Long Lake Park provides many opportunities to view wildlife. Black ducks (Anas rubripes) are often found on the park’s lakes with ducklings during summer. The pair (male and female) shown here were on Withrod Lake in August. Small ponds often have frogs such as the Pickerel Frog (Lithobates palustris). The one shown here was recently using a wet hollow on the Old St. Margaret’s Trail in the park.
I saw some 10 black ducks everyday at Withrod Lake these days. They are gentle and good fish catcher. The picture reminds me the ducks I saw this morning.
In the rough trail section between Cranberry Pond and Long Lake I’ve encountered several species not mentioned here.
Last year (2024) there were a pair of Ravens intermittently showing up near Cranberry Pond. Around the same time a pair of Barred Owls were hunting in the area and were hissing at passer-bys near the pond. They were also spotted closer to the old dam and pheasant feathers were on the ground near the tree they were in.
I have also spotted 2 ring necked snakes and one dead one whose head was being consumed by red ants.