Great Pond: Glastonbury, CT (9/14)

Lately I've been exploring around Glastonbury looking for nice places to hike and nature watch. On Sunday morning I got up early and headed out to a new site which I found on the town's web site. Its name Great Pond Preserve and it is co-owned by the town and the Nature Conservancy.

It took me a bit of time to find the entrance to the park but it was worth it. I didn't get to hike for too long but since I was on a tight schedule and it was raining. So, I headed directly for the pond. When I got there I found a nice flock of 16 Blue-wing Teal. The second that I came into view they spooked and flew around for a minute or so before landing at the other side of the pond. I decided to walk thru the wet grass to get a closer look and as I did, I scared up several Least Skippers. Once I had gotten close enough to see the Teal I noticed a pair of White-tail Deer thru the trees. There were also 3 Green Herons spread equally around the rim of the pond. As I was admiring the ducks, a Great Blue Heron flew over. The moment was spoiled by a loud mechanical noise that spooked the waterfowl and they flew away for good.

On the way back from the pond, I observed lots of different birds near the entrance to the park. They were all common species (Chickadees, Catbirds, Robins, etc.) but it was nice anyways.