On the north end of Park Street, there is a LabCorp and a few other
small businesses nearby. So when I am scheduled for bloodwork, I usually bring my camera. I call it Publix Pond because of the Publix that Anne likes on that pro-
perty. I don't know why, but there are almost always birds congregating there.
I can put my long lens on, rest it on the window frame, and shoot out the window
of the car and get a stable shot. These photos were taken 2016 – 2022.
April 16, 2022
I was driving down Park Street and I saw a huge blue heron. I stopped, but by the time I got to a vantage point for what would have been a beautiful setting, the bird flew away to another spot in the pond a lot further away. I was just standing on the bank when the biggest turtle I've ever seen, a real monster (and scary too, you'll see) came up to the bank and eventually found his way onto the grass. He started coming after me very aggressively. I found out this was because people are feeding them. There was another one just the same size, I'm telling you, huge! They were rolling around in the water, mating I presume. A guy came to the pond who knew all about them, because he has been feeding them for some time. One is blind he says. One of them he fed by hand. He told me in the little pond behind the bank there were ducklings. I counted 11. I looked up and saw an osprey nest with a chick in it. All this in the course of an hour at a not-very-remote location.
June 21, 2022
I tore my meniscus about a month ago and haven't taken but a handful of photos because I can't walk yet. I thought I'd check out the place where I saw the turtles, osprey, and baby ducks in April. I was only there about 10 minutes. The duck family is still together and there is still an osprey chick up on the pole.
September 20, 2022
These aren't actually at what I call Publix Pond, but behind the bank next to it. These woodstorks (preacher birds) always make me think of the age of dinosaurs. They look ancient.
