Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

Posted on June 26, 2016June 26, 2016 by Dusty Roads

My Plantar Fasciitis has improved dramatically. My foot still feels a little bruised but I can walk without limping so it was time to see if it would hold up for a hike. I only have a couple of weeks before my Big Maine Adventure which will involve .5 – 1 mile hikes. It doesn’t sound like much but if you have ever experienced the pain of Plantar Fasciitis, you know it’s like walking on a golf ball! 10 feet is too far!

To improve my motivation I decided to head for Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick, MA. This is an Audubon property and I hadn’t been there before. It had the added benefit of being in Natick so I could include lunch at Kelly’s Roast beef.

Kelly's Roast Beef

Before I left the house I dug around to find my Audubon membership card. I’ve never been asked for it but I’d never been to Broadmoor before either. Turns out it was a good thing I made the effort. They have a Welcome Center that is staffed and they do check memberships.

Broadmoor

When I pulled in I was surprised to see a full parking lot. I figured that I wouldn’t see much with that many people tramping around but it turns out there are more than 9 miles of trails.

No way was I going to try any of the longer trails today. So I settled on the Mill Pond/Marsh Trail. It’s a mile long but I only covered the Marsh section. I wandered a boardwalk, watched a swan groom itself and admired the sunning turtles.

Broadmoor Swan

I met some nice people along the way but it wasn’t really as crowded as I expected.

Turtles

I will have to go back again as my foot gets stronger. I want to see the little waterfall at the ruins of the mill and there is supposed to be an active beaver pond with a dam and lodge.

Boradmoor-11a

Now to head home and see how the foot feels. Fingers crossed!

Swan Spring

Posted on May 24, 2015May 24, 2015 by Dusty Roads

It felt so nice to steal a few moments with the camera. The Grist Mill Pond in Plymouth was teaming with new life. Mr. and Mrs. Majestic are patiently waiting on their nest.

Finally a Moment with Nature

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Spring has been a long time coming this year. If it wasn’t snowing it was raining but finally on Monday, we had a brief respite.

As usual lately my days off are filled with errands. When did that happen? I needed to run to the grocery store, down to Walmat (which is the opposite side of town) and then in another direction to the pet store for filters for the pet fountain but I was determined to get some time with the camera. No cat picture today!

The sun was hiding behind a gray, overcast sky. Rain was predicted for the evening. My first stop was at Oliver Mills. It was crowded today. The herring have started running. You could stand by the fish ladder and see the little fish trying to make their way upstream. A few gulls braved the influx of humans but no Great Blue Herons. I watched from the car for a bit so when the gulls took flight, so did I.

I drove to Plymouth to check on a Osprey nest I found at the end of the season last year. When I got there I discovered that I couldn’t find my binoculars. The last time I had them (that I remember) was in Alaska. This nest is near a park and it was full today too so I didn’t linger there.

Getting to the Grist Mill Pond was a challenge. The main road was blocked for a funeral so I tackled the shore road down past the Mayflower.

That’s undergoing road work but passable. I skipped Brewster Gardens. Nothing appeared to be out and about, not even a duck or robin. But that wasn’t the case at the pond.

Here spring was in full swing with lots of courtship rituals going on…mallards, Canada geese, and Mr. Majestic, the mute swan.

After enjoying the antics here I made one more stop. I went searching for the “haul out” that I’d heard about for the seals. Usually I go to Chatham to view seals. Plymouth is closer but the seals aren’t necessarily any more accessible. I wasn’t sure I’d found them. Without binoculars I simple took pictures and crossed my fingers.

Once home I uploaded the images and sure enough…they were there. Next time I’m taking the BIG lens.

On Grist Mill Pond

Posted on April 16, 2012April 16, 2012 by Dusty Roads

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 !)