the Way of the Turtle

BRRR... WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING? Part 1
2.3 Mile Walk at Mendon Ponds Park
Saturday, May 8, 2010

Woke up to rain but by the time I got ready to leave for Rochester it was simply overcast, and a good deal warmer than I expected, though very windy. On the drive west, I actually had a stretch of nice sunshine... that made me wish I'd left earlier so I could have had time to do a little running. Then just past Syracuse the dark clouds rolled in and it was wind and rain for the rest of the drive... and the temperature started dropping to boot.

The rain had mostly let up out in Rochester so Ann and I decided to head over to Mendon for a walk. It had gotten cold enough that I needed one of my winter fleece pullovers, and the rain kicked back in occasionally making me happy I had a rain jacket in the car. We started out at Hopkins Point, checked out the geese and goslings at the shore of Hundred Acre Pond, then headed off into the woods, climbing gradually to the ridge (an esker, I believe - a ridge deposited by glacial activity.) The wind was really whipping along, even through the trees, so it was really nice when we dropped down off the ridge to the trail running along its base, at the edge of the wetlands and around one side of the Devils Bathtub (a kettle pond left behind by the previously-mentioned glacial activity... Mendon Ponds Park is one huge lesson in glacially-shaped topography/geology.) While I've run up on the ridge many times over the last five years, I can't remember when we last walked down by the pond and wetlands, so it was a nice treat.

From there we walked back along the shore of Deep Pond and Hundred Acre Pond, listening to the wind howling and watching the trees thrash on the far shore of the ponds. Spotted a bufflehead out on the water, as well as many swallows darting about over the water's surface, presumably catching insects. We walked out on the causeway between the two ponds and the wind was strong enough that it felt like we were going to be blown into the water.

Back at Hopkins Point, while I was using the restroom Ann watched an osprey catch a fish and land on a dead tree across the pond to enjoy his dinner. We could barely see him, even with my camera on full zoom, but this is the first time I've seen an osprey at Mendon, so it was pretty darn cool.

After that we drove over to the beach parking lot and tried to walk down to the beach, but the wind was too strong. It was also getting very cold with the windchill. Our next stop was at the boat launch, in hopes of spotting the osprey again... no luck, but we did see four more geese with close to 2 dozen goslings between them... the little guys were huddling around one of the geese trying to shelter from the cold and wind. Pretty comical to watch, though I also suspect some of them might not make it through the night unless all the adults surround them to help keep them warm... on the one hand, a sad thought because they are cute little buggers, but also a fact of life and a necessary one... if all of them survived we would be overrun by geese in just a few years.

On our way out of the park we saw the only deer of the day (unusual for Mendon... perhaps they were all hunkered down in the woods and shrubs) and a small raptor which looks like it was probably a juvenile broad-winged hawk. Despite the cold, wind, and occasional rain it was definitely a good visit to one of the most beautiful parks in the Rochester area.

JMH