The way was filled with rhyme covered grasses and trees. Everything is frosted with a coat of white. Thankfully, the main roads were safe driving.
One the way out of the business park I stopped at the little mitigation area. This complex of meadow and pond has taken charge of controlling the runoff of the large business parks and easing it into the two large creeks that meet here. Our roads no longer flood in the Winter and Spring when the rains are heavy.
The once dirt trail is now paved and there are nice berms and a split rail fence to greet you.
Everything is frosted with crystals.
Birds are swarming the ground and blackberry bushes eating old dried fruit. I noticed rowdy flocks of Robins up by the buildings where Cotoneaster is filled with berries. The Robins were probably a little tipsy with fermented fruit. This female Spotted Towhee was much more subdued with her dried blackberry.
As I walked along the path a River Otter came out of the pond, crossed the trail and went into a little runoff channel that meets the larger creek. I waited and tried to capture a picture, but was not successful. This shot of the frosty grasses hides a lump of otter, way out of focus. That is its head at about 10:00 from center.
Ducks were clustered in one corner of the pond near open water. There were some comical belly sliding icy landings and one duck even slipped, waddled then crashed through thin icy.
A lone Blue Heron found refuge in the tree. I am sure the sunshine felt good up there.
The pond has obviously frozen and refrozen at different water levels over the last few days. Icy is jumbled in layers and pieces here and there.
It was just a little walk in the brisk sunny day.
The week ahead is forecast for sunny cold days. A welcome relief from the persistent gray days.
