The Cormorant, the Dragonfly, and the Bee: Farm Pond

Monday, January 27, 2020

Farm Pond and Cushing

Cushing Memorial Park's perimeter walking loop is a favorite among locals, I suppose for its convenience and simplicity. It is paved, which is normally a detriment, in my view, being less "natural." Yet in the winter, the town seems to plow most of it after storms, so the paved feature provides a place to walk when other more woodsy trails require extra dedication to be able to access.

Just across the street from Cushing is an area called Farm Pond. One can walk along the edge of Farm Pond using a portion of the "Aqueduct" trail system, which is a cooperative between the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA), City of Framingham, and MassTrails. It is not paved, and though it is currently winter, I took these photos when the snow had melted just to the point where the edge path was passable wearing ordinary hiking boots.

In this first photo, I'm looking across Farm pond, at the ice, the ducks and other birds, the freight train, and the urban skyline.

The Scene Across Farm Pond

Here's a slightly different view. Notice the ducks have a relatively circular pool of water within the ice in which to swim and fish.

Duck Pool

The next several shots are taken slightly further away from the water's edge within the strip of land between Cushing Memorial Park and Farm Pond.

This small stream is completely filled with green plant material.

Green River

There's a very healthy grove of trees that always seems to pull me in and encourage me to look skyward.

Shadows in the Sky

Here are some patterns in the bark of those trees:

Bark Chips

Try to find the tiny dark sideways (virtually perfectly formed) heart in this next one. Then look slightly above and to the left. You may see people.

Bark Islands

These next two photos are near a small church within Cushing Memorial Park.

Winter Respite

For those that like red and blue...

Red Globes

Finally, this is a window on the back of that church. I'm not exactly sure why there's a green patch near the bottom of the glass. I don't think it's a plant. The photo shows exactly the way it looked. It sets off nicely against the glowing gold.

Mottled Glass

Monday, July 22, 2019

Wild Kingdom

This post is all about animals doing their normal daily activities. My camera captures them in their natural habitat,... perhaps they're searching for food, or perhaps just whiling away the afternoon.

This painted turtle is soaking up the sun resting on a log. Must be time for afternoon sunbathing.

Show Off

The turtle is looking directly at me where I stand on the shore. Still, it seems largely unconcerned about my presence. I'm about 20 feet away and there's water between us. Smart turtle.

The Look

All turtles come aboard! This appears to be the log to sunbathe on. It would seem that turtles are social animals. Maybe some of them are siblings?

Party Time

I was amused by the stance of this robin. Sort of looks like she's looking around something to see what new danger lurks.

Robin on Patrol

Does this duck have any idea what beautiful golden water he's gliding through?

Water Glide

Baltimore Orioles are not commonly seen in our yard, so I was delighted to see this one gracing our hawthorn tree, even for a quick visit.

Oriole Peek

Red-winged blackbirds love to stand on tall skinny objects like these cattails on Farm Pond.

Balancing Act

This one found a different perch to survey the situation on the pond.

Deciding the Next Move