Barbour's Pond

Barbour's Pond
Barbour's Pond - November 11, 2013

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Say goodbye to Garret's reservoirs!!

Under federal mandate PVWC will replace the reservoirs on Garret Mountain with beautiful concrete water tanks. Read the full "story" here Reservoirs

Monday, March 12, 2012

Birds are coming in


10+ Phoebes, 12+ Fox Sparrows joined 150+ Juncos and 100+ Robins around Garret Mountain Reservation today. Bluebirds were seen in the trees of the Overlook Meadow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was seen off the white trail near Rocky Hollow Picnic area. 35-40 species total were seen. Turtles are out on Barbour's Pond. 2 Ring-necked Ducks on the pond are actually showing the ringed neck. County trail work continues throughout the park. There's still much more to be done.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

It's tick season!


As the weather warms, ticks come out. Take precautions to avoid tick bites.
Preventing Tick Bites

While it is a good idea to take preventive measures against ticks year-round, be extra vigilant in warmer months (April-September) when ticks are most active.
Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks

Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
Walk in the center of trails.

Repel Ticks with DEET or Permethrin

Use repellents that contain 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) on the exposed skin for protection that lasts up to several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding hands, eyes, and mouth.
Use products that contain permethrin on clothing. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents. It remains protective through several washings. Pre-treated clothing is available and remains protective for up to 70 washings.
Other repellents registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be found at http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/.External Web Site Icon

Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body

Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.
Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs. Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill remaining ticks.


Here are links to ticks and the diseases they can cause.
DEER TICKS
TICKBORNE DISEASES

Friday, March 9, 2012

Some migration begins


There have been some reports of spring migration beginning. Eastern Pheobe has been spotted as well a a couple of Woodcocks. Red-shouldered Hawk was seen high over the mountain heading north this week. I'll try to update sightings as the migration moves along. It's still a bit slow. The female Hooded Merganser from this past autumn is still on Barbour's Pond. A highlight from the winter was a new Garret Mountain bird - Cackling Goose, which spent a couple of weeks here even being tallied on the Christmas Count. Photo of the Woodcock is from the area between the stables and the dump.