When I was a kid growing up here in Quincy, CA, the large local water feature of Dellinger’s Pond was a frequent playground. In summer we’d go after frogs and catfish (just for fun; catch and release), in winter if it got cold enough the pond would freeze over and we would ice skate on it. Here's a link to a personal blog by someone who knows the pond well.
Today the pond covers just about five acres or so, but back in the day it was nearly twice that large. New road construction in the early 60’s just about cut the pond in half.
The south and west side of the pond was formed by the natural hillside to which it abutted. The east and north containment of the pond was formed by construction of an earthen dike. To the best of my knowledge the pond was constructed to keep the adjacent pasturage from flooding. It still serves that purpose to a fair extent these days (albeit the pasturage is becoming more and more housing tract), but its greatest service is as a wildlife habitat. And not all the wildlife is necessarily benign; back in February a mountain lion was seen prowling around.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
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Sometime back in the 70’s the pond was acquired by Feather River College and closed to the public for the purpose of controlled and undisturbed biological studies. The pond is open to the public now and you can easily walk a good 600 feet or more along the dike for viewing the pond and its myriad wild denizens. As I made my walk and photo session there was a fellow with an electric weed trimmer working the dike path to keep it clear for easy walking.
On a previous visit I took these photos (most of you have probably already seen them):
This trip, in addition to the Evening Grosbeak, I also got these:
I know there is nothing particularly fascinating or thrilling about these photos but to me the subjects are just that. Ducks, geese, frogs, dragonflies, they’re all common and plentiful yes, but to me they are uncommonly beautiful and a rare joy to behold.
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.
Thank you.