Life over the Pond

Sunset at the pond at Lions Park, College Place, Washington               © Diane B. Reed

There's always something happening at the pond, from the sublime to the silly. Our vantage point is in the treetops, and we're able to see all the beauty and dramas unfold virtually unnoticed. I've written a bit about the Osprey that makes regular visits to the pond to fish. When he takes off from the pond and flies over the house he comes at us right at eye level.

Osprey                                                                            © Diane B. Reed

This morning there was a Swallowtail butterfly perched high on the top of one of our arborvitae, one of a number that are flitting around in the yard and down the bank to the pond.

       Swallowtail Butterfly                                     © Diane B. Reed            

Lots of folks are out enjoying the park and the pond, particularly now that school is out. But even at that, there are many times when the park is quiet, and nature takes over. An Anna's Hummingbird lands at the tip of the dead poplar tree. A Belted Kingfisher swoops low over the pond, then lands on the bridge railing. A Red Winged Blackbird chases a Crow that must be too close to his nest. A Great Blue Heron glides in, searching for a snack, stalking back and forth along the edge of the pond.

A bad feather day                  © Diane B. Reed

 The baby ducks are always entertaining, darting back and forth as their mother tries to keep them in tow. House Finch fledglings have begun to show up at the bird feeder with their parents, who try to teach them to take seed from the holes and not just peck at the transparent sides. It takes them awhile, but eventually they get it.

If I haven't said it before, all this going on makes it hard to get any real work done! But I'm not complaining!