An Antidote for Cabin Fever

Great Blue Heron and the Blue Mountains © Diane B. Reed

After a spate of overcast days and bouts of snow and ice, the year is ending with brilliant sunshine and bitter cold. Time to get out of the house and head for the hills (and dales). A short drive from our pond takes you to out in the countryside and into the foothills of the Blue Mountains, dotted with farms and vineyards. Although the blanket of snow might lead one to believe that nature is sleeping, as soon as I arrive at the edge of town I see a lone Great Blue Heron searching for a meal in a field of stubble.

The closer I get to the Blues the more raptors I see. Red-tailed hawks dot the telephone pole crosspieces at regular intervals that seem to mark their hunting territory. The barren fields provide few hiding places for their prey and little escapes their notice. They alternate between perching on the poles and soaring over the fields looking for any sign of movement.

Red-tailed hawk searches for prey                © Diane B. Reed

Kestrel                                                                  © Diane B. Reed

 Kestrels perch delicately on the lines between the telephone poles, ignoring their larger relatives.  They swoop down after voles and mice that make the mistake of venturing out. As I watch, one drops swiftly to the ground and takes off with a fat vole. He flies up to the crosspiece on a vacant telephone pole and settles down for his meal.

Tiger cat on the prowl                   © Diane B. Reed

Hugging the foothills, I make my way up to Bennington Lake, one of my regular destinations, to see if there are any Eagles or birds of note. But today the lake is quiet and mostly frozen. On my way back I spy a fat cat hunting near the gate to the park, the only animal that seems to be out and about. He's a handsome fellow who reminds me of his wild cousin the Bobcat.

To all the creatures, large and small, a very Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from the Pond

The Pond at Lions Park, College Place WA    ©Diane B. Reed

A lake is the landscape's 

most beautiful and expressive feature.
It is Earth's eye; looking into which 

the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.

Henry David Thoreau, Walden

The pond is quiet and somber as we settle into winter 

and await that silent night and the magic of Christmas. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Pond

Hoar frost along the Columbia River, Oregon © Diane B. Reed

Winter Solstice

 As we approach the shortest day of the year, it's easy to dwell on the darkness instead of embracing the solstice as the pause before the season turns toward Spring.  A good friend sent me the meditation below.  I thought it was worth sharing.

© Diane B. Reed

A Meditation for the Solstice 

by Christine C. Robinson, Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque

Spirit of winter rest, help us to enjoy your peace in this quiet place.
Remind us to pause during this season.
Grant us awareness, keep our gratitude fresh each day.
May the songs in our heart be blessings and insights to us and to others
and may compassion always shine forth from the depths of our hearts.

"Oregon" Junco in the snow                          © Diane B. Reed

Let it Snow?

              Pioneer Park, Walla Walla                                       © Diane B. Reed

The snow has come and gone for the time being, except for the frosting higher up in the Blues. As soon as it arrived lots of folks embraced it, breaking out the sleds, snowboards, and skis. Pioneer Park in Walla Walla was a winter wonderland for all ages. Families were out enjoying the park, and a couple of snowmen had already popped up near the snow-capped bandstand.

Fort Walla Walla Park                                             © Diane B. Reed

 It was fun to stop by Fort Walla Walla Park to watch kids of all ages sledding and snowboarding until the slopes of the hills and the BMX track were bare. I'm not sure if the designers of the track planned on its use for sledding, but it's hard to resist such a perfect place for it.

Lions Park, College Place Washington                   © Diane B. Reed

Lion's Park in College Place, home to our pond, has no hills for sledding. But it offers a tranquil place to enjoy the beauty of a snowy winter day. Some of the leaves seem reluctant to give up their grip, reminding us that the Fall was just a few short weeks ago. 

Who knows if we'll have a white Christmas this year. So far it's not in the forecast. On the other hand, it may be that with the influence of La Niña this is only the beginning. 

Wigeons, Bread, and Squirrel Wars

American Wigeons and Mallards

© Diane B. Reed

Some of the seasonal visitors to the pond, American Wigeons, have arrived. They join the resident Mallards who winter over. The recent snow and ice provided a cold welcome for them and they huddled on the walk surrounding the pond, cozying up to their cousins. 
     Occasionally people visit the pond bringing loaves of stale bread to feed the ducks. I know that their intentions are good, but feeding bread to ducks is terrible for them. They can't digest it properly, and it can actually cause them to become malnourished and die. They're used to foraging for themselves and feeding them discourages them from finding natural foods and can lead to overpopulation at ponds.

© Diane B. Reed

Many of us enjoy having bird feeders, but providing nutritional seed for birds is an expensive proposition, and squirrels can eat through your seed budget and chew up your bird feeders in record time. We've found several feeders that are essentially squirrel proof. The first has a heavy-duty wire cage around the feeder which allows small birds to get to the food but keeps it out of reach of the squirrels. They try to get the seed periodically, but they can't get to it and the wire cage is too thick for them to chew through.

© Diane B. Reed

We recently got a new feeder which keeps them away from the seed, and even provides some entertainment. The feeder, made by Droll Yankees, is called the Yankee Flipper (watch the video, it's hilarious). It's pricey, but it beats chewed up bird feeders and bags and bags of seed. This feeder is designed to be too large for the squirrel to grip to get to the seed ports--they just slide right off. And if they go for the perches it activates the battery which twirls the perch until the squirrel goes flying. Eventually, they decide to munch on the seeds that end up on the ground--at least for awhile.