Babies

Well, the first of our Mute Swan clutches have hatched. In fact, as of Monday, May 4th, two clutches had hatched. The pair in the Sandpit have SIX Cygnets! The pair nesting in the Cattail Marsh have two Cygnets. I couldn't see the six. Mom was back on the nest with them all under her wing. I could see her wing in the air like she was pulling something in towards her. The pair from the Cattail Marsh was in Fowle Brook feeding. The two adults would stomp the mud near the opposite shore from where I was standing and then they would all feed. Then the adults would stomp the mud again. Fascinating to watch.

And swans are not the only babies on the water! I met a couple that said they saw a big clutch of Ducklings. Soon there will be more Ducklings, Goslings and maybe even some more Cygnets since we have two more nests!!!

The wild flowers up in the woods are in full swing! One of my favorites, New England Wild Columbine, is blooming on every rocky outcrop on the hillside to the North of the Red Bridge and also up on Horn Pond Mountain.

Other flowers that can be found in most woods around Horn Pond are Quaker Ladies or Bluets, (most often white in this area with only a touch of blue) ..........

and several types of violets! My favorite is the Bird-foot Violet with its delicate ferny leaves. It can be found in many places along the trail above Lagoon to the South. Also along here and in the reclaimed Sandpit you can find clumps of the Northern Downey Violet with its fuzzy leaves.


And everywhere the Wild Lily of the Valley carpets the ground as the tiny spikes of flowers start showing among its oval shaped leaves.

This is also the time for the blueberries to flower. This year it looks like we will have a bumper crop of the flavorful wild blueberries. Everywhere I went in the woods and up on the mountain, the bushes were heavy with the tiny bell-like flowers.

A walk most anywhere around Horn Pond now will offer the lovely fragrance of the many wild flowering apples.

This past Saruday, May 2nd, was Woburn's 47th Annual Conservation Day. The main thrust of the day was the installation of the remaining trail marking posts. Next will be the map and brochure!!! After lunch representatives of the EPA, the DEP and the MWRA gave a presentation and announced the Mystic River Watershed's report card which was up from a D to a C-.

Every day is different at Horn Pond. Things are happening fast now so come on down! You don't want to miss a thing!!!