the Way of the Turtle

2.1 Mile Walk at Ann Lee Pond
Monday, February 20, 2012

I had hoped to go for a long run today but then something I ate had my guts in an uproar all afternoon - which meant I couldn't even take advantage of the sunny weather and get out on my bike. Once things finally settled down I decided to at least do some walking, and started out over at Ann Lee Pond, which I haven't visited since October.

Despite the warm weather we've been having, much of the pond was iced over - so I was pleasantly surprised to see a group of mallards back by the crazy bridge (where there was a stretch of open water, probably because that's where the inlet to the pond is. Looks like a few more trees fell back that way, though it also looks like the town is continuing repairs on the crazy bridge.

From there I walked back to the beaver pond - or perhaps I should say, ex-beaver pond. The dam was breached and the pond mostly drained when I was there back in October, and the fact that it's still that way suggests that the beavers have moved on. The heron nests also seem to be gone - I'll be curious to see if the herons come back with the beaver pond reduced to more of a marsh. Or perhaps this spring some new beavers will come in and rebuild.

I also spotted a bluebird in the meadows on my way back to the crazy bridge, and noticed that the nesting boxes are in pretty bad shape... I wonder what it would cost to build a few and put them in there? Perhaps a project for my upcoming March vacation...

JMH