Going to Goose Pond

Yesterday a friend and I went driving to a wetlands somewhat farther from home than Stillwater Marsh. This is Goose Pond, a glacial basin that had been drained for farmland. Now about 8000 acres are being restored as marsh and prairie -prime birding terrain. "There it is", we said, as we drove on past, looking for the turn off to CR200S...

"There it was", we said, as we drove on into the country side beyond it. Not a waste - a half mile beyond the marsh there sat a bald eagle on its nest. After admiring it, we turned around and headed back.

Once we found the tiny gravel road and the information kiosk, we were set. Parts of the marsh were ponds, with dikes along them on which we could hike.

We didn't actually do much hiking - just stood on the dikes listening to the wonderful calls of the abundant red-winged blackbirds and the various quacks, honks and whistles of the waterfowl.

You can spot the coots in this picture and just imagine the thrum of the bullfrog, the flutter of the orange butterfly passing by, and the mysterious splashes in the nearby cattails.

It was dry for this time of year. The only other vehicle we saw on this tiny county road was a piece of farm equipment that went slowly lumbering by.

The dust cloud followed it down the road. Even after it turned on to the next road and we couldn't see it anymore, we could follow its progress by the cloud of dust.

Off in the distance we saw a line of large birds flying. "Not geese" we said - too quiet.

They came closer...

until they flew directly overhead.

Now we could clearly see they were a flock of American White Pelicans - maybe 50 -60 birds in all - heading off into the northwest.

Oh, I AM a fan of wetlands!