Puffer pond is a tributary of the Assabet River, spread out like a lake due to Beaver's dams. I would even argue that it is a better habitat than the river itself. The wetlands are well populated with Blackbirds and Waterfowl, making it an almost loud place sometimes. On March 11th, I saw a beaver for the 3rd time in my entire life. The ice on Puffer Pond is finally thawing, allowing the beavers to replace the fat they lost over the winter. Several photographers were already there, watching the beaver gnaw on some driftwood. It soon dove under the water as a muskrat took it's place on the log. It then swam around the pond a bit and went to add debris to a castor mound. Beavers mark their territories by making a small pile of debris, and rubbing their balls on it. Highlights are below.
We actually spotted 5 different beavers but most of them stayed to far away from us to take any decent pictures. Only 1 Beaver pair controls each dammed up section of puffer pond, so the other 4 must have been last year's offspring or visitors from other segments.
I also saw a pair of Canada Geese paroling their territory. They are clearly planning to lay eggs on the peninsula off of the path because they got stressed and agitated when we walked over there. Eventually they just took off.
By the time we got back on the path, the sun was setting, making the whole pond darker. It was an amazing end to a walk. The beaver family was also enjoying the sunset from a small, grassy island.
I went there again on the 13th, to set up the trail cam and check on the beavers. I did not see any. The Canadian Geese pair was active, though, feeding together near the peninsula. Canadian Geese will usually nest on top of a beaver lodge, taking advantage of the same method that beavers use. I do not see any signs of a nest anywhere though yet.
On March 20th, I mountain biked with my dad along Taylor Rd. Trail and Harry's Way. It was all in all a great time and i saw a lot of wildlife. There were painted turtles too, but they dove into the water as soon as i pulled out my phone. At the end, we passed several World War Two ammunition bunkers, and the same pair of Canada geese from last week. They were really relaxed around humans because I saw them away from their nests. I got up really close.
