Walden Ponds

Last Thursday we went for a leisurly walk around Boulder County's wildlife preserve at Walden Ponds.  The area is a reclaimed gravel pit.  After the mining was done in the 70's the county spent some money and moved some gravel to create islands and peninsulas in the pits that were filling up with ground water.  They also allocated a certain amount of water to be allowed into the pond from the adjacent Boulder Creek, (from what was left after all the prior water rights were observed.)  This new marshland would be a refuge and nesting ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.  There are often egrets and herons as well as some of the more common birds to Colorado like the blackbirds and robins we see all the time.  

Today the ponds have suffered from three years of drought and are very low.   

We still saw some interesting wildlife, including a pelican (far away - it was just a white speck in another picture), red-winged blackbirds (below), robins, turtles, a really cool yellow-tailed bird that might have been some kind of goldfinch maybe... I couldn't find it in my book.  

These robins were very bold.  I could have reached out and touched this one. I know they're not rare or all that interesting, but it was neat to see them so close.  Natalie was intrigued.  

On our walk we spotted some horses.  definitely not wild.  I imagine that certain ranchers have grazing deals with the Boulder County Open Space people.  

On a little hill where we stopped we got to see a glider plane being pulled up and let go.  They took a few circles of the area on their way up, and on the first one they went right over us and were so close we could see the cable.  

After all that excitement Natalie took a little nap.  She'd skipped her morning one, so I was surprised she made it this far!

She didn't get to see these painted turtles we spotted sunning themselves.  See the little baby one in the middle?  

But she was up in time for some lunch at the end.  

Nupur gave my stab at an Indian meal her seal of approval.  Always room for improvement, but I think I'm getting there.