Nubi Cohousing News » pond

return of the otter

Noel — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:32:26 +0000

Nearly three years to the day after an otter was first spotted in our neighborhood pond, we had another otter (perhaps the same?) visiting for several hours on Saturday. Sue first informed me of its presence in the morning, and before long, the otter had many admirers, young and old.

It was s drizzly fall morning, but at one point (see photo) there were more than a dozen people around the pond admiring the visitor. S/he did not seem to mind, but kept right at work diving for delicacies, popping up to the surface, looking around, then diving some more.

Dori later provided some interesting otter facts — they can stay under water for up to 8 minutes at a time, and individuals can live up to 14 years in the wild. So, this may indeed have been the same otter who delighted us in the pond 3 years ago, a visit which led to the name now on our sign — Otter Pond.

wind power is here

Noel — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:45:09 +0000

We’ve installed solar panels, now it’s time for new sources of alternative energy….

car-free = good for turtles

Noel — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:32:15 +0000

Since moving here a couple years ago, I’ve enjoyed seeing some wonderful wildlife on and around the property, but also been surprised by a few big misses — creatures that’ve been noticeably absent. Turtles have been high on that list for me. Even with our river and pond and wetlands, I had not seen a single turtle here.

That changed yesterday. Mid-morning, Suzy came to our door to announce that a turtle had just strolled across Steele Road in the middle of our neighborhood. (I became keenly aware of another benefit of keeping cars out!) By the time I got out to take a look, it was making its way through the grass.

In hopes that this one would stick around, I violated various rules of animal etiquette by relocating the turtle a few hundred feet down the road, placing it at the edge of our pond, which seems to me a good place for amphibious creatures.

The turtle immediately dove — really dove — into the water. It appeared so eager to get away from me that the moment I placed it on the ground, it practically jumped into the water and quickly swam deep down into the pond, disappearing from sight. I stayed by the water for some time, but couldn’t relocate it again. So, today I was happy to see the turtle sunning on the edge of the pond, and when I went to take a closer look, it (of course) leapt back into the water. I’m hoping it’ll stick around.

Sunday skating

Eric — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:19:42 +0000

Skating yesterday afternoon made shoveling off the pond in the morning well worth it. It looked a little rough, but was great once out on the surface. The neighborhood kids were all skating great (or riding in a laundry basket), and there was enough room and people for an impromptu hockey game. We were out much longer than we anticipated, and the kids learned what a “blister” is. They’d still be out there again in a heartbeat.

New Year skating on the pond

Some more good photos are in the flikr set, (and in rotation for the blog banner up top).