Sled Hill at May Watts Park appeared peaceful without sound as we began a recent 20-minute jaunt along the .89-mile trail around the pond on Sat., June 20, the last day of spring.
Then the action began and it seemed like suppertime as we watched local wildlife.
We observed a great blue heron quietly nab a fish and swallow it whole. Note photos in the gallery below of the heron’s sigmoid neck or S-curve that straightens when the fish is swallowed. Gulp!
The two families of geese that we’ve been featuring on social media as they’ve been traveling around the park since their eggs hatched more than a month ago are now united as one family of 14, three adults and 11 goslings. One adult Canada goose has been missing since mid-June.
The quick-growing goslings, no longer covered with yellow down, were feeding in the grass between the concrete trail and the pond. For a couple weeks, the goslings have been losing their fluff and growing grey juvenile feathers. They’re about to mature into full-sized geese, ready to take their first flights when they’re 7 to 10 weeks old.
Moving right along and much to our surprise as we were snapping a photo of a red-winged black bird, a bullfrog splashed along the pond’s edge with another frog in its mouth. We hear the bullfrogs every day, but Saturday was the first time one jumped toward us.
We also were reminded while searching online that “just about anything is on the menu for a frog,” including their own kind. Cannibalism is very common among amphibians.
During this evening walk, we also observed several double-crested cormorants, many, many noisy red-winged blackbirds, and one egret among the visible wildlife in May Watts Park.
Enjoy every walk in the park!
Just remember, whatever the season and whatever the park, let wildlife be wild. Let the ecosystem thrive. Keep waterways clean. Pick up after pets. Encourage natural migration by keeping human food and snacks away from wildlife—especially ducks and geese.
Seize the moments to see nature run its course this summer and then some.
Happy summertime!
