The Pond

By Bette Peterson. Photos are by Jane Ruffin.

I am the Beaumont Pond. Years ago, I was just a mere brook. The Austin family put in a small dam across my slender stream, and I became a modest sized pond. Ducks from the pond would come up to the main house for daily treats from Mr. Austin. The locals enjoyed winter skating and spring and summer fishing; however, one needed an invitation by the Austins to use the Pond. Dede Shafer and a friend one day went up to the Mansion porch to ask for permission to ice skate from Miss Austin and her sister who was in a wheelchair. She got permission and was told that she could see some of the rest of the mansion. The two young girls peeked in several rooms but stopped to handle the billiard cue sticks. In the make-believe style of young girls, they pretended to fence and one of the sticks broke, so they hightailed out of the mansion.

When the Beaumont Retirement Community was built, a bigger dam was built to enlarge the pond. Pond Lane was developed and became the “Gold Coast” of Beaumont. When Harriton High School was built, the pond silted up but then two coding ponds were built which cured the problem of mud flowing into my waters. Two fountains have been added to aerate my waters and they do provide music to my ears.

Today I am waiting for the redo of Beaumont to be finished and allow for quieter times that will welcome the many birds to return. Here are some of my favorite feathered residents and visitors:

The Canadian Goose, that mates for life, comes often in the autumn sky. You can hear their noisy honking that means winter days are near.

Hummingbirds help pollinate flowers nearby as they flit from bloom to bloom transferring pollen. These little birds are in constant motion going forward and up and down in quick flight.

The red shouldered hawk with its whistling cry and soaring flight can spot its prey from high up in the air. It’s young has polka dots on its shoulder and circles overhead.

Woodpeckers you hear before you see, as they hammer on a tree. They peck at wood and dig to find insects or carve out a nest.

The Black capped chickadee from the woodland nest near and feed around the pond. It is named for its call which sounds like “schick a dee”.

Owls that nest in trees in the woods close by are often not seen in the day but hunt for their prey at night. By day it sits very still so it won’t be seen. At night it swoops with noiseless wings and its hoot or screech lets one know it is near.

The Mallard duck pair is often on my waters. The female is very plain but the colorful male with its green head banded by a white ring around its neck are a happy duo.

The Great Blue Heron can be spotted with its long neck and legs hunting for prey. It silently stalks its prey and then stands very still until a fish comes its way. Then it swiftly attacks in the blink of an eye.

The Wooded Duck nests in a tree. When the female calls the newly hatched young climb out of the nest and drop one by one, to the water. The numbers are large at hatching time, but three to four weeks later, the number of ducklings alive is one or two. A large snapping turtle that lives deep in my belly, has too many for lunch. Bull frogs are here in the spring. Please come down to my water’s edge and hear the noises they make.

Bull Frog

Hope to see you by my side.

Spring Surprises

By Ann Baruch. Photos by Jane Ruffin

The long-awaited season of renewal, beauty, and surprises is finally here! In Wheeler Woods the parade of spring ephemerals has begun. Spring-blooming understory trees are showing off their finery, and the foliage on trees is transitioning from plump buds to a beautiful light spring green color. Male birds are assuming their breeding plumage. Other birds are flying through on their way further north and sometimes we are lucky enough to get a glimpse of them as they stop to rest in Wheeler Woods.

Jane Ruffin recently had a unique experience in Wheeler Woods: “The bird boxes needed to be cleaned out before the house wrens and chickadees began looking for a place to nest. The first one was full of twigs from last year’s wren’s nest. I opened the second one and it was stuffed with moss and lichen. The top had soft grasses wound around the space. As I put my hand in the box to pull it all out, I saw an eye looking at me. I stopped in surprise. I thought that it was a chipmunk. I quickly took a photograph and gently closed the door and stepped away. Suddenly the little animal came out of the hole and flew over to the nearest tree. It was a Flying Squirrel.”

Flying squirrels are common, but not often seen because they are active at night. They have membranes of fur between their arms and legs, called “patagia.” The patagia act as parachutes to slow them down in leaps between trees. They can leap many times their own body length and have precision control of their landings. “Flights” (which are really glides), of nearly 300 feet have been recorded. Flying squirrels can also turn nearly 180 degrees in mid-air. Their limbs and their flat rudderlike tail help them steer and control their leaps. As they near their target they reach toward their landing spot with strong, padded back feet that land silently, before their front limbs come down to steady the landing.

Because they are nocturnal creatures, flying squirrels can hide from many predators. Their enormous eyes help them see in the dark. They are omnivores and eat a range of food including fungi, nuts, berries, seeds, as well as carrion, eggs, slugs, and small birds. They don’t hibernate through the winter, but they do slow down their metabolism to conserve resources. They are social creatures and will curl up in nests with up to 20 other flying squirrels to keep warm.