Bona Dea Sanctuary Nature Notes

Bona Dea Update-1

Published on 2011-08-26 23:50:00

Bona Dea is still in operation. I have been absent for awhile. I went there in the late afternoon today, Friday. I went to the spillway. After just going down swinging bridge trail for a few feet I saw a raccoon cross in front of me going from one pool to another one. I slowly crept up on it until it saw me and ran down the bank. Then as I was starting to walk again, 2 small babies walked across the trail and right in front of me stopped and stared and raised their backs like cats ready to fight

Bona Dea Update

Published on 2011-08-01 22:11:00

Bona Dea has been very, very hot and dry for the last couple of months. There have been several days of over 100 degrees F. with heat indexes around 110 degrees. Very little rain in this period of time. However the vegetation and animal wildlife doesn't seen to be effected other than the birds stay inactive in the middle of the day. An interesting site a couple of weeks ago was out at the Disc Golf Course that I have talked about before, where at the small cross over iron bridge across the canal

Bona Dea Update

Published on 2011-06-28 21:43:00

Bona Dea received almost one half inch of rain today. Hooray!!! We really need it. I have been watering got a bit at home and am doing so right now even though we got the rain. It has also cooled things down quite a bit today. As shown in the post below. Mr. Paul Ray and I went to the Disc Golf Course and Bona Dea Sanctuary on 06-21-11. These photos and text is in regards to the Bona Dea visits. We went there first and then returned there for another excursion. On our first visit, we went on the

Disc Golf Course Update

Published on 2011-06-27 23:23:00

On Tuesday 06-21-11 Mr. Paul Ray came down for us to go on another wildlife Safari. These photos on this post were taken at the Disc Golf Course not far from the world famous Bona Dea Sanctuary. He took most of these photos with his camera equipment. We'll save the best for first. I had been trying to locate and photo the Baltimore Oriole birds that were at this place and Bona Dea. And so far this year no such fortune. But we stayed with it and patience paid off as we were able to see one. They

Wasp and Caterpillar action

Published on 2011-06-20 01:13:00

This video clip shows a Thread-waisted Wasp working furiously to cover up and fill in a hole to its nest where it has just deposited a big Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth-caterpillar for food for whenever the eggs in the nest hatch and then the new larvae will eat it. Have a good day!!!!!!

Bona Dea and Disc Golf Course Update

Published on 2011-06-20 00:03:00

This area of nature has really been hot and humid as of the past few weeks. With highs in the high 90's f and heat indexes over 100. Only scattered occasional showers. The Canadian Geese have really been doing their thing and I have not seen so many families of so many little ones. This especially along Pleasant View road on the way to the Disc Golf Course. Also several have been killed on the road. The water pools at Bona Dea are holding up pretty well in the heat. They should with all the floo

Disc Golf Course Update

Published on 2011-05-19 23:30:00

For the past few days I have been going to the Disc Golf Course again. The mosquitoes and gnats have been really bad at Bona Dea and also the Golf Course. So I have not been prowling around on the trails very much. Especially close to any water. So these photos were taken at the Disc Golf Course. I saw this man in a boat going under the iron bridge that I was walking on so I thought this would be a barber pole boat. Wonder why?? At Pleasant View park and the Golf Course there are several famili

Bona Dea Update

Published on 2011-05-08 22:44:00

As mentioned in this blog recently, there was tremendous flooding at Bona Dea. I believe this was the worst I have ever seen and lasted longer. The spillway and most of the trails were completely under water to the extent that the various pools/ponds and all creeks were actually all meshed together. Only a few high spots were available for wildlife to go to. I know that there was a similar flood a few years back in the winter months and the number and kinds of mammals and amphibians have decreas

Disc Golf Course Update

Published on 2011-05-08 21:30:00

I have been going to the Disc Golf Course quite a bit in the past few weeks. This is a place not far from Bona Dea and offers some unique features as I have talked about before. The flooding that has occurred here in the past 2 weeks have not effected this property as much. These photos included here shows some of the last couple of weeks takes. There were a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds in a tree and this photo shows a closeup of one looking at me with the very brown head and neck and coal blac

Bona Dea Update

Published on 2011-04-26 21:12:00

Bona Dea is currently mostly under water. It has rained about 14 inches in the last 2 weeks. You cannot get around on the trails. I walked down the paved ramp at the pumping station and took this video of the flooding around it. The electric repair crews shown in the video informed me I might want to vacate the area as there were tornado warning out. Sure nuff and few minutes later one came over. It did not touch the ground. I did not get to go to other places on the park to look at those places