Saturday, January 7, 2012

habitat ~ 01/07/12 ~ Frog Pond Wetland Preserve

Frog Pond Wetland Preserve
January 7, 2012

Last week Graeme of Imperfect and Tense blog fame in the UK asked me if dragons and damsels were on the wing this time of year in my region. Hmm? The last time I remember seeing odonates was back on December 10, 2011 at Los Padres Dam, although I was unable to capture any pictures of them. Then, I realized I tend to notice when things are present, but I often neglect to consider what may be absent. This will be something I'll try to keep in mind this year.

As promised like a virtual hiker clear across the globe, off we went on a dragon and damsel hunt at the one local spot I felt sure would have them if they were indeed out in January. Normally, January can be quite stormy here, but so far we've have an extremely mild winter with barely a drop of rain mid-December. Sorry, Graeme, we had no luck in finding dragonflies or damselflies. However, I haven't given up, yet, and will keep my eyes peeled for them.

So often we don't feel like getting in the car on weekends, unless the promise of a good hike is in the offing. It was really nice to get out for a short hike a couple towns away (only 15 minutes by car) on a lazy Saturday when we probably would have taken a walk on the Rec Trail from home. The Frog Pond was the clearest I've ever seen it. There were coots, mallards, and various song birds, which made for a very soothing hike and a nice change of pace from the constant sound of crashing waves at home.