November Turtles

Two Chrysemys picta picta took advantage of a strangely balmy day in Maine to soak up some sun. Two weeks ago there was a thin skim of ice on the pond.

Last frog of the season

See the tadpole here? Hope he makes it through the winter to become a singer in the spring!


Autumn's color dazzle has actually come and gone. I took these photos just last week, but a strong-winded storm raged through two nights ago, ripping the leaves from the trees. They now stand stark and gloomy. The pond has a blanket of leaves, too, rippling gently when the windmill produces rings of bubbles on the surface. The turtles and frogs will hibernate through the winter, and hopefully we will have good ice for skating.

Fluttering by

Mourning Cloak

Monarch

Black Swallowtail

Great Spangled Fritillary

These lovely creatures--little works of art-- flit near the pond, and stop for nectar in the flower garden nearby. The Mourning Cloak prefers tree sap to flowers, though.

Sunday frogs

Fascinating froggies meditating at the pond today.

Munching Bunch

Dining at Frog Song Pond:

A lone sandpiper searches for snacks along the muddy bank, dragonflies dart for dinner, and a dozen or more Cedar Waxwings soar for supper.

Blowin' in the Wind

The newest addition to Frog Song Pond is a very cool way to aerate the water. Tiny bubbles generated by the new windmill will add much-needed oxygen so that the microorganisms will break down the heavy leaf matter that has accumulated at the bottom of the pond. The frogs and turtles will be SO happy!

We hired a very smart pond biologist and his equally smart (and strong!) wife for the job. The multi-talented Jesse & Stacey Coleman also own and operate Gorham Fitness Studio. Check out their blog, too, for great ideas for healthy families.

Frog time

Seems like awhile since a frog appeared here. This fellow was near the dock yesterday.

Another Pond

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Frog Song Pond is too small for loons. I recently had the good fortune to spend some time again at a friend's cabin on a pond near Lewiston, Maine. Two loon pairs, but no sign of chicks this year. I managed to record the calls! Click on the video (of the lake from my kayak, but you can't see any loons) and turn your volume up to hear these amazing creatures.

Landing Pad

These gorgeous blue damselflies zip by the hundreds over the surface of the pond. Apparently, turtles make fine islands of repose.

Bully and the Bullfrog

Sometimes when you find the perfect place to be, someone bigger comes along and scoots you away. Drat. Or Drake.

Note: This is my first day making videos! Very exciting....now back to work.

Today's frog

Froggy faces

Portraits of a few frogs from the pond.

Eye tricks

Mystery Guest

You can see the chest markings here. The bullfrog and the turtle don't seem

to be bothered....or perhaps they're oblivious.

The mallard seemed unfazed by the new guy...

VERY excited to find this Green Heron at the pond today! Rather homely compared to it's elegant cousin, the Great Blue Heron, this bird is smaller, more compact, and has a shorter neck. The coloring is lovely, though---a grayish green back and wings, and a rich rust-colored chest that has a white striped pattern. Sorry for the blurry photos---the heron was across the pond and I had to do a full zoom to catch it at all.

Surprise visitor

Yesterday morning, I stepped out onto the patio that looks out over the pond and startled a fox---who leaped from the patio and dashed down toward the pond. I had my coffee instead of a camera, of course. Later I got a shot of the fox's intended breakfast, though. This little fellow and his friends have condos in the stone wall next to the patio.

Best Buddies

These two mallard drakes hang out together all the time.

Zen Turtles

These turtles look so...well....HAPPY! Or maybe they are meditating on the wonder of the world. More photos on my other blog, HERE.

Saturday Frogs

Cute, huh?

I've spotted a couple of frogs over the past two weeks, but today's sunshine brought out a bunch of them.

Duck Dock

Catching the rays on a strangely warm Maine day.

They're back!

Several days of strangely warm weather (60's....this is Maine...) and although their is still ice on half the pond, the inhabitants of Frog Song Pond are venturing forth. Three brave turtles appeared to bask in the sun, and were then joined by the first Mallard pair. One little turtle slipped back into the water, but the other two held their ground....uh....log.

Springing

The pond is waking!

Yes, yes--it's only March. But our ears already strain to hear the first peeper anyway.

Here are the first crocuses:

Races

The frozen pond provides a great short-cut for critters. These parallel tracks make me believe that they have secret races... deer? turkeys?