This week there were 3 possibles for the Photo of the Week. After much consideration and close examination of the technical aspects of each photo, the Tree Swallow was the chosen photo.
Ecotarium
It was a beautiful day for an adventure with the kids. My friend Nancy’s kids that is. I picked up Nancy and her daughter Dawn and son Alex at 11:15 for the drive to Worcester to the Ecotarium. We’d checked out the website but still weren’t sure what we would find.
When we reached Worcester we decided to stop for lunch before we went on to the Ecotarium. We had a nice (if slow) lunch at a Friendly’s Restaurant. They were doing a good business but were clearly under staffed. I have to give our harried waitress a pat on the back. In spite of being pulled in many directions she maintained her pleasant attitude.
Finally out of the restaurant we found we were just around the corner from the Ecotarium. Worcester streets are not easy to navigate but we finally found it.
You buy your tickets at the gate as you drive in. Then follow the signs to the parking area. There was ample parking while we were there. There were several trails out of the parking lot. The one we took led to the main visitor center. As we passed along the trail we stopped to look at the Bald Eagles and 2 Barred Owls. All of the animals here are rescues. They have some injury that has healed but was severe enough that it left them crippled. The Ecotarium tries to give their animals a good quality of life.
Eagles mate in the air but these two are unable to fly so it makes mating difficult. The female eagle is currently sitting on a nest and has laid eggs. This has happened before but the eggs have always been infertile. It is too early to tell about this year’s clutch.
The owls also have a handicap so will not be released and will live out their life here in their habitat.
At the courtyard in front of the Visitor Center there was a sundial and another sculpture made of different sized pipes. You can blow in the pipes or hit the tops of the pipes with an over-sized sandal to see how different sized pipes create different tones.
As we entered the Visitor Center we were assaulted by the noise. I think it would be safe to say we had found the other families! There were tons of exhibits ranging from a terrarium where you can put you head in from he bottom to a hurricane wind chamber. There was a machine that made mini tornado and an interactive room for budding engineers.
There was a rock wall for climbing and at the top of the wall a mountain lion was waiting.
There were programs and presentations, a chess board, a live parrot, a huge taxidermy bear.
The Africa gallery was a beautifully done series of dioramas.
The kids were running from one exhibit to another. They were being exposed to science without even realizing it. Everything was interactive so they could try it and to them it was just fun.
Eventually we got outside to another walking path. The animals along this path were skunks, porcupines and a large ‘possum. Near the playground were two gorgeous red foxes. From the Red Fox enclosure we walked down to the “pond”. We could see loads of fish swimming in the tea colored water.
By now it was almost 4:15 and the last chance to grab a ride on the little steam engine so we hustled back to the station. That was a fun ride. It even went through a tunnel.
Ride over, we made a quick stop at the gift shop as they were getting ready to shut down. We took the long path back to the car so that we could go by the otter habitat. Unfortunately the otters were in hiding but as we crossed the wooden bridge over the marsh we could see loads of frogs. A lady was there with a net trying to catch tadpoles.
Our final stop before leaving was at the stegosaurus. What would a museum be without a dinosaur?
If you are looking for a Zoo you will be disappointed. There are only a limited number of “live animal” exhibits but if you are looking for a nice day with lots of “hands on” exhibits and some lovely walking trails I would give the Ecotarium a big thumbs up!
Scenes from Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary
After the drama on the pond in Plymouth I headed up to Marshfield and Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary. I was hoping to add to my deer picture collection but It was a little too early when I got there. I settled into one of the blinds to wait.
There were turtles, turtles and more turtles. As I sat in the blind there was a steady stream of people who were not bird watchers but rather turtle watchers and counters!
There was a water mammal of some kind nibbling on the reeds. I think it must have been a muskrat. I can tell you it wasn’t a beaver. One of the people in the blind with me called it a water-rat. I still think it’s a muskrat.
Of course there were the ever-present Canada Geese.
But a bird I’d never seen before made itself at home among the geese.
It’s a Glossy Ibis. While I watched a second one flew in. The bird seemed to be almost a rusty red when the sun hit it just right. The bird book describes it as having dark maroon plumage with iridescent green and purple coverts.
The little birds that make me think of swallows continued to swoop over the water and then one landed on a bird house right near the blind and I could see it was a blue bird. It didn’t stay long and it was off again swooping and sailing after tiny bugs that we couldn’t even see.
Around 4:30 I left to check out the secret meadow. Along the way enjoying the blooming trees and flowers.
The meadow was empty. That’s unusual for this time of day but I am seldom here on a Weekend. There were a lot of people so that may have caused the deer to stay in the woods longer. I waited for about 15 minutes and had 3 groups of people pass by me during that time. It was definitely too busy for deer. I’ll get them another day.
On Grist Mill Pond
It’s not quite On Golden Pond which was a story of human love and caring that was played out in a beautiful setting. No, but what I witnessed at the Grist Mill Pond in Plymouth on Sunday had all the earmarks of devotion and love but in the animal world.
When I arrived at the pond Mr. Swan was putting on quite the display. At first it just appeared that he was a bad-tempered if beautiful bird.
He was expending a lot of energy chasing every goose that crossed his path.
He was one seriously nasty bird!
He even took them on in pairs!
Smaller birds like the mallard stayed far out-of-the-way under the trees along the bank.
The cormorant took a break from his fishing to get out of the way and dry his feathers.
Eventually I found the cause of Mr. Swan’s angst.
It appears the Mr. Swan is going to be a dad. On the far side of the pond was a nest. It was almost completely camouflaged until Mrs. Swan raised her head. As I was getting the “long lens” to get a picture of this domestic scene, Mr. Daddy Swan returned home.
You could almost believe you heard “I’m home dear”! 🙂 Both Swans began preening and then set to work reinforcing the nest with weeds and muck from the pond. (And we thought we had a hard day at the office !)
Activity on the pond returned to normal.
Off near the bank, under the trees, a shy female duck joined the Mallard as well.
The robin returned to the bank to resume his hunt for a meal.
Looks like I’ll be keeping a look out for baby swans…they’re ugly ducklings aren’t they?
A couple more birds
I got the Bluebird at Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Cardinal photo still isn’t quite where I want it to be but it is getting closer. Got this one at The Grist Mill Pond in Plymouth. He surprised me. I had just taken the camera out of the car and I turned around and there he was. I had about 2 seconds to try to get a picture before he flew off. Silly red birds just keep teasing me!
