RUSTY JOHNSON'S HARRIS HAWK, "BRISA DEL CIELO"

Rusty Johnson (to whose website I have a link below) lives on a house here at The Mount. Rusty is a well known animal handler and falconer. He is an Esopus boy, raised right here in Ulster Park with a great love for animals and wildlife. (Rusty has appeared on the David Letterman Show, done film work with Ron Howard as an animal handler and gives regular lectures on wildlife and hawks at the Mohonk Mountain House near New Paltz, NY). At present Rusty is training "Brisa del Cielo" (Heavenly Breeze in English) on our property with the idea of giving Hawk Walks here. Here is a video with the "Life History" of "Brisas del Cielo" with original music composed by Rusty.
http://www.ecologychannel.com/tv/brisa.html

CLOSE LOOK AT RED TAILED HAWK ON HOOK MOUNTAIN.

This gives you a "hint" of how truly wonderful the view and the "experience" is at Hook Mountain right above Marydell Faith and Life Center. This is a link to a very neat video of a Red Tailed Hawk stopping on his/ or her way South during Fall migration.
http://www.battaly.com/hook/video/UpClose/

HOOK MOUNTAIN IN WEST NYACK, NY

THE 'FUN BARN' AT MARYDELL FAITH AND LIFE CENTER

West Nyack State Park on the Hudson River

Mgr. John Kane Hermitage in West Nyack-Marydell

RETREAT AT MARYDELL

Last week I made a retreat under Hook Mountain in West Nyack, NY. The place is called "Marydell Faith and Life Center". It is still a summer camp location and "used to be" an overnight camp run by the Sisters of Christian Doctrine. It is made up of lovely little cabins and cottages just under the palisade cliffs that tower above the Hudson River just above Tarrytown and just south of Ossining on the East bank of the river. The little hermitage where I stayed was the summer home of Mgr. John Kane, a diocesan priest who taught in High School for many years and was the Camp Chaplain in the summer. They tell me that he was an exceptionally simple, peaceful and good man. There are always, at all times of the year, many Turkey Vultures soaring or gliding over Hook Mountain which is an interesting vantage point during Spring and Fall migration of hawks and songbirds. The preceding posts today show you some of the great scenery of Marydell: 1. Hook Mountain 2. West Nyack State Park along the river 3. One of the cottages and 4. The Mgr. John Kane Hermitage.