Swamp
Background: (From the NYS DEC site) The topography of Conesus Inlet consists of a flat valley flood plain with steep sloping hills on the east and west. Vegetation consists primarily of marsh types with a peripheral border of swamp hardwoods, brush, and open land.
In the late 1960's, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation purchased this land, subsequently initiating wildlife management programs to conserve and protect this vital wetland resource. An additional 83 acres was purchased in 1979 to provide access to Conesus Lake and to preserve critical northern pike spawning habitat.
Management objectives are to maintain pike spawning and rearing habitat in the inlet and adjacent wetlands, waterfowl utilization in the marsh, and upland habitat along the edges. The inlet contains the major, if not the only, northern pike spawning grounds on Conesus Lake. Several small ponds and potholes have been created for the wildlife in addition to the development of a major impoundment marsh and other wetland enhancement projects.
On West Lake Road, south of the lake, almost all the land on the east
side of the road is owned by the DEC. Quite a few turnoffs exist in this
area for access into the public hunting grounds. This wetland has been
improved for hunting. Dikes, pools, ponds and marshy areas are abundant and
waterfowl and other wildlife can be seen visiting the shores in all seasons.
When leaving the DEC Conesus Inlet parking lot, turn left onto West Lake Road. Be watchful of traffic while leaving as this can be somewhat of a blind spot. After a half mile, turn left onto Sliker Hill Rd. Immediately on the right (about 50 yards, before the little bridge) is another DEC access point. This site is always good for a nice passerine or two. If there are no vehicles (ie: hunters), walk the length of the dike. The
sheltered area, rapid stream and brush right beside the parking lot is a
good spot to look for shy bush-birds that may requiring spishing for
adequate views. The dike is a nice walk, but so is the jaunt down the west side. This trail extends south to the west side overlook. In spring, it can hold many migrants. Summer months offer Warbling and Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatsmasher and others. A new boardwalk along the west side offers a peaceful view. After walking the dike, one can drive all the way around the inlet swamp area, return for home immediately, or drive north along east Lake Rd.
A recommended stop is the west side overlook. From the DEC parking lot, turn left onto Sliker Hill Rd and then immediately onto West Lake Rd (it may be called Scottsburg Rd at this point). About a half mile south, turn left into a DEC parking area. From here, you can see a large portion of the inlet swamp (waterfowl). This is a favored lookout spot in late spring and early summer. The heronry is directly in front of you. You can walk the trail down to the water's edge and onto the newly built boardwalk. Virginia Rail is often recorded here in summer. Red-headed Woodpecker is often seen, and Carolina Wren has been observed here.
Continue south on West Lake Road. Multiple parking spots and overlooks are available on West Lake Road. Stop if you feel the urge.
Turn left onto (Gultner, Guiltner and Guildner) Road (Warning: this is labelled differently on both ends of the
road and in the DeLorme atlas). Be on the lookout for raptors, E. Meadowlarks, and E Bluebirds. About half-way down, a DEC lot sidles the
inlet stream. Park here, and walk the dike. This is a nice (sometimes
productive, but buggy) walk in the breeding season. Olive-sided Flycatcher has been recorded here in fall on several occasions. Great-Horned Owls can often be heard about dusk.
Continue east to East Swamp Road. Turning left (north) and travelling a few miles completes the
circle around the inlet area. All the habitat in the inlet area is pretty
much the same (marsh/swamp). Other than the houses, the remainder of the area on the west side of East
Swamp Road is owned by the DEC. Drive slow and examine all the little birdies
in the bushes. This is a potentially good half-hardy locale, as springs,
running water and berry bushes are prevalent. One of the DEC turnoffs/lots overlooks (about a mile north of Guiltner Rd) the swamp/marsh and a pond. This pond often holds numbers of waterfowl and lingering water birds in the summer. The heronry should easily be seen atop the dead
trees in the marsh and Wood Ducks can be seen flying about in breeding
season. Perhaps you'll see some bluebirds on this road as well.
Continue north to Sliker Hill Road. Turning left (north/west) and travelling about a mile completes the circle around the inlet area. At this point, one can quickly return the way you came, or bird the east side of the lake (via Sliker Hill/East Lake Road). This trip is a good companion trip to Nations Road (via Triphammer Road), or to the "Little Lakes" area via Route 20A.
The East Side...
Although I prefer to drive the west side, weather and/or lighting conditions (such as an oppressive sun
glare or large snow flurries), or ducks hugging the east shore, force me to drive the east side. The east side
has slower speed limits, more houses and traffic. The only obvious public access to the
lake on the east side is the DEC boat launch about 1/3 the way down (boat launching requires a fee during the summer). The water must be observed by peering through the lawns between some cottages and chalets. Stop when and where oncoming and following traffic allows. Please observe landowners' private rights.
Vitale Park has restrooms (sometimes heated) and running water. However, it is not dependable as it is open early or late in the day, and sometimes locked during some days in the winter. Several restaurants in Lakeville have restrooms. Gas Stations are in Lakeville, at the I-390, and on both the east and west sides of the lake.
The descriptions/maps to the Conseus Lake boats launch is sponsored by NYS Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation .
This page was last updated on 18 April 2001. Comments or questions regarding this page should be sent to Webmaster.
A map that accompanies the following directions is located here (32KB).
Facilities
State Resources Online
A map to the Conesus Inlet Wildlife Management Area is currently annotated to describe the area. Those web pages are sponsored by the NYS DEC at the NYSDEC WMA's Region 8 (Genesee) web page. If this web site is unreachable, try to tunnel in from the NYSDEC Wildlife Management Areas or NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife. 
Copyright, © Kurt Fox, 1999-2001.
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