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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Frozen Pond

I had to zip into work today.  With overnight temperatures well into the 20s I felt safest waiting for daylight.

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.

4 comments:

  1. Absolutely stunning photography, Marti. Those pictures of the fence are tops as is that first one of the ice crystals. What a neat place and I agree that some sunshine is welcome.

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  2. I love the photos. Are you coming back to blogging a bit more often? I miss you and was so happy to get your comment on my most recent post.

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  3. When you are in England, hiking across the country and seeing the wild orchids, my heart will be following you. It's been way to long since we were there, and I miss the hedgerows, the little villages, the pubs, the sheep, and the wild orchids, too.

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  4. My apologies, Marti, for not letting you know about the orchid show. There is one April 6 and 7 at Sky Nursery on Aurora Ave. in shoreline. I'll be putting in my display there, I think.

    We are working on WaNOS field trips for this summer and it looks like the following:
    mid April to early May - Washington Park for Calypsos and Western Coralroots
    early June - Sinlahekin for Yellow Lady's Slippers
    July - Lake Serene for Platanthera chorisiana (Rare Care is taking us)
    August - Goose Rock and Washington Park for Piperias

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