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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Bona Dea Update




Bona Dea was warmer today than before. It was really like a mild summer day. The Turkey Vulchers were back on their old roost and flying overhead and the Gulls were flying in number. The area and town were covered in flocks of Boat-Tailed Grackels. See photo of the black bird. A Great Blue Herron was flying over Goose Pond. Several Mallard Duck pairs were in Prarie Creek by the spillway. A lone Canadian Goose flew over and landed in Waldon Pond. It just kept calling out as if it had lost its way or trying to attract the rest of the flock. About the same time a lone Red Bat started flying over the same pond. The first bat I had seen there is some time. See Photo. It is interesting that a few years back some students from Ark Tech were doing research on bats and they had several bat traps made from Badminton nets and strung them across some of the park trails. They had several bats caught. One Bat related story was one time I was out at a cemetery in the country late at night and was walking along the tombstones. I suddenly felt something hit me in the side of the head. I looked up to see a bat flying away. It left a scratch. Glad it didn't have rabies. Dont's ask about the cemetry.